Harper Coyle's P.O.V. (D4)
The roaring of the waterfall drowns out any sounds that the wildlife of the forest is creating right now as Janice and I settle ourselves in for the night under a ledge beside the water. Janice is exhausted, not saying a word to me. She might be mad that I made her walk all day, but it was for her own good. If those mutts come back, now we'll be able to jump in the river and swim across, or just ride the current out of the forest.
"I guess I'll take watch first..." I offer, even though I would prefer getting some sleep. I didn't sleep at all last night because I was worried about the mutts, but now I'm just too tired to be concerned about them.
"No, I will," Janice corrects seriously, "You need to get some sleep."
"You sure?" I ask, but she just nods.
At that, I lie down and fall asleep almost instantaneously. I eventually hear the anthem playing, but I don't bother opening my eyelids. They feel too heavy anyways.
When the music dies, I quietly ask Janice who the deaths were.
"The first one was Scarlett Salasi. You know, the knife-throwing girl from Seven," she answers, "Then there was Fate Greenridge, District Ten."
"Hm...how'd they die?" I ask, trying to keep a conversation going until I fall asleep.
"Fate was killed by that crazy twelve-year-old from One, and Scarlett was killed by Wesley Carter. I think that's his first kill, right?"
"Dunno..." I mumble, my mind trailing off.
Slowly, the crashing of the waterfall and the bubbling of the running water manage to lull me into a deep slumber.
.•:~:•.
"Harper, Harper, wake up!" Janice's voice breaks into my dream, snapping me awake instantly.
It must be time for us to switch shifts already, but it only felt like I slept for a few minutes. I realize I must be wrong when I notice the urgency in her tone and body language. She's shaking me roughly and continues calling my name hastily.
"What? What is it?" I ask, looking around. In answer, I hear a faint howl over the thundering water.
Wolf mutts.
I snatch my pack and sling it over my shoulders, picking up my trident as well. Janice already has her red backpack and weapon and is standing up.
"Harper!" she screams loudly, pointing to something in the bushes several yards away.
I rush over to her, holding up my trident defensively, ready for anything to burst out of the bushes at any moment. I motion towards the river and start walk backwards cautiously. I hear Janice scream as she dives in.
I wait a few more seconds before jumping in after her. The moment I hit the white water, I am forced under by the pressure of the waterfall. I feel myself touch the bottom of the river and I kick off the ground, propelling me to the surface. The water is so dark I can't see anything. It being nighttime doesn't make the situation any easier.
I gasp in gulps of air when my head emerges at the surface. I shake my head to get the water out of my eyes so I can start looking for Janice.
I begin to panic when I don't see a sign of her anywhere. I call her name, but it's drowned out by the rushing water. As the current pushes me downstream, I spot something drifting a few feet ahead of me. I squint my eyes, trying to put a name to the object, but it's just far too dark to see.
Eventually, I catch hold of it, and immediately recognize it to be a pack. More specifically, a red one.
Janice had a red pack.
"Janice!" I scream at the top of my lungs.
With further examination, I find that one of the straps has been completely torn in half. I put my hand in one of the side-pockets and dig out a pair of night-vision glasses. They appear to be just standard sunglasses, but in reality, you can only use them to see at night. They used to be a rarity in the arena, but they gradually became more of a common item to find in a regular-sized pack.
I hold them over my eyes for a few moments as I drift along with the current. I scan both banks of the river. My heart speeds up when I see a massive pack of wolf mutations running along the side of the river, but fortunately, none of them jump in. I wonder if they can swim at all?
A sudden scream from above attracts my attention. Still holding the glasses over my eyes, I look up. I gasp when I find a large, monstrous, bird-like creature, which I can only assume to be another mutation, flying high above the river. Dangling in its grotesque talons is none other than Janice.
"Harper!" she screams down to me, kicking and swinging her sword at its legs, "Help!"
"Janice!" I shout back, trying to swimming faster.
Janice's struggling in the bird's claws causes it to loose its balance, and the two of them veer to side, crashing into a massive elm tree. The tree seems to lean over the river almost. I swim to shore, since the current isn't too strong here. Fortunately, the mutts are stuck on the other side of the river, so that eliminates one reason to be concerned at the moment.
I toss our packs aside as I charge towards the tree with my trident. Janice is trapped on one of the higher branches, and the mutt is closing in on her.
"I'm coming!" I call up as I throw off my soaking-wet jacket also.
I jump up and catch onto a branch, hauling myself up onto it and doing the same thing with another. I can hear Janice screaming and fighting the massive creature above. The bird screeches out gravelly, high-pitched notes that resemble the sound produced from rusty gears grinding together.
