Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games.
Note: The war continues! Not really got much to say about this one except that District Eight continues to be one of my favoured Districts and a great place to set the action that continues to explode over and over. One can only hope the Districts we have yet to see shall be just as satisfying to write and, hopefully, read. Not much else to delve into this time, so let's begin.
ACT 2: THE LIBERATION
Part 4: Below and Beyond
We're out of the warehouse before dawn has properly arrived. Nobody slept well, but after spending over two combined weeks in Hunger Games arenas I can say that I have slept in worse places than on warehouse crates.
The battles are still raging on. Plenty of distant cries, nasty roars that don't sound human, explosives dropped by hovercrafts on both sides... it's a mess. I'm left wondering what might be left of Eight by the time the fighting is finally over. Perhaps as little as Snow once I get my hands on him...
...Anyway, the loss of Boggs and Pollux has not gone unfelt. Not just by my friends and allies, but by the Capitol too. They must have found their bodies because they've been broadcasting images of the two fallen men for hours, grandly speaking of the how they 'defeated two dangerous terrorists'.
It's not terrorism if we're fighting to free people and spare them from the Capitol's awful cruelty! Snow has it all backwards and I just hope that people see that. If nothing else, the people of Eight are not giving up.
I walk with the group in the direction of the sewer entrance. Apparently a lot of the other entrances are either deep in the battlegrounds or have been made impossible to access due to debris. Lucky for us, one isn't far and apparently it's the most direct route to the Clock Tower that there is. I mean, aside taking the streets, but... that's not a good idea.
As I walk beside Finnick I hold my walkie-talkie close, talking to Rue. She's tired, sounds like she's as depressed as I am and I get the sense she may have gotten a new scrape or burn... but, just like me, she's survived to another day.
"We saw all the broadcasts," she says. "They're really rubbing in how they killed two brave men."
"I'm worried, Rue. Boggs was such a born leader; without him my team is really going to be in trouble," I tell her, shuddering. "And Pollux... is Castor alright?"
"About as much as you could expect," Rue replies, softly sighing. "He's broken right now."
"...Do you mean emotionally or that his body is broken to bits?" I ask, hardly daring to get the words out.
"He's alive," Rue assures me. "But he's not feeling good. Neither is Hopper."
"Hopper? What's wrong with him?" I ask after a brief pause. "Is he... missing a limb?"
"No, the bombs never landed near him," Rue says. I don't miss hearing the way she shudders. "But you know he was close to Boggs, don't you? How Boggs was the one to give Hopper a sense of purpose, some direction, some... I guess inspiration to be a good soldier? ...He cried, Urchin. Hopper never cries."
I can't hide my shock at this. Hopper's been just about the bravest among us in this war, perhaps due to how he's got nothing to lose and has no fear of death at all. To hear of him crying over the war and the death of a man he's, really, not known long... it leaves me surprised.
Maybe my friend has always been more emotional than I'd believed at first. Perhaps I underestimated his emotional side, one often overshadowed by his bravery or chaotic mood.
"Well, can he still fight? Can he still add to your team?" I ask. "Rue, what's it like?"
"Hopper is still himself, just... kinda not? He's sad," she tells me. "We're hanging in here, but we need the bombing to stop. We've already lost over a dozen patients."
My heart aches as Rue sobs, muttering about the death and violence she's seen. It's all horrible stuff. I listen to her every word, wondering how I may be able to calm her down, though I hardly expect to be able to when I'm never calm anymore these days. Never ever.
"My team will do what we can to put a stop to all of the bombings," I assure her, though I'm hardly assured myself. "We're gonna be entering the sewers shortly and from there... well, wish us luck."
"Panem bless," Rue says, an explosion ringing out a moment after. "Talk soon Urchin, the people need me. If anything bad happens, call me up. Even if all I have to give are words, I'll try my best to help."
"Thanks Rue. Love you," I whisper, my hands shaking as I clutch the walkie talkie close.
"Love you too," she whispers, soon hanging up.
It's not long after our contact is broken, for now at least, that we come to the sewer entrance. At the base of the riverbank, one with no water and only a shallow trickle of foul smelling blood flowing along ever so slowly, is a tunnel.
Apparently, the old stone tunnel will lead us into the Clock Tower miles away. The only thing is... what will we find in the tunnels between now and then? I've heard rumours from Dory over the years before she...
...Anyway... she said a few times that alligators live in the sewers. I used to just say she was being silly, but now that a massive sewer system looms ahead of me I suddenly don't feel so sure anymore. What if she was right all along? Finnick once told me of an older Hunger Games that took place in the sewers and had alligator mutts swimming around.
I try not to think about it, following behind Finnick into the sewers. The last thing I want to do right now, besides dying horrible, is jinxing it.
Then again, the latter would probably lead to the former.
"Smelly..." Electra gags, wafting the air around her.
"It's about to get worse," I tell her as we follow the soldiers into the sewer. "Try not to breath too deeply."
(Some time of gross sewer exploration later...)
I used to think that the unsung heroes of Panem were the rescue squads who went out to save fishermen whose boats capsized... and, well, I still believe that. But now, I'm starting to see that there is a new kind of unsung hero as well that really deserves a lot more credit than they get.
Sewer workers. Anybody who can put up with this horrible smell deserves a medal, at least.
For some time now we've been trekking through the sewer system and the lack of gas masks is more apparent by the moment. Seems like they were not deemed 'necessary' so we're forced to bear the brunt of the terrible sewer and its contents. In the large stone tunnel a nasty pool of foulness I can't imagine – or, perhaps, I just really do not want to – flows along at my feet. From above droplets of slime and sewage trickle down bit by bit... the whole place smells like some unholy combination of dead fish, toxic eggs and muttation blood.
I wish I'd just picked the damn Hospital.
"It could be worse," Timm says from beside me. "We could be-."
"Don't say it," I tell him, shaking my head. "If you tempt fate, something bad is going to happen."
"That seems a little superstitious," Timm says, scratching his head.
"You think that's bad?" I say, weakly chuckling. "In the Quell there was this time where Hopper said he wanted me to be his human shield. I asked why and he said, more or less quoting here, that he believes I cannot die due to being the 'main character' and that if I stand between him and danger then he'll be unable to get hurt."
"...Ok, that's not superstitious, that's just insane," Timm says, looking about as confused as a breathless fish. "How does he figure that you can't die?"
"Neptune only knows," I say, shrugging.
We don't talk much after that, just continued through the sewer in silent... save for the occasional cough, retch or curse when we step in something particularly foul. The soldiers are silent, letting Finnick lead us through the filth. I ask if Finnick knows the way and he says he's using Boggs' PDA, a device that has a map of the sewers, to guide us. I don't question this, just being glad for the convenience.
A massive rumbling gets us all on alert, the possibility of bombing above us, a cave-in or both being at the front of our minds. Timm moves to hold Electra while I find myself inching closer towards Finnick. Guns are raises and ears are perked, all wary for what that rumble was.
