CHAPTER TWENTY SIX!
LOSING THOSE YOU LOVE.
THEY HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THEY ARE VERY MUCH ALIVE. The search for their bodies must have uncovered the secret that the squad is very much alive, the previous victors and their accomplices roaming around in the underground.
The hisses are repetitive pronunciation of Katniss' name, calling for her and hunting her down. Elena has now separated herself from Finnick and watches as Katniss lifts her bow and points it at Peeta's brain as he begins to stir.
"Katniss!" Peeta calls out as he turns to face her, his eyes wide and frantic. "Get out of here!"
Elena can tell from body language alone that he is alarmed but his voice only adds to it further. Katniss is hesitant to do anything, unsure of what her actions should be.
"Why? What's making that sound?" She asks.
"I don't know! Only that it has to kill you!" He responds quickly. "Run! Get out! Go!"
Elena watches as she relaxes her grip on the bow, lowering it and telling the crew that it's best if she splits off herself. This, of course, is met with immediate protest from those around her.
Everyone, including Peeta, is handed a weapon that they can use to fight off whatever is coming. Having barely ever even held a gun, Elena grips it tightly as she knows this is probably her lifeline. Jace is quick to show her how to simply pull the trigger and shoot the gun, earning a nod from her as she readies herself to move.
Outside of the room, the hissing becomes even louder than it was previously. It's vicious and scary but it does allow for them to better understand where the mitts are so when it comes to fighting them, they will be better off. They roam behind the group at, what Elena can only guess is, a significant amount of distance.
Pollux is once again up the front with Katniss, helping to get out of there the best they can. He knows the tubes better than anybody else down here. All they can hope is that they can move fast enough that they will get out before they're caught. They cannot be far from Snow's mansion now.
Screeches fill the air and Elena closes her eyes. She hears Peeta speak of Avoxes and those he heard when he was in captivity. It only further confirms that these mutts are not only here to kill Katniss but anybody they come across, unfortunately the Avoxes were in their way.
"Let me go on alone. Lead them off. I'll transfer the Holo to Jackson. The rest of you can finish the mission," Katniss says to the group.
"We're not doing that," Most of them are surprised when Elena's soft voice fills the air. "We don't leave people behind, especially at a time like this. Now, we're wasting time,"
"Listen," Peeta whispers.
There is no longer any screams but once again the repetition of Katniss' name echoes around in the tunnels. That prompts them all to run, Katniss and Pollux using the Holo to try and find a safer route for them when Jackson instructs them to put their masks on. They head up the stairwell and onto paths that almost look like streets except they're bordered by brick walls.
Katniss uses her explosive arrows to kill some rats before them which Elena can only guess are not the normal type. She runs ahead of them all but is stopped by Finnick when she almost hits an unmarked pod.
Elena turns back to see one of the team members now encased in some sort of light, his flesh melting off his body. A horrified noise falls from her lips as Jace grabs her arm, ready to pull her along. As they move forward, they're only met with more gunfire from Peacekeepers but they're soon taken down by these reptilian looking creatures.
Once the Peacekeepers are dead, they slither towards the group who are still struggling to come to terms with what they've seen. It's only when Katniss yells for them to move that they do, Katniss questioning Pollux on the quickest way to get out.
It leads them to the main sewer where chemicals bubble around them, parts of the sewer even on fire. Upon first glance, it is obvious that falling into the liquid means you will die and for that reason, Elena tries to be as cautious as she can when moving through quickly. Then there's a ladder, relief filling Elena.
"Wait! Where are Jackson and Leeg One?" Katniss questions.
"They stayed behind to hold off the mutts," Homes replies.
"What!"
"Don't waste their lives Katniss. Go!"
Gale shoots one of his explosive arrows to the far end, ripping it in half and allowing the liquid to immerse it. The mutts have reached it now, hissing and making erratic movements. That's when everybody starts to shoot at them, Elena unsure if any of her shots actually hit the reptiles.
Jace practically forces Elena towards the ladder after Katniss has gone up and she climbs as best as she can - her limbs are all shaky and her palms are sweaty. There's another ladder that she moves up and then she starts to help the others up with Katniss as best she can.
Elena tries to grab Katniss who looks to climb back down but Gale stops her. A scream fills her ears and her heart begins to beat uncontrollably. Katniss pleads with Gale that somebody is still down there but it doesn't seem to register with him. He pushes her up and when Elena looks around she notices who isn't there.
Finnick.
Another loud yell fills the air and she is the one who lunges forward this time, wanting to reach him and pull him up. The mutts have him around the legs, pulling him down.
She's crying now, her breathing harsh and the beating of her heart has not slowed down. Elena can hear people shouting her name as she desperately tries to reach out to him, their hands grazing one another's. She can feel him, she can touch him, he's there. And yet she cannot pull him any closer. Then it happens.
One of the mutts manages to grab the back of his head and Elena screeches as if she'd been grabbed. A pair of arms are now wound around her waist trying to pull but she holds onto the final rung of the ladder as tightly as she can, not wanting to leave him as he slowly meets his end.
"No! Finnick! Finn! No! Help me! Somebody help me!" Elena is yelling as loud as she can, her throat hurting immensely.
She's aware of the voices behind her, trying to coax her away from her closest friend. The sides of her face are wet with tears, her eyes suppling an endless amount of them.
Finnick is still struggling when he looks into her eyes one last time, mouthing the words 'I love you, Lena.'
Jace and Gale manage to pull her away as she screams loudly and out of control, Katniss releasing some of the nightlock down to give him a more merciful death. The sound of an explosion causes Elena to cry out louder, her hands clutching her heart as she breaks down.
It's as if she is unable to function, her breaths becoming more shallow as she thinks about her fallen friend who she had depended on for so long. Jace is is front of her, her face in his hands. His mouth is moving but she can no longer hear his words. Instead she hears Finnick's screeches, she hears his pain and she hears the explosion that ended his life.
"I'm going to kill him," she mumbles.
The phrase falls from her lips once and then it doesn't stop. When they have to move again, Jace is forced to haul her up into his arms and carry her, pain etched in his expression as she continues to mumble the same sentence.
"I'm going to kill him,"
President Snow is going to die and it's going to happen at her hands.
NOTE!
Double update! This made me cry excessively!?!
Regardless, I hope you guys are still enjoying this story and Elena's character. There will probably be some more changes around her over the remainder of this story so please stick around to read it. Thank you for reading!