Post by Vester Lombard on Jan 24, 2016 10:28:47 GMT -6
The escaped tributes proved to be more dangerous than the President had anticipated. This had gone on long enough. The Capitol would not be made a fool of. The President issued a state of emergency and sent battalions of Peacekeepers armed with rifles and riot shields into the streets of the Capitol. The tributes were swiftly located and outnumbered.
The Peacekeepers led the handcuffed tributes to the end of the runway where the tribute parade normally took place but today everyone had gathered for a different sort of display. Gwen’s thoughts were racing. How could she get out of this? She had been in cuffs before in situations like this and other situations not so like this. Gwen glanced over to the peacekeeper escorting her. Everyone was human, right? She pretended to stumble into the peacekeeper and put her cuffed hands on his chest.
“Oops. Thanks for catching me,” Gwen said, breathy and low, sliding her hands down from the Peacekeepers chest. “I guess not all Peacekeepers are so bad,” her hands reached their destination. She pressed her body full against the Peacekeeper to distract the fact she was trying to palm the keys to the handcuffs. “Too bad I’m about to die. I would have liked to get to know you better,” she bit her lip and winked at the peacekeeper.
“S-stop!” the peacekeeper stuttered, a bit flustered. He shoved Gwen. “What the hell, tribute? Move along. Don’t pull something like that again.”
Gwen grinned to herself as she kept her hands clenched in fists to hide the keys. As her nervousness grew, there was still a certain sense of comfort she gleaned from dying with the people she considered family.
In the middle of the road were eight poles, each with a short chain hanging from the top. The tributes were each made to stand in front of a pole. Peacekeepers lifted each tributes arms above their heads and linked their cuffs to the short chain.
An official enters and announces, “Wren Hartwood, Holly Edison, Gwendolyn Fisk, Thomas Windsnip, Cal Mensen, Valeria De’Masque, and Sydney Gardiner you are hereby sentenced to death for your acts of murder, terrorism, attempted escape from the Hunger Games, destruction of Capitol property, and treason.”
From the other side of the driveway two Peacekeepers assist Vester, now covered in burns and cuts, to the eighth and final pole.
“Vester Lombard you are hereby sentenced to death for sabotaging the Hunger Games, unauthorized use of arena hazards, destruction of Capitol property, and inciting a rebellion. May you all be an example to Panem as to what happens to traitors who attempt to defy our great nation. Peacekeepers, raise your weapons. May your aim be true.”
The Peacekeepers raise their rifles.
BLAM!
A shell narrowly missed the approaching airship.
"That was a warning shot!" sang a familiar voice from the cockpit.
From over the rooftops the shiny chrome exterior of a Peacekeeper hovercraft came into view. "Agni, we're gonna have to take care of that firing squad," Millie said as another large shell whizzed past, "...and that anti-aircraft gun. I can’t get down to the tributes without risking serious damage to this hovercraft." She motioned to the large turret on the back of the hovercraft, "Man that gun and take out any many of them as you can… I have a plan!"
"Way 'head of you, Ms. Cartwright!" The first victor shouted, fingers gripping the turret controls. Peacekeepers had begun to open fire on the hovercraft, their bullets denting and cracking the cockpit's window. Agni felt the hovercraft jolt with every shot he fired from the twin turret's massive barrels. He swept his targeting reticle across the line of executioners, and grimaced as they were cut down in a haze of debris and blood. "Not much left of 'em, Millie. Great job holdin' this thing steady!"
"I'm gonna take us down as close as possible," Millie grinned, "and leave the tributes a little present." Millie threw back the throttle and sent the hovercraft into a dive straight at the chained up tributes, "hold on tight, Agni. We're only gonna get one shot at this!"
"The hell're you- Ohhh no!" Agni's head slammed back against the copilot's chair as Millie dove the hovercraft and at the last second took a sharp turn back towards the sky causing a crate to fall off the back and smash on the pavement in front of the tributes. Out of the crate tumbled a bow, a shot of adrenaline, and a rifle. "Little warnin' next time!" said Agni.
"Alright, Agni!" Millie yelled over the engines roar, "Let's just hope those tributes can knock out that artillery!"
Dust flew into Holly's eyes, momentarily stunning her. She blinked them clear and saw the remaining two members of the firing squad had ducked for cover. Holly wasted no time. Looping the heavy chain around her wrist and turning towards the pole, Holly wrapped her legs around it and climbed the extra foot and a half she needed to pull the chain off the hook it had been attached to at the top. She grabbed hold of the end of the chain and dropped back down, taking the chain with her.
