| " R E M E M B E R . " |

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"Zach!" I yelp, finally stumbling upon our reserved cave.

After two hours (well, what I think was two hours), I've finally regained my memory of the location of Zach and I's cave.

Tamora's death still lurks in the back of my mind, nor being fully comprehended.

"Zach," I say lowly, stepping into the cave. My eyes roam the empty walls and ground, in search for any supplies.

Nothing.

He's not here.

The hope in my heart falls, and I let out a deep sigh of disappointment. By this time, Zach and the careers could be all the way back at the Cornucopia.

I slide down a wall of the cave, my eyes squeezing shut. My heart pounds in my chest, and my legs ache. My body begs me for sleep, from the exhaustion that has just gathered within me.

I grab a canister of water from my backpack, and swallow down the warm liquid. I groan halfway through my drink, hunger clawing at my stomach.

Taking dried jerky from a small package, I begin to eat, my mind drifting to my previous encounters today.

I still can't grasp that Tamora is gone. My head tells me that she isn't coming back. But my heart says otherwise- that she's not actually gone. Even though I know which one is right, I don't want to realize what has unfolded.

I don't want to know that Tristan and Tamora are both dead. I don't want to know that Zach could be alone somewhere, on the verge of dying. I don't want to know that Cato- or any of my allies for that matter- are gone.

Because at this point, hope is all I have.

Hope isn't a good thing. Hope almost always lets you down, when you need something so badly that it hurts.

Hope is scary. Hope will never tell you the truth, even when everyone else around you believes it.

And I don't want to be one of those people that thrive on hope. But right now, I have other plans.

I don't have anyone right now. Cato, Glimmer, Marvel, Clove, Peeta, and Zach are all out there, while I'm alone.

Before I know it, darkness has fallen. Except tonight, there aren't any stars. The Capitol seal beams on the sky, music playing around the arena.

And my heart almost stops in my chest, when I see Glimmer's picture shoot across the sky for a short matter of seconds.

I gasp, and rub my eyes, not believing anything I see. But when my eyes open up again, the picture is gone.

Is Glimmer really dead?

Or is my mind just playing tricks on me?

"No," I murmer, reassuring myself. "Glimmer isn't gone. She can't be. She's with the careers, so she's perfectly fine. I was just seeing things- hallucinating. Yeah! Hallucinating because of my lack of sleep."

I give up on trying to convince myself that everything is okay- minutes later. I know that I can't hide the truth from myself when I already know what's happened.

Glimmer is dead. And so are Tamora and Tristan.

And if I don't find Zach soon enough, he could be the next dead tribute.

And there's nothing that I could do about it.

___♕___

I wake up with a start, a gasp leaving my lips. I pat around myself of the ground, trying to find my axe.

Once I've found it, my hand latches onto the handle, and my eyes dart to my surroundings.

The trees and bushes around me stay still, no movement being made. I sigh in relief, and throw my axe to the ground. A loud explosion had sounded seconds earlier, and it seemed fairly close to me.

I push myself up from the ground, and wipe the dirt from my pants.

Another night has gone by that I haven't been with my friends. And it's killing me.

I take steps through the woods, a fire in the distance. I pull my backpack over my shoulder, and grab my axe again.

I trot through the forest, thinking of who could possibly be stupid enough to light a fire. But this isn't a normal size fire. This fire could start a forest fire. And I knew it was a trap.

I raced to it quickly, fear striking my chest. The careers wouldn't fall for this trap. They couldn't be stupid enough to believe that someone would light this huge fire. Right?

As I get closer to the fire, screams start to full the trees. I furrow my eyebrows for a moment, racing towards the screams.

And I realized that those screams were from Rue, the little girl from District eleven. Who would have the heart to hurt her? She was too young to have to go through this.

Once I get to the clearing near the fire, I stop in my tracks.

Katniss Everdeen leans over a trapped Rue. Rue is being pinned down my a net, and is trapped, unable to get out.

When the small girl is free, she wraps her arms around Everdeen, thanking her for the save. A twig snaps across from them, and my eyes snap to Marvel.

I gulp loudly, seeing the spear in his hand is aimed right for Rue. Katniss loads her bow, and before you know it, the arrow is launched into Marvel's chest.

I fall on my knees, watching as Marvel's lifeless body crumbles to the ground. It's at that moment- when Katniss let's out a wail- that I turn back, and see that Marvel's spear had still been launched.

And it had pierced Rue's stomach.

