One Last Game -Haymitch Abernathy-

Chapter 42

Warning. The following chapters will contain heavy topics such as torture, abuse, and depressing conversations related to death and bodily harm. If this triggers you, please do not read.

Amelia wished they had let her die.

She wished she was dead. That way, the pain would end. Everything in her body hurt from what they did to her. They saved her life, only to torture her.

Every day was the same—the same pain. The same screams filled her ears. Johanna and Peeta were experiencing nearly identical forms of torture.

Amelia was thankful that Katniss was rescued. It seemed Finnick and Beetee were as well. She liked to believe it was Haymitch who saved them. That meant he was alive somewhere with them. That's all she could ask for now.

Now all she had to do was die. Although, that seemed like a dream. Amelia wanted to die, but Snow would never let that happen. They tortured her just enough to make it feel like death was approaching, but she was more beneficial to them alive.

She had no idea how long it had been. Years, she assumed. There were no windows in the room. Amelia hadn't seen anything but the three cement walls of her room, the hallway they dragged her down, and the torture room.

They kept Peeta separate from them, but she could hear his screams. They were a familiar sound by now. Amelia and Johanna were held in the same room. They had each other. They slept side by side at night. There were no beds, just a thin cotton sheet they used. Annie was there as well, but her screams were rarely heard. They didn't torture her as much.

They tortured them one at a time. Some days it was beatings. Those were her favorite days. It hurt significantly less than what happened on other days.

Some days she would be forced to listen to the screams of those she loved. Other days they would hang her from the ceiling by her hands, cover her in water, and then hit her with an electric shock. Amelia hated that the most. It was painful. It always made her cry.

A few days ago, they started something new. Tracker Jacker venom was used on her. It made the line between what was real and what wasn't nearly impossible to distinguish. It caused her to hallucinate for hours.

Her entire body hurt. There were bruises that littered her skin. She rarely ate. The Peacekeepers hardly brought them food. Water was a privilege. She was lucky to get a cup every other day.

It was quiet tonight. Amelia hadn't realized that at first. The sounds of other people screaming was burned into her brain. She was so used to hearing it that she imagined it. But tonight, there was nothing. No screaming.

It was late, or so she assumed. Amelia had started to figure out the time of day depending on how many PeaceKeepers there were. The building they were held in was unknown to her, but PeaceKeepers would pass through in waves. There were no guards. The building was locked down with top-notch security. Even if they escaped their rooms, getting past the doors was impossible.

Amelia shared a cell with Johanna. Sadly, it was nice to have someone else. It made her feel less alone. Johanna's hair had been shaved. Her collar bones stuck out, and her ribs were visible. Amelia suspected she looked the same. They didn't cut her hair, but it was frail and damaged, as was her body. They were both half-naked and freezing. The cell block they were housed in was unbearably cold.

Being in her cell meant she wasn't being tortured. She started to like being there. It was a sad concept, but a true one. She laid on the ground, her body shaking slightly. Johanna was beside her. They didn't speak. Sometimes they would, but they mostly just laid there. Neither ever had the energy to do anything more. They found comfort knowing the other was there.

Tonight felt different. This was the first night that nobody was screaming in pain—the first night of silence. Amelia assumed something was changing but didn't know what. If Katniss fought back, President Snow wouldn't hesitate to eliminate them.

Amelia wasn't afraid of death, not anymore. She wanted to die. That way, the pain would end. It seemed easier than living. She didn't want to live with the aftermath either. Amelia knew she would never be okay again.

Death. It's a funny thing. It can be scary for some. For others, it's inviting. The mystery of death was something many questioned. What happens after you die? Nobody knows the answer to that. Staring at the ceiling. Amelia blinked away the tears in her eyes. 

Every day, she wished she died in the arena like she was supposed to. Amelia had accepted her fate. She wished they were all dead. She hated Haymitch for not telling her about the plan. She hated that he tried to protect her. 

"My favorite color is purple."

The sound caused Johanna to flinch. "Why are you telling me that?"

"Someone should know." Amelia wanted someone to know her favorite color.

Johanna thought for a moment. "Red."

The silence returned. The two laid there together, slowly withering away. Amelia could feel the energy slowly leaving her. She was injured in the arena. A machete went straight through her stomach. The Capitol doctors had saved her life, but healing wasn't an option. From the moment she reawoke, they started torturing her. The wound of her stomach was bruising. It felt different, as if it had been reopened.

It might have been. Amelia didn't know. She was going to die soon. The thought made her laugh. Amelia's entire body hurt from laughing. "We are going to die."

Johanna smiled faintly. "I hope so."

Amelia blinked a few times, a single tear running down her face. Johanna glanced at her, noticing the expression on her face. It was different than before. As if Amelia knew something she didn't. Right now, all they had was each other. They were suffering together. They would most likely die together. They needed each other.

"I don't even know what's real anymore." The line of reality was tangled. Amelia couldn't figure out if this was in her head or not anymore. That scared her.

Johanna turned on her side, facing her. Amelia turned to look back at her. "I'm real," Johanna whispers. This was real.

Amelia stared at her. Everything was clouded, and her body was in an unimaginable amount of pain. Yet, she smiled. "You're real." She wasn't alone. Amelia had Johanna. They had each other. The same couldn't be said about Peeta. "Don't leave." What she really meant was don't leave me.

"Okay." Johanna meant her words. She would never leave Amelia. They would never leave each other.