Snow looks down at us from atop the hovercraft. "Ah, Ms. Everdeen and Mr. Mellark. Good of you to join us." He motions to the peacekeepers on the ground. "Have you come to surrender?"

I suddenly remember that their orders are to shoot the men on sight. Peeta! I shove him behind me and raise my arms in a defensive position. "I'd rather die than surrender!"

He shakes his head at my outburst. "You don't get the luxury of death, Ms. Everdeen. Men, capture her."

The peacekeepers march forward until they form a circle around us. Peeta is ignored for the time being as the men focus their attention on me. I struggle in vain against the arms that drag me toward the hovercraft. I'm thrust to the ground in front of it.

"Don't hurt her!" Peeta shouts from behind us. "Please."

Why hasn't he fled? He could have escaped while they were capturing me. He could have ran and lived. "Let him go, Snow. The others won't survive without me. I'm the only hunter in the group." That's a lie. Gale can hunt just as well as I can. He will keep the others alive long after I'm gone.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. The extermination of your little group will set an example to the other districts. Defying the Capitol is not an option." He disappears inside the craft and then reappears on the ground minutes later, standing beside me.

I lung forward without thinking and claw at his legs. I am rewarded with a kick to the chest. He strikes me over and over until I fall into the dirt, defeated.

"You are nothing more than a pitiful child." He places his foot on my back, insuring that I won't be able to get up.

"Cover your head, Katniss!"

I don't have time to make sense of Peeta's words before we are pelted with rocks. The peacekeeper to my right is struck in the head and falls forward, knocking Snow to the ground. This is my chance to get away. I take cover under the wing of the hovercraft as guns begin firing into the trees.

Madge tumbles out of a nearby tree, her body covered in blood. Is she dead? Haymitch leaps out of the bushes and gathers her injured body into his arms. He gives me a look before fleeing into the forest. He wants me to follow him.

I carefully make my way over to Peeta. "We have to get out of here. The others are risking their lives for us."

A scream draws my attention away from him and to the trees. Prim is on the ground, staring up at an armed peacekeeper. Before he can shoot, Lavash runs to my sister's aid and carries her away.

"Kill them all," Snow orders.

An unnatural silence falls as the peacekeepers reload their guns. Peeta and I take this opportunity to escape into the forest. We barely make it to the trees before the gunfire starts up again.

Gale jumps to the ground in front of us. "I can't find Delly!"

"Is she the only one missing?" I ask.

He nods. "The others have gone to regroup by the river. I'll stay behind to look for her."

"So will I," Peeta says. "She's been my friend for years."

I offer to help them search for her, but I am told to go on ahead and rejoin the others. I make my way through the undergrowth, occasionally ducking behind trees when I hear gunshots. I find the others waiting for me in the bushes that surround the river.

Prim gives me a big hug. "You're safe."

I wrap my arms around her. "Thanks to you and our friends, little duck."

"New rule," Haymitch says. "No one is allowed to confront Snow or the peacekeepers. Let's keep our distance from them."

"I second the motion," Gale agrees as he makes his way toward us.

Delly is leaning against Peeta for support. Her face is twisted in pain, and blood drips from a wound on her leg. I rush to help her. "Thank you, Katniss."

Peeta and I guide her to my mother, who is currently bandaging Madge's injuries. She looks up and shakes her head. "If the bullet is in the wound, it will need to be removed." Then she returns her attention to the unconscious girl in front of her. "Let me finish patching her up first."

"Will she make it?" I ask. Madge's body looks bloody and broken. She must have been hit with multiple bullets.

My mother's face is grim. "Not if there is internal bleeding. I don't have the necessary supplies to treat injuries of that nature."

I do a quick count of the injured. Madge is unconscious on the ground; Delly has a leg injury; Haymitch is clutching his side. "Besides Haymitch and Delly, is anyone else injured?"

Lavash grabs the collar of his shirt and pulls it down, revealing his bloody shoulder. He blinks away tears as Prim rushes over to him.

Prim collects a clean cloth and some bandages and begins tending to it. "It's a superficial wound," she tells him. "You'll be fine."

"Prim, can you take a look at Delly's leg for me? I need to check Haymitch." My mother places a blanket over Madge and then gets up.

"Sure." She finishes up with Lavash and heads over to Delly. "Let's see..." She cleans the blood from her leg. "I'll need to remove the bullet."

While my mother and sister help the injured, I keep watch for peacekeepers. It's not long before I hear angry voices in the distance. They will find us in no time if we stay here. We need to get moving. "They're coming."

My mother continues working on Haymitch. "This isn't good. Madge is in no condition to be moved. We need to get back to the village and hide out there."

"That seems to be our only option," Haymitch agrees.

Prim patches up Delly's leg and leads her over to Peeta and I. "Take her back with you."

We help her limp back to the village. Gale, Prim, and Lavash silently follow us. My mother and Haymitch are still by the river with Madge. I hope they decide on a safe way to carry her before the peacekeepers find them.

As we enter the village, the hovercraft flies directly over our heads. Everyone rushes to their shelters to hide from it. I hold Prim tightly as the wind from the craft nearly blows our home down.

"Mom isn't back yet," she whispers.

I can barely hear her over the noise of the craft. "Don't worry. She's with Haymitch."

Once it is gone, Haymitch and my mother slowly walk into the clearing with Madge's unconscious body dangling between them. They carry her to the infirmary and gently set her down.

We stay hidden in our shelters until nightfall. Peacekeepers have wandered by without spotting us or the village, much to my relief. The hovercraft has flown above us twice in the last few hours, but we have somehow managed to stay out of view.

At around midnight, Snow's voice can be heard throughout the forest. "My patience is wearing thin. Come out now, or suffer a fate worse than death."