The Hunger Games: Death of the Mockingjay

Chapter 33

I take my first tentative step into the shallow water of the stinking swamp. The night has completely closed in and the distant grass fires have all but burnt out, only a slight glow from the night sky is the only light. I walk in further the water becoming ever deeper as I make my way further into the black cold water.
I'll admit that I'm a little lost right now, not by my location but from my sense of purpose, I don't have a plan and I know that this is a serious weak point for me, if I make a wrong move or decision it could lead to my death and possibly the defeat of Peeta and my friends.
I follow the same strategy that I used yesterday and sink myself down into the water immersing my head below the surface so my hair and face are covered in black stinking tar then lift my head above water so I can breath and watch for my hunters. Once darkness fell I lost track of where they were, I'm hoping that in the fading light they lost my trail and are now searching for me, hopefully they've moved off somewhere else.
I pick up movement in the water a short distance away, for a moment I think it's a fish of some sort but as it draws closer I can see that's it's much bigger. As it threads it's way past the submerged tree trunks and roots I stay completely still, not wanting to move in case the Brotherhood are close but also trying not to alert this creature of my location. The creature turns and passes in front of me with the only part of its body a black hairy mound which breaks the surface. I can feel the current under the surface of the water change as it passes giving away its size. I don't know why but the way it moves seems familiar to me, as if I've seen it before somewhere? This must of been the monster that killed the dismembered tribute I found the other day.

I watch as it passes by and breath a sigh of relief that it let me be. 

*

"What makes you think she came this way?" I hear someone say in the distance. I slink down lower at the sound hoping that my oily camouflage will keep me hidden. Two tributes appear some distance away stood on the grassy bank where the dunes meet the swamp. I can just about make them out in the darkness

"Her tracks lead this way, she's definitely in the swamp somewhere.

"So how do we find her?"

"We do what Draven said, we don't need to find her just flush her out" and with that he pulls out a flare and lights it, illuminating the whole area.

"Shouldn't we stand back, when we set fire to the swamp we could get caught in the flames?"

"No we'll be fine, I'll throw it so it's not close"

I feel the panic start to build inside me. The tar, a petroleum like substance thats flammable, I'm sure I read that somewhere in school. If he throws the burning flare into the swamp the whole forest will be engulfed in flame and there'd be nowhere for me to hide from it.
I'm about to do the only thing I can do which is to turn and run when a huge oily tentacle bursts from the water and grabs the flare wielding tribute round the legs and lifts him high into the air. His comrade stumbles back in shock as a huge water spider clambers out of the water and onto the grassy bank.
I was right, I had seen this before back in Wolfe's games at the Central Park Arena. This was the old friend that Plutarch said would join the party. Back then Cato and I beat the spider but this one is much bigger. The tribute screams in terror as he's dangled upside down from his legs but his terror is suddenly cut short as another tentacle wraps itself around his torso and in a moment of utter horror the two tentacles pull the poor tribute in two. Blood from it's prey sprays all over the spider before it slowly guides the poor man's legs into its open jaws. Bones crack as it chews up its meal while the other tribute starts babbling in shock as he stumbles away back toward the dunes. Another tentacle bursts forward and wraps itself around the fleeing tributes body pinning his arms to his sides. The spider hoists the screaming boy in the air before slamming his body into a nearby tree, once, twice, three times until the tribute stops screaming then drops the dead body to the ground.  While the spider eats I slowly turn and head away as quietly as I can.

After about an hour I reach what's left of the Brotherhood camp. It's completely changed since I was last here some 24hrs ago, the camp fires have all gone out and the burning torches have all been extinguished. The ruins of the old buildings together with the general trash the brotherhood left behind give the whole scene an abandoned look to it. I check the area one last time before I climb from the swamp onto the island where the camp is located.  I rummage around the abandoned belongings trying to find anything that could be of any use to me. The only thing that could possibly be of any use is a sleeping bag which lays on the ground in the shelter of  a brick wall, the zip has been undone and gthe bag left pulled open by its last occupant who must of left in a hurry. Without thinking I lay my bow next to the bag and climb in. I haven't properly slept for at least 24hrs and I can feel my senses and decision making starting to suffer from exhaustion. Bedding down in my enemy's former camp could be construed as being a mistake but I need to rest and form a plan for tomorrow. The one thing that's worrying me is Steph. She was wounded in the leg and although she'd slowed the blood loss with her tourniquet she might not last the night. I just hope she makes it until morning, or that she somehow made it back to Peeta and the others. I silently convince myself that this is most probably the case and the warm feeling of her being in Alek's arms sends me off to a peaceful sleep.