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Tiny, searing stabs. Wherever the droplets of mist touched his skin.
"Run!" (M/N) screamed at the others. "Run!"
Denki snapped awake instantly, rising to counter an enemy. But when he saw the wall of fog, he tossed a still-sleeping Ultear onto his back and took off. Katsuki was on his feet but not as alert. (M/N) grabbed his arm and began to propel him through the jungle after Denki.
"What is it?" he said in bewilderment.
"Some kind of fog. Poisonous gas. Hurry!" (M/N) urged. He could tell that however much Katsuki denied it during the day, the aftereffects of hitting the forcefield had been significant. Katsuki was slow, much slower than usual. And the tangle of vines and undergrowth, which unbalanced M/N) occasionally, tripped him at every step.
(M/N) looked back at the wall of fog extending in a straight line as far as he could see in either direction. A terrible impulse to flee, to abandon Katsuki and save himself, shot through him. It would be so simple, to run full out, perhaps even climb a tree above the fog line, which seemed to top out at about twelve metres.
(M/N) remembered how he did just that when the mutations appeared in the last Games. Took off and only thought about Katsuki once he'd reached the Cornucopia. But this time, he trapped his terror, pushed it down, and stayed by the blonde's side. This time his survival wasn't the goal. Katsuki's was. (M/N) thought of the eyes glued to the television screens in the districts, seeing if he would run, as the Capitol wished, or hold his ground.
(M/N) locked his fingers tightly into Katsuki's. "Watch my feet. Just try to step where I step." It helped. They seemed to move a little faster, but never enough to afford a rest, and the mist continued to lap at their heels.
Droplets sprung free of the body of vapour. They burned, but not like fire. Less a sense of heat and more of intense pain as the chemicals found their flesh, clung to it, and borrowed down through the layers of skin. Their jumpsuits were no help at all. They all may as well have been dressed in tissue paper, for all the protection the suits gave.
Denki, who bounded off initially, stopped when he realised (M/N) and Katsuki were having problems. But this wasn't something he could fight, only evade. He shouted encouragement, trying to move them along, and the sound of his voice acted as a guide, though little more.
Katsuki's leg caught on something and he fell forward before (M/N) could catch him. As (M/N) helped him up, he could see that the left side of Katsuki's face was covered in blisters. "Katsuki-" (M/N) began, but was interrupted by the spasms running up his arm.
Whatever chemical laced the fog did more than burn - it targeted their nerves. A whole new kind of fear shot through (M/N) as he yanked Katsuki forward, which only caused him to stumble again. By the time (M/N) got Katsuki to his feet, both of his arms were twitching uncontrollably. The fog had moved in on them, the body of it less than a metre away. Katsuki couldn't walk properly, his legs moving in a spastic motion, clearly affected by the fog.
(M/N) felt him lurch forward and realised that Denki had come back for them and was hauling Katsuki along. (M/N) wedged his shoulder, which still seemed to be under his control, under Katsuki's arm and did his best to keep up with Denki's rapid pace. They put about ten metres between them and the fog when Denki stopped.
"It's no good. I'll have to carry him. Can you take Ultear?" he asked (M/N).
"Yes," (M/N) said, although his heart sank. It was true that Ultear couldn't weigh more than about thirty-five kilos, but he wasn't as big as Denki. Still, he was sure he had carried heavier loads. His arms wouldn't stop jumping around though, which was the main source of his concern.
(M/N) squatted down and Ultear positioned herself over (M/N)'s shoulder, the way she rode on Denki. (M/N) slowly straightened his legs and, with his knees locked, he could manage her. Denki had Katsuki slung across his back now as they moved forward, Denki leading, (M/N) following in the trail he broke through the vines.
On the fog came, silent and steady and flat, except for the grasping tendrils. Although (M/N)'s instinct was to run directly away from it, he realised that Denki was moving at a diagonal down the hill. He was trying to keep a distance from the gas while steering them towards the water that surrounded the Cornucopia.
Yes, water, (M/N) thought as the acid droplets bore deeper into him. Now he was so thankful that he didn't kill Denki, because there was no way he would have gotten Katsuki out of here alive without him. He was so thankful to have someone else on his side, even if it was only temporary.
