Chapter Text
The night had been endless. Ember hadn’t closed her eyes once, every sound in the forest twisting her nerves tighter until her body felt like a wire ready to snap. Any time she had tried to close her eyes, even for a moment when exhaustion weighed on her heavily, all she could see was that girls face and the blood upon the snow.
The sounds of screams around her.
The carnage.
The cold had seeped into her bones, leaving her shivering in silence, afraid that if she moved too much she’d make them a target. That someone may be waiting just beyond the trees and will hear the rustle of the fabric or see the shifting of shadows beneath the tree. Beside her, Cole had dozed in restless fits, jerking awake at the faintest creak of a branch, or howl of distant wind. Each time, his hand tightened around her, his breath harsh in the darkness, and Ember’s chest clenched at the reminder that neither of them was safe enough to rest. But he should. And she would let him.
When the sky finally began to pale, they watched together as the first streaks of light spilled over the treetops, washing the snow in soft gold. For a moment it almost looked peaceful, a world untouched, as though the Games hadn’t yet sunk its teeth into them. Ember drew her knees to her chest, aching all over, her joints stiff and burning from the cold. She flexed her fingers slowly, barely able to feel them. Surviving the night had seemed impossible, yet here they were, alive. She caught Cole’s eyes, red-rimmed and weary, and for a heartbeat surprise flickered between them.
Against all odds, they had made it through the first night.
But the illusion of calm didn’t last. Hunger gnawed at Ember’s stomach, sharper than before, and the ache in her body reminded her they couldn’t stay crouched in this hollow forever. The cold would only keep stealing their strength until it left them useless. She pulled the pack closer, rifling through what little they had, her heart sinking at the meagre supplies.
“We need to move. Shelter first, then food.” She whispered, her voice raw from the icy air.
Cole nodded, rubbing at the back of his neck, his face set with quiet determination. “Shelter. Food. Before we freeze.”
Ember pushed herself unsteadily out of the hole, head and eyes darting out into the silent forest as she looked around to make sure there was no-one nearby. When the coast was clear, she pulled herself out and to her feet, legs stiff, the snow crunching beneath her boots as if to remind her how fragile survival was.
The dawn had come, and with it the brutal truth: making it through the night was only the beginning.
In truth, she felt hollow. Every cannon blast from the day before still rang in her head.
Eleven dead.
Thirteen left.
They walked onwards, Ember leading the way, backpack secured against her shoulders, and pickaxe in her hand. She had to constantly adjust her grip as her fingers numbed, putting it beneath her armpits as she breathed warm air onto her digits to try and warm them up.
By midday they stumbled upon a small stream. Ignoring the lessons they had learnt from Wiress, they shared the small metal cup to drink some of its water. A bad idea as it risked them getting sick they had no clue as to whether or not this stream was contaminated, and she tried to ignore the moment of panic after her first sip as she thought back to the dangers of water from Haymitch's game.
If it was poisoned, at least it would be quick and at their own hands.
The water only made her colder, and she wiped it away with her sleeve, “Let’s follow the stream, we might find some fish or plants we can eat.”
Cole nodded, and with heavy boots they snaked around the waters edge amongst the slushed ice and rocks and mud.
The creek guided them northward, its black water bubbling beneath thin sheets of ice.
The forest thickened as they climbed, trees packed close, branches shielding them from the worst of the wind. The eeriest part was how quiet it was. Still, the snow slowed them. Every breath shook, every blink dried, and every step dragged, boots sinking deep into the soft pillowy ground. Cole stumbled often, his breath coming in small, ragged gasps.
But Ember pulled him onward with a steady hand. She couldn’t let him stop.
If they stopped too long, they’d freeze.
Or worse, be found.
That night, they found another tree to huddle beneath. Ember gathered what dry branches she could find, pitifully few and struck sparks with the flint. The fire barely caught, a weak flame sputtering in the wind on the damp wood. But it was enough to draw Cole close, his eyes gleaming in the dim light.
