One month after that glorious morning with Edel, the radar system alerts us about the omnipresence of oncoming aircraft. Three in total. All thought to be Capitol bombers.
The air raid siren sounds over the compound, shrill ringing in my ears. I can hear it blaring from where I'm standing on the running track. In the distance, Soldier Taliss is hearding people towards to compound entrance. Every second is precious. I glance up towards the sky in to see if I can locate the bombers. No. We still have time.
I sprint towards the entrance, using up the last of my remaining energy. My legs burn and my lungs are tight and sore. The drawback of vigorous training. I feel a tapping on my shoulder and turn around to see Solider Taliss. "Come with me," she mouths. It's impossible to be heard over the din. I wipe away the sheen of sweat glistening on my forehead and follow her. I'm dying for water but now it not the right time to ask.
Like last time, streams of people descend flight after flight. Only this time, there is a sense of urgency. Maybe we knew it was real? Soldier Taliss leads me down a side passageway and we enter Special Defense in a room which had a similar layout to Command.
At once, I notice the large screen of Panem covering the expanse of an entire wall, illuminated by the oncoming bombers. Drawing ever closer. Time is our enemy. Each second ticks away our lives.
"Sit down, Soldier Coin," commands someone with hair shaved close to his scalp. I don't recognise him. Probably another military leader. The room is full of them, some I've seen before, others I haven't. And of course, President Ashbrook. I perch awkwardly on the closest chair and stare at the screen. I'm not sure of what to do or where to look at. And I didn't know anyone particularly well either. Yes, I've spoken to Taliss and the president but that was in completely different circumstances. You can feel the tense atmosphere hanging above us. Nobody spoke much.
The table is full of fancy controls and interesting bits of technology I didn't know existed. To my right, there is a small, black plastic device that has a blue light and beeps continuously. In front of me is a medium sized circular object what has wheels and whizzes around in circles.
"Don't touch anything," Soldier Taliss warns me. "Soldier Coin, you are brought here for your military training. Today, I want you to take notes on attack formation and counter attacks. This will be vital for later life in the military, especially if you want to be a leader," she continues. I nod. Like I had a choice.
"Close the doors!" someone shouts into an intercom. She must be talking about the bunker where citizens stay.
That's when the first bomb drops. But... it's off. Nearly a kilometre off. However, there's still an explosion that shakes the whole compound.
"Bunker missiles. They penetrate deep into the ground before they go off," Soldier Taliss informs me.
"Why can't we attack the Capitol," I ask.
"Not yet. We're too unstable. And the population is already too low. We can't afford to lose any lives."
The compound is plunged into complete darkness. Our room is illuminated by the glow of the screen but I think of the people in the bunker. How scared they must be. Total darkness with no one knowing what's going on. At least here, we have a radar to anticipate each bomb. I can hear screams and cried coming from the bunker.
"'Decrease oxygen levels."
There's a crack followed by the sound of collapse.
"Damage to the east quarters. Severe damage to levels 1-5."
"Prepare missiles for counter attack."
"No radiation detected."
"Second wave detected."
Their voices turn to a blur in my head. I lose all sense of time and space. All I know is that I could be dead any minute. The bombs keep approaching. I take notes.
But one thing is certain. None of the bombs have dropped directly onto the compound. A direct hit will unstablise the whole district. More hits will collapse the compound, hence killing the population of 13.
Do they know where we are? The rubble of 13 is spread out over a large expanse of land. Kilometres and kilometres. The compound is not that wide. It's located off the centre. Does the Capitol know this? Or could it be something more?
With each passing hour I become more agitated. Fear creeps in. I want someone to sedate me until this stops but I know that's never going to happen. I pace the room. Are we going to die? I sip my coffee. When will this end? My hands become shaky. So much that I can't take any more notes. Am I ever going to see the daylight again? My breathing becomes rapid. Are we going to become buried alive? My heartbeat increases. Do I see cracks in the walls?
After two days they stop. No deaths. The citizens seem shaken and they are evacuated and some relocated.
"Come with me," Taliss says and I follow the military leaders out the side entrance since the main one was destroyed.
I pull my gas mask incase of toxic waste the bombs might have released.
There's countess craters in the land about ten metres deep. Bits of shrapnel poke out from the land. Some of the rubble has been completely obliterated, turned to dust that falls through my fingertips and then disappears in the air.
Fires. Flames. Ashes.
I turn my attention from the pock-marked land to the nearby woods. Flames devour the forest and a haze of smoke billows up from the trees.
I have only one question.
Why?
---------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for all the lovely votes and comments.
I hope you are enjoying this story and don't forget to vote :)
Let me know what you think so far!
YOU ARE READING
The Ballad of Lucy Gray
Fanfiction"Was she alive, dead, a ghost who haunted the wilderness? Perhaps no one would ever really know." ~Suzanne Collins. After Lucy Gray Baird leaves the safety of District 12 behind to live the rest of her remaining days out in the wilderness, the vict...
