Katniss carried the spool, Dahlia and Johanna flanking her on both sides with their weapons drawn. As they clambered back down the rocky slope, the path became uneven and more difficult to navigate so Dahlia held onto Katniss' bow while Johanna offered her assistance from the front. No words were exchanged as they hopped across nimbly, Katniss quick to reclaim her bow.

"Come on." Johanna urges firmly, being the first one to break the tense silence. "I want to put as much distance between me and this beach as possible. Frying is not how I want to go."

No sooner had Johanna finished her mumbling than the wire seemed to snag on something further up the slope. Katniss tugs at the coil with furrowed eyebrows and mutters quietly to herself, "There's something..."

As Katniss yanks at the taut wire, her eyes glaring into the distance scrutinisingly, Dahlia discreetly nods to Johanna in preparation. No doubt this is the work of the Careers and their priority is to make sure Katniss is safe. Both women know what they need to do. Suddenly, the cable snaps and causes Katniss to stumble back slightly at the immediate loss of tension. The Girl on Fire prepares for a fight as Brutus begins to peek over the rocks, but Johanna whacks her over the head before she can loose an arrow.

The girl falls to the ground with a grunt, Dahlia by her side an instant while Johanna hands her a small blade. She swiftly pierces the skin of Katniss' arms, unbothered by the sound of slicing through flesh. But Katniss loudly cries out in pain as Dahlia removes the tracker from her arm. Johanna shushes her harshly, keeping her gaze on the Careers stalking closer while Dahlia spreads Katniss' blood along her neck.

"Stay down." Dahlia hisses to the girl, hoping the girl follows the instructions without complaint for once. Then Johanna launches an axe at Brutus and Enobaria with a ferocious yell, the Careers quick enough to avoid the blade which clatters against a rock.

Dahlia and Johanna scramble up the slope, drawing the Careers away from Katniss. Darting through the dense jungle, the two women try and lead their pursuers away from their allies and the lightning tree. They weave past trees and duck under plants, anything to entice the Careers in their direction. And it works, but neither girl knew if they would grow tired of the hunt.

"We should split up." Johanna suggests through breathless panting, Dahlia wordlessly nodding her compliance. And so, setting their makeshift plan into action, Dahlia veers right and breaks away from Johanna. Heavy footsteps follow behind her, thudding through the undergrowth like a herd of stampeding animals. Brutus had given chase and she couldn't outrun him forever.

Just when Dahlia was preparing to turn and face Brutus head-on, her body smacks into another tribute, sending both of them tumbling to the ground. Sword still tightly gripped in her hand, Dahlia hurriedly clambers to her feet and brandishes the blade at the newcomer.

"Peeta?" She gasps out in relief, arms flopping back down to her side as the cowering boy is no threat. "What are you doing out here?" She asks quietly, momentarily forgetting all about the dangers surrounding them as she approaches the boy with her hand outstretched.

But Peeta is more focused on something behind her as his gaze avert from her helping hand to a looming shape over her shoulder. His eyes widen in alarm and he shouts, "Dahlia, watch out!"

Dahlia whips around as Brutus lets out a booming war cry, bursting from the treeline with his spear raised. She raises her sword to meet the spear as it is brought down with a powerful grunt, the two metals clashing in the middle. Using all her strength, Dahlia forces the spear away from her, sending Brutus stumbling along as well. Then she seizes Peeta's hand and flings him away from the danger zone, turning back round to engage in the battle.

Brutus swings his spear erratically in her direction, using brawn and brute force in his favour. But Dahlia is smaller and more agile, dodging each blow skillfully and using her sword to block the spearhead. The conflict seems to be so evenly matched with the advantage jumping back and forth between them. Both tributes have gained the upper hand, only to promptly lose it as the other counters their attack.

Eventually, frustrated by the girl's determination and fight, Brutus tangles their weapons together and knocks the sword from Dahlia's hand. There isn't enough time for her to grab her other blade as Brutus charges at her with a roar. The shaft of his spear makes contact with Dahlia's braced hands, the two wrangling fiercely for dominance with the weapon. But Brutus has more raw strength than Dahlia, soon forcing her backwards into a tree.

Gritting her teeth, Dahlia's fists tighten around the staff and she locks her arms out, pushing against it with all her might. But her elbows soon begin to buckle under the immense weight, the spear's handle inching threateningly closer to her neck. The cool metal pushes into her searing skin, putting pressure on her throat and slowly cutting off her air supply.

Brutus chuckles menacingly at her predicament, seeing the struggle and strain start to show on her face. There was no way she could get out of this situation. The Black Dahlia was defeated. He had won. As he increases the force pushing down on her neck, ready to choke the rest of the life out of her, his triumphant expression suddenly falls. His grip is the next to falter, the spear slipping from his fingers and clattering to the forest floor.

Dahlia collapses on her hands and knees, coughing and spluttering for air while Brutus staggers weakly. He turns his back to Dahlia, letting the girl notice the handle of a blade sticking out of his body. It seemed in his haste to rid the arena of the Black Dahlia, he'd forgotten that the District Twelve male was watching from the sidelines.

