As a result of being a contest in the Hunger Games, I can now easily identify Peeta's screaming.
I thank God, as I break into a sprint, that it's not his voice coming from the Bakery building.
"P-please… I don't know who you're talking about…" I stop my running, just before I burst through the doors. The voice that's begging sounds like a teenage boy. I press myself against the wall, not daring to peek around the corner yet.
"Shut up, kid. Everyone knows him. So where is he?" a rough, deep, unfamiliar voice snaps.
"I told you! I don't know!" the boy squeaks. I imagine that he's shaking, with how unsteady his voice is.
I take a chance, and slide my palms against the wooden doorframe, letting myself peek around the corner as quietly as possible.
"I'm about fed up with your inability to talk." From where I stand, I see the back of an extremely tall man, standing over a boy that I identify as Jimmy Wright, a sixteen year old who volunteers at the Bakery on non-school days. Jimmy is pressed against the wall behind the countertop with his hands up, shaking so hard it looked like he was convulsing.
His eyes meet mine for a split second, and I find myself mentally screaming to save him. But I stay put where I am, scared that any noise would attract attention.
Where the hell is Peeta? I think. I join Jimmy in his shaking.
"You get one more chance." The man hisses. Then I see why Jimmy is so afraid. In the man's hands, there's what I'm assuming is a gun, although it's much bigger than the ones Peacekeepers use to carry. "Where is Peeta Mellark?"
Peeta's name sends a jolt of both electricity and horror through my body. Terror fills my lungs, and I find it hard to inhale air. My mild shaking turns to erratic spasms, and I have to concentrate to keep myself standing. I turn my head away from the doorway, and lean it back against the wall, closing my eyes.
"I. Don't. Know." Jimmy grunts.
"Filthy, good-for-nothing liar." My ears ring with the sound of a gunshot, and I suck in a sharp breath, knowing that Jimmy was just killed. I gasp for air.
"Maybe somebody else in this hellhole knows where he is." I hear the man mutter to himself, and footsteps reach my ears.
I know then that I have to run, but I'm stuck contemplating whether to run in front of the door and risk getting shot, or back up and let him have full view of me through the windows.
The footsteps come closer, and I make a last-minute decision. I throw myself across the Bakery's front porch, knowing full well that the man just saw me soar in front of the door.
"Hey!" he yells, and I wince as I jump off of the porch, landing four feet down, still running. I feel something crackle in my right ankle, and drop to the ground. Immediately, I take a dive roll and come back up onto my feet, but I've lost enough time that he's caught up.
I feel his fist tighten around my braid, and I'm yanked backward by my hair. I scream in protest, kicking and scratching whatever flesh I can get ahold of.
"Just shoot me already! What are you waiting for?" I scream, spittle flying from my lips.
The man doesn't answer, just grunts as I elbow him in the gut. Somehow he gets me in a hold where I can't move my arms, and I attempt to kick him, but my leg won't kick back far enough. One of his arms wraps around my neck.
"You know where Peeta Mellark is?" He says, breathing heavily. He smells like sweat and dirt.
"Mel-lark?" I wheeze, coughing through his grip on my throat.
"That's what I said, lady." He hisses.
"He's in Two… Teaching art…" my voice is strained, and I don't know if he can tell what I'm saying.
"Can none of you Twelves tell the truth?" the man's voice is harsh. "I should just snap your neck."
"What's st-stopping you?" I challenge.
"You suicidal or something?" the man asks.
"I would be… If I smelled… Like you…" I know my face is slowly turning shades of red and purple it's never been before.
"You're worthless." The man decides, and I can feel his fingers tighten around my neck, ready to crack it.
I hear ringing again, just as I had when Jimmy was shot. I think it's the last thing I'll ever hear, but instead I hear a grunt, a thump, and my own body slamming into the ground.
Then I hear my name being screamed.
And this time it's Peeta's voice.
((A/N: What do you guys think? Are ya'll liking the cliffhanger endings to each chapter? :D Review Review Review!))
