Chapter 34. Peacekeeper
Peeta paused, letting her words sink in. He slowly let her face go, standing up straight, looking a little confused. Katniss just forced her face to remain emotionless, knowing she was going to get this reaction. She brushed imaginary dirt off her hands on her pants before walking toward the doorway. "Come on, we better go."
Peeta didn't leave the spot but his hand immediately reached, grasping her wrist. "No. No, you're not walking out after that." He turned back towards her, letting go of her wrist. "Are you trying to say that... that I can't go on without you but you'd be able to without me?"
She paused, trying to be delicate but not knowing exactly how. "It's not like I'd be happy about it... but, yes. I'm used to being alone, Peeta. You're not."
"And the same goes for Gale? You want us to leave you alone then, is that right? Am I understanding what you're saying properly?"
"I never said that, Peeta." She groaned, tilting her head back briefly, before looking back at him. "I'm just saying I've never needed anyone and I don't need anyone now. Somehow, you both have come to need me. But that doesn't mean I don't want either of you."
Peeta, however, just shook his head. He turned to look towards the window, avoiding her eyes. "Fine."
"Peeta! This is such a stupid thing to get mad over. Stop."
"You're right. It is stupid and I'm sorry for bothering you with it. I won't be a burden on you anymore."
Katniss just stared at the blond for a few moments. Instead of feeling sorry for him or for what she had said, she just felt angry at him. She clenched her fists once before turning and leaving the room quickly before she said something she'd regret.
The painter didn't follow. Instead he turned and looked towards the bed of the room, thinking back to just those hours ago when Katniss called him over to lay with her and Gale. He just knew she was lying, she had to have been, but the fact that she would even suggest she could do without him hurt more than anything else she'd ever said. Primarily because it scared him that she might be right.
In the hall where Gale, Haymitch, and Effie still remained, the hunter was sitting with his back against the wall. He was biting his bottom lip to avoid making pained noises from the reopened wound in his shin. Katniss instantly walked from the room back to where she had left them at the train exit. She furrowed her eyebrows and knelt beside Gale, pushing his hair off his forehead, alarmed. "How did this happen?"
Gale looked up towards her, finally letting go of his lip and breathing heavily. "W-where on Earth did you go?"
"I climbed onto the top of the train," she sighed heavily. "You all act like I was going to suicide bomb them."
Gale just shook his head at her, not in the mood to argue. Using the wall, he attempted to prop himself up to a stand. "W-where's Peeta? He went after you after I fell..."
"He's off sulking somewhere," she paused and glanced up at Haymitch. "Can you get him? He's in the room we all slept in last night."
Haymitch nodded quickly, figuring he didn't have time to ask questions. He went back the way that Katniss had come from to go check on Peeta. As Gale watched him walk off, his confusion grew even more. His eyes went back towards Katniss. "What happened?"
Katniss just rolled her eyes. "Nothing. He's a baby."
"I have a feeling this is a c-conversation I want to avoid then..."
"You would be correct."
Gale said nothing more as he got himself to a full stand. Using the wall again, he pulled himself towards the end of the hallway but shakily stopped at the end. He looked around briefly, half looking for more Peacekeepers and half looking for anything he could use to walk with now that new pain was shooting through his shin.
Katniss stood by Effie for a moment before walking up behind Gale, slipping an arm around his waist. "Let me help you until we can find a big stick or something to help you walk, okay?"
The hunter gave a small sigh but ultimately nodded. It was no use trying to go it alone, he would probably just fall again. Gale wrapped an arm around Katniss's shoulders before letting go of the wall. "I need to talk with Willow and Amur."
She just squeezed his waist once in acknowledgement before slowly turning him back around and walking with him off the train.
Back with the soldiers, Amur stood, gun in his hands, still on alert. Their entire squad had overall shrunk to less than half its original size and none had seen Gale or Haymitch since back in District 2. The fisherman caught sight of Katniss and Gale making their way towards them and turned to his partner. "Willow."
