Chapter Fifteen
My eyes flutter open, the world around me slowly coming into focus. The first thing I notice is the dull ache radiating from my leg. I take a deep breath, filling my lungs with the clean air that is considerably colder now. I blink a few times, to clear my vision.
"Amara, you're awake," Wesley's voice pulls me fully back to consciousness. I turn my head to see him sitting beside me, his face both relieved and worried.
"How long was I out?" I ask, my voice hoarse. My hand flies up to my throat, gently massaging it.
"A few hours," he replies, his eyes never leaving mine. "We found more supplies, and managed to set up camp."
I nod, trying to sit up, but the pain in my leg flares up, making me wince. Wesley immediately helps me into a more comfortable position. I am propped up against the side of the Cornucopia, the metal warm from the sun beating down on it all day. Now, the sun is setting, the orange orb blazing behind the pine trees.
I look down at my leg, wrapped tightly in bandages. The sight of it brings back the memories of the fight, the bloodbath, and the faces of the tributes we had to kill. The image of Jaime, the life draining from his eyes, is seared into my mind. A wave of nausea rolls over me, but I swallow it down, trying to focus on the present.
"How's my leg?" I ask, looking at Wesley.
"It's not pretty, but the sutures should hold. We'll have to keep an eye on it for infection," he replies, taking a knife and sharpening a wooden stick, absentmindedly. I can tell there's a lot on his mind. I can't even ask him, because the Gamemakers have cameras hidden everywhere, so they can televise every kill, every tribute suffering, and everyone's worst moment of their life.
I give him a weak smile. "Thanks."
He takes my leg in his hand gingerly, inspecting the bandages. "You scared me, you know. I thought we might lose you."
"Then who would be the comic relief around here? You're all boring," I joke, trying to lighten the mood, but the weight of everything that's happened keeps pressing down on me.
I glance around our makeshift camp. Evander is facing the woods, keeping watch, his posture tense and alert. Lira is organizing the supplies, her movements efficient and purposeful. Fae and Caelum are sitting close together in front of the fire, whispering quietly, their faces pale and exhausted.
"Any sign of Zane?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
Wesley shakes his head. "Not yet. But we're keeping a close watch. We're going to take shifts through the night."
I nod, though the thought of Zane still out there, plotting, makes my skin crawl. The sun sinks deeper into the horizon, darkness crowding the sky.
"We checked the stream for fish, but we couldn't spot any. We have enough packaged food for now, but we're going to have to hunt," Lira announces, placing the packs of food in a crate.
"We can do that in the morning, when we're rested, and there's daylight," Caelum advises, speaking for the first time. Fae shivers, rubbing her arms. Lira snatches a blanket from one of the piles, and wraps it around Fae, smiling warmly. I watch her expression turn to stone upon spotting me watching her. Lira does have a soft spot, but she obviously doesn't want anyone to know it. Her secret's safe with me.
"So, Fae," I begin gently, "Tell me about District Five. What's it like?" I ask her.
Fae's eyes brighten a little, the firelight reflecting in her light green eyes. "It's…quiet, mostly. Lots of open fields and wind turbines. My family works on maintaining the energy grid, so we're always busy, but it's peaceful."
Caelum, sitting next to her, nods in agreement. "Yeah, it's nothing like this," he adds, gesturing to the grand landscape. "I always thought I'd spend my days fixing turbines, not fighting for my life." he says, running a hand through his shaggy blonde hair.
The fire crackles, filling the silence that follows with its comforting presence. I frown slightly, thinking about how most tributes didn't think they'd be fighting for their lives. Here I am, having volunteered. Why did I do that? To try and please Kai? I mentally curse myself. Kai seems like a distant memory. He's also someone who was leaving to become a Peacekeeper, so why did I even care what he thought about me? I chalk it up to constantly being put down for years, I felt I had to prove myself.
As nighttime darkens the entire sky and the silver moon rises, the anthem that precedes the death recap blares loudly. The Capitol seal appears and then fades away. Our camp falls silent, every one of us tense, waiting for the portraits to flash in the sky. The screen in the sky shows only the pictures and district numbers of the tributes who have died. Back home, they show footage of their death as well. We don't get to see that in the arena.
Inara's image lights up the sky, and then the female from District 3 appears, confirming Zane is still alive. The male from 6 materializes, followed by the female I killed from 7. Jaime's face flashes, and my eyes snap to the fire. Jaime's eyes in his portrait feel like they're burning holes into me. I know both the tributes from 8 are next, so I stare at the flickering yellow flames for a little longer. I look up to see the female from 9, the male from 10, and both from 11 and 12. The Capitol seal reappears, the anthem playing briefly before cutting out, leaving us with the sounds of the rushing water and the wildlife in the forest.
"It's us, the males from 3 and 9, the females from 6 and 10, and Zane," Evander says quietly. We're the largest group. If we set out to hunt them, this could be over very quickly. When they're all dead, who's going to break the alliance first? Not all of us can win. I wonder if it will be Lira or Evander who turns on us. I watch Fae, small and innocent—does she have what it takes to kill?
"I'll take the first watch," Wesley says, grabbing his crossbow and taking a seat facing the woods.
"I can do the second," I volunteer.
"Don't be ridiculous, you can't even walk," Lira says. "I'll do second," she offers. I bet you will. I think, remembering the girl from District 1 who slit our last year's tributes' throats in the middle of the night.
