Rebelling Against The Rebellion {Fourth Book to the HG} UNDER MAJOR CONSTRUCTION

Chapter Thirteen: Lights Out

My mouth drapes wide open yet not a sound dares to escape my throat. Here I am, behind a bundle of dead people in boxes, witnessing Finnick Odair, my good friends wife - Dead. Lifeless. Gone. I watch as the man slams the empty crate shut and locks it back up. The other man in the lab coat helps Doug lift the dead bodies and brings them over to a metal door which is hardly noticeable. It stands unnoticed behind a pillar holding up the ground from crashing. If those pillars weren't there, this cruel mutant factory would be gone. 

The woman in the lab coat swings the door open and allows both men inside. She then walks behind them and shuts the door behind her. Peeking my head out from the stack of crates, I see no one is here. Before I make a break for it, I take a deep, pain filled breath. Where would I be going? I have no where to go. I can't climb up to get out of this place.. My rib cage is on fire. 

Make me proud, sweetheart.

Haymitch's words haunt my mind loudly. His words are the only thing that can boost my confidence as well as adrenaline. I refuse to let the country down because of a little pain. Haymitch is counting on me.. My kids are counting on me.. The entire 13 districts are counting on me. Not the police, not any authority. Me. Courage boils up in me, soon shooting through out my body. I could do this. With another deep breath, I pounce away from the dead bodies and shoot myself down the tunnel from where I entered. Coming down here is an advantage as well as a problem. I now know more than I did an hour ago, yet I might be stuck here for a while.. Or even worse, be turned into a mutant.. But I can't afford to think negative. Positive thoughts lead to positive progress. Besides, thinking negative will get me nowhere. 

I limp quickly over to the large pit where I fell in. The tunnel trip seems shorter than before. I gaze up at the wide open hole, the moonlight dimly shining through. By where the moon stands, I can tell night will soon be over. From what I can also tell is that if I don't get out soon, I'll be one being turned into a mutant. Keeping still, I create a plan in my mind. Climbing the loose rocks would be okay, but I'd need to be quick - which I'm not at the moment. I can search the place for some type of hook and rope, but that would be risky. Climbing would seem like the only reasonable choice I have... Scratch that. Climbing is the only choice I have. 

Grabbing onto a poked out rock, I pat it to see if it's stable enough for me to climb on. The rock slightly wiggles in the compacted dirt. This could probably keep me up for a limited amount of time. Before I lift my foot up, I search for rocks poking out. There are a couple big ones while the others are rather pointy and curved. Quickly leaping upward, I grab onto the next rock, then the next, going as fast as I can. I leap from one to the other, looking straight up. My ribs decide to go against my actions and swell up into a stinging sensation. Sucking in my teeth, I squint my eyes and continue moving, this time slower.  

I'm halfway up and my ribs are acting up even worse. Hesitating for a brief moment, I stop climbing. And that right there is a mistake.. I'm just full of mistakes today, aren't I? Hesitating is all it takes. The pointed shaped rock holding me up brakes out of the soil and falls. Using my reflex, I grab onto the large rock above me for my life. The pointed rock is larger than I thought.. So large it makes a loud bang against the pits floor. The thud echos around the pit and down the tunnel. My chest nervously moves up and down by breathing so hard. I wouldn't be surprised if my face is turning a bright shade of red. Using two hands, I hang onto the rock and begin to dig my boots in the soil floor. Slipping and sliding, I whimper in the stinging pain that is making way up to my arms. 

Deep breath, Katniss. You're almost there. Lift yourself up...Come on, lift. 

My words of encouragement doesn't do the trick. Instead, it does the complete opposite. Distant footsteps and huffs of breath sound from the tunnel. Doug.. the lab people. Did they here the rock drop? Sweat drizzles down my fore head than passed my cheek, onto my chin. "Who's there!?" a deep country filled voice barks from the tunnel. "Shit" I mutter to myself, trying with all my might to lift myself up. Doug and the two with the lab coat enter the pit with their mouth's wide open. 

