The Reaper | F. Odair

Thirty-two

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Aaron
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The room is eerily silent. Caesar vanished about an hour ago -- well, I don't know actually. I've been sort of in and out of sleep with Peeta, but every time I've been conscious I could see them all looking at us.

I think after a good hour of drifting in and out I suddenly feel someone pulling me up, but it's not in an aggressive sort of way, it's sort of... panicked? My eyes snap towards them and I can see Pollux trying to get us up.

I'm silent, and so is Peeta as we quietly get to our feet.

The two of us watch in pure silence, unaware of what's going on even as everyone packs up our things. Katniss is murmuring to her director, Cressida while Polux, and the other guy, Castor, reset up their camera equipment.

It's all so sudden as they start to lead us outside in the black of the night, and with everyone in such dark tactical clothes it's even harder to see where I'm going. Alex is behind Peeta and I, his rifle is hitting some of the gear on his waist -- reminding us he could shoot anytime he wanted and we wouldn't be able to do crap. My eyes drift to where I'm assuming my feet are.

The last time I spoke to Alex, properly spoken to him when neither of us had a hierarchy position and when it was even ground, was in my bed a few months ago. I can remember it, him practically on his knees sobbing for forgiveness, telling me mom was dead. I wince and bite the inside of my cheek. It was still hard to believe that she was dead, still hard to think that I'd never see her again. It was strange, and as much as I still felt sad about it, part of me still didn't believe it. I never saw a corpse, I never saw a body, I only got told what happened.

My eyes drift up and I look back at Alex for a split second. I can barely see the frown on his feet, and not something angry, it's more like a disappointed look if anything.

I shouted at him, and I know he deserved it, but I'm starting to wonder if he really was sorry and it wasn't just me thinking it was another trick. He used to come home drunk, before he began to vanish, back when he'd come home and scream and shout in the kitchen. I remember watching as he clung onto mom like he was all she had, I remember seeing him on his knees with his head buried in her legs as he apologized after screaming at her.

He'd say Molly's name and repeatedly apologize -- his voice sounded broken and scratched like those old records I learned about. I would watch from the railings as mom began to shut down and sob next to him, the two would sit on the kitchen floor and pretend I didn't exist. One time I walked down to try and comfort them, but all I remember is dad looking up at me and shouting at me to get out.

My eyes drift back forward. I wonder if that was the alcohol speaking or if it really was what he was saying.

The group comes to a stop at a sewer opening. I cringe as they open the hatch, my nose is being filled with just pure rot and death. I listen as Cressida explains what we're doing, that we're entering the service tunnels the Avox's used to use to travel. We all slowly go inside, climbing down a ladder to a very dark four way open tunnel. There are still pods down here, no wonder it smells so horrible.

There's a weak moan, everyone looks over at Pollux who's trembling with fear. Castor quickly grabs him, wrapping his arm around him to calm him down.
Cressida said Pollux worked here for five years, and I can't even imagine that. How often did he see the light of day? How often did he possibly starve or maybe collapse from exhaustion just to be punished?

We start to walk, Peeta finds himself murmuring to Katniss and I think they've started some 'game' because he keeps asking 'real or not real' to her. The halls echo quietly with all of our footsteps, and besides the occasional beeping from the holo, it's silent between the rest of us.
We pass a few forks, and after the fifth one, Katniss stops as the holo makes a different noise. I watch as she murmurs to a guy named Mesalla and he points down some of the halls.