Chapter 13:

Everything happened so fast. One minute they were sitting at the cafeteria, and the next they were running and shouting. Peacekeepers had come for them, and they were outnumbered two to one. The odds were not that bad, considering everything they had gone through. Still, Katniss and Peeta ran. There was nothing for them here, no reason for them to give their lives. Katniss wanted to contribute to the revolution, but dying in an old Hunger Games arena, for no reason at all, seemed to go against all that.

"How did they find us?" Katniss asked.

"I don't know," Peeta said.

"Were we followed?"

"In that sand storm? Impossible," Peeta said.

Katniss ducked as a gunshot went off behind them. "And why now?"

"Follow us," a young man shouted at them. He stood at the head of a five man group of revolutionaries. He pointed his gun over Katniss's head and fired a few rounds. Katniss kept her head down as she ran.

She and Peeta ran past the man and into the corridor behind him. A young woman led them, while the remains of the group kept their guns turned against their followers, making up the rear.

"I'm from District Eight," the woman said. She glanced at Peeta. His eyes widened.

The distance between the three of them, and the four guys lagging behind, increased by the second.

Katniss kept her bow in front of her body, but allowed the arrows to rest in the quiver. She glanced back, and could no longer see the group behind them. She frowned.

She halted. "I think we should…"

"Don't worry about them," the woman said. "This is their job."

"We can't leave them," Peeta said.

The woman scowled. "They will come after us, but not until you are safe."

Katniss's frown deepened, but she followed the woman.

They ran through the corridor and up two sets of stairs. The stairs got narrower and narrower, and soon it was a ladder going through a narrow hole in the roof. A hatch blocked their way, but the woman pushed it open, and daylight entered the temple.

She helped them up. "We should be okay here," she said.

As she said it, a spear shot past her and hit the ground by Katniss's feet. The woman swore.

Two men stood about fifty feet away. Big, muscular men. Victors from past Hunger Games. The man on the right lifted his weapon, another spear, and threw it. It shot through the air with inhuman speed, and headed straight towards her. But she was too fast and dodged with ease. She dodged directly into a bullet. The other man shot Katniss in the left thigh, two inches above the knee.

Her foot gave out and she fell to the ground. She raised her bow, but Peeta blocked her sight. He raised his weapon and started firing. The sound of gunshots filled the air for many beats, and then there was eerie silence. The tall man with the gun fell to the floor. A cannon went off. Insult to injury.

The man's eyes were open, but his hand no longer held around his gun, and his mouth was twisted in a grimace. The other man, now weaponless and without allies, fled. Peeta allowed him to leave.

Blood seeped from Katniss's wound. Peeta pulled off his jacket and used it to bind the wound.

Peeta grabbed Katniss's hand and squeezed it. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Peachy," Katniss said. She tested her leg. "I think I might be able to walk."

"You have to," the woman said. "We can't stay here."

Two pairs of eyes glared at her. "I'll help you," Peeta said, and reached around Katniss. She grabbed his shoulder and with his help, she stumbled to her feet.

She tried to put weight on her leg. She grunted. "This doesn't work."

Peeta fastened his arm around her and lifted her every time the right foot left the ground.

"You don't have to carry me," Katniss said.

Peeta glanced at her, and his brow furrowed. He turned to her fully and raised his other arm.

Katniss narrowed her eyes. "Don't you dare."

The sides of his mouth twitched, but he did lower his arm and went back to almost carrying her.

Katniss kept an eye on him after that. It was just a scratch and she was not about to be carried.

They left the temple behind, and to the best of their knowledge also left the people following.

"So what have you two been doing?" The woman asked. "I'm Dahlia. We looked all over for you…"

Katniss hesitated.

"We were in the Capitol," Peeta said.

"I heard the broadcast. It was great. It lifted everyone's spirit. People started believing again," Dahlia said.

"Good," Katniss said. They did sacrifice a lot for it.

"Do you know where your mentor is? He was around a lot in the beginning, but then he disappeared."

Katniss frowned. "No, we haven't seen him for a long time."

"Do you think they got him?" Dahlia asked.

"I don't know," Peeta said.

"I think they would show him off if they found him. He was a large presence early on…" Dahlia paused. "Where do you think he would go? If he was still free?"

"I don't know—we didn't really know him that well," Peeta said.

"Yeah—maybe back to the Victor's Village?" Dahlia asked.

Katniss shook her head. "No. He hated that place." Even more than she did.

"Well, let's hope he's okay," Dahlia said.

"Yeah," Peeta said.

