A Circus of Eagles [An HG Fanfic]

Chase - Romily

Romily

The club comes down from above, level with my head. I duck. It's not a movement I decide to do; my body does it, then my brain understands, just in time for me to see it coming again. My feet scramble along the floor, skittering on stones, as my attacker strides towards me. No time to stand. I've just got to get out of the way, get out of the way, get out of the way...

But I can't do it forever. The stones dig into my hands. I'm already tired - my sleep is disturbed by fires and I wake in a thrashing panic - and hungry, and my opponent keeps marching and he's quick at it, quicker than me. I need to get up, but he's too close now.

I kick out at his legs, aiming for the kneecap, hitting shin. It doesn't even break his stride. And then he's over me and the club is coming down again and I roll, feeling something scrape down my cheek. I taste dirt. Better dirt than blood. Better mud than fire.

The beginnings of an idea - 

I hoist myself to my feet and, unsteadily, run for the nearest gravestone. Hide behind it, breathing thanks for my size. Look over the top, to see if he's following, which he is. Only then is he out of the haze which, with my eyes, is the distance, so I can see who it is: it's the Peacekeeper boy with the blonde hair and the expression carved out of stone. He looks as though he's concentrating hard. He's no Rat. I can't overpower him.

But I know something he doesn't. Lots of things he doesn't, shining whitesuit guardsman that he is, but one thing in particular. The thought of it makes me sick.

What is Walterin afraid of?

And suddenly I don't want him to just give up. I want him to chase me, him and his perfectly Capitol face and Peacekeeper stance. I want to see his expression change. I want to see uncertainty in his eyes. Can't say why. Don't have to. This is the arena, and things are different here.

So I wait, panting, counting, as he strides closer and closer. Too close and he'll get me. Too far and he might just let me go - not out of mercy, I know, but to save his own strength. I'm just a gutter rat from Haematite. I'm no threat.

"Walt!" I call out, "I'm here!"

"I see you," he confirms. Quiet. Soft. Totally at odds with the machine marching towards me.

"Where's Milo, Walt?"

Doesn't even twitch. "Somewhere."

"Are you looking for him?" I hope I don't sound afraid. Some kind of instinct says I've got to keep him talking, that if I engage with him he's more likely to follow me. Nobody ever taught me this at school. Perhaps I skipped class that day.

"No."

"Scared of him?"

"No."

I can see the dirt on his face, the white bit of his eyes. He looks so calm that I wonder if he might be mad. I've seen that look plenty of times. That's Haematite for you.

Now!

I jump up from the gravestone and then I'm running, running, running, hurling myself over dips in the ground, dodging stones. When I risk a look back I see he is following, club swinging, face concentrating. And for a moment - 

- I'm running over smooth ground and past familiar buildings. There's gunshots around me. Other people, some of them lying on the floor. A woman on her knees, sobbing, "But I helped you, I helped you!" A Peacekeeper standing over her adds one more gunshot to the sound. An Avox in silver runs at one side, a boy younger than me at the other; we don't know each other, and we're not going to know each other. We're just running in the same direction. The air tastes of fire but I see no flames. I've got a stitch. "This way!" shouts someone, a woman in beige pants and a green shirt, and she fires a gun over my head. For a moment I thought she was firing at me. I drop the bread I was carrying. I look around, to see if she's hit anybody, and there's a Peacekeeper running along with us, visor up, weapon raised to fire, and I'm looking right down it. I almost fall. I'm lightheaded, dizzy, watching and waiting for the punch of a bullet, but when the shot comes it's not from the Peacekeeper. They stutter and stumble. Tears flood my eyes, I'm pulled away, shaken but alive -