Love at Sea (Finnick Odair)

Chapter 35

"Left or right?" Finnick muttered to himself as he came to a junction in the tunnels. He pulled out one of the concrete fragments he'd gathered up from the explosion and threw it down the tunnel on his right.

A blast of fire exploded into the tunnel. He had to turn and cover his face to avoid the heat. It continued to blast for around 20 seconds before it stopped.

"Left it is, yet again," he mused as he pulled out another fragment and tossed it in the air to himself as he walked down the tunnel. "Katniss will continue the mission, which means they'll head towards the mansion which is... somewhere," he trailed off as he stared at the path ahead. He had no idea which way to go. Without the holo providing him with a map, Finnick had absolutely no idea where he was. He could be heading south for all he knew, rather than north. Was north even the direction he wanted to go?

Finnick sighed heavily as he reached yet another intersection, frustration mounting as he grappled with the uncertainty of his surroundings. He was trying to suppress it, but his mind was racing with thoughts of Taiya. He didn't want to catastrophise, but a gunshot to the chest was an incredibly dangerous thing. The weight of not being there with her pressed heavily upon him.

"Alright, focus, Finnick," he muttered to himself. "Left or right? Left," he decided, tossing another fragment down the left tunnel, watching anxiously for any signs of danger. When none came, he continued.

As Finnick walked through the dimly lit tunnel, his heart leapt with hope as he caught sight of a small opening up ahead. Without a second thought, he quickened his pace, his steps echoing off the damp walls as he raced towards it.

Finally reaching the opening, Finnick's excitement waned. This area looked oddly familiar. It looked just like the place where the squad had slept the previous night.

Cautiously, Finnick stepped inside and walked up the metal pathway, his gaze sweeping the chamber for any signs of danger or clues of his location. It was then that he noticed a small object lying on the ground, its familiar shape tugging at his heartstrings.

He knelt down and picked up the object, a pang of anguish gripping his chest as he recognised Taiya's stress ball. Her new favourite possession.

"This is a sign to never try orienteering," Finnick muttered ruefully to himself, his lips curving into a bittersweet smile. He'd spent the last two hours walking, only to end up going in a circle. He guessed that's what happened when you only made left-hand turns. It wasn't his fault that most of the pods seemed to be down the tunnels on the right.

With a heavy sigh, Finnick glanced around the room and put the ball in his pocket. He'd need to hold onto that. He didn't want to hear her whine about missing it for days.

He may have wandered in a circle, but he refused to let that stop him. He had to get back to his wife. She needed him. He needed her.

"Alrighty then Odair," he gave himself a pep talk. "Onward and upwards. Guesswork makes the dreamwork."

He stepped outside of the chamber and decided to go right this time, shake it up a little. His hopes were dashed in an instant as he felt himself ensnared in a trap. Before he could react, a net constricted around him, lifting him off the ground and into the air with a jolt.

"Well... this is not a good sign," he groaned wryly, his voice tinged with resignation. It seemed life had a cruel sense of irony. This was the very same technique that had been his signature move in his first Hunger Games.

Life just wasn't fair sometimes.

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Sleep eluded everyone in the bunker. The horrors they had witnessed in the past few days lingered in the shadows of their minds, preventing them from closing their eyes without the images splashing in front of them. There was no respite.