Chapter 33: Frantic
It has been 24 hours since Katniss went missing. Peeta is frantic. Annie has taken over the care of Prim while Peeta wanders the woods with Haymitch looking for any sign of her or the people who might have taken her. The Peacekeepers have already made a thorough search and, some distance from the area Katniss' bow and arrow were found, discovered a clearing just big enough to land a hovercraft. It is deep into the woods and in an area where people from District 12 normally did not venture. They were still too indoctrinated after Snow's term in power. There was no longer an electrified fence, just the barrier of fear Snow had implanted in their minds. Fear had been his great control mechanism, seasoned with just a touch of hope, to keep the people in line.
It seemed that whoever captured Katniss had help as they found a number of footprints more deeply embedded in the soft, damp soil of the woods. The depth of the prints indicated they may have been carrying something, or someone, to the area of the clearing. Katniss. Peeta had no idea where they could have taken her and what her condition might be. He couldn't eat or sleep, not knowing what was happening to her. Haymitch encourages Peeta to come back to the house.
"Peeta, you need to get some rest. It will not help Katniss if you fall apart now. She needs you to be there for Prim".
Peeta knows he has to try and hold things together, for when Katniss gets home. He can't imagine any other outcome.
"Maybe I will go back to the house and try to get some sleep. Did you get in touch with Gale, yet?" he asks wearily.
"No, communications are down in the Capitol and I haven't been able to contact him. I will keep trying, I promise" says Haymitch.
"Thank you" says Peeta. He knows Haymitch will do all he can to help them.
Annie is sitting in the house with Prim on her lap. She looks up at Peeta when he comes in and asks:
"Any word?"
"No" Peeta replies. "Haymitch said communications are down in the Capitol, so he can't get in contact with Gale right now. If he has any information we will have to wait".
"I'm sure he will be in touch if he hears anything" says Annie.
"Yes" says Peeta. "Annie, I am going to lie down for a while if that's OK with you. I know you've had Prim a lot in the last couple of days and I really appreciate you helping out".
"That's OK, Peeta. It's the least I can do" Annie says. "I feel so responsible for what happened. I should have gone into the woods with her, or looked for her when I heard her cries". Annie eyes fill with tears.
"Annie, you and I both know Katniss well enough to realize that she knew exactly what she was doing…when she went into the woods, when she told you to run. If you hadn't run, maybe you and Prim wouldn't be here either". Peeta didn't want to imagine this worst case scenario. "Katniss is a survivor and she will survive this, too. We have to believe that".
Annie gets up and gives Peeta a big hug. They both need one right now. He thanks her again and heads up the stairs to get some rest.
Gale has refused to allow his prisoner any respite since the revelation about Snow. He wants to know how this could have happened.
"How on earth could Snow have survived that onslaught of Capitol rebels after Coin was killed?!" he demands.
"We had plenty of time to plan our move. Katniss Everdeen was recovering in the hospital after Coin over ran the Capitol so her insistence on "ending" Snow actually helped us gain more time to prepare. We placed some of our people, dressed to look like rebels, at the front of the crowd. With the rush forward, after Everdeen killed Coin, we managed to knock Snow out and convince people he was dead. We dragged him away on the pretense that Paylor would want to see his body".
"Paylor never saw his body" says Gale to himself more than to the man sitting in front of him.
"No. She didn't. She couldn't admit that to anyone either. Only the top tier of the Government know that Snow's body was never found. That didn't prove he wasn't dead, but Paylor could not take a chance on word getting out. It would only strengthen the Resistance".
"Why have the Resistance kept it a secret?" Gale asks.
"Snow's plan was always to kill the Mockingjay. He is single minded about it now. She is the reason for his demise. He knows it is too late to reverse the Revolution and a Capitol rebellion could be years in the making. He doesn't have that much time. He has promised all he has to the Resistance in order for them to keep fighting long after he is gone, but it's the Mockingjay he wants, Katniss Everdeen. He ordered us to maintain his secret so that he could achieve what he sees as his only purpose in life now. To destroy her".
Gale knows the deviousness of Snow and, after hearing the explanation, finds it believable. Snow had targeted Katniss time and again, with impunity, and it is not surprising to hear that killing her is the sole mission and purpose of his now useless, wasted and evil life. Paylor has allowed this to happen and refuses to "poke the bear" of the Capitol Resistance in case they reveal their secret. Well, it was out now and Gale knew exactly what he had to do.
"Where is his hideout?" asks Gale.
"Do you promise not to touch a hair on my daughter's head?" the man asks.
"I promise" says Gale. Little did the man know there was never going to be another Games and his daughter had never been in danger. Still, the ploy had worked and now Gale was going to put an end to Snow once and for all.
"There is a place, a bunker, Snow had created many years ago. He always expected another Rebellion, he just didn't know when it might happen. So he prepared a hideout, a place he could retreat to and a headquarters for the Resistance. Only a select few people actually know where it is".
"Draw me a map. We are going to pay Coriolanus Snow a little visit and you are coming with us" Gale says.