Chapter XIV
"Cato." I growl.
A few moments ago heavy boots had stomped into the room. Immediately a chill ran through my body, but I knew I wasn't cold.
I could hear the footsteps circle around the metal structure I was bound to and I can feel the mysterious character's eyes roam over me. Dread settles deep in my stomach.
Icy cold hands roughly grabbed my face then moved to untie my blindfold.
When the cloth had fallen away I looked right into his icy and angry blue eyes.
"Cato you bastard you'd better be thinkin' 'bout letting me go sometime soon. I sure as hell didn't wrong you. I made it real clear that I was never interested in you. You chose to ignore it. You have no reason for revenge here."
"That's not true Captain Everdeen. No one denies me what I want. And you have done just that. You disrespected me. For that you must suffer. No one dares to treat me as you did. I thought that stab wound would have taught you your lesson but clearly you are still a disrespectful bitch."
"Cato you are such a self-obsessed little prick. You have no right to consider others inferior to yourself. And likewise, you cannot treat people as toys for you to play with or dispose of at will. You are a sick man. Why don't you go back and play with your little whore, Glimmer was it? I'm sure she'd be willing than I."
He snarls and reaches out to strike my face.
"I can have Glimmer anytime I want. You, however, are a challenge. You are a wild spirit and I am going to break you."
…:::…
"Hurensohn!" Gale growls before hurtling his fist into the wall of the cargo bay.
Ever since Clove told us that it was Cato who had captured Katniss, Gale had become a man possessed. The only words from his mouth were curses and he threw punches at any inanimate object within reach. Johanna locked herself in her bunk, preferring to be angry in silence. Finnick and Annie just keep exchanging sad glances. Rue is confused; no one is willing to tell her why it is so horrible that Cato has Katniss. I think it is because none of us wish to think about what might be happening to her.
"What are we going to do?" I yell, startling Finnick and Annie from their staring. "We have to rescue her! We can't keep sitting here and doing nothing!"
"Guns." Gale growls, "We're going to need lots of guns. Also I think you're gonna need some training pretty boy. You'll need to know how to aim. Annie, set a course for Saphir. We're going to need to land near the warehouse district, but not so close that we draw attention."
Annie stands up and heads up to the bridge. Gale follows behind her and stops in front of the door to Johanna's bunk. He pounds his fist against the cool steel and yells out for Johanna to "open the damn door."
"What the hell do you want Hawthorne?" Johanna yells back as she climbs out of her bunk.
"We're going to get Katniss. Grab your guns and get ready. Put on one of Katniss' bulletproof vests, you need to keep yourself protected." He commands.
Johanna's face slowly contorts in anger.
"What do you care if I protect myself? You sure as hell don't care about me so don't even bother pretending Gale."
"Johanna…" Gale begins to protest.
"Save it for someone who cares." She growls.
…:::…
"Ah!" My screams echo through the abandoned tin building. The lashes of Cato's whip rip through my skin. The warmth of blood runs across my tattered skin. The air is permeated by the metallic smell of blood. My blood.
My wrists are gashed and bloodied from the metal cuffs. Wounds litter my skin. Old scars have been torn open again.
My body is crying out in pain. Every inch of my skin is on fire. My raw skin is screaming.
"Now, you see Miss. Everdeen," Cato sneers, "if you had only been willing to cooperate and give me what I want…well then all of this could have been avoided."
"Go to hell Cato." I spit through gritted teeth. "All you want is a warm body to get your jollies. If it's that or torture…I must say that I prefer the torture."
"Bitch." Cato snarls, "If you want torture…I'll give you torture." He steps unbearably close to me, his face is a mere inch from mine.
"Bring it on." I attempt a snarky grin but I can feel that it falls short.
…:::…
"Isn't Cato smarter than to bring Katniss to the same warehouse we've all been to before?" I ask Gale who is silently striding in front of me.
"Yes. But he ain't smart enough to go far from his comfort zone. Cato has power here, so he'll stay close. There are plenty of abandoned warehouses in this area for him to use. He'll be here."
