Rising Storm

Chapter 26

Katniss

The moment I feel my grip on Johanna slip, I scream. I hit the water, feeling it sweep me away. The I wait until I hit the bottom to catch my bearings, feeling the sweeping of the torrent start to slow. I start swiming towards the surface and just as I feel I won't last any longer, I feel my hands hit the sand bar and I'm able to come up for air.

"Here!" I hear Johanna yelling. "She's alive." She walks over to me and holds out her hand to help pull me up. "I gotta tell ya Brainless, you scared the hell out of your Baby Daddy there. Jesus, you are packing on the pounds." I roll my eyes and climb up onto the sand bar.

"Yeah, Whatever," I say as the others run up. Peeta kneels down next to me.

"You okay?" He asks.

"I'm fine, I can swim," I say. "But I think we should get out of here before they get a bright idea to do that again." Johanna looks up at the sky, swinging her her axe in a circle.

"You're all getting a huge kick out of this, aren't you, You Sadistic Fuckers!" She screams. "Well guess what?! You can't put everyone in here! There are thousands more, just like us! So stick a pole up your fat, overfed asses and enjoy the ride!!" We all kinda stare at her a moment and she turns to us. "What? I ain't like you. There's no one they can hurt to hurt me." She starts up the shore and Finnick shrugs and follows her. Peeta helps me up and I grunt a little as the baby kicks at my ribs.

"You sure you're okay?" Peeta asks and I nod.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I say before laying my hand on my stomach. "We both are I think. I'm just tired. Being here, its really hard to sleep. Last time I was too sick to complain. Now, I just, I just have this horrible feeling. Whatever the end game here is, with these people, I just know it isn't good. I wanna leave, Peeta. Camp out like we did last time."

"That is what we are doing Katniss," He says gently. "And we need to stay with them just a little while longer, okay?" I nod and we follow the others off the island. We walk for what seems like forever and suddenly I stop. I hear something, someone in the distance. I look into the trees and the others notice me falling behind.

"Katniss, is something wrong?" Beete asks and I hear it again, making my heart stop. I hear my sister screaming for me. I drop my belongings, running into the forest, calling out for her. I stop as I notice that the calling is coming from a nearby tree. I notice a murder of black birds. Crow like creatures. I pull my bow and shoot one, the screaming stopping. I pick it up and realize its a jabberjay, those horrible creatures that spawned the Mockingjay. I stomp on it angrily as Finnick walks up on me.

"It was a just a bird, I thought, it was screaming like my sister," I say and another scream rings out, this time for Finnick. "Finnick, its isnt her, we need to get out of here." I run after him and grab him. "Come on its not her Finnick, we need to leave."

"Jabberjays copy, Katniss," He says, shaking me by the shoulders. "Where did they get those screams?!"

I start to panic and we start trying to make our way out. The birds follow, screaming and pecking at us. I try to shoot them but there's too many. As I see the others, I get hope, but it fails as I realize they are on the other side of a glass like forcefield. I realize they can't hear me and I'm screaming as the birds are fluttering, screaming around us. I can see Peeta's mouth moving, trying to calm me down. I huddle on the ground. Screaming to drown out the deseperate yells of my name. I feel my throat go raw but I don't stop until I feel hands on me, Peeta pulling my hands from my head and gently cupping my cheeks.

"Hey, its me, It's over," Peeta says. "Its over, you're safe. I start crying and he pulls me to him, rocking me as he would from a nightmare.

"They had her voice?" I croak and Peeta just kisses my forehead.

"I know," He says. "But Beete says its just a trick of the mechanics. Its over. I've got you." I stay close to him as the others gather around. We get bread from sponsers and We split them, saving some for later. I sit up and drink from my canteen as the others settle in.

"I'll keep watch," Johanna says. "Wake up the Lovebirds after Midnight. The rest of you get some sleep. Nothing should be back here for twelve hours and we'll be gone by then." We all nod and I lay down next to Peeta. I feel his arm over me and I pull him tighter.

"Don't let me go," I whisper. He kisses my cheek and lays his hand over my belly.

"I will never let you go," he replies. "I'm not going to let anyone take you away."

"You'll stay with me?" I ask. Peeta turns my head to face him. He kisses me gently and brushes my tangled hair away from my face.

"Always," he whispers. "I will always be with you, and I will never, never let you go. I will fight for you until my last breath and long after." I tuck myself up against him and he holds me tight.

That does nothing to stop my nightmares that night. Of the foggy room, in agany as white masked figures move around me.

I had Peeta's nightmares.