We have no choice - be burnt alive, or face our death at the Cornucopia. With a chance of survival at the Cornucopia, we turn towards it. Aqua is standing where she is, and for a moment, I'm not sure why. Why doesn't she run at us, push us through the wall of flames and claim victory?
"Scorpion." Cole murmurs, looking at the sand.
I look down at the golden grains, clinting in the sand, and see that they're shifting. Not all of them. Certain places shift at certain times, seemingly in a circle. It was a giant Scorpion, just the one, and it was sitting underneath the sand.
"It's going in a circle." I say. "It's under the sand, it'll be able to feel our footprints, but it can only go forward, so we have to go just after it reaches were we are, okay? It can't get under the leaves, I reckon, so we're safe for now."
Cole nods, and I know he isn't up for much running, but we position ourselves at the end of the forest.
As the mutt crcles past us, I see the spine of it's tail sticking out of the sand, and when it's a few yards past me, I nod to Cole.
We sprint forward, and Aqua obviously isn't expecting us, as she stumbles back into the sand. I haven't told Cole this part of the plan, but I intend on getting him on top of the Cornucopia and out of harm's way.
Aqua is still getting her bearings as I left Cole onto the Cornucopia, despite his protestations. But he doesn't come down, and I grab a sword from the sand.
"I saw what Daven did for you." Aqua said, getting to her feet and grabbing an axe. "How sweet. He never said anything about you. Makes me wonder how many other admirers died for you this week."
She grinned, her sea green eyes fixing mine. She slashed forward with her axe, but I'm expecting her, and I slash my sword upwards with so much force that it slices the head off.
Aqua laughs. "Where did you get your training from, Delly?" She mocks me as she picks up a sword. "No one in District 12 is as good as you are.
So where? Go on, enlighten me."
Before I can "enlighten her" I see the Scorpion tail rise out of the ground, and realise that it's coming out of the sand. My eyes widen, and I run to the Cornucopia, allowing a terrified Cole to help me up onto the shiny, hot surface.
"That's right!" Aqua laughs maniacally. "Run! Run back to your boy, who's going to die anyways! It's you or him, Cartwright, you or-" She's cut off by the mutt stinging her through the back, skewring her on it's barb.
"Shoot it." I murmur to Cole, ut it turns into a shriek. "Shoot it!"
"Don't do me any favours." Aqua says through gritted teeth, and she takes up her own bow and arrows. Just as Cole shoots the mutt, which recoils into the sand, Aqua fires her own arrow.
"Agh!" I hear the grunt from behind me as I watch Aqua flop to the ground. The canon goes off, and I know she's gone.
"Cole?" I frown. "Cole!"
And then I see the arrow that's sticking out from his chest.