Dahlia gasps awake as a hand is slapped over her mouth. She panics, kicking her legs out in an attempt to halt her attacker until she spots the familiar blonde hair hovering above her. Cove's eyes are widened, practically begging Dahlia to stay still. She brings her index finger to her lips, silently hushing the girl who nods her compliance. Slowly removing her hand, Cove motions for Dahlia to peek over the boulder they're sheltering behind. A truly terrifying sight awaits her. Mutts.

A swarm of mutated bats swirled around in the night sky, their red eyes glowing menacingly in the dark. They circle around Elektra's abandoned body like a pack of bloodthirsty vultures, chittering desperately for a drop of sustenance. Then, as if a gun had gone off, they descended upon their meal to feast on the tribute's flesh. Dahlia and Cove could only watch for a few moments before gathering their supplies and taking the opportunity to escape.

"That's not gonna entertain them for long." Cove announces anxiously, dragging Dahlia along with an iron grip. Together they stumble over the rocks, looking back every once in a while to check on the mutts. "We need to get into the tunnels."

"There's a hatch over here." Dahlia points to an opening just a few metres away, making the two skid to a stop. But the relief of finding an escape is short-lived once the sound of fluttering wings grows closer and closer. "I think they've spotted us."

"No kidding." Cove deapans, yanking the hatch open and ushering for Dahlia to slip through. Just as Cove jumps in behind, the bats catch up to their position. They quickly overwhelm the pair, biting and scratching wherever they can sink their teeth in. While clinging onto the rocky walls with one hand, Dahlia grabs her last remaining knife and stabs it into any creature that comes too close. She hoped it would scare the others away, but these bats are relentless and undeterred. And apparently more clever than they look. They target the hand she is using to grip the wall, knowing that she will fall if she lets go.

Dahlia screams out in distress as the bats continue to swoop down and the sound of their screeches fills her ears. The rocks supporting her feet start to crumble away, causing Dahlia to latch onto whatever she can with both hands. Her eyes are squeezed shut in terror as the mutts swoop down on her. Suddenly, one bat knocks into Dahlia's arm, causing it to buckle and lose grip. She cries out agonisingly, now only hanging on with one hand and her fingers are already starting to slip. Her legs flail about but her boots can't find any grip. In one last desperate attempt, Dahlia reaches up with her aching arm to regain her grip. Just as her fingertips brush the edge of the rock, a cracking noise makes her breath hitch. This hatch was collapsing around her.

The air is sucked out of Dahlia's lungs as her body descends rapidly into darkness. For a moment, she is weightless. Floating on a cloud away from this wretched arena, to a place where she isn't a killer and can live in peace. No fears, no guilt. Just ethereal serenity. Maybe it would be better if she died in these games? Why should she buy into the Capitol's scheme? Would it be such a bad thing if she didn't make it out alive? But then Finnick's voice echoes in her mind.

"Remember who you're fighting for."

She fights for her family. For her mother, Lavender and Rosie, who wait desperately for Dahlia to return. For Alaric, who didn't know how to keep pushing forward until Dahlia showed him how. For Cove, who knew Dahlia was meant to be a Victor. For Finnick, who was rooting for Dahlia Blossom, not the Black Dahlia. She couldn't let them down by giving up now. She won't.

And so, reality brought her back down to earth with a slam. Her body tumbled haphazardly over the rocky debris until she rolled to a stop. Above her, the cliff faces were falling to pieces and sending rubble plummeting into the tunnels.

"Cove!" Dahlia calls out, having not seen her ally since they reached the opening. Avoiding the large chunks of rock crashing around her, Dahlia squints to see through the dust. "Cove!" Her hopes shatter with every boulder that smashes down, fearing the worst for the District Four female. Until, a loud cough pierces the rumbling of rocks. "Cove." Dahlia dashes towards the sound, scrambling over the rubble until she finds Cove buried under the remains.

"Dahlia." She croaks weakly as the younger girl begins frantically removing the rocks from her body. "What is--"

"This whole section is collapsing." Dahlia explains hurriedly, her movements not slowing as she works to rescue her friend. "We need to go now before we're crushed completely." The largest chunk of debris had trapped Cove's leg and made a sizable gash in her calf. As Dahlia tugs Cove to her feet, the girl cries out in pain and stumbles into her friend.

"I can't-- I can't walk on it." She gasps out, gripping tightly to Dahlia's arm.

"Lean on me." Dahlia instructs, pulling Cove's arm over her shoulder and helping her limp away from the collapsing rockfall. Once they are out of the danger zone, Dahlia sets Cove down against the wall to have a moment of rest. The water levels had risen overnight and now started spilling into the tunnels. The rumbling noise mixes with their panting breaths until the boom of a cannon overpowers them all. Dahlia rummages in her bag for a water canteen, which was significantly dented in the fall, and hands it over to Cove. "That was a close one." The water dribbles down the side of Cove's mouth as she guzzles the precious liquid. "Easy, Cove."

"Mutts and a landslide?" The girl growls out in rage, gripping onto the misshapen bottle with white knuckles. "What the hell is that about?"

"Maybe they were annoyed that we stayed above the tunnels." Dahlia shrugs, kneeling down and brushing off the dust covering Cove's body. "The important thing is that we both made it out alive."

"You're covered in scratches and I can barely walk." Cove points out dejectedly, motioning to the rather nasty cuts decorating Dahlia's face and hands. The dark-haired girl can do nothing but shrug off Cove's concerns. "Wait. Why am I sitting in water?"

