Tortured but Together (A Hunger Games Fanfiction) [UNDER EDITING]

Chapter Ten

A/N: As usual I've gotta mention that none of the Hunger Games characters belong to me, they all belong to the ever wonderful Suzanne Collins!! With that being said, I hope you enjoy!!

(Katniss POV)
(2 months later)
By this point, it's getting hard to tell my nightmares from reality. I've been interrogated, beaten, electrocuted, burned, starved, drowned, and so many other things that are too terrible to name. Sometimes I'll go days in between "sessions" which leaves me in fear that any minute the peacekeepers will come to my cell and drag me down the halls to some new torture.

At this point I can feel my ribs showing slightly under the clothes they've given me. I haven't been starving like this since before the first Hunger Games. My stomach grumbles, an ever present reminder that it's probably been several days since I've gotten anything to eat. I lift up the black shirt they've given me slightly, and upon further examination, I can definitely see that my ribs are more pronounced since I last checked.

What can't be more than a couple minutes later, I hear someone open the door to my cell. Their key turns into the lock, making a smooth clicking sound and the door opens, revealing a seemingly faceless peacekeeper in their usual helmet. Just like usual, I feel my arm being roughly grabbed as I'm dragged out of my cell. It all feels like a haze, but I think I'm crying, begging them not to hurt me again. I've had to distance myself from reality quite a bit if I want to have any hope of staying even somewhat sane.

I'm dragged down a set of hallways that I could swear look familiar. Some memory lurking at the back of my mind tells me that I've been here before. When we get to the door with all the peacekeepers standing guard outside, it all comes rushing back to me. This is President Snow's office. My breathing starts to get quicker and shallower, am I about to be executed? Has the time finally come?

I firmly plant my feet, determined not to enter that room. It looks the same as last time, I note, once I look through the now opened doors. President Snow turns to look at me, and when he sees I'm still not moving he barks at one of his peacekeepers to drag me in. Within the space of a few seconds, I'm forced into a chair and restraints are placed around my wrists and ankles. A doctor in a white lab coat inserts an IV into my arm even as I struggle. All those IV's ever do is bring me pain.

"Now, Miss Everdeen, you've been with us for a while. I think you know how I operate by now, complete cooperation or extreme pain. Those are your two options, and, for some reason, you have chosen the latter every single time."

"If you're going to execute me then just get it over with. I don't have any information about a revolution! And if there really is a rebellion then why the hell didn't they save me from this nightmare! Just get it over with! We all know that was how the second games was supposed to end, all you have to do is finish what you started." By the end of my rant my voice has gotten oddly resigned. My sunken in eyes and thin, gaunt figure say as much; I've long since given up any hope of being rescued. All I can hope for now is a quick death.

President Snow chuckles. "Kill you? Oh no Miss Everdeen, you're far past the point where I would grant you that mercy. No, you don't get an easy escape like that. Instead, we'll see if you'll answer my questions when I'm the one asking them."

A shiver runs down my spine, I don't like the sound of this, not at all. "I already told you, I don't know anything!" I shout.

He sighs, "Miss Everdeen, your stubbornness will be your undoing." After he says this, he looks to the doctor standing to the side of me. "Inject the serum please, just a small amount to start." At his instructions, the doctor presses a button and an unfamiliar purple liquid flows down the IV and into my veins.

Once it enters my body, I swear I'm seeing things. I'm back in the first games, Peeta gets thrown off the cornucopia and a cannon goes off as he gets devoured by the mutts below. It's the second games now, Peeta runs into the force field but no matter what we do, he doesn't wake up. Now we're back in this same office, but Peeta is here. Relieved, I run to him, but a spear flies straight through his chest. After a single blink, Peeta changes into Gale, then Rue, then my sister. My sister sings the mockingjay tune, and then I see the ground under her feet crumble away, and I watch her tumble down a seemingly endless hole, screaming my name the whole time.

"STOP! Please, just make it stop!" I cry. "I don't have the information you want! I don't know anything, just don't hurt them! They didn't do anything, it was all me, all me, please, just don't hurt them." By this point I'm practically begging as the tears stream down my face.

"Take her back to her cell. I'm not in the mood for hysterics," President Snow says emotionlessly. The IV unhooks from my arm and the restraints are released, but I can't leave yet. I need answers, I need to know that they're ok, I need to know that I haven't gotten anyone else I love killed.

As the guards drag me out the door I'm screaming and scratching up the wood floor until I can feel the tips of my fingers bleed. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO THEM! What did you do?!"

Before I can get an answer, I'm finally dragged all the way out the door and it slams shut behind me.

I'm tossed back in my cell, and sleep almost instantly finds me, despite my efforts to stay awake...

I wake up in a hovercraft. The last thing I remember is blowing out the force field at the top of the arena. Looking around, I can see that I'm restrained, and that I'm being monitored by Capitol personnel; they're easily identifiable by the red Capitol seal on their uniforms, directly over their hearts.

"What's going on? Where are you taking me?" I shout in a panic.

Seemingly alerted by my shouts, President Snow himself walks over to the side of the exam table I'm strapped to. "You're a prisoner of the Capitol Miss Everdeen. I will make you pay for breaking my Hunger Games, that much I can promise you."

"What about my family? What did you do to them? What did you do to district 12, what did you do to my home?" By this point there are tears streaming down my cheeks, both out of grief and fear. Whatever happened can't be good, it must be something awful.

"Why, Miss Everdeen, there is no district 12. Just like district 13, it has ceased to exist. If it brings you any comfort, at least their deaths were quick."

"You...you killed everyone back in district 12? Surely some people made it out, right?" There's a crack in my voice as I struggle to talk through my shock and tears.

"They never had a chance. Nobody made it out. Not your sister, not your mother, not your "cousin", not Mr. Mellark's family either. You and Mr. Mellark are the only surviving residents of district 12."

I just lie there in shock. All those lives extinguished, all because of me. What have I done? No...wait. This is all President Snow's fault. I lunge against my restraints. "You're a murderer! You're a murderer and a monster! If anyone deserves to die then it's you!"

He lets out an angry growl and before I can process it, the President of Panem is holding a knife to my throat. "Too bad I just finished telling Mr. Mellark that everyone back home that he cares about is dead. All because of you. You're alone now Miss Everdeen. You won't have anyone to stand by you anymore. And now that that's happened, I'll rip off those beautiful mockingjay wings of yours and we'll see what a broken girl you really are." The knife presses against my throat, and then, all of a sudden...

I wake up in a cold sweat. It was just a dream, it was just a nightmare. Unless...unless it was real...unless that was a memory my mind is trying to block out. Suddenly, this dark cell seems much scarier than before, and I feel a stronger need than ever to escape. Walking over to the back wall of the cell, I take a couple deep breaths, and run at the cell door. My goal is to force it open with my shoulder. It doesn't even cross my mind to think this through, all I can think about is getting out and finding Peeta, somehow. I have to convince him it isn't my fault, I can't lose him too. Miraculously, when I run at the cell door, I'm able to force it open on my first attempt. Only taking a moment to catch my breath, I'm off and sprinting down a hallway as fast as I can. I have to get to Peeta, I have to see him, I have to.

PS. Extra long chapter!! Yay!! If you're wondering why I did a two month time jump all of a sudden, the answer will become clear in the next couple chapters!! As always, please feel free to leave comments, I love hearing what my readers think whether it's questions, constructive criticism, or plot theories, and even anything in between! Also, there will be some Evelark soon!!