"What in the name of Paylor happened?" the woman says, her clipboard tightly held to her chest. 

"HER!" Dough roars, pointing his stubby finger at me. "GET HER DOWN NOW!" My fingers begin to slip by my sweaty hands. Gathering all my strength and courage, I lift my entire body up and onto the next rock. Dough runs over to the wall I'm climbing and pounds his fist on the soil wall, causing all the loose rocks to fall down. "Get the tazer gun" the girl mutters to the man beside her. "I don't know who she is, or why -" The woman stops short and stares up at me with widened eyes. 

I lift myself to the next rock, then to the next. I could feel the breeze of the woods wind on my face... I'm close. "You! Girl!" the woman yells. "Who are you?" I don't even bother to answer.. I just need to get out of this pit of hell. One foot after the other I continue up the steep pit, but before I could even stick my head out of the whole to freedom, an intense electric bolt hits me right in the rib. 

Then everything goes black. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~**~~**~*~*~

"I love you, Katniss. I do, I really do" Peeta says quietly, almost as if in a whisper. He takes hold of my hand, his glistening blue eyes starring directly into mine. I shift nervously in my seat, not only because of the anxiety, but because of how conformable my dress is. Peeta keeps my palm in his and stands up to his feet. A small smile dances across my lips as his thumb caresses the top of my hand. He then bends down on one knee... One knee... And gazes up at me. I keep still in my seat... Frozen...Anxious. Would this be it? Would this be the time? I slowly use my other hand and tuck a stray curled piece of hair behind my ear. 

"Katniss Everdeen..." Peeta begins, clearing his throat before he continues. "From the moment we were picked at the reaping, to today where we stand now, my love for you grows more and more everyday and will stay that way till the day I die. The Hunger Games forced us to become closer than we ever had before... And that... Was the best thing I could ask for. We fought side by side through out the years, and from today on, I will continue doing that.. Fighting side by side. Without you, there is a missing piece in the puzzle - and no puzzle is perfect unless complete. Forced love turned to real love, and now... I ask you... Will you marry me?" 

My heart stopped completely. I stand their completely still as a statue. Peeta just asked me... Before I could even realize tears came flooding down my cheeks, I manage to choke out 'yes' and quickly got up to hug him. He wraps his warm muscular arms around my waist as I wrap my arms around his neck. My head lays on his shoulder, my tears of joy staining his shirt. His head becomes burried in my wild curls that I did myself... Dolling myself up reminds me on Cinna. He was never making me pretty... He was making an impression. 

I wipe my tears happily and place a long passionate kiss on Peeta's soft lips. As I back away for a brief moment, Gale pops out of nowhere. His shaggy black hair and his cheek high stubble become visible as he walks into the light. 

"Gale?" I choke out in disbelief. He wares a ripped up bloody stained shirt along with shaggy worn out jeans. His black boots may be the only thing that reminds me of the old Gale. He nods his head and moves closer to me. As he continues to move closer, I snap my head behind. 

Peeta's gone. 

"Where did...?" Before I finish my sentence, Gale is chest close. His cool breath blows silently on my lips, causing my skin to freeze, feeling ice cold. He takes both my hands in his and glances down at the floor. "I guess he couldn't keep to his word" Gale says, nearly murmuring. He then gazes back up at me and begins to caress my cheek lovingly. "Good hunting partners are hard to find... And I don't want to lose mine".

Gale leans closer...Closer... Closer....

"WAKE UP!" a voice roars viciously. My eyes snap open, soon adjusting to my scenery. 

My hands and legs are tied to a metal chair with iron chains along with bars to hold my shoulders and elbows down. An iron head band stretches across my head, connecting to the metal chairs. Wires and metal pins connect to the metal chains and brace over my head. 

They got me. 

The Capitol just hit a home run.