Chapter Text
Katniss’ POV
When Beetee suggested splitting up, I knew I should’ve protested more. But I didn’t want to be the one to spark any additional animosity between us and end our fragile alliance any earlier than necessary. Besides, Beetee made a good point about Peeta’s prosthetic leg, so I went against my better judgement and agreed to go with Johanna. While I still didn’t trust her not to stab me in the back, I felt mildly comforted by the fact that, between the two of us, I was more likely going to be able to take Johanna down instead of Peeta. If push came to shove, well let’s just say there’d be no regret on my side of things.
Still, the thought of leaving Peeta behind with only Beetee as a trusted ally was nerve wracking. Finnick was a bit of a wild card but when he jumped in to revive Peeta… well some things can’t be faked and leave it to Peeta to be likeable enough to not only not be killed but also to be brought back by another tribute. I don’t know how he does it, but I’m thankful that I decided to go back for him during the first game, who knows where I’d be now if I didn’t. Probably dead.
But I don’t have time to focus on that now, I can only hope that Peeta is smart enough to watch his back long enough for me to get back to him. I have to focus on the task at hand, which is mostly on Johanna since I’m still watching while she unspools the wire. So far everything was going smoothly, too smoothly, and my anxiety was reaching a record high. If even one thing went wrong, then Beetee’s plan would fail and most likely kill us instead of the careers. But all seemed silent in the trees, and the Gamemakers were notably absent – almost like they too wanted to see if our plan would work. Or at least I hope so because the alternative is that they’re waiting for us to get far enough in to relax before they jump in to sabotage the plan.
“Better hurry,” Johanna says. “I want to put a lot of distance between me and that water before the lightning hits. Just in case Volts miscalculated something.”
“I’ll take the coil for a while,” I say. It’s harder to uncoil and lay down the wire than it is to guard, and Johanna has had more than her fair share. Trusting her to watch my back while I’m essentially defenseless isn’t my idea of a good time, but if she can trust me to do it then I guess I can repay the favor. Besides, Johanna hasn’t done anything to betray our alliance so far and now would not be the wisest time to start, maybe once the wire is placed, she’ll make her move. I have to hand it to her, laying down the wire is way harder than she made it look and we can’t afford to waste any on unnecessary bundles. It keeps getting caught in every rock and slight crevice and it takes all my attention to avoid accidentally severing the thin wire.
We make it to the beach shortly after, and we take turns digging a large hole in the shallow water. It’s difficult to keep the water from washing away our progress but somehow, we manage to get it firmly stuck in the sand. We take a short break to drink some water before Johanna nods towards the one o’clock sector. Without a task to focus on, I’m acutely aware of Johanna beside me and I have to fight the instinct to flee. She’s not a person I want to be caught alone with and I have no doubt that she won’t hesitate to take me out the second it benefits her. But I also know being caught on the beach when the lightning starts would certainly mean death, and despite making peace with dying for Peeta, this isn’t the way I want to go.
We’re a couple of feet into the one o’clock sector when the all too familiar noise of a cannon is heard. Without thinking, I quickly switch directions and start sprinting to where I last saw Peeta. Fear and adrenaline push me faster, nothing is going to stop me from reaching him, when Johanna slams into me.
“Don’t be fucking stupid – lightning is going to strike any minute and that whole sector is going to be a mine zone! You can’t help him if you’re dead too!” Johanna screams, tugging me back towards the one o’clock sector. What she says makes sense, but I don’t care about dying anymore, not if it means he lives. I shove her off of me and pull a knife out of my belt, making a show of how willing I am to take her down if she doesn’t leave me alone.
Realistically that cannon could mean anyone is dead, a career, Beetee, or Finnick, but until I see Peeta is alive for myself there is no chance of anyone stopping me from getting to him. Johanna seems to realize this but instead of backing off like I want, she pulls her own weapon out.
“We can’t do anything for them right now! They knew the risks and if they’re smart, they’ll be at the one o’clock tree like we talked about!” Johanna yells, waving her long knife at me. I know she’s right but everything in me is screaming to ignore Johanna, to kill her if she gets in my way, and to find Peeta before it’s too late.