Probably caused by the thing that just roared from somewhere ahead.
"Stay sharp," Finnick tells us. "Probably a mutt. Just remember, despite their power, mutts all have a common weakness."
"What might that be?" one of the soldiers asks, pumping his shotgun.
"Bullets," Finnick says, smirking.
"...This thing uses shells," the soldier says.
"Look, just shoot at anything that isn't human," Finnick says, shaking his head. "And, if it is a human, hold fire only if they are not in Peacekeeper uniform."
The soldiers don't argue it and neither do I. Based on the roar and rumbles it seems to me that shooting whatever is causing that is the best plan we have. The past shows I'm not bad at killing mutts, or at least evading them.
But it must be a big one. I can't help but shiver, wondering what may be lurking ahead. Could it be anything as bad as the Glimmer Snowmen from the Quell's arena? I'm not gonna assume we may be able to get through without encountering it. Since when have I ever been so lucky?
One we go through the tunnels, the distant rumbling getting louder and quieter without any kind of pattern. The mutt must be erratic in how it moves. Maybe it's hunting us right now...
The stone tunnels soon open to a metal walkway. Below us is another tunnel, one that looks knee deep in foul liquids. Lucky for us, the walkways lead further down the tunnel, preventing the need for us to go below. As we slowly make our way across the walkways Finnick looks over the PDA.
"Not far now," he says, relieved. "About three miles north and we'll be right under the clock tower. From there... good luck men."
Electa pouts, huffing just a bit.
"Oh, and Electra," Finnick adds, amused.
Electra smiles, lightly clapping as she walks beside me at the back of the group. It's not hard to miss the pale green in her cheeks though.
"Not liking it down here?" I ask her. "Me neither."
"So gross. Smells like... um, rancid flesh? Really bad," she mumbles, a hand pinching her nose as she makes a face, sticking her tongue out. "Bleh."
"My thoughts exactly," I agree, shuddering. "Not far now."
The rumbling continues, very nearby. In the time it takes me to run one step the walkway has already suffered the loss of several screws and part of the safety railing. I run fast, but the walkway breaks faster. It's with a shout of alarm that I fall to the sewage below, writhing in disgust. A splash echoes beside and shouts start to echo from above.
"Urchin, are you alright?" Finnick calls to me.
"Recover the head Mockingjay, now!" one of the soldiers yells. "He can't be lost."
"Electra!" Timm yells.
Beside me Electra moans, dazed from the fall. I help her up, taking my flashlight to my hand a moment later to survey the area.
"Trash," Electra mutters.
"This place sure is," I say, hardly able to say she's wrong.
It's a long tunnel full of foul sewage and floating waste like packaging, rotten food and stuff I don't want to dwell on for more than a second. It leads on quite far, down into darkness. Behind us is a similarly dark area. Seems all the lights down here are dormant, the power likely being knocked out from the war above.
My bones shudder when I hear the sound of growling behind me. I could turn behind and see for myself what it is, but the growls and the rumbling that has been echoing tell me enough. I don't waste a second in grabbing Electra in my arms and running for my life down the tunnel. The shouts and yells from those above tell me all that I need to know.
It's a monster, and a horrible one at that!
"Urchin! Monster!" Electra wails, wide eyed. "Teeth, scales... ugly thing!"
"You have a gun, shoot it!" I order her, struggling to avoid stumbling over as I run along.
The roar behind me seems to become three times as loud and the splashing becomes more frantic in an instant.
"Left! Left!" Electra squeaks.
I obey, moving myself to the left without asking questions. The sound of a lunging and some nasty snapping teeth follows right after. From the corner of my eyes I can see the front of some horrible, scaly muzzle. The fear that surges through me at such a gigantic monster being right behind me has me tearing forth faster than I thought possible for somebody my size.
"Right! To the right!"
I obey Electra again, the mutt lunging right to where I had been standing mere seconds later. Seems that for all its speed and power it's got a bit of a delayed reaction going on. I can't hear the shouts of the others anymore, having left them behind already. All that fills my world is the roaring mutt, Electra's warnings and the occasional shot she fires at it. I have no faith, of course, that her small pistol will really do anything.
I stumble over with a shout, the ground sloping down as we reach the end of the tunnel. Garbage is everywhere and the foul smell is at its thickest. It's a struggle to not vomit up my tiny breakfast.
I brace myself for death, but it never comes. Electra's scream and the sight before me tells me everything that I need to know about what's going on.
I guess Dory was right all along...
A gigantic alligator stares at us, hungry and malicious. It must be the size of at least five train cars all connected together. The scales, the teeth, everything about it reeks of power and death. The beats looks so scraggly and brutal, untamed and uncaring for anything besides eating its prey.
We're its prey.
The only reason it has been held back is the fact a large pipe is blocking it back, one that passes out of one wall and into another. The beast chews the pipe, starting to wear it down. It's bright yellow with some warning sign on it that I cannot quite make out.
I start looking for a way to escape the beast but Electra snaps her fingers as she gasps.
"Boom, boom," she says, aiming her pistol.
I barely have a half-second to work out her plan and take cover behind the garbage before Electra takes the shot, her small form blasted backwards beside me. She groans as she sits up, dazed from the force, but that's nothing to what has happened to the alligator mutt after Electra.
The upper half of the beast is gone, merely gore splattered around the tunnel. The stench and sight are repulsive. I spew out my breakfast, unable to hold it back. The body, what's left of it anyway, twitches for a moment before finally going still. The mutt was only here for barely two minutes and already I think it may just be the most terrifying beast I've faced so far.
Though I wasn't the one to kill to, merely the one to evade it. Looks like Timm and myself were right; Electra is tougher than she seems.
"Did I, um... do good?" Electra asks me.
I help her up, just barely managing to give her a grateful smile.
"You were amazing," I assure her. "Of course, if we had a way out of here that would also be amazing..."
As if on cue a ladder lowers down from above. One glance upwards and I see that Timm is there, the soldiers and Finnick only just starting to arrive behind him. He gives us a tired wave from the control lever he just pulled, panting wearily.
"Here's a... ladder... come on up..." he wheezes, out of breath.
I allow myself a few moments to catch my breath back, letting Electra climb up the ladder before me. She scampers up at a fast speed, chattering to Timm about the big boom and asking if he saw it. I follow her up soon after, content that the mutt is no longer an issue... and worried that the explosion may have given us all away.
I pray hard to the Heavenly Dockyard that, perhaps, just maybe, they'll watch over us and keep us from the sight of the Capitol's army. Just long enough to take out the clock tower and be five miles away right afterwards.
(Not much later...)
The end of the sewers is easily found once the alligator is dead. With that powerful monster gone, there isn't really anything left down here that could pose us much of a problem to deal with.
Of course, the problem is that plenty of things will be causing us problems on the surface. Fatal problems, more likely than not.
"The plan is simple, in theory," Finnick says, making sure Timm, Electra and myself are properly armoured. "We go up there, we eliminate all of the cannons, missile launchers and other assorted nasty things on the roof and then we get out of here."
