Lethal Charm - THG [1]

26

After the capitol had broadcasted another interview with Peeta, this one worst than the last, the propo team had been sent out to district twelve to film another propo to show all of Panem what had happened to district twelve.

The risk was more negligible this time; therefore, Boggs had not joined them and they were only wearing their muted grey clothing courtesy of district thirteen. Gale, Knox and Messala each carried large guns as a precaution and Katniss had her bow.

"so I want to start with you in front of the justice building okay?" said Cressida as she led Katniss off of the jet.

Pollux and Casper followed Katniss with their cameras as she waded through the rubble.

"Katniss tell us what happened here," said Cressida.

"We were all standing right here," said Gale as he stepped forward, "watching the games when you fire that arrow. The screens just went dark. Nobody had any idea what happened."

Casper and Pollux had turned the cameras to Gale as they listened to what he had to say, "Peacekeepers forced us back into our homes. For maybe an hour the town was just dead quiet." Gale recounted, "little past 9:00 we heard their trucks pullin' out. All of them. Every single peacekeeper. And I knew what that meant."

"They were saving themselves," Knox uttered. Gale nodded, "me and a couple of guys from the mines, we started pulling people from their houses and tried to get 'em to the fence line but a lotta people were scared of the forest. so they headed up onto the road. Make a break for it that way," he pointed behind him with a sigh before beginning to walk in that direction.

"Stay with Gale," Cressida instructed Pollux as the group began to follow him.

"915 of us made it to the fence," Gale continued, "and then we watched as bombers circled back towards the road. They firebombed them as they ran away." the group stilled atop a mound of rubble overlooking the devastating scene before them. For miles, all they could see were the charred skeletons of the citizens of district twelve.

Gale kneeled down, "915 outta 10,000. I should've grabbed people i should have dragged them with me. Some of the kids I could have carried."

"You saved so many Gale," said Knox as she crouched down beside him, "915 isn't zero. Without you, there would be no district 12. Not even the memory of it."

⚔

After filming more locations around district 12 and stopping by Katniss's old house in Victor's village the team rested down by the lake as they waited for the jet to pick them up again.

A mockingjay landed on a rock behind Knox and Katniss and Pollux pointed to it and then to his mockingjay pin.

Katniss nodded, "yeah that's a mockingjay,"

Pollux whistled and the mockingjay repeated the tune. A chorus of mockingjays repeating the same tune echoed around them as more of the birds sang nearby.

"Well, now they'll never shut up," Gale muttered.

Pollux smiled at the sound of the birds before turning to Katniss. He tapped his lips twice and then opened his hand to represent a voice and pointed to Katniss and Knox.

"You want us to sing?" Katniss questioned. Pollux nodded.

Katniss glanced at Knox before facing the water, "are you, are you comin' to the tree?" She began to sing.

Knox knew the song. Her mother used to sing it sometimes, she didn't really know why as the song was a bit dark and grim but she did and it was something Knox missed a lot about her.

"Where they strung up a man..."Katniss continued to sing and Knox joined in as Pollux had nodded for her to, "they say who murdered three. Strange things did happen here. No stranger would it be if we met at midnight in the hanging tree. Are you, are you comin' to the tree? Where dead man called out for his love to flee. Strange things did happen here no stranger would it be if we met at midnight in the hanging tree,"