A MockingJay Story Part 2 Chapter 5
The troop woke up early the next day from the store. They quickly got up and moved out, continuing towards the Capitol.
On the second day of their quest, they encountered more dangerous traps. There was a bullet trap, where several guns were a sensor triggered them to go off. Luckily no one died from that trap.
The troop hid in two different sides of the hallway, waiting for the bullets to run out. On the side Peeta was on, opposite Katniss, he was hitting his head against his gun. Katniss looked at him, worried.
Once the bullets stopped, Boggs continued down the hallway. Katniss was still watching Peeta when Boggs stepped on a mine.
Boom!
Katniss ran over to Boggs, whose legs were gone.
Liam ran over, unable to help Boggs. He almost dropped his gun at the sight of Boggs. He kept staring down at his missing legs.
Cressida put her hand on Liam's shoulder. "Are you okay?" She asked him.
Liam flinched and faced her. He took a deep breath before nodding. "But he-"
"We can't do anything for him." Cressida said. "He'll bleed out in less than a minute. We can't save him, Liam."
After Boggs died, the troop raced forward. Beyond the hallway was a large stadium, with an empty elevating seating area.
Peeta had snapped, running after Katniss. He grabbed his gun, ready to hit her with it. Finnick pushed him off of her.
One of the troop members, League 1, accidentally stepped on a tile that started sinking. It was another trap. The troop looked around, anticipating the next wave of torture.
The hallway closed, Sealing them inside the large bowl-like area. A thick black tar began pouring all around them.
The troop tried to run towards a tall building several feet away. Peeta grabbed one of the troop members, throwing him into the tar.
Liam witnessed it, backing away slowly. His mouth was open in shock. Peeta just killed one of them!
Cressida came by, pulling Liam towards the building. "Let's go!" She said.
Liam snapped out of it, and raced into the building with the others. They ran inside, quickly finding the stairs to climb up. The tar poured into the room, catching up to them. The tar was one step behind Liam and Cressida.
The troop reached the second floor, where the stairs were too broken to get up higher. They looked back at the tar, still elevating closer. They stared at it, having nowhere else to go. They were completely trapped.
The tar started to slow down. It was two steps away from them. Then it stopped altogether. After a minute, the tar sank, leaving behind a think layer on the stairs.
The troop started down the stairs, but the Leagues stayed behind. One was injured and her sister stayed with her.
Liam looked at them sympathetically. If my sister were here... I'd do the same. If either of my sisters were here.
Back in District 13, Clara was reading her mom's journal in the daytime. She skipped a few entries that she didn't understand along the way.
Entry 87,
I find myself thinking about Jane today. I don't know what brought it on. I probably had a dream about her. It so silly to think about dreams these days. It's been seven months (if you count the 30 days before I got the journal). Over a half a year and it hurts everyday.
Clara had to pause from reading the book to stop her tears. Knowing how the story ends for her was too much. Violet's pain wouldn't stop. It wouldn't end. She never saw her family again. Clara looked up at the ceiling and took several breaths before continuing the entry.
I thought about her game. From the moment she was reaped, our family was cursed. I was so shocked that it happened to our family. I somehow thought that my mom would have immunity for winning all those years ago. My mom took it the hardest. She was so devastated that it happened to her own child. She told me while Jane was in training at the Capitol that she wished she had trained us for this.
Jane got a score of a five for her test. In the interview, she was so scared. I think my mom knew she was already dead. She couldn't bring herself to watch the games. She confined herself to her room for the next two weeks, until the game was over.
I watched with my dad and Liam. I never watched before but dad said that ought to since it could happen to us too. It would be a good lesson in training. It would have been, if our family wasn't in the game. Patrick watched the game in his room. He probably felt that this was a family matter...
Jane's game was an elaborate maze. The game makers were constantly making the maze more and shift to block off certain areas and to trap tributes. The game makers had too much fun with that. I know they rigged it for certain people to die-or at least be put in harms way. One tribute from 5 made a rude comment about the Capitol. The game trapped him and opened the panel back up right in front of a career holding a blade. He had no weapons. No chance.
