The Hanging Tree

Chapter 17

My platform moves upward, from darkness into the artificial light from the arena. The area is a run down city, most likely from the dark ages, if this one isn't. There's one thing that stands out, an oak tree in the middle. The cornucopia. There will be no alliances, too small of a pool of victors.
The voice of Caesar counts down to sixty.
Fifty nine....
Forty eight...
Thirty five....
Twenty one.....
Ten...
One.
I start running to the cornucopia and I mange to grab a bow and a back pack.
Before Johanna, Finnick, Beetee, or Peeta can even get to me I'm a block down the street.
I can hear Beetee's screams of pain down the street, a scream that will forever echo. I run down an ally and put my hands on the fire escape latter.
The teachers showed us what all the old cities had looked like, I kind of miss school. I wanted to know what happened, what Snow did to ruin everything. Now I may never know.
One foot after another I'm on the first platform of the rusted escape. I pull the metal latter up, so no one can follow. I climb up the platform until I reach the roof.
Nothing is special about it, but it reminds me of last night. Gale. I need him with me now. My memory is still fuzzy, but I try my hardest to remember. I accomplish nothing. I sit near the edge of the roof and look out into the city. For a ghost town it was beautiful from a distance. The sun was setting and it gave it's evening glow to the city.
Then there it was, right on cue, as if it wants to hide the gruesome truth with beauty.
A cannon went off.
"I'll find out who," I closed my eyes.
"I'll find out which one of my friends are dead."
No one could hear me, but I thought it was necessary to say aloud, for my ears to hear.
My eyes open. Peeta. As much as he hurt me, I don't want him dead. No. Not yet anyways.
He's mine to kill.
I smile like I never have before, and I don't like what I've become. It has to be done, though.
I'll meet him at the Red Oak tree.