I hope this switching of POV's isn't too difficult for remembering what happened. This chapter is very similar to what happens in Mockingjay, but with stuff added. Yay.
(POV CHANGE) Peeta
A high-pitched beeping sound wakes me up, and I jolt my eyes open. I blink several times, focusing on voices and sounds around me. Where am I? I'm laying on a couch, in somebody's living room. I have cuffs on my wrists. I turn and see the rest of the team facing a screen. I sit up slowly and notice the very street we were just on, before the… I don't remember. On the screen, bombs explode and I see Boggs injured, lying in debris. I'm beginning to remember; the bombs, Johanna, Finnick reviving Messalla, trying to help Boggs… and then I see what I don't recall.
A camera from a rooftop displays my turn of violence. I dart at members of my own squad, looking fully intent on hurting them. I'm constantly restrained, but I fight them off. That's when I see myself being tackled by Mitchell and pushing him off, causing him to fall onto a pod. A net of barbed wire encases him, and digs into his uniform then through into his skin. He instantly starts to bleed. I'm taken hold of by Pollux and Castor, and watch as that monster of myself is being dragged along with the rest of squad into an apartment building. Black gel blots the camera, and then it displays Mitchell, still hanging in the net, covered in the tar-like gel.
I caused that. I killed him. I knew him briefly, and I killed him. I thought I was well enough. I was certain. I continually supported my case that I had to be on this mission; that I wasn't going to cause any trouble. I just killed someone. How could I've been so stupid?
I should've never of came here. They would have done better without me. And if I still succumb to the venom and attack people, I shouldn't be near anybody. I'm putting my team in danger, and that means I'll put Katniss in danger. Her especially, because the venom creates negative feelings associated with her. I am a monster.
I raise my head just slightly from my hands. On the screen, the former apartment we were in is on fire. It's being put out by firefighters, and a reporter stands in front of it all. She finally announces us, dead.
"Finally a bit of luck," says Homes.
"My father. He just lost my sister and now…" says Leeg. The report continues with the same footage over and over. It's too horrifying to watch. It only encourages my idea that I'm a threat to this mission. I can only think of one solution.
The screen fades and goes blank. Gale stands from the floor where he sat. "So, now that we're dead, what's our next move?"
"Isn't it obvious?" They all turn in my direction, surprised and unaware that I saw the whole thing. "Our next move… is to kill me," I say directing at Gale.
Perplexed. They obviously didn't expect those words to come from me, maybe someone else, requesting I die, but I know that's the only solution. Jackson scowls. "You're being ridiculous," she says.
"I'm being ridiculous? I just murder a member of our own squad!" I shout.
"You pushed him off. You couldn't have known he would have triggered that pod at that exact spot," says Finnick, trying to make the situation calmer.
"Who cares? He's dead, isn't he?" I feel overwhelming sense guilt and sadness. I fight tears, and the bad feeling in my throat. "I thought I was okay… I've never seen myself like that. I'm an endangerment to all of you, to everyone. I'm the one Snow turned into a weapon. I'm the one you should be taking out."
"Peeta, it's not your fault," says Finnick.
"You can't take me with you. I'll disclose your position or hurt someone else." Their confounded expressions make me go on. "Maybe you think it's kinder to just dump me somewhere. Let me take my chances. But that's the same thing as handing me over to the Capitol. Do you think you'd be doing me a favor by sending me back to Snow? It would only cause more problems."
"I'll kill you before that happens," says Gale. "I promise."
I sigh. "No, I'll still be in way if I go with you. I'll just slow you guys from finding Katniss. It's better done now."
"Negative, you're part of this team. You're an asset to this mission, and you won't be relieved until we finish it. You're coming with us," says Jackson. I'm about to argue, but she shoves a can into my cuffed hands. "Everybody, grab a can," she orders.
Finnick is told to open the can for me, and gives it back without the lid. They think I could use it to slit my wrists or something. Everybody is eating, when there's the high-pitched sound again. On the screen, Snow sits at a desk, on the same set. He talks about our squad finally being put to an end, and further boasts on how the Capitol will surely finish off the rebellion.
Then the screen changes. It's no longer Snow, but President Coin. She introduces herself, and speaks about the "deceased" team and all the effort they had put toward this rebellion. She gives a final sedition, and then control goes back to the Capitol. Katniss is on the screen. I stare at the screen, trying to read her emotions or something. Physically she looks fine, but her eyes give everything away. She sits stiffly, the camera showing her only from the waist up.
