That Fine Line

Chapter 21 - 2 O'clock

Tears flooded my eyes as I realized the sacrifice Finnick was willing to make to atone for his actions against me. He was willing to die if it made me feel better, and he still wished the best for me. It didn't matter to him that his loved ones would miss him. It didn't matter how Annie would feel. My peace of mind overrode that, and he understood it.

I was just putting the knife down, when he suddenly yanked me forward, pulling me into his arms. Right when I thought he'd taken advantage of my mercy, I felt something whizz by my nape.

"Don't shoot her," Finnick ordered.

"She's going to kill you," Katniss replied icily.

"She's not. Trust me. I just gave her the chance to, and she didn't take it. Weren't you watching?"

"Guys? What's that?"

We all turned to Peeta, who'd suddenly entered the conversation and was pointing at some sort of cloudy mist that was drifting towards us. Katniss walked over, holding her hand out as if to receive the tendril of fog that was heading steadily towards us. She yanked her hand back the moment she touched it, wailing sharply in pain.

"It's poison gas," she cried, "We need to run."

Tripping over roots with thorns and the undergrowth slicing our faces and bodies, we ran as quickly away from the looming fog as we could. At some point, Peeta and Katniss fell behind, consumed partially by some tendrils of the fog. I didn't look back even as I heard their pained calls until Finnick turned back to help them.

I stopped momentarily up ahead, watching Finnick carry Peeta and get Katniss back on her feet. Suddenly, in the midst of this near-death experience, I began to wonder if I was a selfish person, or if Finnick was just innately selfless.

Just when the fog seemed to have gotten all of us, shutting down our motor abilities and leaving us lying on the ground awaiting death, the fog rose up, as if closed off from us by some invisible wall.

"Get to the water!" Katniss yelled.

We all half-stumbled half-crawled towards the pool in front of us. Instant relief hit us as we submerged ourselves in the healing water and traces of the fog's poison drifted away from us. The shore of the main lake was just in sight beyond the trees and vines. We needed to get out of the forest as soon as possible.

I noticed the gradual gathering of monkeys on the branches of the trees surrounding the pool. Peeta didn't seem to pay much heed to the mutts and began tapping the spile into the wood. 

And that's when all hell broke loose.