Rose on Fire

Chapter 53

(Peeta POV)
I wake up squished against Katniss in the hammocks, it probably would have been better if one hammock could hold one of us. I wait for Katniss to wake up as I think about the course of the last few days, a lot has happened. I think back to the day  the hovercrafts found us where Beetee and Haymich where camped out. The Code. Beetee kept talking about how he couldn't figure out what they meant, but he said it might help us figure out where the hovercrafts are, and when they'll attack. I think of the message they wrote on the porch saying that if we don't tell them where to enter 13, they'll kill Finnick, while I'm not much worried about them killing Finnick, as they don't know who knows the precise location. I know they want every entrances location so they can block them and trap everyone inside, but I know that want to know where to get their hovercrafts to land. My thoughts anger me I change into a more comfortable Katniss wakes from my movement. I paint a fake smile on my face, but I can tell she see's right through it. She kisses me quickly turning my fake smile into a real one. After we talk about the code and what to do about it, we either have to go back for it, or find Beetee. I hear a humming in the distance but ignore it. The humming gets slowly louder but for some reason my mind pushes out the sound and I continue to snuggle with the now sleeping again Katniss. I look at the others across from us in the other trees. Gale jumps to his feet quickly and yells, "Their coming!" Finally My mind focused on the humming sound realizing what it could bring. All the others quickly jump up quickly grabbing their stuff and trying to pack it, but not before a net drops trapping Johanna. Gale runs over to her trying to free her, the the hovercraft starts pulling the net up Gale continues to try to free her, but a net wraps around him too, he stops struggling when he gets to high up, I focus on getting Katniss out of there as soon at possible, along with Cressida, Annie and Finn. Haymich doesn't even try to run or struggle when a net crashes through the tops of the trees wraps around him, then brings him right back up. I finally grab all our stuff, and we all start running, I let Katniss, Annie and Cressida run in front of me so I can try to free them if they get caught. Sure enough 5 minutes into the chase Cressida is wrapped in a net, I grab on of the kitchen knives Katniss brought out of the backpack, I cut the line bringing Cressida towards the hovercraft. We fall 7 feet back to the ground, I don't have time to cut her out so I hand her the knife as I drag her along, Katniss helping me. Cressida doesn't have enough time to cut through the rope before Annie and Finn are being pulled toward the hovercraft. I grab another knife and hand it to Katniss, and I grab a knife for myself, I let Katniss drag Cressida as I jump up just in time to grab the net. I quickly and carefully crawl up the top of the net I quickly cut through the rope pulling them up, I look down at the 15 foot drop, I maneuver myself to the bottom of the net so I'll land on my back, my body will cushion Annie's fall, and Annie will cushion Finn's fall. I brace myself for the fall hoping I don't hit my head to hard on the fall. We land, with the weight of Annie and Finn, and the hard fall, I know with the pain I'm feeling now, I probably fractured a rib or two. I have to painfully make my way up, I hand the knife to Annie, and keep running dragging them behind, but a little slower now. I look to see if Cressida has cut through the net, she's trying to squeeze through it, but she didn't make the hole in the net big enough to get out of. I look back at Katniss then I hear the net coming through the trees wrapping her up and pulling her away from me, I leap onto the net, and angrily slash the rope pulling her to the hovercraft. We hit the ground hard, I wince from the impact. Now I have to pull all of them, I can barely make it a foot before I hear another net crash through the tree tops, I move quickly to the right just missing it. I decide I won't be able to run, so I begin cutting Katniss's net open, Cressida is almost done cutting through her net, with Katniss and I working at the same time I free her, then two nets crash down bringing up Cressida, Annie, and Finn. I run towards Annie and Finn, and Katniss runs for Cressida, but we can reach them in time, their already to far above the ground when they get their knives and try to cut through the rope pulling them up. Then another net grabs Katniss and I at the same time squishing us together. We scramble trying to get to the top of the net, but we can't before we're to far above the ground. We look around at the beautiful view before our terrifying future. We reach the hovercraft to see smoke bombs around the room, Katniss and I try to hold our breathe for as long as we can, but Katniss can't hold it for long I watch her pass out, I hold her body protectively my head feels like it's about to exploded, and I realize I won't be able to out wait the smoke bombs, I knew it from the beginning, but hope overcame me. I take in a deep breath. The more I breathe the more my vision gets fuzzy. I start blacking out, my vision going from fuzzy to black, I shut my eyes and let sleep take over me.