Rising Storm

Chapter 25

Peeta

After the monkeys have receeded, Finnick fetches some of Katniss' arrows. She takes them and uses a scrap of her tattered clothing to start cleaning them of blood. She hums softly to herself as she works, acting very much like herself as she does. Like shes almost back in her element.

"I'm gonna go see if I can find something for us to eat," Finnick says and Katniss nods.

"I'll get a fire started," I say.

"Ok," Katniss says. "Just neither of you go to far. We don't know who else might be here."

"Yeah, sure thing," Finnick says. "Wouldn't want to worry you too much, Mommy!" Katniss stands up and holds a knife to his throat.

"What was that?" She asks. "I don't think the horomones let me hear you clearly. You said you'd stay in sight, right?" He straightens up and nods. "Thats what I thought. Now go on and see if you can find something to eat in that pool over there." She lets down the knife and he grabs his trident and walks down to the water. She sits back down and gathers her arrows up neatly in her quiver.

"I'm gonna go get what I can from our old camp," I say. "We need those supplies."

"Be careful," She says. "I know it isn't too far, but we don't know who else is out here." I nod and start up the hill again. I find our camp thoroughly sacked and fearful that the perpatrators are still there, I grab two packs and everything it will hold, returning to the shore as three bloody figures are traveling up the shore with Finnick.

Katniss stands and Finnick holds up his hands. "What is she doing here!?" Johanna pushes her two companions forward.

"Delivering a housewarming gift," She says. "I was told you wanted these if I was gonna be welcome." It takes a moment for me to recognize the two worse for wear people as Beete and Wiress from District 3.

"What happened to them?" I ask.

"Well this dumbass took a axe to his back fighting for a spool of wire and the other one, shes lost her marbles. We wandered around looking for water for a while and we saw clouds. We were happy because we thought it was rain, but it was blood. So much blood we couldn't see. It lasted at least an hour." Katniss kneels down and sighs.

"Good Damn it, Haymitch," She grumbles as she looks them over. "Finnick, go grab some moss. Peeta, go tap a tree for water and grab the bandages from the pouch. Johanna, I'd suggest you wash up in the pool over there. See if you can take Wiress with you."

"Oh no," Johanna says. "She's your problem now." She stomps over to the water and starts to messily wash the caked up blood off of herself. I go to a nearby tree and harvest some water, collecting it in a canteen and return to Katniss with the pack. She's busy packing the moss into the gaping wound and holds out her hand for her supplies as she bandages the injured man. She stops a moment and takes a deep breath, almost like she's catching her barings and then continues, tying the wound shut carefully.

"Thats the best I can do," she says. "I don't have anything to stop infection, but hopefully the moss will keep most things out. I'm gonna go see if I can get Wiress cleaned up." She stands and grabs the frazzled woman by the hand, who had been containing herself with a nursery rhyme. Just as shes about to enter the water, lightning begins striking a tree on the far shore. Katniss stops and glances at Wiress, then the tree and the cornucopia at the center if the lake. "Oh my God! Oh my God, its a clock! Wiress, you're a genius."

"What are you talking about?" Finnick asks, sticking a fish over our small fire.

"Last night, after we made camp, I was laying down facing the lake and I remember staring at that tree and lightning struck it then too. It was around this time, if I'm to guess by the light we have. And look, the sand bars mark the lake into twelve sections. Its the hours of the clock."

"You know she makes sense," Finnick says as Johanna walks up, her hair still its vibrant auburn. "I bet if we watch, we'll see the rain start in about an hour in that next section, right Johanna?" Johanna looks out at the lake for a moment and then nods.

"Yeah, the leaves are still red and you can see the clouds are starting to stir up," she says. "Good God, is that what Nuts meant by Hickery Dickery Dock? She could have been a little clearer."

"She's tramatized," Katniss says. "I didn't speak for nearly a month after my games. She said what she could." I get up and yank a leaf of a tree and a burnt twig from the edge of the fire. I sketch out the clock shape and section it out.

"Ok, so here is the section with the tree," I say marking it. "Next is the blood rain, and after that?"

"Tracker Jackers I think," Johanna says. "There was a lot of buzzing sounds after the rain stopped." I nod and fill in that along with others we do know.

"So we know four of twelve?" Johanna says. "Five if you count that tree, but we don't know what else is in there."

"Its better than nothing," Katniss says. "We know the tail points there, which seems relatively safe. Probably noon and midnight right?" Johanna and Finnick mumble agreement. "Then its probably best to head there. We can stay on the beach, so far thats been relatively safe right?"

"We need to gather more supplies first," Beete says, having come to during our discussion. "If we intend to make it that far, we need more than the measly share we have."

"Alright then," Johanna says. "It'll be dark soon so we better go now." Katniss stands up, nodding and slinging her bow over her shoulder. Wiress helps Betee to his feet and Finnick and I bring up the rear as Johanna and Katniss wade the short distance to one of the long black sand bars. They stop to help the rest of us up and we walk up into the cornucopia, grabbing as much as any of us can carry. Just as we are getting ready to leave, Katniss holds up a finger.

"What is it?" I ask and she shushes us, making the small island fall quiet. Too quiet.

"The canary stopped singing," She says softly, pulling her bow off her shoulder. She strings an arrow.

"What does that mean?" Johanna asks. "Is she nuts?"

"Wiress," Beete says in realization.

"Someone got her," Finnick says. And before anyone can react, Katniss releases her arrow and I see it sink into Gloss's throat. Johanna swings her axe and catches his sister in her chest. Enobaria hisses and Brutus takes a wound to the neck as a trident slices past him. I finish him off with my knife, surprised by how much easier it is to kill this time around. Enobaria runs off, clearly sure shes out numbered. Katniss walks over and touches Wiress' neck. She sighs and stands up.

"She's gone," She says.

"She did her job at least," Johanna says cruely. Katniss gives her a harsh look and the two women start agruing, suggesting some pretty nasty things about each other. Finnick and I start pulling the two apart as Beete yells out.

"Stop!"

"What?" Johanna says, shaking Finnick off. "I wasn't gonna do nothin. Its pretty low to punch a pregnant chick."

"Oh yeah, I'd like to see you try!" Katniss says, lunging at her.

"Stop!" Beete says again, stopping her. "Something's wrong. Where are the cannons?"

We all look at one another for a shocked, confused moment. Before the whole world starts spinning. We all fall down and I loose hold of Katniss and she rolls away with the bodies, Johanna catches her for a brief momemt, but I watch as she slips from our grasp, slipping under the whirlpool.