Tensions were high ever since Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark defied the Capitol and won the Hunger Games. People were getting more rebellious. The air was changing and August loved it. Everything to fuck on the Capitol. The Victory tour, was only more fuel to the embers that would start something so much bigger than anyone could imagine. And August was willing to jump right in the middle of it.
He had no one to lose, that the Capitol has not already taken or under control, so he didn't care what would happen. There were planned fires in the forest, set by workers in spite, which were structured in a way that it wouldn't burn any houses in the District. The peacekeepers had a hard time controlling the wild citizens, and went back to harder punishments. The convicted culprits for the fire were lined up on the market place and shot, in front of the whole District. The peacekeepers hoped that this would scare any rebellious activities, though they were wrong. The demonstration of execution, only led to more rebellion.
August himself joined a group, covered with hoods, beanies and masks, to conceal their identities, to derail a train.
Someone had managed to find out the train schedule. And a freight train from District three was set to pass through District seven. Reeve, a small stocky man, said he would be able to get his hands on a few scotch blocks, which they wanted to put on the train tracks in distance to each other, to derail a freight train. It would have been quite the irrational and brutal act, should there be people be on board. But there weren't.
They had checked the passenger log beforehand and discovered that it was a self driving train. Programmed with where to hold for gas and to stop to be uploaded. That was one of the reasons, they chose that particularly train. It was filled to the brim with things the Capitol wanted, so it was the perfect target, that would only injure those deserving of it. It was a perfect message to be sent to President Snow.
It was late at night when the group of five, hid down below the train tracks.
"Where the heck is he?" Lory cursed, looking with squinting eyes through the dark in search for Reeve with the scotch blocks. Before anyone could answer her, whispered swears came from the darkness, followed by the sound of a rock being kicked away.
Reeve stumbled, in a crouched state towards the group, his backpack pressed to his chest to silence the clicking of the scotch blocks. He knelt down beside the group, who were hiding below the railway embankment. The train station was a bit farther away, as it was too guarded to do anything there. Reeve lifted the bag while squinting in amusement. His scarf hid his mouth, so it was only to assume that he was smiling, by the lines around his eyes.
"Then, let's go." August announced, nodding at Reeve, who put the bag down.
"When is the train due again?" A young man, Luke, asked.
"10 minutes." Lory answered, grabbing a scotch block.
"We gotta hurry." August instructed, grabbing another. Reeve grabbed the last one. Then they divided into three groups of two. August and Luke ran up the embankment, trying to stay as low as possible. August set the scotch block on the side of the rail securing the block and Luke looking out for possible peacekeepers.
Suddenly Luke shifted. "We gotta hurry, they're coming." He was shouting, to make sure that the whole group could hear him. Though that also caught the peacekeepers attention. Search light flickered on at the shout and the group quickly rushed down the embankment. The lights of the freighter quickly joined the search light's of the peacekeepers as Reeve shouted. "A message for your President!"
The six got down and in a good distance, just in time to see the train ramming into the roadblocks. The wagons buckled into each other before the whole thing just fell to the side, completely ruined and in flames. The six culprits used the moment of disturbance to rush away, hopefully no one could identify them.
That night was a few weeks back now. The next day was very vividly in August's memory as he barely got home in time, before armed peacekeepers patrolled the streets in hope of finding those who caused the wreck. Though they didn't find anyone that night, they did find out that Reeve was involved.
It was something that the man knew would happen, as he was the one who looked at the train schedule and stole the scotch blocks. It wouldn't take them long to figure out that he was involved. August only saw him being draged by his arms and badly beaten over the market into the peacekeepers building. August knew then, that he was probably never gonna see the man alive again.
August almost feared that Reeve would break at some point, and that peacekeepers would stand by his front door one morning, ready to execute him like they did to so many more. But they never did, and they never showed up at Luke's door or Lory's and not at the other threes. Reeve kept his mouth shut, he wasn't gonna let the Capitol break him. August had never felt more proud of someone. He respected the man more than he could imagine, because not many had that kind of strength in them.
The joy of rebellion didn't last long though, as the months passed by and winter came and left, the new year was starting and with that new year and once again the Hunger Games came closer. It was a Quarter Quell, which was an event held every twenty five years. The first Quell was the 25th, it was the year were each district had to vote who was to go to the Games. It was a cruel thing to do, but that was to be expected from the Capitol. The 50th was were twice as many tributes were sent in. Each tribute was a sign to show that for every dead Capitol citizen, twice as many rebels died.
So, with both of these cruel ideas, August could only fawn about what would happen in the coming Quarter Quell.
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