The Beginning of the End (Clove Kentwell)

Chapter 8

   "Johanna your really not helping here." Iris said as she tried to calm Barz down. "I'm just trying to tell you." Johanna said shaking her head. Iris turned around and looked at Grain, "How's it looking out there." "Bad, real bad, there are tons of guys searching every room but they haven't found this one yet." Grain said poking his head out of the door every once in while. "Well it's not going to be long before they do find it so everyone be prepared." Iris said standing up after she felt Barz was calm enough. She walked over to the door and stood next to Grain. "Can I?" She asked gesturing towards the door. "Oh yeah go ahead." Grain said moving out of the way. Iris stepped into his position and barley opened the door just a crack. She put her eye next to the crack in the door looking out of it. She saw destruction everywhere a lot of the walls had holes in them some small from bullets and others were huge from who knows what. There were tons of lifeless body's laying on the ground a lot of them were doctors and others were guards who were either injured or dead. She saw a small girl start running through the rubble. But she recognized her, that brown hair those brown eyes. Iris wanted to go out there and kill her herself. Clove jumped over some of the rubble still running with other people behind her. Iris's grip on the door handle tightened. She was just about to rip the door open when someone pulled her back. She turned around in anger to see a scared Grain staring back at her. Her anger instantly went away as she remembered where she was and what was happening. "I'm sorry I-I just got in my head there for a second." Grain didn't say anything at he just looked at with with wide eyes. His eyes flicked over to the door handle. Iris looked over her should and saw that she had broken it. Her eyes got wide and she knelt down beside it and started examining it.

    They couldn't lock the door anymore and they couldn't open it from the inside. Iris stood up and put her hands on her hands on her face. She sighed then dropped her hands to her side walking away from the door and over to the table instead. She looked at all the things for a third time as she tried to get her mind off of what happened. She heard footsteps behind her, but she didn't bother to turn around. "What even made you get that mad?" Iris heard Grain asked as he approached the table. "I-I" Iris really was going to tell him the truth but the fear she saw in his eyes, that was something she never wanted to see again. "I don't really know why I got so mad." Iris said trying to cover up the truth. "Iris really, nobody gets that mad for no reason." Grain said still pushing. "Fine I saw- wait why are you asking me so many questions?" Iris said cutting herself off. Grain gave her confused eyes before furrowing his bushy eyebrows. "You never told me the supposedly long story of how you ended up here." Iris said with a smirk. Grain huffed, "Well I don't know if right know is the best time." "I mean there's no time like the present." Iris said still smirking, "Plus it could probably take our minds off of what is happening right now." "What is happening right now is probably better than what I am about to tell you." Iris hummed as she tinkered with something on the table, "go on I'm intrigued." Grain sighed then went on, "When I was younger I lived here in the capital with my parents. Every year we would be forced to watch those stupid games of everyone killing each other. I always told my parents I didn't want to go but they always made me, so I decided to make a plan. The night before the games started a told my parents I was going out with some friends. Of course she asked where and I just told her we are going to hang out at the fountain in the middle of town. She nodded her head then I headed outside. I went to the back of our house and opened my window and grabbed my backpack I had packed the night before. I slung it onto my back and started walking. I headed to the outer streets of town and decided to lay low until the games ended. The first day went smoothly and nobody noticed. The next day one or two peacekeepers started walking around looking in some of the houses. And on the third day the streets were filled with peacekeepers. I stayed hidden in a dark alley under a bush. Trust me I know it's not the best hiding spot but it was something for the time being. So on the last day I packed all of my stuff up and was about to come out when I felt someone grab my foot and pull me out from under the bush. A peacekeeper threw me over his shoulder and started walking. I figured we were just going back to my house so I didn't struggle. We kept walking and I saw my house but we had walked right passed it I looked and saw my parents running out of the house and running after me. I held out my hands but the peacekeeper didn't put me down. That's when I started struggling. I wiggled and wiggled but his grip didn't even lighten. My parents were getting closer but as soon as they got to where they could reach me a gate closed behind me and the peacekeeper. The guards were holding my parents back as we started walking further away. I started sobbing but it didn't last long because I got punched in the side multiple times by the peacekeeper that was carrying me. So we got inside and I got out into a "treatment" like you but I shook my head and tried throwing my arms around even though they were tied to the chair, but I guess my thrashing around worked because I broke the cuffs and started punching the doctors around me quickly getting up. I didn't make it ver far and I soon ran into Snow and he made me and offer. He said I would never have to watch the games again if I came and started working as his guard. So here I am." Iris looked at him, "I am so sorr-" she got cut off when someone started knocking on the door.