A snap is heard in the branches, and it distracts me long enough for Johanna to bring the handle of her knife down on my head, hard. I yell out, blindly reaching for my bow, before I see a blurry figure emerge from the foliage. It’s too dark to tell who it is, but Johanna doesn’t hesitate before throwing herself into a fight with them. Now is my chance to get away but leaving meant certain death for Johanna. Already I can see that she is outmatched and struggling to take down whoever is attacking us. So, I make a split-second decision to help her, sending an arrow flying into the other tribute. They go down and a cannon bursts through the silence signaling their death.
I place my bow back and my hand unconsciously goes up to touch my head, coming away bloody. I try to fight as Johanna shoves me back towards the one o’clock sector but she’s much too strong for me in my incapacitated state. I briefly wonder if she did this purposefully so I would obediently follow her, but it makes no sense, why wouldn’t she just kill me when she had the chance? Still, I numbly follow her through the trees, the ringing in my head only growing as blood starts to obscure my vision.
Before we’ve made it more than a few paces away, the first bolt of lightning strikes. Being too close to the wire results in us being blasted back. I feel myself hit a tree, but the pain doesn’t even register, my body seems to go into shock, shaking from the electricity. Johanna appears above me; my head must be worse than I thought because I see a halo of light surrounding her. Her mouth is frantically moving but no sound breaks through the ringing in my head. She tries shaking me, but my limbs can’t move, no matter how much she attempts.
Finally, I see her give up and she starts dragging me over the bumpy terrain. It seems to be almost shaking but that might also just be me. Out of the corner of my vision I see trees alight, flames standing out brightly in the dark night. Since Johanna doesn’t seem to be doing anything other than being a major inconvenience to me, I allow my eyes to flutter shut. My last thought as darkness descends upon me, is that I hope Peeta makes it out of this alive, it will all be worth it if he makes it out of here alive.
---
Peeta’s POV
I watch as Katniss turns and walks away, leaving behind the camp we made, leaving behind me as well. I know that it was the right decision for me to be left behind as a guard, but I wish more than anything to be going with her. But all I would do is slow her down, just another distraction she has to take care of. Besides if the plan goes bad, at least she won’t have to be the one to kill me. Her chances of survival are much higher when she only has to worry about taking out Johanna, and I’ve made peace with the fact I will have to die for her to live. My death might upset her, but she still has her family and Gale to go back to while I have no one who needs me, not like her. Maybe my brothers will mourn but they will be able to move on from my death, while I would never get over hers. Once Johanna’s footsteps fall away to silence signaling that the girls are out of hearing range, I turn back towards the camp to where Beetee and Finnick are sitting.
“Alright, so most of the wire is coiled up in the trees and all that’s left to do is wait for the lightning and hope the girls make it safely back to the forest.” Beetee says. “Why don’t you two take watch on opposite sides while I rest for a bit, I’m afraid this has taken quite a lot out of me.”
I watch as Beetee takes his glasses off to wipe a layer of sweat off of his face. His back is soaked with blood, barely contained in his bandages but there is nothing I can do to help him, Katniss is the healer not me. Beetee places his glasses back on his face before sending us a grim smile and making a gesture as if telling us to hurry up and go. Finnick and I exchange a glance, worry evident in his face, but ultimately, he nods off towards one side before slowly walking away in the other direction. I guess that means I’m in charge of the way he nodded, and with a sigh of exhaustion, I start heading into the trees.
The eleven o’clock sector was alive with the sound of bugs, hopefully covering most of the noise I must be making. I know my lack of silence was always something that bothered Katniss, no matter how nice she pretended to be about it, but I can never quite manage to capture the total silence she expertly wields. My prosthetic leg adds another layer of noise, the days in the humid arena haven’t helped either, and every step causes a wave of discomfort to flow through my leg. But right now, I have bigger concerns than what’s comfortable, and Katniss already has her hands full taking care of me, so the least I can do is ignore it.
My sweep of the area yields nothing but I’m desperate to be alone with my thoughts for just a bit longer so, I start gathering some more of the nuts Katniss pointed out to me. It gives me something to do as I wander almost aimlessly through the trees, but it’s not enough to take my mind away from her and the fear I feel with her being away from me. I know she can protect herself, but I still feel like my presence is safer than my absence is, at the very least I can be another obstacle between her and death. Katniss doesn’t trust Johanna or even Finnick, that much is clear, but I believe that they really do mean us or at least her, no harm. Maybe I just want to see the best in them, but something about the way the duo has been helping us seems beyond normal ally behaviors.