"Sounds like it'll be a lot harder in practise than in theory," I say.
"War always is," one of the soldiers adds, fastening a bayonet to his rifle.
For a few minutes we sit in a near silence below the hatch that'll lead us into the basement of the clock tower and the battle beyond, just getting ourselves ready. Ready in terms of weapons and ready in terms of mind.
Easy for the former. Impossible for the latter.
Looking over my fellow Mockingjays I see that Electra is working to put some scrap parts together, smiling thoughtfully as her hands move around ever so fast. While she works hard on whatever it is, I look over towards Timm. He just sits with his knees drawn up and eyes closed, muttering. Moving close, I hear him loud and clear.
"It's ok to be afraid, it's ok to be afraid."
"It's more than ok," I assure him, giving him a squeeze to the shoulder. "If it wasn't, I'd be in trouble too."
"You afraid?" Timm glances off to the side. "With how angry and fierce you've been acting, I thought you'd started to conquer fear. It's almost scary."
Timm's reply makes me pause. Angry and fierce? I know I've been in a bad mood lately and feeling quite the urge to get even with Snow, but surely it's not that bad is it? I'm just like any other twelve year old... ok, no, that's a lie. But I'm not so full of anger that I come off like some kind of scary person?
I try not to dwell on it as I look over what Electra is doing. She's worked fast, much faster than I had expected. Already she claps to herself, satisfied by what she's made from the scrap collected on the journey so far.
"What have you made, Electra?" I ask her.
"Tazer. Zap, zap," she giggles, pressing the trigger. The front of the weapon crackle with electricity, sending a burst of electricity outwards to a nearby pipe.
The pipe glows as it is electrified, soon left smoking. It's a good thing it was placed on top of a wooden crate or we may have been smoking too. I glance at Electra, wondering just how safe it is to let her keep that weapon. One look in her cheerful, satisfied eyes and I think that I'd be dealing with a sobbing girl if I took it away. I don't need that ion my conscious.
I feel guilty about enough things as it is, like the body count I've gained since the day I was reaped for the first time.
"Whoa, that's effective," Timm remarks, impressed.
"Super effective," Finnick adds, smirking. "They'll never see it coming. Ok everybody, we're moving on up in five minutes... get yourselves ready, just in case you can't later on."
With words that foreboding, it's hardly a surprise that nobody feels anything close to ready by the time the raid is ready to begin. We stand by the trapdoor, ready to move on up and fight. All we're waiting for, says Finnick, is a golden opportunity. A distraction to cover our entrance.
We get exactly what we need a minute later when some loud bombs are dropped onto the surface above us. The boom echoes, crackling and causing some horrible rumbles. It's the perfect cover for us all as we make out way through the trapdoor. The soldiers go first with Timm, Electra and myself bringing up the rear.
I find my courage by imagining how much sooner Ula will be in my arms if we can take this place down quickly. Electra seems to find hers by holding onto her newly built taser very tightly. Timm, meanwhile, repeats that same mantra to himself.
That it's ok to be afraid.
Well... speaking personally I don't have time for fear right now. Now when Snow's men are up there, all of them intent on supporting the man and regime who murder children and have my sister hostage. If they try to run, I'll track them down and grind their-
"Scary face, Urchin..." Electra trails off into a quiet mumble, holding her weapon tighter.
"Sorry... I guess I'm just in a scary mood," I say, gripping my rifle nice and firm. "No scarier than what's up there."
"The worst part is you're right," Timm says, closing his eyes. "It's ok to be scared, it's ok to be scared..."
(About ten minutes later...)
Finnick was right to tell us to get ready.
It's carnage.
We exited the trapdoor into the empty basement of the Clock Tower, but since then things have been on a violent downward spiral. Both for us and for the Capitol's soldiers. The bombs being dropped outside and the hovercrafts that fly by and take off from the courtyard gave us plenty of sound to cover our progress through the Peacekeepers' domain.
Ever since the first grenade was thrown and a barrel of hovercraft fuel was ignited things have been out of control. The bottom floor of the clocktower is full of fire, and it's only getting worse. With everybody focusing on fighting and staying alive nobody has been attempting to put it out. The end result was many scorched soldiers on both sides of the battle.
It's lucky for us that some of the rebels out in the streets, both well armed and simply brave civilians, have joined the battle and prevent the Peacekeepers focusing fully on us.
All the same, the fallen chunks of concrete from above won't hold back the bullets forever. Even now the gunfire is constantly impacting the other side of our barrier, mere feet from my flesh. Timm is to my left, his teeth chattering and occasionally firing off a shot or tossing a few explosives. He's made good use the fallen equipment he took from some of the dead people laying around us.
Meanwhile Electra is to my right, off in her own little world. She stares around for the most part, occasionally acting fast and using her self-made taser to great effect. Her weapon is mighty, always 'stun locking' a Peacekeeper until she decides to let go of the trigger. In a way it's freaky how she's left several of the Capitol's troops laying around with smoke rising off of them. I'm not entirely sure if they are dead or just deeply unconscious from the high voltage.
I'm between them, having no idea exactly where everybody else is in all this madness. I'm stuck for plans, unsure how we'll be able to reach the upper levels where all the heavy artillery is being kept. If we make a charge we'll surely be shot to death.
But, if we stay where we are, we'll suffer the same fate before long. We need to pull of something big, and within the next minute or two. Otherwise we're gonna be chum.
"How are we gonna get up the stairs?" Timm gulps as he tosses another grenade. "They're all blocked off."
"Run up them and... get higher?" Electra suggests.
"Hard to do that with all the enemy forces," I say, gripping my helmet tighter to my head. "Anybody got a flash grenade?"
"Fresh out," Timm says, shaking his head.
"Nothing... just zappy zapping," Electra giggles, firing off her taser again. By the sounds of it she barely missed somebody. "Rats!"
"Well we need to find some way up, or we're gonna be trapped here before long," I briefly peer over the top of the rubble, ducking back down before anybody has a chance to shoot at me. "If we could just bring the clock tower down then we wouldn't even have to make our way to the top."
"How are we gonna do that?" Timm tosses another grenade. "It's all armoured from the outside, right? Otherwise they could've bombed it apart by now... um... right?"
"Boom, boom..." Electra nods her agreement, firing off another blast. "Zap, zap!"
"But... is it quite so armoured on the inside?" I ask after a moment of thought.
We're all silent, the air filled only by gunfire, explosions and screams. A louder explosion rings out, surely from Timm's latest grenade. I peer over the top of the rubble again, looking for where it went off. It's easy to spot the hole in the wall of the clock tower's brick wall that was not there before.
"Not so tough on the inside..." I trail off, ducking down to evade the gunfire. "We can bring down the lower level. If we do that then what hope do the upper levels have? The place will be done for."
"We'd be smooshed... um... like bugs," Electra shudders. "Bugs... yuck..."