Peeta Mellark stood firmly, showing no hint of remorse for what he'd done as Brutus slumped to his knees in front of him. He kicked the Career's weapon far out of reach and looked down upon the beaten man like he was worth little more than dirt. Meanwhile, Dahlia regained her breath, rising tiredly to her feet and strolling around to join Peeta.

The two regarded the man with indifference, staring down at him as he swayed weakly. Stubbornly, he was refusing to die, leaving the pair with no choice but to take matters into their own hands. "Do you want to do the honours?" Dahlia asks the boy next to her, neither removing their eyes from Brutus even while his strength was wavering.

"I insist, ladies first." He jests in amusement with a flat tone, stepping aside as Dahlia unsheathes her other sword. Both hands resting steadily on the handle, she winds up her swing and narrows her eyes in concentration. She breathes in calmly and, on the exhale, lets the black steel cut through the air, slicing through Brutus' neck with a clean swipe. A cannon rings out with a definitive boom, formally pronouncing him dead while also sending the remaining tributes into a panic.

Finnick was terrified that the cannon had been for Dahlia. The plan wasn't going as smoothly as he had hoped and now he couldn't find any of his allies, so his optimism for the evening was at rock bottom. But then he heard Katniss' distressed cries for Peeta echoing from the tree. At least the Mockingjay was still alive. He hadn't completely failed.

Sprinting back to the tree, he desperately yells out, "Katniss, where are you?" Glancing around the clearing frantically, his heart sinks to find no one there. He had hoped that Katniss might've known where Dahlia was. Or, better yet, Dahlia was with her. Apparently fate was playing cruel tricks on him tonight. Sweeping his eyes back over the area, he freezes once he spots Katniss with the string of her bow pulled back... Aiming at him. "Katniss." His voice shakes with a turmoil of emotions as he raises his hands to show he means her no harm. Still, the girl does not lower her weapon, so Finnick has to remind her of a very important piece of advice. "Remember who the real enemy is."

These words seem to resonate with Katniss, affecting her enough for the girl to relax her hold on the bow. Then the thunder crackles above her, rumbling like the stomach of a huge starving beast. The clouds swirled in preparation for a lightning strike as Katniss glanced over to an unconscious Beetee and, more significantly, the wire-wrapped stick. She knew what she had to do.

"Katniss, get away from that tree!" Finnick orders in horror, his eyes focused on the bubbling electricity forming above them. But Katniss doesn't listen. With trembling hands, she winds the wire around her arrow and stands up with an unwavering resolve. Finnick suddenly realises what she was going to attempt and takes off sprinting towards her. "Katniss, get away from that tree!"

She shoots the arrow at the sky with a guttoral scream just as lightning strikes the tree. The blast sends both Katniss and Finnick flying backwards but the power generated from it travels up the coil as it pierces the dome. A huge wave of electricity ripples outward in the sky, shutting off all power in the arena as it goes.

The effects are noticed by all the remaining tributes, though only a few know what it really means. As the arena collapses around them, Dahlia realises this is their opportunity for extraction. She can finally escape the horrors of the Capitol. The Hunger Games will no longer plague her existence. She's getting out of here.

"Peeta, we have to go!" She urges the boy who stares up at the blazing arena in confusion, gripping his arm and dragging him along. Together they dodge falling technological debris, avoid scorching wildfires and combat with their own exhaustion in a bid to reach their hope of freedom.

The pain in her body is numbed by an adrenaline rush of excitement. All the hurt and suffering will finally become worth it. No more Snow. No more killing. No more Hunger Games. She could barely contain the smile on her face anymore, laughing openly at the joy of being reunited with Finnick and beginning their life together.

The hovercraft had come to take them away, extending a claw down to collect any tributes close to the tree. Dahlia hadn't thought it was possible to run any faster, but her powerful stride felt as though it could lift her from the ground. Three bodies had been lifted into the craft by the time Dahlia had dragged Peeta to the tree, their identities unknown to her. But she drops Peeta's hand in favour of waving her arms wide above her head to catch the attention of their rescuers.

"Hey, we're here!" She yells loudly through her cupped hands, wide grin still lighting up her features in delight. "We're here!" She repeats her call, bouncing up and down on her toes to get the hovercraft to notice her. The bright searchlights scour the forest floor, eventually focusing on the two tributes. Dahlia's eyes fill with tears of joy. They're saved.

And then the hovercraft lifts into the sky, taking Dahlia's hope with it. They weren't saving her... They were leaving her behind.

"Wait!" She cries out in desperation, rushing forward even as the hovercraft soars away from the opening. "No, stop! Don't leave us! Please!" Her pleas go unanswered and the hovercraft disappears from sight. "Please."

She had been betrayed by the Rebellion she had sacrificed everything for, abandoned by the people she'd fought for. They used her. Luring her in with the offer of freedom, only to leave her stranded once they got what they needed.

They were never going to rescue her. They didn't want her. No one did.