A/N: Do I continue this series? Three Chapters in should be enough, is this interesting at all to you guys? I need feedback haha :)
"Who are you?"
"Haymitch Abernathy," Haymitch says loudly.
"Haymitch?" the man says. "Is that really you? Didn't recognize you! You look sober!"
"John," Haymitch says with a smile. "Uh, why don't you tell your boys to let mine go?" Haymitch points to Gale and Peeta.
"Right, sorry," John says. The men holding Peeta and Gale let them go. Gale turns around and gives the one that was holding him a dirty look. "Come on, let's go inside. It's not safe out here."
We follow John into a building a few blocks from here. "You guys thirsty? We have water." Haymitch snorts, making me grin at Peeta.
"You got whisky?" Haymitch asks. John just laughs. "So, how are things in 2? Did the mutts hit you guys as hard as they did in 12?"
"They tried," John snorts. "Guns put those mutts down quick. Still a few running around, but for the most part, they're gone."
"No deaths?" Haymitch asks.
"About fifty. Wasn't prepared for them, but once we got to the storage building for our rifles they didn't kill another person. We have everyone that doesn't have guns in our justice building. What about District 12? I'm imagining it didn't go well for you guys," John says.
"No it did not," Haymitch says. "Our peacekeepers were nowhere to be found once the mutts started attacking. I'm guessing they locked themselves in the Justice Building. They'll survive a long time in there. All the tesserae and guns, they'll have food until most of the mutts leave, and guns to kill the rest."
"Our peacekeepers weren't anywhere to be found either…" John says. "And as you can see, we're in the Justice Building. Somehow, they knew about the mutts before they got to the Districts. Makes you wonder."
"That it does," Haymitch says. "Our district's most likely gone by now. I mean, half of our population was killed within an hour. Those mutts tore through our district like it was nothing. We had to leave, if we didn't, we'd be dead right now."
"I hear ya. Was worried we'd have to leave ourselves when we first saw em, wasn't sure how easily they'd go down. A couple bullets did the trick, so I think we're good now," John says.
"So you guys aren't going to the Capitol?" Gale asks from behind us.
"Hell no. We may be a Career District, but I'm pretty sure we would rather die in District 2 than go to the Capitol. Plus, we don't have the food to travel even five days," a man behind John says. "You guys have Katniss, she can hunt. In District 2, you learn how to hunt people, not food."
"Don't we know," I say, looking at Peeta's leg, recalling how he lost it. I know it wasn't Cato's fault Peeta lost his leg, it was the muttation hound that bit his leg. But when I look at Peeta's leg, I can't help but be reminded of the time I found him by the river, with the deep cut in his leg from Cato's sword.
"I'm sorry," John says sincerely. Peeta and I both tell him we don't hold grudges against District 2, or any Districts for that matter. Only the Capitol is to blame. They pitted us against each other.
We walk in silence the rest of the way to the Justice Building. The only sounds are the crunching of boots in the pebbled roads. The silence gives me time to think.
Who are these people. Haymitch knows them, so I think we can trust them. But, Haymitch also knows Gamemakers and Capitolites that we can't trust, so…
But they're rebels. Rebels against the Capitol. He said it openly, that he'd rather stay in 2 than go to the Capitol. That at least allows me to believe him a little.
"So 'Mitch, you finally let the kids out?" one of the other men say after a while. "Figured you'd hide them 'til the rebellion was over with how much you shielded them from the world."
"Listen Will, you know why we couldn't tell them," Haymitch replies, a little annoyed.
"I know," the man named Will says. "I still feel like we could have found a way to tell them what was going on."
"They were listening and watching them at all times. They were watching her sister," Haymitch says as he points to Prim. "Gale, Peeta's family… Everyone."
"Yeah," John says. "Besides, it didn't really matter. If they knew, what would they have done?"
We reach the Justice Building, which is much nicer than ours at District 12, but still run down and old. John knocks on the door and a few seconds later, a few men open the door for us.
"I see you found some recruits," one of the other men says. John laughs and pats him on the back.
"Not for long," he says. "If I know Haymitch, he's got something up his sleeve. He ain't just gonna sit here for the rest of his life."