"The rebel squad…" she begins solemnly. I realize she must have seen the footage. She probably thinks we're dead, but she takes a new expression of determination. "They didn't die in vain! We're still in this rebellion, and we're not going to give up!" You can hear shouting in the background. Katniss, stands, her hands bonded with cuffs, like mine. Then she swings her foot causing a shoe to fly behind the camera. The camera is turned slightly, but Katniss speaks before it goes out. "They plan to seize District 13! Assemble forces. Get ready!" She stands in a bracing stance, preparing for the white uniformed peacekeeper to reach her, but the screen goes black with the emblem of the Capitol.
Why did she do that? Why couldn't she have just played along a little longer? I'm guessing when she heard that we were dead, she was motivated to act against them. I'm afraid how Snow will comply with this. She's taken a stand again, and though she thought it might be the right thing to do, she's in trouble.
"Looks like we should start moving," says Jackson. "We need to be out of here, before they discover that our bodies aren't there." She refers to the Holo. The hologram street is covered in red dots. "It looks like the streets aren't an option."
"The rooftops are almost as bad," says Leeg.
Homes puts a hand to his chin. "We still might have a chance to withdraw, but that would mean a failed mission. So we can't move up. We can't move laterally."
"We'll have to find a closer entrance to underground," says Jackson. "We won't be able to reach the entrance we had planned. We're going to have to find another one, without walking out into the streets." She refers again to the Holo.
Two doors down, a vertical tube connects our row of apartments to the tunnels. To reach the tube apartment, we will have to go through a maintenance shaft that runs the length of the building. We can enter the shaft through the back of a closet space on the upper floor. Everybody hides all signs that we've been here. Cans are dumped down a trash chute, bloodied pillow cushions are flipped, gel is wiped off the tiles in the kitchen.
"I'm not going," I say.
Johanna scowls at me. "Snow's people will find you."
"Not if I have a Nightlock. I'll take it only when I have to."
"When were you given one of those?" asks Homes.
"Haymitch. I'll only use it if they find me here,"
"You won't be found here, because you'll be coming with us," says Jackson.
I sigh in frustration. Are they really so blinded? They may be tired of seeing people die, but this needs to be done. "Or you'll what? Shoot me?"
Jackson seems to growl. Homes speak up. "We'll knock you out and drag you with us, which will both slow us down and endanger us."
They're just making this more difficult. It's easy for them to just go help Katniss and leave me with a pill. Nobody has to witness me die. "Stop being noble! I don't care if I die! It would be better for everybody. I have a Nightlock, nobody has t-"
"Not anymore you don't," says Johanna. She holds the flask in her hands. "Tsk, Tsk, I guess it takes the edge off your problems."
"We're wasting time. Are you coming voluntarily, or do we knock you out?" asks Gale. I put my face in my hands. They're going to regret this. Taking me, it's a huge unnecessary risk. I'm not supposed to go with them, see Katniss, again. I'm just a ticking bomb waiting to explode at any moment. Despite this, I stand up from the couch.
"Should we free his hands?" asks Leeg.
"No! Leave them on," I say crossly.
"No," Jackson echoes. "Let them be."
Homes pries open the small metal door to the shaft. The film crew has to leave their shells behind, because they don't fit through. They still take emergency cameras, which are smaller. We all squeeze through the shaft and exit to the second apartment. We find the door marked Utility on the second floor.
Messalla frowns at the passage way, returning to his little fussy world. "It's why no one ever wants the center unit. All the inconveniences, but the rent is considerably cheaper and-" He notices Finnick and Johanna's amused expressions and adds, "Never mind."
We all descend the ladder and reach the tunnels. There's the strong smell of chemicals, sewage, and mildew. Pollux latches on to Castor's wrists, like he needs stability. "My brother worked down here after he became an Avox," says Castor. "It took five years before we were able to buys his way up to ground level. Didn't see the sun once."
The rest of the squad looks cumbrously at each other. I step over. "Well, then you just became our most valuable asset." It makes Castor laugh, and Pollux manages a smile. A smile, that's what I would need to endure a place like this.
Pollux's knowledge of the tunnels is extremely advantageous. There's a system of wide tunnels that correspond to street above. It's called the Transfer, since trucks and such use it transport goods, so they don't have to get through the congested streets of the Capitol. There are not a whole lot of pods, and we move efficiently toward our destination. Sometimes, we have to go through additional passage ways to continue undetected. We go through utility shafts, and abandoned train tunnels.
Three in the morning, Jackson says we should take a break. Pollux leads us to a small, warm room, housing machines steaming and humming with levers and dials. Finnick and Pollux have the first watch. I pick a spot and lay down on my side. I don't think I'll be able to sleep, but the humming and warmth calms me down, and I fall asleep. Just for while, until I'm woken up by disembodied voices.
I jolt up. Pollux and Gale, who are on watch, look suspiciously at me. Nobody else seems to have heard it. Then I hear it again. It's hissing, which I can't decipher into words. "Did you hear that?" I ask.
