The Hunger Games

Chapter Fifteen

I open my eyes slowly and feel lucky to be alive. I can't see anything but smoke. I cough and try to raise myself. I'm sure another rib has cracked and I feel blood dripping from the cut in my forehead. I hear a soft moan nearby.

"Peeta!" I scream out. I crawl through the smoke and search frantically for him. A dash of blond catches my eye and I move over to him. There is a small fire next to him and I grab him by the arm and pull him away from it. "Peeta speak, talk to me. Are you OK?" I ask. He rolls over and moans.

"Peeta!" I look up into the smoke and search for Kelin. I cough again and dart my eyes around the smoke. "Kelin!" I cry out. No answer. Tears escape my swollen eyes and I pull Peeta further, hoping I'll find my way out of the smoke. I can still hear the fire balls dropping, and I use my ears to sense where they are. I feel as if I'm almost out of the smoke when I hear Kelin's voice.

"Prim?" He whispers. I dart my eyes through the fire, but can't even make a trace of him. "Prim?" He calls out again, his voice hoarse and raspy.

"Kelin, where are you?" I ask. "Prim. Prim, please help me." I call out his name over and over but can't find him. Peeta is still beside me, barely breathing, motionless. I can't get Kelin's words out of my head: 'Please help me." He's never said something like that. He's got to be in some serious pain.

I cuff my hands and yell for Kelin again. He makes a whimper, and I realize he's only a couple of feet away from me. I drag Peeta over to him, and I kneel down beside Kelin.

"Prim," He whispers. I use my free hand to grab his hand and pull it close to me. "Are you OK?" He asks. I shake my head yes even though I'm sure he can't see me. "What about Peeta?" I want to say yes, but I don't even know. It's hard to tell. Peeta looks as if he's been fried up and left in the sun. I can't decide if he'll live.

"Peeta will be fine." I tell him to relax him. He softly smiles before going into a cough attack and blacking out. I sit for a minute, trying to think of what to do. I know to think quickly, because we could all die if we stay in this smoke too long. I use all the rest of my strength to pull them as far away from the field as possible. I finally stop seeing smoke and am surrounded once again by the green scenery. It feels almost relaxing. I let go of the boys and sit down to rest.

My ribs are pretty much killing me. I know I won't be able to go any longer with the condition that they're in. I lift my foot up to my knee and examine it. It's covered in callouses and has bruises on them from the boots. I gently set it back down and feel the cut in my forehead. It's fresh again, blood oozing down it's side and throbbing like crazy. I look at the red liquid in my hand and cringe at the sight. Looking at my own blood is scary. I realize that my bandage isn't going to do any help and I need an alternative. But nothing's here for me. Everything I had got blown up in the fire. I look up to the sky, knowing the cameras are watching me, and say something that I didn't ever expect I'd say.

"If you're watching this, mom, I want you to know that I love you. I love you with all my heart and will never forget you. Katniss, the same for you. I will miss all of you forever and hope I won't be forgotten." Tears drip out of my eyes and I sniffle as I say the one last part.

"Dad, If you can hear me, please know that I've tried. I've tried my best all these years, just like you wanted me to. I've been the best I could be and I hope you know that I won't stop trying, even when I'm...gone." I wave one last good bye to Panem. Kelin's knife is still in his belt pocket thing, and I silently grab it.

"I'm sorry, Peeta. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you." I whisper to him. I gently kiss him on the forehead and softly grab his hand. "I won't forget you. Don't forget me. You've taught me so much. Thank you." I let go of his hand and grab Kelin's.

"I barely knew you, what can I say? But as long as I did know you, you sure showed me how to be braver than I was. I appreciate it. Watch out for Peeta for me." I say. They both still lay motionless, silent, waiting for me to make my next move. With one quick breathe, I slowly lift the knife to my neck. With one last tear, I whisper out to the cameras. "Bye Panem." I say. Suddenly, the knife is yanked away from me.

I open my eyes and try to pull the knife back from Peeta. "Peeta let go!" I cry out. He fights with me and pulls stringly for the knife. This is where his years of lugging sacks of flour comes in handy.

"Prim stop!" He yells back. I struggle with him, and can barely see because my eyes are all puffed up from crying. "You don't know what you're doing! Stop Peeta!" He refuses to let go.

"I know you're about to make a huge mistake! Prim let go!" His voice cracks, and he breaks down and cries. He lets go of the knife and kneels down in front of me, his head buried in his arm. "Prim, don't do this. We'd all miss you. I'd miss you. Katniss would miss you. Your mom.." He's crying hard. I take a step back and cough.

"But they don't need me like your family needs you. Your family would mourn over you day after-"

"Oh really? You think so? Because when my name was called, they didn't even shed a tear. They don't care. They never did. Prim, you have to believe me when I say this, don't do this. Please." He says.

I shut my eyes, and hope when I open them this will all go away. But I know that I've done this too many times before, and it never works, and when I open my eyes, Peeta's still there with his head in his arm, crying. Kelin's still motionless on the ground. And the knife is still in my hand, rested at my neck. More tears slide down my red cheeks.

"Peeta I can't do this anymore. I can't. I don't want to. Don't make me live this nightmare anymore. That's what this is. A nightmare. A nightmare that I can't escape from. Every time I close my eyes, I hope I'll be home again, with my father. I hope that my sister will still be with me, and my mother will be with me too. I hope that the Hunger Games won't exist, but when I open my eyes, I'm still living the nightmare that I've been afraid of all this time. I'm living it, and you know what, I won't do it anymore. I promise you that."

Peeta plunges for the knife again. "Prim, you don't have to live this nightmare. Please, just put it down. Please just stop. I'm begging you." I lower the knife an inch as Kelin slowly begins to rise. He sees me with the knife and attacks Peeta.

"You were going to hurt her weren't you?" He screams in Peeta's face. Peeta yells back, sounding scared with the tears in his eyes. Kelin grabs him by his collar and searches for a weapon to use.

"Kelin stop! I did this, I was going to kill myself." Kelin immediately turns to me and jumps off Peeta. "Prim, why?" He asks. I bow my head stare at the ground.

"Because I don't want to do this anymore. This isn't fun. I don't want to be in the Hunger Games." I whisper. Kelin stays silent. Peeta begins to mope again. I look up to the both of them and let out a vicious scream.

"Peeta move!" I cry. Peeta turns around suddenly but it's too late. The arrow from the District 9 tribute, Sacha, is already jabbed in his chest.

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Uploaded! This has been the longest I've ever not uploaded before, and I wanted to say how sorry I am. It's been like a week and a half. But I stayed up like for a while for you even though I have a basketball game tomorrow(wish us luck and love!) just so I could upload. I hope this chappie will do. It's a little short, (OK, scratch that, a LOT short) but I hope it tugs at your heartstrings, because it tugged at mine(Well, Peeta's emotion did) Enjoy, vote, comment, the whole big-bang-theory. And good luck to whoever you guys voted for in the Watties!!(((:

Update: it's been almost four years since I wrote this and I had to go and change "daddy" to "dad" because y'ALL HOES RUINED THE WORD. I HATE TWITTER FOR THAT MY FUTURE KIDS WILL HAVE TO CALL THEIR FATHER "FAM" OR SOMETHING IM SO ANGRY