I only have a moment to stop myself, turn and start running back toward the Bunker with Steph and Annie when a massive explosion rips through the tunnel behind us. Darkness envelopes us and I now realise that Steph has rigged the explosives to bring down the roof of the tunnel right on top of the chasing tributes. The only light we can make for is the distant glow from the bunker ahead of us and I don't even bother to look behind me at the cave-in which must of buried those poor souls. Those young deceived Tributes, buried or blown into small pieces just like my father in the mines all those years ago.
We run as fast as our legs can carry us back toward the others but the attack has already begun on the bunker. Gunfire rings out through the tunnel and I find Haymitch waiting for us at the huge steel back door.
"What's happening!" I yell as I reach him.
"We've gotta get out of here Katniss, there's too many of them"
I look past him to see the others all heading my way carrying our equipment and supplies from the bunker. The only ones missing are three of the Rapiers who must be holding off the brotherhood at the murder hole. I stomp off past Haymitch to see for myself what's happening, Peeta tries to stop me but I give him an angry stare and he lets me go, knowing that when I'm in this mood it's not worth fighting.
I reach the steps up to the main bunker, already there's a few dead brotherhood tributes hanging limply from the murder hole while others still try to climb through. Swader lashes out at them with a knife while Flux fires arrow after arrow out through the concrete slit to the dunes beyond. Viper's sat in a pool of blood with his back to the bunker wall, he's been shot a number of times and my eyes open wide in shock at the single explosive mine he holds close to his chest.
"Katniss we must leave now, my brothers are gonna give us time to escape" says Conrad as he places a hand on my shoulder. I look back and catch a brief smile from Viper's blood stained lips as he turns to me and nods for me to leave. I nod back, force a weak smile and turn away. Viper, Swader and Flux are giving their lives to hold up the brotherhood while the rest of us can get away through the back door to the dunes.
I numbly follow on to the back door where Peeta and the others wait to leave. Alek swings the door open and we all run out into the dawn checking our flanks for any sign of attack but it appears that the Brotherhood are too busy attacking the bunker and they most likely don't have enough tributes left to cover the back door as well. I feel relieved to be under cover of the fog once again, I know it's only a matter of time before the rising sun burns off the remaining mist but hopefully by then we'll be clear of the bunker and out of sight. The problem is, where do we go?
We've only been running for a few minutes before there's a massive explosion behind us from the direction of the Bunker and we stop and listen in silence knowing that Viper, Swader and Flux have most likely triggered the explosive mine killing themselves and the tributes who had made it inside. I feel sad. Sad that more people have perished in this arena, people who believed that what we were doing was for a greater good, that somehow their sacrifice would hopefully mean peace for the rest of the country.
"We should go" says Alek quietly and we all follow on into the fog.
*
We keep moving, to stop now would be suicide as by now the Brotherhood would most likely figured out that we've escaped the bunker. The problem is just how much further can we go, all of us keep an eye out ahead looking for the telltale shimmering of the force field that marks the end of the arena. We know we're at the northern edge right now, but how much further can we go and, what if we end up with the force field ahead of us and the brotherhood coming up from behind, we'd be trapped with no chance of escape.
Peeta stops and looks up into the sky, he's spotted something and the rest of us follow his gaze. Descending slowly toward us a parachute with a small silver capsule hanging from its canopy. It must be a message or an item from Plutarch, there are no sponsors for these games. The parachute lands just a few feet from us and Steph runs over, collects it and brings it back to us. Alek flips open the capsule and takes out a piece of paper.
"It's a message" he says handing it to Peeta.
Peeta takes a moment to read it to himself before he reads it out loud for the rest of us.
Head north east through the dunes where you'll find a large hill called the mount. This will be your final stand.
The odds are even
Finish the game by nightfall or all will be lost.
A couple of old friends will be joining the party
P
"Head north east ?" says Annie looking away into the distance.
"Yeah, but what does the other stuff mean?" asks Peeta to no one in particular.
"The odds are even? I think he telling us that the Brotherhood have the same number of tributes left as we do, the packs are even, there's and ours" says Steph
"But what about the other clues?" I say as I take the peace of paper from Peeta.
"Who knows, we might find out more when we reach the mount?" says Conrad.
"Okay, lets get moving and see what this 'mount' has to offer us" says Alek as he strides off to the North.
YOU ARE READING
The Hunger Games: Death of the Mockingjay
FanfictionBook 3, Sequel to Return of the Mockingjay: It's been eight years since the end of the Wolfe war and Katniss and Peeta have been happily raising their family in District 12. But all is not as it seems as a new cult dedicated to the Hunger Games has...
