Light the Way

Twenty Five

The peacekeepers escorted them out of the factory and began heading back towards the Justice building and the train station. Coriolanus relaxed a bit as the fresh air hit his face, happy to be out of that factory, sticking close to Olivia. The entire town was eerie and grey, a black soot coated most of the walkways and architecture, a symptom of the manufacturing overload.

"We've got some bad news for you Capitol folks, the train's delayed." Colit turned to tell them, a small smile on his lips as he got to spend more time looking at Olivia. "No need to worry kids, the Justice building should keep you nice and cozy." His back turning to them once again, leading the way.

"Can't we just stay at the inn?" Olivia asked, it was much closer to the factory and she was getting tired of walking around.

"We have direct orders to escort you to the Justice building." Another peacekeeper said, leaving no room for debate. Olivia shot Coriolanus an annoyed look in response, just as eager to get out of here as him.

The Justice building was just up ahead now, with some of the soot being freshly wiped off in anticipation of their arrival.

"The Mayor is very excited to meet with you two." Colit added on, leading them up the steps.

Coriolanus held in his groan and instead clenched his jaw. Maybe if he broke a tooth they'd have a medical emergency and they'd flown back home.

A commotion caught their attention, before Colit had a chance to open up the Justice building doors. Down past the stairs and across the town square a couple of men were starting to wrestle with one another, shouting out obscenities and grabbing at each other. Dressed in dark brown rags, their faces almost covered too. The sight made his stomach curl up and he reached for Olivia, pulling her closer to him.

Something wasn't right.

There was tension building in the air as Colit huffed out and pushed past the rest of his squadron, heading down towards the mess. His boots crunched against the gravel and his gun cocked up in preparation.

"You lot, quit the fighting!" Colit warned, getting closer now.

The two men didn't surrender, instead they turned to face Colit, their arms barred out, ready to fight him. Colit pulled back the safety on his rifle, his finger lingering over the trigger. Ready to fire at any sudden movement.

But he didn't stand a chance.

From behind the houses, more men and women emerged, dressed in the same dark brown fabric, scarves wrapped around their heads to hide their identities. All sporting some sort of weapon – kitchen knives, machetes, stolen rifles.

Coriolanus' grip tightened on Olivia as he watched the scene unfold. The remaining peacekeepers in their group charged forward, supporting Colit as more and more rebels pooled out into the town square. Screaming and slashing their weapons, calling for blood.

More peacekeepers came with rifles, helping holding them back.

His stomach twisted as he watched one of the men in white start to beat down a fellow peacekeeper, taking him by surprise. They must have gotten their hands on some uniforms and guns, making it difficult for the real peacekeepers to fend them off.

"Get into the Justice building, now!" One of the peacekeepers barked at them.

Coriolanus pulled Olivia in through the doors with him, slamming shut the thick wood and pulling down the beam that would lock them in. Breathing heavily, they shared a look.

"We need to find the Mayor. There should be a comms room we can use to reach the Capitol. This is insane." Olivia rushed out. Coriolanus could only nod in agreement, sucking in air to calm his racing heart. The adrenaline began pumped through his body, pounding into his ears and he started to operate on autopilot, like he was back in training.