"If we could set down some kind of a bomb then we might be able to flee and let it do the hard work for us," I glance around, seeing Timm is out of grenades. "See a time bomb laying around?"
Timm shakes his head, muttering about how nobody could ever be that lucky. Least of all us. What we do have to work with are various bits of scrap and other bits and bobs laying around the large interior of the clock tower. I certainly can't do a thing with them.
Timm looks as lost as I am, unsure what to do. He seems more focused on not breaking out into a fit of pure panic like he has done in the past. I glance at Electra, the small girl still holding her taser tightly. If she could build that from just a few scraps down in the sewers, then perhaps...
"Electra, can you build us a bomb?" I ask, hopeful.
"Um... might be able to... big bomb, needs big supplies... need things... will try..." she mumbles a bit, tapping her fingers together. "May, um, take some time."
"Looks like we have our plan Timm," I move closer to him, wincing from all the sounds of dying soldiers sprawled around. "Electra says she can make a bomb, but she needs time and supplies."
"So, what do we do?" he asks, unsure.
"You cover her. Make sure nobody gets anywhere near her," I take out my rifle as I talk, checking to see how many bullets are loaded inside. Sixty, good. "I'll grab the stuff she needs."
"Do you know what goes into a bomb?" Timm asks, doubtful. He moves over to Electra all the same. "Electra, what do you need?"
Electra pauses, counting on her fingers for a few moments.
"Ummmm... fuel, shrapnel, wire, grenades... loud things," she squeals as bullets hit the wall behind us, not far above our heads. "So loud..."
"I'll be right back," I take a deep breath, my weapon held so tightly that my knuckles ache a bit. "Don't die."
I leap from cover before Timm can reply, grabbing up some shrapnel from the ground and rolling behind more cover. Right at my feet is wire, soon grabbed up to join the shrapnel.
"Catch!"
I toss the supplies over to Timm. He catches them and quickly hands them off to Electra. I see her thinking hard for a moment and start tinkering with them, but I don't have time to hang around and watch. Not when a grenade lands right beside me.
I curse loudly, chucking it back and leaping beside another layer of fallen concrete. Explosions and a dying scream fill my ears. Part of me hopes that it wasn't my grenade that caused the death of whoever that was.
Part of me hopes I killed one of Snow's nastiest soldiers.
It goes on like a demented game of fetch and catch for several minutes. I run through the war zone, my armoured outfit stopping the bullets, though not the immense pain they bring, as I grab up several bomb pieces Electra will need. A grenade with the pin still in, the fuel tank of an abandoned flamethrower, mangled and sharp metal fragments and even some cloth soaked in what smells like fuel.
Fetching is only part of the madness. I have to do all that while gunshots fire around, and at, me but also move around the soldiers on both sides of the war and then toss everything to where Timm is watching over Electra. I can't see what Electra is doing from where I stand across the massive room, only Timm occasionally popping his head up check where I am.
"Need anything else?" I shout across the war zone, flinching as a bullet ricochets off of my helmet.
There's a brief pause, during while I see Finnick take down a Peacekeeper with a trident just outside the clock tower. It's a brief moment, but for a second it's like I was watching myself doing such a thing to President Snow.
What does it say about me that it's something I'd hardly mind being reality?
I distantly hear Timm calling out for more fuel, but it's hard to pay him much mind when I'm grabbed from behind, right around my waste.
"Got you, 'Mockingjay'!"
I don't give him a response or any attention. All I know is that dying means Ula is doomed. I see red, like a darker side is taking over for a moment. One moment I'm struggling and he's yelling for his superior officer to help him. The next moment I've swung my assault rifle behind me as hard as my scrawny arms can manage.
I'm hardly a brawny commando, but an assault rifle to the teeth would hurt anybody. He kneels over, screaming and starts to stagger off with blood across his face. I give him no more of my attention, having spotted a cluster of lighters laying on the hard ground very nearby. Lighters mean fuel, right?
I grab them all up in my arms, sprinting like a madman back to where my friends are hiding. I cry out, a bullet partly piercing through my armour and into my shoulder. The pain is bad, worse than the arrow Weldar shot in that exact spot many months ago. The armour prevented the worst of the pain hitting me, but does nothing to quell the blood that leaks from the wound.
"Aaaahhhh, that hurts, that hurts really bad..." I wheeze, shuddering as I stumble down beside Timm and Electra. "Here, take it."
I drop the lighters down, several of them scattering around our hiding spot. Electra admires a pink one, softly giggling, before she continues to put her bomb together. I stand beside Timm, keeping a watch over her as she sets it up just-so. We cover ourselves up as another part of the walls collapses, more daylight from outside shining through as a cloud of dust fills the air.
Many bodies lay around. I don't know if they are friends or foes; it's impossible to make anything out past all of the blood. All I know for sure is that Finnick remains alive; I can hear him shout from within the cloud of dust, knocking somebody out.
"Get off of me!" he bellows, sending another Peacekeeper falling. The sound has me flinch a bit.
"We should help him," I say, holding my rifle at the ready.
"Can we do anything?" Timm asks.
"So long as we're alive then we can do anything, or at least try," I tell him. "Electra, how is the bomb looking?"
"Done, done, done," she mumbles, holding up something I can only describe as a mangled chimera of fuel, wires and metal. No word exists that'd do it justice. "...Time for the clock to, um... tick and go... boom?"
We may have the bomb to take this place down... but where should we put it? The place has to come down, no two ways about it. Where would be the place to cause the most damage possible?
I glance around quickly, hoping for the answer to strike me before another bullet does. The one in my shoulder throbs worse than the pain of ten crossbow bolts, at least presumably. I hope Thirteen's medics will know what to do; they already fixed up the mutt bite, didn't they?
It's lucky for me that I spot the answer to our problems sooner than later. This specific problem, at least.
A few Peacekeepers lay dead in a heap off in a far corner, some rebel troops laying still beside them. What catches my attention is how several Peacekeepers have got back mounted flamethrowers. How could I have missed that?
They'd be flammable as hell, certainly enough to weaken the building and make the bomb's effects even greater. All we'd need is to set the bomb down.
"Shall I get the bomb set?" I ask, looking it over. "So, how do I start the timer anyway?"
"Red button... on the underside," Electra mumbles.
Sure enough, it's right where she says it is. One push and she claims it'll go off in five minutes. That should be enough time to clear the area and hide somewhere. Though, the collateral damage will surely be extreme.
But isn't Eight in a bad state anyway. And, would civilians really hang around the clock tower when it's infested with Peacekeepers?
I feel quite surprised when Timm takes the bomb from me, saying that he'll handle it. Naturally, my first instinct is to ask him why the hell he wants the job when he's been quite open about how much he hates the war and how he feels so afraid. I'd not mind letting him run off right away and get a head start.
"I've been running for too long," he says, shaking his head. "Besides, it's my home Urchin. Eight is mine, it's where I've spent almost all my time and gained nearly all of my good memories."
