CHAPTER 30
KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR

THE horrified expression on Bex's face disappeared completely. She watched Finnick's lips pull into a wider grin.

"You're infuriating." She seethed, voice dropping to a whisper. "Was that all just an act to make me worried? Consider me fooled, asshole."

He dropped the smirk as a ripple of pain flowed through his body. "Perhaps," he replied, teeth clenched, "you should be consoling and not yelling at me if you want a sponsor gift."

Bex had no problem sending him a glare.

Katniss cried out in agony.

The other three tributes turned to see that Katniss had crawled over to a small pool at the bottom of the dirt pit they fell in. She slowly dunked her whole body in it, washing away the bumps as if they were never there. "The water –" She croaked. "The water helps."

Peeta didn't question her and quickly followed suit. He pushed himself over to the pond and placed one hand in. Groaning loudly, Peeta used all the strength left in him to push himself underwater, allowing it to cleanse his bumpy skin.

When Bex looked back at Finnick, his eyes were bleary, red with fresh tears. He nodded in her direction, and she took that as a sign to start pulling him over to the pool. Bex placed her hands underneath his armpits, digging her fingers into his wetsuit, and tried dragging him across the dirt. It was strenuous work: carrying him while also dealing with her own pain. But she still did it, whether it be for a sponsor gift or not. She did it because she needed him either way.

Bex Nassar wasn't going to die today, and neither was he.

Finnick entered the pool first, and he howled obscenities as soon as Bex helped them both in. She tried not to echo his reaction when the water swept over her bumpy skin. But it was hard. This felt even worse than the fog brushing against her neck, or when one of the bumps burst and leaked down her back. It hurt because the water was curing it, and Bex knew cures didn't come without a cost.

She laid there for a while, letting the water do it's work, rubbing at the lumps on her cheeks. When she finally got the ability to feel her fingertips, she raised her hand from the water, realizing her skin was bump-free. Not even a burn mark was visible. She sat up and noticed that the whole pool was filled with the inky fog that once swirled beneath their skin. It was amazing, really, what nature could do.

After dipping her entire head under – and releasing a blood-curdling scream in the process – Bex's body was completely clean. She swam over to Finnick, where he laid idly in the pool, panting whenever the water hit his exposed flesh. She cupped some water and helped wash his wounds, allowing the fog to fade into the pool. He thrashed around a bit, gasped for air, but he eventually calmed down when he found the strength to move again.

"Are you still numb?" Bex asked. She held him down with one hand when he had been thrashing, and then helped him wash up with the other.

Finnick breathed heavily and flexed his hand. "N – No," he said, sitting up in the water. "I – I think – I'm okay."

Bex released a relieved huff as Katniss instructed Peeta to get their weapons. He laid them on the side of the pool before grabbing his blade. Bex watched him try to cut off a tree root with great difficulty, so she stood and walked over with her axe. After a quick lesson, Peeta was able to successfully chop off a thick hollow root. He used it as a cup to catch water from the spile.

As Katniss commended Peeta for being a genius, Bex splashed through the pool again and picked up Finnick from where he was laying. He was still trying to catch his breath and regain feeling back in his legs, but for the most part, he was a lot better than before. Bex sat behind him, allowing Finnick to lay his head on her chest, and ran the water over her neck again. She couldn't stop thinking of the bumps that were once on her skin, how they burned.

Animals howled in the distance, but they didn't move.

Bex watched Katniss and Peeta sit together on the edge of the pool, chatting as if they just weren't fighting for their lives. Peeta placed a stray hair behind Katniss' ear, and Bex was surprised to see her blush. It wasn't fake. She could spot the difference easily.

With her eyes pinned on the lethal lovers, Bex blurted softly, "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

Finnick turned his head up, narrowing his brow. Bex hadn't expected that apology either. She said it on impulse. Averting her eyes away from Katniss and Peeta, she rubbed at the back of her neck. "I was actually worried," she continued, refusing to look at him, "and I took it out on you."

"You had a right to," Finnick chuckled. "I was kind of an ass. Again."

Bex hesitantly picked up one of his hands and rubbed water into it. The few small bumps that still lingered on his knuckles faded away. Fog dissipated into the pond.

She then added, "And I'm sorry about Mags. She was a courageous woman."

