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

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty

Gale's POV

"Keep moving," I say. "We need to put as much distance as we can between us and them."

"Maybe, we should try the other side of the arena?" Canutia asks.

"No," I say quietly. "There's only a marsh over there. There wouldn't be much cover. Besides, I don't want to risk going out into open ground by going back out onto that plane."

"So what do you want to do?" Ash asks, "Just stand around here and wait for those psychos to come back and finish the rest of us off?"

"No," I answer shortly. Why is everyone looking to me for the answer? Why am I the go to person? What's so special about me? Everyone is just listening to me like I'm the leader or something.

"What is we crossed the river stream thing?" Madge says quietly beside me.

"What?" I question while everyone else looks confused as well his their eyebrows all scrunched up.

"The river stream thing. You know the one we followed up here. You washed the blood off in it," she explains.

That's right. The blood. I was covered in it after the initial bloodbath. "You want to cross it?"

"Yeah. When you went in you had to wade a little bit, didn't you?" I nod my head. "Well, if we cross it, they probably won't be expecting us to do that, and they probably won't expect us to stick around the same area especially while they're still in it."

But at the same time, maybe they will expect it because it would be the unexpected. It would be something along the lines of 'expect that unexpected'. So then they would expect us to be nearby. But then if we go away out into the plane and into the marsh that would be the unexpected of the unexpected. So, they'll be expecting us to go out into plain sight like sitting ducks.

Stop! Just stop! I can't keep thinking like this. It's too confusing. It doesn't even make any sense. I need to stop worrying.

"Okay, let's go. Part of the river shouldn't be far from here," I say leading the way to the river.

It's not that far away from where we currently are walking. Only a few trees and bushes stand in our way, and those are easily walked around or brushed off to the side. The others follow me in silence and as we walk I feel Madge slip her hand into mine. Upon seeing the river, the water is rushing as much as it did before.

"The water is cold," I say quietly, "Hold anything above the water you don't want wet."

I take off the sheath of arrows and hoist it over my head, making sure not to spill any of my arrows in the process, as I step into the icy cold water. The others follow me, and we lose nothing except some of the heat our bodies had. But, at least the sweat washed off somewhat in the water.

"I think we should camp for the night . . . or day since I'm pretty sure that's the sun rising," Secundus says.

I smirk and resist the urge to roll my eyes at him, "Alright, I'll take first watch."

We walk a little further away from the sight of the stream and find the cover of a cluster of bushes. I find a tree in the middle of the cluster and settle my back against it.

~FIRO~

At some point in my watch, Ash woke up and let me get some sleep. When I'm rested and everyone else is too. Night has fallen again and the easily recognizable symbol of the Capitol lights up the sky. Those who died in the bloodbath in the middle of the night will appear in the night sky. I recall there being six. The seal fades as the anthem plays on and the pictures of the lost fill the sky for all to see.