Daughter (Hunger Games Fan-Fic) {Watty Awards 2015} (COMPLETED)

Chapter 18

 The ashes are thick, and the smoke is heavy.

  I begin coughing uncontrollably.

  Jonny walks towards the melted metal, that once was the cornucopia.

  His face is still pretty gruesome, but what used to be bloody is now scabbed and crusty, and what used to be swollen is now bruised and purple.

  Max comes to my rescue, as usual, patting and rubbing my back.

  Once the coughing is finished, I try to stand, but can't.

  "My ankle. Max, I can't walk." He lifts me up, limping towards shelter, or anything that could help, but eventually he just sets me down in the sand and ash.

  "What's wrong?" Maddie asks coming to my side.

  "She was bit by a snake, a thernagos, or thinattagos, or something like that." Max replies.

  "A death eater?" She asks, and we both nod, "How long ago?"

  "I don't know... Probably a few weeks. It was at the feast." I say holding back tears.

  Maddie looks at us confused.

  "What?" Max says worried.

  "Rosie, you are living on borrowed time." I groan at the name.

  "Don't call her that." Max warns Maddie, but I elbow him.

  There's no point in warning someone about me hurting them, when I can barely move.

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  Maddie tends to all of our wounds, My ankle, Max's leg, and Jonnys, everything.

  "You are good at this you know." I say this in between screams.

  Maddie is currently bathing me. I was shy at first to be naked in front of a complete stranger, but it was my only choice. Although I did refuse to take off my underwear and bra.

  "Good at what?" she says scrubbing at my leg with a cloth.

  "Helping." I let out a blood curdling scream, as pain rises in my leg.

  "Breathe, don't think about the pain. It'll go away soon." She brushes my face gently, "And thank you."

  I smile and then grunt.

  She finishes my bath and helps me dress. She then braids my hair in two braids and crabs a piece of drift wood.

  "What are you doing?" I ask curious.

  She starts widdling at it with her knife.

  When she is done I see what she made.

  "A crutch! Thank you!" I grab it and begin testing it out.

  It is harder than I expected but worth it.

  I hug her tightly and hop back to the shelter the boys made.

  It is made of a several pieces of driftwood and burnt logs, the used metal pieces from the cornucopia as walls, and dug out the ground so it stays cool. Surprisingly it is very homey.

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  The ground is soft and comfortable. 

  I pull at the sleeping bag I share with Max, and snuggle up to his chest.

  "Night." I whisper at Max.

  He snuggles up closer in reply. I smile.

  I am too vulnerable around him, I really need to work on that key problem.

  I close my eyes and let slumber over take my body.

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  "Holy shit!" I hear Jonny scream and my eyes shoot open.

  "What's going on?" I look next to me but Max isn''t there, "Max!"

  I jump up terrified. I just got him back, god please don't take him away again.

  A cannon sounds and I stumble.

  "Max!" I squeeze my eyes shut.

  "You are only dreaming. You are only dreaming." I say this in my head even though I know it isn't true.

  My eyes feel wet and puffy.

  "Rosie! Rosie look at me! Look at me I am right here!" Max shakes my heaving body.

  I throw my arms around him crying.

  "Damn you! I told you it was better not to feel." I say in between sobs.

  "It's not necessarily better, it is just easier. But where's the fun in easy?" He says fingering at my hair.

  I stay silent sniffling in his scent.

  "It was Maddie. Something killed her. Look." He helps me up and brings me to her body.

  It looks like she was gnawed at. She looks like a worse version of Jonny, but still bloody and swollen.

  "What do you think it was?" I ask looking away, feeling queasy.

  "I don't know, but I think we are about to find out!" Jonny says pointing.

  Small orange being are moving out of the burnt trees.

  "Mutts." I say.

  "Run!" Max shouts.

  "Where? Max there is no where to go! We have to fight." I run for my bow, Max grabs his spear and Jonny readies his sword.

  They move quickly, but we stand bak to back ready to fight.

  "Down!" I shout at Max, who stabs three in on swing.

  "Up!" I hear from one of the boys, I shoot at one in mid jump, blood splattering in my mouth.

  I turn around, feeling one on my back, only to be knoked down by another.

  I kick and punch. Taking an arrow and jabbing it through one of their hearts.

  For a second one of them just stares out me, and I recognize what mutt it is.

  "Their monkeys." I say under my breath.

  It bites my shoulder, sending me screaming, Jonny stabs it and smiles.

  "Orangutans actually. Same little critters almost killed you parents. My uncle told me about it once." He looks at the blood on his sword and takes a finger, dips it into the red liquid, and then licks it.

  Max and I exchange looks.

  I spit the remaining blood out of my mouth and put a hand on my shoulder.

  "Have anymore of that antibiotic cream, Max?" He nods and tosses me the jar.

  I apply it gently, wishing Haymitch would send more morphine, but ever since the fire, parachutes haven't been appearing.

  "Max?" I ask.

  "What?" He says.

  "Notice anything different the past few nights?"

  He thinks for a moment, then I know he's got it.

  "The anthem."