Willow glanced up at Amur and raised her eyebrows before seeing Katniss and Gale from around his arm. "Oh, so he's not dead."
With Katniss's help, Gale finally made it to the two. He glanced around the squad briefly before looking to Willow. "Sorry we haven't seen each other much."
Willow gave him a small, half smile. "It's alright," she replied, glancing down at his leg. "It's clearly understandable."
The hunter scratched the back of his head with a slight laugh, though it was forced through his pain. "How are things holding up here? And I assume we have a plan since we're too far from the Panem craft?"
The younger girl nodded once. "We need to find Paylor. Since the hovercraft...," she paused, glancing over Katniss for a moment, "disappeared, we need to get in touch with President Pyrrhus, and Paylor clearly has a way to do that."
"Then as soon as Haymitch, Effie, and Peeta join up with us, we have to hurry. District 2 isn't going to just let us go after killing Thread and the Peacekeepers here obviously know of our presence."
Willow nodded again shortly. "The group that came after us retreated. But I don't know if that's because their numbers are dwindling while District 6 fights back or if they're going to get backup."
"We can't wait to find out." Gale turned his head back towards the train, impatiently waiting on the three. "What is taking them so long?"
"Peeta's too busy pouting like a teenage girl," was all Katniss replied, not turning back to look at the train.
Like a magic word, as soon as Katniss finished speaking, Haymitch came out with Effie's hand in his, Peeta following closely behind. The three made their way to the group, though Peeta didn't look at anybody. He focused instead of his hands, which were holding onto his gun.
Gale looked to the three before looking up at Haymitch. "We need to find Paylor so we can get in touch with the President."
Haymitch nodded slightly before glancing at the smoldering ruins of District 6. "Paylor was mainly aiding the rebels. Maybe we should go to the residential section to look for her?"
"We'll probably end up in another battle if we're not careful, but it's the only option we have."
The older Victor just glanced over the small amount of remaining soldiers with a frown, but nodding slightly. "Maybe we should split up. Make the target smaller for the Peacekeepers."
"If there are still mutt Peacekeepers around, we'd stand a better chance as a group though. And if one end gets targeted, there will be less cover. I'm not sure..."
Haymitch glanced down at Effie briefly, remembering their conversation, before looking back at Gale. "You're in charge, Hawthorne, even while injured. It's your call."
The hunter's eyebrows rose in surprise. "My call? We were both put in charge."
"We both know I'm not leadership material."
Gale bit the side of his lip, looking between Effie and Haymitch. When the man tried, Haymitch really was a good leader. It was his intelligence and skills that got Katniss and Peeta out of the Games alive and what saved Gale, Willow, and Amur. But Gale could see what was happening. He closed his eyes briefly before giving the older man a nod, accepting the full burden of responsibility over the group. "Alright. We'll move out as a group."
Haymitch nodded shortly, but Katniss's attention never wavered from her mentor. Suddenly, the pieces were coming together in her mind. After seeing his arm that morning with Effie's "I love you" on it to his sudden passive attitude toward the cause he was once so passionate about, Katniss felt angry. Not at Haymitch, but at Gale. Instantly, she began to doubt every time he had professed his love for her. If he loved her, she thought, he would be like Haymitch with Effie: giving up everything just to keep her happy instead of instantly willing to go off to war if he was called to do so, and she was sure he would be.
In reply, however, she just secured her grip on Gale's waist before turning to lead him toward the ruins of District 6, silently. Gale began his unsteady walk back into District 6. For the most part, it seemed the fighting had died down. However, to the hunter, he knew this could be good or bad. Gale could recall a few occasions back in District 12 where he and Katniss had been on hunts that ended grizzly. While they crept and remained silent, they found no creatures in the area. What they did not know or realize until it was too late was that the two hunters were being hunted. It was experiences like these that had prepared him for these war situations. He turned back towards his soldiers as he walked.
"Keep eyes in front, behind, and around us. There's a chance they'll be onto us but not let themselves be known at first. We can't let ourselves be ambushed."
