Something Worth Living For [THG] // Finnick Odair

XLVIII

When I wake up, Kade is already up, he is looking at the 'rainforest', or the ashes of it. I stand by his side, my heart rises because this is the end to our alliance.

"Kade?"

"Yeah?" He says after he gives a sigh.

"There are six tributes left." I say, each words getting caught up in my throat. "I think this is the best time for us to separate."

"We said we would do that when there were five tributes left."

"I know but I feel like this is the right moment to do it, and the longer we stay together the harder it will be, so I better go."

There is no more fire, only burnt trees and all kind of plants, and everything is covered in ash, but I'll go back there because there is no way I can stay here when Serena and Ira can attack us out of nowhere, even Rhiane can do so – speaking of her, where is she? I can't see her anywhere in the water or in the shore, or with the two other girls, she must have gone back to the rainforest.

"Let's split our supplies up and then I'll go."

Kellen wakes up as Kade and I are taking out our food and water and everything else so we can split it up. I end up with one-gallon bottle full of water and another half full, three packages of crackers, a handful of nuts, a banana and some of the cooked meat from the animal we found in my snare before the eruption. I also keep my sickle and my knife, and my night vision glasses and some pills to purify the water.

I give some of those pills to Kade and also give him some medicine, like pills for headaches and one bottle of peroxide. I keep the ointment Brutus sent me when Divya stabbed me, though.

I hug Kade as I fight back tears, this has to be done. It's the right thing. I can't hug Kellen even when I want to, I have only talked to him about three times. I offer him my hand and he shakes it without hesitation. He understands what I'm doing and doesn't try to stop me. He knows we can't stay here forever.

"As soon as she's away and as soon as I get to the other side, I will not even hesitate to kill you, do you understand?" Kade says to Kellen.

"I do, and better be alert because I won't hesitate to fight back and kill you." Kellen says to him.

I go into the water, trying not to think about Caius or his screams, or the fact he died in this water yesterday, I just concentrate on getting to the other side.

Kade also gets in the water but he goes more to the right, way more to the right, while Kellen stays in the Cornucopia for a bit longer.

I keep swimming thinking there are only five more tributes that have to die, only five. These Hunger Games might be over in less than four days, I can go back home in less than a week.

But I also think of the challenges I will be facing now that everything is reduced to ashes and there is basically no water and no more food in there and that there are five people that want to kill me.

Walking in the arena is so hard and it's even more dangerous. A burnt branch or even the whole tree can fall on top of you and kill you. One very tall and thick tree fell only a few inches away from me, and now I'm very careful of where I am going.

This place is horrible, it reminds of death. Everything is dead in here and it smells awful. But I keep going, maybe I can find a place I can stay for the day.

I don't eat or drink much of my supplies because it's obvious I won't find anymore. I just won't, and who knows if Brutus will send me some food, by now everything must be so expensive. I'm sure he wouldn't be able to send me fruits and vegetables like the other day because of their cost, as more days pass by and more tributes die, the more expensive the things get.