The Hunger Games: Death of the Mockingjay

Chapter 4

"Everyone run into these museum, hide!" I scream at everyone. Those who can run do so while others hobble off with their injuries, Haymitch and Plutarch stagger off toward the hall for the 50th games and this gives me an idea. I sweep Kyler up and head off down the hall toward the 70-76th games while Peeta follows on with a sobbing Rue in his arms.

"Where we going Kat? he asks.

"I don't know, the only advantage we have is that we know this part of the building" my thinking being that this is Haymitch's plan, to go to the only part of the building that he's already visited.

"But what about the children?"

"We need to hide somewhere, at least until help arrives" I hold Kyler close as the shooting starts again in the lobby behind us. I hear a poor wounded women screaming at them not to shoot before a single gunshot silences her. It's clear that there's no way to reason with these people, they've come here for one reason and that's to kill as many as possible. I reach the doorway to the 74th games and rush through into the exhibit room. At the back of the large room is a blanket of fake vegetation which hangs from ceiling to floor. We rush over and with my free hand I pull back the curtain to see a small alcove behind it which is littered with cables and wires which no doubt run the speakers and lights around the room. It's small but it'll be big enough for Rue and Kyler to hide in. I put Kyler down and give him a gentle shove to push him inside. Rue picks up on my plan and steps forward and quietly joins him in the closed off area.

"You two hide here and don't make a sound. Rue look after your brother, I'm counting on you sweetie" I say while brushing her tear stained cheek with the back of my hand. Her wide eyes stare straight ahead in shock but I know that if the time came to act she'd be fine.
Peeta pulls the curtain down and straightens it so it looks like it hasn't been disturbed.

"So now what-....."

Peeta gets interrupted by some shouting from just up the hall outside the exhibit room.
"Where is she!" we hear one of them shout.

"I dunno, she must be hiding with her family, find em, I want em all dead!" I hear another reply. We both glance around the room looking for an escape route but there's nothing, the only way out is to go back the way we came, straight to our attackers.
Peeta looks at me with those deep blue piercing eyes of his, he says nothing but I can see the look of defeat on his face, that we're trapped in the exhibit room with no way to defend ourselves, I reach forward and touch his cheek and try to force a tentative smile. We've had many good times since the end of the war when we finally managed to get on with our lives. Watching Rue grow, seeing Kyler walk for the first time. All these things we experienced together and if it now means that at the end of it all we die, then I suppose we've at least had those experiences to cherish, I just hope the children survive. Peeta reaches for me and I walk into his arms for one last embrace before the end and as a feel his embrace tighten I notice something in a cabinet hanging from the wall behind him that might be able to save us.

"Peeta, look" I say as I release him. He follows my gaze to see my old bow from the 74th games hanging in a glass cabinet, two arrows are displayed in a kinda haphazard layout in another part of the glass display box. Without saying a word he steps forward and smashes the glass cabinet open with a blow from his elbow. I wince at the sound of the breaking glass giving away our position and sure enough we both hear footsteps running down the hall towardus.

I quickly grab the bow from its stand, take an arrow, string it and swing round to face the doorway just as a hooded assailant appears in the opening. For a moment there's a flash of triumph in his eyes right before my arrow hits him square in the forehead throwing his body back out of the room and into the hallway beyond. I quickly reach back into the cabinet for the other arrow and string it ready for the others to make an appearance but for the moment the open doorway remains empty. Peeta steps forward cautiously, picks up the dead attackers gun and comes to my side.