It wasn't Ultear's fault when (M/N) started falling. She was doing everything she could to be an easy passenger, but the fact is, there was only so much weight (M/N) could handle. Especially now that his right leg seemed to be going stiff. The first two times he crashed to the ground, he managed to make it back on his feet, but the third time, he couldn't get his leg to cooperate. As he struggled to get up, it gave out and Ultear rolled off onto the ground before him. (M/N) flailed around, trying to use the vines and trunks to right himself.
Denki was back by his side, Katsuki hanging over him. "It's no use," (M/N) said. "Can you take them both? Go on ahead, I'll catch up." A somewhat doubtful proposal, but (M/N) said it with as much certainty as he could muster.
He could see Denki's eyes, gold in the moonlight. (M/N) could see them clear as day. Almost like a cat's, with a strange reflective quality. Maybe because they were shiny with tears. "No," Denki said. "I can't carry them both. My arms aren't working." His arms were jerking uncontrollably at his sides. His hands were empty. His trident was in Katsuki's hands. "I'm sorry, Ultear. I can't do it."
What happened next was so fast, so senseless, (M/N) couldn't even move to stop it. Ultear hauled herself up, planted a kiss on Denki's forehead, and then hobbled straight into the fog. Her body disappeared from view, but (M/N) heard her hit the ground.
He wanted to scream, but his throat was on fire. He took one futile step in her direction when he heard the cannon blast, knew that her heart had stopped, that she was dead.
"Denki?" (M/N) called out hoarsely, but he had already turned from the scene, already continuing his retreat from the fog.
Dragging his useless leg behind him, (M/N) staggered after Denki, having no idea what else to do.
Time and space lost meaning as the fog seemed to invade (M/N)'s brain, muddling his thoughts, making everything unreal. Some deep-rooted animal desire for survival kept him stumbling after Denki and Katsuki, continuing to move, although he was probably dead already. Parts of him were dead, or clearly dying. And Ultear was dead.
Moonlight glinting on Denki's blonde hair, beads of searing pain peppering (M/N), a leg turned to wood. He followed Denki until the male collapsed to the ground, Katsuki still on top of him. (M/N) seemed to have no ability to stop his own forward motion and simply propelled himself onwards until he tripped over their prone bodies, just one more on the heap.
This is where we all die, (M/N) thought. But the thought was abstract and far less alarming than the current agonies of his body. He heard Denki groan and managed to drag himself off the others. Now (M/N) could see the wall of fog, which had taken on a pearly white quality. Maybe it was his eyes playing tricks, or the moonlight, but the fog seemed to be transforming. It was becoming thicker, as if it had pressed up against a glass window and was being forced to condense. (M/N) squinted harder and realised the fingers no longer protruded from it. In fact, it had stopped moving entirely.
Like the other horrors he had witnessed in the arena, it had reached the end of its territory. Either that or the Gamemakers decided not to kill them just yet.
"It's stopped," (M/N) tried to say, but only an awful croaking sound came from his swollen mouth. "It's stopped," (M/N) said again, and this time he must have been clearer, because both Katsuki and Denki turned their heads to the fog. It began to rise upwards, as if being slowly vacuumed into the sky. They watched until it had all been sucked away and not the slightest wisp remained.
They all laid there gasping, twitching, their minds and bodies invaded by the poison. After a few minutes passed, Katsuki vaguely gestured upwards. (M/N) looked up and spotted a pair of what he guessed were monkeys. He had never seen a live monkey - there was nothing like that in the woods back in 12. But he must have seen a picture, or one in the Games, because when he saw the creatures, the same word came to mind.
(M/N) thought these ones had orange fur, but it was hard to tell, and they were about half the size of a full-grown human. (M/N) took the monkeys as a good sign. Surely they wouldn't hang around if the air was deadly.
For a while, they quietly observed each other, humans and monkeys. Then (M/N) struggled to his knees and crawled down the slope. They all crawled, since walking now seemed as remarkable a feat as flying; they crawled until the vines turned to a narrow strip of sandy beach and the warm water that surrounded the Cornucopia lapped at their faces. (M/N) jerked back as if he'd touched an open flame.
