The Hunger Games - Through the Fire and Flames - Book 1

Chapter 24

We were heading back away from their camp when we stopped. The Careers stood right before us and they were just staring in disbelief. Before I could shout run to my group Blaze grabbed my arm and we began running. The rest of the group was still behind us.

"Wait!" I screamed at him as he towed me in the direction of the river. "Wait! Lia is still back there we need to go." Suddenly 6 loud bangs were heard. I froze before I began trying to head back in the direction.

"No! You'll get yourself killed." He began.

I kept trying to get back past him before he pushed me up against a rock and shook me roughly. "LISTEN TO ME!" He screamed in my face. "If you go back there you are dead. Is that what your friend would want?"

I looked at him and I could feel my face flush as tears coated the rims of my eyes. I took a deep breath and then shook my head once. Suddenly loud panicked foot steps could be heard. My eyes widened before I covered the final 3 feet to the the rocks and began edging my way towards the hole that led to the cave that was flooded the day we became its inhabitants.

"Where are you going?!" Blaze said hastily.

"Just come on and hurry before someone see's you." I replied back as I disappeared into the crack.

The cave wasn't as flooded as it had been the last time we were here. The water was low enough that it only went up to the middle of my chest. Still as Blaze appeared by myside he lifted me over his shoulder like I was a rag doll and helped me across the cave to the dry ground.

The moment we settled down we knew something wasn't right. Then it hit me. Our weapons were with the Careers, everything but my bow and sheeth. Our food was gone as well. I quickly rose to my feet once I heard heavy footsteps nearing the hidden entrance to the cave and loaded my arrow. Just then Douglas appeared. I carefully let my bow down and pulled the arrow before putting it back in my sheeth.

"I almost shot you" I told him as he made his way over to us. Where is everyone else? Did anyone follow you? How did you escape?" I asked him as he sat down beside us and dropped the bags containing our weapons, items and food onto the rock.

"6 were killed back there. Lia, 6, and 11 and then 3 from the Careers I don't know which ones." I felt like someone was squeezing the life out of my hands. Lia's death was my fault, I left her there. "I took out 3 of the careers with my spears and then split as they other 3 were taking their sweet time in making the others deaths 'special' I saw what they did to Lia. They were carving her up the moment I took off running and then I heard a bang and realized what happened." Tears came quickly to my eyes. "But you don't have to worry no ones following us."

Suddenly Blaze jumped to his feet and slammed Douglas up against the wall of the cave. "What's your problem don't talk about Lia in front of her you see what you are doing to her." Blaze quickly released him and came to sit beside me.

Douglas came and sat down beside us where he was silent. "Hey I'm sorry kid." He said to me before he began digging in the bags for something he couldn't seem to find.

I sniffled a bit and wipe my runny nose with the hem of my shirt. "It's okay, you didn't know." I said. "How many left?" I asked him.

He held up 3 fingers and then decided against it before he let his last to fingers stand up as well. I understood what he meant there. After the careers were finished they both would have to kill themselves and then I'd be free to go home.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked them.

Douglas looked up and shrugged his shoulders. "We weren't supposed to survive anyhow not like its a choice you know. We will die either way. Our job the very reason we are here is to keep you alive. If you die then we die whether it be at the hands of the Careers or the Capitol. Those that came in here to join as you allies were never going to survive beyond that." He finished.

"That's not fair" I replied.

"Who said life was fair." He simply stated before he pulled a fruit from the bag and began eating it. "It's not like we are missing anything anyways everyone one of us were from orphanages."

"Except Lia she had her father." I replied. I then noticed what he said and turned to Blaze. "You are an orphan?" He nodded his head. "But many of you said that you had family?"

"We did have families. I know half of them from meetings when the orphanges would get together in the Capitol. That is where they dressed us up and made us look nice and then sold us to the highest bidder to be used how ever our owners wanted to use us. Oreale she always talks about her family who was killed in a fire one year. The only thing is she talks about them as if they are still alive. I myself don't like to mention my family."

I moved a bit closer to him. "Why?"

"Because my parents died because of something I did."

"What did you do?" I asked him.

"I stole food and my parents covered for me. They said they did it and they were killed for it." Blaze told me. "My oldest brother Spencer my younger brother was the first sold to the a family in the Capitol."

"You never mentioned a younger brother"

"I never mentioned alot of things." He said as he leaned forward and pulled a fruit towards him.

I looked over to Douglas. "So that means you lied to about your story?"

"Told to lie by the Capitol. We were given a note card and told to memorize it. You were never supposed to know about any of this."

I rose to my feet and headed to the larger boulder that over looked everything in the cave and sat there thinking to myself. I wanted to go home. I missed my family. My brother and Lia. Oh Lia why did you have to be here. Why wouldn't the Capitol just let you be. Suddenly my thoughts trailed to Lia's father. What would become of him? Would he be angry with me because I didn't save his daughter?