The Hunger Games - PRIM EDITION

Chapter 13 - A Faint Buzzing Noise

Four days pass by slowly, and Rue and I become closer and closer. I learn about what it's like in District 11, and tell her about District 12. She tells me about her love for music and singing, and I tell her about my talent with medicines. I discover that she has three younger sisters and a younger brother, and I tell her about my mother and Katniss. We both find each other's stories intriguing, and I could sit here all day and learn more.

However we can't afford to talk. We are in this arena to die, and we have to make a move. There have been only three deaths in the past four days, and none in the past twenty-four hours, so It's only a matter of time before someone else dies, and with only eight remaining, my hopes are fading. We plan to move to a different tree today, just in case someone knows we are here, so here we are, packing our very few possessions into one small bag.

"We should head in that direction." Rue says, pointing behind her.

"Where's that?" I ask, trying to get my bearings.

"Toward the cornucopia." she says, before seeing my concerned expression and adding. "But we will stay in the forest. You know, just to hide us a bit. And we should probably follow the river so we still have access to water

"Okay." I agree. "Do we have enough food?"

After checking the bag she replies. "Only a handful of berries, and some nettles."

"Yeah but we can keep a look out for more on the way, can't we?" I say.

"Yeah of course." She replies, and then she jumps down from our branch, landing lightly on the muddy ground. I follow, landing a bit less heavy than Rue did, making it look more like a fall than a jump.

We set off through the forest in silence, staying constantly aware of our surroundings. I keep my hand on my knife, flinching every time I hear a bird tweet or rustle the branches of a tree.

The sun is at its highest in the sky, and its heat is warmer than it has been all week. I wipe a bead of sweat of my forehead, and carry in walking. Suddenly walk into Rue. She has stopped dead in her tracks.

"Rue, what are you-"

"Shhhh" she says quietly, staring straight ahead. My eyes follow her gaze, until I see movement in the distance.

Trying to move as quickly and quietly as we can, we run to a nearby tree, climbing it urgently. Once we are hidden in the shadows of the leaves, we stop to listen. Cheerful voices can be heard in the distance, and I recognise them as the Careers', because no one else would be having this much fun in here.

Rue and I exchange scared glances as the voices near our tree, and every breath I take seems to as loud as a shout.

Luckily, they are too busy laughing at Cato's impression of the girl from District 4 to notice us, concealed behind the leaves. As they get further away, both of us let out a small sigh of relief, but do not talk in case they can still hear us. It is in this silence that I hear it: A faint buzzing noise coming from above our heads.

*Katniss' POV*

My heart races as I watch my sister and Rue sit in the tree, out of reach from the Careers, but not knowing what danger is directly above their heads. I want to scream at the screen!  I need to let them know that there are Tracker Jackers directly above their heads!

"Am I right in thinking that those are Tracker Jackers?" Ceasar Flickerman asks Claudius Templesmith on the big screen outside the Justice Building.

"I am afraid so." Claudius replies looking very concerned.

Ceasar raises his blue dyes eyebrows and looks straight into the camera. "Ladies and Gentlemen, in case you didn't know, Tracker Jackers are genetically engineered wasps designed to attack victims. A couple of stings are harmful, causing powerful hallucinations, but several stings can cause the victim's death."

My hands begin to shake, and I can feel my mother shaking beside me. I grab onto her hand, mainly to support her, but it also helps me.

*Prim's POV*

When I look up, I nearly fall from my branch when I see some giant wasps swarming above us. Without speech, I try to tell Rue, but she has already spotted them. We take extra care I trying to climb down the tree as quietly as possible, pretending that every branch is made of glass. Everything is going okay until a wasp stings me on my neck.

I let out a small scream, but immediately cover my mouth the moment it comes out. It was a big mistake. The buzzing gets louder, and I feel two more stings on my arm. I can hear Rue screaming too, and I try my hardest to flail my arms around to get rid of them.

In my panic stricken, dizzy state, I see the Careers jogging cautiously towards us. They don't come too close, in fear of getting stung, and somehow, I manage to summon up enough energy and courage to throw two knives.

It's not something I would do normally, but either the venom surging through my veins, or the six days of living with a death toll has brought out another side of me, as I try to protect not only my ally, but my friend.

My arms begin to feel heavy and I start to realise that these aren't just any old wasps. The venom of the Tracker Jackers starts to kick in, and slowly, my limbs become weaker and heavier. As if through water, I see the Tracker Jackers change their targets, having done their work here. I feel a twinge of amusement as the Careers speed off in the opposite direction, away from their two allies, who are slumped on the ground with knifes in their hearts.

In my foggy mind, I hear the cannon boom three time. I do not have enough energy to think about who is dead. In a slow motion blur, I watch as Rue falls to the floor with a thud, covered from head to toe in Tracker Jacker stings. And that is the last thing I remember before everything goes black, and I am sent into a world of nightmares and hallucinations bringing back every single bad memory, and facing me with my worst fears.