(Katniss' POV.)
"You've been a naughty little girl, haven't you?" The bearded man spits at me, his teasing smile only adding on to the amusement playing across his entire face.
A strong burning sensation continues to tear through my wrists as I attempt to rip free of the handcuffs, each try only making it hurt worse.
"Who are you?" I manage to get out, my throat feeling as if it's been burned completely raw.
"Only your worst nightmare, sweetheart."
Before I even have time to process a plan, my mouth releases a mouthful of blood into the man's eyes, his legs immediately stumbling back as he desperately claws it away from his vision.
"You filthy bitch!" Just as he's beginning to get back up on his feet, a frail body suddenly slams into him, both of them crashing to the ground in a quick blur of movement.
Loud sirens begin wailing around me, everything now moving too quickly for me to even process it. Meddy is pulling me to my feet before I even have time to react, her hands instantly going to work at removing the handcuffs.
"Where's the other one?!" I ask anxiously, a quick rush of anxious adrenaline kicking in.
Meddy doesn't even take the time to respond, the cool metal around my wrists instantly sliding free.
"You grab Peeta! I'll get your boy." She hisses at me, her wide eyes still not wanting to find mine. She's gone in the blink of an eye, her arms quickly grabbing hold of Finnius.
The bomb ticks furiously on the floor near my feet, the sound of Finnius' cries only making my heart beat faster. Too many emotions and fears are stirring rapidly inside of me, the thought only making more panic rush throughout my entire body.
Calm down, Katniss. You have to think clearly. You're the hunter, not the prey. Don't let them win this.
My eyes quickly scan the room in a desperate attempt to find something worth using as a weapon, but nothing seems sharp enough. I can feel my eyes slowly beginning to roll back in my head, my vision growing extremely blurry.
I force myself across the room regardless of my ankle, each step shooting an intense pain up my entire leg. My front teeth dig deep into my tongue in an attempt to not scream out, all of the pain hitting me at once.
That's when I spot it. Resting in a black pouch on the wooden table before me is a decent sized knife, the handle easily sliding into my fingers as I reach out to grasp it. The touch instantly gives me a sense of power and satisfaction. I know I'm not the prey anymore. This time it's them.
From the corner of my eye I spot the bomb, the red flashing numbers revealing that only a minute and a half remains. I force myself to keep moving, the obnoxious blaring of the fire alarm and the ticking of the countdown only pushing me to move faster.
Just as I begin to sprint to the opposite side of the room where Peeta remains unconscious, I'm suddenly knocked to the ground, a heavy weight pressing down on my back quickly draining the air out of me. The knife clatters to the ground, my weak fingers unable to reach it.
"Gale was right, you are a clever little girl." Brown Eyes hisses in my ear, a hoarse snicker following. My elbow instantly nails him in the nose, a shower of blood immediately raining down from it.
Just as I attempt to scramble to the exit, his rough hand clamps down on my wounded ankle, my weak leg easily pulling me back down to his level.
"He sent you?!" I sputter, my eyes wide with confusion as I wrestle free of his tight grip.
"Sent us? He trained us, darling." His puffy lips curl into a grey smile as he trails off at the end, another hoarse laugh erupting from deep down in his throat.
I'm quickly thrown to the ground again, his fingers clawing at my face in an attempt to close my mouth.
My teeth instantly sink into the tip of his middle finger, his twisted expression registering the reaction I was hoping for.
Right before he grabs hold of me, I lunge over just far enough to reach the tip of the knife handle, my hands quickly scrambling to grab hold of it.
My legs kick wildly as our bodies swap places, mine becoming the dominant one as he lies helpless underneath my weight, the blade of the knife now tracing the edge of his crooked jaw.
"One minute!" I hear Meddy scream, her free hands now tossing Peeta over her shoulder as she scrambles out of the building once more.
Brown Eyes' bloody face tilts up in amusement, an obnoxious chuckle slipping out between his cracked lips.
"I don't understand how he ever loved you. You're nothing special." He whispers weakly, a faint smile twitching at his cheeks.
Before I can even respond, his head tilts up more eagerly, his smile growing wider.
"He killed his wife for you, ya know. After he left Twelve, his mind turned insane."
The words replay in my mind over and over again, an uneasy feeling filling the pit of my stomach.
"What are you talking about?" I ask through clenched teeth, a hot sweat suddenly breaking out on the back of my neck.
Brown Eyes' laugh now fills the entire room, an insane look beginning to fill his gaze.
"At first, he tried to make her act like you. Making her go hunting with him. Going to the meadow. Telling her to braid her hair." He clears his throat, a bloody cough following.
"Then it grew more serious. He started calling her Catnip, and asking about the Games as if she were you." Thirty seconds remaining.
The sweat rolls faster down my neck, my head feeling lighter by the second as his words pile on.
"It got to the point that he began beating her to punish her for kissing Peeta. He thought she was you. Then one day, she snapped. The argument ultimately led to her death. Once he realized she wasn't truly Katniss, he hired us and went searching."
His final words feel like a jab to the stomach, all of the oxygen in my lungs now slowly draining out of me.
"Now it's our turn to finish his dirty work."
His hands are now wrapped tightly around the width of my neck, all of the air cut off from entering. Twenty seconds remain.
"Help!" I hiss, my voice barely making a sound.
Just as I'm about to give up, a sudden screech sends a wave of confusion throughout the entire room. Brown Eyes' body suddenly falls to my lap, his blood instantly pooling my shirt.
Behind him stands Rose, her shaky hands clutching on to my old bow from home.
"Rose!" I scream, her hands instantly pulling me into a tight hug.
"I'm sorry I left. I wanted to help." She whispers urgently, a flood of tears immediately pouring down her bright red cheeks.
Ten seconds remain. I pull her closer to my chest, my legs desperately stepping around the objects sprawled out on the tile, the sound of the countdown pushing me to move faster.
Just as I'm about to grasp the door handle, the bearded man's body slams into mine, Rose immediately falling out of my arms.
Five seconds remain.
"Today's the day the Mockingjay's flight ends." He hisses.