The Hunger Games: Death of the Mockingjay

Chapter 25

As I approach the forest the dunes gradually flatten out to low rolling hillocks. Up close the forest seems to be anything but a forest. Small spindly trees which have only grown as high as about 20 feet. There's no way you could climb up into these as they're not that strong and you'd only be a few feet clear of the ground if you did. The ground feels damp and boggy with a few pools of stinking water dotted around. Looking at them more closely it appears that the water's contaminated with some sort of tar.

I dip a finger into the fluid and smell it. It reminds me of the black tar like substance we encountered back in the war when the star squad tried to sneak into the Capitol and kill snow. A pod triggered a huge flow of this black stuff which nearly killed us all. This whole area seems strange to me, as if there's something out of place, something that doesn't belong here. I head deeper into the woods, here the trees seem much greener but with that so does the boggy nature of the ground. Small pools of water give way to much larger areas of waterlogged ground and it's not long before that gives way to a swamp. The water now up to my waist as I try to wade through.

"This was a good idea" I say sarcastically to no one but myself.

In the gloomy light from the tree canopy I spot something that looks to be bright orange off to the right. It's either a piece of clothing or a jacket of some sort. I glance around the area to make sure it's safe and wade over toward it. As I get closer I see it's a backpack which looks like it's been tossed onto a bundle of roots which descend into the water. I examine the scene before I touch it, for all I know this could be a trap left to kill me somehow. I can't see any snare wires that could possibly trigger anything so I grab it and pull it toward me but something is restricting it, almost as if it's tied to something. I climb up onto the root to get a better purchase on the bag, the yank it again and this time it comes free but I almost drop it in shock at what's lies beneath. There gripping the handle of the bag is the hand of a severed arm. The reason why the bag wouldn't come away was that the arm was tangled in the undergrowth and the hand which had closed around the bags handle had gone stiff from the effects of Riga-mortice. The effect death has on muscles after a few hours, the muscles and tendons tighten stiffening the joints.
I grit my teeth as I prise each finger off the bag then pull the severed limb from the tree root. Bile collects in my throat at the mass of maggots that feed at the raw flesh where the arm was torn away from its body. I toss it away into the water and sit on the tree root. Who's arm was it, and how did they lose it? It can't be another tribute that did this. The Brotherhood are here to fight together and none of my pack would of been here, or done something like this, and in any case they're all back at the bunker. This was some mutt that's in the arena, Plutarch told us about the wolves but this is something completely different.
I unzip the bag and look inside. Straight away I can see that this is something the Brotherhood brought with them, inside is a fully loaded hand gun with a spare clip of ammunition. There's also a blister back with some dried strips of bacon and a clear plastic container filled with pieces of fruit. A water bottle is also inside but it's empty. It appears that the Brotherhood are also struggling to find water, so far the only source has been the storm and I strongly suspect that Plutarch ordered that up to help me. I eat a single strip of bacon and half an apple and save the rest for later. I don't know how long I'll be cut off from the others so I need to ration what I've just found. I pull the waterproof cover over the bag pull my arms through the straps and re-enter the water. Then it hits me like a slap to my face, the severed arm, here in the swamp. A memory from my past flashes before my eyes, the lake at Wolfe's arena, and the water spider, huge and powerful. I whirl around in panic realising that I'm completely defenceless and up to my waist in water with nothing but a small gun and a bow to protect myself. My senses go into overdrive picking up on the slightest movement, a bird squawks up in the trees, a slight ripple in the water, rthe wind causing the branches to sway above my head.

I slowly make my way through the water, all the while trying to keep the noise to a minimum. I'm kinda indecisive as to what my next move is, do I continue on through the swamp or should I head back toward the dunes. I'm about to make my decision when I hear shouting from up ahead. I can't see because of the trees but it seems as if there's a group of cult members headed my way, sounds like they're searching for something. Are they looking for their missing pack member or are they.....

"What makes you think she came this way!"  yells a voice which is far off to my left.

"Draven said she'd come this way, she'd be starving by now and looking for food!" yells another voice from nearby.

"Well I think she'd be crazy coming through here, this place is hell on earth" replies the first voice that seems to be coming closer. I back myself up against the nearest tree and sink down until only my head is above water. I listen in on the conversation, they discuss wether this Draven guy has got it wrong, that I left the beach and headed through the dunes but neither of them know that their leader got this absolutely spot on and the Brotherhood have actually found me. I think of my options which are none. At the moment I'm hidden behind a tree but I can hear them closing in, their voices growing ever louder. The water just a few feet to my left ripples from movement and I know they're on top of me, I take a deep breath and submerge under the water trying to stay as still as possible so as not to upset the surface water. I open my eyes and see a figure pass right by me, he's so close I could almost reach out and touch his leg!
The figure stops just a few feet away and I can hear the muffled voices of another conversation. They keep talking on and on for what seems like ages and I almost pray that they'll move on so I can rise and catch my breath. He takes a step forward but stops again but I can't wait any longer, I must surface as my lungs are close to bursting. Dark spots start to close around my vision through the lack of air as I slowly rise from the water. My eyes are caked in the green blackish skum that floats on the surface of the swamp, I exhale and take in a breath as quietly as I can. He's still there, stood directly in front of me, his head turning, scanning the swamp for any sign of me until he looks straight at me. I freeze and close my eyes waiting for a bullet to end my life but his comrade shouts from afar. He answers and strides off toward his friend now headed away from me.

How come he didn't see me, I was right there almost at arms reach!

I slowly rise from the water and stand to my waist in the stinking swamp water. I wipe the scum from the surface of the water and look down at my reflection. My hair, face and body are covered in a mix of green algae and tar, I'm perfectly camouflaged to the point that they missed me when I was right on top of them. When I closed my eyes I took away from them the only thing that could give me away, my grey seam eyes.
I turn and head north through the swamp, away from those who are hunting me.