Breath of Life: Florence and the Machine.
The fire that we had started in order to cover our tracks had died down. Snow knew we were still alive. He knew we were still after him. He knew we were underground. He had them digging. We heard. It was them calling her name. "Katniss…" Something called out. Mutts. We looked around frantically. Adrenaline was pulsing through my veins.
"Run!" Peeta shouted. "Get out! Go!" I was disoriented, trying to escape my dreams of her. It was now. I had to fight. I had to get back to her. I jumped to my feet, arming myself. I tossed a gun to Castor, keeping my trident close to my side and the other gun tight in my hand. We raced down the drainpipes. The hissing only became louder. They're behind us and although they're at a distance, they're moving fast. We moved swiftly, quietly, but even in our speed, we were guaranteed a sloppy escape. They could hear us, our splashing, the commands. The sounds of the mutts and their prey rang out in the pipes. They were bloodthirsty, ready to kill. Katniss, in a moment of weakness stopped, trying to save us and sacrifice herself. "We're wasting time!" I shouted. The screams stopped and her name rebounded off the walls of the sewers. The scent of roses streamed into the air. Katniss began to choke. She ran and stumbled and we found ourselves in the Transfer where delivery vehicles are stationed.
It was quiet and we were the only things in the Transfer except for the pods. Katniss shot at one and tried to run out of the way of the Meat Grinder that will surely end in all of our deaths, until she tripped up another unmarked pod. She didn't notice it. No one did.
But it was Messalla. "Katniss!" I screamed, stopping her. He was trapped in a golden beam, flesh dripping off his body. It was the most horrific sight I have ever seen, past the games, past all the deaths and Capitol scandal. We tried to save him. There were several who shrieked for him, but we had to keep our calm.
"Can't help him!" Peeta shouted, shoving both me and Katniss forward. Gale tried to shoot at it, but we had to move forward.
Gunfire stopped us this time. Peacekeepers flooded the exit of the Transfer and we were trapped. I shot back, loading and reloading. Even though they outnumbered us, we were the better shots. I threw my trident, shooting with the gun as Beetee's advanced trident took out three peacekeepers at a time. I retracted it and threw again, slaying as many as I could. More than half were down and dead in what seemed like an instant. Relief spread over me, until more flooded in. Adrenaline coursed through me. I expected gunshots to ring through, but none did. Instead, there was screaming.
These new bodies weren't peacekeepers.
Tall, human-sized lizards slithered fast across the floors, devouring man, dead or alive. We had to get above ground. We all ran. "Get out!" I heard them scream. Katniss activated the Meat Grinder. Mechanical teeth shot through the street, destroying the dead bodies and some mutts. We outran it, jumping into the sewer. We're still chased by mutts.
The smell of roses is so strong, I feel sick. "Go!" I scream telling the others to run. I start shooting, as well as Gale and Peeta, Katniss frozen in fear. "Go!" I scream at her. We outran them too, but they caught me. One dragged me down and I hit the pavement hard. I shout in a struggle to push the mutts off, but the demon creatures were stronger.
They're above ground now. "Someone's still alive!" I hear her say, but even I knew it was too late. Fire shot through my veins as the lizards bit into me. I fought some off, slipping out of their grip. But they came after me still. Their teeth tore into my back, and then my legs, and my chest. I screamed in pain, until my mind fogged over.
I'm back in Four. I see my brother Kane, waving from the small fishing boat he worked on. A smile crosses my lips. I've missed him. The silver parachutes of hope from the games drop down over him, he catches one and holds it up to show me. He claps and cheers, pointing to Mags, who is in the water smiling and laughing like the time she helped my father train me. My father and mother are standing in front a pink sky, welcoming me home. I was a victor. I can still feel the weight of Beetee's trident in my hands. My mind starts to darken, but I can still see her. She's the last thing I see. Annie, my sweet Annie in her long green dress, smiling at me. I can feel her touch. I was in Four. The sky darkened as I slipped away. I was holding Annie on our private beach. The waves crashed against the rocks, the stars smiled down on us tonight.
Nightlock! Nightlock! Nightlock!
Gone.