Chapter Twelve
"Press forward at all times, climbing forward toward
that higher ground of the harmonious society."
-Adam Clayton Powell. Jr
The thunder rumbled loudly as Caesar, Huey, and Jazmine weaved their way through the trees.
Huey ignored the sharp pain in his shoulder, lifting his legs to climb the tree despite the heavy downpour; his hands slipped on the bark, and he fell onto the ground ass-first.
"Ah sssh –" He gripped his shoulder as Jazmine and Caesar stopped climbing to stare back at him. "What are you two doing? Get in position!"
But Jazmine made her way back down, trembling and shaking her head in silent refusal. She reached into her backpack and started placing more traps around the tree. Caesar broke off a few large branches overhead and threw them down, hissing loudly to alert them.
"Until we get our weapons back, this is all we got." He handed each of them a rock and hurriedly shaved both ends of his branch down. "Make sure the end is sharp enough."
Huey took his makeshift spear and tested it with his finger. He obviously didn't enjoy the pain, but he felt comforted watching the blood swell out until it trickled down his palm. He began sharpening the other end, looking up at Jazmine, who hadn't taken her eyes off him.
"Here's what we're gonna do." Caesar huddled in between them. "We'll find a way to get that shield down and then stab him."
Caesar and Huey looked at Jazmine, waiting for her to agree. When she nodded, they all gripped their spears and moved away from each other for a moment, listening to something approaching in the background.
BANG!
"Come out and play, guys!" Hiro called loudly, his footsteps getting closer and closer. "What's the matter? Are you scared?"
"That might not work." Huey winced, stepping forward. "You all's best bet is to hurry up and get into that tree."
They all paused when lightning struck the ground for a moment. "Okay, so that's out. We'll get electrocuted." Caesar looked off into the distance. "So whatever we need to do…we need to figure it out right now. Because if we keep standing here…."
"Princess Jaz-minneee." Hiro called in a teasing, sing-song voice. "I got your little trap off my fucking leg. Come out and see!"
"Okay, new plan." Huey lifted to his feet, trying to focus on the cooling sensations from the rain instead of the agonizing pain lingering in his arm and shoulder. "All we can do for right now is run. Stay in a zig zag pattern, do not fall, and try not to loop back. I don't want either one of you running into him."
"Aw, guys, c'mon! I'm not that bad!" Hiro waved his machete in the air and yelled over the intensifying storm. "I just have a bow with hella arrows, a sword, a dagger, a sickle, a machete, and a few guns. Plus this super cool magnetic shield…"
They froze, trying not to breath when he paused and zeroed in on where they were standing.
"There you are." Hiro let out another laugh. One that didn't sound like him. "Let's play."
"Go!" They all hissed, running in different directions. They began to zig and zag from left to right, trying to get away from the bullets ringing across the field.
Huey felt his afro on his back. Weighed down from the pressure of the rain. His clothes were also a heavy nuisance, flapping against his skin while he slid across the mud, trying to keep himself from falling onto the ground.
One of his feet got stuck, embedded into the mini sinkholes of a large puddle. He tried to see if he could hear the others, but the wind was too loud. Two lightning bolts crackled in the sky before striking the ground on the other end directly behind them. Another strike followed behind them, this one much closer to where he stood.
He leapt out of the way.
The strike was bright and violent. It lit up the forest, allowing him to get a good view of Jazmine and Hiro, positioned on the other end near the mountain.
"Your boyfriend won't be able to save you, will he?" Hiro slowly walked over towards Jazmine, who had slid down onto the ground. Her spear hit the base of the tree and made a hollow sound, as if the tree were made of metal. She lifted onto her feet, ignoring Hiro reaching into his pants for the gun. "Any last words, princess?"
The lightning flashed and his shield flickered. The rainfall began to slow. He lifted his hands, trying to warn her not to touch the tree with his eyes. He wouldn't be able to get to her in time if she did.
She glanced back at Huey, a small, perfectly concealed smirk on her lips as she waited for the next strike.
He blinked. She already knew.
Caesar was the only one who didn't. When he saw what she was doing, he rushed over just as Hiro lifted his and gun aimed. "Jazmine, move! What are you-"
The bolt hit the tree, and Jazmine took her chance. She shoved Hiro backwards, satisfied when the tree was submerged in a quick flash of light. His shield- and his body- seemed invisible for a few, long seconds. They heard loud zaps from the currents, pressing Hiro's body flat against the trunk of the tree. He fell face down with a thud, the weapons he'd taken clattering onto the ground around him.
Jazmine took her wooden spear as Huey limped over. He felt her hand around his wrist, stopping him from touching the metal weapons, still crackling with tiny, small currents. He snatched her spear from her and shoved it through Hiro's chest before anyone could react.
They all looked down, watching as Hiro's body finally went limp.
The music started, and they lifted their heads to the sky, watching as photos of each fallen elect appeared one by one, until Hiro's faded into view.
They all eased onto the ground, muddy and shellshocked. There was a gentle rumble of thunder, another flash of lightning, a pitter, then a patter, and the sound of soft rain drops, seeming to fall in slow motion.
