I walk behind her, watching her tiny feet hop up the stairs, bouncing with anticipation. Her steps are light, their sound rhythmic. She wears her hair in a tight bun, a normality of District Thirteen, and when she turns to smile at me, a large piece of hair escapes and covers her eyes.
She reaches for my hand and pulls me through the dark corridor of the vehicle until we come to a rather large pane of glass. We rush to the to the window, and press our noses up against the clear, cool glass. The ground seems to soar by beneath us as our breath fogs up the place where our fingers had smudged the pristine surface seconds before. I turn to look at her and notice our fingers still knitted together. Whether it is out of comfort, fear, or another emotion I am not yet sure of, I squeeze her hand with mine.
We stand there for minutes, perhaps hours, watching places we have only dreamt of flash by like a photograph album. We are jolted from our stupor when the lights in the chamber begin to flash. We proceed towards the exit and are told a series of instructions. As we gather our supplies, I help to fasten her medical aid kit around her waist, and a smile escapes my lips when I see that she has forgotten to tuck in the back of her shirt. She helps me with my coat and pats my shoulders when she has finished. I smile at her, and am caught off guard when she plants a soft kiss on my cheek. This time it's my hand to grab hers, and together we walk down the plank of the hovercraft and into the dense fog below.
Haunted- that is the only word I could use for it. Bodies are the ground's blanket, and distant screams shatter the hollow silence. I keep my hand gripped tightly around hers, for I think it is the only thing that will keep her from running to help the victims. Our group stays close and walks quickly, we try not to look around. I hear a gasp to my right and hold Prim's hand tighter. I lead her around the body of the child she had almost stepped on, and help her to not lose her balance. Her hand stays cupped over her open mouth and we hurry to keep up with the rest of the medical staff.
I can tell that we are nearing the city now, the screams are becoming louder.
We pass through what must have been a schoolyard, and Prim stops again, this time examining a doll. Blood stained and torn, she hides it away in her pack. We continue forward, not exchanging words, but knowing exactly what the other is thinking. We stumble through the singed remains of a building, when suddenly I feel her release my hand and I see her start to run. The nurse to my left collapses in a heap and someone behind me begins to vomit, but all I see is the blonde bun racing away. My heart is pounding and my footsteps disappear into the dirt as I dash behind her.
Finally I see it: children, hundreds of them. Wounded, screaming in agony, covered in dirt, missing limbs, crying for the mothers lying lifeless at their side. I catch a glimpse of her blonde head bobbing up between the bodies, a determined look on her face. Her hair has fallen out now and is cascading down her black. Blood stains her clothing and paints itself upon her pale skin. I rush forward, needing to be beside to her, to help her. For some reason, a hand stops me pulling me back, and I lift my eyes to the sky. A hovercraft appears, larger than our own, and begins to open it's hatch. Supplies, I think, thank God, Prim must be so pleased. I jump up and down and wave at her, signaling to the aircraft above us. We exchanged excited looks, and she signals me to join her. I zip up my jacket, and run towards the mass of people surrounding her.
As I take my first step, I hear a ringing in my ear and see a flash of light. Everything goes black. Somehow I regain my vision, stumbling to my feet and hobbling forward. Flames seem to engulf everything I see, and the ground is crimson. The sky is black with a thick coating of fog, and everything seems motionless. Time stops, and my knees wobble.
"Prim! PRIM!" I scream at the top of my lungs. The noise burns in my lungs, and I cough as I gulp down the smoke. I tear through the crowds, a mixture of numbness and adrenaline ripping through my veins. I search through the bodies, enduring the pain of the flames that burn my thighs. It is then that I see her.
She lies atop what seems to be a bed, but is only another carcass beneath her. Her face is peaceful, her blonde hair, charred black from the flames, seems to create a halo around her head. She has an angelic look about her, as if she is submersed in a deep slumber.
I drop to my knees, and choke out guttural sound. I take her hand in both of mine, begging her to wake up.
"Prim," I whisper, a soft sound at first, but then it grows louder, in an almost crazed tone.
"Prim, wake up Prim. It's just a dream, you're just asleep. Wake up, you're just asleep," the tears blur my vision completely, and I cannot keep myself from sobbing.
"PRIM! WAKE UP NOW! I am begging you Prim, you're just asleep. You are just-"
I feel a pair of strong hands clasp around m waist, dragging me backwards, away from the destruction.
"Rory," the voice says, "Rory, you have to come."
"No!" I scream back, and I thrash and wail, begging him to put me down. We cannot just leave her hear.
"She is going to wake up! Just wait! Just, jus-," I lose myself in a scream as he picks me up and walks me away, my hand outstretched.
I release myself from his grip and crawl forward, digging my nails into the burning rubble, pulling myself towards her.
"Prim," I see the doll still clasped tight in her other hand. "Prim," I grab it, and hide it in the pocket of my coat. The hands are around me again, shielding me, one coming down to cover my eyes. I feel the feet of my carrier break out into a run.
"Goodbye," I whisper and it escapes my lips, the last breath before darkness consumes me.