Before dawn, Katniss carefully camouflages the cave so Peeta will be hidden if she does not return. She prepares food, water, and weapons, notes that she has only nine arrows left, and thinks through which tributes are likely to come to the feast. During the cold night beside Peeta, Katniss worries about her family, imagines District 12 watching, thinks about Gale, and then leaves Peeta sleeping after kissing him to maintain their public romance.

Katniss travels back to the Cornucopia by the same route she used before and hides near the clearing to wait for the feast. When the sun rises, a table emerges holding four district-marked backpacks. Foxface instantly dashes out, grabs the pack for District 5, and escapes, proving how dangerous her cunning is and forcing Katniss to act immediately before someone else takes District 12's bag.

Katniss sprints for the tiny orange backpack, but Clove attacks with knives. Katniss wounds Clove in the arm with an arrow and manages to seize the bag, yet Clove cuts Katniss across the forehead and tackles her. While pinning Katniss down, Clove taunts her about Peeta and Rue and prepares to kill her slowly for the audience.

Thresh suddenly appears, having heard Clove mention Rue. He overpowers Clove, demands to know what happened to Rue, and listens as Katniss explains that Rue was her ally, that Katniss killed the boy who speared Rue, buried Rue in flowers, and sang to her as she died. Because Katniss helped Rue and because District 11 sent Katniss bread in thanks, Thresh decides they are even and spares Katniss. He kills Clove with a rock, takes the larger backpacks, and tells Katniss to run as Cato arrives too late to save Clove.

Fleeing through the woods with blood pouring into her eye, Katniss realizes Cato is more likely to chase Thresh, who took District 2's pack. She reaches the cave, opens the tiny District 12 backpack, and finds a single syringe of medicine. Katniss immediately injects Peeta with it, securing his chance to survive, but her own head wound and exhaustion overtake her and she collapses.