𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 | 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐫

SIXTEEN

xvi. Mutts

After everyone had finally gotten the blisters washed off their skin, the pain finally gone, they decided to rest for a bit. The whole ordeal was tiring, a lot for them to handle. They were all just thankful to be alive. Finnick, Aurora, and Katniss stayed in the water, basking in its cool touch on their skin, relieving them of the intense heat of the jungle. Meanwhile, Peeta had gone off to get water, feeling parched after tirelessly running through various large plants, blisters all over him.

Aurora kept her weapon near her, so there was easy access. She couldn't afford not being prepared, it could jeopardize her chance of survival greatly. There was a silence between the three tributes, all too exhausted and focused to really have much to talk about. Aurora's head shot up to the sky, looking for any stars but instead was met by the bright sunlight, causing the once dark sky to turn a light blue. It was almost dawn. Aurora was surprised she had even managed to get a wink of sleep in the night before, considering their constant disruptions.

Luckily for her, the fog had woken her up. It had gotten the blood rushing through her veins, so now, sleep was the least of her problems. Her main priority was to stay alert, focused, so when the Gamemakers decided to strike them once again with another deadly threat, she'd be ready. It was only the second day of the games, she couldn't die just yet.

"How are you feeling?" Aurora looked up from her hands in the water to Katniss. She was surprised Katniss had held an ounce of interest for her. She didn't think she was very much an important asset in their group.

"I'm alright. Just a bit, shaken up, I guess." Her voice faded away. The silence between the three was peaceful, especially after spending an hour hearing their screams of agony. They'd take the silence because they knew it was the only bit of it they were going to get.

Finnick looked over at Aurora, with a concerned look on his face. Only but an hour ago, she'd been covered head to toe with painful blisters. She also had the large cut on her arm. He looked at her with wonder, not understanding how she was still standing so tall and strong. She by far suffered the most, well besides Peeta, yet she seemed perfectly fine at this moment. He looked over at her arm, to see if it had gotten worse after the fog.

"What're you-" Finnick reached over, untying the makeshift leaf bandage he'd created. He examined the wound, making sure everything had gotten better. It hadn't. It stayed the same, however, it had stopped bleeding. But now, the only thing to worry about was the infections that were sure to come if it wasn't tended to soon.

"I think the fog had somehow affected the healing process," Finnick muttered, his eyes staring at the cut.

"Since when did you become a doctor?" She said jokingly, trying to relieve the tension in the air. She knew it wasn't good, but she didn't want to lay her eyes on it.

"Since you decided to get hurt." Finnick's voice seemed hard. He didn't seem in the mood at the moment. Her injury must've been worse than she'd thought. Soon enough, he rewrapped the wound, making sure the exposure to the world around them was very minimal, so infection was less likely to form. However, there was no doubt it was coming.