Fire is Raging On (A Hunger Games Fanfic) [#Wattys 2016]

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

Katniss's POV

So much has happened in the past few days alone. It has all happened so fast. Snow has escaped from prison. She has killed Paylor. She has taken control of Panem. She has reimplemented the Hunger Games. She has forced some of my closest friends into the arena. If all that isn't bad enough, she has kidnapped my daughter from me.

It all happened so fast from the moment Peeta and I figured out Willow was taken from us to the moment Dominuc Lewis showed up at our door talking of the London Armed Forces. I didn't have much time to process anything. I was just starting to process the fact Gale and Madge were thrown into the Games by the time Willow was taken. I was just barely starting to grasp that Willow was taken when Dominuc showed up at our door early in the morning.

We were brought to England without much warning. I didn't even know there was anything else left out here. It's amazing here. Everything is so intricate in their designs, especially the older buildings they say have been there for thousands of years. It's truly amazing. However, I feel I would enjoy it more if Willow was here with us, and if we were here on better circumstances.

Everything since Dominuc has showed up has happened in a blur. Dominuc told us he was part of the London Armed Forces and was going to bring us to the British royal family. We made quick work of getting out of District Twelve and was soon on our way to London. It's still somewhat of a blur to me the conversation of the history of Panem and the world during World War III. I don't remember much of how we got here to this palace, except that we passed many old looking buildings with beautiful architectural designs.

It's like I'm stuck in this trace, just moving through my day without actually caring or taking notice of what is going on around me. That is until those familiar words I heard for real twice in my life before not all that long ago, "Ladies and gentleman, let the Seventy-sixth Hunger Games begin." It's not the same voice as I heard; it's not Claudius Templesmith. They must have not been able to get him, but thinking back on it. I remember hearing something on the news a few months ago about him. The Games made him famous, at least his voice famous. I think I remember hearing that he was diagnosed with some sort of cancer. That's all I really remember, I didn't follow the story closer. I had no desire too.

All the screens in the foyer area we are standing in turn to the footage from the Capitol. Even the guards standing nearby move their eyes up to look at the screen. Their bodies don't move, not even a little bit, only their eyes.

The countdown begins. Sixty seconds before the gong. The little numbers showing the countdown appear in the bottom left corner.

The cameras show more of an aerial view of the arena. The Cornucopia sits in the middle of the circle of Tributes like always. It always rests in the middle of the arena and is always in a flatter area. This arena is no exception. The Cornucopia sits in the middle of a plain that reminds me of my first Games. The aerial view shows some mountains a short distance away dotted with odd colored stones and numerous trees. A swamp or marsh of some sort rests in the opposite direction of the mountains and trees. A river travels from somewhere within the mountains and leads to the marsh, no doubt that is what is making it a marsh.

The cameras zoom in now, zeroing in on each individual Tribute. As they zoom in on Madge, I can see the worry etched into her face and see her eyes dart to the side as she adjust her body, preparing for the end of the minute. It switches to Gale, his face determined, and he visibly takes a deep breath. Oh, Gale, you better keep Madge and yourself alive.

I look back at the left corner of the screen: thirty seconds. The cameras finish looking at the two remaining Tributes, District Thirteen's Tributes. Now the screen shows the overfilled Cornucopia. The supplies, like always, are in abundance and spread out in and around the Cornucopia.

Ten seconds remain. Gale, please, don't do anything stupid. Just get away from the Cornucopia. The gongs sounds, not as loud as it does in real life. It's quieter through the cameras, not as echoing in your ears. The cameras zoom out as they begin to capture the beginnings of the Games. I zero my eyes in on Gale and Madge. Madge instantly darts toward the mountains and trees. Good choice, Madge. Keep going toward the mountains. Haymitch must have toward them to avoid the bloodbath. My eyes move exclusively to Gale to make sure he's following in Madge's directions. My breath catches as I notice he's running to the Cornucopia. Madge noticing Gale's direction stops in the midst of the fighting, it's not too close to her, but it is close enough. Gale shakes his head, and Madge begins running again. Oh, Gale, what exactly are you doing?

I grab onto Peeta's arm as Gale runs into another Tribute. I can't tell which one. I haven't been paying close enough attention to tell which one he is. As Gale and the boy collide, they both lose their balance. In between them on the ground lies a supply pack. They grapple for the pack. Gale, just let it go and run for safety. Hypocritical of me, I know. The camera zooms in on their fight and shows the view of behind Gale, so the Tribute he is fighting with only has his back shown. Another Tribute, another male, stands a short distance away with several knives in his hand. He selects one and whips it at Gale and his opponent. The knife narrowly misses Gale, only grazing his ear. But it buries itself into the side of Gale's opponent's neck. Blood pours from their neck. Gale quickly realizes his opportunity and grabs the pack before taking off. The cameras don't follow him as the boy with the knives closes in on the boy with the cut neck. There's no hope that he'll make it; he's losing too much blood. He doesn't fight back against the knife boy. He probably can't with as much blood as he has lost. He's too weak to fight back.

The screen splits in two as it shows a repeat of another fight that just occurred. This one involving a girl and another boy. The girl has a bow, but she can't notch it quickly enough to defend herself. She dies quickly with her blood coating and pooling on the ground.

The screen stays split in two as it shows Gale's progress. He's on the ground in the pool of the girl's blood. He grabs the bow and the sheath of arrows before he takes off again toward the mountains. As he reaches the cover of the trees, the cameras stop focusing on him and turn back toward the fight. Another few Tributes fall. I don't know how many fall. It's always been hard to keep track of how many have passed.

The rest of the fighting passes quickly. The cameras constantly flipping between different fights. At some point during the initial bloodbath I sink to the ground with Peeta by my side. My arms wrap around my legs curled in front me into my chest. Peeta's arms end up around me, hugging me to him. As the fighting dies down, the cannon starts firing. It goes off eight times. The Hunger Games have officially begun. We have to do something to stop it and get as many as we can out alive. 

I don't have anything to say today. So I'm just going to leave this chapter here, and I'll be back again next week for the next chapter of FIRO. -- Alexis