"You're right Johnny," Haymitch says with a sad smile. "We have to make it to the Capitol. Finnick and Beetee are waiting for us there. At least, that's what I'm assuming."
"Beetee will be," John says. "Finnick… Maybe? I mean, it really depends on Snow." We all drink some of the water we were handed when we walked in. "So, you want to steal some of our supplies, I'm guessing. Hell, probably one of our trains too?"
"You know me well," Haymitch replies.
"Or it's your only option," John says with a laugh. "You can have them. But, on one condition." Haymitch raises an eyebrow. I'm also interested in what he's about to ask. "If you get the chance to, you kill Snow. I don't care how you do it, but this rebellion isn't over. We aren't backing down, and this is our chance to get him."
"How are we going to do that?" Peeta asks. "After this wave of mutts, our districts are hanging on by a thread. We have nobody left to fight."
"We have a trick up our sleeve," Haymitch says. "A secret weapon of sorts. One you kids don't know about, and for a reason. When the time's right, I'll tell you, but for now, it's best if you don't know. Trust me."
"There seems to be a lot you haven't told us," Peeta says. "And there seems to be a lot of trust we're giving you, when you aren't returning it. Get to talking Haymitch."
"He's talking about District 13," John says for Haymitch. Haymitch's eyes widen in surprise when he hears John tell us. Good. "District 13 is alive. Underground, but they're alive. You know what District 13 did for the Capitol, right?"
"Nuclear weapons," Peeta says.
"Right, and you know what Snow doesn't want?" Will asks. "A nuclear war. Snow allowed District 13 to survive, as long as they stayed hidden and didn't interfere with his reign on the districts."
"So they have the weapons to beat Snow and abandoned us?" Gale asks angrily.
"They don't have the weapons to beat Snow," Haymitch says. "Not without some help. You know exactly what will happen if Snow goes to war with 13. Snow will use all of the Districts as weapons, shields, whatever it is he needs us to be to win."
"Not if they bomb the Capitol," Gale replies.
"And when Snow shoots the bombs they send out of the sky and retaliates, then what?" Haymitch asks sarcastically. "Use your brain kid. 13 can't beat Snow without the districts, and Snow can't beat 13 without the districts."
"So? The districts are not even half of what they were, at least the weaponless ones. The mutts probably wiped out half of our population," Gale asks.
"We'll think of another plan. I've been in touch with 13's leader over the years, they want Snow gone as much as us," Haymitch says. "I don't know if they even know what's happened though. I haven't had communication with 13 in two days now, so they probably don't know the full extent as to what happened to twelve yet. I'm guessing Beetee is waiting for us in the Capitol to create a plan. This is our chance, hopefully. We need to get Snow to put all of his cards on the table. Then, we need him to fold."
"Do you even know how to play poker?" Peeta asks sarcastically.
"No, but I thought it sounded good. You got my point," Haymitch says. "I've already told you guys enough. Come on, we have a train to catch."
Haymitch nods towards Will and John, letting them know we're leaving. I hold Prim's hand as we walk out and say our goodbyes. John stays with us to lead us to the train.
"'Mitch, promise me you'll keep these kids out of it," John says as we near the train. "I know we all want Snow dead but using them feels wrong. Snow has been using all of us for so long, and if we use Katniss and Peeta to kill Snow, are we any better?"
"I think we both know they're the only two that will get close enough to do it. And I think if it were up to the kids, they'd do this either way," Haymitch says.
"So leave it up to them," Hazelle says. "They deserve a say. I don't know anything about what Snow's said or done to them, but I know they deserve to make their own decisions."
"Hazelle, trust me, if I could, I would. But if Snow gets away with the mutts, what chance do we have left?" Haymitch asks.
"Everyone be quiet," John whispers. He hoists his gun up and listens. We're a hundred feet away from the train. "Do you hear anything?"
Prim's hand tightens in mine as we hear the hissing. There's mutts somewhere around these buildings.
"Listen carefully. We're all slowly going to walk to the train, as quietly as possible. Once you hear the mutts screech, run. Got it?" John asks us all.
We all nod. I hear hissing to my left and right, but I can't see any mutts. We slowly walk, nearing the train. Ninety feet. Eighty feet. Seventy feet. A loud screech lets us know to run.