"I think the arena is flooding." Dahlia reveals, dunking her hands into the cool water. The scratches stung at the contact but were soon soothed as she delicately washed them. "It's rising from the Cornucopia. It's probably to flush us out of the tunnels and force tributes to be in closer proximity."

Cove stares at her friend as if she had grown three heads. "And you didn't think to mention this earlier?"

Cringing in realisation, Dahlia sheepishly apologises, "Sorry. It slipped my mind."

Shaking her head, Cove lets the girl off lightly. "I heard a cannon go off. How many tributes are left now?"

"Nine, I think  if you include us." Dahlia replies, standing up to her full height as she hears a small splash nearby. Her body tenses at the possible presence of another tribute, turning to Cove and asking, "Did you hear--"

Dahlia is cut off by her own gasp as she's grabbed from behind and a voice whispers into her ear, "The number is about to go down to seven."

"Caspian." Cove hisses through gritted teeth, glaring at her district partner. "Where are your bodyguards?"

"We heard the cave collapsing from the Cornucopia." The boy responds, caging Dahlia using the body of his spear pressing against her throat. "The others were convinced that it was another one of your tricks. Just the two of you trying to lure us out again. They didn't want to risk it, but I knew... I knew it was you." His voice is laced with malice, making the young boy sound like a madman. Cove's anxious gaze is fixed on Dahlia, whose face is red with breathlessness, so she subtly slips a throwing knife from her pocket. Her leg may be injured, but her arms are perfectly fine. "Oh, how I wished I would be the one to kill you, Cove. You're a traitor!"

"And you're a coward pretending to be something you're not." Cove retorts sharply, making Caspian push the spear further into Dahlia's neck. "You will never be Finnick Odair."

"I'd be careful with your words, Cove." Caspian warns darkly, enjoying his ability to taunt the girl. "Or did you forget that I hold your ally's life in my hand?" He chuckles to himself at Cove's silence, not realising that she was subtly nodding at her friend. "All it would take is a snap of her neck." Dahlia nods back in acknowledgement, preparing to strike while Caspian rambles on. "I hold the power here."

Cove smirks menacingly, "No you don't."

Dahlia jabs her elbow into Caspian's stomach allowing the pressure on her neck to be released. The boy is successfully winded by the blow but the spear still cages her in. With a guttoral roar, Dahlia pushes backwards and forces Caspian into the wall of the cave. His back smacks against the rock, causing his grip to loosen and allowing Dahlia to slip out of his hold. She whips round quickly and slams her knee into his abdomen but Caspian recovers faster than she had expected. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he tackles Dahlia into the water covered ground. The fight takes a messy turn and water is splashed up everywhere as the two grapple and wrestle. Sloppy hits and punches are exchanged as each tribute struggles in their attempt to gain the upper hand.

Suddenly, Caspian manages to snake his hands around Dahlia's neck and force her head under the water. She kicks her legs and flails around desperately but Caspian is physically stronger. He holds her head down, delighting in watching her squirm like a fish on a hook. As the air is drained from her lungs, Dahlia tries to take a deep breath in but all she gets is water. Caspian cackles menacingly as she grows weaker in his hands. However, blinded by his hunger for the fame and glory associated with killing The Black Dahlia with his bare hands, he seemed to have forgotten the other tribute in the tunnel.

With great difficulty, Cove had managed to push herself to her feet and was now standing on her uninjured leg. Then, while gripping onto the wall for balance, she launches the knife through the air. The blade whips by faster than a bullet and pierces Caspian's shoulder. The boy cries out in pain and releases Dahlia, who rises from the water with a gasp. Her lungs burn as she hacks and splutters out all the water she had inhaled. Grasping onto the wall to steady herself, Dahlia soon regains awareness of the situation around her.

Caspian, with the knife still embedded in his right shoulder, grips the spear with his left hand and glares venomously at Cove. He staggers slightly as he advances on her but it does not faze him in the slightest. He stalks forward like a predator cornering its prey, a deadly gleam in his eye. District Four against District Four. One with an injured leg, the other with an injured arm. It would be an interesting match-up with fairly even odds. Although, Cove had a slight advantage. The Black Dahlia.

Letting out a ferocious war cry and raising the spear high, Caspian's next strike has the intent to kill. But before he can bring the weapon down, a dark blade punctures his midriff. He glances down in shock at the sword poking through his stomach, spear slipping through his fingers and clattering into the water. Dahlia pulls her sword out of his body, watching the boy stumble on his feet and slump to the ground next to Cove with a groan. Another cannon rings out through the tunnels as Dahlia sinks to her knees in exhaustion.

"Mutts, landslide and a Career attack." Dahlia mumbles breathlessly after a few moments of silence. "I hope the Capitol was entertained by that."

"I didn't get enough sleep for this." Cove grumbles in annoyance, sliding down the wall to sit next to her friend. Once she's managed to cough up all the excess water in her lungs, Dahlia approaches Caspian's dead body. "What are you doing?"

Yanking the knife out of the boy's shoulder, Dahlia turns back to Cove with a smirk. "Giving them a show."

The knife was her paint brush, Caspian was her canvas and the blood was her paint. The raw smile grinning back at her was her artwork and Dahlia had perfected her craft as an artist. She was making her mark on the Games, carving her way through the competition like an expert sculptor.

"Two Careers left." Cove reminds Dahlia as she steps back from her masterpiece. Caspian had done the pair a huge favour. They had now levelled the playing field. Two vs Two. The odds were starting to tilt in Dahlia and Cove's favour.