The Girl Who Sparked the Capitol - Book 2 - Peeta

Chapter 21

Tiny, searing stabs. Wherever the droplets of mist touch Alessia's skin.

"Run!" She screams at the others. "Run!"

Finnick snaps awake instantly, rising to counter the enemy. But when he sees the wall of fog, he tosses a still-sleeping Mags onto his back and takes off. Peeta is on his feet but not as alert. Alessia grabs his arm and begins to propel him through the jungle after Finnick.

"What is it? What is it?" he says in bewilderment.

"Some kind of fog. Poisonous gas. Hurry, Peeta!" Alessia urges. She can tell that however much he denied it during the day, the aftereffects of hitting the force field have been significant. He's slow, much slower than usual. And the tangle of vines and undergrowth, which unbalance Alessia occasionally, trip him at every step.

Alessia looks back at the wall of fog extending in a straight line as far as she can see in either direction. A terrible impulse to flee, to abandon Peeta and save herself, shoots through her. It would be so simple, to run full out, perhaps to even climb a tree above the fog line, which seems to top out at about forty feet. Alessia remembers how she did just this when the muttations appeared in the last Games. Took off and only thought of Peeta when she'd reached the Cornucopia. But this time, she traps her terror, pushes it down, and stays by his side. This time her survival isn't the goal. Peeta's is. She thinks of the eyes glued to the television screens in the districts, seeing if she will run, as the Capitol wishes, or hold her ground.

She locks her fingers tightly into his and says, "Watch my feet. Just try to step where I step." It helps. They seem to move a little faster, but never enough to afford a rest, and the mist continues to lap at their heels. Droplets spring free of the body of vapor. They burn, but not like fire. Less a sense of heat and more of intense pain as the chemicals find their flesh, cling to it, and burrow down through the layers of skin. Their jumpsuits are no help at all. They may as well be dressed in tissue paper, for all the protection they give. 

Finnick, who bounded off initially, stops when he realizes that Alessia and Peeta are having problems. But this is not a thing you can fight, only evade. He shouts encouragement, trying to move the two along, and the sound of his voice acts as a guide, through little more. 

Peeta's leg catches in a knot of creepers and he sprawls forward before Alessia can catch him. As she helps him up, she becomes aware of something scarier than blisters, more debilitating than the burns. The left side of his face has sagged, as if every muscle in it has died. The lid droops, almost concealing his eye, his mouth twists in an odd angle towards the ground. "Peeta-" Alessia begins. And that's when she feels the spasms running up her arm.

Whatever chemical laces the fog does more than burn - it targets their nerves. A whole new kind of fear shoots through her and she yanks Peeta forward, which only causes him to stumble again. By the time Alessia gets him to his feet, both of her arms are twitching uncontrollably. The fog has moved in on them, the body of it less than a yard away. Something is wrong with Peeta's legs; he's trying to walk but they move in a spastic, puppetlike fashion.

Alessia feels him lurch forward and realizes Finnick has come back for them and is hauling Peeta along. She wedges her shoulder, which still seems under her control, under Peeta's arm and does her best to keep up with Finnick's rapid pace. They put about ten yards between them and the fog when Finnick stops.

"It's no good. I'll have to carry him. Can you take Mags?" he asks Alessia.

"Yes," Alessia says stoutly, although her heart sinks. It's true that Mags can't weight more than about 70 pounds, but Alessia's not very big herself. Still, she's sure she has carried heavier loads. If only her arms would stop jumping around. Alessia squats down and Mags positions herself over her shoulder, the way she rides on Finnick. Alessia slowly straightens her legs and, with her knees locked, she can manage her. Finnick has Peeta slung across his back now and they all move forward, Finnick leading, Alessia following in the trail he breaks through the vines.