Rescue Me

Thirty Six

"We need to get to higher ground!" Finnick screamed.

"Move soldiers!"

My heart felt like it was beating out of its chest as I sprinted away from the black liquid. I had no idea what it was, or what it did. I've never seen anything like it before.

I glanced over my shoulder to see Katniss running behind me. She kept up, although Peeta was right behind her - with a determined look on his face. I saw him grab her shoulders and yank her back.

"Peeta no!" I shouted. Without thinking I turned around running back towards the two of them.

"Kat!" Peeta took his gun and used the butt end of it to try to smash it down into Katniss' face. I ripped his arm back trying to give her space to get up to run. Peeta turned around and put his hands on my wrists tightly. His eyes were black.

"Peeta, this isn't you," I said. His grip only got tighter.

"Peeta!" Cato exclaimed. In seconds, he managed to roughly shove Peeta away from me and pick me up to run away from this situation.

"Let go of me!" I shouted. I saw Peeta hovering over Katniss. "Help her!" Suddenly he was tackled to the ground - it was Mitchell.

Peeta somehow managed to get up. And he shoved the Lieutenant back into the black liquid and he was suddenly strung up in the air in a matter of seconds. I gasped as I stared at him in disbelief. I stared in shock as I noticed he hung up in the sky like a spider.

"Cato let go of me!" I demanded as we got to the top of another step. He obliged just as Gale shot at a glass door. He kicked it open making it swing back and hit the wall.

"Come on," Cato said, keeping his grip around my waist.

I checked behind me to see that Finnick had his arms wrapped around Peeta as he continued to struggle to get to Katniss. She looked like she was in shock by what just happened.

That makes two of us.

"Come on!" I shouted to her. She turned at her heel and ran towards the door everyone was piling in.

"Kat I need you to move your feet," Cato said once we got inside. My eyes settled on the white stone steps. Cato moved his grip onto my arm, which I was thankful for. My brain didn't seem to register that we still needed to run. He dragged me up the stairs.

"Keep moving!" I heard the black wave crash into the house. I got to the top and saw that the stone stairs were broken off so we were forced to stay here. I looked back down over the ledge, to see the liquid slowly rising.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Cato lightly grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. His eyes searched mine and I quickly shook my head. He examined my wrists, making sure that I wasn't lying.

"I'm okay Cato," I reassured him.

"I would've killed him even if he left a scratch on you." My heart fluttered as he shook his head. I pressed my lips together as he let go of my wrists. Why was that so flattering to hear?

Everyone was at the same spot in between stair causes, crowded around each other. I watched as the liquid finally caught up to us, but it looked like there wasn't enough to get to us. It was stopping.

"It's slowing down," I noted. Cato's body heat left from next to me, which cause me to look up. Cato helped Finnick restrain Peeta against the wall.

"Hey, hey, calm down," I heard him say to Peeta. While at the same time Finnick injected him with something. Peeta immediately sighed, and rested his head against the wall.

Cato looked back, eyes meeting mine. I looked back at Peeta and couldn't help but feel scarred. It's like something snapped in him. What the hell happened back there?

"Why did he do that?" I asked.

"He still thinks she's a mutt," Finnick whispered.

"It's like something triggered him. He was just fine."

After a couple of seconds, the liquid started retracting. It sounded like it was being sucked back in to where ever it came from. I sighed in relief as I saw what was left was a thick black coating.

Cato and I exchanged looks as he walked back over to me. I touched Katniss' arm and she looked back, out of breath like the rest of us.

"You good?" I asked between breaths. She nodded. I can't believe Peeta just tried to kill her.

"You care about her, don't you," Cato's voice was quiet.

"I'm not close with a lot of people," I explained. He looked down at me. "But the people I am close with mean the world to me."

"I hope I can make my way back up there again," He told me. I pursed my lips.

"Me too."

"Remember when I said no more heroic acts?" He whispered in my ear. I felt him brush his fingers along my back before putting his hand on the window ledge behind me.

"Maybe," I muttered. He smirked.

"Just because she's your friend doesn't mean that you need to save her all the time."

"I could say the same to you then," I looked up at him. He was close, his eyes flashed down to my lips. It was a love-hate feeling whenever he did that. It did feel very normal, almost like whatever happened with him and his memory never happened. There was a voice in me telling me to kiss him.

"Like I told you, I do what I want. I'm never gonna stop saving you even if you hate me."

"I would never hate you, Cato."

"Well that was, a lot," Finnick interrupted and chuckled. I rolled my eyes - he always has to try to lighten the mood. He started a side conversation with Homes, something about Peeta.

"Thanks for pushing him off of me," I whispered. Cato nodded.

"Do I get a kiss for saving you?" He asked with a smirk. "Cause I know that's what you were thinking about a couple of seconds ago."

"I wasn't," I lied badly. He chuckled.

"Yeah you were," He whispered. I couldn't help but smile. "So, how about that kiss?"

"Nice try," I told him with a smile. He hummed back. "Maybe you should quit while you're ahead. It won't be for a while."

"I'm never gonna stop trying baby." My stomach fluttered. "I'd kiss you all day every day if I could."

"Did you tell Terra that too?" I asked with a smirk.

"No, only special people get to hear that."

"Oh? Who else?" I asked with my brows raised. He smiles.

"Just you."

"Mhm, I'll believe it when I see it." He slipped his hand into my back pocket, giving me a yank towards him.

"You better believe it sweetheart. You're all I ever think about." I blew out a silent breath as I heard Cressida start to say something to us.

Only one word can describe how I feel right now: flustered.