Finnick went silent. He sat up and away from her suddenly, swatting at a bug. "She was never going to make it, so ..."

Bex stared at him for a long time, watching him rub water into his other hand, refusing to meet her eyes. Finally, he looked over, exhaling through his nose. His expression went soft, a silent response on his face. He didn't need to say anything more.

"I was hoping she would," Bex muttered, searching his eyes.

"Me too," he said quickly, looking off to run water through his hair. "I would've liked to walk the beach with her in Four one last time."

Bex gnawed on her bottom lip, hesitating on her next set of words.

"Can I see it sometime?"

Finnick stared back at her, wondering if she was serious. He went completely still, and then allowed a small smile to form on his lips. "That's a nice dream."

Bex didn't have a spare moment to question him. They heard Katniss nock an arrow, and the two tributes stood up instantly. Katniss slowly moved in a circle with her weapon. Peeta was blissfully unaware as he filled the root cup with more drinking water.

Monkeys began to crawl along the branches around them. They watched the tributes, circling them like prey. It was hard to believe that these monkeys could try to kill them, but Bex had to remind herself that these were mutts, not just animals anymore. Trained by the Capitol to kill. And they were everywhere.

Finnick steadily grabbed the axe from the edge of the pond, handing it Bex swiftly. He then seized his trident and pointed it at the monkeys. They seemed to be getting closer, grunting, hovering just above the water.

Katniss looked over her shoulder at the Cornucopia. Bex saw it, and when Katniss met her eyes, she knew that was where they needed to go. That's if they could escape these mutts.

"Peeta," Katniss called, "walk over here slowly."

With a furrowed brow, Peeta yanked the spile out of the tree and secured it in his suit. But then he looked forward, meeting the eyes of a very angry monkey.

The mutt roared in his direction, bearing its sharp teeth. Peeta stumbled back, but Bex managed to catch him, helping him retreat slowly. The four tributes huddled together, turning around in a circle as the mutts stalked them. They howled, banging their fists against the tree bark.

Peeta whispered, "I always feel bad about killing animals."

Bex held her axe out and seethed in Peeta's direction, "That doesn't matter right now!" When she looked in front of her, a mutt was edging closer to the pool, howling in her direction.

"Bex," Finnick breathed, "get behind me."

"No," she spat back, "I can fight for myself."

"Shut up," Katniss growled. "We need to get to the beach."

They turned towards their escape route, but it was being blocked by two monkeys. The mutts were bouncing on the branches, pacing in front of the pool, roaring at the top of their lungs. Bex's eyes went wide. They were surrounding them. She didn't know where to look or when they would strike.

Finally, one monkey lunged for Peeta.

Katniss pushed him out of the way, taking the monkey down with one arrow to the heart. The rest of the mutts charged then, jumping into the pond and clawing at the tributes. Peeta waved his blade in front of them, clearly nervous to hurt the animals, but Katniss didn't let anything near him. She was ruthless with a bow.

Finnick fought off mutts left and right. Bex used the close proximity of the monkeys to her advantage. As soon as they were near a specific distance, she cut them off with a clean sweep. Heads rolled. Sweat beaded at her brow. She was fully awake now, and nothing was going to stop her. But the mutts weren't stopping their attack either.

Out of the corner of her eye, Bex saw a large monkey – almost two times her body weight – leap for her. She didn't have enough time to move. The mutt pounced on top of her, sinking its claws through her wetsuit and then her skin. They felt like switchblades. It clung to her shoulders as its weight sent Bex down into the water, creating a large splash.

Bex couldn't believe she was going to drown again, and this time, by a monkey.

The mutt kept pushing her further to the bottom of the pond, snapping its large fangs at her face. Bex tried holding her breath for as long as she could. She shielded herself with the handle of her axe, but it wasn't enough. Once this monkey drowned her, she'd be it's dinner this evening. Bex screamed, allowing water into her lungs once again, as she fought to push the mutt off.

It kept getting closer though, dangerously close to her face. It was inches away from biting the tip of her nose right off. Bex could hardly see. Her hair floated all around. She pushed harder against the monkey's grip, head becoming cloudy, and it seemed to lose momentum. She just needed to get up for air and then slice it's head right off –

The mutt released a muffled yelp as a weapon pierced its fur. Bex blinked twice, wondering if the water had gone to her head finally, if what she was seeing was real. Blood swirled around her. The monkey went limp as she was yanked out of the pool by someone's strong grip.

