Caged | The Hunger Games AU ✓

xix. entombed

nineteen - entombed

- - - ➳

the first thing i hear is what sounds like a shovel digging into the ground. there is a grunt and then i feel dirt pile on my legs. a few seconds later there is another dig, another grunt, and another pile that lands on my stomach. whatever i'm laying on is cool and somewhat soft, but not comfortable in the least.

i blink, and my vision sways. i shake my head and wait for it to clear, relying on my other senses until it does. the scent of damp earth invades my nose until it crinkles in distaste. 

"she's not deep enough."

"shut up, astrid." a grunt. "you don't know everything."

"someone will find her." astrid's shrill voice rises a little, and she sounds angry. "don't you realize that?"

"well, hopefully when they do, she'll be dead."

more dirt falls on my arms.

"i thought she already is."

i hear a thud like the shovel has been thrown to the ground. "the hovercraft would already have come, and did you hear a cannon? you know what, astrid? you wanna do this? because i really don't want to."

"not really."

i keep my eyes barely open so they can't tell and see emrys' hulking form pick the shovel back up. he digs into the ground and applies another layer onto my feet. i look around, sweeping my eyes quickly. panic rises within me when i notice walls of dirt in a rectangle around me. roots of all sizes and lengths stick out from the soil. i am probably two or three feet into the ground, which isn't much, but it's something.

i'm being buried alive.

when neither of them are looking, i open my eyes fully. it seems to be just them and lycus, meaning their team has been drastically reduced since the deaths of bliss and titus. could i fight them both at the same time? probably not. definitely not. they have trained all their lives...and where are my knives?

i subtly pat around my belt, checking all of the holsters. every single one of them is empty. i can't check the compartment under my shoe; that'll be too obvious. what am i supposed to do?

a pounding in my head surfaces. have i been injured aside from being strangled to unconsciousness? did they throw something at me? i don't remember them doing so.

what am i supposed to do; just let them cover me up and hope they'll leave so i can get out? i don't know. i don't know.

panic rises in my chest, making it constrict almost painfully. my heart hammers so hard it makes my ribs ache. i clamp my eyes shut as emrys dumps another mound of dirt on me, this one dangerously close to my face. they'll have to cover it soon. why are they burying me anyways?

i can feel frightened tears flooding my eyes. my side stings where my wound is, meaning they must have not handled me with care when they dumped my body in this makeshift grave.

a tear slips out. i can't escape from this. i'm going to die here, two feet under.

"why are we even doing this?" emrys questions gruffly. "i should've just stabbed my knife into her when she wasn't paying attention."

"it's symbolic," astrid replies, a hint of manic in her voice. she sounds excited. my god, she's crazy. "even if she isn't dead, she will be once she starts to suffocate. now stop asking questions before i decide you aren't worth keeping around and kill you where you stand."

emrys covers my face. i can barely breathe without getting earth in my nose. more and more dirt blankets my entire body until i am encased in it. the oxygen is running low and the layer on my face gets heavier. i can't move. soon enough there is so much obscuring me that i am physically unable to do anything since the dirt is becoming so tightly-packed.