Pollux shakes his head. "Hear what?" Gale asks. It begins again. It seems to echo through the tunnels, but instead of getting softer, it gets louder and clearer. It's getting closer, whatever it is. No matter how hard I try to listen, the words don't come to me. It gets louder, and then as if I'm in a trance, the words come out of my own mouth. "You're dead"
I'm stilled with paralysis. Gale walks over and shakes me. "What's wrong with you?" He slaps me right across the face, and I'm in control again. I put a hand to my cheek, but I forget about the slap. There's this odd instinct I have that we're all in danger. I realize we have to get out of here. "We have to leave here, now!"
"Why? What is it that you're hearing?" Gale asks.
"I don't know, but it's not going to stop till we're dead," I say with urgency. Gale gives me a confused look. He's about to ask how I know this, but I jolt up and start shouting for people to get up. Truthfully, I don't understand how I know this.
Finnick has his trident, so he gives his guns to Castor and Messalla. My gun is given to Pollux, loaded with real bullets. Gale hands his to Cressida, because he has the bow. And I just have my cuffs. Johanna looks strangely comfortable holding a gun, like she was born to. Jackson shouts for us to head out. We don't leave any trail behind us, so I'm guessing the mutts are following our scent. We trudge through the water, hoping to wear it away.
The echoes of hisses are can be heard clearly out in the tunnels. They sound like they're still pretty far away from us. They probably discovered our bodies missing from the fire, so Snow must have released them from the spot where they found Boggs' body. We have a good head start, but I'm sure they're faster than us. Pollux and Jackson take the lead, trekking a planned route. We cover a few blocks and go up to another passage to possibly throw off the mutts that are following us. We follow deserted train tracks, going towards the Mansion. We're pacing quickly, but then choruses of thick moaning screams start to amplify in the tunnels.
We slow down, and everybody in front of me looks in the direction of the moans. "Avoxes," I mumble. "That's what Darius sounded like when they tortured him." Cumbrous expressions are given my way. They all look uneasy at my remark. I was just saying.
Jackson snaps back to attention. "Let's move." Everyone begins walking again.
"The mutts must have found them," says Cressida.
"So they're not just after us," says Leeg.
"They'll probably kill anyone. It's just that they won't stop until they catch us," says Gale.
The screaming moans decease and then the hissing begins again. I can't help but notice the similarity this event has with my nightmares. Then it gets too similar. I recognize the voice of the hiss. "Come back, help!" My stomach sinks. The sweet yet strong tone, I used to hear. Speaking to me, making me happy, and causing pain. It's Katniss.
I don't know if he could tell from my reaction or he can read minds, but Gale pushes me to keep going. "Did you hear that?" I ask him.
"No! Keep going!" says Gale. He heard it. I don't understand why he's pushing me forward. Why he's pretending.
"It's Katniss."
Johanna and Finnick turn back toward us. "What are you talking about, Peeta?" asks Johanna.
"The voice, it's her," I say softly.
"No it's not Peeta. It's not really her," says Finnick sternly.
"How do you know? Really, it could be fake, but there's the possibility she's really there."
"What's the hold up?" shouts Jackson far up front. The rest of us in the back have been gradually slowing down.
"Come on, Peeta. We can't slow down now. Those mutts are getting closer and we have to reach the Transfer," says Finnick. "We have to get to safety first, and then we'll find her."
"It could be too late," I say in a low tone. Gale looks uneasy, he understands what I'm talking about, but we can't do anything. Finnick forces me in front of him to speed up. Johanna stays behind the group, making sure there's no more slowing down.
We find an entrance back into Transfer, it's scattered with pods. Gale takes them out with arrows. We continue walking, and then I notice something odd about a section of the brick road in front of us. It's cracked apart from the rest. "Wait!" I pull Gale back, by his uniform, but I couldn't get Messalla.
A luminous ray lights up the whole section capturing Messalla in it. He's frozen in it, and then he starts to melt. It's really horrifying. The squad has completely stopped, watching helplessly.
"Can't help him!" I say. I help Gale up and push the others toward the opposite way of the light. "Can't!" We quicken our pace and make sure to scan the roads for more pods. It's not the pods we have to worry about. At the next intersection of roads, a swarm of Peacekeepers fire their gun at us. Everyone stays in place, behind corners of the intersection and start taking them out. I don't have a gun, so I just stay covered and search the tunnels for more obstacles or danger.
"You're going to die." I begin to hear the hissing, even through the sound of guns firing. It's as if everything else mutes and all I hear is the hissing. "Peeta!" It sounds like Katniss again, her voice mixed with the voice of the mutts. My vision is starting to get shiny, the guns start to give me a migraine.
No, not now. I squeeze my eyes shut and pull on my cuffs, letting them cut into my wrist. I focus on the pain, and then I feel my heart start to beat slower. It's not real. I open my eyes, my perception looks normal. Normal enough to see human-sized, reptile mutts. They're scaly white, merging with the uniforms of the dead Peacekeepers.