Huey couldn't help but appreciate how gently the drops landed onto his skin, nor could he look away from the blood being washed away on the ground.
"We're not going anywhere until Huey's arm is better." Jazmine said, her eyes not leaving the mountain that lay ahead. "I just want to stay here one more day before we finish the other three off. Give him time to heal completely. Get ready for the big finale."
Caesar nodded. "And then we'll get our lick back for the ambush. At dawn."
"At dawn." Huey glanced back over to the metal tree, his eyes on Hiro's charred body.
At this point, he wasn't even sure why it mattered.
He just kept reminding himself that it did.
Jazmine had finally nodded off to sleep sometime in the afternoon; she'd been exhausted after keeping her eyes peeled for danger all night, finally crashing onto the dirt from exhaustion.
Caesar had wandered off, taking time to sit up in the trees alone, and Huey hadn't bothered him at first, figuring that he needed time alone to grieve.
None of them had expected for Isis to do what she'd done, and to be honest, it was the first betrayal that he hadn't seen coming.
He had shipped Jazmine off with her, thinking that she would be safe with her. Meanwhile, she'd teamed up with Ming's alliances to keep Caesar safe, even at their expense. Her life for his, without hesitation.
He wasn't too sure if he could call it a betrayal. Technically, they weren't friends. The goal in this was to survive. It wasn't like her decision had been personal, even if her approach was.
For a while, he'd been incredibly angry. It was something that he would always feel when it came to Isis, even if he understood why she'd done it. But even he couldn't deny that Caesar needed a listening ear right now. He could only imagine if Jazmine doing something like that for him had cost her the so-called gift of life.
"Hey."
Three letters that never brought anyone much comfort. Three letters that he used when he wasn't sure what to say. It was the first time in a while that he felt he had time to breathe.
"You came to see if I killed myself?" Caesar's voice trembled. "Because that's kind of what I feel like doing right now. I should've known. I could've stopped her, talked some sense into her."
Huey took a seat near him on the bottom branch of the tree. "She only did it to protect you." He said. "Isis thought she was doing what was best. I ain't saying it was right. But I get it. "
They both paused, staring at Jazmine still asleep in the distance.
"When Cairo said what he said about your parents." Caesar lifted his head to look at him, changing the subject. "Was he right?"
"Nah." Huey felt comfortable enough to keep talking. "He wasn't. My parents were a lot of things, but they weren't putting anyone in a wheelchair all willy nilly. I didn't even know about that. I only knew Vince's dad was in a wheelchair."
"Maybe he just missed you." Caesar shrugged. "He spent a lot of time talking shit about how you moved. Probably just didn't know how to express it to you."
"Probably." Huey shrugged, pushing the lingering guilt away. "Doesn't matter now."
"Do you mind telling me what happened?" Caesar asked him. "To your parents, that is."
"Drive by." Huey frowned, looking away sadly. "They were taking my cousin's car to the shop for him, and he'd been dealing on the side. The hit was supposed to be for him. Just so happened that my parents were in the car. The tires popped out, and they ran into a tree, got ejected." He could feel the aftermath of the news like it was yesterday, waves of pain surging through him. "They didn't make it. I was nine when it happened. Been with my Granddad ever since."
"I'm sorry." Caesar told him. "For real."
"Me too." Huey closed his mouth and then looked over at the lightning strike marks in the grass, trying to keep his worry about his own family at bay. "What about your parents?"
"They're dope." Caesar grinned. "My dad, he's a chef. Taught me everything I know about cooking. He's cool…for an old dude. My mom is sweet, very chill. Nicest woman I know." He frowned. "She's probably worried sick. They both moved to here from Jamaica few years before I was born. Thought there was more opportunity here. We were in New York at first, but then my dad got a great job in Chicago. It was going great for us until that pandemic. The elections happened, and it just seemed to spiral from there."
"So you're a first gen Jamaican." Huey nodded. "Cool. Anything else I should know?"
"Well, when I was a kid…" Caesar trailed off, letting his mind wander back to Isis and her parents for a moment. "I had a huge crush on JLO."
"JLO." Huey stated. "As in Jennifer Lopez?"
"Yep." Caesar grinned. "I was waiting for my chance with her."
"That's…." Huey paused when nothing nice came to mind. "Definitely an interesting fact."
"Anyway, when we were running last night, I saw those wires Hiro mentioned." Caesar tugged at his shirt, his hands trembling. "I think he might have been telling the truth about their being a way out. I just want your blessing on something."
"I'm not leaving you to determine whether or not Jazmine lives or dies." Huey gave him a hard look, reaching for his gun. "Nigga I don't know what you think this is, but it ain't-"
"I'm asking if you want to look together after we get done with Cindy and Grits at the mountain." Caesar didn't seem phased by Huey drawing his gun and placing it on his temple. "Or if it's better for me to look while you all are fighting. I can make a run for the other side while they're distracted."
Huey didn't answer him for a moment.
