The Fandom Hunger Games (A Novella by @voldymorte_and_valour)

Section 12.6 of Chapter 12: Vive la Révolution

12.6- Still in the mess hall-THG:

        Peeta didn't know what to think when he saw President Snow grinning at him as he used to in his prison cell. How could he be alive, and Katniss could not? It was impossible, and Peeta would have been more than happy to kill Snow himself, since he had caused so much pain and was still continuing to do so. He sat with Annabeth, Rose, Emma, and Ben in the mess hall watching the news that the prison allowed through. But something was Not Real, something was not right. They weren't getting the full story, so they decided to find another way to hear what was actually going on. Annabeth was clever enough to know how to make a radio from wood, clips, wire, and other electrical materials she had found while cleaning her prison cell. It was insane! They planned to test it out in secret, so they walked behind one of the buildings together and sat down. It turns out that the new government had decided to purge those it deemed a threat that night. Whole cities were reduced to flames and debris as the new leaders sought revenge against commoners who had rebelled against them. A secret radio channel covering the rebels' perspectives was listing the names of the dead, and the Tributes were shocked at the names they recognized, but none of immediate family or friends, so also relief was felt. One thing was common on this radio station, however the terror that was being felt by all their worlds was unprecedented. No war had ever resulted in as much devastation as multiple evils of the universe aligning in a PACT. There were monsters, creatures, and the dead rising to walk in the streets, it was a scene worthy of hell. 'Or those Panem Halloween festivals and parties', Peeta thought, remembering Katniss and himself taking their kids only to find things scarier than they had imagined. But Halloween indeed, their universe belonged to monsters anyway. Something surprising did happen though, at once, all the prison gates opened and everyone was let free. The Tributes saw their families for the first time in forever. They met with the parents of their friends who had passed away in the Games and in the subsequent battles to share in their grief. It was a mixture of jubilation and solemnity. "Hey," Peeta told the other Tributes as they hugged, "Maybe life forward under this evil regime won't be so bad after all. We do this for our fallen brothers and sisters and more" Peeta looked at the rest of them one by one. Annabeth nodded, Emma let out a sigh of relief, Rose looked at them then at her family and smiled, and Ben, he said " Well yeah, I mean, they kept us alive, right? Why else would they do that?" The Tributes got their answer. The sky, which had a beautiful sunset ('Soft orange', Peeta noted) had suddenly turned dark and nasty. It had begun to take on a jarring purple, with red lightning coming out of pale black clouds rolling upon them all. A not so pleasant surprise, it looked like volcanic ash. There was a reason after all why they were let out and allowed to live. Peeta, shuddering at the sight, looked at the rest of the people there and said "They didn't let us out for us to live... They let us out to see if we could survive..." Peeta knew that survival would be no easy feat, especially seeing as now, the age of the light was over. Darkness reigned tonight. 

***

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------