THE SIREN'S SONG 𓇼 F. ODAIR

71 ~ the kidnapping

The contents of Carolina's stomach were emptied before Pollux had the opportunity to slam the pipe's cover and lock it in place. She didn't know if it was the grief that made her nauseous or the mixture of horrid smells that surrounded her, but whatever it was had Carolina's buckling at the knees.

"YOU!" Finnick screeched. Carolina heard a loud thump from behind her and quickly snapped her head to the sound's source. Just behind her, Finnick tightly gripped Gale's vest and shoved him against the concrete wall. "YOU DID THIS! YOU LEFT HIM TO DIE! WE COULD HAVE– FLETCH COULD HAVE–"

"FLETCH WAS GONE THE SECOND WE HEARD HIS SCREAMS!" Gale shouted back, fighting against Finnick's hold.

"Enough!" Katniss ran up to the two men and tried to break them apart, but Finnick wasn't budging. "We can't stop here!"

Katniss was right, so Carolina picked herself up and shook every painful thought she had away. She couldn't afford to be burdened by grief when someone or something else could find them any second.

"Finnick! Carolina screeched. Finnick's grip loosened slightly at her voice, allowing Gale to push Finnick away from him. Finnick turned slowly towards Carolina, and she finally noticed the tears in his eyes that he was desperately trying to keep from falling. Carolina continued, her voice lighter. "Finn, we have to go."

Finnick stared at Carolina for a long moment, and Carolina wasn't even sure he comprehended her words until he nodded and reached out to hold her hand. His grip was tight and secure as he dragged her out of the sewers.

Pollux navigated them through the underground, trying to find the quickest way to the streets. He ended up leading the squad to the utility room of a random apartment. Inside, a woman was standing at the door with a look of horror on her face, and the second she called out for help, Katniss shot her through the heart.

The first thing they did when they entered the apartment was scavenge the entire place to find who the woman was screaming for. They never found out. Not a single person was in the apartment with her. Perhaps she had just screamed to garner the attention of her neighbors, hoping they would hear and save her.

"How long do you think we have before they figure out some of us survived?" Katniss asked.

"I think they could be here anytime," Gale said.

"They must know that we were heading to the streets," Carolina added with a shake of her head. "The explosion might throw them off for a couple of minutes, but they'll find our exit point eventually."

Katniss nodded slowly and moved to look between the blinds. Something Carolina didn't recognize lit up behind the girl's eyes, so Carolina moved to her side. The streets were still full of Capitol citizens going about their day-to-day lives, a stark contrast to the evacuated area they had just come from.

One look around the room told Carolina that not a single person was ready to fight.

Anger and grief flickered in Finnick's expression. The man was minutes away from a complete breakdown. 

Gale was still losing blood from a neck wound he had received in the sewers, and Peeta was not too far from him, biting into a pillow. 

Pollux was near the fireplace, crying over the loss of his brother. 

Cressida's confident appearance was overshadowed by the paleness of her skin. 

Katniss was running off of pure adrenaline, and Carolina was minutes away from collapsing to the floor and throwing up yet again.

"Let's check her closets," Katniss said.

Carolina looked at Katniss for a second, trying to figure out the plan blooming in the girl's mind, before eventually following her instruction.