"This way," Dahlia said, and they followed her. For thirty minutes they walked from the temple, and away from everyone else.

"Here it is," Dahlia said when they reached the end of the desert. Forest for as far as eye could see. "A little further. Beyond the first few trees."

"Okay," Katniss said.

They reached a clearing and saw stairs. The stairs went down into the ground. "This is our second headquarters. We will meet up with the others here," Dahlia said and started down the stairs.

Katniss hesitated. "Why don't we wait up here? It's sunny and there is fresh air."

Dahlia stopped. She turned and licked her lips. "We could, but I'm feeling hungry, and my throat has started to burn from dehydration…"

Peeta let go of her. "And we have to clean the wound." He moved over to the stairs and took a quick glance down. "What's down there?" he asked.

"Oh, a few bedrooms and a field-kitchen. Only the absolute essentials. It was built after the Games to allow tourists the ability of sleeping over in the arena. It's very lucrative for the Gamemakers," Dahlia said.

"We should go," Peeta said.

Katniss's eyes stayed on him for five long seconds. "Okay. But only to get some water and food, when we find it, we will go straight back up again. We're sitting ducks down there."

"Sounds good," Dahlia said.

They walked down fifteen short steps. Two doors led away, and Dahlia headed towards the one on the left. Katniss and Peeta followed.

Katniss stopped and turned on her heels.

"What is it?" Peeta asked, his face that of concern.

Katniss's perked ears listened for any sounds. "I don't know," she said. "I just…" she trailed off. Had she heard something?

"Forget it," she said and went after Dahlia.

Dahlia stood at the end of the hallway and waited for them with one hand on the doorknob. "Kitchen is in here," she said.

She held the door open for them and allowed them to pass through first.

"Oh sorry about the lights. I will turn them on," she said.

The darkness was complete and it was not possible to see anything in the room. Then bright, white, light illuminated it. It was a large hall and not a kitchen. At the end of it there was a chair. On the chair sat a man with paper-thin hair and thin lips forming a smirk.

"Wha—"Katniss said.

A shot went off.

Peeta fell to the ground, hitting it with his left arm first, and then the rest of the body. His head came to rest against his outstretched arm. His face turned towards her and relaxed, as if he was sleeping. But he was not, he might never sleep again.

"No…" Katniss dropped to the ground beside him. "Peeta!" She shook him, but his eyes remained closed. Dahlia laughed. Katniss turned towards her. "I will kill you."

A dark grin spread on Dahlia's face. "Did not expect that did you? You followed me like sheep. It was so easy."

Even with an arrow pointed at her face; Dahlia did not flinch.

Peacekeepers came forwards from the shadows. They were many, and she was surrounded.

But Katniss did not care, and she let go off the arrow, and it hit Dahlia right below the left clavicle, inches above her heart.

Dahlia wheezed and fell to the ground. She twitched.

Another shot went off, and she was still.

Snow chuckled. "She should not have done that. I wanted you both alive." He was closer now, and stood a few feet away from Peeta, looking down at them. Snow's upper lip twitched and he sneered. "A pity," he said.

A gun was placed against her back, and a peacekeeper forced her to her feet, but she did not fear it. It could not hurt her. Not like Peeta could.

She was fast and could kill Snow before the Peacekeeper had a chance to fire.

Snow stared at her. "The war is about to shift. Paylor is dead, and you are soon to follow." He raised an imaginary hat. "Thank you for that. Without you…"he paused. "None of this would be possible.

Peeta twitched on the ground, but his eyes remained closed. Katniss avoided looking at him, but kept her head turned in such a way that she could catch any movements out of the corner of her eye.

A fire lit in her heart. Peeta was still alive, for now.

Sweat ran down her back. "What do you want with me?"

"Nothing. You did well. Played your part," he said. "You are of no more use to me."

"Then let me go."

He smirked and shook his head. The way a parent does when faced with an incredulous child. "I can't do that. Your body." He paused. "Your dead body still has a purpose to serve."

Her pulse pumped in her fists. She needed…she did not know what she needed to do. But the result had to be Peeta's survival.

She considered her options, and found herself drawing a blank. Did she have any options?

"Why did you do this? You could have killed us in the Capitol." She already knew the answer, but hopefully it would give her some time to think.

He stared. "You are not important. Not to me. Never were. But you were important to everyone else. To them, you were hope. Only you could have brought Paylor out. I could have sieged the temple, but her reinforcements would have arrived before mine, and I would have lost the war right there." He walked over to one of the Peacekeepers. "But with her out in the open, it makes it a lot easier." He took the handgun from the Peacekeeper's hand and turned towards her.