Rubbing salt in a wound. For the first time he truly appreciated the expression, because the salt in the water made the pain of his wounds so blinding he nearly blacked out. But there was another sensation, of drawing out. He experimented by gingerly only placing his hand in the water. Torturous, yes, but then less so. And through the blue layer of water, he could see a milky substance leaching out of the wounds on his skin. As the whiteness diminished, so did his pain.
Little by little, one small portion of a limb at a time, (M/N) soaked the poison out of his wounds. Katsuki seemed to be doing the same. But Denki backed away from the water at first touch and laid face down on the sand, either unwilling or unable to purge himself.
Finally, when (M/N) had survived the worst, opening his eyes underwater and even gargling repeatedly to wash out his throat, he was functional enough to help Denki. Some feeling had returned to his leg, but his arms were still riddled with spasms. He couldn't drag Denki into the water, and the pain could possibly kill him. So (M/N) scooped up shaky handfuls and emptied them onto his fists.
Since Denki wasn't underwater, the poison came out of his wounds just as it went in, in wisps of fog that (M/N) took great care to steer clear of. Eventually Katsuki recovered enough to help (M/N). They concentrated on soaking Denki's arms first, since they had been so badly damaged, and even though a lot of white stuff poured out of them, he didn't notice. He just laid there, eyes shut, giving an occasional groan.
(M/N) looked around with growing awareness of how dangerous a position they were in. It was night, yes, but the moon gave off too much light for concealment. They were lucky no one had attacked them yet. They would be able to see anyone coming from the Cornucopia, but if all four Careers attacked, they would be overpowered. If they weren't spotted at first, Denki's pained groans would give them away soon.
"We've got to get more of him into the water," (M/N) whispered. But they couldn't put him in face first, not in this condition. Katsuki nodded to Denki's feet. They each took one, pulled him around so he was on his back, and started to drag him into the salt water. Just a few centimetres at a time. His ankles. Waited a few minutes. Up to his mid calf. Waited. His knees. Clouds of white swirled out from his flesh and he groaned.
They continued to detoxify him, but by bit. What (M/N) found was that the longer he sat in the water, the better he felt. Not just his skin, but his brain and muscle control continued to improve.
Denki slowly began to revive. His eyes opened, focused on the two, and then registered that he was being helped. (M/N) rested Denki's head on his lap and they let him soak for about ten minutes with everything immersed from the neck down.
"There's just your head left, Denki. That's the worst part, but you'll feel so much better after, if you can bear it," (M/N) said. They helped him sit up and he purged his eyes and nose and mouth. His throat was still too raw to speak.
"I'm going to try to tap a tree," (M/N) said. His fingers dug into the sheath and found the spile.
"Let me make the hole first," Katsuki said. "You stay with him. You're the healer."
That's a joke, (M/N) thought. But he didn't say it out loud, since Denki had had enough to deal with. He got the worst of the fog, although (M/N) wasn't sure why. Maybe because he was the biggest or maybe because he had to exert himself the most. And then, of course, there was Ultear.
(M/N) still didn't understand what happened there. Why Denki essentially abandoned Ultear to carry Katsuki. Why she not only didn't question it, but ran straight to her death without a moment's hesitation. Was it because she was so old that her days were numbered anyway? Did they think Denki would stand a better chance of winning if he had (M/N) and Katsuki as allies? The empty look on Denki's face told (M/N) that now was not the moment to ask.
Katsuki had found a good tree about ten metres from the narrow strip of beach. They could hardly see him, but the sound of his knife against the wooden trunk was crystal clear. (M/N) wondered what happened to the awl. Ultear must have either dropped it or taken it into the fog with her. Either way, it was gone.
(M/N) moved out a bit further into the shallows, floating alternately on his belly and back. If the seawater healed him and Katsuki, it seemed to be transforming Denki altogether. He began to move slowly, just testing his limbs, and gradually began to swim. But it wasn't like (M/N) swimming, the rhythmic strokes, the even pace. It was like watching some strange sea animal coming to life. He dived then surfaced, spraying water out of his mouth, rolled over in some bizarre corkscrew motion that made (M/N) dizzy to watch. And then, when he'd been underwater so long (M/N) felt certain he had drowned, his head popped up right next to (M/N), causing (M/N) to jump.