The way he briefly glances at Electra makes me figure out what good memories he's gained outside of Eight. She's truly his very own Rue, a thing I cannot help smiling over. My smile is gone soon though when Timm moves Electra closer to me.
"Get her and everybody else out of here," he speaks fast, his nerves flaring up and his hands jittering a bit. "You're faster, you can get her out of here."
"What about you?" I ask, unsure of this turn of events. "Can you get out of here in time?"
"Yes," he says, so quick I almost cannot understand him. "I got this. I'm not a useless coward, not now. Not anymore."
I don't get to say another word before he runs for the corner where the flamethrowers lay dorment upon the bodies. I waste no time in picking Electra up in my arms. She squeaks in surprise, but otherwise just huddles up and holds me.
"Don't drop, please," she mumbles.
"I won't," I assure her. "EVACUATE! FINNICK, EVERYBODY ELSE, EVACUATE!"
Finnick looks at me and then Timm running to set the bomb down. That's all it takes for him to bellow out the order to evacuate, far stronger and less shrill than my own voice was. Some soldiers cover Timm as he makes the run to set up the bomb while I lead the charge outside into the courtyard.
With Electra held in my arms and her having seemingly dropped her pistol I know it'll be a dangerous run that lays ahead of me. I cannot fight back, only attempt to dodge and avoid running into the enemy. I force my legs to carry me faster than they ever have before. Faster than running to school, faster than my charge at the Cornucopia in the seventy fourth games where I beat the Careers there, faster than fleeing that nasty alligator mere hours ago.
The world around me feels like a blur as I sprint through the rubble and fire everywhere. Electra occasionally points out a hazard to me, such as a cluster of bodies or the remnants of a ruined building soon to collapse, and I make sure to run clear of it.
A glance back over my shoulder shows me a scene of panic. Rebels run one way, Peacekeepers run the other, both sides have people shooting and being shot, Finnick leads them all and looks relatively fine for the moment. Further back Timm has now ran from the clock tower with two soldiers flanking him.
I return my focus to running and the broken terrain ahead of me. I can't do anything for Timm and those further back except to be glad that they got out of the clock tower at all. But I can do plenty for Electra and myself; keeping us moving so that we won't be in danger when the clock tower falls.
"Boom, boom," she mumbles, looking back over my shoulder and towards the clock tower.
"When is it going to come down?" I ask her, leaping over some broken bricks.
A massive explosion tears through the air. As the bangs and blasts echo around I hear the tell tale sign of a building beginning to fall over. With the sheer size of it and all the artillery supplies at the top I expect a monster of an explosion is soon to follow the first one.
"It's coming down right now," Electra says, covering her eyes. "So loud and... um... really noisy..."
My world becomes consumed by a roaring explosion and a gigantic dust cloud blazing forth to consume us all. Everything after that is nothing but blind stumbling, crying, screaming and pain. I think I hear a hovercraft or three making their way downwards, but everything feels so distant that I have no idea if this is true or not.
I kneel over, suddenly overcome by fatigue and the feeling of shock. As I fall down with Electra rolling out of my arms, similarly out of it, I come to a stop laying on my back. Everything feels so distant and suddenly things go from loud to pure silence...
(...Unknown...)
When awareness returns to me – whether it's been minutes or hours I honestly have no idea – I feel like I'm a world away from the battlefield I remember running through.
I'm not just saying I'm light headed. The area I have found myself in now is like some kind of whole new dimension. It has to be a dream; perhaps from me being knocked out by a bomb?
Though, if this is a dream then why do I feel so aware?
Mist and clouds surround me on all sides, everything feeling... I guess the word would be 'celestial'. A shiny, soft sea stretches away into infinity with faint golden sunlight cast onto it. Hard to explain how, as the sky is covered in a thick blanket of clouds that glow mysteriously.
It takes a moment for me to realise that I am sitting on a bench upon a dock. A faint foghorn jerks me out of my thoughts, forcing me to look around at this strange place I've found myself at.
"Where am I?" is all I can bring myself to say.
I reach out to lay a hand on the bench. I can't stop a gasp passing my lips when I feel it...it's really there. Just like a bench back in reality, unless that's just my brain reacting to the dream world?
The waves, the distant unseen boats, everything... it all goes deathly quiet. Soon only a giggle can be heard, coming from somewhere in the mist and fog. My spine shivers... I know that giggle, it's one I never expected to hear ever again besides memories of better days.
"...Is somebody there?" I ask, nervousness filling me up.
Silence, not even a giggle anymore. I gulp, feeling paranoid from all of the silence. Am I going to wake up soon... or did I die? If that giggle was real and not just my imagination, what other explanation is there?
Dead... shit, if I'm dead then Ula... no... no!
I'm so lost in thought that I don't notice somebody has crept up on me until they put their tan hands over my face.
"Guess who~!"
I scream at an embarrassingly loud volume. The alarming feeling that surges through me overpowers all else, leading to me falling off of the bench and down to the ground. Amazingly it doesn't hurt at all, aside leaving me feeling dizzy. I sit myself up, soon offered a hand by the figure who startled me.
"Sorry about that," Dory says, sheepish. She pulls me into a tight hug the instant I'm back on my feet. "Oh Urchin, it's so good to see you..."
I try to say something, anything, to the friend I've missed so much. I only manage a bewildered mumble as I look at Dory – since when did she get angel wings and a halo? - while she just smiles back at me.
I'm silent, still unsure what to say. I've got no idea what's going on and why my dead friend stands beside me once again. Dory sits on the bench and pats the spot beside her, giving me a smile.
"Shall we watch the waves, just like when we were little?" she asks, still smiling.
I sit myself beside her, trying to find the words for what I want to say. I go from wanting to say I'm glad to see her, that I've missed her so much, that I am unsure if I'm alive or dead, that I feel a fire burning in my soul every time Snow enters my head.
"Hi," is all I manage to say.
I groan while Dory snickers, giving me one of her sly looks. Her amusement is clear to see.
"Oh Urchin, you always were a teensy bit of a dork," she remarks. "I've missed that."
"...Aren't you dead, Dory?" I ask, uneasy.
"I think so, yes," she says, nodding.
"Is this just in my head, or are you here to lead me to the other side?" I continue, my eye twitching.
"I don't think you're dead," she says, a hand placed upon my shoulder. "You feel alive."
We're silent for a while after that, sitting close and staring out at the calm sea. It's tranquillity that the waking world couldn't possibly have, especially with how awful District Four is looking right now. Waves like this won't happen for many years.
I soon embrace Dory, unable to stop a few tears flowing down my face. Whether this is real or not, I don't want to pass the chance to hug my best friend one last time. It means more to me than I can put into words when she willingly returns the hug.
"Is this the last time we'll ever see each other?" I ask her.
"Maybe. Unless you die," she says, looking back out at the sea. "Consider this to be the dock between Panem and Beyond. A crossroads, except... um, well, no roads here? It's all sea."
