Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter.

So, originally, I was just going to do the events in Tigris' house. But, that ended up a relatively short chapter, so I decided to go all the way through the bombing.

Let's get to it.

Chapter 23- Tragedy

I race up the stairs after the rest of the group. As we race up the stairs and into a courtyard, Cressida yells, "I know where we are. I know a place. Up those stairs!"

We all follow Cressida, racing up the stairs and onto the street. We follow her down the street and past several buildings until she leads us up to one door. Gale and Flint stand guard as Cressida knocks on the door. She knocks several times before Peeta says, "Someone is coming."

We all see someone behind the door walk up to it. The moment the person inside opens the door, Cressida pushes it open and we all flood in. Cressida whisper-yells, "Shut the door! Shut the door!"

As I turn to face the person who opened the door, I pull an arrow from my quiver and aim it at the woman covered in strange tattoos. However, Cressida lays a hand on my arm and says, "Katniss! It's okay! It's okay!"

I slowly lower my bow, and Cressida slips her mask off. She walks up to the woman and says, "Tigris, do you remember me? I'm with Plutarch's underground. We need your help."

The woman, Tigris, looks around at all of us, then moves towards the back of her home. We all follow her. When she gets to the back, she pulls up a rug, revealing a trapdoor in the floor. She lifts it up, revealing a ladder down into a cellar.

As she stands up, a light clicks on in my head, and I recognize her. "I know you. You were a stylist in the Games," I say.

Tigris looks at me for a moment, then lowers the hood of her robe. "Until Snow decided I wasn't pretty enough anymore," she says.

I look at her for a moment, then say, "I'm here to kill him." Tigris doesn't respond, but I see a sense of satisfaction in her eyes.

All of us quickly descend into the cellar, and Tigris closes the trap door above us. I just hope that Cressida is right about Tigris.

Everyone sits down on whatever is available. Silence reigns for a while, dragging on for what seems like far longer than it really is. Finally, I turn to look at my team and say softly, "I made it up. There are no special orders from Coin. There's just my plan."

Cressida sighs before saying, "We knew. We all knew."

I look at her, a little confused. "The soldiers from 13?" I ask.

"They knew. Do you really think Jackson believed you had orders from Coin to assassinate Snow? She trusted Boggs, and he clearly wanted you to go on," Cressida says.

I stand there for several moments, tears starting to come to my eyes. Finally, I manage to say, "I never meant for this to happen. I failed, I…I killed them. I killed Jackson. I killed Holmes." I look at Castor and say, "I almost killed you, Castor."

Suddenly, Peeta speaks up and says, "Glimmer, Marvel, Mags, Clove, Wiress, Rue. What do all those deaths mean?" He then looks up at me and says, "They mean that our lives were never ours. There was no real life because we didn't have any choice. Our lives belong to Snow and our deaths do, too. But if you kill him, Katniss…if you end all of this, all those deaths, they mean something. Cinna, Jackson, Messalla. They chose this. And if you kill him, they'll finally be avenged."

That eases me slightly, but I still feel the guilt welling up in me. The guilt over everyone who has died because of me. And determination to avenge them.

I soon settle down beside Peeta. He has some wounds on his arms from earlier. I dab at them with a disinfectant rag and say, "You should keep these clean. Don't want them to get infected."

A moment later, Peeta says, "You should cuff me. It's not safe with me, yet."

I look firmly at Peeta. "No, Peeta. You saved my life down there from that mutt. If I can't trust you after that, when can I?" I respond. I then smile a bit and say, "Plus, you've already shown those cuffs can't exactly hold you."

Peeta shrugs. "I guess you're right, there," he says.

Soon after this, I decide to finaly get some rest. I lay down some furs in the cellar as a makeshift bed and soon nod off.

I'm not sure how much later it is when I feel myself start to drift back towards consciousness. I keep my eyes closed, trying to get back to sleep, but I'm aware of everything going on around me.

That's when I hear Gale and Peeta talking to each other. I keep my eyes closed, but I immediately tune into the conversation.

"I can't sleep," Peeta says.

"Yeah, I haven't slept in days, either," Gale responds. He pauses, then says, "You're really getting the hang of being Captain America."

"Thanks," Peeta responds, "And you're really good with that suit."

"Well, practice makes perfect," Gale says.

The two are quiet for several moments before Gale says, "I should've volunteered to take your place in the first Games."

My mind races over that. What is Gale talking about?

"No, she never would have forgiven you. She needed you to be to take care of her family and you did. She can't lose you. She really loves you," Peeta says.

Do I? Do I really love Gale that much? Can Peeta see what I can't?

"The way she kissed you in the Quarter Quell. She never kissed me like that," Gale says.

