(Peeta's POV.)
My son is dead. Finnius Mellark, my little boy, won't see another day. When will the constant pain stop? I may never know. I don't want to know.
All I want is for him to wake up from this nightmare. I know it will never happen, though. Why would it? The odds are definitely not always in my favor.
A burning sensation blazes across my back as Meddy continues to stitch up the large gashes, the blood loss still making me feel overwhelmingly lightheaded.
Katniss rocks uncontrollably in her seat as the other woman treats her twisted ankle, her cheeks bright red from all of the crying.
It's impossible to not think about it. Gale's face burns into my memory, the thought only heightening my anger.
I don't know how I will react when I finally see him again. Things definitely won't end without blood being drawn. He can count on that.
Rose's head suddenly collapses against my shoulder, the touch sending a strange feeling coursing throughout me. Then I realize why.
Finnius used to always rest his head on my shoulder whenever he would watch me paint.
A million questions would come out of his tiny mouth, my answers always fascinating him.
Everything fascinated him. If only he could have spent more time with Haymitch and Effie. The experience of meeting new people excited him more than anything.
It almost makes me regret not telling him more about my childhood; how alike we were.
I remember seeing something in his eyes as we walked to the store awhile back. The same look that I had in mine whenever I saw Katniss: love.
The owner of the store's daughter was his age. He would always watch her every move as we would shop, his gaze not leaving her even for a second.
She even had her hair in two braids, only it was blonde. Whenever I watched Finnius, it felt like I was watching myself grow up all over again. Every single detail.
Memories are now pouring in like a flood, each one only making the tears spill faster down my cheeks.
I picture his second birthday. The absolute joy that filled his face when he smashed his cake onto his cheeks was absolutely priceless.
Immediately after destroying it, he dug right in and finished the rest of his tiny birthday dessert. That's when I knew that my little boy was going to grow into a baker. Just like his father.
My dream to see that come true will never happen. My body jolts forward in pain; partly because of Meddy's healing process, the rest being my overwhelming emotions.
"Stop moving," she hisses at me, the words snapping me out of my deep thoughts.
(Katniss' POV.)
My head is violently thrown forward, my stomach instantly emptying itself of everything remaining inside of it into the garbage can.
Tears begin to burn at my eyes again, the pain continuing to tear at my heart over and over again.
My entire body has become drenched in sweat, tears, and blood; every ounce of hope I had left now gone forever, never to return.
I don't even feel motivated to continue on anymore. If I could drop dead this instant and see my son again, I'd do it in a heartbeat.
Rose and Peeta are the only things keeping me alive now. Once they're gone, I will have nothing to live for anymore.
A sudden image of Gale feels like a slap to the face, the memory quickly slipping away from my view. I can't bear to see him anyway.
He deserves pain that I'd be more than happy to give him. Gale Hawthorne better hope that he never steps foot near us again.
He'll be down on the ground with an arrow through his heart before he can even blink an eye. I'll make sure of it.
Peeta's sudden grip on my hand finally makes me realize that I've been having an anxiety attack, my breathing much faster than usual.
I try my best to relax. It only works for a minute, the pain immediately blazing throughout me like a freshly lit flame.
His arms are soon embracing me, the touch sending warmth all over. It makes me finally have a slight hope for the future; a future I won't be able to enjoy with my son.
"I love you." He whispers against my ear, the impact sending a tickling sensation all over.
I nuzzle my head into his chest. "I love you too."
A loud explosion suddenly grabs our attention, the sound coming from an extremely nearby area.
Out of instinct, we all drop to the floor to protect ourselves, two more small explosions following.
"Stay down!" Meddy hisses at us, her voice coming out in a strangled whisper.
Her legs shake uncontrollably as she forces herself to a low crouch, her body shifting forward slowly to the front door.
We all watch in absolute fear as the door creaks open, her head cautiously slipping it's way through the crack to get a good view of what's going on.
"O-oh my god!" she screams out, her hand instantly grasping onto the door frame for dear life. "Someone set the bakery on fire!"
It doesn't even take me a second to figure out who did it.
I'm up on my wobbly feet before I even have the chance to think about it, the impact of my foot against the ground immediately shooting pain up my entire leg.
It instantly cools to a numb feeling, my overwhelming emotions now blocking off all physical pain.
"Katniss, wait!" Peeta yells after me as I collapse to my knees, my ankle giving out extremely quick.
