We landed in district 12 the next morning. The grounds were scattered with rubble and ashes, the atmosphere thick with sorrow and dust. The only buildings left standing were the ones in the Victor's village.
Katniss and Gale looked around their district with pained expressions. I felt a sudden wave of empathy for them. It's one of the worst things that could happen to someone, losing the place they once called home.
"Katniss, call you tell us what happened here?" Cressida asked, as she directed the cameras to point towards the mockingjay.
Instead of Katniss replying, Gale spoke up, "We were all standing here." The crew turned towards him as he continued. "Watching the games when you fired that arrow. The screens went dark. Nobody had any idea what happened. Peacekeepers forced us back into our homes. For maybe an hour, the town was just dead quiet. Little past 9 we heard their trucks pulling out. All of them, every single peacekeeper. And I knew what that meant. Me and a couple of guys from the mines, we started pulling people from their houses and tried to get them to the fence line but a lotta people were scared of the forest. So they headed up onto the road. Make a break for it that way." He said pointing down a path, and began walking along it. "915 of us made it to the fence. Then we watched as the bombers circled back towards the road."
We climbed up a steep pile of rocks and debris and came face to face with a sight so horrid, that tears were threatening to spill from my eyes. "They fire bombed them as they ran away." Thousands and thousands of burnt skeletons lay scattered across the wide stretch of road. Gale knelt down on one knee and took in the view with sadness and guilt. "915 out of 10,000. I should've grabbed people, I should've dragged them with me. Some of the kids I could've carried." He said, his voice cracking.
"You saved so many people, Gale." Cressida said in a kind voice. "Without you, there would be no district 12. Not even the memory of it."
We were enveloped with sombre silence, and Katniss placed a comforting hand on Gale's shoulder.
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We sat on some rocks on the banks of a large lake, the trees swaying in the mild breeze while the chirping of birds echoed through the air. I took in a deep breath, relishing the calmness that surrounded us.
I removed my boots and rolled up my pants till my knees, before making my way over to the water. I let my feet dangle in the coolness of the lake as I plopped down on a ledge.
A bird whizzed past my head and landed a few feet behind Katniss and Pollux. He pointed towards the bird and tapped on his mockingjay pin.
Katniss nodded in affirmation. "Yup, that's a mockingjay."
I smiled at the little black bird before whistling a tune, specifically, the mockingjay's tune. The bird repeated it and withing seconds, over a hundred birds began to imitate it. The sounds bounced off the trees and rocks and the peaceful silence was disrupted.
"Well, now they'll never shut up." Gale said.
"Sorry about that." I replied with a chuckle.
Pollux gestured something to Katniss. She looked at him with raised eyebrows and asked, "You want me to sing?"
He smiled widely and nodded with enthusiasm. She gave a hesitant smile before turning around. Taking a deep breath, she began to sing.
"Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where they strung up a man
They say who murdered three
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the hanging tree"
The mockingjays began to sing the melody of the song along with Katniss. Castor pulled out his camera and began recording. We all intently watched as she sang the unfamiliar words.
"Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where dead man called out
For his love to flee
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the hanging tree
Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where I told you to run
So we'd both be free
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the hanging tree"
Once she was done, a comfortable silence fell upon the meadow. "We need to go back, it's been a long day." Cressida said while standing up. After soaking up the sunshine and fresh air for a few more seconds, I put my boots back on and we headed towards the hovercrafts. I sat beside Katniss and gave her a small smile.
"You sang well. Where did you learn that song?"
"Something my father used to sing when I was little." She replied with a smile and I nodded.
Resting my head against the seat, I thought about the songs and lullabies my parents used to sing to me as a child. A bittersweet feeling settled in my heart as I remembered their sweet voices and cheery smiles. The memories, even though faded over the years, always filled me with both happiness and sadness.
I missed them. So very much.
Discretely wiping away a tear before it escaped, I closed my eyes and sighed, waiting for the fight to be over.
____________________________________________________
Newt draped his arm over my shoulder as I leaned into his side, taking in his warmth. I was tired of everything that had been going on and just needed a long night's sleep. But as soon as we were done with dinner, Coin called us to a meeting. We were in the command room, watching the news, which showed the dams of district 5 being bombed by the rebels. "Call Katniss Everdeen in here." Coin said to Boggs. With a nod he left the room. We watched as the news channel showed various footage and clips of uprisings all over the country.