"You know me going alone makes more sense." Caesar let out a sigh. "Sending you or Jazmine would be an automatic death wish. They're clearly expecting you two to try it. They won't be expecting me."
"They're gonna kill you." Huey wasn't expecting to feel so sad about it, especially after nearly ending his life himself just a few minutes ago. "You won't make it. Even if you get to the other side, there are a hundred guards who'll execute you."
"Not if I reconfigure the wiring to have the cameras record when the edge opens. We can project the games to every electronic device worldwide." Caesar retorted. "I come from a long line of electricians and engineers. That shit ain't that hard. Besides, Jazmine needs you. Your brother and your granddad need you. Isis was the only person who really needed me. Now, nobody does."
"That's not true." Huey shrugged. "Everybody needs somebody."
"Have you told her that, then?" Caesar glanced at Huey and then over to Jazmine, who was still in a deep sleep. "Have you told her that you love her?"
"I'll get around to it." Huey turned his gaze back to Caesar. "For now, let's focus on this master plan of yours. I think you can get our mentor's attention if we shoot it from the West side. There's a lot less personnel on that end, and they can help us escape into the streets. Wuncler will have a jet or some other aircraft nearby. We can take it and fly to the White House."
"Fly to the White House?" Caesar wrinkled his nose. "Fly to the White House for what?"
"To stop Tom's execution." Huey began crawling down. "It's time to take a stand for what's right. It's time for the world to see we aren't afraid anymore."
"Do you think the world will be okay with you killing Cindy and Grits, with you killing all of those people?" Caesar asked him. "How are you so sure that they'll be on your side?"
"I don't care what they think. I only killed the people who came for me first." Huey leaned back, shrugging his shoulders upward. "I didn't kill anyone unless it was a last resort. Every last one of them came running up to me with the bullshit, so I deaded it. Literally."
"I guess that makes sense." Caesar acquiesced. "I just think that if we get out, we'd be better off running and going into hiding."
"My Granddad, my aunt, and my brother might be gone. Tom will definitely be gone soon. I might be gone soon." Huey stared over at the cave where Jazmine was sleeping. "If I'm gonna lose everything, then I'm gonna do it right."
"You still have something." Caesar sighed. "You ain't gotta crash out when I get the wall to open. You two can build something together after we crawl our asses outta here. You can be happy. Start a life together."
"Build what?" Huey snorted. "Man, there's nothing good for me here; even if I do end up with her our happiness won't last. I won't be able to get a job. People will always be after us. We'll always have to worry about someone being after us, after our kids. We wouldn't be able to go to a hospital without considering the risk of being murdered by a government official. The best thing for me to do is to disrupt Wuncler. Use our leverage in the games to make a change for good. To stop this shit."
Caesar turned his head and sighed again. "I just think-"
"They'll be coming for me the rest of my life." Huey sat on the ground and placed his elbows on his knees. "At least if she has her dad back, she can move on. Wuncler will be overthrown, the food supply will go back to normal in time for her twenties, and her folks will help her fade into the background once the dust settles. She'll be able to lead a happier life. One way better than the one she'd have with me."
"I just think this plan is extreme." Caesar tried again. "Seriously, bruh. You ain't gotta give up the good you've got. Not if nothing's gonna change."
"Well it's like you said, right?" Huey stood to his feet. "What if it all works out?"
"That's not what I meant." Caesar sounded sad. "Look, I know we've only known each other for a few days, but I ain't tryna see you go out like this. Your folks wouldn't want you to go out like this. Riley wouldn't want you to go out like this."
At the mention of his brother's name, Huey froze, a sad expression taking over his face.
"Well, Riley might be dead, now." He shrugged taking in their surroundings, the pain of his words hitting him just as hard as it had when Tom had breached the topic with Wuncler. "And soon, I will be too." He watched, as Caesar swung from branch to branch until his feet hit the ground. "And when I die, just make sure you take care of Jazmine. You'd better not let shit happen to her, either. I'll haunt you, motherfucka. I ain't playin."
Caesar chuckled. "Alright, damn! You talk a lotta shit for someone who can't fix his lips to tell -Freeman the truth!"
"Look, man." Huey sighed. "There just wasn't a lot of time before."
"You could've skipped a minute or two of kissing to tell her." Caesar leaned against the warm bark of the tree. "If you can fuck up the entire training room, threaten Wuncler, kill four people at once, kill crazy ass Cairo, leap in front of moving dogs, survive that crazy attack, and hold your own with Hiro with a fucked up arm, then you should be able to be honest with her about how you're feeling."
"Why do you care so much?" Huey paused, staring at the boy. "What's the point in telling her if I'll be dead tomorrow?"
"What if she dies tomorrow?" Caesar finally looked up. His eyes were red and puffy. "I was convinced we were getting out. I still am. And for the first time, I don't know…."
"You don't have to." Huey held up his hand. "You don't."
"I do. Because for the first time, I was gonna quit playin' around and tell her how I felt." Caesar sniffed. "Now, she's gone. She died without knowing how I feel." He sat down and averted his gaze again. "You think you're fucked up now? Just imagine how you'd feel in my position. Knowing the girl you grew up with, fell in like with, fell in love with is gone and had no idea."
