twenty-three - wrenching
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how am i not dead already? my heart has stopped. i no longer feel the beating in my chest, the blood circulating through my veins. am i even breathing?
bliss gives me no time to think about it. in one quick movement, she swings her axe toward my face. i drop to the ground on instinct and use the same tactic i did for carly– swiping my feet under her legs. bliss stumbles and crashes to the ground with a grunt.
matthias seizes the chance. he kicks the axe out of her hand, moving it inches out of her reach. he holds her down as she struggles from beneath him, lithe body thrashing in his iron grip. "thalia, whatever you're going to do" – a strangled gasp interrupts his speech as bliss manages to land a blow to his stomach – "do it now!"
i scramble to my feet and raise my knife. bliss's enraged eyes meet mine for a second before she shoves matthias off of her with inhuman strength. he rolls backward and immediately gets back on his feet, swaying a bit.
bliss retrieves her weapon and smirks. "thought you could get rid of me that easily, huh, twelve?"
my lips curl into a snarl. "what did i tell you about calling me that?"
the fight is unfair. bliss's new speed and strength, along with the fact that her skin is like steel, amount to the two of us. she's too powerful. we can't win with both of us coming out alive in the end.
bliss lunges forward with a battle cry and swings her axe toward my midsection. ice-cold terror courses through my veins for a fleeting moment at how close she had been to hitting my wound. my hands are getting sweaty and my knives feel like they're slipping, forcing me to clench onto them tighter so they don't fall.
matthias charges at her with his sword. she pivots at the last second and the tip of her weapon slices his bicep open. he grits his teeth and ignores the blood trickling down from his arm, slashing out and creating a shallow gash on her abdomen.
i trade my knives for a ring dagger. this one has a circle at the end that i can put my index finger through and makes it easier to hold. my arm zooms forward, aimed at bliss's throat, but she knocks me backward and my arm bends the wrong way for a second. i cry out, gripping my elbow. the pain vanishes once i see that matthias is trying his hardest to take bliss down, but every slash of his sword is no match for her axe and quick movements.
somehow, she is able to jam her elbow directly in the middle of his chest. as he topples backward, he brings his sword down and slices a long gash along bliss's forearm. matthias lies on the ground, clutching his throat. strangled gasps escape his chapped lips. he has had the air knocked out of him.
"looks like your warrior princess isn't coming to your rescue, huh?" bliss taunts, not even seeming to notice that blood is gushing from the wound on her arm or midsection. she stands above him, axe slung over her shoulder carelessly.
matthias is still choking. his frightened eyes meet mine for a millisecond before he kicks his foot out hard, connecting it with bliss's shin. he pushes himself to the side and rolls as she falls forward.
she isn't down for long. i've just started to push myself to a standing position, as well as matthias, when she jumps to her feet. i resist the urge to groan. can't she just die already?
matthias puts his hand against the trunk of a tree for support as he vainly attempts to catch his breath. he coughs violently and i can see his eyes watering. he doesn't seem to notice bliss sneaking up behind him.
"no!" i shout as bliss raises her axe. it all goes in slow motion. i remove the ring dagger from my finger and launch it at her, but she dodges it and uses the momentum to bring her closer to matthias. my feet are carrying me toward her before i can tell them to. the sharp blade comes closer to his back. i won't get there in time.
matthias is going to die.
just before the sharp edge comes in contact with his skin, a blur of green swoops between me and bliss. there's a sickening slicing noise and a metal clatter, and matthias looks like he just witnessed someone assassinate the president.
i screech to a halt and cover my mouth when i see that bliss's head has been sliced clean off, the inside of her neck visible for all to see. her body stays standing for an agonizingly long second before it slumps to the ground. her wide, blank eyes stare up at the sky.
matthias stumbles away. his face has paled significantly like he's going to be sick. once he's a fair distance from her body, he bends forward on his knees and pants heavily. i rush to him, sheathing my dagger along the way. my hands clasp onto his shoulders as his panicked eyes meet mine.
