Hanging Tree

by RantOnWinchesters

When the government has taken over, the origin of the Hanging Tree is recalled. The narrator being a young woman in the first annual Hunger Games, she recalls repeatedly how life was before the districts. She and the boy from her district sing the song many times as their personal rebellion in the games. Will their rebellion take off, or wear a necklace of rope in the Hanging Tree?

Prologue

The words race through his mind. People all around are chanting the lyrics. Half-conscious, he's being dragged through the town. Or what's left of it. The fight hasn't been kind and the government is going to separate families by jobs. If someone doesn't fit in to one of their categories, they put the person and their family where they think they would fit best. What job they think he'd be best fit for. They're calling them "districts" and the entire country is going to be "Panem". It's not even a couple of districts, either. It's thirteen. And each district is going to have a number of government workers called "Peacekeepers" to keep everything under control. They wear complete body suits, including helmets, so no emotion shows. Anyone who tries to rebel against this new idea gets beaten to the verge of death. He thinks about how this will affect his love. The words tear through his thoughts again.

Where the dead man called out for his love to flee.

He gains slight consciousness and lets his head roll to the right. He sees them. The beginnings of the Peacekeepers. They're beating anyone and everyone in sight. He uses the rest of his strength to roll his head to look forward again. Regret washes over him as he sees the tree in the middle of the town. The tree stands at least seven feet tall and it's reputation stands even taller. The Peacekeepers on either side of the crowd hold off the screaming masses. There is no going back, even if he could. The emotionless robots of Peacekeepers on either side of him start dragging him closer and closer to the tree. A third stands on a stool at the lowest branch, tying the last knot in the noose. His mind flashes again to the lyrics being chanted around him.

Wear a necklace of rope, side by side with me.

They set him up in front of the noose and slip it around his neck. The rough and scratchy material of the rope rubs against his neck as the Peacekeepers hold him steady. He can barely see the crowd that has formed around the tree. A Peacekeeper asks,

"Any last words, peasant?"

He takes a minute to catch his breath. This is the last thing anyone will ever hear him say. It takes everything he has in him before he shouts,

"Run, my love! Run away and never look back!"

The stool is kicked from under his feet. There are some screams, some cries, and some curses yelled by the Peacekeepers. The last words he hears are the chanted lyrics of the rebellion song.

Are you, are you coming to the tree?