When We Burn~Finnick Odair {Book 2}

Chapter Fourteen

•••

"How's Peeta?" Finnick asked Katniss as he rubbed Autumn's back, looking down at her.

"He's okay," Katniss shrugged, looking at Peeta. "Dehydrated, like the rest of us."

Katniss stared at Finnick through the darkness, seeing the way he looked at Autumn. It was the same way Peeta looked at her. It was the way someone stared at someone they loved.

From what she knew about Finnick, she didn't think he could love someone so much. At least not love someone more than himself. But when Katniss first saw Autumn and Finnick together, she saw how much Finnick loved her. Just by the way he looked at her.

Katniss knee Finnick wouldn't hesitate to kill everyone in this arena of that meant Autumn would live. That's what scared Katniss. But that was also good as Autumn wasn't just Katniss's ally, but her friend.

A beeping echoed through the trees, alerting both Katniss and Finnick. Finnick didn't move for fear of disturbing Autumn's sleep, but Katniss stood. She rushed over to the parachute that came from a sponsor, eager to see what they had gotten.

Katniss opened up the metal container and took out the small scrap of paper, reading it.

"Drink up," Katniss read off of the note with a hint of confusion. Katniss took the pointy metal piece out of the container and inspected it.

"What is it?" Finnick asked, slightly whispering so he didn't wake Autumn.

"It's from Haymitch," Katniss spoke. "I think it's a spile."

Katniss took the spike and a rock, creating a hole in a tree by hitting the spile into it. A moment passed as Katniss's hope diminished, until water began pooling out of it.

"Autumn," Finnick placed a hand on the side her her head and rubbed her cheek with his thumb. Her eyes fluttered open as she awoke. "We have water."

Autumn's eyes lit up as she felt the dryness in her throat. She stood up, quickly, rushing over to the spigot.

Autumn opened her mouth and let the water pool in, the feeling of her dehydration shrinking. She let out a sigh of relief as she drank. Tipping her head down and lifting the water drop on her face.

Autumn quickly moved aside and let Finnick and Peeta drink. She let out a small laugh of joy as she watched the water drain from the tree. She looked up at the sky, mumbling a thank you meant for whoever sent and paid for this amazing object.

The four tributes laid back down in their sleeping spots, settling back in fro the night.

An hour later, loud gongs echoed through the arena. It sounded like percussionists hitting two cymbals together.

Everyone was silent as they listened to the gongs, including Peeta and Autumn who had just been woken up.

"I counted twelve," Katniss spoke.

"Midnight?" Finnick asked.

"Or the number of districts," Katniss spoke.

Finnick sighed, rubbing his eyes once the gongs ended. "Well, if you won't go to sleep, I will."

Finnick then laid down all the way on the ground, Autumn curling up in his side one again. He wrapped on arm around her waist and had one gripping the handle of his tridents so he'd be ready to protect at a moments notice.

They both, peacefully, fell asleep.

•••

Autumn woke up only hours later in a haze. Her vision blurred together as she looked at Finnick's panicked face, yelling at her. She felt him grasp her hands. He pulled her up onto her feet as if pulling her out of water, because the moment she was on her feet, she realized what was going on.

Katniss as getting Peeta up, screaming something about how the fog was poisoned. Autumn didn't understand what she meant—for a moment—before she saw he large, white, puss filled boils in Katniss's hand.

Autumn reacted quickly, grabbing the knife vest from the ground and throwing it over her shoulders. Autumn zipped it up as she ran, Peeta and Katniss behind her and Finnick.

They were fast, but the fog was faster. It crept up on them from every corner, making the only direction they could go straight.

Autumn ran with Finnick right behind her, making sure he could pick her up if she fell down. The fog got to close to him and hit his back, making him scream as he fell to the ground in pain.

"Finnick!" Autumn screamed as she turned back around and grabbed his arm picking him up off the ground. They continued to run, Finnick stumbling ever once in a while.

Autumn and Finnick heard Peeta and Katniss both cry out as the fog touched their sides. Peeta seemed to get the worst of it as he pushed Katniss ahead of him. Katniss did the same thing to him.

Katniss and Peeta stumbles and fell, the fog hitting them once again. The four of them came back together, falling to the ground.

"I can't carry him alone," Katniss panted in a panic, staring at Peeta.

"C'mon," Autumn breathed out as she grabbed one of Peeta's arms and hoisted it over her shoulders. Finnick did the same with Peeta's other arm, Katniss continuing to stumble along next to Autumn.

Even with Autumn and Finnick, the group was still too weak to carry Peeta. The fog rolled upon the group's backs, creating a burning sensation as the white boils grew on their skin.

Katniss tripled, causing all four of them to trip and fall down a hill.

Autumn watched as the fog came closer and closer to her from where she laid on her back. Autumn had finally given up. She could go no further. Her body ached as she could barely twitch her arm. Autumn closed her eyes, waiting for the fog to take her. But it never did.

Autumn reopened her eyes to see the fog rolling up the side of a clear wall that they had passed right through. Autumn didn't give it another thought as she passed out.