"It's been a very long time since I held one of these." He looked at her. "In truth, I never thought I would again."

He considered the gun, and then shrugged. "Ah well. I have always been a good shot." He lifted the gun and pointed it at her.

Katniss ducked and spun around the Peacekeeper who had had a gun against her back. She twisted his arm and held him before her.

"Don't come any closer," she said.

Snow laughed, and her prisoner tensed at the sound. "Or what? You will kill one of my guards? With what? Your bare hands?"

"I'll break his neck."

"Do it. The moments before death always fascinate me. What will a Peacekeeper do? Will you struggle?" he asked the Peacekeeper.

The Peacekeeper struggled, and Katniss tightened her hold on his arm and twisted it. She almost fell, and the pain that ran through her injured leg was unreal. But, he squirmed and bowed down before she had a chance to really test the leg. Katniss looked over his head and was face to face with Snow.

"Or don't," Snow said. "Either way, I don't mind." He shot the Peacekeeper, and Katniss lost her grip on him and let him fall lifeless to the floor.

Peeta opened his eyes. Katniss started. She wanted so desperately to look in his direction, but she could not. She had to give him time to escape. He had fallen a few feet away from the door. If only she could give him more space.

She spun around. "What is this place?" she asked.

"A museum. The other rooms are plastered with paintings," Snow said.

Katniss hobbled a few more feet away from the door. "What about this room?"

"The same. They distracted me so I took them down." He followed her, and the Peacekeepers followed him.

"Is my arena the same?"

"Your arena?" Snow scoffed.

"I won, didn't I?"

"I'm not so sure."

Katniss avoided his eyes and moved further into the room. Once again, they followed. There was now twenty feet between Peeta and the closest Peacekeeper. Still, he did not move.

"Is it?" Katniss challenged.

"It will be," Snow said.

"So you will have paintings of me then?" she asked.

"Yes. You and Mr. Mellark. And some of the other crowd favorites."

The mention of Peeta caused her shoulders to tense.

Snow walked ahead of her and turned, facing her. "Why are you stalling?"

An unwelcome shiver ran down her back. "I'm not."

"You must know that neither you nor Mr. Mellark will leave here alive." Again, the mention of Peeta. He continued, "I know you hope that he will get up and run. But, I'm afraid he won't get very far."

The blood had formed a puddle under him, and his eyes were closed.

"Peeta," she mumbled.

"Would you like to die first?" Snow asked.

Katniss swallowed. She did not answer.

He walked towards Peeta. "Or would you like Peeta here to be the first?"

"No! Wait."

He grimaced. "For what? You can't stall forever." He raised his gun at her.

A shadow moved in the doorway behind him. A tall shadow with long blond hair.

Snow fell in stages. First his gun hit the floor, and then his knees. His hands smacked against the floor with a loud clank. That's when he started spitting blood, and that's when the world started to move again.

Haymitch lifted his gun and shot again. A Peacekeeper fell, and blood spattered behind him.

The remaining three took up arms and started to fire at Haymitch. He moved away from the door and away from Peeta. Katniss moved too.

"Peeta, wake up!" she said and slapped his cheek.

His eyelids fluttered, but he gave no conscious reaction. "Wake up! Wake up!" She shook him. "Please!"

His eyes stared back at her, and he opened his mouth to speak, but blood was all that came out.

"Don't speak," Katniss said. "I'm here. Don't worry, you will be okay." She clung to his head.

He lifted his arm, and pointed at Haymitch.

"Yeah," Katniss said. "He saved us." Haymitch ducked as more bullets flew over his head.

Peeta shook his head, and his pointing became more insistent.

"I won't," Katniss said. "I won't leave you."

He opened his mouth again, and more blood came out.

"Don't do that. I won't. I can't!"

Peeta touched her arm, and he smiled.

A tear fell from her eye and landed on his cheek. Katniss dragged Peeta through the door. "Stay here, and don't die!"

He closed his eyes.

"I'm serious."

He opened them again and pointed at the door.

Katniss swallowed, and then gripped her bow and ran back into the room, just in time to see Haymitch jump over a table and disappear.

Another Peacekeeper hit the floor before she saw Haymitch again. He covered behind the table, which he had turned for protection. Katniss did not even think, but lifted her bow and pulled an arrow from her quiver. She aimed and let go of the string. The arrow lodged into one of the remaining Peacekeeper's back. He fell forwards and flat on his face, too unconscious to soften his fall.

The remaining Peacekeeper dropped her weapon.

