xliii. changing tides

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chapter forty-three

OCTAVIA CATCHES HER BREATH, resting her hands on her knees

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OCTAVIA CATCHES HER BREATH, resting her hands on her knees. Chaff's shaky breath catches her attention. He was lying on the ground, hand attempting to hold his back.

"Chaff?" She questions, eyebrows furrowed as she drops her weapon and moves toward him. She's able to turn him around to his stomach, seeing his bloodied back. His groan in pain made her realize just how bad it was.

The injury was similar to Octavia's in her games. She remembers lying on the ground of the cave while Augustus tended to her wound. She survived because of a gift that Chaff had sent. They weren't getting so lucky, now.

He manages to turn himself back onto his back so that he can look at her. She shakes her head frantically.

"Chaff, stop moving," she instructs, voice breaking. She tried to turn him back around but it was no use.

"Octavia," he mutters weakly, "it's okay."

It was happening quickly, too quickly. His dark crimson blood begins to flood into a puddle on Octavia's body as she holds him tightly to her lap.

"No, no it's not. Chaff, please. Please, hold on. I can fix this, I can fix you, please," she rambles as tears fall from her face. He musters enough physical strength to move his one hand up to her face.

"Find him," he says. She shakes her head.

"I'm not going without you! I'm not going without you, Chaff. I need you. Please!" She sobs shakily. The light in his eyes begins to dim as he takes his final few breaths. He attempts to give her a final smile but falls short of a grimace.

"I'm sorry," he whispers his final words.

"No! No!" She cries as his eyes shut. "Please! I forgive you, Chaff, okay? I forgive you, now wake up! Wake up!"

She cried so violently that her vocal cords made no sound. His cannon went off within a few seconds. Her body shook with sobs as she pressed her lips to his forehead. As she pulled away, she stokes his cheek gently and wipes some dirt off of his skin.

A couple pairs of footsteps catch her attention. She scrambled away from Chaff's deceased body and hid behind shrubs.

Brutus and Enobaria stalked up to his corpse, looking down at it. Brutus kicks his body as if checking if he is fully dead.

"What do you think got him? Withdrawals?" He jokes, making Octavia's eyes squint in anger. Brutus knew Chaff for years before Octavia had won, and to joke about his alcoholism over his dead body was cruel. Enobaria chuckled.

𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑮𝑰𝑹𝑳 ,  𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐫 Hikayelerin yaşadığı yer. Şimdi keşfedin