"Run!" John yells as he starts shooting at the swarm of mutts coming from the building to the left of us. Before we even get a chance to run, Peeta's tackled by a mutt. Blood from Peeta soaks his shirt slowly. He wrestles with it for a few seconds before Gale kills the mutt with his hunting knife.
"Get up!" Gale yells to Peeta as he starts running with Posy. We're twenty feet from the train when I realize John stopped shooting. I turn around for a second, only to see at least twenty mutts tearing John to shreds. A second was all I needed to have that image ingrained in my mind. As if my nightmares from the Hunger Games weren't enough, images of Vick and John's bloody limbs being ripped off their own bodies by the mutts will haunt me surely.
We all make it inside the train by the time the mutts reach the doors. John kept them occupied enough for us to make it safely. I look in Haymitch's directions, and all I see is sadness in his eyes. I know he saw it. He saw the same thing I did. He saw another one of his friends get killed.
"Thank you," Peeta says to Gale quietly. If it weren't silent on this train, I wouldn't have heard it. Gale just nods.
"I need a minute. I'm going to go start the train, and see if I can get Beetee to disable the bombs on it," Haymitch says. He doesn't say what he really needs a minute for. To grieve, alone for John. To shed a few tears and move on, just like every other time.
"I'm gonna go check for any survivors," Peeta says as he walks towards the bedrooms. I watch him walk away, his grey shirt ripped from his encounter with the mutt. Three deep scratches go down his back. The back of his shirt is dark red, soaked in blood. I pray the mutts aren't poisonous or anything. Who knows what could happen to Peeta if they are.
"Peeta, we need to clean your back," I say as I walk towards him. He stops and turns around. "You're injured badly. We need to at least bandage it up."
"Okay," Peeta says as he keeps walking. We walk in silence until we reach the bedrooms. Identical to the train we were just in, and to the train back in Twelve, we know exactly where the bathroom is. Peeta opens the door and walks in.
He stops in front of me, causing me to bump into him. "Peeta?" I hear the hiss before I see the mutt. Another one. What are the odds a mutt was inside the train before us?
Peeta reaches for his knife as the mutt lunges. Peeta dodges the mutt's attack, and throws it's slimy body into the wall, shattering the large mirror above the sink. Pieces of the mirror cover the counter and floor. I stay behind Peeta as he fights, not sure if any more are on the train.
The mutt stands back up, mad now. As Peeta swings his knife at the mutt, the train begins to move, knocking him and the mutt off balance. "Peeta!" I yell.
Peeta's quick to his feet, and kicks the mutt as it tries to get back up. He quickly takes advantage of the mutt being knocked back down and stabs it in the head. The limp body of the mutt falls to the ground, a puddle of blood forming beneath it. "Sweep the train. There may be more," Peeta says quietly. I pull my knife out and check the bedrooms while Peeta checks the rest of the rooms like the kitchen and storage room.
He meets me back in the bedrooms, thankfully safe. "Train's clear. If the wrong person came in here before us, we might have lost them," Peeta says.
He grabs the mutt by the leg and drags it over to the window. Thick, dark green pus leaks from where Peeta stabbed it in the head. I'm guessing that is the mutt's blood. He opens the window and throws the mutt over his shoulder.
I go over to him and help him get the mutt through the small window. It takes a few seconds but we get it out of the train. They're heavier than they look.
"Time to clean my back?" Peeta asks. I smile a little. I help him remove his bloody shirt and sit him on the side of the tub. I gently disinfect the cuts, one at a time. His groans of pain hurt my heart. I feel bad for doing this to him, but someone has to.
"You know, you think I'd get used to this…" Peeta groans. "How's it looking?"
The cuts look a lot less… bloody. "They're still deep, but they are clean, so that's one thing. I need to wrap them up though. An infection is the last thing you need right now," I say.
I wrap his back in bandages I found in the cabinet. We don't have a lot left, but it'll do. He winces occasionally, but other than that, he doesn't talk at all. It's weird, because even though he's with me right now, it's still like he's miles away. He's protecting himself, not allowing himself to think this is more than it really is. I think the reason this bothers me so much is he's wrong. I don't think I love him, not yet at least, but… I do need him. I do care for him deeply.
"All finished up," I say as I secure the last bandage in place. He stands up and smiles.