We wander through the abandoned district. Most of the street lamps no longer worked and the silence around us is eerie.
The lights all around us flicker.
"Someone must be using a lot of electricity." Gale murmurs.
The lights flicker again.
"Did you hear that?" Johanna freezes. Her features are fixed in an intent listening face. Her mouth hangs open slightly, her eyes are unfocused and her head is cocked to the side.
"Hear what?" Annie asks curiously.
We all stop in our tracks and listen intently. Almost everyone cocks their head slightly to the side as if that will improve their hearing.
The lights flicker again and in the silence I hear it…
A small and quiet scream trickles into my ear.
"She's this way." Gale growls.
Gale takes off down a side street. Despite being laden with heavy artillery his footsteps are still silent as the grave.
Johanna on the other hand, in her black combat boots, is not so quiet. I know my footsteps aren't quiet either but at least I don't have combat boots. I know we are loud because I can see the frustration building on Gale's face.
Finnick and Annie had taken off in another direction to enter the warehouse from another side.
Thresh and Rue are safely back on the ship, waiting for our return. Poor Rue was a mess when we left. For such a small thing she has such a big heart and she is very worried for Katniss.
The lights continue to flicker almost every minute. It worries me to think of why they are flickering and why so often.
A few more turns and we are standing near yet another warehouse. Gale slows again before creeping towards a side door. He peels it open really slowly, avoiding any loud creak it may make.
He gestures us forward with a wave of his gun. As quietly as possible we follow him in. The screams have only gotten louder the closer we get to the center of the warehouse. I try not to think about how completely female they sound.
The dim warehouse lights flicker in a continuous pattern and the closer we get to the center the more my hair seems to stand on end.
The low hum of voices catches my attention; I know Gale has already heard them. As quietly as possible he readies his gun. Johanna does the same but unfortunately for me I just stare at the weapon in my hand…completely dumbfounded. Johanna rolls her eyes and motions for me to wait behind.
The two of them jump from our point of cover and the sound of gunshots fills the air. After a minute Johanna's voice growls for me to come out of hiding. I step around the corner to see four bodies lying on the ground, blood pooling around their motionless forms. Dead bodies don't bother me; however knowing that I've basically assisted in their deaths is unsettling.
Johanna and Gale begin to move farther into the building and I follow them. We walk briskly until we reach large double doors. Finnick and Annie emerge from a hallway to the right.
Wordlessly Gale pushes through the doors and into a large empty room. Our group walks into the room. Everyone looking around, everyone confused. I know I had expected Katniss to be behind that door and from the looks on their faces…so did everyone else.
"Where is she?" Annie's small voice echoes in the large space.
"You won't find her here." A low and menacing voice sounds from the darkest corner of the room.
"What have you done with her you hurensohn?" Gale growls and stomps towards Cato and his defense. All of them raise their loaded guns in response.
Gale steps back with his hands raised.
"I've dealt with her as I saw fit. She deserved punishment for disrespecting me."
"You're crazy." Johanna snarls.
"Where is our Cap'n? And what state have ya left 'er in?" Finnick attempts to keep his voice calm and controlled.
"She's somewhere that I can keep an eye on her. And she's alive…if only just." His lips twist in a nasty sneer.
"Well then it looks like we got here just in the nick of time…so what does that make us?" Finnick asks.
"Not now Finnick." Annie grumbles.
"What does that make us?" Finnick speaks slightly louder.
"Big damn heroes." Annie replies in a monotone voice.
"Ain't we just." Finnick continues with a smile on his face.
"Damn it Finn! Is this really the time for jokes?" Johanna thunders.
"No you're right." Finnick speaks again in a lilting tone. With a smile on his face he takes the revolver from its holster and begins to fire rapidly. Gale and Johanna do the same.
Bullets fly across the room. However Cato's side takes a much more serious impact. All of his bodyguards have fallen dead, Cato stands alone. On our side a few bullets grazed Finn, Gale and Johanna. Blood seeps into the fabric of their shirts.
