My deepest apologies for not posting last week. I had trouble with the story google docs wasn't being cooperative. We are all patched and thanks to my beta norbertsmom who kindly edited the chapter.
Madge has a war room and has to deal with big decisions, Katniss and Peeta are engaged, Gale and Delly are married, Corky's stash of paper he stole from the lair of the Citizen. Jackson is being hunted down by the Citizen and the Citizen is still lurking, maybe the Citizen is right over your shoulder...
There was something in the air. Something intangible but nonetheless it was there. The Citizen stood outside peering at the horizon just as the sun fell in the sky. All-day they could not get rid of the feeling brewing in the pit of their stomach. They were uneasy about the future and it had nothing to do with the lack of Spring or the unusual snow in the month of June.
They felt as if a fight was coming.
The wind blew, rushing by, sounding like the roar of a diesel train engine. Trees bent before it's power.
The Citizen wondered if it was rebellion.
The last time they had felt this way, there were grumblings among the miners. After careful investigation, the Citizen discovered the miners were activity speaking about revolting. The information was relayed to the Capitol and the miners were promptly dealt with. Those who were considered the instigators died in an explosion. The others were taken care of in different ways. The Citizen saw to it none of the traitors were left alive.
It was, after all, the Good Citizen's directive to make sure insurgents were silenced.
Their eyes swept the landscape as they walked. The murky darkness outside suited their mood. If there were indeed rebellious sparks the Citizen would douse them. The offenders would be taken care of one by one. Beginning with the usurper who found the lair. The interloper would be dealt with the same way and their guilty blood would flow.
Quietly the shadowy figure moved through the district. The crunch from the old snow covered by the freshly fallen snow the only sounds in the quiet streets. The Citizen quietly checked the darkened homes. Everything looked eerily abandoned. The windows were boarded up. The doors of the businesses equally boarded up. Seeing the obedience gladdened the heart of the Citizen as its macabre shadow passed by.
The Snow fell thickly outside. It blanketed the earth with its pristine majesty. It was as if nature was playing tribute to Panem's beloved President Snow. Despite the cold, the Citizen enjoyed the blustery weather.
Quietly the Citizen walked.
A blizzard was upon them and the Peacekeeping vehicles were driving around the district announcing a mandatory lockdown.
The SJ-7 Peacekeeper Assault Transport armored military vehicle was slowly driving through the early evening streets. It was a massive powerful vehicle, a true demonstration of the power of Panem. As it passed by, the roar of the engine caused the ground to shake beneath the Citizen's feet. It had a loudspeaker attached to the top.
"This a notice from the Capitol. For your safety, we are instituting a three-day lockdown. No residents will be allowed to leave their homes or places of business for three days beginning tomorrow evening."
The Citizen stood still listening intently. The freezing temperatures could work in the Citizen's favor. It would allow them to root out the gut feeling something was brewing. As they processed this a squirrel jumped from one house to another with a large stick in its mouth. It stopped and stared directly in their direction. The squirrel waved its tail and the Citizen swore the squirrel gave them the finger. Shaking their head the Citizen blinked and the squirrel disappeared.
The SJ7's engines brought the Citizen back to the present.
"Be advised any surviving violators will face the full force of the Capitol. Once more for your safety, you are hereby ordered to stay in your residences for the next three days. Failure to follow the Capitol's decree will result in instant death."
The SJ7's rumbled by replaying the same message.
Letting out a breath the Citizen kept on patrolling.
The exterior was like a beautiful canvas, a lovely winter wonderland. Many did not see it that way. They saw the snow piling up all around the districts to be a problem. They claimed the weather was the reason the vegetation and food supply to be diminishing. They claimed animals needed sunlight and warmth in order to order to survive. As the President intimated, the best Capitol scientists were working on solutions. Some naysayers said there was no remedy to combat the catastrophic climatological weather.
The Citizen was not one of them. The Citizen thought the weather was fortuitous. They delighted in the misery of the residents of the District. Hearing the way their souls broke excited the Citizen. The residents broke the rules and nature found a way to make them pay for their illicit behavior. The Citizen took pleasure when the cold froze their fingers, noses, lips, and ears or their entire bodies. One less mouth to feed. The cries of despair filled the Citizen with joy.
It was necessary, in the Citizen's mind, for the display of Capitol the strength to keep the miscreants and hooligans that resided in the districts docile. Ungrateful delinquents repeatedly broke the laws governing the land. The laws were the only thing they had, without them they would be nothing. The benevolence of the Capitol was tested.
This set the Citizen on edge. However, they took inspiration from their surroundings.
The Citizen stood in the midst of the snow, arms wide open. Welcoming the cold, welcoming the future. The Citizen was proud of Panem. The President made the correct decision to suspend the game this year in order to rectify nature's extraordinary display. Next year The Citizen looked forward to the return of the Hunger Games. The Games unified the nation and it was an important part of who they were as a nation. The Citizen craved the tradition and pageantry of the Hunger Games.
Next year was going to be a spectacular display as the 75th Hunger Games would be a Quarter Quell. No doubt President Snow was going to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee in grand style. The hearts of all of Panem would flow with national pride. The Citizen smiled, then their grin was wiped away when they came to the Sharpie residence.
Perhaps the Sharpies were part of the rebellion. Pondering this, the Citizen turned around to return back home. Their only thought was hatred toward the Sharpies. They would all pay, first the intruder and then those who dared to have traitorous sentiments on Panem and their beloved President.
The Citizen returned home. The storm eventually broke and the clouds began to dissipate but another storm was coming, an invisible one. One that could topple the Capitol.