Running With The Careers- A Hunger Games Fanfiction

Chapter 12- Tracker Jackers

My screams awoke everyone. The camp's chaotic. The Tracker Jackers are buzzing around us. We take off our jackets as we run away, swinging them to get the mutts away.

Tracker Jacker stings can cause powerful hallucinations. In worse conditions, death. That's what gets me up so fast and I run. Out of the corner of my eye I see Cato grab Clove by the hand and run towards the lake. They both yell something at me and try to grab my hand, but I can't hear them over Glimmer's frantic screams.

Instead I grab my trident, and Marvel, who was trying to get to Katniss. "Aaliya, we can't let her escape!!" Marvel yells at me, trying to break my grip on him.

"Marvel, we have to run!" I yell back at him, frantically whacking all the mutts away. "If we stay, we'll die. And I'm not leaving without you. I can't lose another friend, Marvel!!" That last part gets his attention, and before I know it, he grabs my arm and we start running towards the lake.

As we run the mutts keep coming. One stings me in the cheek and instantly I feel woozy. Then one in the knee, then the arm, then my ankle. I have to lean on Marvel for support.

When we get to the lake my instincts take over and I dive into the lake. Apparently the cornucopia was closer than Brady and I thought. I stay underwater as long as I can hold my breath for, then I rise to the surface.

The Tracker Jackers have now disappeared. All my stings have started to ooze a sickening green liquid. I yank out the venomous stingers and throw them to the side.

Cato and Clove both made it out, along with Marvel, who is rolling around from the pain, after being stung just below the eye. Peeta is here, but there's no sight of Glimmer. I hope she didn't die, only because I am supposed to be the one to kill her.

"Where's lover boy?" I hear Cato ask from behind me.

"Right beside me," I reply, looking over at where he should be. But he's not there.

"He went back for Katniss," Clove says.

"I knew we shouldn't have trusted him," Cato yells, frustrated. He leaps up, grabbing his sword and takes off in the direction we came from.

The three of us run after him, until we've reached the old tree. The nest is still laying on the ground, completely hollow and lifeless. The blankets are still here, along with Marvel's spear and a couple of Clove's knives.

There he was. Sighing in relief that Katniss had made it out alive. "You let her get away?" Cato yells at him, and I can see the fury in his eyes. I hear a cannon boom.

"No- No! I haven't seen her," he stutters. "I came back to find Glimmer, she's right over there!"

"Liar," Cato says with a smirk. He takes out his sword and slices deep into Peeta's leg. "I think we'll let you die slowly," Cato says. With that Peeta limps away towards the stream, leaving pools of blood behind him.

"Glimmer," Clove says. "Right over there." We follow her over to where Glimmer's body is, and it's a horrific sight. She must have been in some sort of coma, but that cannon I heard signaled her death. All the tracker jackers have vanished from her body. This girl, so breathtakingly beautiful in her dress the night of the interviews, is now unrecognizable. Her limbs are now three times their normal size. The stinger lumps now starting to explode, spewing green liquid around her lifeless body. Several of her fingers are now unattached to her body, as if someone beat them off. Right where her bow would have been resting. The bow!

"Katniss took her bow," I whisper. I reach out to roll her over, just in case the arrows are still there, and the skin begins to disintegrate.

Is this real? Or have the hallucinations begun? "Search the area, guys," Cato orders. The three of them start to run around the woods, but I stay put.

I try to take out my trident, but instead of one handle, I see three. And that's just the beginning of the hallucinations.

The others come back closer to me, but I pay them no attention. They were still searching for her. I look down at my arms, and fight the urge to throw up. I had more stings than I thought. Several stings lined my arms, oozing and searing in pain. That's when the worst hallucinations begin. Everyone I want to see right now starts appearing, first the ones I least desired to see, then the ones I wanted to be here more than anything.

My mom stands right in front of me, reaching out and touching my arm. "Mom," I whisper, tearing up at the sight of her.

She smiles. "You have been so brave, sweetheart, so, so brave." Then she disappears like she was never here to begin with.

Next comes Finnick, who lets a tear out of his eye. "Are you really here?" I whisper.

He smirks at me and gives me a hug. "It's ok, Aaliya. You did better than I could have imagined," then he disappears as well.

Next comes someone who looks like an angel. Glimmer. Her golden ringlets flow loosely around her beautiful face, and her lilac colored dress flows around her slim figure. Nothing like her dead body.

"Death doesn't hurt, Aaliya," she says with a smile. "It's like falling asleep, except faster. You've been a great friend Aaliya. Now you can come join me." That's when I realize, all along Glimmer had been my friend, she just didn't act like it. She was on my side. Then she fades away.

"Hey Sunshine," someone says behind me, and I turn around. It's Brady. He gives me his crooked smile and begins to speak. "You've done great! You beat me. You did what I asked, don't regret anything. Come join me, then we can love each other forever." Before I can do anything he's gone.

"Aaliya!!! Aaliya!!!" Someone yells frantically swinging their hand in front of my face. Marvel. "Guys she's not responding." he says and I can hear the worry in his voice. I try to speak, to tell him I'm ok, but nothing comes out.

"Check her pulse!" Clove yells, and Cato's hands come down on my shoulders, steading me. Marvel checks my pulse and I hear him groan.

"She's hardly breathing! Her stings are worse than we thought! Nearly as bad as Glimmer's, just not all over her face. Aaliya, Aaliya stay with us. Stay with me. Remember, you said you can't lose another friend. I can't lose my friend either!" By then every one is surrounding me, trying to force me to drink or shaking me.

That's when the last figure appears. The one I want to see more than anything. Even more than Brady. The figure begins to emerge, and my eyes begin to flutter shut.

"Aaliya, it's ok. You can let go. You can let go now!" The figure says. And I do, I let go of my life.

A/N: Sorry for not posting yesterday, I was really busy.  Next chapter coming Monday!