The Nightmares Begin (Chapter four)

I wish that scratching on my ears made a difference to the screams of terror coming from the cell to my right. I am in the far left comer of my cell and yet the screams were as clear as if Darius was only an inch from my face.

"What weapons are the rebels using?" A deep voice demands for the fourth time.

"Arghula!" Darius sounds like some kind of rushing river, but if he had a tongue, he would be shouting.

"What weapons are the rebels using?" The volume of the mans voices increases.

Darius is silent, until the punishments begin again. From what I gather, it starts with a simple cut or a light punch. Then, slowly, but surely the man works up to more painful activities, until, despite Daruis's screams of protest, the man is removing fingers and toes.

I wince at every sound out of Daruis's mouth and wonder if my fate would be the same?

No, you are to valuable to risk you bleeding to death or some silly death like that

'Why do you sound so quiet?'

I am growing weak since my last... recharging.

'Recharging?'

Your dreams, Peeta. The venom. It is my lifeline.

'Venom?'

Tsk, I had to open my mouth. You are smart, no?

'I... I guess'

Then you will put two and two together soon enough

'Put two and two together?'

No response

I sigh and notice for for the first time Darius's screams have been replaced with small whimpers that means that beatings have ended for the day.

"Darius?"

The whimpers stop, "Huuu?"

"Are you ok?" I crawl towards our conjoining wall

"Nahhsshhh," I can hear the pain in his voice

"Darius. I'm sorry. I'm sorry you are going to die."

There is silence from then on. Darius knows I am correct and, much my despair, I know as well. I crawl as far away as possible and curl up into a pathetic little ball. Soon the darkness of my cell is replaced by a darkness I fear much more. 

My dreams are now just desolate darkness. There is no Katniss ripping at my flesh; no wounds that transfer from my dream world to real life. I know that this should bring a smile to my face, but it leaves me with an unsettling feeling in my gut.

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"Move him, move him," a voice pulls me from my dream abyss.

"Silence, we must not wake him." another voice states as the owner pulls me from the ground.

My feet brush the the ground as I am pulled towards the back of my cell. My body comes in contact with the cold metal I discovered just days ago.

'What is this?'

They are going to inject it.

'What?'

Liquid nightmares.

My eyes shot open soon enough to see two large syringes enter my neck before everything goes black.

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I slowly feel my senses coming back. The cold stone under my body feels just like it did my first night in my cell, the throbbing pain in my neck has returned with much vigor, and the realization that my eyes are close reaches my foggy brain. 

I manage to lift my heavy eyelid and am face to face with the snarling mutt who seemed to cause all this trouble, Katniss.