FIRE ON FIRE ( cato hadley! )

chapter fifteen

——☆ FIRE ON FIRE
chapter fifteen: hallucinations

     THE SOUND OF BUZZING woke the group with a start. Lilia's eyes shot open, and she looked up just in time to see a tracker jacker nest hurtling down from the tree. It smashed against the ground with a loud crack, splitting open. Suddenly, thousands of tracker jackers burst from the broken nest, a massive, angry swarm.

Lilia barely had time to react before they were upon them. She felt the first sting on her arm. It was a sharp, searing pain that made her cry out. She slapped at the insect, but more were already swarming around her.

"Run!" Cato shouted with urgency. He was already on his feet, swatting at the tracker jackers away.

Lilia's survival instincts immediately kicked in. She jumped to her feet and sprinted away from the swarm. As she ran, every muscle in her body screaming for her to stop, but fear kept her moving.

"Help!" Glimmer cried. "Help!"

Glimmer's screams echoed behind her, a raw, desperate cry. Lilia glanced back just long enough to see her collapse, her body seizing as the tracker jackers attacked her. Noticing her slow down, Cato grabbed Lilia's arm, yanking her forward and leaving Glimmer's cries behind.

They pushed through the trees, branches whipping against their faces, barely seeing a thing. The tracker jackers continued to pursue them, but the swarm was lessening as they moved farther from the broken nest.

Lilia kept running, ignoring the stinging pain that seemed to cover every inch of her skin, her only thought to get as far away as possible.

Finally, when they reached the clearing near the Cornucopia, Lilia slowed down, her lungs burning. She collapsed to her knees, gasping for breath, the last few tracker jackers veering off.

"Lilia..."

The sound of a familiar voice calling her name caused the girl to look upwards toward the sound. The sight before her made her freeze. It was Adrian.

"No," Lilia whispered, pushing herself up off the ground, her eyes wide with panic. "You're not real. You're not real."

"Lilia..." Adrian's voice was faint, but it grew clearer as his figure appeared in front of her. His clothes were torn, soaked with blood, his eyes lifeless and cold.

"Why didn't you save me?" he asked.

"I tried!" Lilia gasped, stumbling back. "I swear, I tried to save you!"

Adrian stepped closer, his expression turning cold, "You left me. You let me die."

"No, I didn't mean to...I couldn't..."

"You watched me die," Adrian continued, his voice growing harsher. "You promised we'd get through this together, but you let me die."

His body faded like a ghost, and suddenly he crumpled to the ground, just as she remembered. His eyes were wide and lifeless, blood pooling beneath him.

"Adrian!" she screamed, reaching out, but her hands passed through empty air. His figure began to dissolve, his final words echoing in her ears.

"You let me die."

Lilia fell to her knees, trembling, "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry..."

Suddenly, a figure moved across her, and she felt strong arms wrapping around her, pulling her close. She flinched, her mind still holding onto the nightmare of Adrian's ghostly form, but then she felt the warmth of a familiar body against hers. Cato.

"Lilia," he murmured, his voice rough with emotion. "It's okay. I'm here. It's not real."

The girl turned into his chest, her hands clutching desperately at him. After seeing Adrian, she was afraid he might disappear, too.

"I saw him," she whispered. "He was right there, Cato. He was blaming me."

Cato's grip tightened around her, his chin resting on top of her head as he held her close.

"It wasn't him, Lilia," he said, his voice steady, calm. "It was just the venom. They're messing with your head. None of it's real."

But it felt real. It all felt so real.

"Why...why did you stay with me?" she whispered, opening her eyes to look at Cato. "You could have left. Saved yourself."

Cato's gaze softened, "I couldn't leave you."

Lilia felt something shift inside her at his words. A part of her wanted to push him away, to put up walls, but another part wanted to believe him. To trust him.

In a sudden, impulsive movement, she leaned in and kissed him. After a moment of surprise, Cato responded, his hand coming up to cup her face, deepening the kiss.

When Lilia pulled back, she met Cato's eyes and spoke, "Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me," he replied.

Exhaustion finally overtook her, and she closed her eyes again, leaning against him. Cato stayed close, his presence comforting as she drifted into a deep sleep.