"She still knew, Caesar." Huey's voice brought them both back to Earth. "She wouldn't have done what she did without feeling the same way."
"It doesn't matter." Caesar told him. "I should've made sure. I didn't. So now I'm telling you."
This time it was Caesar who stood to his feet, walking over to where Jazmine was still laid out.
"Tomorrow isn't promised." His voice began to break. "And…and it's not…it's not okay to leave anything up to chance."
"I'll do it." Huey nodded before shifting the conversation back to the plan. "Now…about tomorrow, are you serious about rewiring the west side? You know the risks, and you're still going to do it?"
"Yeah." Caesar's eyes went numb again. "I am."
"Jazmine and I will do whatever we can to help. You aren't in this alone." Huey surprised both of them by reaching over to hug him. "I'm sorry for your loss, man. Really, I am."
Caesar tried to speak but no sound came out. He became a crumpled mess, crying on the ground with choked gasps. Huey sat next to him, watching silently as he thought about his granddad, his aunt, and his brother. If they were okay.
He wondered if anybody would do the same for Riley. He wondered if he was okay.
Jazmine tossed her notepad onto the ground with a loud groan.
They were sitting together in the grass. Caesar was still off in the distance, far away enough to be heard, but not close enough for either one of them to see him. They had finally abandoned the trees that evening, settling out in the open to watch the stars before the sun rose again.
Just like the day before they'd been selected for the games, it was dusk. The colors in the sky beautiful shades of red, orange, and pink. The mountains in the background served as more of backdrop than a painful reminder, and as Huey stared at Jazmine, he tried to commit everything about her to memory.
Even her extremely annoyed face.
"What'd you write?" She asked him. "Because I got nothing."
He glanced at her for a moment and held up his notepad. "Those drones dropped these off hours ago. I have about twenty pages down so far."
"Twenty pages?" Jazmine moved closer to him so that she could see. "Huey how did you even write all of that stuff?"
"You think I'm leaving my memory in their hands?" Huey glared at her. "Hell no. I even outlined a list of people not allowed to be in my movies or play me in a movie."
"Like who?" Jazmine teased. "Everybody but Samuel L. Jackson?"
"If they made an animated version of our story, he'd be perfect." Huey clicked his pen and jotted a note down. "Trevor Jackson on the other hand…"
"Trevor Jackson can act." Jazmine raised a brow. "He isn't that bad. Especially in Superfly."
"Oh, I forgot." Huey rolled his eyes. "You're his biggest fan."
"Jealous?" Jazmine smirked.
"Of an actor who plays a clown in every job he books?" Huey put his notepad down and moved closer to her. He put his hand underneath her cheek and gazed deep into her eyes. "Nope."
"Whatever!" She laughed and picked her notepad back up. "Seriously though, I'm not sure what I should be writing right now." She frowned to herself, thinking quietly. "I don't even know if our families are alive at this point."
"They wouldn't kill all of them." Huey honestly wasn't sure if that much was true. "I wouldn't worry about it for now. You can focus on that when you get out."
"Stop saying that, Huey." Jazmine stopped staring at her notepad and glanced up at him again. "It's almost over, and we all know how this is going to end. Why are you so determined to act like you're not going home?"
"Because you're going home." Huey stared at her. "No matter what, you're going to go home. Me and Caesar already worked out the perfect plan."
"Huey…you need to go home." She sighed, placing her notepad down. "The world knows who you are. You're safe. You won't be seen as a threat like in the past. It'll be different this time."
"It won't be any different than it was before." Huey shrugged. "As long as I'm alive, I'll always be a threat."
"Threat or not, people need you." Jazmine lifted to her feet, yelling at him. "Mr. Freeman and Riley need you! Your aunt needs you!"
"There's a pretty strong chance that they are dead, Jazmine!" He yelled right back. "People need you! They need somebody who is crazy enough to hope in this fucked up ass world, and I just don't have it in me anymore. You do."
"That's not true. They don't need me the way they need you, Huey!" She trembled. "You have Mr. Freeman, you're all Riley has left! My parents will be okay. Everybody will be okay if I'm not around!"
"I won't." He lifted his pen and kept writing.
Jazmine just stared at him, confused. "Won't what? Save yourself? Kill me? Don't be stupid, Huey. It's temporary. I'll probably barely even feel it if you're the one that-"
"I won't be okay!" He dropped the notebook and turned to look at her. "I won't be okay if you're not around. I won't be okay if I am. Not without you."
"Huey, you'll keep going." She spoke up after he averted his eyes. "You'll get out of here. You'll meet another girl, and you two will be happy. It doesn't end here."
"The plan I told you about? The one me and Caesar went over?" Huey gazed at her. "It'll probably end there. And I'm okay with that. Just promise me that you'll make sure that the games will die with it."
Jazmine shook her head again, her cheeks damp with tears. "You can do it yourself. With Arielle. You can work with The Rebels. You can dismantle the games and then move to Cuba like you've always wanted."
