I'm in Love with a Killer

Chapter 16

"Kill it, Peeta! Kill it!" I smirked. He can so kill the mutt while dangling off the Cornucopia. Surprisingly, Peeta actually manages to kill the mutt and hoists himself up, along with the help of Fire Girl. They drag each other closer to the tip of the horn, where Cato waits. I can see the gleeful glint in his eyes that this is exactly what he wanted. Katniss manages to shoot a mutt, most likely to be Thresh as it was a dark brown and well muscled mutt. I look around and notice him in the corner. I turn my head back to the screen in time to see Cato seize his chance.

He grabbed Peeta, pulling him into a headlock and cutting off his air. Peeta clawed at his arm weakly as the blood steadily flowed from his calf. Fire Girl aimed one of her last two arrows at Cato's head. I grabbed Cody's hand in fear. He squeezed my hand, letting me know he's there to comfort me.

Cato laughs at her.

"Shoot me and he goes down with me." I smile. He knows what he's doing. I see her taking this into account. It's true. She can't kill Cato without guaranteeing Peeta's death, but Cato can't kill Peeta without guaranteeing his death. They stand in stalemate, but Katniss is just delaying the time Peeta has alive. His lips are slowly turning blue. If she doesn't do something rational, he will probably die of asphyxiation. Cato knows this and his lips are set in a triumphant smile.

"So, Fire Girl, what will it be? You can't cause me any more pain." He sneered at her.

"Let him go!" She spat feistily.

"Sorry. I'd love to, but maybe you could go through the pain I felt when I lost her." My heart skipped a beat. He was talking about me. I saw Katniss' eyes flick up in worry.

"I didn't kill her." She tried to reason with him, "I didn't hurt her at all."

"I know," His voice shrouded with pain, "But they did." He was now referring to the Gamemakers. The tears built up in his eyes, but they were quickly filled with the dark insanity that clouded his mind, "And since I can't get to them, I'll take it out on you because you were the start of it all. They never wanted anyone else to win, just precious Fire Girl and Lover Boy. Ironic, isn't it? How District 12 has only ever had two victors in 73 years, yet two-thirds of the finalists are from 12?"

I never realised this, but what Cato said was true. He actually does have some brains after all.

"Yeah, well, maybe we're fighters. Or better yet, we have something to fight for." She bit at him.

"True, but I have something to die for. Whether or not I live or die, I'll win, no matter what." He grinned maliciously at her. I felt tears of joy spring into my eyes. He cared that much about me? I wiped my eyes and then turned my focus back to the screen where I saw Lover Boy make a final, struggling effort.

I see Peeta slowly raise his bloody finger to Cato's hand and draw something. An 'X'. I gasp out and clench Cody's hand tighter, knowing that Cato realised this a second after Katniss does. I can tell by the way the smile drops from his lips. Before he could take control, she shot him in the hand. He cries out in pain and instinctively lets Peeta go. Peeta slams his body into Cato, knocking him off balance. Cato slipped off the bloody horn of the Cornucopia and plummeted to the ground. I heard the air leave his body as he hit the ground, and then the mutts attacked.

With his body armour and a sword in hand, he managed to stay alive longer than Fire Girl and Lover Boy expected. I saw the flash of a sword and a glimpse of Cato's enraged, bloody face. Cato fought like a bloody devil. His skill was ultimate, he looked like he was on a mission to save the world, but even he couldn't defeat about fifteen to twenty mutts. He had killed about nine when his eye caught one. My muttation. He froze and whispered my name, reaching out to touch it. I went to yell out, but that exact time, the mutt snapped at his hand, bringing him back to reality, but he had lost his focus. He was simply overpowered. I saw him hit the ground and the mutts drag him into the Cornucopia with his yells echoing off its metal walls.