And so starts Season 2! With a bang or a whisper, you tell me. :p

I borrowed a character from The Ballad in there but there is no spoilers for that book so you're safe to read.

This episode (that we will call the 9th one not to complicate everything) will be a two-parters (three-parters since it's the continuation of the last one?). This part will have 8 chapters and I hope you will enjoy them! As usual, it will be updated on Sundays.

The title comes from Shakespeare's The Tempest, you can easily find the quote and have a guess at what's in store for this episode and the next :p

As always, thanks to akachankami for the beta!

Hell Is Empty

1.

Katniss could run faster than ever since she had been Called.

It didn't matter, though.

She was still too far away when Gloss pried himself off Madge with a hiss, lifting a hand to protect himself from the light quickly swallowing the sky again. Smoke rose around him in tendrils and he abandoned his prey to dash toward the Capitol.

He wasn't the only one.

She saw two other figures, presumably vampires, one carrying the other, running away from the Hellmouth. She didn't really pay them attention though.

She probably should have gone after them, followed them inside the hotel and finished them there, but she skidded to her knees next to her friend instead.

"Madge!" Her hand found the other girl's neck immediately. The bite was bad and there was blood everywhere but Madge was still conscious, blinking her eyelids… "Stay with me. Are you okay?"

There was a groan from a few feet away. Katniss' eyes slowed down a little when she saw Gale push himself to all four. Gloss had tossed him hard enough that his body had left a dent in Peeta's passenger door.

"Is she… Is she alright?" the boy mumbled, clearly stunned.

"She'll live." Katniss declared with much more confidence than she felt. "Don't try to move too fast. You may have broken something."

Gale scoffed something that could have been a laugh in other circumstances. "Likely a rib or two. Shit…" He scrambled to his knees and wrapped an arm around his torso, looking at the truck he had just hit. "Mellark's not gonna be happy about this…" Then his gaze embraced the meadow, now empty of monsters, and he turned white. "Shit…"

Katniss purposefully didn't look behind her. She kept her eyes on Madge, staring straight in her blue eyes because she knew what she would see if she looked elsewhere: death. The meadow was littered with dust and small corpses. The few stragglers who had escaped the bloodbath and hadn't been directed to the bus by the others were wandering around, dazed and confused; the ones on the bus, she could see, were staring out the window and crying…

"Catnip…" Gale said suddenly, sharp and horrified. She could hear the frown in his voice. "Catnip, I think you need to…"

He dragged himself closer despite her protests that he should just sit still and wait for Effie to show up and heal their wounds. Where was the witch? The sky was back to normal, the vampires had flown, she figured the Hellmouth was closed, so…

"Katniss, I see Rory, Prim and Abernathy. There's a woman I don't know. Your weird friend is down. I don't see anyone else." Gale insisted, pushing her hand off Madge's neck to replace it with his own.

"What?" she said weakly, finally turning around, shocked despite being prepared for the sight by the dead grass covered in crimson patches and the piles of corpses next to the hole…

She was vaguely aware that Madge was trying to sit up, telling Gale she was alright, because… Because Gale was right.

There were Prim and Rory kneeling next to an unconscious Cinna instead of where she had left them under Peeta's supervision.

And there, right next to the Hellmouth…

The witch – Effie's mother, as it turned out – was kneeling down and Haymitch was on his stomach, half his body over the edge, a look of frozen horror on his face…

She shot to her feet and started running before she could even process why, before her brain could register who was missing. She didn't want to process, she didn't want to register. As long as she was moving, she wasn't thinking.

"Haymitch!" she shouted long before she got close enough to help if the witch turned out to be out for his blood…

He heard her.

She knew he heard her because something flashed on his face right before his expression closed. Then he was pushing himself to his knees, away from the hole and, in a swift move, he was on his feet, a hand wrapped around the witch's throat.

"Open it back!" he roared.

Katniss pulled her bow off her shoulder, fumbling around her quiver for an arrow and swore when she couldn't find one. She was all out. She barely had time to switch the bow for a knife before she was standing right next to Haymitch.

Not that it mattered.

The witch vanished out of the Watcher's grip in a cloud of dark smoke and reappeared three feet away, smoothing her woolen cloak as if it was all an inconvenience.

"What happened?" Katniss asked, trying not to panic. "Where's Peeta? Where's Effie?"

Haymitch didn't even glance at her.

He had suffered in the fight, that was obvious. His leather jacket was torn, his left shoulder was abundantly bleeding and, given the way his arm dangled uselessly by his side, she guessed the wound was bad enough that he wouldn't be able to use it anymore, his nose was bleeding, he had gashes on his face, neck and hands…

Although she probably didn't look much better. She could feel the sweat running down her back, her brow, her neck, and it made a hundred of little scraps sting…

"Open it back." he demanded, his grey eyes on the witch.