"I can't." He told her. "You keep trying to make me do something we both know I won't do. And besides-"
He lifted from where he was sitting.
"There's nobody else but you." Huey walked over to her, his eyes sincere as he tried to pour his heart out to her, struggling to convey his deep emotions to her. "There's never…I've always…When we were…" He sighed and then pulled her close. "I…. I love you. I'm not sure when it happened. Or how I missed it. But it's you. Even in another universe where none of this existed, it would be you. I just didn't have time to focus on my feelings until all this happened. And now that I have, I know how I feel. I just thought you should know. After what happened last night, these past few weeks, I can't keep hoping that there will be a better time to tell you."
"You wanted Arielle." Jazmine's eyes narrowed. "Now, what? You've been kissing me all week, so you want to give me a happy memory before one of us croak?"
"What? No, that's not what I'm doing-" Leave it to Jazmine to get defensive over a love confession.
"You're acting like you're not gonna run off to Cuba with her." Jazmine snorted. "The real-life Huey P. Newton. Just like you've always wanted, Percy!"
"Jazmine, look." He took a deep breath. "It's-"
"Simple." She dismissed him, getting on her feet to leave. "You're only saying all this because you feel sorry for me. Just like the day you lied and told me you thought I could win."
"I'm not lying." Huey shook his head. "The moment we stepped foot in this arena. Hell, even before then, I always knew I would do whatever it took to get you home. I was even worried you'd be confused because of this fake romance debacle we had going."
"Well, it worked. Are you-"
"No, I'm not done." He shot her a look. "I happen to like holding you, being there for you, listening to you. Hell, I'd watch a million movies with Trevor Jackson in them….not willingly…or silently…but I'd do it."
"How touching."
"I'd kick somebody's ass for bullying you. I'd grab some rich white college kids from the university up the street to help me destroy your dumbass child labor stand. I'd let you eat up my last emergency stockpile. I'd offer to volunteer for you. I'd even take on most of the flames in the explosion for you." He stared at her again, hoping she could understand. "Jazmine, I'd do all of that. I've done all of that and more because I've always cared about you."
"You'd do it for anybody else." Jazmine shook her head softly. "You're one of the most caring people I know. You have a big heart."
"You have a bigger one." Huey stepped forward.
She stepped back. "Huey, I think you're just worried about tomorrow. We should probably go check on Caesar…"
"In a minute." He reached out and brought her back to him. "I'm worried about us right now."
He leaned forward until their mouths were almost touching.
"I mean it." He nodded again. "I really do love you. I'm sorry I waited so long, but you need to know. I should've told you sooner. I guess I just hoped that if I showed you enough, you'd realize the truth one day."
She took her hand and reached for his cheek, muttering quietly as she glanced up at him, a slight smile on her face. "Huey Freeman you are such an idiot. How would that have been any better?"
"Because." Huey couldn't help but lean closer. "I would've covered all my bases."
"That's still crazy, Huey! I mean were you seriously going to spend forever kissing me instead of telling me that you love me back? Here I am feeling guilty for being crazy in love with you since forever and-"
He kissed her.
And she kissed him back.
The moment his lips touched hers, he forgot about Wuncler, he forgot about the hunger games, he forgot about the crazy plan that he'd made with Caesar hours earlier. Dawn didn't matter. Only dusk, only the night.
He pushed away the thoughts of their imaginary wedding, the children, the white picket fence, the crazy up and down relationship that they could've had. He tried to convince himself that this was enough.
But kissing her, really kissing her, made him feel like he could do anything. Even if it meant doing whatever he could to get out of there alive with her.
He'd be damned if he let anyone take that future from him ever again.
"Just so we're clear." Jazmine finally came up for air. "I love you too."
"Good to know." He smirked. "Glad we made it clear that we love each other. Now-"
He dipped his head back down towards her, kissing her as lovingly as he could.
They stayed that way for hours, until the sky gave way to night, and they fell asleep in each other's arms, dreading the coming of the sun.
They didn't say anything when the time came.
Not at first.
Huey pressed a lingering kiss onto Jazmine's lips, putting all the emotion that he could inside of it. "No matter what. I love you."
"I love you too." She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a few quick pecks.
"Awwwww." Caesar grinned at them, smiling brightly. "You two done worked it out."
Their gazes all turned serious when they stared over at the mountain.
"We can stay another day." Caesar offered. "We can wait."
Jazmine looked over at Huey and then back at Caesar. She shook her head and stepped forward. "We can't. Whatever happens is happening today. That's why they gave us those notebooks."
He sighed, nodding. "She's right. It's time. So don't forget, when we get up here and fight, you run to the other side. We knock out Cindy and Grits. You worry about getting us outta here."
"Bet." Caesar paused one last time, looking back at where they'd spent the past two days then over towards the mountain, his eyes determined. "Let's do this."
One by one, they placed their notebooks into the small drone, hovering nearby until Jazmine put hers on top. It flew out into the distance, becoming smaller and smaller until it became a speck, and it was gone.
