Kindling the Spark

Explosion

23: Explosion

Katniss POV

I see a figure emerge from the woods out of the corner of my vision and turn my head quickly. It can only be Beetee or Johanna. If one is here, the other probably isn't far behind. Is this an attack? Could it be anything else? No. They aren't my allies anymore. They're just tributes, people who need to die.

"Haymitch, Finnick," I whisper. "Look over there. To your left."

They look up and I subtly gesture towards the figure. It comes slightly closer and I recognise him now. Beetee. Where's Johanna? I nock an arrow and point it towards him. I'm so close to victory. I can't afford to have mercy now- I have to shoot him. As soon as he gets within the accurate range.

Suddenly, I fall to the floor with the weight of another tribute. Turning my neck around, I see Finnick's face and as I follow his arm, his trident. He holds my own arm down to the floor. No. He's going to kill me. This is betrayal. I try to kick at his stomach as hard as I can, but he moves his weight onto my legs.

My elbow catches him in the ribs and Haymitch's words come into my mind. An elbow strike causes more damage than a punch or slap. I get the satisfaction of seeing Finnick wince in pain, but he doesn't fall off me. He still has my arm trapped underneath his. Why did he risk himself for me if he'll just kill me?

Where's Haymitch? Why is he letting this happen? Wait, he's across the cornucopia- is that my bow and arrow he's holding? He passes it to Beetee. What? All of my allies are traitors? Was this arranged with Snow outside the arena? I'm going to die a slow and painful death on camera.

"Just kill me if that's what you're going to do," I order Finnick, trying not to sound nervous. I won't disappoint the rebels by dying screaming and crying and begging for mercy. I won't give Snow that satisfaction. I won't give Prim those nightmares. "Or is that not what you plan on doing? Traitor."

The trident slams down into my wrist and pain explodes through it. This is the worst wound that I've ever had, it feels like the wound it burning and stinging. The trident twists and pulls out and despite my promises to myself, I give a long scream. Finnick's hand reaches into the wound. What's he trying to do?

The blood drips and oozes from the wound onto the sand. How long will it be before I bleed out? Why aren't the others fighting? Finnick is a bigger threat than I am. Why has nobody killed Beetee yet and what is he doing here? I hear a sound that seems out of place.

Then I see a single arrow fly with a silver tail behind it. Did Beetee shoot that? Why? The sky lights up for a second and then there is a blinding explosion across the sky. I cram my eyes shut. This is the end. I won't be going back to Gale. Finnick will kill me here or else I'll die of blood loss.

There are loud noises. I've heard things like this before. Shooting, isn't it? And hovercrafts? Or am I just going crazy? I open my eyes a slit. No. There are hovercrafts here, but no shooting. People wearing white armour descend from a ladder and surround the area. What are they doing here?

One of them puts his arms under my shoulders and hoists me up; another grabs me feet and they pull me into the hovercraft. Are these from the Capitol? From the rebellion? Somewhere else? I can see the arena as we rise- the other tributes look like dots from up here. The twelve sections of the arena stretch out beneath me.

Then I am pulled up into the hovercraft and one of the men sticks a needle into my neck. He presses down on a plunger and I feel a liquid being injected into my artery. The world goes fuzzy for a second and I have difficulty switching focus and moving. "Who are you?" I whisper before falling backwards. No answer.