"This way!" shouts Jackson. We head down another road, Homes activates a pod behind us. A ray- like before- blocks the mutts on the other side. Some of them run into it, their scales melting. Finnick pulls me along to keep moving. "We're almost there," Jackson shouts.
We force ourselves to move faster, knowing the pod won't last forever. Then we all skid to a stop. Pollux points up to a ladder. "This is it!" shouts Jackson. Pollux climbs the ladder and pushes against the top. The sound of the mutts is beginning again, meaning the defense we had is no longer active, and they're close.
They're also fast. I spot them, just when Johanna has started to climb. Those with weapons begin to fire toward them. Slowly but surely, some of them die. Jackson shouts for me to go up the ladder. I can't argue, because I don't even have a weapon. Pollux takes my hand from above and pulls me up. I hear the remaining squad fighting to stop them. Cressida comes up, then Finnick comes halfway. I reach a hand to help him up, but he drops back into the tunnel. Pollux and I wait at the hole, waiting to pull more up. Please, more to come up.
Pollux shines the light down, and we see Finnick pushing Gale, to help him up. I pull Gale out and lay on my stomach to reach Finnick. He grabs my hands and I pull him up with all my force. Something pulls him from the tunnel. Finnick shouts in pain. I continue to pull, and Pollux and Johanna help. Finnick groans, but finally he's freed, and we are able to get him up.
"What about the others?" I ask rashly.
"They're not coming," says Finnick. "The mutts…" He doesn't say anymore. There are long deep scratches on his legs. We were barely able to get him out. I look around to everybody who made it; Cressida, Pollux, Gale, Finnick, Johanna. That's it. Jackson, Homes, Leeg, Castor and Messalla didn't make it out.
Johanna stands. She throws several grenades down the hole, while Pollux and I quickly put the cover on, and lock it in place. The platform we're on shakes, but it stays stable. I look around and see Gale and Finnick are injured. We find bandages, and we do the best we can to stop their wounds from bleeding.
"We can't stay here," says Johanna. We can't, even though everyone is tired and too discouraged to move.
Gale looks to Pollux. "How far till we reach above ground?" he asks. Pollux indicates that it's just above us, meaning the Mansion is really close. We're almost there. We don't have the Holo anymore, so Finnick takes out his paper map of our route. Just blocks away is the utility shaft to the Mansion.
I help Finnick up, letting him lean against me. We all start for the direction of the Mansion. It's daytime right now, so three quarters the way, Pollux finds another room, where we all break till night. Pollux and Cressida keep watch for awhile. I lay on the ground, far from the others, just in case I go mutt. There's so much going through my head. I'm hoping Katniss is still there to be rescued. I don't know what could have happened during the time of that showing and now. She has to be alive. We might have lost the baby, but we're not going to lose her.
"Are you guys ready?" It's just been a few hours, and I got just a few minutes of sleep. I open my eyes to see Gale standing. I get up from the floor and help Cressida up. "We're going now?" she asks.
"Yes, Pollux indicated the next shift change is just half an hour away. We don't know if they're still sending people down here, but we should move out of here anyway," says Gale. The squad treats their wounds again, and wraps them with new bandages. We leave the packs and take only what we really need, like guns, grenades, a few bandages. Water is passed around, and then we leave.
"What about your cuffs?" asks Finnick. "You're going to need your hands."
"I don't if I'm not going with you guys," I say.
"Don't start this again," says Johanna.
"I think it's worth the second thought! I'll still endanger to you all. You'll do better without me. Please, just get her out of there."
"We already lost most of our squad. You're an asset, remember? And you're going to help us in the Mansion," says Gale.
"We don't have the key to the cuffs. They're gone with Jackson," I say.
Finnick holds up his trident. He tells me to hold my arms out, and I do. I see the worried expression from Cressida as Finnick lines his trident in the narrow space between my wrists. With a quick thrust, my hands are free, and my wrists are still intact with my arms. Finnick grins. I'm given the extra gun that Johanna managed to save.
We enter a sub-passage to reach the utility shaft that goes into the Mansion. We deactivate the pods, and then we reach the circular metal door that leads into the Mansion's main shaft. Gale and I slide it ajar. We can already hear a siren, shouts, and yells. It doesn't matter. We all enter and climb up the shaft. We have to breech the next door, so we exit the shaft, plant a bomb, and we climb the ladder. The bomb leaves a hole that opens into a gray brick hallway. The sirens wail louder and we can hear guns are already being fired.
We're almost there.
They're in! Then big happy reunion. Wait, maybe not happy, but it's a reunion. Thanks for being patient. I'll upload the next one sooner.
-cheezebuns