Before too much longer, I start to head back to camp. I might be willing to die so she can live but death by lightning isn’t the way I want to go, and I’m holding out hope that I’ll get to see her at least one more time. When I arrive at the tree, I see Beetee and Finnick crouched down together, almost conspiratorially. In one hand Finnick is holding his trustee trident but in the other appears to be a crudely made spear of wood which has captivated both of their attention. I try to keep quiet in an effort to hear what they’re talking about but, again, I’ve never been great at a silent approach and Finnick spots me before I can hear anything.
“Perfect, we were wondering when you would be back.” Finnick says with an easy smile. “We better start moving before the hour is upon us. Come help me carry Beetee.”
“What’s with the spear?” I ask, my brain unable to fill in any rational conclusions. We each have at least two weapons on us and none of us are particularly talented with a throwing spear. Maybe Finnick has some expertise but with his trident in hand there’s no reason for him to need anything else.
“I needed something to do with my hands,” Beetee says, taking the spear back from Finnick and using it to leverage his weight up. “Besides, I figured I could use it like a walking stick in order to free up one of you to watch.”
Something about the way the two of them are acting is causing me to distrust his words but nothing sinister comes to mind so I choose to let it slide. I replace Finnick by Beetee’s side, letting him take the first watch as I begin to help Beetee hobble over the rough terrain. While the spear is helping somewhat, most of his weight is still on me and it almost seems to slow us down more than if I was carrying him alone. But Beetee looks relieved at the idea of having something to clutch to and rely on that isn’t one of us, so I ignore the added distraction.
“Let’s take a short break for a minute,” Finnick calls, looking back he must see how much I’m struggling to keep up with him. “I’ll scout ahead for a moment and then come back to replace you.”
Before I can say a word, he disappears into the foliage ahead of us. While I don’t like how close we still are to the tree and the force field marking the end of the arena, there’s not much I can do to protest so I allow myself this time to drink plenty of water. I’m just turning to see if Finnick is on his way back when someone slams into me, knocking me down. I let out a shout and grapple for my knife as I see Finnick burst through the trees and jump in front of me, defending me from Brutus’ attack. Before I can stand to join in, Beetee is grabbing my arm and digging his knife in deep, pulling at the tendons and scraping the bone. I push him off of me and start to bring my knife down when I notice him doing the same to his arm, digging out the tracker the Capitol planted.
“It’s almost time!” Beetee yells to Finnick before looking at me. “You need to help him; his aim is the only chance we have left!”
I’m shocked and confused by his behavior but there’s no time to question it because Finnick has dodged out of the fight, leaving me open and vulnerable to attack. I’m barely able to spring into action, my knife luckily catching Brutus in the ribs as I deflect his spear with my arm. Brutus falls, taking my knife down with him but the sound of a cannon suggests it wasn’t by choice. The realization that I killed him washes over me and I fall to my knees in front of him. He was just another tribute trying to survive the games, just like me, but because of me he is now gone, forever. I feel guilty over his death but at the same time relieved that I took out one of the fiercer opponents Katniss would have had to face otherwise. I reach down to pull out my knife and grab a handful of moss to try and rub the blood off the blade.
It's only once the blood is scrubbed clean that I realize the arena has fallen silent around us. We have to be far enough away from the eleven o’clock sector to not hear the bugs anymore, the only other option is that the hour is upon us, and death is eminent. While I’m attempting to track the moon like Katniss so easily does, the sound of a cannon bursts through the silence. I struggle to my feet and look around to see where Finnick and Beetee are, I spot Beetee, but Finnick is notable absent. I take a few steps towards where I saw him last, but my path is disrupted by the eruption of lightning strikes.
I know I’ve been hit but I can’t feel anything for a moment, the air escapes my lungs and I struggle to take a breath. I can’t see much of anything from where I was thrown, the black night swallowing the light as quickly as it comes. My vision appears to be blurry because I can almost see the sky falling around me. Lightning strikes again and this time the trees around me take the brunt of the electricity, bursting into silent flames. I believe the ground has started shaking but that could just be me as well. But there is no mistaking the bright light that fills the arena, focusing on what feels like me. It’s blinding but I can’t summon enough energy to look away from it, so I just allow it to flood my sight. I see the appearance of a claw and wonder briefly if I’m actually dead. I suppose it doesn’t matter either way, I think as my eyes begin to shut. I can only hope that Katniss has made it out of here alive, even if I never get to see her again, it would be enough if she was alive.