The Hunger Games: Death of the Mockingjay

Chapter 9

I crash through the shards of glass and land on the porch roof just as she opens fire once again. I'd hoped that the porch would break my fall but the ancient wooden structure collapses under me and I find myself tumbling through the air before I crash down hard onto the ground below. Thankfully I land in my right side, my hip and shoulder taking the brunt of the fall. It hurts and I know it'll be stiff and sore later but it's better than spraining my ankle or breaking a leg, then I'd be easy pickings for the girl with the red hair.
I struggle to my feet and start running again, this time I head straight for the forest and my only salvation. By the time she runs back through the house and continues the pursuit I should be safely concealed in the low hanging branches.

I stagger in among the trees but to my shock I find the alpine trees which surround the village don't have any real leaves or branches low down for me to hide in and the trunks aren't that thick either so climbing isn't an option. I try to quicken my pace running deeper into the trees and this leads to a small advantage. In here the the tree canopy blocks out most of the light, it's gets steadily darker as I head deeper inside the forest and the carpet of pine needles soften the sound of my footfalls although this is an advantage for the assassin too.

I stop and crouch down behind the largest tree trunk I can find but it doesn't really conceal me at all, hopefully the red headed girl might of given up the chase and run away now that the District 13 peacekeepers are on their way. I slowly peer round my tree and look for any movement, anything that'll give away her position but there's nothing, maybe she really has given up?

I can still hear the wailing alert sirens from the base in the distance although no one has come to help, but come to think of it they've gotta find me first and they don't know I'm hiding in the forest that surrounds the town. I make a decision, if they can't come to me then I'll have to find them. Although I've lost my sense of direction in this maze of trees all I've really got to do is head for the sirens, I'll either run into the peacekeepers or the perimeter fence of the base, then all I'll have to do is follow the fence line back to the guardhouse, simple.

I cautiously step out from behind my tree and make my way toward the sirens but I start to run as another gunshot rings out from somewhere behind me. I dart between the trees trying to keep up the pace, I've no idea where the shot came from but it sounded pretty close.

"Come ere!" I hear the girl yell from behind me. I turn and panic at the sight of the girl chasing me down, she's so fast and closing on me rapidly. I see her drawing level with me on my right, it's almost as if she's running a race and trying to beat me but then I remember, I've seen this tactic before somewhere. It dawns on me too late as she vaults round a tree in front of me and knocks me flying with a two footed kick to my side. I crash against another tree trunk but I get to my feet quickly despite the pain in my side.
The girl is already on her feet and pacing around me like a tiger stalking it's prey, her hair is now a mess with a few stray strands plastered to her sweat covered face, her gun holsters are empty. Either she lost her pistols or she tossed them away when she emptied them of ammunition.

"What do you want with me?" I ask

"Isn't it obvious, I'm here to kill you" she spits back.

"Why? I haven't done anything to you, I don't even know you"

"Really, you've done nothing to me?" She mocks. "For 5 years I trained as a tribute, hard, brutal training but I was promised that at the end of it I'd get my chance, to compete in the Hunger Games!"

"So you're from the academy?"

"That's right, I was two years from graduation when you fired your arrow in the Quarter Quell and my world fell apart. All that suffering, being taken from my family, the beatings, murdering other trainees, some who were my friends and all for nothing. Just because you fired your stupid arrow, but then along came the Brotherhood and all my prayers had been answered. I finally had my chance to pay you back for all the pain you caused me"