Finn appears to have taken a bullet to the shoulder but is forcing the pain away. I rush to his side, "Finn are you alright?" His face is paling as more blood seeps from the wound.
"Yea doc I'm fine." His voice is strained. "Let's go get the Cap'n." His steps are slightly wobbly.
Gale already has Cato at gunpoint.
"Now Cato…you've got no more men. Now tell us where the Cap'n is or I ain't gonna hesitate in shootin' you."
"She'll die before you can find her." He smiles as he says the words.
"Like hell she will." I yell and storm towards Cato. My fist connects solidly with his gut. A loud grunt echoes in the room and Cato coughs up a few droplets of blood.
He chuckles darkly, "I'll tell you where she is," he coughs again, "Only because I'll be so satisfied to know that she'll definitely be dead by the time you reach her. You see when I left her to come and deal with you…well she'd already died once. I brought her back because I wasn't quite done with her. But I know she was just…well dying…to be free from all the pain." He grins maliciously. "She was barely breathing last time I saw her. That beautiful olive complexion of hers was all bloodied, purple and deathly pale. Still there really isn't any use for her now anyways. They say every woman only has one good time in her…and let me tell you…I took a nice ride on h…"
His rant is cut short when the handle of my gun cracks across his face. Anger rages through my veins. Every cell is ignited in fury and hatred. My vision is colored shiny and red and I feel completely out of control.
"You didn't." The deep and furious voice is barely recognizable as my own. "Katniss wouldn't let you touch her like that. Sure you could have tortured her all you want but she'd never let you get away with anything else."
His evil grin remains unchanged.
"Be that as it may…she'll still be dead…and you're only wasting time."
"You bastard!" His head whips to the side with the force of my fist.
"Peeta!" Johanna screams from beside me. Gale's hands grab at my shoulders and forcibly turn me away.
Johanna lands a solid slap across my cheek. "He's tryin' to distract you! Don't let him get to ya. Katniss needs you right now."
Her words instantly sober me and I nod. With one last blow Cato falls to the ground in an unconscious lump.
"He has to be keeping her in the building. We should spread out and search." Level headed Gale is back.
Everyone nods in agreement. I look around at my comrades, all of us determined to find our respected Captain who we love dearly…just not all in the same way.
"Finnick, Peeta…" Gale commands, "you take the west half of the building. Annie, Johanna, you take the east. I'll look in the basement."
Everyone nods, not bothering to question Gale's plan.
"Keep an eye on Finnick." Gale mutters to me as he passes. "He ain't lookin' to good."
I look closely at Finnick and realize Gale's right. Finnick looks awfully clammy and pale. The shoulder wound seems to be more severe than I thought...and in my previous rage induced stupor I hadn't noticed his condition. Mentally I kick myself. But as much as I wish I could get Finnick to the infirmary and patch him up…well I know that just won't happen. Finnick won't allow us to leave without Katniss…and I just know I couldn't abandon her either.
Finnick and I begin to search the hallways and empty rooms on the east side of the building. So far we've found absolutely nothing. Just rats and dust.
Finnick's condition is worsening, my worry is increasing. I tried to mention it to him a few moments ago but he shut me up really quick with a serious, "I'm fine."
However his steps are growing increasingly heavier and more sluggish and he is swaying more and more.
"Finnick?" I call out, but get no response.
His body crumples before me and I rush forward to catch him.
"Finn?" I give his face a firm pat but still nothing. His heart beat is slowing and his skin is growing cold.
"Damn it Finn don't you give up now." I growl and hoist the sturdy man over my shoulders.
"Finn is down. I'm taking him back to the ship." I say over the radio.
"I'm sorry Katniss." I whisper into the empty room and begin to make my way to the exit. Finn will die if I don't rush now.
Author's Note:
Wow! Sorry for the delay in updating! Time really got away from me! Hope you like the chapter! Read and review...let me know what you think.