- NEVER ENDING AGONY -
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FINNICK'S ARMS WERE only a sanctuary in the light of day when she still had control in her wake. When the light faded and darkness spilled into her subconscious, it took over like spilled ink on clean paper.
"Stop! Please, please!" She screamed as he shoved her face into the ground with his free hand where blood pooled beneath her. The snow against her skin was so cold in contrast to her burning, red cheeks that were first lit by fear and now pain.
Nadia's brow formed a deep crease as her grip on Finnick's arm tightened to the point he himself winced in his slumber.
"There's only one victor, Nadia." He spoke through a crack in his voice. Though he was completely and utterly blinded by the games he was cursed with, his heart shattered at the pained cries she was only barely able to release.
Begging whimpers escaped her lips as she wound her eyes shut so tightly, Nadia sending a plea for mercy as quiet words of protest were muttered against Finnick's chest.
She finally had the knife, holding onto it with all the strength she had left, her attention drawn back to the boy muttering in hesitance. "...I'm so sorry."
"Please..." Her voice was strangled and helpless which caused Finnick to stir. She couldn't bear to replay this haunting memory again.
"I am too." Nadia paled as she spoke through a broken cry, her strength was slipping but she used every last ounce of her remaining willpower to reach up and jab her knife into his throat.
She couldn't breathe as blood slid down the handle, meeting her skin and then a drop of the crimson red fell and hit her cheek...
"Run!" Nadia's eyes shot open, her body jolting upward in a mix of instinct from hearing Katniss' scream, and fright that her past always brought her. "Run! The fog is poison!"
Nadia didn't have time to notice the tears that stained her cheeks before she was helping Mags onto Finnick's back and sprinting in succession to Katniss and Peeta's path through the jungle.
The dark made everything worse, now in providing a nuisance as it blanketed their eyes from seeing a clear path in front of them. Their trips and stumbles allowed the poison to gain ground swiftly.
Nadia, Katniss and Peeta were held up for a moment, the former glancing around to take in the sight of what appeared to be harmless fog. Judging by the screams that escaped Katniss, it was quite the opposite.
The trio had to switch paths again once realizing the fog was spilling into their intended one, Nadia feeling the rush of adrenaline pump through her veins as she tried to focus on nothing but the task of getting away.
"Go, go, go!"
Nadia caught sight of a clearer path straight ahead, but this slight distraction caused her to trip over Katniss who'd fallen after she'd got her foot caught on a root sticking up from the ground.
She groaned, lifting herself to her elbows and whipping her head in the direction of the fog before she was shuffling back to her feet hastily.
Hearing the horrific screams of Katniss and Peeta as their legs were partially consumed by the fog, she jumped towards them to help get them back on their feet.
"Come on!" She yelled, shoving them forward to run in front of her with zero regard for kindness. These two were a key to District Thirteen's plan and yet death seemed to creep in every corner and pounce at them more than she figured the other tributes were faced with.
Peeta took the most damage when they were temporarily surrounded by the poison, Nadia cursing under her breath as he stumbled forward.
"Come on, Peeta." Nadia spoke breathily as her legs ached from how fast they were running, but now the teenagers were covered in sores and boils and could hardly move without the pain worsening.
Nadia rested a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder causing him to hiss, the woman lucky to have avoided being touched by the fog.
But as Katniss rejoined them weakly and they were all able to take a second to catch their breath, Nadia's eyes widened in realization that Finnick and Mags were no longer behind her.
She looked around frantically for any sign he was close, her breath catching in her throat as she heard a guttural scream that sounded loudly above the pounding from her chest.
Blindly walking back towards the fog out of fear for the man, she hadn't realized the poison was there until the most extreme burning sensation pricked her skin and made her shout out in agony.
She stumbled back and by some miracle she found her footing before running back to Katniss and Peeta. She felt as though someone had taken a blowtorch to her skin and was branding dots all across what was exposed of her body.
They'd made it a few feet, but despite Peeta's attempts to remain standing, his legs gave out as the pain was too much to bear.
"Peeta." Katniss let out a staggered cry as she turned the boy onto his back, letting out a gasp as her and Nadia took in the sight of blistered sores creeping along his neck and face.
Nadia couldn't hold herself up, needing to rest for just a moment as her knees gave out and the heat from the bubbling blisters continued to sere her skin to the point she felt it was being cut open.
She'd only come in contact with the stuff once, leading her to the conclusion that the poison spreads. Or maybe the pain was so intense, she couldn't pinpoint where exactly it started and where it ended.
She could be delirious, her wobbly arm coming to her view and she wasn't sure if it was actually shaking or if her vision had become impaired.
She looked up as rushed footsteps approached them and she prayed she wasn't just seeing things because if it wasn't Finnick and Mags standing in front of her, it was someone with two heads who probably wanted to kill her.
It was in fact Finnick, the man letting Mags off his back again to take a moment to breathe. Nadia felt the urge to hug him knowing he was okay, but they clearly had bigger problems at the moment. She could hardly lift her arms anyways.
They were all a panting mess, Nadia looking behind Finnick to where the fog was rolling in swiftly. She whined, sure she wouldn't be able to run much longer.
