𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐎𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐢𝐧

𝐈𝐕

***𝒞𝒜𝒯𝒪 𝒫𝒪𝒱***

-<༻𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐡༺>-

     "Cato, wake up. Time to get ready."

     "Cato, get up."

     "Cato! We're going to be late!"

     "Cato, wake up!"

      "CATO!"

       My eyes snapped open, my heart racing as if I'd just been yanked out of a nightmare. I gasped, breath shallow and uneven, my chest rising and falling faster than I could control. The voices rang in my ears, a chaotic mess pulling me from whatever dreams had been holding me hostage. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. I repeated the rhythm in my head, forcing myself to calm down, to catch my breath. Slowly, I blinked away the remnants of sleep, trying to make sense of where I was.

     It was strange. The light filtering through the trees above me wasn't familiar, and the air felt thick, different somehow. The first thing I noticed, my hands were tied, bound together with rough rope that chafed against my skin. I tugged instinctively, but they held tight.

      Where the hell am I?

      I tried to focus, scanning my surroundings. I was lying beneath a tree canopy, branches overhead tangled in a patchwork of green, but the leaves barely covered me, letting harsh beams of sunlight cut through. The heat hit my skin in sharp bursts, making me squint as I shifted to get a better view of the sky. It was bright, too bright, blinding me for a second. My throat burned with dryness, each swallow like sandpaper scraping down. I'd been asleep for hours. Maybe even a day.

Midday. That's when I passed out. Now? It could easily be late afternoon. Or even a different day altogether. The sun was in a completely different place, casting long shadows that seemed to mock how long I'd been out. How long had they left me here like this? Helpless and tied down.

I pulled at the ropes again, frustration bubbling beneath my skin. I needed to get up, figure out where I was, and, more importantly, who the hell had done this to me.

      "Ah, shit!" I hissed through clenched teeth, the raw burn of the rope searing my wrists. The pain was sharp, immediate, like fire spreading under my skin. I gave the ropes a final tug but gave up for now, feeling the sting linger. It wasn't worth the pain to keep trying, not yet. Instead, I shifted my focus, scanning the surroundings with more urgency.

      I needed to figure out what happened. I dug through the fog of my memory, trying to piece it together. Explosions—loud, disorienting. Then, a tracker jacker nest fell from nowhere, buzzing with danger. I grabbed Clove's arm, and we ran. The stings hit me fast, like a thousand needles piercing every inch of my body. The memory of that pain made my muscles tense. I felt like I'd plunged into icy water, everything slowing, before someone dragged me out. Then, nothing. Just blackness. My head pounded now, adding to the confusion.

      I bit down on the frustration welling inside and gave the rope another sharp tug, harder this time.

      "Fuck! Damn it!" I groaned, the pain shooting up to my elbows, a white-hot wave that made my whole body jerk.

      I slumped back against the tree, breathing hard, when the sound of snapping twigs reached my ears. My heart stuttered, then picked up pace, thudding against my ribcage. Footsteps—too familiar after days of navigating this cursed arena. Instincts honed from years of training kicked in, my body moving before my mind could catch up. I shifted, pushing myself upright, trying to hide behind the nearest tree.