"Thank you," he says as he puts on a black shirt from one of the drawers in the bedroom. It's a size too small, to be honest, but it does great things for his arms. Things I shouldn't even notice with how I treated him before.
He leads us back to the dining car, where the rest of our group is. Haymitch stops talking as we walk in. "Nice of you to finally join us," he says.
"I feel like I've heard that one before," I say sarcastically.
"The bombs are disabled. Beetee hacked into the Capitol's train system for a few seconds to turn them off. We'll be in the Capitol tonight," Haymitch says.
"As long as nothing else goes wrong," Gale says.
"And nothing will," Haymitch says. "Beetee made sure of it."
"I don't know Beetee, but how can we be so sure these mines are really deactivated?" Gale says, annoyed.
"Beetee won his Games by electrocuting the remaining tributes to death. If he's that smart, I'm going to guess he has experience doing these things. He knows what he's doing, I'm sure," Peeta says. Gale gives him a dirty look.
I look over and see Rory and Prim holding hands. It's then that I realize how much I've missed. I mean, I only missed a few months because of the Games. But I missed a whole lifetime of being a sister because I was too worried about being a mother. I think that's the reason I despised my mother so much.
"Have any idea what we're in for once we reach the Capitol?" Peeta asks Haymitch. He shrugs before answering.
"Either a parade for our safety or we get imprisoned on the spot for treason to the Capitol. I doubt Snow's dumb enough to imprison us yet though. Not so recently after you guys won the Games," Haymitch says. "Snow's way smarter than that."
"How do we know he isn't listening right now?" My mother asks. "I mean, these trains are bugged, right?"
"Yes," Haymitch replies. "But only for the Games. These trains aren't even used unless a tribute or Victor is on them. What does Snow need to keep the trains bugged for if nobody is riding them?"
"I'm sure his people know we're on our way by now," Prim says from the corner with Rory. "The Capitol is advanced, and I'm sure they have tabs on where all of their trains are going. They probably know we're on our way, and might've turned their bugs back on."
"Smart kid," Haymitch says.
"So then we all need to watch what we say," Gale says. "Nothing else about the Capitol or Snow. Let's just get there safely before we decide to start a war with Snow."
"We still have a few hours before we arrive," Haymitch says. "I'll be in my room if you guys need me." He goes to his room without another word.
"Might be a good idea if we all get some rest," Gale says. "I've never been to the Capitol but… I can't imagine we have an easy day ahead of us."
Gale and Rory go to their room, Mom and Prim go to theirs, Rosy and Hazelle go to theirs. Peeta sits on the couch in the living room and takes his boots off.
"Peeta?" I ask more than say. I don't know how to even start this conversation. "Can we sleep together again? Like last night?"
It might be selfish, but I need him tonight. If he isn't there, I will not be getting any sleep tonight. John and Vick's brutal deaths will bring me plenty of nightmares.
"Of course," he says after a few seconds. He helps me push the couches together and set up the blankets like last night. He goes to Haymitch's room and showers quickly, while I do the same in my mother and Prim's room. I wash away all of the soot and dirt from the explosion, and sweat from running from those mutts. I wash away the events from today. I didn't realize just how tense my body's been since I saw John die.
I try to calm down but I can't. The more I try, the less calm I feel, actually. In fact, I start to get angry that I can't calm down. Tears stream down my face the more I try not to cry. After a few minutes, I just let it out. I cry for Vick and John, as quietly as possible. I didn't know John but seeing the way he died saddens me deeply. Scarred from the Games, and somehow, it seems that they were just the beginning.
I let the water from the advanced shower head wash away my tears, and get out of the shower. I get dressed and meet Peeta in the living room.
"You okay?" he asks once he sees me. Somehow, he knew I was crying. I looked in the mirror after I got out, and while my eyes were a little puffy, it wasn't noticeable.
"No," I respond honestly. "I didn't even know him. Seeing him die like that after he helped us… I don't know, it just hurts."
"I know," he says as he holds his arms out, an invitation to join him on the couch. "Do you remember the girl from the Games, the one that lit the fire?"
