Of Victors and Tributes

Chapter 18: Run to the Wild

We retreat into the woods as the hovercraft comes to reclaim Fairlie's body. We watch the girl rise into the air, held tightly by the great metal arm. I've gone numb, unable to feel anything. I feel like it's been a million years, but it's been an hour or two at most. The three of us trip through the roots until we find somewhere with minimal cover to sit.

Finally, the unbearable stinging of my wound returns, and I fall back on my back. Fairlie digs through our bag rigorously, coming up with burn medicine, gauze, sterile wrappings, and all kinds of things we snatched from the Careers. She just about squeezes all the cream onto my hand, hands shaking and frazzled. The cold, soothing sensation slowly settles it, but the blackened skin and shard of white finger bone makes me want to throw up.

"Are you hurt?" I mumble to Axel, who is sitting in a cross-legged position and looking distantly at the leaves. He is hurt, his arm is cut, I saw it when he appeared to say goodbye to Fairlie. I'm just trying to get him to speak. He doesn't answer.

"We have to keep it wrapped, or it'll get infected. Oh god, Taylor, it looks awful," she says, then looks at me with wide and apologetic eyes.

"Should we just cut it off?" I ask, eyelids slipping.

"No, you'll bleed out," she answers. "But if we were in 12, and we saw this in the mines. . . They'd take it off."

"Good to know," I reply. I want to sleep forever and forget this dull aching in my heart and my arm. I don't want my family to see me like this, but they undoubtedly are staring at the screens in horror right now. At least I'm alive. Not everyone in this alliance can say that.

"She died, didn't she?" Axel finally says as Meadow and I begin to drink some water.

"Yes, she did," Meadow answers. She doesn't offer him food or water, he has his own bag of things, just looks at him sympathetically. Both of us have lost our district partners, and now all of us have. For some reason, I thought Axel wouldn't care. But he does.

"I killed Silver," he says, and slowly returns to himself. "Yeah, I stabbed him through the neck. Spark ran off, and there he was, skewered on my blade."

"It happens," I murmur.

"Sure does," he answers, and stands up. He begins looking through his things, and upon seeing everything is there, he pulls the bag over his shoulders. Meadow and I look at him.

"What're you doing?" Meadow asks, adjusting herself. She's sitting up, looking at him while I lay here.

"I'm leaving," he decides.

"What?!"

"I only stayed here for Fairlie. Plus, this guy hates me," Axel replies easily enough, kicking my foot lightly. I glare at him.

"Maybe you should just kill me. I'm not in much of a place to fight back," I say, then immediately regret it. If he wants to, he can kill me. Would Meadow, shocked beyond words, be able to come to my aid? Or would, will, he kill her too?

"I think Pearl wants to do that," he says, and I breathe a sigh of relief. Fine, if he wants to run off, who am I to stop him? Meadow and I were going to leave anyway if it weren't for the song in the trees.

"Wait, we stole stuff from the Careers, take some," Meadow says, standing up and grabbing random things from the bag.

"No," Axel replies soundly. He promptly turns around and walks off into the forest. We stay still until we can no longer see him.

"He didn't blame me," Meadow says as we lay together in the late afternoon sun. "I thought for sure he'd try to kill me for getting her killed."

"You didn't get her killed," I attempt. The sun goes in and out of focus in my eyes, leaves and trees squirming in my vision. I think I might pass out, but I haven't yet, so might as well talk.