What If

Chapter Nine:

Katniss

My eyes opened and I instantly regretted it. I was hit with bright light. I groaned and slowly sat up, my head spinning.

Every part of my body ached. Memories of last night flooded my head and suddenly I felt useless and alone all over again.

Mags was gone. She'd sacrificed her life for Peeta, a debt I could never repay now, and I hated unpaid debts. I could've lost Peeta last night, but she'd saved him. I am eternally in her debt.

I saw Peeta laying next to me, it appeared he'd woken up around the same time I had. He slowly moved towards me, wincing as he did.

"Katniss?" he whispered, his voice raspy. "Are you alright? What about them?"

I nodded as he helped me sit up, his arms gentle yet strong. "I'm alright, Peeta. We're alive..."

"How's Finnick?" I asked, thinking of Mags. She was his mentor and, according to Haymitch, adoptive mother. How was he handling her death, especially when it was in place of Peeta's?

Peeta frowned. "He's lying over there."

The two of us both stood up and I tried to swallow my pain unsuccessfully. I limped towards Finnick, Peeta holding onto me as we walked.

When we reached Finnick he was laying face down in the water, his entire body completely submerged. He looked dead, clearly unmoving.

I hadn't heard a canon, but I didn't see him breathing. He easily could've drowned in this stuff. We hand't been unconscious very long, had we? The canon surely would've woken us, right?

"Finnick?" I asked urgently as I crouched down and tried to shake him awake with no response. "Finnick!"

Peeta could clearly tell that I was becoming frantic as he placed a hand on my shoulder, pulling me up. "He just needs to be rolled over."

"But what if the canon went off when we were sleeping?" I asked desperately, clearly hyperventilating. "What if—what if he's dead?"

"He'll be fine," Peeta assured me firmly. Then he kneeled down and helped turn Finnick over. Once Finnick was on his back and out of the water he gasped and started coughing furiously, bringing me some ease.

"Are you alright?"

"Ughhh...." Finnick groaned, which we both took as a yes. We helped him sit up and handed him a canteen filled with water, which he graciously accepted.

After a few minutes Finnick was alert. We all sat there silent, consumed with grief and drowsiness.

Then, as I peered at Peeta, I noticed a slow movement through the trees. Behind him several giant orange creatures were crawling towards us.

"Peeta," I whispered.

He frowned at my urgency, his eyes instantly darting to my stomach. "What's the matter, Katniss?"

"Are those....monkeys?" I asked as she pointed at giant orange furred creatures that had started to surround us.

I'd never see a monkey in-person before. They were far too exotic for the woods in District Twelve, so of course they'd be in a jungle like this. I'd seen monkeys in a few books at school before, but District Twelve didn't have zoos unlike the capitol.

"I think so...." Peeta whispered as he dropped my hand to grab his knife. I slowly took an arrow out of my quiver to not startle the monkeys before loading my bow.

Finnick scrambled to his feet, wincing in pain as he did. He quickly located his trident and gripped it threateningly. "What are they doing?"

"Are monkeys supposed to act like this?" I whispered, unsure of these strange creatures.