They ate nothing at first. Having found no fish beneath the icy water, and her stomach twisted painfully until finally she gave in and handed both herself and Cole the two bars from the backpack. They ate slowly, trying to savour what little food they had. Then they had nothing. Nothing but on their bodies and in the pack. Nothing edible, if you could have even called the bars they ate edible.
The bar wasn’t filling, and tasted of cardboard, but it took away some of the agony she felt since she had purged her stomachs contents the day before.
Silence stretched between them, broken only by the crackle of the tiny fire and the distant howl of some unseen animal.
Finally, Cole whispered, “Do you think anyone from home is watching?”
Ember froze. She hadn’t let herself think about it. The District gathered in the square, their faces turned toward the screen watching on. Forced to eatch on. They would have seen her. What she did. What the true damage was. She imagined the children from the home seeing her crouched there, imagined Corylus watching her with a smile on his face, seeing her starving, dirty, clinging to survival like a rat.
She wondered if Haymitch was watching, or too far deep in his drink to notice.
“Yes.” She said at last, “They’re watching. They have to, remember?”
Cole nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on the flames, “I hope my brother’s not scared.”
Ember swallowed hard, she didn’t know what to say to that.
No more scared than you.
“He knows you’re strong.”
He knows we will die.
He looked at her then, really looked, his eyes too old for twelve, “Are you scared?”
The truth wanted to claw free.
Terrified. Every breath feels like a countdown.
But instead she said, “No.” With an unconvincing smile.
He gave a shaky nod, lips twitching and curled closer to the fire.
They both knew it was a lie.
Another cannon boomed through the air that night.
-
On the third day, they found it.
Ember’s fingers clenched around the strap of their pack, her eyes darting to the shadows between the stones. The terrain here felt different. Exposed. The trees had become thinner, less of them to step around or hide amongst.
The slope of the ground grew steeper, patches of bare rock breaking through the fluffy snow. Ember slipped once, catching herself on a ledge, her palms stinging from the cold bite of stone. Skin had scraped from her hands and a small bead of blood rose to the surface of her palms. She gritted her teeth and pushed on, the ache in her joints making her feel far older than she was.
As they continued to climb with the terrain, the air grew sharper, thinner, the chill settling deeper into her bones.
She knew they were close to the mountains now.
Then Cole stopped short. Ember nearly stumbled into him, but he raised a hand quickly, pointing. Ahead, tucked between two jagged rises of rock, was a dark hollow. At first it looked like nothing but a shadow, but as they drew closer, Ember’s chest tightened, it was an opening.
A cave, its mouth jagged and wide enough to swallow them whole.
Relief and caution tangled in her chest.
Shelter.
But what if another tribute had found it before them?
But what if they hadn't?
It was something. Something more than a hole in the snow, more than the prospect of huddling beneath thin branches or roots in the freezing cold. Ember knew they wouldn't survive much longer if they continued on that path. But shelter could also mean danger. Others could be looking for the same thing and stumble upon them if it was empty. Tracking them. Seeking them out. The desperation to get warm outweighed the danger of being found.
Cole’s eyes flicked to her, then back to the dark mouth of stone, “We’ll check it.” He murmured, his voice rough and filled with exhaustion and fear.
Ember nodded, her pulse quickening. The cave yawned before them, promising warmth, safety, or with a hair raising thought; a trap. She tightened her grip on the pickaxe, every nerve alive as they stepped forward, two shadows slipping into the unknown.
They crawled inside, their breaths puffing into mist. The floor was dry but began to grow damp as the snow from their boots sloughed off, stone slick beneath their boots that barely gripped the surface, but the ceiling rose high enough not to feel suffocating, yet low enough to keep warmth.
“This is… good.” Cole said softly, his voice echoing causing him to look further into the darkness.
The darkness looked back.
Ember let out a long breath she hadn’t realised she was holding, “It’ll keep us hidden. Warm. We can have a fire in here I think.” She let her gaze roam above what she could see with the light that streamed inside from the mouth.
