Chapter 5: The Rumble
There is a stretch of paved concrete, ringed on all sides by chainlink fence, under the railway bridge leading to the coal depots. This rare bit of blacktop used to be a parking area for district vehicles, before they were all impounded by the Capitol government. From the family stories, Rye Mellark knows that his grandfather used to keep the bakery delivery truck parked here in those days; his own father can recall the delivery truck being hauled away. Eminent domain or somesuch policy had been the given reason.
Now the paved expanse is empty and silent as the grave, until one, piercing whistle breaks the stillness. Mist's signal giving the all clear. One by one, the Townies scale the chain-link, careful not to make too much noise, before dropping down on the other side.
No longer in use for years, the parking backlot is dimly lit, which, with the growing night, suits Rye's purposes just fine. The Peacekeepers don't need to see this, much less be involved. No matter what Thread claimed last night in Abernathy's place, Rye doesn't trust no Peacekeeper, especially not that one – District 12 has had some growing pains under the new Head's regime.
It's an agonizingly long wait before the shadows come into view, silhouetted only by the little lighting there is. The Seamers, still covered in coal dust so Rye figures they must practically bathe in it, don't even pause in their steady march as they climb the opposite fence like stealthy cats. Gale Hawthorne is always at the head, and it is he alone who strides into the center of this improvised fighting ring. Rye goes to meet him with Mist tailing him like a shadow. Rye had had the talk with his lieutenant before they moved out, telling him exactly what needed to be done. Fight dirty, fight hard – do it the way them Careers like to in the arena, if he is of the mind to. Mist Berryhill was an accomplished wrestler ranking only behind Rye and his brothers in their schooldays; Rye figures he can take a jumped-up, perpetually whining Hawthorne. As for himself, he'll play ref – this is to be a fair fight, after all.
"Now, shake hands."
Hawthorne doesn't move a tick. "Why?"
"Well… that's the way it's done, buddy boy." Rye falters a little, though he shouldn't be so surprised. Seamers have never known the social graces of civilized people.
Gale just sneers. "Ah, more gracious living…. Look, every one of you hates every one of us, and we hate you right back! Let's get at it!" He turns away briefly to his generals to discuss strategy. By the time he steps back into the center ring, Mist is ready and waiting for him, fists cocked. The pair circle each other like wolves, like this is a Top Two showdown in the Hunger Games, ignoring the catcalls from their mates. No one notices the shadowy figure dashing towards the chainlink at their backs, until the metallic crash of someone swinging up and over interferes with the shouting.
"HOLD IT!"
Gale eases up and looks around, confused, but then a predator's grin falls over his face and Mist might as well not even be there. Rye is skirting along the line of Townies, beckoning his baby brother towards him. He's been afraid Peeta wouldn't be coming. "Peeta, great! Get in here!"
So it's a shock when Peeta makes for Mist instead, nudging him back. "No!"
"Peet, what's going on?"
"Maybe he has found the guts to fight his own battles!" Gale jeers.
Peeta turns back to his…. his cousin-in-law. It's hard to imagine even as it dawns on him, but Katty had been quite serious that she viewed their Toasting as real and legitimate, even if they didn't go to sign papers with the district clerk at the Justice Building. Peeta is only too happy to go along with her wishes, even if formally marrying her in the eyes of Twelve law might be a little tricky. And perhaps it doesn't matter anyway. He feels more married to Katniss now than a piece of paper could make them. So that makes the man sneering at him family. Well, in-laws were never meant to be enjoyed – only tolerated. And if he has to save Hawthorne's worthless ass to make his Katty happy, so be it.
"It don't take guts to have a battle, and we ain't got one, not any of us – OK, Hawthorne?" Peeta actually reaches out his hand to shake, ignoring how the Townies behind him are all gawping at him. Gale's face roils in disgust, and he slaps Peeta's hand away before pushing him to the ground, then moves in. Rye dives in between them plus a dumbfounded Mist.
"Hold it! Now, look here, we all agreed this was to be a fair fight between you and Mist!" Rye isn't about to let their…. decently formatted rumble devolve into the wild west, even if Hawthorne is acting like a damn cat mutt distracted by a laser pointer. The Townies' leader helps Peeta off the floor and ushers him towards their side of the blacktop.
"Mother Hen protecting the little one…. I'll give you a battle, Capitol-sucker!"
"You got me…" Mist growls, trying to bring Hawthorne's attention back where it belongs, but Peeta just has to go and get in the damn way again.
"It's all right, I'll take pretty boy as a warm-up!" Gale floats over Mist's indignant shouting. He smirks at Peeta's exposed back. "Pretty, pretty boy…. You afraid? Gutless? Chicken?" He sends an almost playful punch that just misses Peeta's spine and Rye lopes forward, rattled.
