The Runaway Victor | Book II

Chapter Fifteen | District Nine

The view from the top of the hill, only a few yards away from the fence of District Nine was horrifying. From there, Quinn could see the blackened forest, some flames still lit, and the Capitol ship was gone. From there, she couldn't see District Seven. But she knew it was in that direction, on the other side of the blackened trees. But a sickening feeling made her feel like something was terribly wrong. What if Ciruss and Wade had gotten away? What if they hadn't been that far behind them? What if they had gotten caught in the destruction of the firebombs?

"The safe house isn't that far from here,"

Quinn turned around quickly to see that Orion and Marcus had been checking a map while she and Jules looked at the destruction. They had gotten out of harms way far before they stopped running, but it was the fact that they didn't know what the ships would leave and stop dropping bombs over and over again that made them keep running. She knew those bombs were meant to kill them, and Jules had been right. It didn't matter what they did, they were the enemy now. She had always been the enemy, but Orion hadn't. She knew what it was like to have Snow hate her, but Snow what his grandfather-- on some level, he must have felt horrible that his own family would try to kill him.

"We're early, they aren't expecting us for another week at least." Jules stated as she pulled her backpack up off the ground and Quinn did the same.

Orion sighed, "Well we can't go back into District Seven." he said in a snappy tone, "We'd get our heads blown off."

"But District Nine has to be on high alert-"

"We don't have another choice." Orion stated, before Jules could even finish her sentence. "Let's just go, the sooner we get there, the sooner we can get to District Thirteen." with those words, Orion straightened himself up, put the map back in his pocket and turned around. Marcus glanced at the two girls before turning and following Orion.

"Someone misses their beauty rest..." Jules said quietly, just enough so Quinn could hear. "Guess this whole radical thing isn't as glamorous as he thought it would be."

"Give him a break," Quinn replied. "We're all tired."

Jules looked over her shoulder, she bit her cheek as if to keep herself from saying something. Without a word, she turned and followed after the others. Quinn sighed and did the same.

As she walked she could help but feel anger beginning to boil up inside of her. In one day she lost Ciruss, and she saw just how extreme of lengths that Snow would do to stop her from fighting. As she walked, in a way to keep her anger low and keep herself from mouthing off at someone like Jules she made a list. To make sense of it all.

I am the Rebel's Victor, the Feisty Pearl, Snow hates me...

Quinn cringed at the next thing. She wasn't ready to accept it, but she knew that she had to. She would have to accept it eventually.

The rebels need me.

The thought was enough to make her heart race. They just needed her to prove to them that no matter what the Capitol did, they didn't need to stop hoping for something to happen. Because something was happening. She couldn't stop fighting against the Capitol. That would defeat the purpose of everything she had done, even if she didn't know she had done something.

* * * * * *

The group of them made it through the fence into District Nine without a hitch. The District was fairly flat, there was long grasses, gravel roads, and buildings that were put together like in Seven. The weather was a bit cooler, and everything looked to be dead, there was a big field to their left and everything looked dry or nonexistent. Quinn couldn't tell the difference.

"The first safe house is right on the other side of that warehouse." Orion said, looking back at the others. "Marcus, ditch the gun." he said motioning to the long grass. "Hide any weapon you have out." he added, "We need to blend in as much as possible."

"We look like shit, shouldn't be that hard." Marcus replied.

The handgun in Quinn's hands suddenly felt extremely heavy. Jules looked at her and patted her waist band before pulling up her shirt a bit only to reveal that she had hidden her own gun in her waistband. Quinn sighed and nervously tucked her gun away the same way that Jules had, the metal felt heavy on her hip. Marcus sighed and quickly unloaded the gun he had been carrying, he dispersed the ammunition in his pockets before he tossed the gun into the longer grass.

The four of them made their way past a few men, and one boy who may have been a few years younger than Quinn. They were doing something in the field that Quinn never would have understood. They glanced at the four of them, the other three kept their faces towards one another or at the ground-- anywhere but at the three people from District Nine.

The younger boy's eyes followed Quinn for a moment. His dull brown eyes held eye contact with her-- he knew who she was. Or at least he was suspicious. Quinn quickly looked away and jogged ahead of Marcus and Jules who were forcing themselves into a conversation. She stopped once she was next to Orion.

"What if someone recognises us?"

"We just need to worry about the peacekeepers." Orion replied looking down at her, "Most of the people around here are...supporters I guess you could say."

The four of them walked past a few more people, then around the warehouse and up to a house. Without looking around, Orion knocked on the door and a moment later a woman pulled open the door. She had fair skin, and dark hair and sharp farcical features. She wore a brown blouse, and black simple pants.

"We weren't expecting you for a few days..." she said softly, stepping aside and allowing them to pour into the small house.

"Something came up." Orion replied.

The house was simple like the one in Seven. But at the table sat an elderly woman, and a little girl who was maybe ten. The old woman looked up at the group, and the young girls eyes fixated on Quinn.

"Are you really going to end the games, Quinn?" she asked, the woman who had allowed them inside gasped a bit.

"I'm sorry, she...Willa," she stammered.

"No, no it's fine." Quinn replied, looking around at the people in the room for a moment uncomfortably. "I'm not going to, I'm just going to help."

The girl, Willa, smiled up at her a bit.

"Come on," the woman announced, "Before anyone gets suspicious."

"Thank you, Mrs. Yawling," Orion said politely.

She smiled a bit as she pushed away a small cabinet. Only to reveal a trapdoor like before, she then pulled it open. And grabbed a flashlight from in the cabinet and handed it to Orion.

"The pleasure is ours," she smiled as the four of them began to climb down into the bunker that had been made specifically for moments like this. To be used for reasons like this.