"are you okay?" i ask frantically. we're both breathing unevenly, chests heaving. he nods and i move to examine the wound on his arm. for now, the bleeding has slowed. i don't hesitate in pressing my hand against it to stop the flow.
my heart picks up speed when i feel matthias's hand on my waist, fingers brushing lightly against my hip. it isn't a caring embrace. he wants me to turn around.
my body faces the opposite way, taking in a girl holding a long, bloody sword with an extremely sharp blade. her caramel-colored skin is sprinkled with dirt and blood. brown eyes watch us carefully as she moves her short, dark hair out of her face.
"don't worry," she says slowly. "i'm not one of them."
"who are you?" matthias demands sharply, voice laced with pain.
the girl takes a hesitant step forward like we're rabid dogs that might attack her. "emmanuelle. district nine. i can help you."
there's a lapse in which neither of us says anything. matthias and i are still trying to catch our breaths. i squint my eyes at her. "how?"
another step. i tense a bit, but she doesn't seem to want to hurt us. i think it's more of an immediate reaction now than a sign of distrust.
"i know what they are," she informs us, voice slightly hushed. she speaks slowly but in a clear voice. "i can give you all the information you need to survive them. but first, you two need help. i have supplies back at my camp."
emmanuelle starts walking away, then stops once she realizes we aren't following her. her thick eyebrows raise in some form of amusement. "look, if i wanted to kill you, i would've done if by now. if you want, this alliance can be broken as soon as i help you."
it's risky, but i have to admit that we need the treatment. matthias's blood is starting to dry against my hand, and we could use a good scrubbing.
"alright," i sigh. "we'll take up your offer."
emanuelle nods. matthias's grip tightens on my waist, and i turn to look at him with confusion in my eyes.
"what are you doing?" he asks in a hushed voice.
"i'm doing what i can to keep the both of us alive as long as possible," i respond.
matthias's teeth bite down on his lip. he thinks for a moment, eyes drifting from me to my hand that's still pressed against his cut. "fine."
"good." i gently unstick my hand from his arm, cringing at his winces of pain as i do so. once it's removed, i turn and start walking closer to emmanuelle.
matthias picks up his sword from the ground and slides it into his belt. he still looks skeptical about our haphazardly-formed alliance. i don't really care. we're in need of help, and she's providing it for us.
it's a fair walk from where we are to emmanuelle's camp. but once we get there, i nearly drop to the ground in relief.
it's not so much a camp than a paradise. she's loaded with supplies. a circle of tall bushes surrounds a tent, concealing it from first glance. inside is a blanket and two water bottles. dead animals rest on large leaves that act as plates. berries are everywhere– the safe kind, too.
matthias stumbles into the camp and marvels in awe. his blue eyes shift around slowly as he takes everything in. "you're willing to share all of this?"
emanuelle drops her sword onto the ground. "i'm pretty much an expert thief. i have two more of these hideouts set up in the arena. this is my nicest one." she shoots matthias a pointed look. "and yes, i can share."
she crouches into the tent. a minute later, she climbs out, holding one of the bottles of water and a roll of bandages. she jerks her head toward the tent. she wants us in.
at this, i begin to feel uneasy, but do so anyway. matthias follows quickly behind me and we both crawl into the tent. it's a tight fit to cram the three of us inside, but somehow we manage. i make sure one of my knives is within close reach in case something goes wrong. the two of us in a small, enclosed space with a stranger doesn't seem like an adequate place to lower my guard.
"lie him down," emmanuelle instructs as she uncaps the water bottle.
"wait–" matthias begins to protest, but i don't listen. i push him down by the shoulders so his back is against the floor of the tent.
emmanuelle hands him the blanket. "you might want to bite down on this." he takes it in his hand, eyebrows scrunched in suspicion. she smirks at me. "he also might need to hold your hand."
confused, i just sit there because i think she's simply teasing us. as she tilts the bottle over matthias's arm, alarm flashes in his eyes. "what is tha–"
before he can finish, the clear liquid pours from the bottle and lands on his skin. he immediately stuffs the blanket into his mouth and lets out an agonized scream. his eyes squeeze shut and his entire body tenses up, muscles taut and veins prominent in his neck. i grab onto his hand. he grips onto it so tightly that both of our knuckles turn white.
emmanuelle's face is twisted in a cringe as she continues dribbling what i previously thought was water onto his cut. matthias's muffled cries ring in my ears. i notice actual tears brimming under his closed eyelids.