"Cut it…."
"No!" Peeta actually holds his brother back, looking Gale straight in the eye. "I don't want to, Gale."
"Oh, I'm sure!" The sarcasm is high and mocking as Gale starts sending goading punches Peeta's way.
"Now listen to me!"
"Are you chicken…?"
"There's nothing to fight about!"
"Come on…. come on!" Gale keeps sending punches Peeta's way, most of which the blonde boy dodges, though he's forced to back up into the Townies.
"You don't understand!"
"Understand this, Townie!" And Gale sends a flying kick into Peeta's rear.
Finally, he gets the reaction he wants. Peeta flies into the center ring, fists cocked and ready. Gale has poked a sleeping bear-mutt one too many times. Shouts of excitement go up from Seamer and Townie alike, the former even curious to see what Peeta can do. Rye can only watch nervously, barely refraining from throwing up his hands. Although he has to confess, if Mist's chances against Gale were good, then Peeta's are even better.
Except Peeta is now unclenching his fists, lowering them in near-defeat. Or forfeit. Gale seems stunned.
"Say…. He is chicken!" The Seamers roar with laughter, then start making clucking noises while taking turns quite literally slapping Peeta around. Peeta is backed up into his friends again, and someone instinctively pushes back.
"DON'T PUSH ME!" Peeta hollers, though it isn't clear who he is referring to. Even so, Rye has had enough as he suddenly launches forward and punches Gale Hawthorne clear in the face.
The imposing Seamer goes sprawling but is back on his feet quicker than a tribute. If Hawthorne was stunned before, he is gobsmacked now. Rye is equally stupefied, but he's never been one to back down, especially not after making the first move. He assumes Mist's role in silence, he and Hawthorne both flashing, showing their hands at the same time – knives.
As the two gang leaders circle each other, Peeta tries to intervene yet again. "No! Rye, what are you doing?!"
"Get out of here, Peetey!"
"Don't!"
"Hold him!" Rye has no choice but to order Mist and Action Donner to jump Peeta and restrain him, drag him back to their edge of the blacktop. Rye and Gale finally stop dancing and start to slash and jab, the flashes of silver going in high arcs and meeting only empty air.
Gale is forceful when he moves, but Rye has speed and a dexterity that grants him the gracefulness of a dancer. At one point he is able to kick Hawthorne's blade away, only for the broad Seam boy to snatch it up quickly and then return the favor with a slap of his hand. Rye has to roll out of the way and retreat up against the chain metal as the two groups converge, ready to jump to their respective leaders' defenses.
"KEEP OUTTA THIS!" Rye's bellow sucks all other sound from the area, minus Peeta's struggling cries.
"Somebody stop him! Let me GO! Mist! Action!"
The Townies and the Seamers back up, allowing the duel to continue. Rye manages to grapple with Gale in hand-to-hand, avoiding the blade.
"Rye! Rye, here!" Action wriggles a knife out of his pocket and passes it to his leader.
As Gale and Rye go at each other again, now back on even footing, it is actually Action's passing of the knife that causes him to relax his grip on Peeta just enough so that Rye's brother dashes forward, dragging the Townie leader away right as he was going in for the kill against Gale.
"Rye, STOP!"
Rye breaks away and charges Gale…. running right into the other boys' knife.
Rye's irises go huge, and he turns, almost in a slow daze, only able to pass his own knife to his brother before collapsing and going still. Gale appears just as flabbergasted, so that he can't really process how Peeta's demeanor is changing as he stands over his brother's dead body.
"Gale, run!" Someone – it might be Thom Borden – hollers. "Gale, RUN!"
Too late. Peeta has no impediments in driving his blade into Gale's stomach and the Seamer falls with a cry.
"GET HIM!"
Nearly the whole of the Seamer gang descends on Peeta right as the Townies leap forward to intercept, and a wild melee ensues. Peeta is pummeled by coal-dusted hands left and right, the barrage only letting up at the sound of sirens, coming from the direction of the Peacekeeper Barracks.
Like roaches, the Seamers and Townies scatter, leaping and scrambling up opposite ends of the fence until only three bodies remain on the pavement.
Of the three, only one moves, as Peeta drags himself over to Gale's still form. He takes it in with abject horror, screaming towards the sky the name of his bride:
"KATNISS!"
A scuffling is heard behind him, and then soft hands attached to a spry figure with a crew cut are tugging him away towards the fences. "Come on, Peeta! Peeta, come on! We have to move!"
Peeta lets Johanna Mason lead him away, abandoning the two corpses on the concrete.