Grain & Blood | A Hunger Games collection

System Overload: Chapter One

Kamalyn

Three days since I was shot, and I'm still in hospital. Apparently my heart has stopped twice, or at least that's what Jake told me. One of the small upsides of being shut up in the Capitol, in hospital, again. Jake is not a real positive but he's there. The youngest 'doctor' in this hospital, age 17. He was very... close with me last time I was here, six months ago, and is trying make up the months that we didn't see each other for in the three days since I arrived. Giving me kisses, extra portions of food, an extra pillow, moving my stuff with extra care between rooms and just generally spending too much time around me. He doesn't understand that Benedict was the only one I'll every want, and some stupid Capitol boy is not going to change that.

"Kamalyn!" Jake calls, coming into the room, a spring in his step, "I have bad news. You have to go in for another MRI scan, and depending on the results of that, you might have to go in for surgery again."

"Great. Can you simplify that so all the possibilities are gone?"

Jake sighs and takes my hand.

"You're going in for a scan so that the surgeons can figure out what they need to fix."

I roll my eyes and get out of bed, slide my feet into the hospital slippers and start walking out of the door. Jake runs up and stops me, kisses my cheek and takes my hand to guide me through the corridors, which I hate. Why does he always think that I'm helpless? I'm not, and he should stop thinking that.

Eventually he stops outside a door, tells me to wait outside and disappears into the room. I stare blankly at the door opposite, slowly reading the label.

Nerve, muscle, heart, brain and other organ refurbishment.

Ouch. Sounds like someone messed up big time, probably almost killed themselves. Who is it? I keep reading the sign, skimming through the list of doctors to the patient's name.

Iris Sh-

My eyes lose sight of the sign as Jake opens the door and whips me inside.

Crap. Now I'll never find out who was on that sign, but it did look a lot like Iris Sheaf. The girl I killed in the arena, the girl who died unfairly is in what is basically a human resurrection ward. Is she alive then?

I have to concentrate on other things now, such as having the scan on my heart done. One of the doctors takes off my hospital gown and the other opens up the tube. I step inside and lie down, ignoring Jake's kiss. This has to be done. Screwing my eyes shut, I try my very hardest to block out the sounds of the scanner and ignore the arena memories that always haunt me whenever I close my eyes. Stay still. Stay still. They can't do the scan unless I stay still.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Ping. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep-beep. Ping-ping-ping. Click, Beep. Ping-beep-click. BEEP. BEEP-BEEP. Click. Tick. Tick. Tick. Beep. PING.

I can't ignore the sounds any longer. They're driving me insane, and it feels as if this will never end. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Please stop.

Please stop.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

I can't take it.

Ping.

Please.

And finally my ears tune out and I'm left in a void of screams and shouts, of darkness, of the arena. Blood, dripping through leaves and down tree trunks. Into the wet ground, turning the earth and puddles red.

"Kamalyn? Wake up!" Jake is standing at my head, gently shaking my shoulders. "The other doctors and I have decided that you're going into surgery. Don't worry, you'll be fine. You can trust us."

"Do I have to?" Last time it hurt too much, and I do not trust Jake to reconstruct part of my heart.

"Yes you do, and I'm sorry."

"Great. Well, I'll see you in twenty four hours then."

"I'm sorry, I have to do this."

That's when I notice the needle of morphine in his hand.

Jake presses his left hand down on my mouth to muffle my screams, like I did to so many in the arena, kisses my forehead and plunges the needle into my arm.

And for once I kiss him back.

I'm sorry some of these chapters are cringe. I just- help. Please. WHY DID IT END UP LIKE THIS? Also I'm sorry for being strange I didn't sleep all too well.

-Katherine