"Don't do that," (M/N) said.
"What? Come up or stay under?" Denki said.
"Either. Neither. Whatever. Just soak in the water and behave," (M/N) said. "Or if you feel this good, let's go help Katsuki."
In the short time it took to cross the edge of the jungle, (M/N) became aware of the change. He didn't know if it was from his years of hunting, or maybe the reconstructed ear did work a little better than anyone intended, but he sensed the mass of warm bodies poised above them. No chattering or screaming was needed. The mere breathing of so many was enough.
(M/N) touched Denki's arm and the male followed his gaze upwards. (M/N) didn't know how they arrived so silently. Perhaps they didn't. All three of them had been absorbed in restoring their bodies. During that time not five or ten but scores of monkeys weighed down the limbs of the jungle trees. The pair they spotted when they first escaped the fog felt like a welcoming committee. This crew felt ominous.
(M/N) armed his bow with an arrow and Denki adjusted the trident in his hand. "Katsuki," (M/N) said as calmly as possible. "I need your help with something."
"Hold on. I think I've just about got it," Katsuki said, still occupied with the tree. "Yes, there. You got the spile?"
"I do. But we've found something you'd better take a look at," (M/N) continued in a measured voice. "Only move towards us quietly, so you don't startle it." For some reason, (M/N) didn't want him to notice the monkeys, or even glance their way. There were creatures that interpreted mere eye contact as aggression.
Katsuki turned to them, panting from his work on the tree. The tone of (M/N)'s request was so odd that it had alerted him to some irregularity. He began to move through the jungle, and although (M/N) knew he was trying to be quiet, this had never been his strong suit. But it was all right, he was moving, the monkeys were holding their positions. Katsuki was just five metres from the beach when he sensed them. His eyes only darted up for a second, but it was as if he'd triggered a bomb. The monkeys exploded into a shrieking mass of orange fur and converged on him.
(M/N) had never seen any animal move so fast. They slid down the vines as if the things were greased. Leaped impossible distances from tree to tree. Fangs bared, claws shooting out like switchblades. (M/N) was unfamiliar with monkeys, but he knew animals in nature didn't act like this. "Mutts!" he yelled as he and Denki crashed into the greenery.
(M/N) knew every arrow had to count, and they did. In the eerie light, he brought down monkey after monkey, targeting eyes and hearts and throats, so that each hit meant death. But still it wouldn't be enough without Denki spearing the beasts like fish and flinging them aside, Katsuki slashing away with his knife.
(M/N) felt claws on his leg, down his back, before someone took out the attacker. The air grew heavy with trampled plants, the scent of blood, and the musty stink of the monkeys. Katsuki, Denki and (M/N) positioned themselves in a triangle, a few metres apart, their backs to one another. (M/N)'s heart sank as his fingers drew back his last arrow. Then he remembered Katsuki had a sheath, too. And he wasn't shooting, he was hacking away with that knife. (M/N)'s own knife was out now, but the monkeys were quicker, could spring in and out so fast he could barely react.
"Katsuki!" (M/N) shouted "The arrows!"
Katsuki turned to see (M/N)'s predicament and was sliding off his sheath when it happened. A monkey lunged out of a tree for his chest. (M/N) had no arrow, no way to shoot. He could hear the thud of Denki's trident finding another mark and knew his weapon was occupied. Katsuki's knife was disabled as he tried to remove the sheath. (M/N) threw his knife at the oncoming creature but it somersaulted, evading the blade, and stayed on trajectory.
Weaponless, defenceless, (M/N) did the only thing he could think of. He ran for Katsuki, to knock him to the ground, protect his body, even though (M/N) knew he wouldn't make it in time.
She did, though. Materializing, it seemed, from thin air. One moment nowhere, the next reeling in front of Katsuki. Already bloody, mouth open in a high-pitched scream.
One of the morphlings from District 6 threw up her skeletal arms as if to embrace the monkey, and it sank its fangs into her chest.
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