I push myself away from the clearing, sobs catching in my throat. I hold back my tears, and wobble through the trees.

I have to get to the Cornucopia.

I race to the Cornucopia as fast as I can, knowing for a fact that the explosion had happened there.

And I regret going there. I wish I didn't have to see what had just unfolded- as soon as I stepped onto the plain.

Dirt and smoke covered the area around the Cornucopia, useless supplies scattered everywhere. Cato stood angrily next to Clove, his eyes hooked on the person in front of him.

Zach.

Zach looked guilty and helpless, a spear in his hand. And in one quick movement, Cato made the worst decision he ever possibly could.

He stepped forward from his position, placed his hands on Zach's neck, and twisted.

I let out a cry, and watch as Zach falls to the ground. My body wracks in shakes, and I fight for support- in order to not face plant the ground below me.

"How could he?" I sob to myself, shoving myself away from the plain. "He was supposed to protect him!"

"I see I've found you at a low point," Someone says softly, stepping in front of me.

Katniss.

I throw my backpack, and axe to the ground, surrendering to her.

"I-I can't, Katniss," I shake my head. "I can't do this anymore! I'm falling apart, and I'm not mentally sane anymore."

"I know the feeling." She frowns. "I just left Rue. She didn't deserve what happened to her."

"Marvel didn't mean it," I state, a lone tear leaving the corner of my eye. "He just wanted to go home. Like all of us. I just never realized how stupid that was until now."

"What happened to you?" She asks, her voice staying soft.

"I believed him," I shrug, the tears still flowing. "I guess you never know who you can trust, huh?"

"No," Her eyes move away from me. "You can't."

"Can you do me a favor?" I ask lowly.

"What is it?" She raises an eyebrow, looking at me suspiciously.

"Help me get out of here." I smile kindly, my bottom lip trembling. "I don't want to suffer through this any longer. I've saw too much here, and I can't do it anymore. We all know who's going to win in the end."

"Y-you want me to . . . ?" She trails off, taking a few steps back.

"Yes," I nod. "It's what I want. You have so many people to go home to. I don't. I have no one. And obviously, Cato doesn't care for me or my feelings. So why be here?"

"Taylor, I can't-"

"I hated you since I saw you volunteer," I chuckle, but not out of amusement. "Everyone knew you had it in you to win. Hell, we all despised you because you had some major skill. But now, I understand. You want to be with the people you love. Katniss, that's what I want too. I want to be with everyone I've lost. Please, just do it. I have nothing left to live for."

She hesitates for a moment, a few tears rolling down her cheeks. "Okay," She smiles warrily. "I'll do it."

I toss her a knife from my back pocket. "Stab me in the stomach," I instruct her. "I'll scream loud enough for Cato to hear me. Run, okay? Don't stop for anything."

She sighs, a sad expression on her face, but still nods. I close my eyes, preparing myself for the pain.

And when it comes, I yelp loudly. I open my eyes, and clutch a tree near me. "G-go!" I yell at Katniss, my back sliding down the tree.

And without another glance, she sprints off.

I let out a piercing scream when a surge of pain rushes through me. I lie down on my back, clutching the bloody wound. I leave the knife in my stomach, hoping I'll stay alive long enough to see Cato again.

He may have betrayed me, but I still love him.

"Taylor!" Cato yells, rushing through the trees. Clove follows quickly, dodging tree limbs that get in her way.

Cato kneels beside me, looking over my wound. "Shit!" He curses. "Clove, help her!"

"I can't," Clove pants, her eyes glossing over. "The wound is too big. She'll bleed out before I can patch her up. Cato, I'm sorry."

"Taylor," He breathes, clutching my hand in his. "What happened?"

"I didn't s-see who it was," I lie, a cough leaving my mouth. "It happened too fast, I-"

I scream again, the pain in my stomach getting worse. Cato looks heartbroken as he watches me writhe in pain. His eyes brim with tears, and he holds my hand tighter.

"Hold on, okay?" He says, looking down into my eyes. "Y-you're gonna be fine."

"Cato, don't." I shake my head, another tears managing to escape my eye. "We all know how this ends."

Clove sits closely to them, her knees pulled to her chest.

"No," Cato growls, his tears flowing openly. "Don't say that! You're fine, Taylor. You're fine. Please . . . "

"I love you. No matter what." I place my hand on his cheek. "Remember that, okay?"

"I love you, too."

A small smile falls onto my lips, before my vision blurs.

And I finally don't feel the pain anymore.

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