I do. District 8. I was up in the tree, maybe a hundred feet away when I saw the fire start. I cursed her in my head for being so dumb, endangering both of us. A stone's throw from being the biggest idiot in the Games. I remember her begging for her life, and the Careers laughing in her face. I remember her screams as they killed her. I remember them mocking her as she died. It took so long for her to finally bleed out. I didn't see her die, but I heard it.
"Yes," I say quietly.
"I didn't know her," Peeta says. "But seeing her die that way, it hurt too. I mean, I killed her. I may have done it out of mercy, but… I still was the one to take her life. Trust me Katniss, there's not much else you can do after seeing things like that besides trying to honor the people that died. They died so we could live. That's all we can do now, is live."
"I know Peeta. And trust me, I'm trying my best to. One day, I think I'll be able to truly live. A day where there's no Games. A day where President Snow is no longer president. A day where starvation is a myth in District 12. One day," I whisper.
"One day soon," he whispers back as we fall asleep.
Haymitch, of all people, is the one to wake us up. Normally it's the other way around. I guess he may not have been able to sleep. He looks tired, but then again, don't we always. Being a victor, sleep doesn't come often, and when it does, it surely doesn't stay.
"Rise and shine kids, we have a big, big, big day," Haymitch says sarcastically, mocking Effie. A joke only us three would understand. "An hour before we arrive. Go get dressed."
The rest of our squad is nowhere to be seen, so either they're in the dining car already, or still in their rooms. Peeta and I both head over to my mother and sister's room. Both are dressed in new clothes they found in the drawers. "Mind if we use the bathroom?" I ask. My mother nods, letting us know we can.
Peeta goes first while I get changed. I dress in casual clothes. Peeta, on the other hand, is dressed in a button up shirt and slacks. "What? There will be plenty of Capitol citizens waiting for us when we arrive. Staying on their side wouldn't hurt Katniss," he says defensively.
"I know, but we won the Games already Peeta," I say back.
"Did we?" Peeta asks rhetorically. I get his point. "Put something nicer on, we're never done playing the Games."
"Ugh," I say as I change my shirt to a nicer one. "This better?"
"Yes, you look great," Peeta replies with a wink. "Come on, let's go check on Haymitch, see what the plan is."
I follow Peeta out to the dining car where we find our crew at. We take some seats and eat a small meal, one my mother and Hazelle must've cooked. It's delicious. Not the Capitol food, but still very tasty.
After we're done with breakfast, we have a few minutes to spare. We're approaching the Capitol, Peeta and I can see it. Other than us Victors, the rest of our group has never seen the Capitol in person. Their reaction is funny to Peeta and I, because we reacted the same way last year. They look amazed. Gale is the only one not by the window, looking angry.
"We suffer every day of our lives, struggling for food, and these people have houses bigger than our town square, and cars more expensive than everything in the Hob combined," Gale says angrily. Haymitch gives Gale a look that says for him to stop talking like that.
"We're in the Capitol now Hawthorne, and the faster you learn that, the better off you'll be. I don't want to hear another word like that from any of your mouths," Haymitch says as he looks at us all. This is the most serious I've seen him. "There will be listening devices everywhere. There will be cameras everywhere. We all need to behave. It'll be hard to see how much better they have it than us, but trust me, it could be a whole lot worse for us if we voice that out loud."
The train is coming to a stop as Haymitch stops his speech. We hear cheering outside of the train, meaning Prim was right. They did know we were on our way. It just makes me wonder though, if they knew we were on the second train, they must have known we were on the first one too… So then why didn't they disable the bombs rigged on the first train? Something about this isn't right…
"Let's see what the Capitol has in store for us…" Haymitch says as he walks toward the door. Peeta and I stand on either side of him. He presses a button, opening the door, revealing the swarm of Capitol citizens waiting to get a glimpse of our group.
"Katniss!" "Peeta!" Shouting and cheering is all I can hear, our names being called over and over by different people. Capitolites asking for autographs. One even asks Peeta to marry her. But I'm indifferent to them. In fact, I can barely hear them. The only thing I hear right now is my blood pumping. My hands become sweaty almost instantly. I feel paralyzed in place.
President Snow is standing right in front of us.
A/N: Uh oh. They've arrived! What does Snow have in store for them. After a long and treacherous journey, something tells me there's many more secrets to uncover, and much more to happen. Do you guys want more? -JayOnFF