"It's Gale! He set the bakery on fire!" I scream, hot tears beginning to spill down my burning cheeks.
Peeta's fingers wrap tightly around my jaw, his touch instantly dragging me back.
"We have to stay here! We'll be caught immediately if we step a single foot out there. He set the trap and you almost ran right into it."
This makes me feel like throwing up. I picture Prim right before she died, the sudden explosions completely unexpected and heartless.
Gale's traps haven't failed him before. I'm not letting him continue to have that satisfaction.
I nod quickly, my entire body breaking out into a thick sweat.
My shaky hands claw at my pant pockets. I can't bear to wait any longer. Sitting around in hiding only makes me feel more weak. Weakness isn't something I deal well with.
A sudden scream for help breaks off the eery silence, the sound impossible to not recognize.
An explosion of emotions hit me all at once. The cry for help belonged to a boy believed to have died from his head injury. That boy is Finnius.
All of us are bolting for the door the second the screaming begins, our hands desperately clawing at the door handle to open it.
The door nearly breaks off of the frame as we charge through it, our eyes immediately finding Finnius full alive and awake on the stretcher.
The only problem is that he's not alone. Gale's fingers stay locked around the small width of Finnius' neck, his lips twisting into a devious smile.
Before I can lunge myself at him, Peeta's hand grasps violently at my shirt, the quick movement planting me straight down to the ground.
Then I spot it. The tip of a knife is pressed against Finnius' neck, Gale ready to slice it open any second now.
"Let him go!" I scream, my voice on the verge of giving out.
A deep chuckle echos around us, Gale's dark eyes nearly burning holes into mine.
"Why in the world would I do that, Catnip?" He asks coldy.
This is not the Gale I loved at all. This is a psychotic and heartless killer.
"Please, Gale." I whisper, the remaining tears slowly sliding down my face.
"I've always loved you. I loved you before he came along. We were a team. We hunted as one. And you choose him?!" Gale yells, his face twisting into a red and disgusted expression.
His outburst makes all of us jump back.
I slightly step forward, the impact leaving behind a creaking sound.
Gale's hand quickly shoots up in defense, his other beginning to press the knife tip closer to Finnius' skin.
"Stop!" I scream, my legs on the verge of giving out.
Finnius' face has become completely flushed of color, his eyes staring deep into mine with a pained expression.
Alive or not, he's critically injured. His clock of life is ticking away at a dramatic speed.
"Just answer me one thing." Gale whispers, his eyes beginning to grow moist.
I nod quickly, my hand reaching out to grab his in attempt to calm him down.
Bad decision. He jabs the knife much closer to Finnius' skin, the touch instantly sending a few drops of blood spilling down his neck.
Peeta's hand grasps onto my arm to hold me back, his eyes training closely on me. I can feel everyone holding their breath as we wait for his question, the pause increasingly intense.
"Did you ever love me?" He asks, his grip on the knife growing tense. I know that whatever my answer turns out to be, it will declare whether or not Finnius gets his neck slit.
I slowly nod. "I always loved you."
Gale's eyes narrow into slits. Before I can even blink, his hands thrust themselves at me, their target being my neck.
Peeta is immediately knocked out cold onto to the ground, his body slamming into Meddy and her assistant on the way down.
Rose is nowhere to be seen. I scramble to the corner of the room, my heart pounding a million miles a minute.
"Mommy!" Finnius croaks, his head slowly lifting off of the pillow. Blood begins spilling from the opening between his lips, a hoarse cough following. His time is ticking away faster.
Gale's arms force me against the wall, his hot breath burning at my cheeks.
"You're a liar!" He spits at me, his bloodshot eyes studying every detail in my face.
"So much for true love." Gale hisses, the tip of the bloody knife now pressed against my neck.
"No!" I hear Finnius scream, his shaky hands desperately reaching out to grab me.
I close my eyes. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die.
Nothing happens. Gale's head suddenly slumps against me, a hot red liquid instantly soaking the bottom of my shirt.
The blood belongs to Gale, his lifeless body now leaning against me for support.
I shove him off of me, his cold body immediately falling to the ground with a loud splash. Blood splatters across my pants, the smell of it now completely filling the room.
My head slowly lifts up, the person responsible for Gale's death catching me off guard.
Standing before me is Rose, her shaky hands clutching onto a freshly made bow of scraps.
My daughter saved my life.