The Hunger Games: Peeta's Point Of View

chapter 11 (last chapter)

katniss has her bow pointed in catos direction. Cato just laughs "shoot and he goes down with me." i can feel the vibrations in his throat as he chokes me harder. my lungs go tight and i can see my fingers turning purple. i reach up with my shaking hands and create an X with my fingers preying katniss catches on.

she does, and lets her arrow fly it pierces catos hand and he lets go we both begin falling of the cornucopia until katniss grabs me at the last minute. Cato goes plummeting to the ground where the mutts attack him.

we sit there holding each other waiting for a cannon, but it doesnt come. minute after minute i can still hear screams from cato. soon its been an hour and hes finally about to give it up. my leg is bleeding out of control. katniss takes her shirt and ties it tight around my leg to stop the bleeding. soon its night and the anthem plays catos face isn't in the sky. he still isn't dead. i also begin shaking its freezing we zip up together and share our body heat.

by morning I'm feeling as worse as ever. "i think hes closer now can you shoot him?" i ask. "my last arrows in your tourniquet." she answers. i unzips us and pull the arrow

out. "make it count." i say. she loads her bow and lets the last arrow fly.

"did you get him?" i ask. BOOM the cannon fires. "we won katniss!" i say. "hurray for us." she says hollowly with not a hint of excitement. we wait for the hover craft. finally katniss shouts. "hey! whats going on!?" she asks. "maybe we have to keep distance from the body." i suggest. "do you think you can make it to the lake?" she asks. "its worth a try." we slide down the cornucopia. i limp to the lake and collapse on the ground with dizziness. the hover craft finally appears to take catos body and just like that he's gone forever. "what are they waiting for?" i ask weakly. "i don't know." she says. we sit there growing impatient for a few minutes until a voice comes booming through the arena. "greetings to the final contestants of the 74th hunger games. the earlier revision will be revoked. closer examination of the rule book has concluded that there may only be one winner. good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor."

i look at the ground in disbelief. then pull my knife from my belt and toss it into the lake. i turn around to see katniss pointing her bow at me. "go ahead and do it." i say sadly. she drops her bow. "no do it!" i say throwing her bow back into her hands. "i cant, i wont." she says. "no just do it before they send some of those mutts back." i say. "then you shoot me." she says giving me the bow. "you shoot me, then go home and live with it!" she shouts. "ill die first anyway. i say ripping off my bandage letting blood gush down my leg and off my body. "you cant kill yourself." she says. "katniss its what i want." i demand. "your not leaving me here alone." she says. "we both know they have to have their victor." i say. she reaches down to the nightlock pouch on her belt. "no! i wont let you!" i shout. "trust me." she says handing me a handful of berries. "on the count of three?" she says. i lean down and kiss her very gently for the last time. "on the count of three." i reply. "hold them out, i want everyone to see." we hold our berries out. i touch her braid gently fixing it for death. she gives my hand one last squeeze. "one..." i say. "two...three." theres no turning back now i shove the berries in my mouth open my

jaw and chomp halfway down and before first berry bursts. "stop!

stop!" i hear claudius templesmith say frantically. "ladies and gentlemen, i give you the victors of the 74th annual hunger games! peeta mellark and katniss everdeen!"

we both spit the berries out as fast as we can. i drag her to the lake where we wash out our mouths. "you didn't swallow any did you?" she asks. i shake my head. "you?" i ask. "i guess if i did id be dead by now." she says. a hovercraft appears and two ladders drop, katniss and i grab hold of each other and the ladder and were frozen until we reach the top. as soon as the current cuts off i fall onto the ground and my world goes black. i lie there feeling my body being picked up and hoping I'm not dead.