The Third Everdeen

Chapter 36

Slowly, the aircraft lowered on the terrain of what was once District 12. Cressida walked by my side as we stepped out. 

"So I wanna start with you in front of the Justice Building, okay?" I nodded, looking at the ground. Rubble; that's all there was. Rubble and debris. not a soul in sight. All the destroyed buildings, it was like this place has been gone for years instead of a few months.  I stood facing what was once the Justice Building, my face sad but blank. "Katniss, tell us what happened here."

Katniss answered, seeing I wasn't going to, "We were all standing right here." I turned, her and Gale approached looking around.

"We were watching the Games when you threw the knife. The screens went dark, and no one had any idea what happened," Gale continued.

Katniss looked at me, "Peacekeepers forced everyone back into their homes. Mom, Prim and I got escourted but left us alone when we got to the Village."

"I stayed with them and for maybe an hour the whole town was just dead quiet. Then little past nine we heard the trucks pulling out." Gale looked at the ground. "Every single Peacekeeper."

Katniss' voice cracked, "We knew what that meant."

"Me and a couple of guys from the mines started pulling people from their houses and tried to get 'em to the fence line but a lotta people were scared of the forest. So they headed up on through the roads." he looked at Katniss.

"They tried to make a break for it that way," she pointed the direction they were trying to go through. The two of the led the way and all of us followed them. Cressida told Pollux to keep the camera on them. 

"915 of us made it to the fence. We watched as bombers circled back towards the road. They firebombed them as they ran away." We got to the sight of the main explosion, there were scattered bones, many scorched. The smell of rotting corpses was fresh as if it had just happened. Gale knelt down, "915 out of 10,000."

Katniss looked heart broken, "I should've grabbed more people, I should've dragged them with me."

"Some of the kids I could've carried," Gale's eye were red and puffy.

"You both saved so many people," Cressida told them, "Without you two there would be no District 12. Not even the memory of it." 

I looked at my sister and Gale, and got on my knees to hug them. We've all been through so much and lost even more. 

~

The Victor's Village looked almost untouched. Everyone waited outside the house while I went in. I rummaged through cabinets taking anything I thought would be helpful, such as herbs for Mom and Prim. I turned around and Gale and Katniss were standing by the kitchen island. 

"This is where you saved me," Gale looked at me.

Katniss looked upset, "And a few hours later your found out you were going back into the arena, but this time you were pregnant."

My hand ghosted over where my unborn child once was. "I didn't think you guys would remember that."

"How could we forget?" They came up to me and hugged me. I sniffled a bit, they rubbed my back soothingly. We separated and met up with the others outside. 

~

We decided to take a break for lunch by the stream. We all sat by the water drinking and having some food, I sat down by Pollux, I knew he wouldn't bother me with any questions or useless small talk. A mockingjay flew by us and perched itself a few feet away from us. Pollux smiled at it and looked at me, pointing to the pin he had on his sweater.