Haymitch stumbled over and shoved her to the ground. He bled from two wounds, one in his left shoulder, and the other a few inches below his heart.

"How is he?" Haymitch wheezed.

"He's fine," Snow said. "Aren't you, Mr. Mellark?"

She twisted around so fast that she lost balance, and without two fully functioning legs had no chance of recovering. She braced for the ground and managed to avoid landing on her face.

Snow dragged Peeta back in. The blood was no longer in a pool, but instead smeared into the ground.

"Let him go," she said.

"I will," Snow said. The gun stayed pointed at Peeta's head.

"Now," Haymitch said.

"No."

Haymitch stumbled between Snow and Katniss. "This is over. You know that right?"

"It will never be over. Not until—"He spat blood"—not until you're on the floor, dead."

Haymitch smiled a cruel smile. "What do you think is happening elsewhere? Hmm?"

Snow's hand twitched.

Haymitch continued. "Do you think this is the first place I went? Do you think I didn't talk to Paylor?" He took a subtle step towards Snow, and was now between Katniss and Snow.

"There is a man who controls everything, and sees everything. Do you know who that is?"

Snow took a step back, dragging Peeta with him. He stood in the doorway, one foot on either side.

"You're lying. He is mine," Snow said.

Haymitch shook his head. "He was never yours—"

"I don't care." Snow raised his gun arm and shot Haymitch in the chest, but Haymitch did not fall.

"Is that the best you can do?" he asked.

Snow's wide eyes shook together with his body. The stress of his wound was getting to him. His gun arm shook. "Fine!" he shouted, and turned the gun towards Katniss's head.

Two things happened then, in quick succession. First, Peeta opened his eyes. Second, he knocked Snow off balance. Snow's face was one of surprise as he fell for the second time. Peeta's knife rose to meet him.

Snow did not scream, or make any other audible sound, but there were no hands to stop his fall.

Katniss reached Peeta just as he fell back against the floor.

"I couldn't let him kill you," Peeta said.

Katniss held him.

A week later.

On Sunday morning, Peeta was released from the hospital.

"Finally," he said.

Katniss was released two days prior and was eager to get away from the city. She had to find Prim. "Yeah. Let's leave." She pushed the wheelchair before her. There was a fair distance between the train station and the hospital, and most people traveled between them in cars. At least during these times.

Which is why Katniss were the only one walking the streets. She made Peeta come. He didn't have much choice, as there was no one else there for him, and he needed help getting around.

Peeta leaned back in the wheelchair. His head moved from side to side as he gazed at the massive buildings, passing them by.

"Do you think there's anyone left here?" he asked.

Katniss followed his eyes. The words: 'Death', 'blood' and 'torture' was scribbled in capital letters on the wall. "Yes," Katniss said. "There's bound to be someone, but we'll get them."

Peeta turned in his seat. "I don't think we will."

Katniss increased her pace, and they left the building behind. "Why?"

"Do you see anyone here? Anyone going from door to door? Where are the search parties? Where are the guards?"

Katniss stopped. "We don't need to look for them. They'll come to us. They have to. Or they'll starve."

"Maybe." He turned his head forwards again. "We have to hurry. They'll leave without us."

Katniss huffed and rolled her eyes, but resumed pushing the car.

Peeta had to walk the last stretch, and he did so with great care. Katniss followed behind him, arms out to catch him should he fall. The capitol was not constructed with wheelchairs in mind. They have been out of fashion for many decades. Peeta coughed. The bullet punctured his lung, and fluid filled it.

It had been a narrow escape, but in the end, he made it through with no lasting damage.

They were alone. Katniss hadn't checked, but she knew there was no one else on the train. The only other people in the capitol were army people, and while the war was over, the battles raged on. And this was a special train. Here, to get them home.

"Home?" Katniss asked. "What district are we going to?"

Peeta raised his eyebrows. "Didn't you listen at all?"

Katniss scratched her arm. Peeta had been in pain during the briefing. Her mind had been elsewhere.

"District nine," he said.

"Isn't that…?"

"Yeah…"

"That should be as good a place as any."

"Yeah," he said. "The district is in ruin. We have to rebuild it."

Katniss smiled. "Will we ever be free?"

Peeta leaned his head against hers. "Soon."

The train gained momentum and the Capitol disappeared behind them.

Katniss rested her head against the window. Peeta slept. He coughed, and she worried. She never slept when he did. She didn't sleep much at all.

She put her hand on the window. Cold. There were still a few hours left until they entered District Nine.

She had to hurry. Prim was out there somewhere, waiting for her.

THE END.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.