They took one last look before heading up to the mountain's peak, with Huey leading the way.
They were loud.
"Free Tom Dubois! Free Tom Dubois! Free Tom Dubois!" The large crowd chanted.
Tom Dubois was being led out for execution a day early. Ed Wuncler III and his father, Ed Wuncler II, stood on either side of him as they forced him into a guillotine.
His wife, Sarah, stood on the front row, her eyes strong as the crowd seemed to rock against the barricades, threatening to spill over at any moment.
I promise.
That's what Jazmine had told them right after she'd been placed into the games. Only now could he see that Huey was right. In helping The Rebels, he'd sacrificed himself. He'd risked his daughter's safety.
And he had nobody but himself to blame for it.
"I know that many of you are concerned that Tom won't get to see his daughter's fate." Ed Wuncler Sr. smiled at the angry crowd. "But my secretary and I want to assure you that the games will be over soon. That's why we'll be flying there. To congratulate our next winner."
Sarah's eyes widened as a large screen dropped beside her husband's head, showing Huey, Caesar, and Jazmine, approaching the top of the mountain, where Grits and Cindy were waiting. He could hear his daughter saying something to someone, probably Huey. And then there was static, nothing at all.
He tilted his head as much as he could, watching the kids on the screen.
"So hang tight, ladies and gentlemen." The man looked at the roof, where a helicopter was waiting for him. "I have a feeling it'll all be over shortly."
He bent down to rub Tom's head as if he were a dog, causing the protestors to churn forward, only to be attacked by a large swarm of National Confederation personnel nearby.
Ed Wuncler Sr. nodded at Joe Peeto.
"Soon."
They caught their breath at the top of the mountain, caught off guard by the brightness of the sun as they made their way into the center, spreading apart like they'd planned.
This was it, the last battle before it was all over.
Huey focused on everything that he'd been through. On the corruption that had led him here. Of the love he had for his family, for Jazmine. Of all forty-two children that had died in vain. Of a world with enough food and resources to keep them all happy and healthy. Of the fact that this world had been forced on them by greedy politicians.
He thought of how Caesar had broken down after losing Isis. Of the moment he'd finally told Jazmine that he loved her. And he focused on willing himself to do it again. To do everything in his power to make sure he'd never go another day without telling her again.
He looked up, his heart pounding as two figures flipped into the center, one in front of Jazmine, and the other, in front of him.
Caesar was already running, trying to get to the West side as soon as he could.
"Don't tell me you forgot about me." Ming walked out from behind another rock, grinning from ear to ear as she brought her trident crashing against Caesar's drawn sword. "Surely, you aren't leaving this soon."
Grits yanked Jazmine back against his chest, crushing her throat in his hands. "Come on now, boys. Ya'll didn't come all this way not to bring your A-Game."
Huey snatched his katana out of his back pocket, slicing at Grits' hands until he let Jazmine go. He charged forward, only to be surprised when Grits snatched the blade of the his weapon, pulled it out of his hands and over the ledge of the mountain.
They all froze, watching as he and Cindy laughed, circling them.
Jazmine leapt forward with her machete and swung it until it punctured the side of Cindy's stomach. The girl slammed Jazmine backwards until she hit the ground, bringing a trident crashing along the girl's thigh before she could block her attack.
"Ssssssssss-" Jazmine got up again, slamming her firsts from left to right, purposely moving away from Caesar, who was still sparring back and forth with Ming in the background.
"I knew this would be easy." Cindy smirked at Jazmine when she realized she was too close to the ledge.
Huey tried to stay calm. He brought his pistol out and pointed it at her, only to be disappointed when he realized it had run out of bullets.
Grits slammed him down onto the ground, but he wasn't as fast as he thought. Huey took his sword and rammed it directly into his thigh just as Cindy did the same to Jazmine. They both fell to the ground with a loud groan.
"You ain't shit, bitch!" Cindy shook her head. "Maybe if you had been, Makayla would still be alive."
Huey slammed Grits down, turning just in time to see Jazmine lean forward with her arrow and shove it right through Cindy's throat, not even glancing at her body before she ran over towards Ming and hopped on top of her, prying a trident out of her hand just in time for Caesar to get away from her.
He didn't have to be told what came next. Michael Caesar took his gun and pointed it at Grits, groaning when he moved out of range just in time to use Huey as a shield until he slammed his foot into his spine.
"Caesar..." Huey stared at the other end of the mountain until he got the message. He ran as fast as he could, until he was no longer in Huey's vantage point.
Grits continued to punch Huey with brute force, the pain so intense that it was hard to focus on anything else. He lifted, punching Grits with a force so great he could see the same stars as Grits. They sliced at one another with their swords. Then, they dropped them again. They rolled around on the dirt, each one trying to push the other off the ledge. Huey ignored the stinging sensation coming from his wrists and stayed focused, watching as Ming and Jazmine went blow for blow in the background.
