The 75th Hunger Games

From Haymitch, With Love

Dezzy's point of view

As Henry sleeps it's my duty to protect both him and me. It's a lot easier said than done. Henry couldn't have been asleep for more than an hour when I spotted the first sign of trouble.

With the nearby bushes as my camouflage I waited for Henry to wake. I was first brought to my senses when I herd the sound of rustling leaves in the distance. At first I decide to stay in my place, with my mind working overtime to come up with all possibilities. I try to reassure myself that it will only be an animal which I will possibly be able to hunt for food: deep in my hear however I know it's something worse.

As the sounds get louder as they come closer I ready myself for a potential battle. I feel no need to wake Henry so I just check to ensure he is as hidden as possible. On the other hand I make sure I will be easy to spot. This is so the fight will be quick and I will hopefully not get too injured. I'm standing my ground with my knife in hand when they appear, sporting a sword as long as my arm.

It's moments like this I wish I was better at using more important weapons. Weapons which don't require me to get too close to my opponent. Instead I'm good at using a knife. We hastily eye up each other and I realise I recognise her- Sadie Gres from District 7. At that point she lunges.

I had to be quick to avoid the attack. Unfortunately I was not quick enough and the edge of the blade catches my upper arm. The cuts not too deep but it already stings. The only thing is that it gets me fired up for battle. I'm stabbing and blocking against the sword but I'm starting to find it hard. It's at this point I regret not waking Henry, but I know I have to beat her. With a flick of my wrist which I remember from training, I somehow manage to disarm Sadie. As the sword falls to the floor the colour drains from her face as she know what's to come. "Sorry." I say as meaningfully as I can as she closes her eyes. In one quick motion the cannon sounds.

I take the sword from the ground and remove her bag from her arm as I retreat to the clearing in which Henry sleeps. As the hovercraft dissapears I decide it's my duty to search the contents of the bag to see if there's anything edible. Inside the bag however I find nothing but an apple and an almost empty container of water. As I cut the apple in two I start to again feel pain in the cut on my arm. A quick look tells me that, although it's not deep, it's still bad.

As I manage to free my arm from my sleeve the sight of blood is enough to make some people queasy. I pull the almost empty water container towards me and wash my wound the best I can. I then manage to get the antiseptic from my bag and allow myself the smallest amount to cover the wound, saving roughly a capful for future use. Finally, I cut the sleeve from my top to use as a form of bandage for it. Not the best solution but the only one I have to work with. I then proceed to do the same to the other sleeve to make the top look more even.

I adopt a seated position for the rest of my watch time as I stare vaguely into the distance. The wind offers a refreshing coolness to the muggy air and helps create a relaxing atmosphere. The only problem is that it also makes me a little drowsy. I somehow manage to stay awake for my entire watch period, gently nudging Henry with the toe of my shoe to wake him from his slumber.

I give Henry time to wake up properly as I fill him in on my last few hours. He's not too pleased I didn't wake him but he agrees that the injury is not too bad. I finally inform him about the lack of food we have remaining as I lay down to sleep, hoping he can come up with a solution during my few hours of sleep.

As I lay there l attempting to go to sleep I let the happy thoughts wash over me. The possibility of leaving and just the memories from my past. Sleep comes to me quickly and my dreams are just as cheerful .