He's right. I've never felt like that any of the times I kissed Gale. What does that mean?

"Oh, just part of the show," Peeta says.

"No. No, you won her over. You gave up everything for her," Gale responds. He pauses, then says, "Well, it's not gonna be an issue much longer. I doubt all three of us are gonna make it out of this. And if we do, it's her problem whom to choose, right? I do know that Katniss will pick whoever she can't survive without?"

I feel my breath catch a bit. Whoever I can't survive without.

Right then, I hear some artillery explosions in the distance, and I shoot up. Gale stands up and says, "Mortar shells. It's not ours. The Peacekeepers must be shelling the rebels outside the city."

"That's not outside the city. The explosions are too close," Flint says.

All of us start getting ready while Gale goes up to check on things. I inspect all of my remaining arrows and make sure they're ready to go. As I fix that head on one of them, Gale comes back down. "Sun's coming up. There's some small arms fire. Could be Paylor, maybe Lyme. The rebels are close."

"This is it," Cressida says.

Suddenly, there's a beeping. We turn and watch as a projector comes to life, showing a screen that says, "Mandatory Viewing". Then, President Snow comes up.

"To all Capitol citizens more than a half mile outside the City Circle, I am announcing a mandatory evacuation. Come to the mansion. I am promising you shelter and sanctuary. All refugees, come to my home. And there, you will be provided with food, medicine, safety for your children, and you will have my solemn oath to protect you until my dying breath."

"Wish he'd hurry up with that last part," I say.

Snow continues, "Our enemy is not like us. They do not share our values. They have never known our comfort nor our sophistication. And they resent us for it. Make no mistake, they are not coming to liberate us. They are coming to destroy our way of life. They are coming to bury us." The broadcast then cuts out.

I turn to Peeta and ask, "Is he still inside the mansion? Peeta?"

"Yeah, I recognize the room," Peeta says.

I then pull out a map I found. "Where is the mansion?" I ask as I lay out the map.

Everyone gathers around as Cressida says, "About five blocks away." She then bends down and points to a spot on the map and says, "We're right here. Off the Avenues." She then points to a different spot and says, "Mansion's here."

"What about the pods?" I ask.

"Well, they'll probably deactivate the pods for the citizen's safety," Cressida says.

"That could work. I could get close enough," I say.

"Every Peacekeeper's gonna be waiting," Gale says.

"Next to our faces on every billboard," Cressida adds.

I'm quiet for a moment, thinking, before I say, "Snow's offering shelter to all the refugees. That's how we'll get in."

Within minutes, we're all up in Tigris' living room as Tigris brings out three hooded cloaks. It had been decided that Gale, Flint, Castor and I would go. Gale and Flint could hide their suits and activate them at a moment's notice, so they could easily go without immediately revealing that they're Avengers, and Castor would be shrunk down and riding on Gale's shoulder, ready to spring into action if need be. I have four arrows hidden under my cloak, as well as my bow.

"Head straight north. There's gonna be thousands of refugees. Just get into that stream and don't look up," Cressida says.

I'm already dressed in my cloak. I look over at Gale, who is having his cloak fixed by Tigris, and say, "We've got one shot."

"Then let's make it count," Gale says.

I look at Cressida, and she says, "Good luck, Katniss." She then leans in and we each hug each other.

As we separate, I look to the side as Finnick walks up. "I should be going with you," he says.

"No. Stay here. I'll see you when this is all done," I say.

Finnick smiles before embracing me. "Good luck, Katniss," he whispers into my ear before pulling away.

I then turn and give Pollux a hug. As I pull away from Pollux, I turn to Tigris and says, "Tigris, thank you for everything you've done." Tigris inclines her head in acknowledgement.

Right then, Peeta speaks up. "Katniss, let me come with you, okay? I can be a good distraction. They know my face. With my strength and the shield, I can keep them occupied," he says.

"No. I won't risk losing you," I say firmly.

"Just wait here with us," Cressida says.

"What if Peacekeepers are searching the houses?" Gale asks.

"Then we'll give them a real fight," Finnick says, resting his trident on his shoulder.

We're all quiet for several moments before I say, "Alright. Let's move out."

Me, Gale, and Flint all pull the hoods of our cloaks over our heads, then I open the door and we walk out.

We head towards the main road. As we do, we hear an announcement being made over loudspeakers, "By order of President Snow, all residents must proceed to the Presidential Estate. Please continue to move forward in a calm and orderly fashion. Additional food, medicine, and clothing will be provided upon arrival." The announcement then keeps repeating.

We make our way onto the main street and start heading north with everyone else. We keep our heads down, and I keep my hand tightly wrapped around my bow. We slowly make our way north with the crowd or refugees. As we walk, I glance from side to side, scanning the sides of the streets and taking stock of the number of Peacekeepers and weapons lining the sides of the street.