"I can't carry him." Katniss stuttered with a groan as she looked to Finnick. He was probably the only one with the strength to keep Peeta on his feet.
She turned back to the boy, holding his blistered face in her hands. "Peeta, please. Please get up, we have to go."
Finnick glanced around, not sure he could even get back up. It was then as he questioned what he could possibly do, he felt a hand lay on his shoulder. He turned around to face Mags as she stood up, his brows furrowing in question.
Nadia looked over the woman in realization, panting out an inaudible 'no' as she tried to lift herself up. Everything felt so heavy.
Mags offered Finnick a heartwarming smile and placed a quick peck to his lips before turning away and walking straight towards the fog that was gaining ever so quickly.
"Mags...?" Finnick paused in shock for a moment before stumbling forward. "Mags!"
He yelled as she disappeared into the poison, her canon following shortly after and Nadia stared straight forward with her mouth hung agape.
Was she still delirious? Mags couldn't possibly be gone just like that. She was just standing in front of her...
"Mags!" Finnick cried, Nadia finding sense before he did which led her to catch his arm before he could get any further up the small incline of the slope, the man struggling against her hold. But he was too weak.
"Finnick!" Katniss yelled, grabbing his attention, Nadia's hand remained latched to his arm as she battled herself to keep her eyes opened, still wondering if the old woman was really gone. "...Finnick, we have to go."
He faced the girl then looked to Nadia, her eyes sad and showcasing sympathy as she nodded in agreement to Katniss' words.
"We have to get out of here." Nadia said and her voice wavered from a horrible mix of pain and now sorrow. Mags was dead.
He nodded hesitantly with a sniffle and grabbed Peeta's arm to sling over his shoulder as Katniss copied the action and helped the boy up.
Nadia had no one but herself to keep a hold of, but even that seemed impossible, the woman walking behind them as she tried so hard to stay close.
That pesty black dot danced across her vision in a frantic manner that made her head hurt, the sound of her friends screams fading in and out made her shake her head in an attempt to hear clearly.
She barely heard the call of her name above her own pained holler as she felt that same sting attacking her ankle and making its way up the rest of her body.
All she could make out was Finnick who was in front of her, before she nearly collapsed against him with her hand grasping his shoulder for balance.
Through a pained wince, Finnick wrapped his arm around Nadia's back having left the other two stumbling to make sure she was okay. He let her put some of her weight against him, the woman trying desperately to hold herself up as she whimpered and groaned.
Her slight halt slowed them down, her and Finnick who must've been closer to the fog, took another hit as they let out simultaneous screams.
Finnick got them both back to Katniss and Peeta, all their unsteady bodies and not one of them had noticed the upcoming hill as the fog hit them all once more.
The next thing they could process was losing their footing all at once as they stumbled down the steep hill that seemed to have popped up out of nowhere.
Nadia landed hard against the ground, every inch of her body ached, stung, and burned. There wasn't an inch of her skin left uncovered with the horrid sores as she trembled, trying to catch a steady breath.
She laid there in agony, her hazy eyes watching as the fog was so close to covering them again. She didn't have it in her to run. She wasn't even sure she wanted to.
She almost wanted to smile. To her, death always seemed like the easiest way out of her life that left her more and more broken by the day. This way she could finally find some peace...
Alas, Nadia was never allowed the easy way out, the fog's siren-like beckon was silenced by an invisible barrier that held it back.
She huffed, wondering to what extent does her pain have to get to for death to actually take her? Could it possibly be worse than what she imagined lava felt like? It must be considering she wasn't dying now, and she was certain she was feeling the equivalent of being lit on fire.
Her shoulders jumped more drastically when Katniss let out a sudden scream, Nadia struggling with something as simple as turning her head in the girl's direction.
"The water..." Katniss spoke shakily as Nadia noticed her sinking into the pond a few feet away. "The water helps."
Nadia winced as she rolled onto her stomach and inched her way towards the water carefully, trying her best to avoid any more searing pain from her injuries.
It felt like a very trying venture, a few short feet to the pond and she was wishing she'd just pass out already. Katniss and Peeta's shouts of pain from the water meeting their skin wasn't at all promising either.
Peeta waded through the water to help Nadia, the boy holding her hands and slowly pulling her in.
As soon as her skin kissed the water, she bit down on her lip, but it wasn't a strong enough distraction to suppress the yelp that escaped her.
There was nothing else to keep her mind occupied because the pain coursed through her body like a quick moving virus.
Her heart was beating fast and she didn't even have half of the sores removed when she noticed Finnick still on land, restricted from moving as his body shook from the effects of the poison.
She squirmed out of Peeta's helpful grasp and ignored her body that begged her to rest before she was up and out of the water, instructing Katniss and Peeta to help her get Finnick to the water.
"Careful with his head." She stated with caution in her step as they set him in the water, her hands remaining as a rest for his head so he stayed above the surface. Her brow slanted as he yelled out loudly, worry always a factor with him.
Katniss and Peeta returned to tend to their own wounds as Nadia gently rubbed the sores and boils from Finnick's face all the while she muttered quiet and soothing coos.
Soon his shouts morphed into heavy breathing as the effects of the water worked like the strongest of medicines, Finnick sure Nadia had some sort of magic touch that made it that much easier to bear.
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