Constellations | Cato Hadley

Chapter Twenty-One

The group was merely four hours out from the tree. Wren's eyes wandered around from tree to tree. She glanced over at Katniss and Peeta to make sure they were okay. Cato's hand found her's and intertwined their fingers together. Wren's eye's crinkled as she smiled at him.

Up ahead, Johanna was talking to Finnick about the blood rain they had encountered. Wren's ears focused on their conversation.

"We were just wandering around, right? And then poof we ran into a damn forcefield," Johanna moved her arms, "Ariana and I opened our mouths because we thought that it was rain, but no. It was hot, sticky, thick blood. We were literally drowning in it. It was horrible."

Johanna paused before starting again, "Blight sacrificed himself and ran right into the forcefield. He electrocuted himself and then after his cannon the blood vanished."

Finnick raised an eyebrow.

"You're saying that if we encounter these tasks someone has to die in order for the others to be free?" Johanna nodded.

"That's my theory," she said. Wren blinked briefly and turned to Cato.

"Cato," she said. He turned his head.

"Hmm?"

"To get past the obstacles someone either has to die or the tributes survive the task at hand within the time frame."

Cato didn't know what to say. Marvel decided to jump in.

"How fucked up is that?" Wren laughed slightly. Glimmer sighed.

"The Capital is horrible," she muttered and hoped that the cameras didn't pick up what she said.

"They are," Clove agreed quietly.

Johanna nearly freaked out when she ran into a forcefield. Her fists balled up at her sides before she pounded against the invisible wall.

"No!" she screamed. "Not again!"

Beetee looked around the group as he tried to figure out what would kill them in this time zone. However, the place looked familiar. He remembered how Katniss described their surroundings. This was it, so wouldn't they encounter fog?

"If I remember how Katniss described the fog and the place it was at this is it, so shouldn't we be seeing it?" Beetee spoke up.

Katniss' head whipped around. She didn't want to see the poisonous fog again.

Finnick's eyes stung at the thought of Mags' death.

The group of tributes stood by the forcefield for a few more minutes. No fog.

What the tributes didn't see was that the plants began slowly moving. Vines crept towards them and slowly wrapped around a few of their ankles. Wren looked down and screeched as she was quickly strung up in the air. Cato, Finch, Clove, Marvel, Katniss, and Finnick were all dangling in the air as the vines slowly moved up their bodies. Johanna thought quickly as she used her ax to cut through a few of the vines that held her friends captive.

Wren felt the green vine hit her collarbone. The brunette winced as she watched Katniss fall to the ground. She was one of the last two up in the air. Johanna freed Finnick and went to help Wren.

Wren's air supply was cut off as the vine began to constrict around her neck. Johanna couldn't reach her with her ax. Katniss loaded her bow and readied her aim. Wren closed her eyes due to the lack of oxygen and fear of getting shot again.

The Girl on Fire inhaled and exhaled as she released her arrow. The arrow cut right through the main vine restricting Wren's air. The girl gasped for breath and felt herself falling towards the ground.