I ran through the forest, clutching the bullet wound in my arm. The pain was distant, swallowed by fear and the pounding of my heart.
Someone grabbed my hand. For a moment, I thought it was Haymitch. But it was Tam Amber.
A gunshot rang out. Birds scattered from the treetops. Tam Amber's body dropped beside me.
I turned him over. His face was frozen in pain, eyes staring blankly at the sky. A dark stain spread across his chest.
"Pa…" I whispered. "We have to run."
I shook him gently. He didn't respond.
Another shot. Closer than before.
From the shadows, the peacekeeper emerged. The same one who had once handed me the phone to talk to Haymitch. The one who had shown a trace of kindness—now gone. His expression was hard. His weapon aimed straight at me.
I tried to move, to run, but my legs wouldn't obey. I couldn't leave Tam Amber. Not like that. But he was already gone.
I backed away from the peacekeeper, my hands trembling.
He raised his weapon and stepped closer.
Then, with a sudden movement, he grabbed a piece of my dress and tore it.
My thoughts scattered. My breath caught. I is going to rape me. Right here, next to my uncle's corpse.
He forced me down, pressing my head toward the dirt.
"This is what's going to happen," he said in a low voice. "You're not going anywhere. As far as the world knows—you're gone. Understand?"
I nodded slightly, struggling not to cry.
"When night falls, you'll go north. And you'll never return. If you do… the people you care about will pay the price."
"No… please," I whispered.
"Is she dead?" a voice shouted from nearby.
"Not yet," he answered.
Three shots rang out, striking the ground near me. I shut my eyes and didn't move.
I could hear footsteps around me. The peacekeeper placed his boot above my head as he gave orders.
"Do we take the girl's body too?"
"No. Light a fire. Make sure nothing remains."
Smoke stung my nose. The heat grew closer.
Tears slid silently from my eyes, mixing with the dirt beneath me.
"Take the old man's body. I'll deal with the rest. I caught up with you. I'm going to throw this one's body into the bonfire, but not before I have fun with it"
Laughter echoed as the footsteps faded into the trees. I felt his gaze on me.
I stayed still.
And then… silence.
Slowly, I opened my eyes.
He was gone.
I was alone.
Tam Amber's blood stained the ground. Flames flickered within a ring of stones.
I hugged myself tightly, trembling. My dress was torn. My body ached.
Go north.
I wiped my face. There was blood on my hands—not mine.
Haymitch. Clerk Carmine. My friends. My babies. If I went back… he'd kill them.
I'm sorry, my love. This is all my fault…I will always love you like all fire, until my last breath.
I didn't wait for nightfall.
Without looking back, I ran north.