At the cliff above the generator, Haymitch reaches another dead end and sinks into despair. He refuses to go back into the arena proper, seeing even that small refusal as a form of resistance, while Maysilee prepares to retrieve their potatoes and consider their next move. After a cannon signals that another tribute has died, reducing the field to four, Haymitch tests the drop with stones and discovers that a force field covers the generator, making sabotage from above impossible.

Haymitch then hears Maysilee scream and rushes back through the hedge. A flock of pink waterbird mutts is attacking her alone, clearly programmed to target her, and Haymitch hacks at them with his ax but cannot stop the fatal strike. One bird drives its beak through Maysilee's throat, and Haymitch stays with her as she dies, understanding her final pinkie clasp as a reminder of their promise to fight the Capitol. After the hovercraft arrives, Haymitch keeps Maysilee's blowgun and flower medallion as tokens of her strength.

Too numb to act, Haymitch receives a sponsor gift from Mags: strawberry ice cream and black coffee, which remind him of Maysilee and help him grieve. As he repacks their supplies into Maysilee's bag, he rediscovers the illegal potato-battery kit and reflects on the deaths of the Gamemakers and the pattern of Capitol punishment. Concluding that Wellie would be a better surviving symbol than himself, Haymitch decides his remaining purpose is to find and protect her rather than chase victory for its own sake.

Calling out for Wellie, Haymitch follows the bell from her token necklace and finds her high in a tree, wasted by starvation and barely able to respond. Haymitch gives Wellie water but cannot safely bring her down in the dark, so he stays beside her as a storm approaches. Using Beetee's potato-light instructions, one potato, and Maysilee's copper medallion to replace a lost coin, Haymitch builds a dim light bulb, then secures Wellie to the branch with tarp and blankets to keep her alive through the rain.

Later, another sponsor gift arrives with vanilla pudding and chocolate, and Haymitch patiently feeds enough to Wellie to get some food into her. While the last three tributes endure the night, Haymitch hears Silka crying below the tree and realizes that grief has overtaken even his remaining enemy. Instead of attacking, Haymitch drops chocolate down to Silka, creating a brief, uneasy moment of shared humanity among the arena's final trio.