I then look up ahead. As I do, I see, just past an arch, a number of Peacekeepers standings guard in the middle of the street. I feel nervous, wondering how we're going to get past them without being seen. Maybe we'll have to fight after all.

Right then, I glance to the side, and see a little girl in a yellow coat being carried by her mother. The girl straightens up a bit, looking right at me, and I know she's recognizing me. I keep my head down, hoping she won't say anything.

I then look forward again, and see other Capitol citizens that are wearing hooded clothes having their hoods pulled back so Peacekeepers can check their faces.

Immediately I stop, and me, Gale, and Flint turn around a moment later. However, as we start walking back the way we came, hoping we can think of another plan, we see more Peacekeepers coming up the street, checking civilians at random.

We turn around again and resume walking towards the mansion. I know there's nothing we can do at this point. Gale and Flint prepare to deploy their suits, and I grip my bow even tighter.

I hear a Peacekeeper coming up behind me. Then, right as he lays his hand on my shoulder, there's an explosion behind us.

Me, Gale, and Flint immediately hit the deck as a man yells, "It's the rebels!"

I look around, and see a wall of rebel soldiers advancing down the street, firing their guns at any Peacekeeper they can see. To my surprise and small delight, I see Johanna in the midst of them, and Vision flying overhead.

However, I quickly shake myself out of this, and I say, "We need to move."

The three of us leap up and start running towards the mansion. We hear Castor say over our earpieces, "I'm gonna help. You three go on ahead."

We don't respond, knowing that Castor knows what he's doing. We just keep running.

As we go, we see Peacekeepers up ahead, firing back at the rebels. Flint says, "I'm gonna cause a distraction. You guys keep going." He then separates from us, then throws off his cloak as the Black Panther suit materializes around him.

More Capitol citizens scream as they suddenly see the Black Panther standing in their midst. However, Flint ignores them and charges at Peacekeepers, slicing through them with his claws. Peacekeepers fire at him, but the bullets bounce right off as Flint keeps tearing through them.

Gale and I keep running, and quickly take cover behind an armored vehicle to catch our breath. However, a second later, a grenade fired from a grenade launcher hits the vehicle and explodes, flipping the vehicle over. Gale and I leap in opposite directions to avoid getting crushed.

I try to get to my feet. As I look over to where Gale is, I see several Peacekeepers trying to grab him. However, Gale manages to get one hand up to the containment unit, and the suit quickly deploys. Gale then knocks the Peacekeepers off of him with powerful punches and repulsor blasts.

Gale then takes to the air, firing his repulsors at any Peacekeeper in sight. He pauses just long enough to look over to me, and I hear him say, "Keep going!"

I listen to Gale and take off running, my bow in hand, still trying to keep it under the cloak. I pull my hood back over my face as I keep running.

I finally reach a crowd clustered around the gates to the mansion. I hear an announcement being made, but I don't listen to it. Instead, I climb on an armored vehicle to get a better look.

As I climb up, I see that the gates are still closed. The children of the crowd are being brought to the front, guarded by Peacekeepers. The children are crying for their parents, who are in turn screaming. I recognize instantly that this if for Snow's defense.

Then, I hear something. I look up to the sky, and see a hovercraft in Capitol marking fly overhead. A door must open on it, because moments later, dozens of silver parachutes, like those used in the Games, drop from the hovercraft.

The children look hopeful, reaching up for the parachutes, knowing what those parachutes mean. However, a feeling of dread fills me. I'm not entirely sure why.

Then, right as some of the parachutes reach the children, and the children are about to grab them, without warning, about twenty of them explode.

Smoke instantly envelops the scene, and I'm knocked off of the vehicle. There's a ringing in my ears from the explosions. I try to pull myself back to my senses, and am slowly able to prop myself up. I look to where the explosions just took place, and I see Peacekeepers, Capitol citizens, and rebel medics running into the midst of devastation. I hear people calling for medics and for people to make room for the medics as I slowly walk towards the scene, horror filling me at the sight.

The first I see of her is her braid. I know that braid and hair anywhere. Then, as she kneels down over a wounded child, I see the side of her face, and know it's her.

"Prim? Primrose?!" I yell, drawing her attention. She turns to me, and her full face confirms it's my sister.

"Prim!" I yell, fear filling me. Right then, I feel a rush of wind and see Vision fly past me. He flies right towards Prim, and right as he reaches her, the rest of the parachutes go off.

I'm knocked flying back, and part of my cloak catches on fire. I stare up at the sky, watching as smoke rises around me.

And, I'll end there. Hope you liked this chapter.

Next chapter will be up soon. Until then, please leave a review, and stay tuned!