Finnick and Annie

Goodbye Mags...

I kept watch for a few hours while everyone else slept, but Katniss was a awaking by the tolling of a bell. We listened attentively. “I counted twelve,” I told her. She nodded.

“Mean anything, do you think?” she asked, her voice groggy from sleep.

“No idea.” We waited for something to happen, but it was only a few minutes after that a lightning stroke a tree in the distance and a storm began.

“Go to sleep, Finnick. It’s my turn to watch anyway,” she said, sitting up and stretching. I hesitated, I didn’t want to sleep, I didn’t trust Katniss to not kill me in my sleep, but I could hardly keep my eyes open, so I settled at the mouth of the hut, gripping my trident tightly.

I didn’t get much rest though, after what seemed like only a few minutes of sleep, we were woken by Katniss’ yells. “Run! Run!” I sat up, my trident firmly in my grasp, and looked around for the threat, but the only thing I saw was a thick, white fog, with a sickeningly sweet smell. I stood up and slung a still sleeping Mag over my shoulder, and dashed in the opposite direction. I heard Katniss and Peeta running behind me, but I often turned to make sure they were keeping up. It was only after a while that I stopped completely and yelled encouragingly. Peeta was lagging behind, he was already slow, and his artificial leg, plus the effects of hitting the force field made him even slower.

My skin was blistered; most of my jumpsuit was seared, as was Mags’ who was then fully awake, but Katniss and Peeta seemed to be having more trouble, Peeta’s face sagged and I could see Katniss’ arms twitching uncontrollably. I sighed and ran towards them, and dragged Peeta away from the fog that was less than a yard away. I dragged him along until there was more distance between the fog and us. “It’s no good. I’ll have to carry him. Can you take Mags?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said, though she didn’t seem very convinced. Mags positioned herself on Katniss’ back, and I slung Peeta over mine. We continued to move forward, rapidly, though the burning of the fog was more painful and I could feel my arms begin to quiver. Katniss followed behind, though I knew she was struggling to keep up.

The third time she crashed to the ground, she was unable to stand. I doubled back to help her up and I could see it was over. “Can you take them both?” she asked. “Go on ahead, I’ll catch up.” I looked at Mags with tears in my eyes. Under normal circumstances I would have been able to carry them both easily, but my arms were convulsing uncontrollably.

“No,” I said. “I can’t carry them both. My arms aren’t working… I’m sorry Mags, I can’t do it.” I held back my sobs as Mags stood up, planted a kiss on my lips and then staggered straight into the fog.

Her body collapsed instantly, and was seized by wild contortions. I watched, horrified as my mentor, one of the two people on the Earth that really loved me, left me. Then it was over… her body stopped moving and a cannon went off, announcing her death to the entire arena… to all of Panem. Nobody else cared though, the people in the Capitol were probably laughing at her idiocy, or moved by her act of kindness… but they didn’t really care. Even Katniss, who was crying, didn’t care; she didn’t know Mags, not like I did.

“Finnick?” I heard Katniss call, but my back was already turned to the fog as I moved away from it, in the direction of the beach, tears streaming down my face, both from the burning of my eyes caused by the horrid chemicals, and from the deep sorrow I felt.

I continued to drag myself forward, with Peeta’s heavy body on top of me. He weighted me down and made me slower. I felt piercing agony throughout every inch of my body, and my mind. My thoughts were muddled and my movements clumsy. I didn’t realize when we reached the beach, but I couldn’t go on any further, I simply crumpled to the ground, Peeta still on my back. I groaned in agony and wished for death. The pain was too intense, and my sight was going black, I knew I was about to pass out.