   Barz started breathing hard again and Grain got his gun ready. Iris ran over to Barz and placed herself between him and the door. She turned around so that she was facing the door. "You better open up." Iris heard faint shouting from behind the door. She glanced over at Johanna who had her eyes pinned on the door. Iris looked back at the door just as someone smashed in down.

    Tons of people came in holding their guns up, "WAIT  DON'T  SHOOT!" Iris yelled at the men. One man turned to face her. She squeezed her eyes shut, "Grain drop your weapon." She said calmly. "But-" "Grain!" Iris yelled as she heard the sound of a gun hit the floor. Iris kept her eyes shut waiting for the worst to happen but the very opposite happened. She someone forcefully ran into her wrapping their arms around her waist. Iris opened her eyes and saw Clove burrowing her face into Iris's neck. Iris didn't know what to do or say. She felt so much hatred she didn't even know what to think. She shoved Clove off of her making Clove stumble back. Iris stepped back and felt Barz's shoulder to make sure he was still there. Silence filled the room and Clove tried to approach Iris once again. Iris got her fist ready and punched her in the gut making her fall to her knees. She heard the other people shouting at her so she put her hands up. Clove stood back up grabbing her gut and walked back to the group. One of the men made a gesture with his hand and two of them cam and picked up Johanna and Iris. Iris kept her hands in the air as the man threw her over his shoulder. They all started walking out and Iris hit the man in the back of the head making his come off of her, and she ran back into the room as the rest of them turned around. "I will go... but......you have to take these two as well, AND you have to treat them as you would treat your friend. They are my friends and I am not going to leave them." Iris stood her ground as two guards stared walking towards her. She stared at them and got ready but they walked right past her and one went and picked up Barz and the other put Grains hands behind his back and escorted him out. The same guard as before came and went to pick up Iris but she slapped his hands away. "I am not going to be carried." She said walking toward the rest of the group. The man followed behind her as the all made their way out of the capital. There were so many dead body's of guards, doctors, and even peacekeepers. Iris closed her eyes and kept walking until she felt someone bump into her side. She opened her eyes and saw Clove next to her. Clove opened her mouth to speak, "Listen it is taking everything not to strangle you to death right now so don't even try and speak to me." Iris said cutting her off before she could even get a word out. Iris pushed past Clove and went and stood by Grain, and didn't say another word until the got to the hovercraft.

A man set Johanna down in a seat and Iris went to sit next to her but two men sat down beside her. Iris turned back around and saw Grain sit down so she went to go sit by him but two more men sat down on either side of him. "Trust me y'all are not going to get to sit by each other." One of the men standing beside her said. Iris rolled her eyes and went and took and empty seat at the very end with no one around her. She saw someone set Barz down over near Johanna was. Iris put her arms over her chest and laid her head back and closed her eyes until she felt someone sit down beside her. She opened her eyes and saw Clove beside her staring at her. That made Iris's blood boil when she saw Clove. Iris rolled her eyes and turned her head the other way. "You know each of us were assigned a person and mine just so happened to be you." Iris heard Clove say. "Yeah right." Iris said closing her eyes already ready for the ride to be over even though they haven't even taken off yet.