Fire is Raging On (A Hunger Games Fanfic) [#Wattys 2016]

Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-three

Madge's POV

"What the fuck was that?" Gale says, shaking his head. I was jolted awake at some kind of low sound, and Gale jolting up.

"Gale," I say, moving slightly in his arms.

"Don't move," he whispers urgently.

"Gale, what is it?" I say, turning to look at him, only my head moving.

"I don't know. Just stay still and quiet," he instructs firmly. His eyes peer into the darkness. I try to look in the direction he is but see nothing. "There," he says. "I need you to move away from me a little bit. I need to get a closer look."

"Okay," I say cautiously moving away from him. My heart speeds at the thought of not having Gale's arm around me while up in a tree. I was, and am, never much of one for hanging out in trees, not that I have much of choice these days though. "What is it? What do you see?"

"I'm not quite sure what it is, yet. Stay here, I'm going to get a little closer," he says, securing his bow and arrows on his body.

"Gale," I say. I don't want him to leave me up here in a tree when I'm not comfortable being in a tree in the first place.

"Just stay here," he says before dropping down to a branch below. The motion causing some of the leaves and smaller branches to move. My hands clench against the branch I'm sitting against, digging pieces of woods into my hands.

It's quiet for a few moments, and the leaves and branches still. My hands don't let up their grasp on the branch, digging more splinters in my hands. "Shit," I hear Gale, mutter as he quickly climbs back the branch.

"What? What is it?" I ask as he starts grabbing the rest of our stuff he's secured to the trunk of the tree.

"We need to go, now," he says, looking back down at whatever is by our current tree.

"What is it other Tributes?" I ask in a quiet voice. Surely they would have overheard us by now though and would be trying to find a way to get to us.

"No," he says. "Come on, we need to figure away to get away from this tree."

"Gale, what is it? Just tell me," I say tugging on his arm.

He looks at me, and then back to whatever waits somewhere below. "It's not Tributes, but it may be on the same level. Madge, I need you to stay completely calm." His hand comes up and caresses my cheek. I nod my head for him to continue. "There's a bear wandering below."

My already fast heart beats speeds to what seems like an impossible pace. "What?" I say in a panic. My breathing has accelerated along with my heart. I begin to feel dizzy, and I grasp onto my branch with all my might, trying to stop the world from spinning.

"Madge, Madge," Gale says grabbing my arm gently with one hand. "Madge, look at me." I swallow past a lump in my throat, and my eyes flick up to his face. "Hey, there you are. Madge, I need you listen. Okay?" I nod my head, neither my breath or heart slowing in the slightest. "Okay. Madge I need you to calm down. It's only going to make it worse to panic. Come on, take deep breathes. You can't keep breathing like this; you'll hyperventilate."

I do as he suggests. Taking in big lungfuls of air and letting them out slowly. As I take in more air slowly, I can feel my breathing slow as well as my pulse. "That's good, Madge. Keep taking deep breathes." Gale's hand comes up and starts stroking my cheek in rhythm with my slowing pulse and breath. His eyes still scan the surrounding area for the threat that currently awaits us. "Shit!" he gasps.

I look at him in alarm. I follow his gaze to what the new problem is now. Or maybe it's not a new problem at all. Maybe it's the bear. Bears can climb right? Maybe it's climbing the tree to get to us.

But no. It's not the bear. At least I don't think bears can carry fire. Now I realize why Gale has exclaimed 'Shit!' for a second time. There's a group of Tributes in the area now. By the size of the group it looks like the Careers, five in all.

"Change of plans, Madge," Gale whispers urgently. I look back at him, the fear rising me once more. Not only do we have a bear on our hands, but five people who want us dead. He looks back at me. "This plan is going to be a little risky because it could go completely wrong and turn on us. But we're going to stay in this tree and hope those Tributes over there lure the bear away. Once it's gone we'll have to run okay?"

I nod my head. He nods back and moves to settle down beside me, keeping one hand on his bow and another on the arrow he's notched. The bobbing fire light we've noticed grows bigger and another one appears a little farther back. I hear some kind of sound below, almost like a growl.

"That's just the bear," Gale whispers beside me. I nod my head.

The fire keeps getting closer and closer to us. I can hear them now, talking amongst themselves. Just then the bear gives another growl like sound, and I squint into the darkness as I see it's dark shape start to move away from our tree and toward the lights. I strain my ears to listen to the group as the bear moves closer to them.

"What is that?" one of them questions as the bear must have moved into their circle of light.

"Some kind of animal," another says. "Why don't we shoot it? That girl, Katniss, killed animals all the time in the Games. I don't see why this wouldn't be the same."

"Yeah, okay," someone else says.

The bears gives a louder growl like sound and blocks out of the lights showing. Screams from the pack of Career Tributes issue and footsteps can be heard getting fainter from us. The screams get louder though, but only the screams from one. It sounds like a girl. "Help me! It's got me!"

I whimper, and Gale's hand comes up and covers my mouth. "Stay quiet," he whispers. I whimper more into Gale's hand as the screaming grows louder. The bear got her. It's tearing her apart. Tears stream from my eyes. No one deserves to die this way. No one deserves to die in the Games.

"Alright, we need to get going," Gale whispers. "This may be our only chance before that bear comes back."

I nod my head, and Gale helps me down from the tree. He grabs my hand and pulls me deeper into the woods. The farther we travel, the quieter the screams become until eventually we hear the sound of cannon echo through the arena. Another tribute gone.

A sound off to our right makes Gale stop in his tracks. He lets go of my hand and readies his bow.

"There you two are. We've been looking for you two," a voice says in the darkness. 

I'm updating this, then going to bed because I'm baby sitting tomorrow morning at 5:30. I am also very determined to finish The Infinite Sea tomorrow and then start working on my AP English Lit. summer reading that needs to be done in a little over 2 weeks. Like two weeks and 3 days. I need to go now. -- Alexis