Falling Through Portals

Hiding in the Hills

Chapter 80

Annabeth launched off of the pad. Her shaking legs landed awkwardly on the uneven ground, making her stumble before she could get up to speed. As she raced towards the cornucopia Annabeth tried to locate something easy to take from the pile of weapons and other goods. Turning her head, she spotted Finnick running in the same direction. Half of the other tributes were running with them, none of them matching their speed.

Coming up to the pile, she grabbed a sack from the ground and snatched a sword and sheath. Finnick made it there moments after her and raced to the silver trident near the top of the pile. The pounding of feet let her know that their window was closing. Swinging the sack onto her back, she grabbed another small bag in one fist and the sheath in the other.

"Finnick!" Annabeth yelled.

He looked at her and she nodded her head away from the cornucopia. As one, they avoided the rest of the incoming tributes and circled around the cornucopia to meet behind it before running like Tartarus.

They silently agreed to avoid the fortress rising above them and head to the right where rolling hills and sage brush flourished. Her breathing began to be labored. Kim must not have done much sprinting in her days as a torturer. The dry heat of the air was already making her tongue feel dry. When they reached the first hill, her legs started to scream as she ran up the incline. Forcing herself to keep pace with Finnick, sweat formed on her back.

After a labored climb, they reached the top of the hill in time to be startled by the roar of engines. Annabeth stopped abruptly and turned towards the sounds. Behind them, two heavily armored jeeps roared out of the fortress towards the cornucopia. Both of them were covered in sand colored metal sticking out in sharp points around the edges of it. Huge guns were posted on the backs of the cars. Whoops and hollers rang through the air from the people piloting and arming the vehicles. Some of them brandished swords and other weapons.

Finnick nudged her.

"There isn't anything we can do for them," he said, "come on, before they see us."

"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked. Finnick sighed.

"Those weren't tributes with us, those were different traitors to the Capitol," Finnick said, "Who did you think we were going to fight with these weapons?"

His words hit her hard. Those blurs of faces whom she had not even cared to remember were down there at that moment, about to be murdered for standing against the tyrants of this world. Annie had said she was going to kill her. But they were about to kill all of those people down there.

Annabeth took a step forward and Finnick was there in half a second.

"We have to help them!" Annabeth said.

"We can't help them if we are dead," Finnick said. A scream of agony pierced the air, emphasizing his point.

Annabeth's stomach churned. She didn't know what to think.

"We have to get out of here," Finnick insisted.

Against every inclination in her body, she turned away. They began running down the hill leaving the horrifying sounds behind them.

**************

Her whole mouth was dry. The hills rose around them full of sage brush and clay colored rocks and dirt. She itched to be on the high ground for defensive purposes, but Finnick said they needed the shelter from the killers on the armored jeeps.

Her hands were so dry. Any sweat she had formed from running had dissipated in the dry air already. Annabeth would have killed for a bottle of lotion. The speed-walk that they had reduced to was not as stressful as the running and gave her legs a bit of a break. She was able to fasten the sword and sheath around her with a belt that she had been given with her brown pants. The light fabric of her shirt was wonderful help in the heat of the sun, but the white was like a walking target. When they stopped she would need to roll it in the reddish clay or something. How she intended to do that with Finnick there, she wasn't sure. Inside her large bag was a blanket, which would be helpful for when it was freezing later that night; a flashlight; an empty water bottle; and a collection of purple tablets, unlabeled and threatening. In her smaller bag there were some supplies and a note reading: "go to the fort." When she had read it out loud Finnick grumbled about their own little fortune cookie. Finnick had grabbed a small bag and inside were more of the small purple tablets and another note telling them to go to the fort.