Darker And Colder

1.17: Death As Lightning

Chapter 17
Peeta's POV

Katniss and I again volunteer to keep watch. I know that I haven't had all that much sleep in my time in the arena, but I can cope with small amounts of sleep.

"When should we go?" I say.

She contemplates this for a small while. "I'm not sure. I don't know if we can even trust anyone in here except each other."

 I know what she means. The others haven't exactly tried to kill us yet, but there are only three other people still in the games apart from us five allies which means it won't be long until we have to turn on each other. The thought of this makes me uneasy as Finnick isn't actually too bad and neither are Johanna or Beetee really. Finnick has a sense of humour and is nicer when you get to know him. Johanna is still quite boisterous but she is nice and respects people. Beetee is extremely clever and systematic, and even though I haven't spoken with him much I can tell he is even more inquisitive than people expect.

But we still can't trust them to turn on us any given moment.

"How about," I say, "we stick around until midnight, when we get rid of the beach, and then we can go."

"Ok." She comes closer to me and embraces me. I know she loves me, she has made that truly clear to me now, but it is still a shock when she wraps her arms around me first. And once again, we found light within each other from the midst of darkness.

♤♤♤

It is now roughly 10 o'clock, as Beetee is now saying whilst looking to the sky. We are at the lightning tree.

"So," Beetee says, "Katniss and Johanna, if you could take the wire down to the beach-"

"I'll go with Katniss," I say, interrupting Beetee. I feel bad about interrupting him but I also don't want Katniss to be out of my sight. I'm not controlling, but in the games she could be killed within seconds, so I'm not going to just let that happen.

"But Peeta, I need you here."

I look to Katniss. "I will be fine," she tells me.

"I know you will," I say to her, "But I don't want to risk you."

"HEY," Johanna, "No offence Volts, but I am definitely going to swap with the lover boy." She turns to Katniss. "Look, sorry, but I can accept you being here. I can't stand you for a walk all the way down to the beach with nobody else to talk to. Again, no offense."

Beetee sighs. "Fine."

♤♤♤

Katniss's POV

Me and Peeta walk down quite far before the taught wire suddenly becomes limp. We look up at each other, and Enobaria gets Peeta from behind.

"Peeta!" I cry out, running after him, when Johanna pins me down and stabs a knife into my arm. I yell in pain, and in the distance I can hear Peeta screaming my name.

Johanna twists the knife in my arm and all I can understand is pain. I don't know how loud I'm screaming, or for how long. I just notice the pain. Pain. So much pain. I try to push myself up in a futile effort to run away, but Johanna just pushes me down again.

"Just stay down, will you?"

Then she turns as if she has heard something, wrenches the knife out and runs.

♤♤♤

Peeta's POV

I can hear Katniss screaming as I am dragged away by Enobaria.

I keep yelling her name but I don't think she can hear me. I wrestle to try to escape Enobaria's grasp, but another pair of hands I assume is Gloss grabs me too. I accept my fate, hoping I have done enough to save Katniss, and the second pair of hands wrenches me away from Enobaria and down to the ground. I hear a cannon and see Finnick standing with his trident. He forces it into the ground and turns, a knife in your hand. He goes to plunge it into my left forearm, but appears to hear a noise and looks flustered.

"Stay there," he says, throwing the knife so it just catches the side of my bad leg before it hits the damp earth.

I hold in the screams, and feel blood coming from where I bite my lip. Somehow, I don't think I really trust anyone in this arena anymore. Except Katniss.

I can trust Katniss.

Katniss.

I call her name again, but there isn't any reply. I didn't hear another canon, but its possible there was one. I look around, and find her on the ground. I check for a pulse and find it. Deciding she is just unconscious, I go to pick her up and as she is in my arms I hear her take a short, pained breath.

"Katniss?" I say softly. "Katniss are you okay?" I see blood dripping from her forearm, and instantly know she I not.

She says something I can't hear, so I just say, "I'm sorry, we should have gone earlier. I'm going to get you away from here, okay? Nod if you can hear me?"

She nods.

♤♤♤

Katniss's POV

I fight to stay conscious whilst Peeta carries me, afraid that if I sleep I might not wake back up. My arm throbs. I am surprised Peeta can still carry me, considering the fact that he has a prosthetic and injured leg, and I am 5 months pregnant.

I don't cry. I owe it to too many people to cry.

I try to stay focused on the soft jumping up and down as Peeta walks, because focusing on something helps me to ignore the immense pain. I worry about Peeta trying to carry me, so I tell him I'll walk, but he doesn't let me.

After a good while we settle down on the ground and become entangled in one another's arms. I notice we are in the sector next to the lightning tree, and I can hear bugs clicking all around us. It has not sounded this loud before in other sectors, so I assume they are deadly and tell Peeta we should leave.

We walk to the lightning tree, and I can see Beetee knocked out on the floor.

Then Finnick comes out of the bushes holding a trident, ready to throw and I just freeze. I fall to the floor, feeling so helpless. Feeling sick.

I turn away. I can hear Peeta fighting toward Finnick. I think Finnick is trying to stop him. Then I remember what Haymitch said. 

Remember who the real enemy is.

I pull out an arrow.

♤♤♤

Peeta's POV

"Stop Peeta stop!" Finnick keeps saying, but I ignore him, slashing my sword in his direction. He holds his trident out in defence but I knock it out of his hands to the ground. He kneels down.
"Please."

I have never heard Finnick plead. And I have never killed anyone.

So I don't bring my sword down in an arc. I can't. Instead I pick up his trident and walk away. Afraid of what I nearly did. I see Katniss, Bow with an arrow in hands, a wire connected to the arrow.

I look up and see lightning is about to strike the tree.

"KATNISS!" I barely register myself screaming to her. She turns her head for a second, looks to the sky, and lets the arrow fly, before she begins to run to me.

I start toward her and we are both blown backward in a flash of light.

♤♤♤

A claw lifts Katniss up, I can just about see it.

No. She can't be dead. She can't be. 

I did so much to try and save her.

But I failed. I was so stupid.

Stupid.

♤♤♤

I see another claw pick me up and I am confused. I am not dead. If I was dead I wouldn't be able to see or hear or feel or smell. But I can't move. And I don't care anymore, so I pass out as before I reach the hovercraft above me.