Rescue Me

Forty One

Cato Hadley

One by one everything seemed to go down way too fast.

I wasn't even paying attention when I heard Cressida say she would be the one to stall the mutt's.

Meanwhile, I was trying to process what the hell just happened. Because that whole thing was a fucking lot. Too much to comprehend, even for people like us - who've gone through the games.

Then I heard the gun shots. It snapped me right out of my daze, I heard Kat scream which made things ten times worse for someone who wasn't paying attention.

I finally put two and two together, as Kat broke down in tears. I realized the girl on fire wasn't up here with us.

All I gotta say is that Cressida is a fucking idiot for open firing without looking down there first. Yeah she didn't know, but she's still a fucking idiot.

I had to do what everyone else didn't want to. I put the girl on fire out of her misery. I'm not gonna lie, I wasn't too upset when I had to do it. Yes she's Kat's best friend, but, this is what I've been wanting to do all along.

Does that make me a bad guy?

I don't even know why I'm asking. I don't give a singular fuck about what other people think about me. People's opinions are overrated most of the time anyway.

Now that I think about it though, I do care about one persons opinion.

I feel my shoulder starting to become damp. I look down at Kat's fragile body that was now lying in between my legs. Her head is shoved into my white shirt, probably ruining it - but that doesn't matter at this point. I couldn't care less about my shirt, I was happy that she came running to me instead of Odair or someone.

Horrible, gut wrenching screams are coming out of her mouth that scare the hell out of me. She looks so fucking broken it makes me want to cry.

"Shh," I say, rubbing my hand slowly down her back. What do I possibly say in a moment like this? "It'll be okay baby."

My eyes scan the rest of the group. Finnick's head was tilted back, leaning against the walls as he stares up at the ceiling. Girl on fire's friend was staring at the ground ahead of him, numb, emotionless, cold. Peeta had tears streaming down his face, his knees raised to his chest, his elbows resting on his knees as his hands were jammed into his hair.

I look down at Kat, my one hand was running through her hair. The other was rubbing her back. I felt so bad for her.

Fuck, it hurts my heart to see her like this. She looked so broken, so defeated. I've never ever seen Kat look this way. It causes me actual agonizing pain to hear her muffled screams.

But to be completely honest, I don't know why Kat entirely trusted her. Or befriended her. The fucking girl threw Kat off the cornucopia, meaning to kill her. And they both somehow looked past that to become best friends.

I don't get girls.

I should stop these thoughts, the girl's dead now. I should have at least some respect for her. She kept Kat alive these past couple of months. She was a good friend to her after everything we all went through.

"I...I didn't.."

"Shut up," I tell Cressida. "Just stop talking right now." Anything she says will make this turn ugly. Especially with the unpredictable state Kat's in.

I looked up, meeting eyes with Odair. He has a stone cold look on his face and he slowly looks down at Kat.

"We should go."