Her question was bound to be rebutted with agitation but Katniss didn't care. She was going to ask it, regardless of it being pointless. She wanted to know how he felt, even if that meant him firing some nasty words her way. If it helped with the pain, she didn't really care how he replied to her inquiry. And his reply was silent and she was a little thankful for that. When she attempted with a new route, he finally complied which made her happy. It was a small dose of happiness, yes, but it was tiny moments of reliance and hope that would keep pushing them through the blood and broken bodies. And in their case, manufactured mist. 

Haymitch settled down and first mentioned that he didn't know what it was. Katniss didn't really care about dwelling on it. Sure, they may surely see it again soon but she didn't care. What it was didn't matter. It was dangerous and could move on its own. The only thing she needed to know was to keep out of its reach, unlike Haymitch. He inspected his own injury first while she pulled the blue tarp out of the bag. As much as she wanted to openly bark at Peeta to give them a gift, something to help with the pain or blisters, she knew that was bad form. No sponsor would give them anything if they flat out asked for it.

So for now, they had to hold on until Peeta got them something useful. "Don't touch it." She told him as he prodded the bump. Prim was the healer in their family but Katniss had picked up some useful tips from her younger sister. Katniss knew they should leave it alone and just bandage it as is. If they touched the injury, it would only get agitated and have a higher chance of becoming infected. When he finally let her check it out, she leaned down to get a better look. It didn't smell rotting, which was a good thing. "Yeah I know but right now, this is priority." She told him. There was no sense is moving forward if an injury could just slow them down.

In her mind, they needed to treat it now, rather than leave it unattended. She swallowed down the urge to mention Peeta, as she was sure he was already working sponsors for a gift. "I'll just bandage it up and we can get moving again." Katniss told him as she used the sharp end of her arrow to cut a small bit of the tarp. She then reached down and tore off part of her pants and put that under the scrap of tarp which would repel water and add as another layer of protection. She then used the bit of rope to tie the makeshift bandage in place. "It's not great work but it'll protect it from bugs, blood...you know." Katniss then shoved it all back in the pack and got up. "This setting feels a lot better to me." She said, eyeing the dry thin forest as it kept getting more green and wild down the way.

"If we're lucky, we'll find food." She felt exposed but ready to get moving again. And as much as Katniss wanted to ask Haymitch again if he was okay, she didn't and just headed into the woods, listening for anyone or anything nearby, hoping they hadn't fallen into another trap.

The pain had been so sharp, he almost fell to his knees. The last thing his body felt like doing, was running. It felt like hot knives were cutting through his skin, slowly. 

He could feel Prim pulling him along as he gritted his teeth and tried not to moan too much. His steps were uneven and hard. His mind kept telling him to move, to just keep moving but his body wanted to shut down and give in. The two of them kept trying to evade the mist's reach by retreating to back where they had started. As the area began to melt back into the city, the gravel under his feet crunched and slide as he struggled to keep his legs in motion. He tried to look over his shoulder but couldn't. Gale and Prim didn't stop until they hurried into an abandoned building which had lost a door, as well as the glass on its windows. The building was just a cold shell but it was better than dying out in the wild.

Gale tugged his hand out of Prim's hand and finally fell to his knees. The pain was still there but it had diminished slightly. Though it still hurt enough to make him vomit. He couldn't see how bad the injury had been but he could feel it, and it was bad. Gale tried to catch his breath as he propped his back against the wall facing the door. He didn't want anyone to surprise them with an ambush. There was a thick concrete staircase on the other side of the room but he didn't think they needed to check it out yet. If someone was up there, they'd show themselves. And if it was empty, it may provide the duo with a way to look out.

Sure, it wasn't the height of the tree, but it would so. Gale turned his head to look at Prim, hoping that she was okay in their quick retreat. Normally a sprint like that wouldn't do much harm but with the pain his body felt, he didn't see himself moving for at least ten minutes. Another worry was if the mist had gotten deeper, had somehow been able to get into his skull or brain. It was hard to imagine but for him, it had to be considered. Thankfully, he had Prim by his side, someone who could make sure the mist didn't bring him down somehow. "How bad is it?" He asked her.

So far, the man had been toying with touching it or not. It was a big temptation. He wiped his hand on his pants and lifted it to his forehead. He touched the side and slowly made his way to the middle, wincing. It felt bad but it didn't feel deep or bloody. That had to be a good sign right? Gale let out a long sigh. "This is one of the times, I'm glad to be taller than you." Gale didn't want Prim feeling this way. Eventually, his legs stopped shaking and Gale flexed his arms and legs, trying to adjust to the pain, as opposed to resisting it. Outside the door, he heard nothing. No more screaming or running. "I think we may want to stay here until tomorrow." It wasn't ideal but he didn't want to risk too much on the first day. "At least here, we have shelter."