THE MAN IN THE HANGING TREE | Gale Hawthorne

THIRTY SIX - The Anonymous Killer

GALE'S POINT OF VIEW

Capitol forces are still fighting us, but the rebellion is still continuing to push back strong. Despite the fact we aren't as powerful, despite the fact we're not as influential, we are burning a path through Panem.

District Five has joined our fight, after bringing down the hydroelectric dam, cutting off a tremendous amount of the Capital's power.

Seven came too, blowing up a bunch of peacekeepers and destroying some of their valuable equipment.

Two is was devoted to the Capitol, until we went there a couple days ago. We brought down the Nut, their base of defense, and took all those faithful to the Capitol prisoner.

Katniss didn't want any of them hurt, I tried to explain to her that this is war, people get hurt and die all the time-- (Y/n) for instance. I tried to tell her these lives could not be anymore important then our cause, then our freedom. 

She told me, while looking at me as if I was some sort of stranger: 'We aren't the Capitol, we aren't the monsters in this war.'

I'm ashamed to say I almost didn't listen to her, I almost agreed with the others to blast the entire thing. But I thought of (Y/n), I knew she wouldn't want all the innocent lives mixed in with the bad ones dead. So, I agreed to Katniss's terms instead.

But then she got shot by one of the Capitol supporters, thank god she's okay though, as her Mockingjay uniform is bulletproof.

After this entire war is over, we'll have to start all over again. We're destroying everything the Capitol has forced us to build for them, everything the Capitol has created. In order to take them down, we have to take the important things down, in turn making one more thing for us to rebuild later.

We'll also have to weed out those who are still loyal to the old days, put those on trial who have done serious crimes, and stomp out whatever is left of Snow's ways.

But it'll be worth it, we'll be able to create a world of our own choosing. A world of peace from the world of insistent fighting. The stuff we can rebuild, but the lives lost are gone for good. I just wish (Y/n) was here to share our soon victory, to help me rebuild the ruble in my mind. 

That's one thing that will never go back together after all of this, my head and heart in my love's absence, are broken for good. 

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I'm at a meeting now, with Coin and her higher ups, and Katniss, Haymitch, Finnick, and Effie-- again. Coin said she had something important to tell us, she always seems to have something important to tell us. 

It's getting quite tiring.

"Thank you all for gathering here today." Coin says serenely as ever. I still don't trust her completely.

Haymitch sniffs from his seat, crossing his arms gruffly. "You said you had something to tell us?" He still isn't looking much better, but at least he wasn't taking those drugs anymore. He and I check up on each other often, reminisce in memories of (Y/n), and cry together on bad nights.

It isn't a really the manly thing to do, pathetic really I'll grant you that, but (Y/n) meant so much to the both of us.

"Yes, I do." Coin continues, eyes like ice. "There have been some new developments in this war."

"Who did Snow kill now?" Katniss asks, a bit exasperated. So many of our allies had been obliterated since the start of this war.

"It's not Snow." Coin says, her arms resting on the table. "But someone has killed five members of his board."

"That's good, isn't it?" Finnick offers, a bit confused like the rest of us. "That means the Capitol is falling."

"Yes, it is good, but we have no idea who is killing them." Coin shares what was worrying her. "Their identity is a total mystery."

"You mean, there's a third-party in this war?" I am a bit surprised on what she said, I assumed she would say something about more slaughtering of innocents in Capitol controlled districts.

"Not a third-party exactly." Boggs cuts in, voice steely. "She works alone, and takes them down by herself."

"Her?" Effie pipes up. "It's a she who's killing them?"

Haymitch shared a hopeful look with me. (Y/n)? His eyes seem to wonder.

No way. I mouth back, she's dead. Though Haymitch keeps holding out hope for her, I'll just be glad if we can even find her body when this war is spent, to burry it with her parents back home in Twelve. Perhaps in the meadow, where she and I had spent so much time together, the way she would have wanted it I think.

"It seems to be." Boggs continues, snapping me out of my haze. He swipes the table, pulling up a file of all the board members killed in screen. "They're all men she's targeting, and all five of them are last seen at a different bar with a young woman before they disappear, to be later found in an alleyway or their own apartments slashed open."

This woman is brutal, there is no way it's (Y/n).

Haymitch leans forward, suddenly interested in the conversation. "And do we have any pictures of this woman?"

"Not yet." Coin answers, cold eyes flickering over the exhausted looking victor. "But we're hoping we can find out who is assisting is in this battle, though all her kills seem to be knocking out people who are questioning Snow's power."

"So, your saying Snow might be killing them off? Snow might be ordering the hits?" Katniss looked perplexed. "Why would he kill his own board members?"

"Why would he kill twenty-four innocent children?" Finnick asked Katniss, rhetorically. "To prove his power, weed out the weak."

"So Snow has an assassin?" I clarify, standing up at last.

"Yes, we think he might have hired someone. Or, she could be a total third party player, we really don't know." Coin shrugs, for once not all knowing of the answers. "But one thing's for sure, you all need to watch yourselves when you go into the Capitol tomorrow. You don't want to get in her way."

I nod, understanding. I already knew I would have to watch my back going into the Capitol. I'm going in with a group tomorrow, the rebels have pushed most of the population to the center by now so it will be much safer.

These next few days coming up will be our last push to victory, the final stand in the battle against the Capitol. They will be crucial in our evidential victory-- or defeat.

Katniss stands up too. "I want to go with them." She's been fighting for this for days.

"No." Coin and I say at the same time.

"You need to stay here and get better." I tell my best friend.

"You need to stay here for the wedding to boost moral." Coin says, Finnick Odair and Annie Cresta are getting married today and it will be filmed for even more propaganda. To be fair, this propaganda has been working to raise an army of rebels.

Katniss sighs at last, giving me a gentle hug. She didn't get hurt too bad from the shooting because of her bullet proof outfit, but she still had a couple broken ribs that must hurt like hell.

"Be careful." She tells me with a smile.

"Always am." I grin, I'm happy our friendship has survived at least.

Now here I go, venturing into the outskirts of the Capitol, right into danger. I'll have watch my back in there not just for peacekeepers now, but also for the anonymous killer on the loose.

A killer that Haymitch so desperately hopes is his dead daughter, and I have to admit, deep down I hope it's her too. I know (Y/n) is no killer, but war changes people

But at this point, there is little chance she is alive at all. There is little chance we will even find her remains to give her a proper burial.

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