Darker And Colder

4.04: Gas Masks

Date: 7th Feb

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Chapter 53
Katniss's POV

We settled in another house again last night. I don't want to remember what we did to the owner of the house.

Johanna didn't get her mask on in time when the gas hit. There were a few things that you need to understand. Firstly, it was triggered by Leeg 1 standing on an undocumented pod. That triggered the fire, which unfortunately got her. Secondly, the smoke was poisoned. I inhaled quite a bit too, so did Peeta, Finnick and Mitchell because we were all together. Where we were, we couldn't hear Jackson telling us to put our masks on, and we couldn't see the smoke. But somehow the poison spread to us. Thirdly, we aren't sure what the poison is, so it's entirely likely any of us could die very soon. We don't even know how much you have to breathe in for it to affect you.

What we do know is that me and the others that were with me have been feeling lightheaded, Johanna is unconscious and Leeg 1... is past saving.

When I went to fall asleep, I was out practically the second I lay down.

In the morning, Johanna's condition wasn't any better. She's still alive, but she was struggling to breathe and wasn't waking up, so Jackson called 13 and now Jackson has to go to the edge of the Capitol to board a hovercraft with Johanna because she is too ill. Apparently 13 are sending in 2 other soldiers to help, but we haven't been told who.

I sit in the living room of the house. I want to stare out the window, see what's out there, but we had to close the shutters in case any peacekeepers came. Everyone else is asleep or upstairs making plans. I'm supposed to be up there. I don't want to make the plans though. I'm not a game maker. I'm a tribute. Just a piece in the game, a pawn, like Finnick said.

Sometimes it feels like none of this is real. It just... seems non existent.

There is so much going on that it feels like it's nothing anymore. One of the few things that brings me back to reality is Willow. And she isn't here. I miss her. I'm not the best mother, but being here I'm even worse.

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Peeta's POV

"So, I think we can safely assume our Mockingjay isn't coming. But anyway, we can't stay here long. The Capitol has cameras everywhere- I think they'll notice a large truck coming. As we know from yesterday, there are some pods that aren't registered on the Holo," Boggs says as we sit around an extravagant bed upstairs. I look to Hazel, trying to let her know that we can comfort her. She's doing a good job of being indifferent toward the situation. And I feel so sorry for them both, it's hard enough for them already. "Now we just need a plan for exactly how-"

He is cut off by the phone ringing, and he goes to pick it up. We all sit in silence as he answers and nods and replies.

This goes on for a couple of minutes before he drops the phone and flinches away. "Pack up what you can, we're leaving now. And I mean now."

"What?" Messala says.

"The Capitol traced our call and they know where we are."

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It's complete panic for the next few minutes, everyone getting their things. I have to physically shake Katniss to get her to respond.

We are out the house and running within a very short space of time, and I am still winded from yesterday. And of course, my leg slows me down a lot.

We manage to get to a small square about 400 metres from the house we were in and someone steps on a certain tile whilst Boggs shouts warnings. It takes less than a second for a thick black tar-like substance to start flooding the square whilst we run for higher ground.

I see Leeg 2 fall and am about to help her when she is enveloped. She didn't want to live anymore now her sister had died anyway, that is what she said before, so I try to be strong. I have seen enough people die. At least she's with her family now.

Just as I'm about to get in the house everybody is running into, I am pulled back by Gale and thrown backward. I narrowly miss the tar, but Messala is knocked in and then I can see his body trapped in a net suspended between buildings.

I manage to get to the top of the stairs where everyone is before the orange takes over my vision.

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Finnick's POV

We get to the top and I realise Peeta isn't here. I have a moment of panic before he finally emerges onto the top. Something to do with Gale's posture and facial expression gives me a feeling that he was the reason Peeta nearly died just now.

I am about to be truly relieved when Peeta starts twitching and shouting. The venom.

"Peeta, Peeta, calm down," I say whilst he rants about mutts and anger and something about tearing apart skin. Whether it's his or someone else's skin, I can't tell. Maybe both.

I have to grasp his shoulders to stop him from walking into the tar, and eventually Hazel pulls out a sedative to calm him down.

He hits the ground a few seconds after the needle enters his arm.

From the corner of my eye, I see that Katniss runs from the other side of the landing to us. "I'm so sorry," I tell her.

I hear her say, "I really thought he was getting better."

"So did we."

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It takes a few minutes, but the tar goes down. Boggs instructs us to put our masks on in case it's poisonous like the smoke from yesterday.

Enobaria goes first, testing it with her foot. She confirms it's okay.

We walk across the square, knee-deep in sludge that thankfully keeps draining itself back somewhere. When you look up all the buildings are coated in thick black substance, like they were made for Goths.

We manage to make it to another house. Apparently it's too risky to walk any further in case any Peacekeepers see us because they now know our location.

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We are all eating (except Peeta, but he's unconscious) when the television screen lights up.

Katniss shakes and I tell her it's just the mandatory viewing. It's like that in the Capitol. Sometimes I forget I'm the only one who would know that sort of thing.

Images of Peacekeepers burning a house down fly across the screen. President snow narrates saying how we are now dead.

Everyone looks confused before I say, "This is great. They think we're dead, so they won't be looking for us. Don't you get it? They now don't know we're here. We can do whatever."