Jane made it passed the initial bloodbath of the game. She ran as far as she could. It wasn't long until she came to a dead end. She did everything she could. She was stealthy and quietly. But the maze... it worked against her.
The constant anxiety of watching the show was unbearable. I couldn't even imagine what she was going through. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. Patrick had to make up some sandwiches, not that we ate much. I couldn't even sleep, even when Jane fell asleep that first night in the game.
Clara wondered for a moment what would have happened if her mom had died in the games. Who would have told her? How long before they told her anything?
Her game was much different from the two I've faced. It wasn't a forest or a jungle. Nothing grew there. They had to find food by maneuvering through the maze. Water was only available in certain parts of the maze too. Sometimes it was water bottle. Sometimes it was a small spring. The tributes from 3 seemed to be really good at making their way through the maze.
The next morning, she made her way through the maze. She was weak, I could tell. Tired and thirsty. She wasn't so stealthy... the tall maze opened a passage for her... damn I hate those game makers for what they did. They knew what they were doing. They're so rigged.
Clara paused from the book for a moment. She knew the story would end badly. Oh no, what did they do? How did my aunt die?
Jane followed the path that led to a small basket of berries. She was so relieved and took a huge handful of them. She devoured them in handfuls.
Another tribute came her way. He was from district 1. He had a knife in his hand and saw her around the corner.
I felt like I was going to throw up, but there was no food in my stomach. I feared that this was it. This was the end for my sister. But I didn't know how it would end.
The career boy got closer to her. Jane turned around to see him, terrified. All she had to fight back was this half empty basket of berries. She held the basket in her hands while the career slowly got closer. He had a creepy smile on his face like he was happy he was about to kill her.
Then Jane started coughing. Her lips went blue. She knew it was the end too but she would not be murdered.
The career still looked bloodthirsty so Jane grabbed a handful of the berries and smashed them in his face. The career freaked out and ran off.
Jane fell to the ground, gasping for air. I didn't realize I was doing the same thing. It took three minutes for her die from those berries. She was in so much pain. It kills me to think about how much pain she must have been in and how powerless we were to stop it.
The career died a little bit after her. I thought it would make me feel better to know but it doesn't. Jane's still gone.
I hate how the game makers had that power. That they could rig the game for whoever they wanted. Whoever they liked had a better chance at winning.
I know how much the Capitol despises me. Or at least Snow and his crew. I wonder what they plan on doing with me.
Clara slammed the book closed. She panted for a moment before hiding the journal away.
"Everything alright in here?" Primrose asked her.
Clara nodded, "Yeah."
Prim lingered in the doorway. "I just finished my training for the day if you want to play something."
Clara smiled at her. "Jenga?"
Prim nodded in a agreement.
The troop ran out of the building quickly, before the Capitol's guards found them. They hid inside another building across the stadium, undetected. Once inside, the capitol's guards surrounded the building with the League's inside. They began shooting at the guards. They building was blown up a minute later. A bomb was dropped, destroying the building. The Capitol recorded this image, using it as footage of the mockingjay "dying."
Ceasar showed this footage on his show, talking about Katniss and the rest of the troop in a negative way. He called their actions "pointless" and said that they were a "problem that is now gone."
The troop watched this from that abandoned room with a tv screen that lit up in the center of the room.
"I used to like Caesar." Liam said.
Messalla chuckled at his comment.
Cressida gave a side smile. "I used to film his shows." She said. "Actually, assistant to the director."
"How was that?" Liam asked.
"Caesar can be funny but sometimes he has a huge ego." Cressida said.
A couple troop members laughed.
Suddenly the screen cut to Coin in 13. She seemed heartbroken over the loss of Katniss. She forced out tears too.
"I had no idea I meant so much to her." Katniss Said, knowing it wasn't genuine.
Liam laughed out loud. He covered his mouth and giggled.