Elindra Trinket shook her head regretfully. "I cannot."

"We don't have time to play games." Haymitch growled.

"No, we do not." the dark witch snapped. "Which is why you should rouse your warlock and regroup. As loathe as I am to admit it, I am only a witch. My powers over certain things are limited. Unless you can trigger me another eclipse and get me a gallon of innocent blood, I cannot reopen it. And even if I could reopen it, Effie is not a master vampire. How am I supposed to track her over a billion of hell dimensions? Your best chance here is not a witch, Abernathy. Your best chance is a warlock who can open portals instead of Hellmouths."

Something passed on Haymitch's face. Raw hope. And his eyes immediately looked around, fixing on Prim, Rory and Cinna. He started jogging there. Well, more like hopping, really, as if his body wasn't cooperating really well.

Katniss didn't follow immediately because…

Elindra Trinket saw the way she was looking at her and made a face.

"I would not." she warned. "I am not so easily killed and it would be a shame if I had to hurt you. That might impede the little rescue mission your Watcher is planning." The witch wrinkled her nose. "Find her for me, Slayer, and I will not forget it."

And then she was gone in a puff of navy smoke so dark it almost looked black. The magic was acrid and burned her lungs when she accidentally inhaled some.

The witch would die, Katniss decided. One look at the meadow made it clear why it was necessary.

But not today.

Because…

She caught up with Haymitch easily. "Where are Peeta and Effie?"

He didn't spare her a look, not one. She thought that was because he couldn't face her.

"They fell in the Hellmouth." he spat. "Your boy was stupidly heroic and she… She let herself fall so he wouldn't be alone."

Katniss had known.

Of course, she had known they were both gone.

A part of her brain had already figured it out. Haymitch lying down on the side of the hole, Haymitch telling the witch to open it back… Of course, she had known.

But to hear it so plainly…

She froze.

Perhaps a bigger part of her had hoped they had simply wandered away to help someone in need because that was the kind of things the two of them would do. Peeta particularly. Run after danger because someone needed help…

Peeta.

She hadn't even kissed him before it had all gone to shit. There had been no time. All she had been able to focus on was Prim and…

"Haymitch!" Prim exclaimed, tossing herself in the Watcher's arms.

Katniss didn't think she imagined the expression of pure relief when the man embraced her sister back – it was a hard and rough hug, with so many feelings packed in it – but he released her almost immediately to drop to his knees and shake Cinna's shoulder.

"Katniss!" Prim was right next to her now and she wasn't sure how that had happened. All she could do was blink and think about the way Peeta's mouth felt on hers, about his hands in her hair… She had barely gotten a taste and now… "Katniss, Effie and Peeta… They fell in the hole."

"I know." She heard herself say. Prim looked so panicked, so terrified, that she shook herself out of her own shock and terror to hug her sister. "We'll get them back."

"Rory!" Gale was limping toward them, supporting Madge…

Katniss ran a hand down her face and let the twelve year-old boy rush to his brother, taking his spot on the warlock's other side. "He can get Effie and Peeta back?"

Haymitch glanced up at her. "I don't know. But we've got to be quick."

"Okay." She nodded. And then she slapped the warlock with all her Slayer's strength.

"Did we win?" Madge asked, staggering closer. "Did we stop it?"

Katniss spared a glance behind her. The girl didn't look steady on her feet. Gale was hugging Rory tight with the same relief she had felt when she had been sure her sister was safe…

"I don't think so." Prim answered quietly. "I saw an old man being spit out of the hole. And then that vampire woman carried him away."

"Snow's free." Haymitch confirmed, his tone terse. "Weak, I think, but free."

"Shouldn't we go after him?" Katniss hesitated, slapping Cinna a third time. "He's in the Capitol. We can just…"

"He's in the Capitol with what's left of a vampire army and the two remaining Careers." Haymitch snapped. "You feel like taking those odds right now?"

"We could set it on fire." Gale suggested.

Not a bad suggestion.

"There are humans inside." Haymitch sighed. "There are always humans inside as hostages. It's Snow's MO." He shook his head. "We don't have time. Cinna, for fuck's sake…"

Katniss went to slap him again but a hand coiled around her wrist before she could make contact this time. Not a moment too soon, either. She could hear the faint sound of sirens in the distance. The Seam's law and order finally riding to the rescue.

The warlock's golden eyeliner was smudged. When he opened his eyelids, his eyes were entirely black.

It triggered all her Slayer's instincts and she had to force herself not to recoil.

"Portia…" Cinna murmured, his voice hoarse.

"I'm sorry." Haymitch said, sincerely enough, Katniss thought. "I'm sorry but I need you. Right now."

