Blind Hope | cato hadley ✅

five

The sky is soon painted with a thick layer of black before having specks of white splattered across the canvas. Jace only tilts her head, wondering how Gamemakers could create such beauty from pixels.

"You know it's not real, right?" Cato questions, raising a brow. Jace turns her head, seeing the male getting his gear together.

"You don't see this at Twelve," she explains, turning her head back to the sky. "The stars are covered from the smoke from the mines. This is the closest I'll ever see to stars."

"You can see them in Two, which is where we're going." Jace quirks a brow, turning her entire body to him. Cato moves towards her, his hand naturally going to her waist. "I'm not leaving here without you."

"The only way I'm leaving here is in a bag." Silence lays heavily on the two, only being broken when Jace swallows the thick saliva in her throat. Tears slowly form in her eyes, her breathing growing shallow for a moment. It's set in she's going to die, and she cannot tell if she's supposed to be scared or not. But she doesn't allow time for the question to be answered, forcing the tears back and her eyes to look at Cato's. "I want you to win. You need to."  Her cold, calloused hands are on Cato's warm, soft cheeks before her lips are against his. The two allow a few moments to pass, wanting to remember.

"I've barely known you for a few weeks, but I don't want you to go," he whispers, his breath coming out shaky. A slight gasp passes Jace's lips, fighting back the sob trapped in her throat. She forces it down, pulling away from Cato's body.

"We should end this." Jace allows Cato to respond with a nod before turning to walk in the darkness.

"Where do we go?"

"Where it all started." No words are spoken after that, Cato following Jace solemnly. She can feel the sadness radiating off him like heat, but ignores it like the sinking feeling in her gut. She decides to listen to the snapping of the branches below their feet, the crunching of the dry leaves, and a loud growl. Both stopped, turning their heads at the sound. Jace grabs her machete, while Cato has his sword.

Sleek, smooth felines come from the darkness, the black fur shining in the moonlight. At least three are in the duo's sight. Despite how they looked, one gnawed its fangs, making its smooth and sleek look disappear as its hairs stood up violently, while its fangs seem to already be stained crimson.

Jace swallows roughly, locking eyes with Cato. The blonde slowly nods his head, both giving a silent agreement. A second passes before both sprint in the opposite direction.

The loud growls and other indescribable sounds coming from the creatures seems to make the two run faster. However, Jace trips on the branch, tumbling a few times before going to a complete stop. Cato forces himself to stop as well, seeing one of the creatures hop on her.

A shriek of pain passes her lips, feeling the fangs rip into her thigh. Using the last of her strength, she swings her machete, the creature detaching its fangs and falling dead beside her.

Cate moves quickly, helping the girl up, noticing her swamp green pants turn into a burgundy red. He drops his sword, instead going for the machete, as he could carry it with much more ease. He places Jace on his back, continuing to run to the Cornucopia.

The wide, open field grows smaller as Cato sprints towards the Cornucopia, sweat running down his face. He doesn't allow himself a moment to breathe when he gets to the great silver cone, needing to instead help Jace to the top of it. He gives her a leg up before being pulled up himself. When his back hits the cold metal, he takes in greedy breaths, his headache disappearing as he gains feeling in his legs again.

A loud scream forces the two to look up, seeing the large creatures in a circle in the middle of the field, screams filled with pain leaving the middle of it. Soon they disperse, leaving little to the imagination, as it seems to be only a puddle of unwanted organs left. A cannon rings out.

Cato falls back against the metal roof, the machete clattering against it. He lets out a heavy breath, turning his head to Jace. His eyes narrow, noticing how quick and shallow her breathing is. He gets up swiftly, forcing himself to kneel by her.

Taking a moment to look, he sees her entire pant leg is soaked in blood, as is apart of his. Her face is a paler shade than before, her body trembling lightly. He mumbles incoherently, tears beginning to form in his eyes. Grabbing her gently, he pulls her close, his body raking with sobs.

"I-I-" Cato looks quickly, seeing Jace's mouth open and close. "I-I-I w-want to see the st-stars." A quiet sob passes his lips once more, laying her body against the roof. Looking around frantically, Cato grabs the machete, his hands trembling violently. "No." Jace's voice is a whisper that isn't heard over the ringing in Cato's ears, his body growing numb from the waist down, before falling against the roof beside Jace.