"I can't wait to kill that cute little girlfriend of yours." Grits triumphant tone was about to take its toll on Huey. "Who knows?" He smirked, leaning towards his ear. "I might even have to make a woman outta here before I kill her."
That was all it took for Huey to charge at Grits with everything he had. He lifted his sword again and swung it at Grit's arms, focusing on chopping as much skin as possible from his body, determined to make him so handicapped that he couldn't block the hits.
"You mad?" Grits narrowed his eyes, plunging his own sword forward. "Looks like you're a weak little bitch without that katana."
Huey darted out of the way, pushing harder, not surprised when Grits came back with just as much intensity intensity. Their swords clanged against one another, loudly clashing as they looked towards the outskirts, where the other side of the mountain was visible. You could see the entire landscape, the forest, the pastures, even the cornucopia on the other end of the arena.
Huey braced himself, just in time for Grits to push him forward, sending him toppling over the edge.
Jazmine whipped around, her voice cracking. "No!"
Grits and Ming stared back at her, smirking as they approached her, but Huey had other plans. Still holding onto a few large rocks underneath, he managed to lift himself up and toss himself back over the ledge, swinging his arms back until his hands touched the small of his back.
He leapt up, swinging his arms forward to slice into the boy's back with everything he had.
"Ahhh-sssstttt!" Grits groaned out. "Why the fuck isn't your ass dead yet?"
Huey pushed himself into the air as high as he could go, watching as Jazmine collapsed to the ground again, dragging herself backwards as Ming approached. He turned his head away with a smirk, already knowing that Jazmine would be able to handle Ming herself.
He aimed the blade for Grit's head and pushed down as far as he could go, squeezing his eyes shut until Ming and Jazmine screamed out in horror.
He opened his eyes and glanced down at Grit's body. He had cut him right down the middle, in even parts. His guts spilled out onto the side, still moving inside of him as they all looked away from all the blood seeming to gush out of his body..
He stayed focused on Jazmine, capturing her attention while Ming trembled from the shock of what she'd seen. But she couldn't snap out of it. Neither could Jazmine. It seemed as if neither girl could turn their attention away from what he had done.
Ming narrowed her eyes first, shifting her gaze over towards Jazmine. Before any of them could react, Jazmine surprised all of them. She took her trident and whacked the girl's head as hard as she could, grunting loudly with every blow.
"Ugh!"
She hit her harder. Slamming the trident until Ming fell to the ground, dropping her own trident and lifting her hands in surrender. She tried to crawl away, but nothing would help.
Jazmine was too far gone.
"I hate you!"
She took her trident and slammed it forward against the girl's temple, not satisfied when the girl seemed to roll away towards the ledge. If anything, she was even more angry, taking out all of her stress, all of the fear of the games, onto the girl's body.
"I hate you! I Hate You! I HATE YOU!" Jazmine screamed it over and over again until the girl was unrecognizable; her face had been reduced to a bloody pulp of flesh that Huey could barely stomach. He forced his gaze away from the body and stared at Jazmine, watching her begin to break down.
He made his way to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. When Jazmine struck him with her trident, he drew his hand back with a loud hiss. "Tssss!"
She dropped the weapon, tears forming in her eyes. "Huey…I'm sorry. I-I didn't know it was you. I'm-"
He grabbed her, pulling her into his chest. "It's okay."
She shook her head no, sobbing loudly into his chest as he crashed onto the ground with her. Holding her while she looked back to where Ming, Cindy, and Grit's bodies remained, all of them lifeless.
"I cc-ca-can't go home!" Jazmine sobbed. "I'm too fucked up. This is so fucked up, and nobody cares about us! Nobody cares that we're only sixt-te-teen! Nobody cares that we just had to kill everybody on this mountain to survive, Huey! They don't give a damn about us! Face it, I'm just as much as a viable threat as you are, now! There's no going back to normal for me!"
Huey just held her tighter, trying not to let her words rile him up.
"Jazmine, you have to calm down." He told her gently, kissing her forehead. "It's alright. You did what you had to do."
"I didn't have to do this Huey." She shook her head. "I just…I blacked out. That's never happened to me before! What if I do that to someone else? What if my mom wakes me up and I try to kill her? What if I kill some regular person on the streets?"
He pulled her even tighter to him. "That's not gonna happen, okay? Remember what Shido' said. Breathe through the shock."
She listened to him, slowly but surely calming down. Her lips found his again in a quiet plea for comfort. He obliged until her breathing steadied and she wandered over to the ledge, staring at the view for a moment before extending her hand towards his.
"I promised you. Now you promise me. Promise me you won't forget." She nodded towards the forest in the distance. "I don't want to forget what happened. I don't want to stop fighting the games. I know you well enough to know what you're gonna do, and I want in."
Huey couldn't help the slight smile of approval he gave her. "You want to free your dad from execution."
She leaned forward and kissed him again, taking his hands in hers. "I do."
I do. Huey could finally see a future where that was possible with her. After this was all over, they could move to Cuba together, convince Tom and Sarah to move with them. Track down his living relatives and get them there too. Maybe even stay with his Uncle Fred in Memphis if they couldn't leave.
