Unthinkable

Chapter 17~ The End of a Bad Day

I wake up with a start. Sweat drips badly from my forehead as a result of my nightmare. My ears just barely pick up the faint sound of leaves crumbling in the distance. I'm in a familiar area, but mystified as to how I got here. I'm outside in the woods. I can tell by the tall trees surrounding me and the rain pouring heavily on my already soaked body. At least the rain sort of hides me from whatever possible predator is stirring in my same area.

"Katniss!" I hear. "Katniss, where are you?!" That's when I realize it isn't a predator near me. I think it's Gale.

I shudder at the thought of him, remembering the nightmare I previously had of him getting drunk. I then try to think back to what I remember last.

I fell from a tree.

I had a miscarriage.

Gale was missing.

I went searching for him.

I ran to our spot . . .

It takes me a minute of thinking about where I could've fallen asleep. Then suddenly, I remember. I'd laid right on this log, dozing off, and I must've fallen asleep. Anything after that had all been some realistic nightmare.

"Katniss?!" I hear the voice who I think is Gale's say again. He's much, much, much closer now.

"Gale!" I call, sitting up, my drowsiness fading. I suddenly feel so relieved that him getting drunk was a nightmare. I need him so much right now to cry to about our miscarriage.

"Katniss!"

And suddenly the sound of the leaves goes wild and I know it's the sound of him running toward me. He must've found me. But I was wrong. It isn't Gale. Gale is who I'd like to see, but instead, it's Peeta.

When he gets closer, I can see through the frantic rain his blond curls bouncing up and down as he runs. My heart sinks, but at least someone is here. Without another word, he lifts me into the air, throws me over his shoulder, and begins to run at a wild speed. The rain only seems to pour heavier as he runs and I realize suddenly how bad I'm shivering. Peeta's curls now all hang in one wet, knotty pile over his face, weighed down by the water. I begin to wonder if he can even see at all.

He lets me down when we get to the fence, allowing me to crawl under it. The fence is a brand new white one, but I don't understand why they haven't made it a gate. If they did, entering and exiting would be much easier.

Once I crawl under and Peeta does as well, he tries to lift me up again, but I refuse. I won't allow him to baby me. I have legs and I can run even though they might be shaking badly at the moment. I can see by the way his hair is hanging over his face like a mop, how he is shivering, and the way is prosthetic leg is twitching in this furious storm that carrying me would be a burden, and I'm not going to give him that.

So, we grab hands in order to stay together and run. The sky lights up with lightning streaks and booms with thunder as we do, making the need and want to get home more intense. I can hear a sloshing noise each time our shoes come in contact with the muddy ground. As the ground gets muddier and muddier, the mud sprays up at us each time we step and by the time we get to my house we're a rainy, muddy, and sweaty mess.

We stop just outside my door, breathing heavily, a tiny roof above us protecting us from the rain. Once our breathing calms down, Peeta speaks up.

"Don't you get yourself into anymore trouble Katniss . . . you hear me?" Peeta smirks. I laugh lightly.

"Sorry I keep dragging you out there," I say. "Next time, just let me be. Okay?"

He lets out a deep sigh shrugging his shoulders and regretfully concurring to not do as he's been doing.