Thomas took in his surroundings. While the seven older and larger tributes were looking for ways to creatively break out of their bindings, Thomas tucked his thumb tightly into his palm, and after a few minutes managed to slip his tiny left hand out of the cuff. Perhaps being a scrawny thirteen-year-old was about to pay off for the first time in his life. He set to work on his right hand.
It wasn't going to end like this, Syd thought as she fought against the cuffs holding her in place. Twisting and writhing around, the metal scraped against her thumb which seemed to be the only reason that the handcuffs wouldn’t fit over. She moved her hands closer together before gathering her fingers to push down on her left hand with the metal of the cuffs. Then, she pushed. Hard. The pain shot through her like a thousand knives but she was able to push her thumb, dislocating the joint enough to slide one wrist out.
When the dust cleared, only a few had found their way out of the handcuffs. Gwen and Holly quickly each turned to unhitch as many of their friends as they could from the chains that bound them to the poles, and Vester had managed to disappear.
The two Peacekeepers emerged from their cover after the victors’ hovercraft looped back to make another round. “The tributes are escaping!” one exclaimed. They aimed their rifles at the tributes sprinting away from the execution site.
No one else should have to die by the Capitol’s hands, Sydney thought as she watched Wren, Cal, and Val freed by their teammates, the handcuff still attached to her right hand. She made her decision. She waved her free hand, shook her chain, and shouted as loud as she could, “Go! Get out of here!” knowing it’d be her last words.
Just as she had hoped, the Peacekeepers turned their gaze back to the execution site and opened fire on her and Thomas, who were still tethered to the pole. After being pelted with bullets they each hung lifeless by one hand.
Sydney’s diversion was all Holly needed to cover the ground between her and the crate by the Peacekeepers’ feet. As a Peacekeeper turned his attention back towards her, Holly dove under his line of fire for the rifle and felt a sharp pain in her ribs. The Peacekeeper’s steel toed boot had landed on her side and there was a sickening crunch as her rib cracked from the force of his kick. Bearing down on the pain, Holly reached the last few inches for the gun ahead of her. Grasping the butt of the gun she turned and aimed at the Peacekeeper above her and fired. The bullet hit him square under the chin and he collapsed on top of Holly, trapping her under his weight.
Val saw Gwen slipping into the crowd, away from the attention of the fallen crate, and from the corner of her eye noticed the second Peacekeeper ready his rifle, keeping her in his sights. Gwen kept moving forward not even noticing her impending death. Val sprinted after Gwen, her mind in a haze as time seemed to slow to a crawl. Val's heart ached and her vision grew blurry as she heard the rifle fire.
The pain of the bullet digging its way into her skin was intense. Nothing could prepare you for the agony caused by a rifle bullet tearing about the sinews and muscles of the chest as they tried desperately to protect the organs inside.
Val fell to the ground and as the Peacekeeper with a smoking rifle ran by in pursuit, she feebly grabbed at his leg, tripping him up a bit. "Damnit! You don't get to take this from me!" Val yelled as she did everything she could to prevent him from chasing the woman she loved. "...you don't get to take this from me," she repeated quieter as the ground beneath her grew slick from a mixture of tears and blood. She watched as Gwen made her way through the throng of moving bodies and out of sight.
Wren managed to find Cal in the crowd of terrified Capitol citizens, Peacekeepers, and tributes. He ran along side him, trying his best to hold back tears as he kissed Cal quickly and said, "Thank you. And I love you. I always will.”
Keeping pace with Wren, Cal gave him a playful punch to the shoulder to get his attention. He smiled, his eyes filled with confidence, tears edging into the corners. “No matter what happens, you finish this Wren. I love you, too.”
“Goodbye, Cal." Wren knew there was no happy future with Cal in it. He knew Cal would give his life if it meant the others could live. Wren couldn't bare to look at Cal any longer. He turned and ran to grab the adrenaline shot as Cal sprinted ahead for the anti-aircraft gun. As Wren’s fingers closed around the adrenaline shot he found himself face to face in the Cornucopia with Vester.
"Poor choice, little bird.” Vester stood there with an evil grin, covered in burns and scrapes, clasping the black bow. “I thought by now you’d know better than to test me." With lightning speed he nocked an arrow and flung it into Wren’s heart with deadly accuracy.
Wren dropped to his knees as strange, guttural animalistic sounds erupted from his throat. He both fully expected this fate, yet wasn't prepared at all. Wren couldn't even cry. He'd taken worse beatings from gangs of bullies back home. Nothing could touch him. He was numb. This was nothing compared to the loss of not being able to be with Cal. Wren felt that all his efforts had been worthless, but he also knew if he had given up hope, the rest of the Accord would have, too. What they had created in the Accord, working together… it was beautiful. But beauty can't last forever. Wren's body went limp, and everything went dark. He felt himself floating. He felt a breeze, as if soaring over the treetops in Seven. He saw Cal's face beaming at him. He finally found the peace he had been searching for.
