The Great War.

XIX

"Bound by Venomous Strings."

The darkness unsettles me, for all I can hear is a violent thunderstorm that shakes the ground beneath my body. I have no idea where I am or what has happened. In my mind, there's only the image of the boy from District 11, with the spear piercing his throat. I manage to get on my knees before starting to throw up. I bring both hands to my face, fearful of finding the boy's blood still staining my skin. I vigorously rub my cheeks, feeling that nothing will be enough to get rid of his remains.

My skin burns, and I shriek as the rough fabric of my jacket scrapes against my face. I realize that I am inside a cave as I catch sight of its entrance illuminated by the lightning that ignites the night sky. The icy touch of rainwater cascades upon me, urging me to blindly move around. Inch by inch, I drag myself towards the faintly discernible entrance, encountering a mixture of mud and stones beneath my trembling hands. The rain intensifies with each passing minute, the wind grows stronger, and water lashes against my face as flashes of the feast come back to me in a blur.

Clutching my abdomen, I cautiously peer outside the cave when I taste the bitter flavor of vomit in my mouth. Something touches my shoulders, and I instinctively reach for my vest and manage to pull out a random knife. I spring out of the cave and land on my back in a puddle of water. I rise to my feet and threaten the darkness with my weapon. Unable to maintain my balance, I end up colliding with a tree. I cling to its trunk to keep myself upright when something grabs my forearm and wrests the knife from my hands. The echoes of my screams mingle with the resounding thunder, solidifying my realization that there is no escape; I'm absolutely dead.

Falling to my knees, I cradle my face in my hands. A choking sensation tightens around my throat, and I know that I'm still screaming even though I don't want to. The rain cascades, obscuring my vision entirely as tears gather in my eyes. Desperate to block out the intensifying thunder, I cover my ears with both hands.

A sudden and powerful force wrenches my hands away from my face, and pushes me back into the cave. As I step inside, I trip over a slope and fall onto my knees, my face pressed against the ground. I instinctively cover my face with both hands, feeling paralyzed by the enveloping darkness. I close my eyes, bracing for the inevitable ending, yet nothing happens.

A weighty hand lingers on my back, it's gentle, unsettling, and absolutely repulsive. Without hesitation, my instinct compels me to escape as quickly as possible. Somehow, I manage to retrieve another knife from my vest and crawl through the cave until I collide with what I assume to be a stone, jarring my back.

"Back off!" I scream from the top of my lungs, determined to be heard above the raging storm. "Stay the fuck away from me!"

I drop the knife and cover my eyes as a bright light illuminates the area. A piercing pain shoots through my head, forcing me to remain motionless. I am cornered, utterly weakened, and resigned to my impending death.

"You're alive," a familiar voice declares.

I look up, and there, kneeling about five feet away, is Cato, holding a flashlight in his hands. He points it toward the cave's ceiling once he realizes that the light is hurting my eyes. He approaches slowly and clumsily. I shrink back and attempt to move away as he gently cradles my face in his hands.

"Damn," he mumbles, his eyes scanning me from head to toe. I want to get away from him, but my body remains unresponsive. "I thought you were dead."

"What happened?" I manage to ask.

"You passed out, I guess," he answers, still holding my face. "The girl from District 12 got away somehow after I killed the boy from District 11, but I grabbed our backpack and his. I haven't checked them yet."