Months had passed since the destruction of the arena during the 75th Hunger Games. From those Games, four tributes were taken back to the Capitol.
Enobaria
Johanna Mason
Peeta Mellark
Autumn Reeves
While Enobaria was let go, the rest of the tributes...
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•••
Warning: Uses of torture and beatings are in this chapter
They dragged Autumn down the stairs and into a stone room. She never knew President Snow had a dungeon room in his own mansion.
They dragged her around a corner where she was met by three cells in the room. One on each wall. And the two cells on the side walls were occupied.
"Nice of you to join us," Johanna smirked. She had bruises across her skin but, other than that, didn't look too bad.
"Autumn, are you okay?" Peeta asked from the other cell. Johanna and Peeta watched as Autumn was thrown into the cell on the back wall, clothes being tossed in behind her along with socks and shoes.
"I've been better," she mumbled as she stood up and threw the black shirt and cargo pants on over the sports bra and shorts. She put on the gray ankle socks and the brown boots, the outfit reminding her of the seventy fourth Hunger Games outfit.
"He offer you the deal?" Johanna asked.
"Yep," Autumn nodded, leaning up against the metal bars.
"You take it?" Johanna asked.
"Nope," Autumn shook her head. Peeta looked down, ashamed. A moment of silence passed. "I killed a doctor," Autumn told them.
Johanna only smiled, nodding in approval while Peeta looked pale.
Autumn wondered what Snow had planned for them and when the torture would begin. At least she had a cell in between her friends.
•••
"Rise and shine!" A Peacekeeper yelled, his helmet off. He opened up Autumn's cell door, walking in and kicking her in the stomach.
Autumn woke up to the pain, rolling over into her hands and knees and standing to her feet.
"District Four, District Twelve, lets go!" The same Peacekeeper yelled as he dragged Autumn out of the cell, a gun pointed at her side.
Another Peacekeeper grabbed Peeta, waking him up the same way Autumn was awoken. Autumn looked over her shoulder to see a worried looking Johanna in her cell, gripping the bars.
Autumn's view of Johanna disappeared as they rounded the corner and went up the stairs. Peeta and Autumn were dragged down the long hall and into a new room.
It looked like a smaller version of Snow's office. But instead of the desk and sitting area, they had two wooden chairs facing each other. In between each chair were an array of tools and supplies used for torture.
"We'll start simple," Autumn's Peacekeeper spoke. He was a tall man. He was in his mid thirties or so with graying brown hair. Scruff was around his jaw and his nose was long.
Peeta was sat down in one chair, tied too it at the wrists and ankles. Autumn was put in the chair across from Peeta, tied the same way.
"You each get a beating for ten minutes one at a time," the Peacekeeper told Autumn and Peeta. "And you have to watch the other person take the beating. If you look away, they get five more minutes."
Autumn tried to hold in her fear and surprise, looking across at Peeta. She couldn't watch him get beaten. He was her friend. And by the look in his eyes, she could tell he felt the same way.
"Ladies first," the Peacekeeper spoke with a smirk. "Peeta, choose." The Peacekeeper faced Peeta and gestured to the many torture tools in between them.
"W-what?" Peeta asked, gulping.
"Just pick, Peeta," Autumn looked at him. He met her eyes. "It's okay." All of the torture devices looked equally horrible.
"The...the water," Peeta mumbled. The Peacekeeper smiled.
"You Capital citizens just love your Games," Autumn seethed, watching the Peacekeeper as he walked closer to Autumn, the bucket of water in hand.
The Peacekeeper didn't respond. He only set the bucket of water on Autumn's lap. Grabbing a fistful of her hair, he dunked her head into the water bucket. Autumn did not panic for she invited water as an old friend. Minutes passed until she was let a breath.
The Peacekeeper pulled her head back out of the water and continued to hold onto her head with one hand. He took out a baton with the other hand, clicking a button on the handle. The baton lit up and sparks flew from it. The baton was electric.
"You didn't say anything about electrocuting her!" Peeta yelled.
"Precisely," the Peacekeeper smiled at Peeta. He dunked Autumn's head back in the water and stuck the baton in next to her head, silencing all of Peeta's protests.
