Reaper ~ THG AU

Ch. 25: Blood

A dinging sound breaks me out of my trance. I glance towards the opening to the cave, debating on if I can even walk out there. Acacius is still sleeping, his head resting against the cool stone. A sigh leaves me, all my strength going to standing up. I use the cave wall, my head spinning with every movement.

I grab one of the swords, huffing as my feet drag me towards the cave entrance. I step out into the night air, the cold wind making me shiver with every step. The ringing sound ends to my left, a silver parachute landing on a small boulder. I sigh, stumbling over to the glimmer of small hope.

My weak hands grab up the base, popping it open with all my strength I have left. A slip of paper falls out, landing at my feet. My body bends, grabbing it up with a small sigh. My blurry vision takes a moment to settle, the words slowly becoming clear.

'Drink up -C'

My brow draws together, my eyes falling onto the silver canister. I grab the lid, one similar to the medicine in the med-kit inside the cave. I pull, gasping as a clear jar with a clear liquid comes free. A sigh leaves me, my eyes moving to look up towards the sky. My voice is scratchy, my throat raw as I manage a whisper.

"Thank you..."

I stand, making sure to grab the silver parachute and my sword. I stumble back into the cave, finding Acacius exactly how he was left. I sigh, walking over to him before dropping the parachute and the swords down onto the dirt covered cave floor. Acacius jumps awake at the noise, looking up to meet my eyes as I stumble over.

"We have water..."

"What?"

His voice sounds like my own, scratchy and raw. I fall to the ground beside him, exhaling before holding up the jar of water. I unscrew it as his eyes widen. I hold it out, leaning back against the wall. Acacius grabs it, taking a large gulp before handing it back. He sighs before looking up towards me.

"Get a drink. You need it as much as I do."

I'm too tired to argue, grabbing the canister. I take a large gulp, the cool liquid never feeling so good. I hold it in my mouth until it goes warm before swallowing it down. My throat soothes with the liquid, the raw, scratchy feeling immediately dissipating. I hold it back out towards Acacius, knowing he's probably still thirsty.

"Drink it."

"No. We both need it. Get a drink then I will get another."

He sighs, grabbing the small jar. It's nowhere enough to quench even just one of our thirsts, let alone both of us. He swallows another mouthful before hand it back. Seeing only one drink left, I go ahead and take it all before handing the empty canister to Acacius. He sighs before stuffing it into the satchel bag with the lid replaced. He leans back, his eyes closing before a sigh leaves him.

"At least we'll make it through the night...."

Before I can reply, the Capitol's music starts to play. Acacius stands, still a bit wobbly as he gives me look.

"I'll see who it is. Stay here and get comfortable. That's the second parachute you've retrieved..."

I don't argue, my eyes feeling drowsy once again. I lay down, using my backpack as a pillow. My eyes drift close, sleep once again taking over.

——

Bang!

I sit up, gasping as I look around. Acacius is gone, his supplies and weapons still beside me. My breathing picks up as I look towards the opening to the cave. Light shines in, illuminating everything in a nice glow. Birds chirp outside, giving a false illusion of safety.

"Acacius!"

I stand, grabbing a sword before rushing outside. I don't see any sign of him, my eyes wild as they scan the area. All that can be seen is the tall sycamore trees towering over me, mocking jays flying in the morning light.

"Acacius!"

I rush into the woods, frantically looking for my brother as my worries grow. Soon I'm back in the clearing with the poisoned water. Acacius sits in the center, on his knees with his back facing me. A body lays before him, boots similar to his and my own all I can see.

"Acacius.."

"I killed him."

I sigh, stepping forward. As I round him, his bloody hands is all that I can see. Dagan's dark eyes stare up, no life in the brown orbs. A bloody machete sticks out of his chest, a satchel similar to Acacius's over his shoulder. I gulp, bending down next to my brother.

"It's okay..."

"No it's not. I killed someone. He was the same age as me-"

"And he was trying to kill you first. This is the games, Acacius...it's hard to play without getting blood on your hands. Now come on. Let's get you cleaned up."

He allows me to pull him over to the water. Blood drops from a cut on his forehead, right next to his left temple. I sigh, grabbing his hands and putting them in the water. Acacius is almost frozen, staring off at nothing in particular. The blood clouds the water, mixing with the mud and algae to form a dark brown.

Acacius takes over, wiping away whatever blood is left. I let a sigh leave me as I stand back up. Dagan's dead body lays in the same place, flies now buzzing around the slowly rotting corpse. He just died moments ago, but the stench of death still clouds the air around him.

I bend, exhaling as I reach down. I close his stiff eyelids before grabbing the machete handle. A grunt leaves me as I pull it from the dead body before me. It takes a moment, the blade stuck in his rib cage. I eventually get it out before laying it down beside him. The satchel's next, the strap across his chest and below his back.

I glance towards Acacius, seeing him sitting in the same spot as before. His body is completely frozen, his back stiff and unmoving. If I didn't know any better, I'd probably think he was a statue or something...

I sigh, looking back down at the satchel. I tug it free from the weight of the dead body before draping it over my own shoulder. I grab the sword and machete, not knowing if we can even carry the latter with all of our other equipment.

"Come on...the hovercraft will be here soon and we don't want to be here when it comes."

I step back over to Acacius, resting my hand on his shoulder. He nods, his jaw tight and his fists clenched. His eyes are glazed over, as if he's not really here. He starts to stand, his pants and shirt covered in blood. The only thing particularly clear of the substance is his dark brown jacket.

He stumbles when he fully straightens, making me gasp. I immediately drop the weapons, my hands grabbing his sides to steady him before they can clink to the ground. A warmth fills my left hand, one that can only be produced by one thing.

My breathing picks up as I move my hand, pulling his jacket back. A giant rip in in his shirt, one that was previously hidden by his jacket. Blood soaks the area around it, a wet glistening shining on part of it. I lift up the dark cloth to see the extent of his injury.

"Acacius..."

"I dodged an attack...I guess I didn't do a very good job at it...."

He sways a bit, his voice slightly slurred. My hands steady him as my previous worries come back twice as hard. Slinging one of his arms over my shoulder, I start back for the cave.

"Come on...let's get you fixed up..."

⚔️