Dory trails off, looking like she's suddenly forgotten something important. It's a look I was used to seeing on her face back when she was alive.
"Oh! Now I remember!" she giggles, a little embarrassed. "I'm here to give you some advice and talk a bit about stuff."
"What kind of stuff?" I ask her, softly.
"...I can't remember. Darn it..." she groans, massaging her scalp with both hands. "I know I wrote it down somewhere... um..."
We sit like this for some time – I couldn't possibly tell you how long. I'm not so sure time even exists in this strange place, real or not. - as Dory tries to gather her words. I don't mind the silence, I'm just glad to see my friend again.
"You're hurting pretty bad, aren't you Urchin?" she smiles in a sad sort of way. "I don't hurt anymore, not since I passed on. But you... there's no break from it, is there?"
"Not for a moment, really," I clench my fists, my eyes closed tightly. "Ula's been captured and so has Prim. People keep dying, people I love... I couldn't even save you. I ran off and didn't even think to wait for you or even look back in case you were in trouble. What kind of a person am I?"
"One with a lot of pain inside that needs to be let out with care," Dory moves closer to me, her head upon my shoulder. "You have friends still alive, don't forget that. Rue, Hopper, Timm, Electra, Valkri, Prim, Coral... plenty of friends. They can help you let it all out without... going too far."
She looks me in my eyes, almost nervous for a moment.
"Your dark side is getting out more Urchin, and it's not a good look for a cute guy like you," she whispers, laying her hand upon mine. "You need to control it. Hate Snow all you want, but don't lose what makes you the hero of this story of yours. Don't lose control."
She looks away, as if scared for a brief moment. She mumbles something, words I don't hear and have to ask for her to repeat.
"I've seen what may happen if you make too many 'evil choices'," she gulps, looking right into my eyes. "Make the good choices Urchin, let goodness fill your soul."
"I should have made the choice to have run back to the Cornucopia back in the Quell and prevented Colm from ever hurting you," I sniffle, raw and salty tears filling my eyes. "I made a bad choice, a terrible one even."
"You still have plenty of good choices left to make," Dory says, a sweet smile crossing over her face. "Just make sure to think carefully before you make a big choice."
I promise her that I will, and soon we sit in silence again. So much is being left unsaid, but what can I say? Where do I start? Surely Dory knows how much she is missed and how destroyed I felt after her death. She'd know what's become of our home and the pain we're all having to suffer every day.
She'd certainly know my darkest desires for revenge...
"I think it's time for me to go," Dory says, standing herself up. "Be good, be brave and be ready. I still believe in you."
"Already?" I rise, trying to reach out for her. "But... you only just got here."
"Time's running out fast," she tells me. "But one day, time won't matter anymore. When eternity awaits, a handful of decades isn't really so long."
After a final goodbye she spreads her wings, ready to take off into the sky. The final look she sends me way, though... she seems almost a little bit anxious.
"If I were you, I'd trust Electra's word and check out the monster in Thirteen," she says. "See you later, Urchy."
Dory takes off, flying away into the infinite horizon of the ocean, soon gone from my sight and off to the clouds. I'm left alone, only able to call after her. But I get no response, my friend already being gone. That is, if she was here to begin with. Was it all a dream?
The clouds get brighter and brighter, the whole dockyard becoming consumed in a bright glow. A distant voice I can't quite make out starts speaking, but it may as well be talking another language. I can't understand a word of it. I let out a final yell as everything becomes pure white around me.
(The waking world...)
"Urchin... Urchin!"
Everything comes into focus quite slowly. When the world around me finally comes into focus I realise two things right away. The first is how the battlefield is gone, nowhere in sight. In fact, I'm lying upon a bed in what might be a hospital, one that looks like it's taken some damage recently. The cracks that run up the walls seem 'fresh', I guess.
The second thing I notice is that Rue is sitting at my bedside, worry filling up her wide eyes. As soon as she sees I'm waking up the worry become relief. Hardly a second later she's embracing me so tightly it feels like I'm gonna pop!
"Oh thank goodness!" Rue sighs, deep and thankful. "Urchin, don't you ever scare me like that again."
"I'll try not to," I wheeze, trying to make Rue loosen her grip. "A bit too tight!"
"Oh, sorry," she says, releasing me with an awkward and exhausted giggle. "I'm just glad you're alright. The clock tower came down, all the nasty weapons coming with it... it's a scorched crater right now. ...People died."
"How many of them were on our side?" I ask, unsure how to respond to the news. "I mean... the mission was a success, right?"
"It was. Eight is under rebel control now," Rue tells me, moving to sit beside me upon the bed. "But there were quite a few deaths on both sides. All of the Flock made it, Finnick too. Some soldiers survived and others didn't. It's a mess... a horrible, terrible, nasty bloodsoaked mess."
I move to gently give her a hug, but Rue pulls away. She sighs, looking up at the ceiling.
"The worst part is that my District is probably going to be in an even worse state than this one was," Rue closes her eyes, pained. "At least Timm feels alright."
"Is he happy?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.
"I mean, kind of. Not 'real happy' but maybe 'grim happy'; he feels like he's actually worth something now," Rue sighs again, distant. "He almost got crushed by debris. His lower right arm needs surgery. I guess that's the price of being a hero... you lose part of your body. Just like Chaff."
"Poor guy," I flinch at the thought of how much pain Timm must be in. Is he being operated on right now? "Is Electra alright?"
"She is. She keeps asking if one of the soldiers can take her to the train station; she keeps saying she 'likes trains'," Rue giggles, lacking any humour or a smile. "They keep telling her no. They won't let her see Timm either, saying he's in too much pain."
"I guess we're all feeling pretty crappy right now," I sit myself up, still woozy. "And Hopper?"
"He's on the roof, keeping an eye out for any trouble. There won't be any, not now that the Peacekeepers are gone, but he doesn't care. I think he just wants to be alone to process the fact Boggs is dead. Castor's not been any better since Pollux died," Rue lets out a sight, flopping to lay down beside me. "Basically, Panem sucks right now."
"I guess we'll have to keep doing our job to stop it from sucking so much," I say, balling my hand into a fist.
We're silent for a while, not really sure what to say. It's normally nice to just be alone together, able to talk about anything or sometimes just hold hands and smile... not now, not anymore. There's just too much pain going on across the nation. Good people died in the battle we won. Even if bad people died too, does it really make it worth it?
...If it means we're closer to taking down the enemy, then yes.
"How long was I out?" I ask eventually. "I had a really odd dream. Like, chum levels of odd. Dory was there and it was... well... I wasn't sure if it was a dream or not."
"You were moving around a lot when you were sleeping," Rue notes. "You passed out after a gas pipe ruptured and filled the air with some sort of fumes. I'm not sure what they were, but that may explain the dream. As for how long, well..."
"Two days?" I guess, figuring it must have been a while.
"Five days," Rue says, shivering. "I was starting to worry that you weren't going to wake up."