He could go to college. They could both work for The Rebels, helping to reestablish the societal norms in the United States. They could even get Riley and Caesar enlisted. They could use their platform to make a difference. They could make sure that something like this would never happen again.
He kissed her again.
"I can't let you." He shook his head. "It ain't called revolutionary suicide for no reason."
"I know." He'd never seen Jazmine look so sure of herself. Not even throughout the past few weeks. "I'm not asking you. He's my dad. I don't need your permission."
"You don't." He admitted. "But you want me to be okay with this. You'd feel better if I gave you the go ahead."
It was scary, thinking about the what-ifs.
But Jazmine didn't look afraid. She had no reason to be, not anymore. "Yeah." She nodded, her eyes on the path behind him. "I guess I would."
"Then, let's go." Huey grabbed her hand. "C'mon."
"Wait." Jazmine tugged him back to her. She cradled his face in her hands and he leaned down, raising a brow at her. "One more for the road?"
"Absolutely." He snorted. "C'mere."
This kiss was different. He'd spent forever trying to show her. This was the first kiss where he was able to truly be present with her. It was the first time he'd truly been able to enjoy it without worrying about someone killing them or worrying that he'd traumatize her for good.
He could finally choose. Maybe even spare Jazmine the pain of being the ringleader by shoving her away from the getaway helicopter.
She'd be safe with Bushido and Caesar. He couldn't let her die. Not for this.
"I love you." He told her again before drawing his sword to lesson crept over to where Caesar was sitting. He was on the ground, still nervously working on the wiring of the west side entrance, going along with the act of thinking they would kill him.
"It's not working." Caesar sounded exasperated with himself, glaring at the tiny opening on the wall that wasn't wide enough for any of them to get through. "I don't know what I'm doing wrong."
There was a small opening on the other end that made Huey think they were closer than Caesar thought. He looked down at him, glancing at the large ball of wires lying on the ground.
"Relax." Huey nodded. "It's all good. We'll find another way to do it. It already moved out a little bit."
He and Jazmine moved closer, each bending down to pick up a wire as Huey inspected one. "All we have to do is figure out which one of these triggers the emergency opening." Jazmine gave Caesar a weak smile. "It's almost over."
"It is."
In one smooth motion, Caesar hopped to his feet and placed two guns on each of their temples. The regret seeped into Huey, knowing it was too late. All that he could think about was him and Grandad's last talk, before he'd gotten into the car with Jazmine that day.
"You'll see. It isn't gonna go how you have it mapped out."
He'd placed their fate into someone else's hands, and now, they were going to die for it.
"I can't let what Isis did for me go in vain." Caesar closed his eyes and pulled both triggers, the silence almost as deafening as the loud roar coming from the White House as the protestors swarmed again. "I'm sorry."
Huey wasn't surprised when he felt an unbearable searing heat rush through the center his head, the pain excruciating for a moment.
And then, just like that, it was over.
Jazmine and Huey were dead.
Caesar stayed still, his breathing erratic as he kept his eyes on the wall. Their bodies fell to the ground with two loud thuds. In the distance, he could hear faint yelling from an angry, loud Bushido.
"Did he just? What the fuck did he just do?" The man screamed. "Open it! We've gotta get them outta there! C'mon, nigga! Open it up!"
He stared down at the wiring then back towards the wall, his heart sinking as he realized that the plan to broadcast the games had worked. The entire world saw what he'd done; he knew what he'd done.
He could feel his heart pounding out of his chest, his ears ringing as the sky went black.
There was a photo of Jazmine and Huey from the games, centered in the middle of the stars. They were laughing at one another, sitting on something in the tree they'd hidden in. Huey was leaning towards Jazmine, almost smirking, while Jazmine seemed to be stifling a giggle from whatever he was saying. Their names were scrawled together on the side, alongside a smaller photo of her father and his mutilated body.
Caesar stared at it in horror, the realization dawning on him. He'd been beheaded on the steps of the White House.
A frail blonde woman, who he could tell was Jazmine's mother, was visibly distraught, sobbing to herself on the ground. The president stood directly behind them, looking every bit as evil as his grandfather, almost seeming to enjoy it even more than Ed Wuncler Sr. did.
Caesar toyed with the wiring in his hands, shocked when the wall suddenly pushed out until the opening was wider. There was plenty of space for him to crawl over to the other side, just like he and Huey had planned.
The roof of the stadium suddenly peeled back, revealing the outside world as the trumpets sounded and the confetti fell. His eyes remained on the opening, the physical manifestation of a promise gone unfulfilled.
And a revolution he'd stopped forever.
Author's Note:
And there you have it, your winner…Michael Caesar.
Rest in Peace to Ming, Cindy, Grits, Jazmine, and Huey. :(
I know you all may want to kill me, and I promise, I'll explain later.
But there are two more chapters after this one. I hope you enjoy them.
Juey hive…stand up?
Also, Huey P. Newton had a whole harem lol. He was very much into free love. His whole life's story is a mess. Read about it.