The Flame That Never Dies

Chapter Twenty

(Katniss' POV.)

"She's not breathing!"

"Do something! She's losing oxygen fast!"

"Dammit, help me!"

My eyes roll back in my head uncontrollably, everything inside of me growing numb. I suddenly feel weightless; an almost soothing feeling.

As I move my wrist only for a second, I know instantly that a tube has been pumping medicine into my veins. No wonder I feel so strangely happy.

The unfamiliar voices around me continue to grow louder.

"How's the Mellark boy?"

Peeta. They're talking about my Peeta.

"He's been unresponsive."

He's dead. I know he's dead. He died protecting us, and it's my fault. If there weren't so many drugs flowing through me right now, the doctors would have two serious problems to deal with.

"Where-" I struggle to say, my raw throat unable to utter the rest.

A sudden choking sensation overwhelms my body. I can't breathe.

It's as if the doctor himself has curled those meaty fingers around my throat, refusing to let me breathe.

I've been mistaken; those fingers truly are grasping onto my neck. What the hell is he doing?!

"St-" I hiss, not able to finish. The fingers clench tighter, giving me the strong impression that my throat could burst any second now.

With all the strength remaining in my body, I throw a fistful of rage into the stocky doctor's ugly face, his blood immediately splattering across my tattered clothing.

His black slits for eyes snap open wide. He spots his prey once again. I'm definitely in big trouble, now. That's when he pounced at me, claws at the ready.

(Peeta's POV.)

Screams echo all around me. It's impossible not to recognize them; I'd know Katniss' scream anywhere.

My swollen eyelids squeeze together tightly, my body struggling to hold back more tears. I've cried enough.

I can't help but look down at the burn marks that paint my entire torso; my skin now a black and red mess. The bomb nearly killed us all.

We cheated death. The Mellarks lived through the impossible. Together. I took the worst of the explosion, my entire body taking in a massive amount of heat. First and second degree burns cover me like hideous body paint.

I prop my head up slightly higher on my pillow, trying my best to make the stone-hard hospital bed a little bit more comfortable. It's not working.

"Dammit." I groan through clenched teeth, heaving in a painful sigh. It feels as if every rib in my body has been shattered.

Still, no physical pain could ever amount to the pain I feel knowing that Katniss is hurting. My heart aches just thinking about it; hearing her desperate screams for help. I feel sick to my stomach.

A tiny voice coming from the doorway clears my train of thought in a heartbeat.

"D-daddy?"

It's that boy again. The boy claiming to be my son.

Unable to produce words, I stare blankly into the boy's big blue eyes. He steps a little closer, tears beginning to roll down his bright red cheeks.

"I-I know you don't, um, remember me... but I wanted to tell you thank you for saving my life."

His words burn into me like a freshly lit fire, every inch of my body growing weak. The way he looks at me only makes it worse.