Disclaimer: The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, two of the best books I've ever read, are owned by Suzanne Collins and I don't have any rights to them except the right to read them and love them. Here's my attempt of trying to continue the story. I'm sure it will pale in comparison to Suzanne's wonderful work, but here goes chapter eight.
Chapter Eight
I, along with Madge and Gale behind Vanzant, turn the corner in the dark hallways. The two guards enter a room and soon after a scream is heard. I don't wait for the order, but run into the room to see Peeta attached to a metal slab with a needle in his arm. Blood drips from several gashes and his prosthetic leg is missing. I kill the guard with my arrow, another passes by me to kill the other.
But this time, Peeta doesn't waken. When I go to him, his skin is cold and his lips are turning blue. I scream out for him to come back, but already the life that was in Peeta is already dimming. President Snow comes out of a dark corner, his eyes almost glowing in the shadows and I grab the gun and shoot. But he just stands there, looking like a snake while Peeta's body grows cold…
For once, I was not woken up by my own screams as I tried valiantly to shake off the vestiges of the dream. It was the sound of gunfire. Both Peeta and I stood up in shock and looked around. The Capitol had found them. Teams of Peacekeepers in white uniforms searched the forest for them. The District 13 soldiers were yelling orders to each other and shooting at the Peacekeepers that hunted them.
My heart raced with adrenaline as I notched an arrow in my bow and searched for a target. But that same heart froze. Across the clearing, Gale stood with an empty bow in one hand. A Peackeeper was aiming a gun at his heart. My fingers tighten painfully on my bow as I whisper, "Gale."
Peeta turns to see and I hear his muttered oath. I square my shoulders and take aim. I will not lose Gale. I may not be what he wanted, I may not feel the way I should have for him, but I'll be damned if I lose my best friend to the Capitol. They have taken so much from me and those I love that I absolutely refuse that they take Gale too. I hear movement to our left but Peeta quickly dispatches whatever it was as I let my arrow fly. I feel the feathers brush my fingertips as it is loosed from my bow. It flies straight and true right through the Peacekeeper's neck. I have a moment to feel triumph before I see another Peacekeeper stumble into the clearing behind Gale. I don't have time to notch another arrow and I feel my throat close in fear.
And then something amazing happens. An arrow flies over Gale's shoulder just as one flew over mine when we saved Peeta. The Peacekeeper goes down and Gale turns to see who saved his life. I look with him and I'm surprised and yet oddly proud when I see Madge, her muddy hair in a tangle, throw her bow over her shoulder and grab Gale's hand. It finally falls into place for me. She grabs a gun from her holster and shoots as Gale grabs his own. I see now that he doesn't have any arrows left. They start to run.
"Come on," I cry to Peeta and I grab his arm. We start running in the same direction. Vanzant is to the right of us with Gene, Kane and Finnick's family. My heart goes out to Finnick as I see Annie's fear. She screams as she is shot in the leg. Without breaking much of his stride, he throws Annie over his shoulder and keeps running. I see him throw a trident through a Peacekeeper on his way. Three spots of red grow on the white uniform as he yanks his trident out and keeps running.
"Run, Katniss!" I hear Peeta scream and I can continue. I notch another arrow and I shoot at the first Peacekeeper I see. I feel a wild sort of hate welling up inside of me. Why can't we just have a few hours of peace? Why do we have to fight every time we turn around? Why would anyone want to put others under their thumb? Why can't we just live?
I feel Peeta next to me and it calms my nerves. It brings into focus just what I'm fighting for. He will not be taken again. I will not be taken again. I turn so suddenly that Peeta fumbles as he tries to see what I do. I stand in the light of the Capitol hovercraft and with a piercing cry I let loose with my arrows. I see the white of the Peacekeeper uniforms as they run towards us and shoot their guns, but I don't dodge. I just pull an arrow, notch, aim, and fire, one after another after another. I watch as uniforms fall. The Capitol has made me a monster. Now they taste just how angry their monster has become. I feel Peeta tug on me and I wrench out of his grasp. My long legs eat up the ground as I pull an arrow out of one Peacekeeper and shoot it into another. I hear shouts behind me but I ignore them. I'm tired of being hunted. I'm tired of being cornered like a rabbit. So now I hunt them. I grasp another arrow out of a groaning Peacekeeper and fire at another. I hear gunshots behind me and I realize it isn't just my arrows that are making them fall. Others are fighting with me. I see the hovercraft swerve above us and I realize that someone has been shooting at it as well. I see smoke and something clicks back into place.
As I turn to run because I know the hovercraft will fall, a fallen Peacekeeper catches my leg and I go sprawling. I turn to look in their eyes. "If you survive," I tell the man as he blinks at me, "tell that bastard, Snow, I'm coming for him." Then I kick hard and shoot myself up from the ground like an arrow being loosed from a bow. Peeta is there, with his hand out and I latch onto it as I run. I don't even look back as I hear the hovercraft fall and explode. With Peeta's hand in mine, I run towards the future.
***
It feels as if we had run several hundred yards before we collapse. I pull out my canteen and drink greedily as we take stock of everyone. There are several who seem wounded but should be able to get back to headquarters just fine. I look over at Peeta in triumph and whatever I was about to say just shrivels up on my tongue.
His eyes are hot with anger as he looks at me. "Just what in the hell were you trying to prove, Katniss?" he starts in a soft voice but by the time he makes it to my name it's almost a shout. It's been rare that I've seen Peeta while he was mad, but it always shocks me when it happens.
"What are you talking about?" I ask as I drink again from the canteen.
He pulls out of my hand roughly and takes a gulp. Some of it dribbles down his chin and he wipes it with a dirty arm. "You going off like some kind of… I don't know. Like a person with a death wish! We just got each other back. Are you that hell bent on throwing it away again?"
"No, Peeta, it's not like that. Just some kind of rage bubbled up inside me and I just didn't think."
"Surprise, surprise," says a voice from behind us. It's Gale. I narrow my eyes at him as I stand up.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
But it's not Gale who answers. It's not even Peeta. Madge peeks around from behind Gale and looks at me. "You don't ever think. You just rush head long into any situation. We were all running and then all of a sudden, we hear this cry. We turn around and there you are taking on all of the Peacekeepers."
"Well, they just would have chased us. They probably would have killed us. Do you enjoy being hunted? Because that is exactly what they will do every minute of every day. We are their playthings, their prey, their entertainment and the thorns in their sides. If we don't take a stand, if we always run, then how will we ever take back what is ours?" This is the first time that I can remember ever making a speech like this. I see Finnick nod by a tree with his arm around a newly bandaged Annie. I see Vanzant staring at me with respect in her eyes.
But when I look back at Peeta, all I see is fear. The fight goes out of me. "I'm sorry for worrying you," I tell him. The crowd disperses. Maybe they sense our need to be alone. His hand, streaked with dirt and smoke, push a lock of my hair behind my ear.
"I'm sorry for getting angry. It just scared me. Sometimes you scare me, Katniss. You're so brave and so bright. If I ever lost you…" his voice trails off.
"Well, you haven't lost me yet. I'm here. You're here," I tell him softly and I lean up to kiss him. Our mouths meet briefly and gently and the feelings that I have had before with Peeta, this yearning to be with someone, bubbles up once again inside me.
He grabs onto me and holds on tightly. All I can do is grip him back. He hugs me so tight that it's hard to breathe, but I hold on anyway. His heart beats against mine. I feel his breath on my neck. And it finally hits me that he's alive. He's so wonderfully alive.
A/N: Sorry for the long update. I can't promise another one soon but I will by hardest. Please review and let me know what you think.
