Hunger Games (Peeta's POV)

12

"Go on then, Lover Boy," Cato taunts, "See for yourself." 

I hear their whispers as I walk away, but I ignore them, knowing it'll do me no good to hear them plan my death. I walk back into the clearing, bracing myself to murder an innocent girl. She lies beside her fire, blood flowing freely from her neck. I know that the next few moments will be the last of her life. I kneel beside her and whisper, "I have to help Katniss go home, I'm sorry."

With that, I stab her. I know she doesn't have enough blood in her to keep her alive for much longer, so I walk back towards the other tributes, hoping this will move them along away from Katniss. 

"Bet you Lover Boy knows," Clove replies. It's all I hear of their conversation, but it's enough to let me know they still see me as useful. As long as I can prove I'm useful, I stay alive. 

Cato turns to me at my approach, "Was she dead?"

"No. But she is now." I say, the firing of the cannon confirming my words, "Ready to move on?"

Finally, they agree and we run the opposite direction of the trees. Putting Katniss far in the distance. We stay on a path that takes us towards the stream they found me at. Finally, Marvel is the one to stop us, "It's been a day, there have been twelve kills, I think we should call it a night."

Without objection from even Cato, we settle into a small circle. I know I can't fight sleep for much longer, but I can't guarantee they won't kill me in my sleep. Finally, I can't keep my eyes open any longer. 

I'm walking through the forest, when suddenly, the birds fall silent. I hear Katniss' voice singing. After a pause, the birds sing the melody back to her. It's a happy dream, a dream that reminds me what all this is for. It's for Katniss. For the chance that she can go home. When I wake, the girl from District  Four, Kosta, is keeping watch, "You know, you say her name in your sleep."

My mind searches for the right thing to say, I don't want her to tell the others, "Just remembering the reason I'm being kept alive." 

She shrugs, "You're expendable, that's no ones fault but your own."

"How do you figure?" I ask, trying to keep my voice casual. 

"Had you stayed at the Cornucopia, actually fought, maybe we'd see you as a contender in these games," Kosta says. It stings to hear someone else say what I already know, that I've never had a chance. 

I nod, settling with my back against a tree, enjoying my last few hours alive. I know they'll soon realize I have no way to find Kantiss and that if I did,  I wouldn't lead them to her. 

Hours later, Cato directs us to continue heading towards water, our water supply won't last long. The day is hot and unpleasant, we walk without signs of other tributes, the one's around me getting bored. Which means, the Capitol will be getting bored too. Soon, the Game Makers will intervene. But, for now, all there is to do is walk and hope that we find water soon. 

The hours pass by, each of us running out of water, each step burns with the effects of dehydration. Last night, we had been able to run this in a few hours. But, the the hot sun beating down, it's almost impossible to find a pace that we can uphold that will get us to the water. The others start calling out for water, hoping their sponsors will feel enough pity for them that they'll give in. But, there's no luck. This continues for hours, I can tell by the movement of the sun. But, it never gets colder, the blaring heat remains a constant. 

I wonder if we're even near any other tributes, it's unlikely that they'd stay near a group so large. That really leaves only one possible attack left, one from the Game Makers. Just as my thoughts begin to jumble, the lack of water making walking almost impossible, there's a call from Glimmer, "Water!"

We each fall into the water, gulping down as much as we can, ignoring the possible effects of untreated water; our desperation getting the better of us. The rest of the afternoon is spent with them splashing around in the water. I sit on the banks, staring off into the distance, hoping that Katniss is far away from wherever we are. We settle into a small camp, a fire lit in the middle of us. 

"We'll head back to camp in the morning to restock food," Cato orders, "We shouldn't trust District Three with the food much longer."

I can hear the true menaing of the words he's saying: He's no longer useful, so there's no real reason to keep him around. I try to ignore the pit that puts in my stomach and settle down to sleep. 

But, when I wake with a cough, I'm surrounded by smoke.