"what is that?" i demand over the painful sounds of his agony. my hand is starting to hurt from him squeezing it like his life depends on it.
"disinfectant," she replies, finally tilting the bottle back up and screwing the cap back on. matthias's screams slowly die down until they're nothing but whimpers. his body is shaking from the strain.
once he calms down, he rips the blanket out of his mouth and gives emmanuelle a fierce glare. "what the hell?"
she shrugs indifferently. "if you'd rather die of infection, you can roll around in the dirt out there." she turns to me and shakes the bottle. "you got any injuries that need treating?"
matthias and i both share an uneasy look. my heart begins to pound with trepidation. if he had been in that much pain over a three-inch-long cut, i could only imagine the amount of suffering a huge gash would bring.
i swallow down the nerves. "um, yeah." i trade places with matthias, getting as comfortable as i can. i lift up my shirt and present the ugly, long wound to her. she cringes.
"this is gonna be tough," she informs. "but you'll pull through."
she begins to uncap the bottle again. my heart rate increases even more until i can hear my blood rushing in my ears. matthias grabs the blanket and folds it so it's on a clean side. i hold it and find matthias' hand with my free one. he squeezes.
"ready?" emmanuelle asks, raising her eyebrows. i think she can sense my fear.
taking a deep, shaking breath, i nod. "yeah."
the cap is off the bottle. my eyes follow the liquid as it nears the edge.
"don't look at it," matthias commands. "look at me, okay? look at me."
my gaze moves from the disinfectant to his face. my shaking hand holds the blanket inches from my lips.
fire. that's what it feels like. burning sensations start at the axe gash and then flood to the rest of my body, encasing it in a scorching pain. a strangled scream escapes my lips as soon as the fluid comes in contact with my skin. matthias stuffs the blanket into my mouth to muffle the cries.
my eyelids squeeze shut as they begin to water– it's the worst pain i've ever felt in my life. my body is rigid as the burning sensation continues to rage on. surely this is what it must feel like to be burned alive.
my hand is clenched onto matthias's so tightly i must be breaking every single bone in it. pressure builds up in my chest, my heart feeling like it's going to burst. the screams rip my throat raw. my eyes are shut so firmly that i begin to see colors. purples, yellows, and greens dance beneath my eyelids. i'm sobbing now, the choked cries transforming into shrill yells the longer i'm encased in the flames.
after what seems like forever, the pain begins to evaporate. someone has set out the fire. my chest heaves with uneven breaths as the horrible sensation dies down.
the fabric is removed from my face and i slowly open my eyes. my cheeks are stained with tears. my body trembles from being so tense.
i realize i still have an iron grip on matthias's hand. feeling guilty, i release him. there are red marks in the shapes of fingers pressed onto the backs of his palms. he tries to hide them by folding his hands in his lap.
emmanuelle unrolls the bandages and starts to patch up the gash. "see? i knew you could do it."
i fight to catch my breath as she sticks the bandages onto my skin. my eyes stare at the ceiling of the tent. after she's finished with me, emmanuelle stretches another onto matthias's wound. he thanks her, but i can barely hear for my ears seem to be ringing.
i sit up. "did you run into any of them?"
emmanuelle pauses, then nods. "that one girl from six. you know, dark hair and skin, a bit prissy. what was her name?"
i feel like someone has just punched me in the gut. my eyes unfocus. "nina. her name was nina."
matthias recognizes the name and turns to me with what i assume is a look of concern. he notices my empty expression and quickly changes the subject, addressing the girl once again. "what's happening?"
a haunted look appears on emmanuelle's face. for the first time since i've met her, she looks terrified. "the capitol sent back all the deceased tributes to kill us off faster. every last one of them."
gif is thalia being in pain from the burning
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man you guys must hate me lmao!!!!
opinions on emmanuelle??
also the other day i randomly started to cry bc i was thinking about asher and how much i love and miss him rip asher u were beautiful
xoxo,
kristyn