The Hunger Games: Clove's POV

[16] The Last One Standing

I wake up to the smell of a pool of old, dried blood next to me. I see familiar faces, faces that are bruised and scarred that were once perfect and flawless. The remains of people I used to know- my fellow tributes that were put into the arena with me just a few weeks ago- are scattered around me on the dry ground. I see Katniss. The girl who saved my life and died for me is deliberately put on the ground right next to me, inches from my face. I start to stand up, tears streaming down my face, and I see Thresh gasping in horror as I follow his eyes to the body of what looks like Rue's. He starts screaming, shouting and wailing in pain and I can't do anything. He's hurt and I can see it. I start to sob even more after seeing poor, innocent Rue.

Thresh looks to me for hope and help. We don't even know what to do in this arena we've been put in with bodies lying all around us. I see Cato. Cato... The boy I had feelings for. The first boy I cared about. The first boy that betrayed me. The first boy that got killed in front of my very own eyes. The first boy I think I fell in love with. 

I look back at Katniss. They left her eyes wide open, with bite marks all over her body from the mutts. Then I see Lover Boy- Peeta- the boy who loved her and the boy who she loved. They are lying next to each other, dead and blank. Spiritless.

I feel helpless. I feel-

"What do we do now?" Thresh asks, in between deep breaths of sorrow. 

I look back at him, "There's nothing to do. They've put us in here to hurt us emotionally and scare us, there's nothing we can do. Nothing. Nothing." 

Thresh starts to lower himself to the ground, with his eyes red and his shirt drenched with his tears. He whispers and begs, "Kill me. Do it now. I want to be with Rue. Please. Please. Please."

"I can't do that. I can't kill you. I'm not capable of doing that anymore." I respond.

All of a sudden, I see a few figures. Green figures. Mutts. The mutts. They're back, and this time, they're heading towards Thresh. 

"Thresh! Move! Get out of the way! The mutts! They're coming behind you!" I scream. I'm shouting at the top of my lungs, practically begging Thresh to move, but I don't know why. If the mutts get Thresh, I win and I get to go home.

However, that's not who I am anymore. I'm not the girl who was determined to kill each and every single person in that arena I was in before. I'm not that brave girl who volunteered for Laurel Baxwoll anymore, as I used to be. I can't afford to see anyone else die in front of me. I can't afford to see someone being lured into their death, and me not doing anything to stop it. I have to save Thresh, I have to be a different person than the sadistic person I was before, even if it means having to die for a boy I barely know.

Thresh doesn't move. He definitely heard my warning, he is just choosing to sit there. He really wants to die. Doesn't he have anything to live for? Is he scarred like me? Can he not stand this life he is living and is going to live anymore, if he survives? Can he live with himself after being scarred this way? Can he? I can't. I want to, I want to see my brother back home and I want to see my own mother, but I can't live this life anymore. Should I go for it? Should I protect Thresh, the boy I never had an actual conversation with? 

Without hesitation, I run towards Thresh and the mutts, willing to jump in front of a stranger to die. Am I selfish? Would Thresh prefer to die?

The mutts jump, they jump on me and Thresh, slowly ripping Thresh's arms apart as I'm still able to see, and the third mutt bites me hard. My vision is slowly blurring, turning black starting from the top. I can barely see a thing anymore, all I see is the flash of a green scale and snaky eyes and that's it.

That's it...

Gone.

***