The symbol of the Capitol along with the anthem popped up on the screen. Peeta Mellark sat on a chair wearing a grey suit, his blond hair gelled back. But it did nothing to hide his red eyes and the extreme purple circles under them. His cheeks looked hollow and his lips were tugged into a frown.
He took a deep breath and began his monologue. "Tonight, we've recieved reports of derailed trains, of granaries on fire, and of a savage attack of the hydroelectric dam in district 5."
Katniss came rushing into the room and stopped in front of the screen, her eyes were already full of tears as she mumbled, "What have they done to you?" Not being able to bare the pain painted on Peeta's face, I buried my face in Newt's chest, his grip tightening around me.
"I'm begging for restraint and decency..." Peeta was interrupted by the screen going grey for a second before Katniss's voice, singing the hanging tree song, rang through the room, footage of her in 12 was displayed on the screen.
"Beetee's in their system." Plutarch said, a hint of excitement and relief in his voice.
The video faded back to show Peeta, confusion etched on his face. "Katniss?" He questioned in a quiet voice.
"He sees it. He sees our propo." Coin said.
"Katniss are you there?" He asked with a shaky voice.
"Peeta, please continue. You were telling us about these savage attacks." Caesar said from behind the screen.
Peeta shook his head as though clearing his thoughts, before looking back into the camera. "Yeah. Uh, the attack on the dam was a callous and inhuman act of destruction..."
He was again interrupted by more clips of Katniss walking on the rubble filled roads of 12. When Peeta's screen came back, he was sat up straighter, his lips quivering. "Think about it. How will this end? What will be left? No one can survive this. No one is safe now. Not here in the Capitol. Not in any of the districts." He stared at the screen for a moment, before something flashed across his eyes and his face dropped. "They're coming Katniss. They're going to kill everyone." The peacekeepers behind him grabbed onto his shoulders and in a rush he blurted out, "And in district 13, you'll be dead by morning!" His words abruptly stopped as he was cut off by the symbol of Panem on the screen. My eyes widened as I stood up with a small gasp.
"That was a warning. He was warning us." I exclaimed with tears in my eyes, turning towards Newt.
"Yes, it was." Boggs said from behind.
"We have to get him out before they kill him." Katniss cried but Coin didn't reply.
"He was in the mansion, he could've overheard something." She said to Plutarch instead.
"Possibly."
She nodded before announcing in a firm voice, "It's time for an air-raid drill." Everyone in the room were on their feet and loud beeping alarms rang through the entire building. "This is a code red alert. Please, remain calm and begin evacuation protocol. Proceed to your nearest stairwell and descend to level 40." An automated voice said through the speakers.
Newt interlocked his fingers through mine and said, "Finnick is in his room, we need to go get him."
"Blast doors will be sealed in six minutes." The voice said again.
"And we're on a timer to do so." I said.
"C'mon." He pulled me through the crowd as I kept my head down and followed him blindly. The air was suffocating and a feeling of claustrophobia began to set in. We climbed down a few levels before turning into one of the corridors. We spotted Finnick standing outside the room, confusion evident on his face.
"What's going on?" He asked.
"We are probably going to get bombed. I'll explain everything later. We need to get going now." Newt quickly said before jogging back towards the stairs with me in tow. Finnick kept up with us as we went down the stairs along with the crowd. Suddenly a loud thud was heard before the entire stairwell shook hardly and the light above us turned off, the entire place going dark. People started to scream and panick as the sprinkler system was turned on, spraying everyone with cold water. We clung onto the railings as the emergency lights started to flicker. The crowd went into a frenzy state as people started to rush forward.
I turned towards Finnick, who had his eyes scrunched close. "You okay?" I yelled amidst the chaos.
"Yeah. Let's keep moving."
We kept going forward and I nearly tripped onto someone who had fallen onto the floor. That someone being Katniss Everdeen. I bent down and grabbed her shoulders before yanking her up so that she wouldn't get stepped on by everyone else.
She mumbled a quick thanks, the water dripping down our faces as I managed to nod. The crowd began to thin down as we reached the end of the stairwell. A few guards guided us along a wide passageway, ushering us to get it before the massive steel doors closed. I lost sight of Katniss as soon as we made it to level 40.
Newt and Finnick were beside me as we walked quickly down the corridor, our shoes squeaking against the cement.
