𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑩𝑳𝑨𝑪𝑲 𝑫𝑨𝑯𝑳𝑰𝑨, 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒐𝒅𝒂𝒊𝒓

𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝑶𝒓 𝑨𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆

An instinctive smile crept onto her lips at the comment, making Finnick grin in triumph. Eyeing the back of Gale's head with a mocking look, she whispered back, "Katniss has the Holo now. He obviously believes he's her right-hand man. Makes him feel powerful. All that power goes to your head."

Nodding in agreement, Finnick jeered back, "Let's just hope it doesn't make his head get any bigger. He can barely fit through doors as it is."

Dahlia spluttered with laughter, snorting as she tried to keep her amusement contained. As she and Finnick descended into quiet giggles with each other, the soldiers in the front of the procession sped up into a jog and Gale called out, "Let's go! Quickly!"

The pair picked their pace up but their high spirits were not dimmed. That was the beauty of Finnick and Dahlia. They could find joy with each other even in the darkest of times.

They approached a different building on the other side of the courtyard and Gale used the butt of his crossbow to break the glass in the entrance (though Finnick suggested to Dahlia that he should've used his head as a battering ram instead). Once upstairs, they found themselves in a luxurious Capitol apartment, lavishly furnished in bright colours and wacky decor. But they didn't have time to linger and admire, they needed to hide.

"Get these curtains closed." Jackson demanded frantically, making the squad scramble to carry out her orders.

Just as Dahlia finished tugging the silky material across the window, she heard trucks steadily moving into the courtyard. Finnick joined her, his chest pressed up against her back as they carefully peered out the window to watch the action. Peacekeepers and armoured trucks had swarmed the area, all of them pointing their guns at the building the squad had just fled from. They hurried to get into position, taking cover and preparing to gun down the people inside. But they weren't the ones who fired the first shot.

Rapid gunfire erupted from the building, shattering the glass window and shooting down a number of Peacekeepers. The opposition were quick to return fire, immediately engaging in a surprise gun fight.

"It's the Leegs." Finnick announced quietly, his face hovering so close to Dahlia's that his lips brushing against her ear as he spoke.

They kept watching as the shootout continued with the Leegs putting up an excellent fight despite being outnumbered. But in the end, their valiant effort ended in a noble sacrifice. The Peacekeepers surrounding the foot of the building started backing away and taking cover until eventually all the gunfire ended. This made way for their big gun to take centre stage as its missile was launched mercilessly at the source of the return fire.

The whole building collapsed into rubble, the upper levels caving in after being left with no support. Smoke clouds billowed from the chaos and shards of glass fell upon the remaining Peacekeepers like acidic droplets of rain, until their white uniforms were no longer visible.

After witnessing the downfall of two more squad members, the rest of the group ducked down out of sight and let the curtains fall back in front of the windows. Their unit was dropping like flies. Four dead in such a short space of time, including their commander. Dahlia hadn't known them well, just like she'd never known many of the tributes she killed. But, after the amount of people she'd lost, she was starting to feel numb to the intensity of grief. Guilt, however... That she felt stronger than all but one emotion.

Love.

Because she was relieved that, of all the people they'd lost, Finnick wasn't one of them. And she would never feel guilty for that.

No sooner had the building been blasted to dust than the screen in the middle of the room spurred to life and the Capitol fanfare echoed around the open area. A mandatory viewing message was splashed in front of them, suggesting that this report was being broadcast across all of Panem. The squad instinctively sat up to attention, heads craning to hear what important propaganda the Capitol were spreading today.