Johanna Mason: Captured

In the dim light of my cell, I'm shackled to the wall. My wrists are clamped in heavy steel cuffs. As I wait, I think about the rebellion, I'm not allowed any contact with the outside world as long as the Capitol has me as a prisoner. That won't be long. I know that right now in District 13, Beetee and Plutarch are dreaming up some plan to get me out of this dump. But for now, I'm stuck here, staring out past the bars of my cell. I sigh and lean back against the dirty, gray concrete wall. I feel my shaved head against dirty concrete. Shaving my hair was one of the first things the Capitol men did, aside from questioning me about the whereabouts of Katniss.

I close my eyes for a few moments. I hear the sounds of Peacekeeper boots pounding on grimy linoleum. My eyes snap open and I see a bunch of Peacekeepers rushing down the hallway. I watch them through the bars of the cell. How I long for the familiar feel of an axe in my hand, right now. I could kill every single one of them. I press my lips together in a thin line, knowing what is going to happen next.

Then, all of a sudden, I hear screams, horrible, agonized screams of pain that reverberates in my head. I try to block myself out to the world and those awful screams. I know that I am next. Soon, the Peacekeepers are going to barge into my cell, and then… and then… I just can't think about it. But, I know one thing for sure; and that is that I'm not going to tell them anything. No matter what sort of torture they inflict on me, I'm just not going to tell them anything.

It's not long before the Peacekeepers charge into my cell. I brace myself, unsure of what pain inflicting device they have brought for me. I hear a click and my shackles release me, I collapse to the floor, rubbing my sore wrists. I knew to expect agonizing pain from some contraption. What I did not expect the pounding of fists against my face. Each brutal punch sends searing pain jolting down my spine. Blood trickled down my cheek. I stare up at them with a look of defiance. The Peacekeepers continue to thrash me, their fists were unrelenting but their occasional kicks were worse. They hadn't even bothered to question me; they just came right in and got to the fun part. Fun for them.

"Where are they?" I hear a raspy voice right next to my ear. I look up and see a Peacekeeper's face, staring me in the eyes. There was only one thing to do in this situation. I manage to cough up an impressive supply of blood and spit and spray him in the face.
"Where are they my―" I started to say, but a brutal kick in my stomach interrupted me. "Don't stop, men. I'll be back" says the sadistic Peacekeeper, as he walks away. Heavy boots land on me, and I remain motionless, knowing that resistance will be even worse. I hear a different voice, more cruel this time, "Where are they?" the question is punctuated by a vicious kick to my chest. I'm gasping for breath, unsure of what to say. I roll onto my side, as more kicks pummel my bruised and bleeding body. I guess somewhere along the way, a Peacekeeper decided that using a knife would be more efficient because I felt a sharp sting of pain in my arm. I grit my teeth as the blade digs deeper into my arm.

Eventually, the sadistic Peacekeeper came back, and then I am dragged up into a somewhat upright position, where I am bound to a wooden post. I stare blankly at the bunch of Peacekeepers. Yeah, right. Peacekeepers. What peace were they keeping exactly? I was considering actually asking them that question when a wave of cold water slammed into me. It cooled my bruises and stung my cuts. I stared at them, uncomprehending. They calmly wired me up to a black machine about the size of my television back home. He leaned down and positioned his finger on a small switch.

"Now, I'll ask you one more time, where is Katniss right now?" I stared at him defiantly.

"Alright, then." He looked at me with those cruel eyes and I saw the beginnings of a smile. I stared at the machine; I was thinking it would kill me very slowly and painfully. It was at that very moment, I realized what that machine was. It would not kill me. No. Oh God, no.

He flicked the switch and electricity coursed through my body…