We made it to the bunkers. It was crowded with people scrambling for supplies, trying to find an empty bed. A loud thud echoed above us but the intensity of the shake was less. "Blast door are now sealed." The voice rang through the speakers for one last time.
"Found a few beds here." Finnick said walking towards a row of empty bunker beds. I pulled myself up on the top bunk and looked into the supply pack that was placed on the bed.
A thin blanket, two sets of gray clothing, a toothbrush, a comb, and a flashlight.
Newt occupied the bed below mine while Finnick settled into the bunker next to ours. I climbed down and sat beside Newt, who wrapped his blanket over both of our shoulders to keep us warm. He smiled at me before kissing my forehead. "You good?"
I nodded, smiling back at him. A young boy around our age came to a stop in front of us. He looked at Finnick before pointing to the top bunk. "This one taken?"
"Uh no, you can have it." Finnick mumbled.
"I'm Renoir." He introduced himself before sitting down next to Finnick. His untamed, curly brown hair hung messily over his forehead, nearly hiding his green eyes.
"Nice to meet to, Renoir. I'm Finnick, that's Newt and that's (Y/n)."
He nodded, a small smile of greeting etched onto his face, which we reciprocated. "So you guys are from district 4, right?"
"Yup." I confirmed. "You grew up here?"
"Yeah." He shrugged. I wondered where his family were, since he was sitting here with us alone. "I lost my family to the smallpox epidemic, if that's what you're wondering." He said, looking at me with a playful smile.
"Oh! I'm so sorry!"
"Nah, it's alright." He waved it off. "It's been a while."
At that moment another explosion occurred, causing the entire bunker to shake. The lights went out and people around us shrieked and whimpered, while Newt's arm tightened around my shoulder.
I grabbed a torch light and switched it on, illuminating the small area with a yellow glow. We sat there for a while, afraid that the roof would collapse with each bomb that dropped.
Then there was a hum of a generator, and a dim wavering glow replaced the stark lighting that was the norm in 13.
Coin's voice filled the bunker, the volume level flickering with the lights. "Apparently, Peeta Mellark's information was sound and we owe him a great debt of gratitude. Sensors indicate the first missile was not nuclear, but very powerful. We expect more will follow. For the duration of the attack, citizens are to stay in their assigned areas unless otherwise notified."
Newt let out a sigh before saying, "So Renoir-"
"Please, call me Ren."
"Alright, Ren." He smiled. "Do you know any games to play while we wait this bombing out?"
A grin played on Ren's lips. "You know the rules to play charades, right?"
***
Our fits of laughter died down after an hour of playing. The game was exciting and fun, something I hadn't experienced in a while. Ren was a cheerful, carefree young lad who was good company. He bid us farewell and climbed into his bunk, pulling the blanket over his head and rather quickly, fell asleep.
Katniss walked over to us and greeted us with a simple 'Hey'.
"Can I sit?" She asked politely and Finnick nodded. It was only at that time did I noticed that he had a small photo of Annie clutched in his palm. "Snow's using Annie to punish you. She is your sister, isn't she?" She inquired, looking towards Newt.
"Yeah, she is." He mumbled, his eyes casting down at the floor, the happy atmosphere while playing charades, now fading away slowly.
"He's taunting us with them," Katniss continued with a note of venom in her voice. "I didn't understand until just now watching that stupid cat."
I turned towards my left to see Prim, her sister, sitting a few rows over, holding the fluffy orange cat that Katniss had smuggled in from 12.
Finnick let out a deep sigh before turning his head to face her. "After your first games, I thought the whole romance was an act. We all expected you to continue that strategy. But it wasn't until Peeta's heart stopped and he nearly died that I knew I misjudged you."
"I did too." I gave a small, guilty smile. "You love him, don't you? I'm not saying in what way. Maybe you don't even know yourself."
"But anyone paying attention can see it." Finnick finished.
"How do you live with it?" She asked Finnick after a while.
"I drag myself outta nightmares and there is no relief in waking up. But it's better not to give into it. Takes 10 times longer to put yourself back together than it does to fall apart."
My heart broke for my bestfriend. And by the way Newt's body tensed up, I knew his did too. Silence fell upon us for a few moments before Katniss broke it. "I best be going, it's been a long day. Good night."
We all mumbled a small 'good night' before she left. We sat there for a while, not saying anything, just acknowledging the fact that we were living in a world where is was so easy to lose yourself into a dark abyss with no return.
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