Chapter 35: Rescue
The hovercraft lands some distance from the Bunker. Gale wants to make sure that they don't give Snow and his force any warning of their arrival. It is dark and they use night vision goggles to work their way through the trees and get closer to Snow's hideout. It is only partially above ground so any lighting is minimal.
As they move in closer, Gale can see men stationed outside. They will need to be quiet if they are to escape detection prior to accessing the building. Gale points his men to the various posts and they stealthily work their way around the exterior in order to surprise the guards. It helps that the guards have no idea their hideout has been revealed, which means Snow's men are overpowered quickly. They take the access keys to enter the building and, wasting no time, begin to check the corridors looking for both Snow and Katniss. If it was just a matter of killing Snow, they could quickly blow the place to pieces and him with it. But, Katniss rescue is their first priority. Gale is reminded of Peeta's rescue from the Tribute Centre. That was too easy, and they found out too late why. Gale hopes Katniss is still alive and that Snow has not been using the same tactics on her that he used on Peeta.
The corridors are strangely empty as they make their way through. Snow's men are definitely not expecting them. Eventually, they come across an area with heavy single steel doors and Gale knows, if they are keeping Katniss somewhere, it will be here. These are cells and can only be opened from the outside with a key. As they walk along the wall, they check each cell and find most of them empty. As they get to the last one, they see a single white rose set into the keyhole. Gale knows this is the one.
Finding the keys, Gale prepares to open the door. Suddenly, there is a shout from behind. Rapid gunfire ensues and one of the Peacekeepers falls dead at Gale's feet. Gale lifts his weapon to fire back. A bullet catches him the shoulder, but his rage at the sight of that rose has fuelled him, and he quickly takes out the guard who has killed one of his men. Before finding the key again, he grabs the rose and crushes it under his foot. He unlocks the door to find Katniss lying on the bed, muttering to herself. He goes over to her and can feel the heat emanating from her body. She has a fever and Gale knows she needs medical attention urgently. There is an angry wound on her shoulder which isn't covered. It is red and swollen, full of pus. They need to get her out of here.
Gale ignores his injured arm and lifts Katniss from the bed. She opens her eyes which are feverish and looks at him.
"Gale?" she says.
"Yes" he replies. "Katniss we are getting you out of here. I am bringing you home".
"Oh, Gale" she sighs and immediately loses consciousness.
While the rest of the men keep watch during their retreat, Gale carries Katniss to the hovercraft and loads her onto a bed. They have brought a medic who attends to her immediately. Gale knows they haven't finished what they set out to do when they came here, so he and some of the men return to find Snow. At this stage, their cover has been blown. They have disturbed the hornet's nest, and more men are being wakened to come to Snow's aid. Gale has to make a decision. Does he risk more men in a firefight, which could mean none of them get out alive, including Katniss, or does he ensure everyone's safety by getting them out of here now? In the end, he decides that he might not have enough men to face Snow's rebel force. It would be a suicide mission, and they still need to get Katniss to safety. He orders his men back to the hovercraft and they take off before Snow's men have time to stop them.
The trip back to the Capitol is short and Katniss is rushed straight to the hospital when they arrive. Setting her up with monitors and drips they work to defeat the infection which is now wracking her body. It is not long before Gale calls Peeta again. His wound still needs to be tended to, but he knows Peeta is waiting.
"Peeta".
"Gale" cries Peeta.
"We have her. She is in the hospital in the Capitol. Katniss was injured, and her wound is infected, so they need to treat her here for a few days".
Peeta thanks Gale profusely. He tells him he will be on the train first thing in the morning with Prim.
Gale decides to go back to check on Katniss before being treated himself. She is lying more comfortably now, but still muttering in her semi-conscious state. Suddenly, she becomes agitated.
"Peeta" she is saying. "The baby!" Katniss clutches her belly. Then she cries out. "Please, don't let Snow hurt him". Her face contorts with fear and rage. "No, No!" she cries. "Peeta!". A nurse comes across to the bed and injects her in the arm with something to calm her down.
She calls out for Peeta again. "Stay with me…" whimpers Katniss before she drifts off into a deep and dreamless sleep.
Gale isn't sure if Katniss was having a nightmare, if it was the drugs or the fever. Whatever it was, she had been calling out to Peeta in her dreams.