The New Beginning

Massacre

*PEETA’S POV*

I open my eyes when I hear the scream and bolt upright. I can’t remember how I got to bed, but I’m too confused to think about it right now. Katniss, too, is sitting upright, eyes wide.

“Did you hear that?” I ask and she nods. “Who was...?”

The scream comes again and this time I know who it is.

Katniss and I scramble from the bed and bolt down the hallway to where Prudence screams over and over.

Because we keep bumping into each other, Katniss and I take a while to get there and we’re just reaching the door when little Felix starts to scream, too.

We throw open the door and barge into the room to find two masked figures, holding our children.

I growl when I see they’re holding Felix by his tiny feet and Prudence by her hair.

“Let them go,” Katniss lunges forward and one figure quickly puts a gun to Prue’s head.

“Come any closer Mrs Mellark and we shoot,” the figure states in a low voice and Katniss pauses.

Prue stares at me, eyes wide in fright. An occasionally whimper escapes her lips, causing the abductor to pull her hair tighter.

“Please,” I raise my hands. “Please please let them go. Whatever qualm you have with Katniss and I, just let them go.”

“The thing is,” the other figure that holds Felix starts talking, “we didn’t come for you two. We want the kids.”

Katniss screams and I quickly grab her arm to stop her from running forward. I take deep breaths, trying to stay calm. Felix continues to wail and I see his face turning a bright shade of red. Tears pour out of my eyes as I try to mentally comfort him.

Seeing Felix slowly suffocating, the masked woman slowly flips him the right way around and clutches his tiny figure to her chest.

“Right,” she commands. “You two, back away up, against the wall. One movement and the girl dies, got it?”

“Mummy?” Prue whimpers.

“Shut up,” they tug her hair sharply and she winces in pain.

“Oh god,” Katniss sobs as I pull her back against the wall.

I’m trying to think. Anything. Everything. I’m hoping someone saw them break in. Maybe Haymitch is ready to help. Anything.

The two reach the door and turn on us.

“If you step out of this room earlier than sixty seconds before we leave, they both die.”

“Okay,” I take a deep breath and latch eyes with Prue. “Prudence, listen to what they say, okay? You’ll be alright.”

They leave the room and Katniss slumps over.

“Sixty seconds,” I start to count down and mentally prepare myself to get our children back. “Quick, think of a plan.”

“I’ll get the bow from downstairs,” Katniss sobs. “And the arrows. You get the gun from on top of the fridge. Whoever’s outside first needs to get the car up and running straight away because no doubt they’ll have a van or something.”

Sure enough, we hear an engine start.

“Okay,” I pull her up. “Go go go”

I sprint down the stairs and run into the kitchen to grab the gun. I double check it’s loaded, grab another box of bullets and sprint out the door where Katniss stands completely still.