AFTERGLOW // finnick odair

fourteen

"On the other side of the cornucopia."

Johanna rolled her eyes and grunted loudly. Her ax swung dangerously close from Wiress.

"We got to go," she said, "we can't stay here. Not until the careers are gone."

Blight agreed.

"Well, let's go into the jungle. If we are lucky we'll find Finnick along the way," Johanna snapped. Taking the lead and waving her ax all around.

Falling last place, Alivia glanced back one last time where there was no sign of Finnick anymore. Goodbye, she thought bitterly. That might as well be the last time she ever saw him.

On the other side of the jungle, Finnick resented Alivia's absence right away.  That was not the way things were supposed to go. He had a plan, a great plan, actually. The solid base of his plan was for them to stay together. How did I let her get away? He couldn't protect her if they were apart.

Having just gotten out of the water, he took a quick glance to his surroundings, not seeing Alivia nearby. "Wait. Where is Alivia?"

"She was right behind me."

For a second, Finnick tightened the grip on his trident. He didn't hear a canyon. Katniss sensed his hostile posture all of the sudden, but she hadn't done anything to Alivia, she was too busy worrying about Peeta. She stood right in front of him about what it felt like a hundred miles away. His mind was already going crazy planning how they would take the careers to meet again but as if she could read his mind, Alivia shook her head.

His jaw clenched tightly, "Let's go."

Hesitantly, Katniss and Peeta followed. He tried to make it work, even if they clearly didn't like being around him. If they hoped for a chance to meet up again, they would have to be smart and work together. There was not a better way to break the ice with two teenagers than telling a joke, according to Finnick. Such a shame he was in the company of two humorless beings.

He had said so loosely, "I don't care about any of them."

"Not even Alivia?"

There was a challenge in Katniss' eyes but she wouldn't like to find out she was no match to Finnick. His lips tightened in a line, if it hadn't been for Peeta's intervention he would have probably said something he shouldn't have.

I really need some sugar, he sighed.

Soon, Finnick's thoughts were fogged. The heat was getting worse to deal with as they got deeper into the jungle. Hot temperatures and him did not make a match, he was used to cooler temperatures and correct hydration. It would be so easy to lose composure but he kept a stoic facade, the last thing he needed was a pair of children perceiving him as weak.

He should've been paying attention, he should've seen the force field. He was distracted, too damn distracted. Desperation tugged at his chest lightly as Peeta stopped breathing. If he died, the deal would most likely be done for. He couldn't risk Mags nor Alivia. He couldn't risk it. He. Couldn't. Risk. It.

"C'mon Peeta," he panted.

This bread boy was going to live if it killed him.

A gasp brought Peeta back to life and Finnick fell to the side, relieved and somehow hollow.  Finnick had saved a life. He hoped that, wherever she was, Mags was proud of him and the skills he'd learned from her. But that was not it. There was a need to share this with Alivia and he couldn't fulfill it.

When they decided to start camp, half of them already looked like they couldn't take one more step. Collectively, they slowed down their march. Blight kept wiping the sweat in his forehead, Wiress was getting paler by the second–even Johanna had stopped swinging her ax as much. They needed to find water but they kept wandering around with no luck.

The beeping in her ear sounded fairly similar to the chiming of the parachute, she wouldn't notice one was coming towards them if Johanna hadn't pointed it out. It was strangely early to get a parachute but Alivia wasn't complaining.

An orange for each one of them laid at the bottom of the box the parachute carried. Alivia peeled hers, broke it in half and squeezed the juice directly into her mouth. That was about all dinner they were going to get so she tried to ration herself.

After that, the only thing left to do was to stay put and divide guards. Johanna kept making comments throughout the night about how she might go insane if "Nuts" didn't shut her mouth. It didn't seem like she wanted a response from Alivia–or anyone for that matter–it seemed like venting was enough. Although Johanna was a little bit intense, she just wanted what everyone else wanted, to leave this horrible place.

A strange sensation invaded Alivia when her guard was done and she meant to sleep. Her eyes felt heavy, she could barely keep them open but her heart was hammering through her chest almost making her sick to her stomach. It made it impossible to rest.

When it was nighttime, random strikes of lightning lit up the jungle and broke the silence around Finnick and the lovebirds. The tension was still there but Finnick kept thinking about how stubborn he was being. Alright, Katniss wanted to take first guard? She could have it. It was not smart to waste the rest he had. Also, he found it was pointless to even try to outlast a stubborn teenager.

Finnick found it hard to fall into complete slumber. It was a constant back and forth. Not completely asleep but not completely awake. His trident was sitting uncomfortably in his chest as a shield.

Someone screamed, and his brain hadn't even registered whose voice it was when there was a follow up warning. He was shaken so violently to an alert state the ground seemed to sway when he got up. His feet moved faster than his thoughts somehow as they tripped with barely any moonlight and sweat getting into their eyes.

They didn't follow a single path, the jungle was a maze but they kept their pace close to each other. Peeta's encounter with death was clearly slowing him down. Clumsy movements and desperate panting, forced Katniss to drag him around but in the attempt ended up being reached by the fog once again. Everywhere their eyes landed on met fog.

Against all his self preservation, he slowed down and placed himself in the middle of their embrace so he could carry them both. Finnick had barely enough strength to carry himself in comparison to what he would've had if he had eaten and slept correctly; but it was no time to complain.

Then, Finnick met a pain he had never experienced before. The fog reached his back and made its way through his skin forming blisters and burning like it was going to melt off his bones. A choked up scream weakened his legs and almost brought them both with him to the ground. Still, he persisted. He had to, giving up was not an option.

The muscles in his legs started to tighten and cramp up. His knees were about to buckle when they found the edge of the hill and rolled around in the dirt like muppets. Finnick's legs didn't respond anymore when he tried to stand up again and keep going. Frustration bottled up in his throat and a few jagged breaths constricted his chest. Finnick thought they were done for when a force field materialized in front of them, keeping the fog in line. The relief was only momentarily.

The only signs of life were a couple whimpers and the rustle in the floor from their body spasms, and for now, that had to be enough.