nightmare + f. odair✔

42

Octavia lowered herself down the latter slowly, glancing down to make sure she placed her boot on the correct step.

They walked stealthily through the underground, the soft beeping of the hollow the only noise heard.

They walked through what was assumed to be an old railroad track that lead to the sewers. Octavia wrinkled her nose at the scent, lowering herself down into the water.

The dirty, murky water reached halfway up her neck, its shit smell caressing her senses, and not in a good way.

They walked, or waded, for awhile through the sewer water, Octavia holding a flashlight up by her head with her other hand gripping her knife below the water.

Finnick was behind her, with Peeta in front of her holding his cuffed arms above his head. Octavia bit her lip in annoyance, the poor boy couldn't even defend himself if something went wrong.

"All right everybody, we're gonna stop here and get some rest, yeah?" Jackson called out, climbing into an alternate tunnel that was dry.

"Hey, Peeta? Just tuck in here," Finnick told him, pointing to a slightly secluded area. Octavia watched, trying to work through the knots in her hair as she waited for everyone to settle down.

Eventually, everyone found themselves quietly observing or sleeping, Octavia included. She sat next to Finnick, her eyes closed but not quite asleep. Finnick had his hand interlaced with hers, rubbing her palm with his fingertip.

"I love you," she murmered quietly, leaning into his touch when he wrapped his arm around her.

He kissed her temple, lingering slightly as he whispered back, "I love you too."

She fell asleep with the ghost of a smile on her face, tucked into Finnicks side as he played with her hair.

_

Octavia startled awake, her breathing panicked as she choked down her sob.

Finnick was still sleeping, along with everyone else. Her dream still haunted her in ways she couldn't comprehend in her frenzied state.

Hahna stood above Octavia, carving shapes and letters into her skin. She cried out, for Finnick, for her sister, for Johanna or Katniss.

She cried until she couldn't any more, and then she found herself staring into the cold, icy eyes of Alix.

"You killed me," he hissed, his rough calloused hands pressing down on her throat. She begged for air, clawing at his hands. He only spat down on her, and then everything went black again.

Countless times she was tortured in her dream. Hahna, Alix, Chole, Lindon, Rick, Ria, Katniss, Finnick.

She tried, she tried so hard to beat them but it was as if there were invisable chains on her arms, her legs. So she felt it, she took it and it felt so real, that when she woke she still felt the inkling of pain on her body.

She reminded herself that it was not real, that it was just a dream and she was okay.

"You're still trying to protect me, real or not real?" She heard Peetas voice. Octavia glanced towards where Katniss and Peets day across from eachother, and she smiled slightly. They were healing, slowly.