Nightlock

Berries

It took less than a week for the dreams to arrive again, luckily Peeta was there to awake me as soon as the shrieks start.

"Katniss, katniss! Wake up! It's a dream, wake up" I could hear him begging but my brain still dragged me in to the fangs of a mutt, a mutt with a glossy blonde coat and piercing eyes, it must be glimmer who has my attention tonight.

As the fangs set into my arm I'm shaken out of the nightmare to face Peeta, his blue eyes filled with tears, "you were gone so long", he sobs, cradling me in his harms as we both sink deeper in to the mattress.

Each night a different mutt would appear, just as they did before the quarter quell, but now there is the added horror of the lizards who took Finnick's life slinking and sliming around Prim's burnt body, lapping at the blood on her charred face, I can hear her now, as clear as day, "Katniss, help me! Please come to me! I need you please Katniss".

Waking I can't stay in the house anymore and make a quick escape before Peeta can wake, grabbing my hunting jacket on the way out.

It must be 7 in the morning before I realize where I am, gripping a my sodden clothes, I must have fallen asleep in the grass opposite my house, I lay silent for a while watching Haymitch's house come to life, I see Posy open a window and stretch before retreating back to her bed.

It takes a few seconds to register where the heat on my back is coming from until I turn around and see Peeta's eyes meet me, he's draped himself and a checkered picnic blanket around me, his face solid with concern. "I woke up and you were gone, Katniss please, what is wrong?", he pleads.

After a while I crack.

My legs set off running towards the open fence and before I know my hands are grabbing the first bunch of blue coloured berries I can find.

I feel a sharp strike across my back, knocking me to the ground face first and spraying all the berries around me, I feel a lump raising on my head as the ground around me turns to darkness.

"what the fuck are you doing Katniss? Are you mad? That's nightlock".

"I know".

I scan the voice in my mind, not being able to place it to a face, but somehow I feel safe.