I am forced to drag Dan to shelter that night, and I manage to find a cave. I feel as though this is a cliché place to hide, but I have no other choice; I mean, Dan's unconscious and I don't think that he will be awake any time soon. I'm still trying to get the sponsors to keep him alive, so I need to figure out a way to get the gifts flowing. Since it will benefit both Dan and myself, I leave the cave for a moment, gripping a spear. We need more food than just the two apples we have, so I go on a hunt for fish. I find a creek about 50 yards from the cave, and I wait for fish to pass by.
Eventually, I get my chance as a little group of fish comes swimming up the creek, I manage to jab four of them, which is more than enough. I load them in a net from my bag, and soon enough, I'm back by the cave. Before I enter the mouth of the cave, I get the fish out and gut them with one of my knives. Then, I put the fish back in the net and set them inside the cave, now faced with the task of making a fire to cook them with.
Checking on Dan before I leave the cave again, I see that his bandages are starting to leak through.
I really need to get him some better healing cream.
Around ten feet from the cave, I find a fallen branch. After I break it into pieces with my feet, I gather the tiny pile of wood and carry it to the mouth of the cave. The wood is nice and dry, so it should catch fire with ease. I don't have any matches, but I don't need them. Using a stick, I start to twist it against the wood until it catches fire. I don't let the fire get too big or smoky, and I cook the fish on the fire. They end up a little burnt, but that doesn't matter when you're starving.
"Hey, wake up," I tell Dan, resting one of my hands on his face.
For the first time since he was hurt, he opens his eyes, and I take a deep breath out, thankful that he's finally alert.
Struggling to put words together, he sputters, "Hurts. My body. It hurts."
"I know. I'll fix it, okay? You'll get through this," I say, "By the way, I found some food. I was hoping you'd wake up."
He gingerly nods his head, and I get him some of the fish. He's able to feed himself, and he eats about a handful of meat before it all comes back up again.
He's sick.
"Are you okay?" I ask, worried.
"I don't know. Everywhere just hurts," is all he says before laying down on his stomach and eventually falling asleep again. Lifting the bandages to change them, I notice that his skin will probably never look the same again, not even with Capitol treatment, unless they can produce miracles. I change the bandages and put more of the healing cream on, and then I let him sleep it off while I eat.
I don't want him to die.
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Crappy update I know. I'm sorry, but it's been so long since I've even touched this story - I promise to do more in the coming weeks. Thanks guys, for understanding.
