❝FIRE ON FIRE WOULD NORMALLY
KILL US, BUT THIS MUCH DESIRE,
TOGETHER WE'RE WINNERS❞
in which a girl from district 4
meets a boy from district 2
during the 74th annual
hunger games.
[the hunge...
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THE SILENCE OF THE TUNNEL was shattered by a distant screeching sound. Leaning against the wall, Lilia stirred, groggy from sleep. She felt Cato's arm wrapped around her, keeping her warm. The others were still scattered around her, resting, but something was wrong. Her instincts spiked, and suddenly, Jackson's voice cut through the quiet.
"What is that?"
Instantly, Lilia sat up, straining to listen. A low growl echoed from the depths of the tunnel, growing louder.
"We gotta go," Gale said, his voice sharp with urgency as he jumped to his feet. "We gotta get outta here now."
"Keep your voice down," Cato hissed, already reaching for his weapon.
A growl ripped through the air. It was louder this time. Closer.
"Mutts," Peeta spoke, cursing under his breath. "They released mutts."
Panic raced through Lilia as she raced to her feet, grabbing her pack, her gun, and her spear. The sound of claws scraping against stone grew nearer, too close now.
"Pollux, what's the fastest way out?" Jackson demanded.
Pollux gestured frantically, pointing down a narrow passage.
Then, the mutts came out of the shadows with terrifying speed. They had long, scaly limbs clawing against the stone walls of the tunnel. Lizards. As Lilia sprinted forward, she watched as Jackson was slammed down on the ground and killed instantly.
"Come on! Go! Go! Go!" a voice screamed.
The group sprinted down the tunnel, feet splashing through the water, the walls closing in around them. Lilia could hear the scraping of claws, the growls of the lizard mutts getting closer with every second.
The tunnel twisted, turned, narrowing as they moved, but the mutts were gaining. Lilia could feel them closing in.
Just as they reached a wider part of the tunnel, a mutt launched itself at Cato, catching him by surprise. The creature's claws slashed across his side, sending him crashing to the ground with a sharp cry of pain. Lilia's heart raced as she turned to see Cato struggling beneath the creature, its jaws snapping dangerously close to his throat.
"Cato!" Lilia screamed, instinct taking over as she sprinted back toward him.
The rest of the group had already started fighting the mutts that had closed around them. Finnick and Katniss swung their weapons, trying to hold them off while Pollux desperately led the others toward an escape.
But Lilia couldn't focus on anything except the sight of Cato pinned down, blood oozing from the wound on his leg, his sword knocked out of his reach.
Lilia lunged forward, swinging her spear with all the strength she had. The tip pierced the stomach of the mutt, and it let out a shriek of rage, turning its hideous head toward her. She didn't hesitate. She ripped the spear from the creature's body and stabbed it again, this time driving the weapon deep into its throat.
