An Ode to Her - Coriolanus Snow

Chapter 6

The heat from the flames was the first thing he felt. Then the beam, which came crashing down onto his right leg, sending a sizzling pain up his entire body. His face hit the floor, and it took him a second to realize that the screaming he heard was coming from his own mouth. All around him, tributes and mentors ran askew. The gates were open, and Coriolanus saw Marcus run for them, Peacekeepers trailing yards behind him. Carolina. Where was Carolina?

He lifted his head and called out for help. It was hopeless. He was stuck. Alone and stuck. His jaw ached, and his leg was turning numb. Would he die here? 

"Help me!" he yelled out one final time. The fire was certainly closing in on him now, and it must be only a matter of time before he would be engulfed in death's blanket. His eyesight was dwindling slowly, the images surrounding him becoming blurry. Was this the end of the Snow legacy? As he starts to close his eyes, to accept his fate, a silhouette approaches him.

There, shadowed from the smoke, stood Carolina, her face scrunched up from coughing. Her hands were free from shackles, because she had to play the guitar, and now she was using them to try and lift the beam off of her mentor. She struggled for a moment, then two, before she was able to at least slug it off of his leg, the beam slamming to the ground with a loud clang!

Coriolanus mumbled her name as she flipped him onto his back and wrapped her arms around his torso. She began to drag him across the floor, careful to mind his head so it didn't hit anything. She was heaving, out of breath and struggling to take him with her. She couldn't support him for long, he knew. Suddenly, there was a gun shot. Coriolanus's eyes snapped open. Did Carolina get hit? He looked up, and was relieved to see her still carrying him to the exit. So it couldn't have been her.

More gunshots. Coriolanus stands to try and get his footing, but his leg won't allow it. Peacekeepers start stomping around, and through the haze he can see them racing toward Carolina. She shrieks, and is pulled away from him. Someone holds him steady, but he's far too tired or conscious to care who. But Carolina. They wouldn't shoot her, would they? Not before the Games. Not before she could even have a chance to win.

Coriolanus awoke to the blinding lights of a hospital room, someone stroking his hair softly.

"Coryo?" Tigris's worried tone lets him grasp reality. "Coryo, I'm here."

"Tigris?" He sat up slowly, groaning. "Where's Carolina? Is she-"

"She's alive." Tigris gave him a comforting smile, but it faded quickly. "Some of the others weren't so lucky."

Coriolanus raised a brow. "Who?"

"The Ring twins, and their tributes," she responded, looking down sadly. "Gaius Breen and Felix Ravinstill are still in the hospital from their injuries, too. I think some Peacekeeper's shot down Gaius's tribute before he could make a run for it." Coriolanus sighed, trying to understand the situation. He is quite fond of the Ring's, actually. They aren't egotistical or boastful. They are well-spoken and fun to hang out with. Well, they were. As for the other two, he didn't really care. Gaius was always kind, though. Felix and Coriolanus never saw eye-to-eye, but he certainly didn't want to see the boy dead.

"Don't worry, Livia made it out alright." Tigris leaned over to grab a glass of water and held it to her cousin's lips. He took a small sip from a straw.

"Livia Cardew?" he asked, swallowing the drink painfully. His throat burned. "Why would I care about her?"

Tigris shrugged. "Everyone knows she has a bit of a thing for you. I just assumed it was reciprocal."

"Mm, it's not," he grunted, sitting back into his pillows.

"Fine, then," Tigris said, smirking. "You don't have your eye on anyone in particular, then?"