Promises of a Sacrificial Lamb |Destiel x The Hunger Games|

-31-

Somehow, I manage to deflect the first punch he throws at my face.  His expression is twisted into an outraged grimace.  I try to kick him off, struggle with all my might to dislodge him, but he's so much stronger than me.  I barely have the strength to block another hard punch.  It feels like it's going to snap my arm in half.

I'm faintly aware of Cas shouting my name.  I risk a glance in his direction and see him hurrying toward us; the sight makes my blood chill to ice.  "No!"  I yell to him.  I can't bite back a yelp when the Career squeezes his knees into my sides even more.  "Don't!  I'm fine!  Just stay back there!"

I catch a glimpse of the frantic horror shining on Cas' paling face before the sound of the Career laughing rips my attention back to him.  He looks to his partner, the one with the unloaded bow, and nods his head toward Cas.  "You can have him, Lennox.  I'll handle the tough talker."

My heart stops working when the smaller boy—Lennox—doesn't hesitate to drop the bow.  A wicked grin curls onto his lips as he pulls a jagged knife from his waistband.  I think my lungs quit functioning altogether when he brushes past us and stalks toward Cas, and my district partner, who looks like he's mere seconds away from detonating with fear, spins around and disappears behind the wall of the Cornucopia.

Suddenly the boy pinning me down—he must be Gadge, then—is the least of my concerns.  I'm seized with pure terror, frozen with overwhelming panic.  My insides twist into knots as I watch Lennox twirl the sharp knife in his hand, as I watch him gleefully pursue the person I promised I would protect.  This can't be happening.

"Cas!"  I scream.  My voice wavers as Lennox sweeps around the side of the Cornucopia and out of sight.  "Cas!"

Gadge's strong hand clamps around my throat, cutting off my broken voice and threatening to crush my windpipe.  "I wouldn't worry about him if I were you,"  he sneers.  I barely hear him over the hysterical thumping of my heart.  "I'd worry about myself."

It's a challenge to breathe.  I take in what little air I can, wheeze out the rest, but I don't care about my predicament.  I can't see Cas anymore.  I struggle to crane my neck, to maybe catch a glimpse of him on the other side of the Cornucopia, but there's nothing.  Every agonizing second that passes only adds to my growing dread.

"I have to commend you, though,"  Gadge goes on with a vicious smile.  He doesn't loosen his tight grip on my throat.  "You two made it to the finale.  That's pretty impressive for District Nine. What was your secret?  Good sponsors?  A camp near a river?"

I grab his wrist, desperately try to pull his hand off my neck, but to no avail.  It's like he's made of iron.

"Eh, whatever."  Gadge shrugs.  "It doesn't matter.  All of it was kind of pointless in the end, wasn't it?  I mean, just look at yourself.  I'm stronger than you are, Nine.  I don't know what you're trying to accomplish by tugging on my wrist like that."

For a fleeting moment, I'm tempted to reach down to my right pocket, the one that harbors my precious switchblade.  It saved me once before.  Maybe, if I'm careful, I can do it again.

But that thought instantly flees my mind when the pained scream echoes through the air.  The pained scream that sounds like it's coming from Cas.

It's like reality is shattering around me and the pieces are stabbing me in the chest.  It doesn't matter that Gadge is constricting my throat.  I've forgotten how to breathe entirely.  And what makes it worse is that I can't see what's happening on the other side of the golden horn.  I can't even cry out to my partner to know if he's okay, to know if he's still alive.  I'm completely powerless.