I feel like I couldn't climb faster even if I wanted to, which I do. I am almost to her, just two more branches. Janice's branch is thick, at least two feet wide, big enough to support the enormous bird.
I see the mutt-bird rear up, spreading it's wings, preparing to attack. Janice is pushed up against the trunk of the tree, pointing her sword at the disfigured bird shakily.
I'm only a branch below her when the bird suddenly charges at her, releasing an ear-shattering screech.
"Janice!" I roar as the animal slams its almost-featherless wing into her side, throwing her off the branch. Janice's hands latch onto its disfigured wing, dragging it over the side with her. I watch in horror as they fall from the branch, passing me as if in slow motion. Janice releases the wing and starts flailing her arms, screaming.
Without even thinking, I dive from my branch and catch Janice by the wrist. Then, with my free hand, I grab onto a branch as we fall. I wince as my arm takes on both of our weights and the sudden stop of our fall. I hear something pop and my shoulder instantly starts throbbing painfully, yet I fight through it and manage to hold my strong grip on the branch.
The bird mutt continues to plummet to the ground, screaming the whole way, until I hear a loud crack and thud from below.
Janice is breathing heavily, wheezing a little out of shock, "You-you saved me, Harper."
"Not yet..." I say through gritted teeth.
I look down, biting my lip to take my mind off my shoulder. We are dangling about fifty feet in the air, so I can't just let go. We'd never survive a fall like that. Then I find a branch below the one I'm holding on to, it's just thick enough to hold a person or two.
"Janice...I'm going to...throw you onto that branch...you see?" I explain through the effort of my struggled breaths.
"Okay," Janice replies.
With that, I swing us back and forth until I feel that I've gathered enough momentum to throw Janice.
"Ready?"
Janice nods and I release her wrist, timing it perfectly. She catches onto the rough bark and drags herself onto the branch, hugging the trunk.
Now, it's my turn. I start swinging back and forth again, straining my arm. Again, I release at the perfect timing, and Janice helps me steady myself on the branch. We climb the rest of the way down effortlessly.
I wince as I bend over to retrieve my jacket I left at the bottom of the tree. Janice gasps.
"Harper, your shoulder!" she exclaims, pointing to my right shoulder. I look at it and widen my eyes at the sight. It's laying in a weird angle and I realize that I can't move it very well.
Janice makes me sit on a rock while she examines it. She sighs, "Your shoulder is dislocated. We're going to have to reduce it."
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course I do! My mom's a nurse and I've received medical training from her. Now, in order for this to work properly, you need to calm down so that your shoulder muscles will relax."
I raise my eyebrow again, "Don't you think it'll be a little hard for me to calm down considering the situation? We're in the Hunger Games, Janice, not a day-spa! We were just sent down a river, attacked by a flipping bird, and just fell out of a ten-story-high tree, and you want me to calm down. Easier said than done."
Janice sighs impatiently, "Listen, I know you're frustrated, but it's necessary that you relax if you want your shoulder to be fixed. So please just try. Maybe try thinking of something that makes you feel safe."
I nod, taking several slow, deep breaths, trying to think calming thoughts. Think of something that makes you feel safe.
I rack my mind, trying to find the one thing in this moment that makes me feel safe. Then I finally find it.
It's Janice.
"Good...keep it up..." Janice coaxes quietly as she slowly starts to lift my bad arm. I suppose she's going through the whole "reducing" process, as she called it.
Who's always been there?
Janice.
Who have I risked my own life for on several occasions?
Janice.
Who's the one to rely on?
Janice.
Who's the one to keep me going?
Janice.
Who would willingly sacrifice themselves for me without hesitation?
Janice...
At that moment, I feel consumed with contentment. Everything feels right. I wince as Janice rotates my hand behind my head, my arm completely stretched out.
"Okay, now reach over and touch your other shoulder, slowly," Janice instructs, guiding my arm with her hands.
Just then, I feel the joint pop back into place and the pain disappears. I move my arm around to test it out. It doesn't hurt, but it's tired and feels overused.
"You might've pulled some muscles or tendons, so I'd take it easy if I were you," Janice points out.
"Thank you, it's feels almost new," I say, wonderstruck, "How'd you do that?"
"To be honest, I've never done a better job than that, which surprises me. It usually works the best when you're completely calm, but you said you couldn't calm down."
"No, I managed to figure it out," I explain, smiling.
Janice smiles back. There's an awkward moment of silence before I finally blurt, "I found your pack! It's over there, with mine."
Janice shakes her head as if coming out of a thought, "Right! Thank you. I guess we should find a new camp."
"Yes, let's do that," I agree, getting up and following Janice over to where I left the packs.
~~~~~
(Unedited version)
~MK