"Five days?!" I let out a choked gasp. "Fuck, we're so far behind schedule!"
"Do you need to use that word?" Rue asks, shuddering. "...Don't worry. I heard the adults talking; Ten and Nine have gotten under rebel control too. With Thirteen ours to start with and Four... well.. that's five Districts out of the Twelve that still exist. Seems fast if you ask me."
I soon relax after that, somewhat at least. We're almost halfway to being done already; once all twelve Districts unite then finally we can make our march on the Capitol and upon Snow's mansion. I'll find him in that mansion and when I do...
I snap out of it, trying to chill myself out, when I see how Rue is starting to look nervous. It's not a nice feeling, knowing that my anger scared my girlfriend. She lays a hand upon my shoulder giving it a gentle squeeze.
"Get some rest," she says, gently. "We'll be heading back to Thirteen tonight."
"Because I'm awake?" I ask.
"Actually we'd have left either way. We've stayed here this long because the people of Eight needed help putting things back together again and Timm wanted to film his propo in his home District. I think he did a great job," Rue gets up, ruffling my curls. "Get a good rest, you deserve it after the clock tower explosion and that alligator."
I soon settle myself down, ready to get at least a small amount of rest before the next mission we end up being sent on. Rue stays with me as I drift off once again, my eyelids suddenly feeling as heavy as barbells. Maybe a rest is just what I need here...
(Later...)
It was a sombre sort of farewell to District Eight. While they're free of the Capitol's hold, they're not in the best of states right now. Broken buildings, dead bodies in the streets... sucks to say it, but we added to that destruction. The people in Eight will be cleaning up for weeks, maybe months.
At least they seemed glad for the help we gave them. I guess we really did our job as saviours, even if we're rather destructive ones.
They all cheered for Timm, chanting his name like he was a hero. If you ask me, a hero is exactly what he is. He bought that clock tower down, after all. Though, seeing him with his arm in a cast that seems to be stained a faint red... Rue was right, heroism comes with a price.
He seems to like the praise though, smiling very bashfully and waving to the crowd as we board the hovercraft back to Thirteen. The way Electra hugs him, mumbling praise, is certainly the icons on the cake.
If only we'd managed to find Timm's family, but they're still missing. We were told that finding them will be a top priority, but with all the clean up going on it will take us some time.
I try to focus on the positives as we take off from Eight and start flying back to base. We succeeded at the mission and dealt the Capitol another big loss. Eight has always been a very rebellious District, one that will no doubt cause them plenty of issues now that they're free to do whatever they want. With Nine and Ten on our side too the Capitol may even be able to get starved into defeat.
I find myself selfishly hoping that they don't have much food stocked up. Let them feel what it's like to starve and waste away for a change.
I glance away from where Timm sits with Electra dozing against him and instead to Hopper. He sits beside me, staring at the opposite wall of the hovercraft. Rue was right, Boggs' death is hitting him pretty hard.
"Any way I can help?" I ask him.
"Nothing to be done besides be good soldiers and keep fighting," Hopper says, closing his eyes. "Boggs taught me a lot about self-restraint and being a real soldier... I think it's only right that I honour his memory and act in a way he'd approve of."
"I'm sure he'd be happy to hear that," I say, a hand laid upon his shoulder. "How were things at the hospital? The clock tower was insane for my squad."
"Vandalised another Capitol billboard and took out a helicopter," he says, weakly snickering. "You know, I'm thinking of vandalising a billboard in every District. Make it my 'calling card', y'know?"
"Go for it," I tell him. "...The billboards have a phone number on them right? I say call the number and bother them when you wreck their billboards."
Hopper's eyes seem to lighten up as I say that, no doubt plenty of mischievous thoughts filling his mind. I believe he has it in him to be one excellent soldier, whether or not Boggs is here. By all accounts Hopper has consistently performed strongly and bravely in the midst of battle.
For a time things are silent aside from Castor's soft weeping over his deceased brother and the Victor from Seven – Logger, wasn't it? - muttering to himself quietly as he clutches his hip. It's quiet enough for me to start drifting off to sleep. I'm roused from my almost-slumber when Finnick tells us that Timm's propo is airing again.
"If you haven't seen it yet, watch it now. This is great, thoughtful stuff," he says, smiling. "Gave me quite a bit of inspiration actually. I know what I'm doing as soon as we're back, thanks to Timm."
Timm says something, quiet and flattered, while a wall mounted TV flickers into life. Thoughts of my own propos and the magnificent art that was Hopper's propo fill my mind as I wait for it to start. How will Timm's propo compare to those that came before? And how may it compare to those yet to be made, like Electra's own?
I sit quietly, excited to find out where this one is going. Timm smiles from his own seat, far from what I'd call content, but certainly looking a lot more at peace than he was that night in Twelve. Seems that, ironically, being in the thick of things has done him some good. Though, not to his arm...
When the TV comes to life, the propo begins with Timm sitting in an old graveyard. His face is sombre, but there's some determination in his eyes as well. He traces a hand along one of the gravestones, dismayed, and looks up at the screen.
"Death follows us everywhere we go in life, up to the moment it finally catches up to us. But death is quite the slow fellow, letting us run for decades before he catches us. Thing is... the Capitol thinks they can take his role, and they catch us very quickly," Timm says, shaking his head. "People of the Capitol, do you even remember Isaak? Sherri? Colm? Moxie? Farro? Weavee? Do you spare any thoughts to the children you kidnapped from their homes and stole the futures from? If you answered no... I pity you. I can't imagine caring so little about the lives of children and.. you know what, I don't want to either."
Timm sighs, shaking his head. The cameras show all the destruction going on in District Eight, all the fires and bodies and the rest of the carnage. When the camera comes back to Timm he looks even more disapproving.
"You say you 'safeguard our future'. You say that peace was 'hard fought and sorely won'... no, just no. You steal our future away for your own selfish greed. You loved causing agony to people who only wanted a better, fairer future. You did all of this," Timm takes a deep breath in and out. "I may have lost my family by now and not even know it. Are you proud? Proud to be murderers? I'd not be."
More rubble and wreckage is shown, in even worse detail than before. The blood is everywhere and fire fills the place like it's some kind of pure hell.
"We only have a little time in the end, so you need to make the best use of it as you possibly can," Timm stops being so quiet and morose now. No, now he sounds... almost bold. "But we can never make use of our time with the Capitol tyranny and evil. If you want to live, you must do your part to weaken them. If we unite as one, we'll have a chance. A big chance. The 'wise and infallible Capitol' is afraid of what we can do when we put aside our conflicts and work together. We all share the exact same, inevitable fate... but until then, let's do the right thing and truly safeguard the future by ending these horrific Hunger Games and making the world a kinder place."
Timm takes out a sheet of paper, glancing it over for a moment. He moves his head to stare right into the camera. I have to admit, it's a little bit creepy.