Ember kept walking, leaving Cole behind her at the entrance, his body visibly shaking, from fear or cold, or mixture of the two. She wondered how deep the cave really was, and where it led to, but the longer she walked, the smaller the light at the front grew until she realised it was deeper than they thought. She didn't even know if it did end. For all she knew, it could weave itself through to the other side of the mountain where another tribute lay hidden in the darkness. The knowledge of this made the hair on her body stand up, and she got the eery sense that they were being watched.
But of course they were being watched. They were being Broadcast across the entirety of Panem for all to see. The Capitol had cameras everywhere, running all the time, to get each and every angle of their entertaining violent deaths.
Here's to you Ceaser.
She made her way back to the front of the cave, quicker than she'd like to admit.
“Good spotting, Cole.” She gave him a smile, "Looks safe."
The pair settled near the entrance despite this lie, where the faint light of day spilled in and illuminated the walls around them.
Soon enough, they went out again, ensuring the remember the way back to the entrance before Ember set up some snares, setting loops of wire near the creek’s edge and trees nearby the cave and tasked Cole with finding dry wood and leaves for a fire, and to bring extras that could dry out in the cave with them.
When she watched him nod nervously, and look around, she handed him the pickaxe, giving him a small reassuring smile.
She went back to the creek and looked for fish, not seeing any signs of life no matter where she looked. She broke away frozen surfaced with her foot or a stick, and stirred the water angrily with a branch, hoping that something would more out of fear. There was nothing. Not even the trees were edible. And whatever greenery was around the edges was small and grass. She supposed that they could eat the grass if worse came to worse. She knew some people in the Seam had. She even looked up into the branches, wishing she was from the Lumber District to search for nests. But even without climbing up there to check, she knew there was none. She returned hours later, empty-handed after checking her snares and wandering aimlessly along the waters edge, hoping to see some sign of movement. But there was nothing.
No rabbits. No birds. No fish. No plants.
Nothing.
Her stomach cramped violently and she pressed her hand against it, furious at its betrayal. She wished she had eaten more back when she had the chance. Wished that she had gorged herself fat to store energy for the week. Usually there was something around in the arena. Something the tributes could hunt or gather. But here, there was nothing. The Capitol wanted them to starve before the real hunt began. Or at least be weakened so that the Careers could slowly pick them off.
When she returned, Cole sat curled against the cave wall, knees drawn up, his face pale.
“Anything?” he asked.
She shook her head, motioning for Cole to follow her.
His lips pressed together, trembling. For the first time, he didn’t try to smile.
They stepped back out into the endless snow and walked down to where the forest was thicker, moving slowly and carefully, ears turning their heads at any small sound they heard.
“We should cover the entrance of the cave.” Ember explained as they came to some shorter trees, “Hopefully snow will fall and cover up the branches.”
Cole nodded and helped her pull at the branches, pulling them back and forth until they would snap before dragging them back to the mouth of the cave. By the time they haphazardly laid the branches against its entrance for some closure, they were exhausted.
Ember felt fear and worry begin to rise up within her again. She hoped that in the morning one of her traps had caught something.
Anything.
A rat would be a blessing.
They set about lighting a small fire, which they did with relative ease, and sighed as they huddled around it, hands reaching out at the licking flames as they tried to warm their frozen fingers.
That night, they slept pressed together beneath the faint warmth of the fire. Cole’s shivers shook them both. Ember held him tighter, her chest aching. A small part of her wondered if he would even wake up in the morning. He was already so small, and he had not eaten anything but the bar. How long could he last like this? The both of them?
It was a thought she didn’t want to think of.
The cave was silent, save for their breaths and the crackling flame. Yet Ember couldn’t shake the feeling of eyes in the dark.
Day Three ended with no cannons.
Ember wondered if that was mercy or cruelty.
When she finally drifted to sleep, she dreamed of snow turning red, of cannons booming until the sky cracked open and blood rained down upon them, drowning them in its sticky hot mess.