"I got third," Caelum says, raising his hand, eyes locked on the fire. It's settled: the night shift is covered, and by morning we set out to hunt the other tributes. I lean my head back against the Cornucopia, and gaze up at the sky. No stars. They couldn't have even given us fake stars?
Wesley puts the fire out by kicking dirt onto it. I watch him as he grabs sleeping bags and hands them to everyone. When he brings mine over, his eyes meet mine, then drop to travel the length of my body.
"You okay?" he whispers, crouching in front of me. I nod, as he lays the sleeping bag out. He places a supportive arm under me, helping me get into it. He grabs a canteen near me and motions for me to open my mouth. He pours ice-cold water into my mouth. I didn't realize how thirsty I was until now. I sit up, and grab the canteen from him, draining its contents.
"I love you," he says so quietly, I'm not even sure that's what he said. He gets back up, and takes his post, watching out towards the thick dark forest. I imagine what kind of animals are lurking there. I bet none are as dangerous as Zane. I don't know how, but I doze off into a light sleep interrupted by the faces of Jaime, Inara, and the male from District 8.
A low, guttural growl awakens me from my sleep. I'm not sure it's real, until I feel someone shaking my shoulder. My eyes fly open, and Wesley is crouched over me, his eyes locked onto something in the distance. Another growl echoes off the mountains, the sound coming from the darkness of the forest.
I sit upright, and everyone is grabbing weapons, and slinging backpacks on their back. I jump up, the pain in my calf shooting up my leg. I dread the thought of having to run, but if it's to save my life, I will have to push through the pain.
Another growl, closer this time. Then, out of the gloom, a pair of glowing eyes appear, followed by another, and another. Wolves. But not just any wolves—mutated mutts, their eyes glowing a bright yellow, their fur matted and bristling with unnatural spikes. They are enormous, their bodies rippling with muscle, jaws filled with razor-sharp teeth.
"Run!" Lira shouts, but it's too late. The wolves spring from the shadows, their snarls filling the air. I grab my spear, and feel my abdomen, to find the knives have been strapped to me. Wesley must have done this when the others were asleep.
One wolf leaps at me, its teeth snapping inches from my face before I sink my spear into its face. The wolf falls limp at my feet, dark green blood pouring from its wound. Wesley fires his crossbow, but they keep coming, unaffected.
"We need to get to higher ground!" I yell, stabbing at another wolf. "The mountain!"
With no time to argue, we turn and sprint toward the mountain, my calf screaming in protest. The ground is uneven, and rocky as we near the mountain. If I'm not careful, one trip and I'll be mutt food. I hear a blood-curdling scream behind me, and know that it's coming from Fae. Before I look back, her scream cuts off. A cannon sounds off, signaling her death.
I don't look back; I just focus on not becoming their next meal. My lungs burn, and my heart pounds in my ears as we near the mountain. The wolves growl and snarl behind us, creating a terrifying chorus. I feel a warm liquid start trickling down my foot—my sutures have ripped open. Despite the pain, I keep running, driven by pure survival instinct.
"There!" Wesley shouts, pointing towards a cave nestled over a ledge in the mountain. Evander reaches it first, hauling Lira up. She shoots her arm out, and pulls Evander up. Just as I get close enough, she disappears. No!
Whirling around, I see Wesley behind me, the wolves snapping at his heels. Caelum runs the other direction, now that the wolves' focus is on us.
"Wesley!" I scream, my voice raw.
He's only a few steps away, but the wolves are gaining fast. One of them leaps, and Wesley spins, swinging his crossbow like a club. The wolf yelps and crashes to the ground, but two more take its place, eyes glowing with feral hunger.
I hurl my spear at the nearest wolf, hitting my mark, impaling the beast. Killing one wolf does little to deter the entire pack after us. I force myself to stagger towards Wesley, the pain in my leg nearly unbearable.
"We have to keep moving!" I shout, the blood from my calf soaking my boot.
Wesley nods, his face a mask of grim determination. He fires his crossbow into the chest of one wolf, but another lunges at him, sinking its teeth into his arm. He cries out in pain, and I see the crimson flow of blood staining his sleeve.
I jump on the wolf's back, and dig a knife into its eye. This doesn't stop the foul beast, so I take the knife out again, and keep driving the blade into its skull. The wolf lets go of Wesley's arm, and Wesley yanks me off its back before another wolf can get me.
"We need to find another way!" Wesley gasps, dragging me with him as we sprint along the mountainside. The terrain is rough, and every step sends a jolt of pain through my leg. The wolves are hot on our heels.
"There!" I shout, pointing to a narrow crevice in the rocky face of the mountain.
Without thinking, we dash towards it, squeezing through just as the wolves reach us. The crevice is tight, barely wide enough for us to fit, but it's enough to keep the wolves at bay. Their snarls echo through the narrow space, but they can't reach us.
We shimmy along the wall, the space so tight, our chests touching. Breathing heavily, we keep traveling further into the mountain, hoping there is a way out. The rock walls open up into a large space, with a small ledge overlooking the forest.
"We made it," I whisper, the words feeling hollow, in light of our injuries.
"For now," Wesley replies, his voice strained. I glance down at his arm, jagged tears through his skin, blood steadily dripping from his fingertips, pooling on the rock floor beneath us.
"Sit down," I order him. He removes his bag from his back, and sets his crossbow down on the floor next to him.
The sound of the wolves fade into the background, their howls disappearing into the night. Now, it's just Wesley and I, against eight other tributes.