A day of rain, and then another day. But the second night, I'm lucky- the sky revealed that Thresh has died. The cannon must have gotten lost in the thunder. I'm still curious about why he let Katniss go. He couldn't have been all that bad. But it's one less opponent for me to deal with, and for that I'm grateful.
Now, it's just Katniss, Peeta, and Cato. I'm not sure who's more dangerous- Katniss or Cato. I don't know about Peeta, as I haven't seen him since the first night. But he wasn't at the feast, despite Katniss calling for him.
On the third day, the rain has stopped. It must have stopped during the night, because the tree branches aren't that damp and the air isn't as humid as it's been. I'm careful to stretch before climbing down the tree, because I've been sitting for the past two days.
I replenish my food and water stocks before climbing a tree, along with a couple of pebbles and a handful of nightlock. I'm likely not the only one out and about now that the rain has stopped, so I'm cautious when I move, gingerly touching each branch before putting my full weight on it.
Seeing that no one is in my immediate area, I start tracking Katniss and Peeta. Peeta makes a lot of noise, and it's fairly easy to find them. They split up after awhile, Katniss going off to hunt and Peeta kneeling on the ground to gather plants. He whistles once in a while. Now would be my best chance to use the parachute.
But what is he gathering?
He leaves his sheet of plastic alone for a minute, going down by the stream to find some more berries. But I take a closer look. It's nightlock.
It's a quick, painless death from what I've heard. Not that anyone's alive to talk about it. If I wanted to commit suicide here in the arena, they would be the best way to go.
But I've still got a chance. I have to continue in these games.
Maybe I won't have to waste the parachute on Peeta and draw down the wrath of Katniss. Maybe Cato will be stupid enough to think that the parachute is from his mentors.
I pick away a piece of the cheese that sits next to the berries, and hurry off. Leave the rest of the food for them. If I'm lucky, Peeta will kill himself off with the berries.
I'm right. A cannon booms only a few minutes later. I'd like to search his body for weapons, but the odds of beating Katniss to it are slim.
It takes me a day to track down Cato, and I figure that with us down to the final three, the audience must be pretty psyched. I'm given enough time to find him, and we haven't been forced together for a finale yet.
He leans against a rock, sharpening his sword. I'm dead silent as I watch, knowing that a single sound could give me away.
I climb a tall pine tree, going as high as I dare. I refill the empty canister of the parachute with the nightlock berries, and drop the parachute.
It catches on another branch, and I bite my lip. I expected this, yes, but every minute that I wait gives Cato another chance to kill me. I withdraw a pebble from my pocket and drop it above the parachute. It hits it, but bounces off, leaving the parachute swinging.
Another pebble is dropped, and this time it dislodges the parachute. It floats down to the ground, landing just near Cato. Am I visible? I hope not. I stay still as a rock, knowing that movement could attract his eyes. The sweeping branches should be enough to cover me, but I'm not sure.
He opens the canister, and inspects the berries. He shrugs and places one in his mouth. Seconds later, the cannon booms as he goes limp. I've done it.
I climb down from the tree, checking Cato's body for anything useful. I snatch his backpack but leave the sword in his hand. I couldn't use it anyway.
I should get going. The hovercraft will be here soon, although it isn't like Katniss to start hunting me immediately. We're down to the final two now, and we'll be forced together soon.
But before I leave, I make the mistake of looking back. His limp body shakes me. He is- was- only a few years older than me. A life, gone because of me.
I swallow hard and start walking, checking his pack as I go. I'm well-stocked now, as he had a sleeping bag, plenty of food, weapons, and supplies. Cato's body armor is too big for me, so I leave it. I should have targeted him as soon as Thresh was dead, instead of wasting my time tracking Peeta.
He's dead too. Just me and Katniss now, and terror begins to rise in my chest.
If she can find me, she'll kill me. Hiding isn't an option in the arena, I'll be ferreted out and driven back to her. I'll have to outsmart her. But how?
AN: Never Nightlock will have at least two more chapters, possibly three. I'm wrapping things up after that. If there's demand for a sequel, I'm willing to write one. Comment and tell me if you're interested.
If there's a delay in update, it's probably because the climax of the story has to be action-packed. It takes time, and I'm in school now.
I also wanted to thank all those who have read and supported this story. It really means a lot, and every time I see that someone commented or voted or added it to their reading list, it gives me the encouragement to write the next chapter.