"A short poem; the feast of life," Timm says. "Bread begins the meal of life. Meat to savour the time at hand. Dessert to cherish our remaining years. One last drink and the bottle breaks, turning us to the dust from whence we came. ...We share one fate, so make the most of every single day and moment therein. You never know when your own bottle will break. Thank you."
The propo ends with a flash of a Mockingjay and then the transmission cuts off. Everybody cheers, myself very much included, while Timm just smiles modestly.
"Um, I'm glad you guys liked it," he says, glancing off to the side shyly.
"You did great," I tell him. "We all did, the living and... those who had their bottles break."
The ride back to Thirteen is quiet after that. We survived, Eight is under our control and the propo is going to certainly help our cause. But there are notably fewer people on this hovercraft than there were back when we set off on this mission.
Who around me shall die next?
(Some time later...)
As soon as we're back in Thirteen we're all herded to the medical area for checking over. Finnick insists that he is fine and needs to see Annie right away, but even the most popular Victor there ever was is swiftly overruled and forced to sit alongside us for medical examining.
Lucky for us most of us are deemed fine enough to be allowed back to our rooms before long. Timm remains behind to get his arm checked over more closely and some soldiers need patching up, but besides that it seems we avoided the worst of injuries we could have gotten.
Thirteen seems very sombre after the demise of Boggs and the medical wing is no exception. Valkri, seated beside Tack's bed, looks to be in quite a state as I approach her. She shakes her head to herself, looking depressed.
"How are you?" I ask her.
"Well, what do you think?" she asks, looking away. "Not great. Mummy is missing while the war keeps going on. People are dying all over the place. Minnie is still being held hostage and no matter what I say Coin refuses to listen to me when I plead for them to help her, and Prim. She says I'm the 'lesser among the Flock'."
Valkri seethes, quietly counting to ten under her breath. I try to rest a hand on her shoulder but she shakes me off, uncomfortable.
"Please don't," she says, firm.
"Sorry. Just... you're not the 'lesser one'. That's stupid," I move to sit beside her as I speak. "You're the strongest among us, Val."
"Thanks Urchin," she says, not looking any better.
"So, you've been here while we were out there... has Tack woken up at all? Has Nella or Zabrina?" I wonder how desperate I must sound as I ask her this.
"The girls are still out of it," Valkri says, pausing to flinch. "Sometimes they scream from within their dreams. Tack though, he's woken up a few times. Not for long, but enough for me to say hello and try to keep him calm."
Valkri looks down at him, a weak smile appearing on her face.
"He's very polite. Really sweet," she continues. "I'm glad you saved him."
"As am I," I agree, standing up. "Will you be coming on the next mission?"
"Expect me to be there," Valkri says, determined. "One way or the other I'll be coming along, fighting hard and showing just how 'lesser' I really am... or, rather, am not!"
I leave soon after that, wishing Valkri well. I find it strange Coin would say something like that to her; I mean, physically speaking, Valkri is by far the most powerful member of the Flock. In what sense is she possibly lesser?
Looks like I know what I'll be talking to Coin about in our next meeting.
(A few minutes later...)
On my way back towards my room I'm intercepted by Finnick. I'd expected him to still feel in great pain over the recent death of Mags and of all the bloodshed in Eight... and, in fairness, I think he's still hurting a lot on the inside. I know that I sure am.
But there's something else about him right now, like he's got a grand plan going on. One he says he needs my help with. I find it odd he'd ask a twelve years old for aid, but since when have I been a normal kid? Not since the seventy fourth reaping...
"Basically, I need you to keep Annie busy for about an hour while I get things ready in the canteen," he tells me.
"Keep her busy? How?" I ask. "You mean, uh... board games?"
"Anything to buy me some time," Finnick says.
"Sure, but I feel inclined to ask you why," I say, raising an eyebrow. "Got something big in mind?"
"The biggest thing ever," Finnick replies, a serene sort of smile appearing on his tired face. For a brief second, it's like he's a happy man. "I'm going to ask her to marry me."
One moment I'm cheering like the kid I used to be before everything went off the rails. The next moment I freeze, realising exactly where it is we're walked past.
The basement door, the one that leads to the 'monster' Electra has been talking about. The one Dory claimed I should investigate in my dream.
It was only a dream... though, what if it wasn't?
"You seem distracted," Finnick notes.
"It's just... Electra keeps talking about a 'monster in the basement'. Perhaps it's time I checked this out for myself," I say, gesturing to the door. "Just to satisfy my curiosity. I'll go keep Annie busy after that."
"Of course. You know what, I'll come to. After all, if a monster is afoot then who better to have as your bodyguard?" Finnick asks, smirking.
With a tired, amused shake my head I lead Finnick through the door and down the flights of stairs. We make quick progress, only getting quicker once we come to an elevator and ride it down to what seems to be the lowest area of Thirteen. It's no different to look at than anywhere else in the underground District, but things just feel a bit creepier down here. Like something in the air is amiss...
It's a corridor we've found ourselves in, several doors to the left and right. A single door is at the very end of the corridor, a guard sleeping on duty beside it. I make a beeline over there; if a guard is by the door then surely something important is behind the door.
As Finnick and I get closer we hear a distant groan. It sounds so broken and scratchy, but perhaps that's the monster that Electra claimed to have heard? Sure enough it's coming from behind the door.
"What do you think it is?" I ask.
"No idea, but I'd really like to know," Finnick says, suspicious. "This doesn't feel right."
The guard stirs as we come to the door, quick to try and block us off from entering. He says we're off limits, off of line and that nobody except Coin is allowed through the door. I've barely begun trying to ask him about the groaning when a new sound comes from beyond the door.
A weak call for help.
It's a voice I know.
"Move aside," I say, feeling like my 'dark side' is starting to appear once again.
"I am going to ask you to leave. This area is off limits," the guard insists.
"Move aside."
He makes a grab for me, but Finnick acts faster. With ease Finnick pins the guard to the wall, locking him in place like he's nothing.
"Open the door," he tells me, a grave look on his face. He has the same idea of what's going on as I do.
I don't hesitate. A few rams against the door with my elbow gets the stiff thing to finally burst open. I've barely set foot through the door before I kneel over, barely holding back a scream.
Coral is chained the wall, looking starved and very dehydrated. She weakly raises her head to look at me, mumbling something inaudible. I'm over to her like a flash of lightning, looking for a key to release her. I feel like I'm gonna be sick...
She was here all along. Not in the detention block, but stuck down here and being starved! What the hell is going on here?! How long has she been here now; over a week? How did it take me so long to find her?
"Coral, who did this to you?" I ask, grabbing a key from across the room and unlocking the first of her cuffs.
She doesn't say a word until she's collapsed into my arms, so much thinner and weaker than she was before. Her pale face is like that of a zombie.
"...Coin..." she whispers, sobbing.
Looks like when something goes right, something will go wrong soon afterwards. Five Districts on the rebels side, but now it seems Coin's been up to no good. All this and people keep dying while the war rages on. How are things gonna end up for our increasingly angry protagonist? Stay tuned to find out!