Surviving the Same War

Chapter 12

KATNISS POV

Four injected me with the liquid as he had done before, but the feeling this time was different. My blood throbbed in my head giving me a massive headache and my neck felt numb. Unlike the other test, I could feel the solution work in my body and my head felt as if it was going to explode. Suddenly, everything went dark.

I felt lost in time for a minute, then I landed in a room. It looked just like the I was in before, pale walls, an entire wall mirroring my image, and a single window on the door, but the entire area was empty. All the equipment that was once there vanished and everybody was gone.

A woman's voice interrupted my thoughts, "Pick one." Two tables appeared in the center of the room, one holding a block of cheese and the other a knife. I grabbed both, ignoring the rule the voice had told me earlier. "I said only one, but if you didn't follow regulation, neither will I."

The tables vanished and in their place materialized two vicious looking dogs. Something was off about them. They looked very similar, but that wasn't the issue. They stood side by side, mimicking each others movements, but locking their eyes onto mine. I stepped back slowly, careful to not make any sudden movements to frighten them, but their eyes unhooked from my gaze and veered to a spot behind me.

Their movements were in sync as they darted towards a petrified girl holding a small baby boy. She screamed and tried to run, but the boy was slowing her down.

"Don't let him go!" I screamed and stepped in the path that the creatures had chosen to reach the girl. I looked at them for a second, then quickly realized what was so off about the dogs. There were two, but only one. The second dog was just a mirror of the first.

I stepped in between the first dog and its illusion and used my knife to make a gashing mark in its side. Both dogs fell and beside me stood a mirror image of myself. The girl came to me and cried for the dogs, reminding me of Prim whenever I took her out into the woods. The image of me and the second dog vanished, leaving me with one dog lying on its death bed.

"Save it," the girl quietly pleaded. "Please."

I tore off a piece of my clothing and cleansed the wound. Taking another piece of cloth, I wrapped a bandage around the gash and rubbed the dogs head, comforting it. The girl pointed at the cheese I had placed on the ground earlier and reached for it.

"Feed him, he's lost a lot of blood and needs the energy." She nodded and placed the cheese near its mouth as the dog gently nibbled on it. She reached for her brother and walked off with him and the dog as their new guardian.

I laid down rubbing my head waiting to wake up in the real world. A man tapped my shoulder and I realized I was not in the real world at all. The bus I was put on was empty as a man stood over me.

"What?" I asked.

"I said have you seen this man?" His voice reeked and he have off a questionable vibe. He handed me a picture of a man with dark hair and round glasses. I've never seen the man, but he looked familiar.

"He seems familiar. Why do you ask?"

"Tell me the truth, this man wronged me and he needs to be punished."

A memory suddenly appeared in my head. The man was sitting in a shop looking at something.

"I do know, or more like recognize, the man but if I tell you, I'm going to come help you on your search."

"No miss, tell me and I will leave. That is all." I gave him a glare then looked away and crossed my arms. "Fine, but do not interfere." I nodded and told him what I saw. "I know where that is." He said.