As night falls, Haymitch and Ampert keep up a false conversation about trapping rabbits while secretly preparing the sabotage. Ampert unwinds the fuse from his token and hides the blasting cap, and Haymitch notices that their clothing seems unusually resistant to fire, which suggests the arena’s dangers may include more burning hazards. After the anthem shows no deaths, Ampert admits he fears the dark, and Haymitch lets him rest while Haymitch keeps watch and quietly says goodbye to the people he loves, expecting the mission may kill him.

After midnight, Haymitch wakes Ampert, takes the fuse and explosive, and pries open the berm with his spear. Haymitch descends a ladder into a hidden utility corridor, finds the enormous water tank marked with tear-shaped droplets, attaches the putty-like explosive, inserts the cap, and lights the fuse. With only about sixty seconds to escape, Haymitch runs back for the ladder, determined to survive if he can.

Before Haymitch can climb out, the Capitol sends in rainbow-winged bat mutts to stop him. Ampert throws down the torch to help, but the bats keep attacking while Haymitch climbs. Realizing he cannot outrun the blast, Haymitch straps himself to the ladder with his belt and holds on. The explosion finally rips open the tank, flooding the tunnel; Haymitch survives the surge, regains the ladder, and reaches the surface, noticing that the tank water itself is not poisoned.

Aboveground, Haymitch immediately realizes Ampert is gone. Following a chattering noise into a clearing, Haymitch finds golden squirrel-like mutts swarming over a mound and understands they are consuming Ampert. Haymitch attacks with the hammock and spear, but the mutts are programmed for Ampert alone and ignore Haymitch while finishing him. When they finally withdraw, they leave only Ampert’s clean skeleton, his ax, and Haymitch’s knife. The cannon sounds, and Haymitch is shattered by grief and rage, thinking of Beetee and then lashing out at the arena itself with Ampert’s ax.

As Haymitch hacks at the arena, the sabotage begins to show results. The ground shakes, berms malfunction, mutt-like baby deer and sparking trees appear, and the fake sky flickers until the real night sky and fresh air break through. Haymitch realizes the plan has damaged the arena’s systems and briefly believes he, Ampert, Beetee, and their allies have truly broken the Games; in triumph, he sings a forbidden rebellious song. But the darkness returns, the false sky reappears, and from his tree lookout Haymitch sees the distant mountain erupt with lethal gold. That final sign tells Haymitch the Capitol has regained enough control that the Games are not over.