When We Fall~Finnick Odair {Book 3}

Chapter Eleven

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It was so dark in the room that Autumn wouldn't have been able to see her hand in front of her face, if her wrists hadn't been bound together behind her back.

Autumn tried to talk to Johanna through the rag, just to make sure she was still there. For comfort. Johanna mumbled back.

They could do nothing but sit there on the aluminum floor. Autumn wasn't sure how much time passed. It could've been five hours or five minutes.

The sound of footsteps echoed through the lab room connected to the showers. Autumn's body went stiff in fear.

Maybe it was another game. They had to break free and destroy whatever monster was lurking in the darkness. If they didn't, they'd die.

Autumn tried to shift and face her back to Johanna's so she could untie her wrists, but she was unable to turn due to her ankles being bound to the pole. She felt like a sitting duck, unable to do much of anything.

The lights flickered on, feeling a million times brighter to Autumn's eyes than they had before. The flaps on the doorway to the lab were pushed out of the way as a body walked into the room.

The person was dressed in all black with a gun clinched to his chest. He had dark skin and the face of a leader.

"I've found them," he spoke into a radio on his shoulder. "I repeat I've found them."

The man walked farther into the shower room, walking towards Autumn, Johanna, and Peeta. Moments later, four more men in the same uniforms walked into the room.

"I am Boggs," the man introduced himself. "We are from District Thirteen and we were sent to get you three."

Two of them slung their guns around their torsos, so that the rifles were resting on their backs, before they picked up Peeta. The other three rushed over to Autumn and Johanna, working to untie their ankles to the show pole.

Once Autumn's wrists had been untied, she took the gag away from her mouth.

"It's about damn time for a rescue," Johanna huffed after pulling her gag out of her mouth.

"C'mon," Boggs placed his hand on Autumn's back and pushed her forward, gently. "We don't know how long we have until Snow finds out we're here."

Autumn nodded, running barefoot through the lab next to Johanna, following Boggs. Behind Johanna and Autumn were the two soldiers carrying Peeta with two remaining soldiers behind them.

They ran out of the lab and out of the tribute center, running into the hovercraft that was waiting on a helipad for them.

The Hovercraft was obviously one used to transport tributes in the past as it had many seats in it; twenty four to be exact.

Johanna took a seat next to Autumn, both of the girls strapping themselves in. Across from them were the four soldiers with Peeta laying unconscious in the middle of the floor.

"Let's go!" Boggs yelled into the cockpit before taking a seat with the four soldiers.

"What took you guys so long?" Johanna asked in anger and sarcasm.

"Planning," one of the soldiers smirked.

"You should thank Autumn," Boggs told Johanna. "Without her sending us the plans of the Tribute Center, we never would've gotten in."

Autumn turned to look at Johanna with a cocky smirk.

"You're welcome," Autumn chuckled. Johanna just rolled her eyes.

"You're Autumn?" One of the soldier's asked, nodding at Autumn. She nodded.

"I saw your videos," he spoke. "I thought you were very brave."

Autumn didn't respond. She simply looked down at the floor, awaiting the moment they would arrive and she could see Finnick.

She was excited and happy to see him, but she was also scared. So much had happened within the last few months.

Autumn reached up and touched her right cheek. They were so hallow. And her eyes were no doubt sunken in. The color was gone and her hair hung limply on her shoulders.

She looked down at her body, which was now very skinny. You could see her ribs through her shirt and her arms and legs held nothing but skin and bone.

And then there was her wardrobe. Her white patients clothing. She wore a white t-shirt with the Capital insignia on the right breast and white pants. Both of which were stained with blood and dirt.

Did she look like a monster? Would Finnick even recognize her? Would he still love her even after how much the Capital had changed her?