Katniss, however, kept her eyes forward as she helped Gale onward, distracted by her thoughts. Willow quickly motioned to the three soldiers near her and pointed behind them, immediately obeying Gale's orders. The four of them turned to look at the back almost simultaneously while Haymitch turned his eyes with a few other soldiers to their left side. Sure enough, not even two blocks from the train station, a Peacekeeper slipped up. On the side that Haymitch was looking towards, a male Peacekeeper peered his head from around a corner. His eyes met briefly with Haymitch's before turning back around the corner quickly.
Haymitch bared his teeth, letting go of Effie's hand to pull his gun over his shoulder and into his functioning hand. "We've got company!"
The golden haired woman immediately pulled out the small handgun, but moved behind Haymitch. The group of soldiers turned with Haymitch, all aiming their weapons towards the alleyway.
Gale stopped, turning his attention there briefly before turning back ahead. "Everybody keep alert from your own sides! We don't want to be surrounded! Abernathy, lead your group to investigate."
Haymitch nodded shortly, pushing Effie gently toward Peeta. He gave her a quick, reassuring look before motioning toward the soldiers around him, running straight into the alley where the Peacekeeper disappeared. Effie grasped tightly onto Peeta's arm, watching worriedly as Haymitch ran off. She was tempted to run after him, but knew she would only be in the way.
On the other side of the building, the Peacekeeper sat on the ground, gun tightly in his hands and his white hood pulled up over his head. The man aimed the gun up towards the soldiers as they rounded the corner, but did not shoot. He was the only one there and knew he odds. Haymitch instantly raised his gun when he turned and saw the man. He didn't shoot, however. He felt wrong, suddenly, with his group of soldiers against one, mainly defenseless, man. "How many more of you are there?"
The man ignored his question. He seemed distracted by his voice, which sounded familiar. "Haymitch Abernathy...?"
The Victor faltered, his gun falling slightly. However, he instantly raised it back up, holding it tighter. "What business is it of yours?"
The Peacekeeper dropped his gun immediately, causing a few of the soldiers to train their guns at him in alert of his sudden movements. The Peacekeeper hesitated, holding his hands up so not to get shot at. He then began to shake his head a little until his hood fell, revealing the boyish red haired Darius underneath. "Haymitch, it's just me."
Haymitch sighed, lowering his gun immediately and directing the others to do the same. "Darius. I'm surprised they sent you out here."
A few of the soldiers obeyed Haymitch's command, but many of the others seemed skeptical. Regardless, all easied their aim slightly, watching the two converse.
Darius put his hands down slowly with a sigh. "They moved all the District 12 Peacekeepers from the District. Said we were incompetent of watching over everything there, which wasn't a lie."
"What happened in 12?"
Darius paused, half collecting his thoughts and half from intimidation of the guns still aimed at him. He shook his head with a sigh. "It's... pretty messy over there."
Haymitch suddenly turned to his soldiers, snapping authoritatively. "I said lower your weapons! He lowered his. Stop being so damn blood thirsty."
The soldiers jumped, but quickly obeyed without argument, though many didn't look happy. Darius gave a slight appreciative smile. "There's no other Peacekeepers with me or in the immediate area. I broke away from the group when they went towards the station."
Haymitch nodded slightly, turning his eyes back on Darius, still looking annoyed at the soldiers. "I figured as much." He swung his gun onto his back to seem less intimidating before holding his hand out to Darius to help him up. "If you don't tell me everything that happened in 12, I'm sure Katniss is going to kill me."
Darius took the hand gratefully before standing. "It's worse there than it is here, I will warn you that much first."
Haymitch nodded briefly. "So, it's still going on? We stopped by months ago when the uprising first started."
"Non-stop. There was talk among the Peacekeepers that they..."
"They...?"
Darius took a deep breath before looking up towards Haymitch. "They want to flatten the District."
Haymitch faltered again, lowering his voice. "Like... bomb it?"
"Just like 13."