The Other Mockingjay

Chapter 17

Chapter 17:

It had been 2 days, and Gale still wasn't back.

I decided to go to the only other person I somewhat trusted.

Haymitch.

He'd been so busy lately, and rarely ever home. I figured he must know something, so I headed straight there.

His house was dark, as usual, and I headed right in.

"Haymitch!" I hissed. "Are you here?"

I then heard voices in his office, and I saw him in there, on the phone.

The only words I heard were jumbled and made no sense.

"Hovercraft......lightning......only her......tree....tree......split up......cut....others........tracker......13..."

As he finally started hanging up, I ran closer to the front door. Acting as if I'd just gotten here.

"Haymitch!" I called. He walked out, with a hard expression. I knew his stressed face well.

"Prim, I've got to leave," he muttered.

"Where?"

"I'll be gone for multiple days. Nobody needs to know." His voice was getting more and more frantic as he threw together some items to bring.

"When?" I muttered.

"Soon as I find Gale. Have you seen him?"

"No, he's not back yet..." I paused with a questioned look. "Wait why do you need..."

"Doesn't matter," he snapped, cutting me off.

"I'll go see if he's back yet."

Haymitch was already getting distracted with something else.

I headed to the woods with a sick feeling. Something told me that Haymitch and Gale might not come back.

When I first reached the shed, it appeared nobody was there, but as I opened the door, I found him packing up his stuff.

"Prim!" he said, as it were completely unordinary for me to be here.

He pulled me into a hug. "There really is a 13," he whispered.

"What?" I gasped. It seemed so unreal. A whole other district, hidden away.

"They live underground. I wish I could tell you more, but I need to find Haymitch. Do you know where he is?"

"Actually, yes. He's looking for you. He said something about needing to leave."

"Now?!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah?" I said slowly.

"I need to go. Come on. Hurry!"

I chased after him frantically, as he ran down the hill.

Instead of heading to Haymitch's house, he headed for the empty lot at the back of 12. There, Haymitch was waiting...inside a hovercraft.

"What?!" I gasped.

"Be careful Prim. I'll be back."

He pulled me into his embrace.

"Just tell my family I'm not home yet... and that I love them," he choked.

"Gale?" I began.

"I can't answer anymore questions. You're already to much at risk." he half whispered.

I hugged him tighter and I felt tiny tears forming in my eyes.

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye," I said blinking away my tears.

His hovercraft was just a few feet in the air, when I looked into the sky, and the first bomb dropped.

Straight down.

Blowing half the town, to bits.