You can't catch me (Peeta Mellark x Reader)

BACKSTORY: Chapter 4: The annual 72nd Hunger Games

Word Count: 1586

"There will be knives in the cornucopia." Chaff told me as you both walked towards an aeroplane of sorts. "Don't go for them." You nodded. "Don't step of the pedestal too early and run as fast as you can away from all the other tributes." I nodded again.

I waved to him as I walked into plane and sat down. "Give me your arm." A lady said as she injected something into my forearm. I later found out it was a tracker. Once I landed I was led into a windowless room with a glass tube. In that room, was also Tigeris. She opened her arms for a hug and I glad accepted.

"I don't wanna go." I cried in fear, tears beginning to swell.

"I know, and I'm sorry." She pulled away and looked at me. "But, you must run and hide, so they can't catch you." She told me as she grabbed a jacket from behind her and put it on me.

"Thirty Seconds", a voice was heard from the speakers. This only made me more unsettled. I started shaking and tears fell down my face.

"I know you'll get through this." She said softly as she guided me to the tube. I entered it and the door slid shut.

"No!" I cried. "Please! I wanna go home!" I started sobbing as the tube went up.

"Goodbye." She waved as I became out of sight.

As I saw the arena for the first time, it was a forest with a two large rivers going straight through the middle. Where the rivers met was where the cornucopia was, you have to swim to get there. The rest of the area was very mountainous and had a large waterfall on one of them. I waited anxiously for the countdown, every second became more painful to endure than the next. As soon as the countdown was over, most rushed towards the middle. You saw many people get slaughtered immediately and continued to run in fear. I ran into the woods, following one of the rivers. I didn't stop until I was far enough away for their screams to stop, then I got water and left. I heard 13 canons, meaning over half of the tributes were gone. I felt pity for them, but knew there was no time for that, Since I had no resources I started from scratch. I grabbed a smooth and think rock from the ground, along with a stick. I climbed to the top of the highest tree and started to attempt to carve a small knife. I was sure I wouldn't fall out as I wedged myself between to branches. Sleeping was hard but I managed to get a couple hours.

The next day I kept walking and cross over the river, I then made it to the large mountain with the waterfall and stopped to rest. As I was sitting, I heard chatter coming from my right. I looked over and my eyes met with the careers, which were all significantly older than me. They chuckled and started to run towards me. I ran to the waterfall and turned back to them. They all had bloodthirsty smirks.

"What are you gonna do now?" One of the boys asked. "Jump?" He laughed and so did the other three. I looked back behind me and saw the drop. If I land right, I won't die? Right? There was a large dark lake at the bottom, dark means deep, right? I honestly wasn't sure. I looked back to them and didn't hesitate to run off the edge. I screamed as I plummeted towards the lake. I got myself into a dive and had my hands out and together above my head.

If they can't catch me, they can't kill me: It was the only thing running though my head.

I hit the water with a large slam and once I landed in the water, I knew I made a mistake. I began to feel painful bites getting taken out of my arms and legs. I screamed even louder as I somehow managed to get out of the water. I looked and saw piranha's all through the lake. I looked down at my leg, there were at least three bites on each of my legs and more on my both my arms. I was lucky enough that I didn't get a chunk taken out of me. I saw that one of the girls had jumped down after me. Unfortunately, she landed wrong and died on impact. I heard the canon go off but that wasn't all. I froze as I watched the piranha's tear her apart. The water turned red and her limbs floated around as if they were never connected in the first place. I couldn't move, the sight of her made me wish I had died before I saw it. I watched as her bag drifted to the side. I grabbed it and tried to run away, but my legs just couldn't. I could only limp and barely walk, so that's what I had to do. I couldn't climb any trees so I found myself a tucked away spot under and large rock that was well hidden by tall grass. On my way there I had found a large stick to help me walk, and it served it's purpose well. I went through the bag and found a full water canister, matches, rope, and bandages. Just before I could use the bandages I heard a rhythmic dinging, I looked around and saw a package fall from the sky. I opened it to see the words: This will help you run - C.

It was a small bottle of disinfectant from Chaff. I used it right away and then used the bandages. That night, it was a painful sleep but once I woke up, my legs only ached and I could run and climb once more. Though I did have to be careful. That day there were only me, 2 tributes from 1 and 1 tribute from 2. I climbed up another tree and managed to stay out of trouble. I needed one more day of rest, so then I can be prepared to go back to my usual gathering. I grabbed the water canister from the bag and took a drink, only to spit it out immeadiely. It wasn't water. I poured it out onto the ground and out came thin red liquid. This canister wasn't filled until it fell into the piranha water. It was diluted with her blood. I just drank, someone's blood...

The next day, I came down and heard 2 canons first thing. I was left with one of the careers, I didn't think I'd make it out alive. I wandered into the clearing in which the cornucopia was. I thought he wouldn't look for me there but it turns out that's exactly where he went. As soon as I saw him, my whole body froze. Tears swelled in my eyes, I knew this was it. I ran. I was fast, but he was faster. He grabbed my leg and fell on my face. I screamed as he dragged me into the river. I clawed at the ground, trying to dig my fingers in, in hopes to stop him, but nothing worked. He held my head under the water and tried to drown me. He was too strong to push or fight off, so I did the one thing I thought would work. I played dead. I went limp, in hopes he'd lay off the pressure and walk away, and so he did exactly that. It took him a couple seconds to realise the canon hadn't gone off and I had already began running away once again. Though he had a bow, and he pulled his bow and he shot me in the shoulder. I kept running. He pulled his bow again and shot me in the leg. I kept running. He pulled his bow for the last time and shot me in the stomach. I fell to the ground and he picked me up by my hair.

"What do you want to tell the audience now?" He asked with a smirk.

"I am 12 years old." I managed to get out as blood pooled in my mouth. "You will never see anyone again, without seeing my face, my blood, and my tears smeared onto there face. I will be in the trees, in the water, and my blood will never leave your hands. I will haunt you forever. You thought you caught me, but in reality, I caught you!" I saw his face turn white, terror in his eyes as he just realised what he had done. In what I thought to be my very last moments, I pulled the arrow from my leg and stabbed it between his eyes. A canon sounded not long after his grip loosened and I hit the ground.

"May I present the victor of the 72nd annual Hunger Games!" A man yelled through the arena as a helicopter came down and picked me up. Once I woke up, my wounds were tended too and I was alive, in a hospital bed. When I looked over I saw Tigeris.

"You ran." She said.

"I got caught." I answered weakly.

"You caught him." She smiled as she called for the doctors to come in and check on me. They said I'd be out tomorrow, and on that day, was my interview.