UNDERDOG | FINNICK ODAIR

Chapter 22

We break apart and start sifting through the weapons left in the cornucopia. I replace one of the knives I had lost as Katniss replaces her arrows.

Out of the corner of my eye I can see Peeta carving into a large leaf that he must have brought from the jungle. I wander over there soon followed by Finnick and Johanna, both of them armed heavily.

The two of them are strong enough to hold the weight and still be agile, but my size doesn't work in my favor. I'm tall but willowy, not big enough to carry a set of axes on my back like Johanna, and definitely not enough to hold half the weapons Finnick has. I just stick to the essentials and try not to lose any of them.

The others discuss the wedges but I partially let myself zone out, barely hearing what they're discussing. I think absentmindedly back to the fog rising from the trees. Two days it had almost killed me but now seeing it slink from the tree line was almost hypnotizing.

"Well it's a lot more than we know this morning, anyway," Peeta says sitting back, bringing me back to earth.

Katniss stills before whipping around, her arrow aimed at someone behind me. As I turned around I realized he had slit our canary's throat, letting her slip to the ground lifeless.

Johanna's axe and Katniss's arrow hit home, a gaping hole formed in Cashmeres chest and an arrow in Glosses temple. They're dead.

When there is one career there's likely to be a pack. I scan the area finding Enobaria about to throw her knife at Finnick who was defending Peeta from Brutus. Before she can move, I hurl my own knife at her. Because she was already moving it only hit her arm but luckily it was enough to throw her aim off. The knife hit Finnick's leg instead of his heart, but the pain that flashed across his eyes hurt me as if I had been struck in the chest.

"Finnick," I call, ducking under him, attempting to help him get to safety. But I don't need to, both members from district two run behind the cornucopia, our allies chasing them in pursuit.

Finnick shakes me off, "I'm fine, you saved me," he insists, showing me that the knife had barely grazed his thigh. I sigh in relief before we both race off to follow the team.

But before we're able to even make it off the rocks, the ground beneath us quakes, starting to rotate. "What's going on?" I manage to say before the island began to spin at terrorizing speeds, getting faster and faster. I drop to the sand as Finnick falls on top of me, laying his arm across my body to anchor us down.

I dig me fingers into the rocks as the momentum tries to push us to the edge.

"Don't let go!" Finnick yells over the roar of the ocean, as if I hadn't already figured that out.

I feel sick from the spinning, I shut my eyes and hold on to Finnick's arm with one hand and the sand below me with the other.

I hesitantly open my eyes as the spinning slows and Finnick sits up. I do the same, relived to see that Katniss, Peeta and Johanna were all okay. The three dead tributes were gone, lost to the sea. We were missing Beetee.

I spit out the sand that had entered my mouth from panting for air, before I stand to see the other four doing the same. I scan the water looking for the bespectacled man. He's floating a good 60 ft out, barely staying above water. Without hesitation, I dive into the sea, swimming to him.

As I reach him, I hear a splash and look around to find Katniss swimming towards Wiress. What was she doing? The claw was descending on the two.

I couldn't worry about Katniss, Beetee needed me more right now. I lay my arm over him to help keep him afloat to pull him to shore.

Finnick pulls him the rest of the way to shore and flips him on his side, letting Beetee cough up the water in his lungs.

Katniss shuffles up to us, drenched from head to toe, holding the treasured wire. She dropped the coil of Beetee's wire on his lap. Her eyes held a steely, emotionless look. I watched her walk away, joining Peeta as he embraces her. Everyone else seemed to be in the same state.

Beetee was running the wire through his fingers, mourning his friend.

"Let's get off this stinking Island." Johanna says. Agreeing we all start to gather our things. The spile and medicine were still with us.

As I strap my knives in place I notice that Finnick's leg was bleeding. I point it out to him but he merely looks down at it and shrugs. "It's not much, I'll be fine," he says.

Beetee is able to walk with help from Katniss so we started our trek to the mainland.