She gasped for air as soon as she came up, rubbing at her red eyes. Bex didn't even have a second to thank Finnick, because their escape route was finally free. Peeta screamed, "We gotta get to the beach!" He grabbed Katniss' hand and led her forward. Bex and Finnick followed close behind, hands locked around their weapons.

The mutts still followed. Bex didn't quite understand how the beach would provide them any protection, but she needed to trust these people if she had to protect them. She trailed the lethal lovers, swiping at any mutts that tried to block their path. When she looked ahead, Bex noticed that dawn was creeping on the horizon. The sunlight might be their only protection from the monsters that lurked inside the dark jungle.

A mutt attacked from behind then, jumping on Peeta's back as they slid underneath a branch. It tackled him to the ground, pinning him against a tree. Another mutt blocked Katniss' path while snapping its teeth at her. Bex ran forward, ambushing the mutt, and sliced its head right off. Her shoulders still ached in pain from the monkey's claws that pierced her skin. Katniss held in her cry as the head rolled towards her feet, but they still had the mutt on top of Peeta to worry about.

He screamed bloody murder.

Before anyone could think, a figure emerged from beneath the tree cover. It looked female, covered head-to-toe in camouflage. They jumped in front of Peeta just as the monkey tried lunging for him, and its teeth locked around the person's neck. Blood splattered over Peeta's face as he kicked the monkey off and stabbed it in the throat.

The tributes continued to fight off the monkeys, but they kept piling on. More and more appeared from the dark jungle, waiting for the perfect moment to attack. Peeta looked down at his savior, who was wheezing excessively. Their whole body shook from side-to-side. "It's one of the morphlings," Peeta exclaimed. "The girl from District Six."

Bex stabbed another mutt through the chest and lashed her head towards Peeta, recognizing the girl in his arms. Despite the dirt coating her entire body, her sunken-in eyes and sickly form gave her away. Bex was suddenly filled with regret. She killed her District partner in a fit of manic, and now the girl had to die alone.

Peeta, to everyone's surprise, grabbed the morphling girl and called out, "Come on! We're almost there!"

Finnick whipped his trident around a whole circle of mutts, the blade slicing through each of their torsos. Bex tugged on his hand hard. When he looked at her, his once lively sea-green irises looked tired, and she wasn't sure if it was from pure exhaustion or being thrust into this life. Bex yanked on his hand again and dashed after Katniss and Peeta. They gripped each other tightly as the light sky got closer and closer.

Peeta and Katniss were dragging the morphling into the water when Bex and Finnick finally jumped onto the sand, tumbling together, hands interlocked. Finnick heaved and laid in the sand. He tried feeling for his trident. Bex's axe fell away from her as they landed, too far for her reach. Instead, she slipped the trident right from Finnick's clammy hands, aiming it at the mutts. They formed in a tight line around the edge of the jungle, where the sand met the dirt.

Bex jutted the trident as they snarled viciously, but neither of the mutts moved. She wondered if this were a trick, where they waited for her to let her guard down, and then attack. But after several minutes of jabbing the trident at the mutts and clenching her teeth so hard they could fall out, her enemies didn't move a muscle. They soon stopped howling, and finally, disappeared back into the jungle.

Pursing her lips, Bex slowly lowered the trident. The mutts left them alone, but why? Did they only attack at certain times? Her brow furrowed with confusion.

With a heavy exhale, Bex fell back into the sand, right beside Finnick. She wiped off the gravel that stuck to her face and laid there, just catching her breath.

Finnick lifted his head and glanced over at her. He said playfully, "My knight in shining armor."

Her eyes snapped open. "Don't get used to it."

━━━━━━

A/N: weird to think that we're ALMOSTTTT at the end of CATCHING FIRE??? act ii ends in like 3 chapters 😳 and then we get into the MOCKINGJAY plot in act iii! I wasn't sure if I was gonna write this story into MOCKINGJAY when I first started but I came to the decision that I haaaaave to continue this story until the end. bex nassar deserves that much 🙌🏼 can't wait to show y'all what I have in store!