Finnick grabs my arm and pulls me away from Haymitch.
"Don't," he says, "Remember what happened?" I want to run out of that door so much, but I know it could kill me and I hold back.
"Haymitch?" I say softly.
"We need to go," he snaps, "We have about ten minutes before they realize we're in here and send the whole place down in explosives." He sounds so real but Finnick shakes his head shortly.
"What are you waiting for?!" cries Haymitch, "Peeta! Show her you're alive and okay!" My heart skips a beat as Haymitch lights up a small hologram with Peeta's face on it.
"Katniss!" he shouts, "You need to get out." I manage to get away from Finnick's grasp and reach for Peeta, not caring if I live or die.
"I'm real," he says, "I'm the real Peeta." I grab Haymitch's sleeve and feel nothing. Finnick cries out in relief and runs over. Haymitch shuts down the hologram.
"Here's the plan," he says, "We're going to travel through the above air vents and we'll come out at a balcony. We have to jump, but I've got padding for both of you"- he pats a huge backpack he's been carting around- "and it won't be as bad. Katniss, I have your bow and arrows. Finnick, your trident. Did they try and get any info out of you yet?" Finnick shakes his head. "Good. We'll jump, and then we have about five seconds to make it across the gardens to the exit. There are land mines everywhere but Beetee mapped them out in this hologram for us and we can make it through safe if we go slow."
"But you said we have five seconds," I mumble, my heart already sinking at this plan. The place is practically impenetrable. And air vents aren't the best way to travel.
"Exactly," he says, "We have to go fast but carefully."
"Okay," says Finnick, gripping my hand. "Let's do it." I am still unsure, but take the padding and the bow. I swing my sheath around my chest and help Finnick strap a net to his back just in case. I finally see the other side of the cell. A big stone area, with lots of traps and chains. It looks like we might have gone there next. Finnick drags me further and I realize how much my limbs hurt. I catch my reflection in a shattered piece of glass and see the many cuts and scars. My braid is mangled and my eyes look tired. Girl on fire, broken.
We get to the first air vent and Finnick goes first. It's barely big enough to hold Haymitch, so I slip in easily, the days without food helping. Haymitch goes behind me, the backpack sliding in front of him. I wish I could bring out my bow and have it at the ready, but my arrows smack the top with every step so I decide it's safer not to. We finally reach the end and find fog awaiting us. I look out past Finnick and see a small garden, from the building to a high security fence.
"We've disabled any cameras for now," hisses Haymitch behind me, "The first land mine is two feet from where we will land when we jump, so be careful. Finnick, go." Finnick throws down his trident first, then with a kiss on my hand and a salute to Haymitch, he plunges down. I immediately look down and see him getting to his feet. He gives me a quick thumbs up and with a last look at Haymitch, I jump before I have any second thoughts. The blow of the impact takes my breath out of my lungs, but I regain it quickly as Finnick pulls me to my feet. The only pain is in my back where I landed and it's not that bad. The padding is amazing. Haymitch comes down next, gracefully landing in a crouched position. He jumps to his feet and opens the hologram.
"The first one is right there," he says, pointing to the smallest water sprinkler painted green so you could not see it unless you were really looking for it. Finnick goes first , jumping over it gracefully. I follow him.
"Faster," says Haymitch behind us. We dodge more and more, running faster. At one point, I almost trip on one and hold back while Finnick moves on.
That's when the last one blows up in his face.