"I have a witch to flay alive." the warlock growled, grabbing Katniss's shoulder and using it as a level to haul himself to a sitting position. He looked around and let out a noise that was definitely not human. It sounded like a roar. "You cannot hide from me, Elindra!"

"Effie and Peeta fell in." Haymitch told him quickly.

"Shit…" Gale whispered at that confirmation.

They were all huddled around the warlock now, each of them more or less hurt. Rory and Prim seemed, thankfully, mostly alright spare for a few scrapes and bruises. Madge was the worse off. She was leaning against Gale again and seemed to still be conscious by pure strength of will alone. Gale was favoring the side the girl wasn't leaning on. Haymitch… Haymitch was clearly seriously hurt but it also didn't seem to bother him much.

"How long?" Cinna asked, his attention all on the Watcher now.

"Eight, ten minutes." The Watcher licked his lips. "Can you open it back?"

The warlock immediately shook his head. "Not without a ritual. And… That's not the best way. We need… A tracking spell. I can open a portal to wherever they are but that will drain me. I can give you two, three minutes on this side. Tops."

"That will do." Haymitch agreed. "Do it."

"The police is coming." Madge cut in. "Maybe we should…"

"We can't waste any time." the Watcher snarled, interrupting her. "It's already been too long! Mind your own fucking business."

"Hey! Don't talk to her like that!" Gale scowled, tightening his grip on the girl's waist protectively.

"Easy, Haymitch." Katniss rebuked at the same time. "She risked her life today. It's her business too."

Haymitch blinked, looked up at Madge with that stricken look he always got when she reminded him too much of her aunt. He ran a hand on his face. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. They're right. I'm… But we don't have time. It's…"

"I will need supplies." Cinna countered, pushing himself to his feet. Katniss helped him. "And something to track them with. You are hurt. And I will need focus. We cannot deal with that and the police. Never mind the fact I do not want to attempt that with the Hellmouth behind me. We need to go back to the Village first."

"It's been close to fifteen minutes already. That means another half hour at least." Haymitch argued.

"I know." Cinna admitted. "But that is the best I can offer. Rushing something like this will get us all killed, them included. I will drive the bike. You are in no state to do that."

For a moment, it seemed like Haymitch would argue again but then his shoulders slouched, defeated. Cinna went to pick up one of the bodies. A dead woman Katniss didn't know. He lovingly stroke her cheek and then with a twist of his wrist the body disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"We can't leave the kids…" Gale hesitated as they all started walking toward the parking lot. Some of the children had gotten off the bus and were hovering there, shocked and crying. "Even if the police's coming, that's…"

"Stay behind." Haymitch ordered. "You and the girl. Tell them you were cutting school for a date or something… Tell them it was a gang. People with masks. You didn't see properly. They won't ask more questions than that. They never do."

"Won't they notice the big hole with the shiny metal seal?" Gale shot back.

"What hole?" Haymitch snorted.

And when all the teenagers looked over their shoulder, there was no hole to be seen. The earth at the foot of the lightning tree was undisturbed. As if there had been no giant gap that seemed to go down to the heart of the Earth itself.

"What the fuck…" Rory whispered.

"Magic." Prim dismissed. "I'll explain later."

"We need Gale to come with us." Katniss pointed out belatedly. "I can't drive. Peeta…"

Her throat closed and she couldn't say any more.

"I'll stay." Madge suggested. "I'll call my dad. I'll… I'll take care of it."

"We've got to hurry." Haymitch insisted again, as they reached the cars. He looked straight at Gale. "Don't look at the speed limit. Don't stop for anything."

Rory and Prim had already climbed on the backseat and Katniss stopped, the passenger door open, one foot in the trunk. "You think it's so bad where they are they won't be able to hold on for an hour?"

Of course it would be bad.

It was hell.

Well… A hellish dimension anyway.

And Peeta was only human but Effie… Effie could fight. Effie could keep them alive for an hour surely?

Haymitch climbed on the bike behind Cinna, looking far too pale. "Time is relative. It's always going faster in hellish dimensions. Sixty minutes. That could be two days for them. Or two months. Or even two fucking years. No way to tell."

"What?" Her voice was faint and she got no answer. The bike had already roared away, pushed, she was sure, by Cinna's magic.

She dropped on the passenger seat and covered her face with her hands.

It was Madge who closed the door for her, Madge who whispered it would be okay, Madge who then staggered away to try and comfort the kids…

Madge was the last thing she saw of that meadow.

Then Gale was following the bike on a narrow mostly unused road that would hopefully allow them to avoid the police and to waste more time in stupid explanations.

And all she could do was stare at the dashboard...

Are you ready for a trip to Hell? Let me know your thoughts, your predictions and your feelings!