Mockingjay: The New Story

Chapter Five

Katniss's POV

I woke groggily to a large blast and a hard shake to the ground. My arms continue to keep me hanging against the cool cell bars, my wrists begin again to bleed from the tight metal. Johanna is gone from her cell as I can tell in the dark, I try to look back, but get no luck. I could hear Annie whimpering past the ringing in my ears. Trees and sky and pain fill my mind, my first Games, when I blew up the Career’s food supply. That was when I lost my hearing.

Now, I think it too was an explosion making that loud noise ring in my ear. The horrid stench in the air might be what is making me groggy. I begin to hear someone yelling at me. Peeta. I can’t make out his words, and I don’t hear my own when I yell to Peeta that I’m fine. I begin to cough when I breathe in what looks like dust floating in the air. Dust? My eyes couldn't adjust to the darkness, the only light coming from a blub shining red. After a few minutes, I begin to hear everything going on. Shouting, loud beeping, louder than the normal noise keeping us up at night. I hear someone yell my name, and I could tell it wasn’t Peeta’s voice. He was talking to me calmly from behind.

“Katniss, whatever happens, I love you. Keep the baby safe.” I sob, tears falling down my cheeks. “Just… I love you so much, alright? Katniss? Katniss! Can you hear me?”

“Yes, Peeta,” I say. I hear him sigh. “I love you, too.”

I don’t hear him reply, that’s when the Peacekeepers standing by our cells are knocked out with the butt of guns falling to the ground. I hear that voice that was calling me earlier.

“Katniss? Peeta? Which cell are you in?”

“Over here, Gale!”

I sob harder. Knowing my best friend is okay, he isn’t dead because of Snow, and he is safe and going to save Peeta and me. I hear heavy footsteps, the ones that can be silent when we run in the woods, hunting for hours at a time. His heavy breathing indicates he has been running around for a while in search of us. The light pours back into the commotional cell, giving me my sight back correctly. Johanna is nowhere to be seen. Annie was screaming now, something about Finnick and that we were going to die. I heard Peeta trying to calm her down, which was futile.

I could see Gale now, he was covered in sweat, a black thick suit with guns and thick armor on his chest. He was running towards our cell, once he got to ours I could no longer see him. I heard more footsteps, yelling, banging on metal, as I floated in and out of consciousness. I hear the squeak of metal against cement, and I know the door has been open. Someone rushes to me, Gale.

“Are you okay?” I nod, my head leaning against the cool metal of my cell. “Need medication for the pain?” I nod again. I feel Gale stick a needle into my left arm, the thought sickens me of the needle. But minutes later, or so, I could feel the burn on my back cool. It takes the men minutes to jam their way through the cuffs holding me, then Peeta. They get Annie, although Finnick and Johanna were not present. Were they getting them from where ever they are being tortured? Or are the men just going to forget them?

I couldn’t stand, let alone walk. A blanket was wrapped around my small frame, Gale carried me like I weighed as much as a feather. His face showed the worry on my weight. He promised to get some food into me the minute we were on the hovercraft. I asked multiple times where we would go after this, Gale didn’t answer me. I didn’t push it, I don’t have the strength to be stubborn for that reason.

“Where’s Peeta?” I ask hoarsely.

“Behind us, Boggs is helping him walk.” I nod, wondering who Boggs is and if I would ever meet him.

I begin to close my eyes, the medication taking over my fragile body and weakening me more than originally. Before I am completely asleep in peace, I hear yelling, gun shots, screams from Annie as she begins to break down. I feel my blood rushing through my veins, pushing adrenaline to protect Peeta in my heart. Gale could sense my eagerness right away, and he held me tighter while running faster. I peeked over his shoulder, using my left over strength to lift my head to see Peeta. He was dragging my real leg behind him while the man I guess is Boggs has his arm around his back. Peeta looks up for a second, he looks into my eyes, then pushes himself to quicken. Another man has an unconscious Annie in his arms, also wrapped in a blanket. He rushes past Peeta and Boggs, who is a dark skinned man as tall as Peeta I can see as he helps him walk. I notice a mask stitched onto Gale’s shirt, also on Boggs. Probably to keep awake during the explosion and keep the dust away.