Surviving the Same War

Chapter 17

KATNISS POV
I was thrown into an empty building, this isn't my fear, is it? I'm not afraid of being alone, that's how it used to be anyways. No, something else is here.
Right on cue, Rue walks into the room. Her face looks as innocent as always and her hair in puffy curls.
"Rue!" I screech, running towards her with my arms spread out, forgetting for a moment that this was not real. I ran to embrace her but she pushed me away.
"Stay away from me Katniss," tears immediately filled my eyes. "You are not my friend. You let me DIE in that arena! Did you think money helped my parents? No! You've betrayed me! You let me go, you let me DIE!" She kept repeating herself over and over again.
"Katniss," I turned to see the familiar voice match the familiar face. Prim. "She's not right, you didn't betray her, you betrayed US! You sat there and watched my body blown into pieces. You did nothing to help me!"
"You let me DIE!" Rue screeched.
"You were never a good sister!"
Their voices filled my head. Others appeared and their voices only grew louder.
"I could have lived! You chose Peeta over me!" Mags screamed.
"I tried to help you! What did I get? Death by mutts!" Finnick.
"I bet on you and you let me be tortured!" Cinna.
"You never really did care! I died, and you just swam out into the river for the coil! Selfless? No, SELFISH!" Wiress.
"Liar! MURDERER! Betrayer! Worst sister ever!" Each sentence felt like a stab into my heart, every word a dagger in me. I tried focusing my mind, but I did betray them. I didn't try to save them.
Rue died because of me, no. Rue died because of Marvel. I sang to her, I helped her, I killed Marvel. Prim died because of Coin. I killed Coin. Finnick died because of the Capital, I rebelled against the Capital. Mags died because of the arena, I destroyed the arena. Cinna died to start a rebellion, I finished that rebellion. I didn't kill them, any of them.
They somehow knew what I was thinking, and Rue ran to me. Her face filled with regret and just as I was about to hug her, the sickening aroma of roses filled the air. Scratch that, not just roses, roses and death. Rue disappeared right in front of me.
"Ah ah ah. Now, if I let you do that I wouldn't be able to have any fun, would I?" My heart raced in terror as I turned to find Snow sitting in a chair behind me. "Frightened are we? Well don't worry, this is a simple game I created, special for you. Do you recognize these people?" He clicked a button and everybody I've ever loved appeared on a screen. Prim, mom, Gale, Peeta, Rue, even dad. Somehow, he was back.
"Simple rules for a simple game. You get to pick the two who will be our next contestants in the Games! Isn't it fun? Pick one of 3 girls and one of 3 boys. Go ahead." My mind was paralyzed in fear, I could never just pick. "Not going to cooperate are we? No matter, all of them will go in."
"No!" I screamed, but it was too late. They were already rising into the arena on the platform. 60...59...58...
"Care to join them?" He laughed crazily and I appeared on to one of the plates. 27...26...25... I couldn't kill them.
3...2...1 BOOM!
The cannon fired and everyone was racing towards the cornucopia, but something was off. Nobody else was here, just us. I grabbed a bow and raced out into the woods. I heard no cannons after what should have been 10 minutes. Good.
A scream all-too-familiar sounded and I raced towards it to find my father preparing to drive a knife into Rue's chest. My bow was armed in a matter of seconds, "Drop. The. Knife."
"Make me," was all he answered. I was stuck, let him kill Rue or kill him myself. I let the arrow fly, and I never miss my target.
My eyes jolted awake and Peeta wrapped his arms around me, rocking me back and forth. I cried into his shoulder and fell asleep.