I'm wandering now, at least my mind is, even if my feet aren't. I stopped marking my trail a long time ago because the path I am being funneled into taking is so obvious, there doesn't seem to be any need for me to know where I've been. There have been no faces projected onto the ceiling since Teff's, two days ago. My clothes are starting to hang on me, where they haven't been torn into rags. I've been without food long enough that I don't even register the gnawing in my stomach as hunger any more. I have no plan, other than to keep shuffling along, letting myself by guided though the caverns to the inevitable finale.
I come to an enlarged pocket where three tunnels intersect. I am about to continue down one without altering my direction, when I notice a pale hand on the floor, sticking out from behind the rock where the tunnels meet. Although my mind is numb, my body automatically conceals itself, and I whip out my knife without thinking. I crouch for several minutes, my heart hammering. There is a thin, rasping moan, then everything is quiet again. Without straightening, I take a few short steps and tap the hand sharply, then jump back. Whoever it is moans again. If I had not been straining to listen, I might not have heard it. I really don't want to turn that corner and look, I really don't. But my life depends on knowing what is going on, so I slide forward, keeping myself pressed against the wall.
Callida is lying on the floor. I would not have guessed that she was alive without hearing her moans. Her skin is ashen and her staring eyes are sunk into their sockets. Flecks of foam coat her lips, and now that I am close enough, I can smell vomit on her clothes. However, I see no blood and no apparent wounds on her. I don't get close enough for her to reach me, in case it is a trick. "Callida?" I whisper.
Her blank eyes suddenly focus, and she sees me, or at least I think she does. She takes a shallow breath that rattles in her throat. Her lips twitch a little, and I wonder if she is trying to speak. I start to take a step closer to hear better, but stop when I see her hand moving. She is extending it toward the handle of her weapon chain, trying to reach for it. I don't think she has enough strength to even firmly grasp it, but I kick it out of her reach anyway. She gives a shallow sigh and closes her eyes. I shake my head. She is done for.
Her backpack is nearby. I pull it to me and unzip it. Callida must hear me moving, because she opens her eyes again and watches listlessly as I sort through the contents. Her pack holds much the same items as mine. I find a little bag with more dried fruit, mostly raisins and apple, I think. I slip it into my own pack.
Callida's face splits into a ghastly, toothy grin, and she starts to shake. After a puzzled moment, I realize that she is laughing. "What's funny?" I ask. She doesn't give me an answer, but I really didn't expect one. After a moment's thought, I pick up her weapon chain as well. I don't have a real weapon at all, other than my little bootknife, and I'll need more than that when I run into Gaius again.
I'm getting ready to leave, I want to leave, but I can't. I turn back to her. "Callida?" I begin, "You know you're dying. Do you want me to finish it for you before I go?"
She hesitates, and nods. I don't really have enough room to swing the weapon chain, so I draw my knife, and get down on one knee. When I lean down to tilt her head, she grabs a handful of the front of my shirt, and tries to pull me down. Her other hand arcs into my face, clawing at my eyes. I swat her away easily, and stand. She is shaking again, laughing without sound.
I don't bother to say anything. I just get to my feet and walk away in disgust. If the circumstances had been reversed, though, I could see myself trying the same thing. The difference is that Callida still wants to win. I just want to…I don't even know any more.
As I move, something is bothering me about the entire scene, and it is probably an hour or so later before I figure out what it is. I am completely out of food and have been for several days, but Callida still had some. That is strange enough to make me stop walking, and more carefully examine the bag. It had already been opened, so she had likely eaten some. I dump out a little bit into my hand. It smells all right. The raisins look fine. What I had originally mistaken for apple though, is some sort of spongy stuff, cut into irregularly-sized cubes. I pick a few out and look at them carefully. One of them has rows of fine, deep ridges along one side. They are softer than the rest of the cube, almost velvety. Fungus? I glance to one side and spot some of the luminescent fungus that grows along the walls in most of this cave. I don't know whether it is the same type, but I am certain that Callida had also mistaken this for dried fruit and ate it. Well, I'm not going to eat it, though if I hadn't seen Callida, I'm sure I would have. I carefully tip what I have in my hand back into the bag, roll up the top, and stow it carefully in my backpack. Maybe I can use the plastic for something later.
As I resettle my pack into its customary place on my shoulder, I hear the cannon shot. I'm sure I'll be seeing Callida's face on tonight's broadcast of the fallen. Maybe someone found her and had better luck at finishing her off than I did. Maybe she succumbed to the poison fungus. It doesn't really matter. There are three tributes left, Gaius, the unknown tribute, and myself. How likely is it that this anonymous tribute is the same one who has been marking his trail, setting traps, and poisoning food? If all three are being done by one person, and that person is still alive, the odds-makers at the Capitol are probably going berserk.
Author's Note: There's only one, maybe two chapters left. I had to toss my idea for the last bit, and I'm having a little trouble working it out. But the finish line is in sight!