Cal made a bee-line for the anti-aircraft gun, but his heart sank when he turned and saw Vester take position and ready his bow to take out Gwen who was already climbing up the platform to the turret. Cal took a deep breath; he needed to give his friends as much time as possible. He turned around to face Vester, a small smile on his face, his eyes glinting with amusement. “Vester, thank you so much for your incompetent handling of the Hunger Games! If I had listened to you, I’d just be another dead tribute.”
The Game Maker turns his focus, now aiming his second arrow at Cal. “You misguided fool. I have created the greatest Hunger Games the Capitol will ever witness! You end here, and your death will be meaningless.”
Cal did his best to dodge the arrow, but it struck him in the side and the damage was severe. It was a losing fight, but he was going to go down swinging. Cal’s small smile grew into a wide grin. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you? You can’t kill a Ghost!”
Cal threw himself at Vester, but the Game Maker easily countered, throwing the wounded Cal into a heap on the pavement. He kneeled down next to Cal and whispered, “No one will remember you.” Vester twisted the arrow in Cal’s side.
The agony plus the toils of starvation and sustained damage broke Cal. From the corner of his eye he spotted Gwen sneaking across the turret’s platform. Maybe he had held the Game Maker’s attention just long enough. See Wren… Cal thought. I became a hero after all…
Gwen noticed the hovercraft was having difficulty dodging the anti-aircraft gun. There was no way they could escape without disabling that gun. Now on the platform, she carefully snuck up behind a Peacekeeper guarding the weapon. If I can just make him so much as stumble, she thought. Gwen charged as he was distracted by the incoming hovercraft and knocked him at just the right angle to send him tumbling over the railing. She heard a sound that indicated he hit his head hard on the ground below. She then quickly set to work on the turret’s automated controls.
After a minute of tinkering Gwen cheered. “Yes!” The turret whirred to a stop just as someone grabbed her from behind and threw her sprawling to the ground. She groans and looks to see a burned and bleeding Vester standing over her. Vester pulled out his final arrow...
After catching her breath, Holly pushed the fallen Peacekeeper off her. Her side was exploding in pain, but she managed to scramble out from under him, pulling the chain and rifle free from his weight. The anti-aircraft gun had stopped for the moment. Adrenaline was pumping through her veins she dashed for the platform to aid her teammates. She pulled herself up onto the deck only to come face to face with Vester who plucked his final arrow out of Gwen’s limp body.
Holly pulled the rifle from her side but slowed by her injuries, Vester was able to make the first move. He rushed at Holly and clubbed her with the bow. Holly fell back on the railing coughing up a mouthful of blood as her rifle fell and landed on the metal grating at their feet.
Vester took a few steps toward her, kicking the gun behind him and leaned over her, his body and face heavily burned with a wild look in his eyes. He laughed at her as she struggled to bring herself upright. “Congratulations to the victor of the 4th annual Hunger Games. How unfortunate that your victory has to be so short lived.”
"The rebellion is here,” Holly coughed. “The Capitol will fall and there will be no more games. Panem will be free. Look around you! This can't be stopped!" Holly glared at him, hatred had been burning in her for Vester for a long time. The faces of her friends were flashing in her mind.
Vester smiled proudly. "There is no rebellion. You never escaped the Hunger Games. We’re in the arena right now. Splendid, isn’t it?” He stood back, admiring the chaos and destruction around him. “This will be the year that no one will ever forget.” He gestured with his arms wide open, "Everyone will remember the year Vester Lombard made the world his game!""
Holly spit out a mouthful of blood and gripped the chain behind her back. "Your game? My friends died for your little game and more will die today. You're right, no one will forget the last Hunger Games." Holly looked up at him with fire in her eyes, "But you won't get to enjoy it."
Holly pulled the chain out from behind her back and whipped it around Vester’s legs. It wrapped around his ankle and she pulled with all the strength she had left. Vester fell, smashing his head on the grating. Holly pulled herself over him as he lay stunned, straddling his chest and pinning his arms as she reached for the gun. In a moment she had it and forced the barrel beneath his chin. His eyes widened and he struggled to crack a smile and say, “Happy Hunger Games. May the odds…”
Holly pulled the trigger.
Holly slumped to the side, relief washing over her. You're not done yet, she thought. Get up. She pulled herself up and into the seat of the anti-aircraft gun, reviewing the controls.
Taking a deep breath, Holly turned the gun on the incoming Peacekeeper forces and fired. She hit several, the rest scattered for cover from the hail of shells. Holly wrapped the chain around the triggers, securing it with the handcuffs to the seat to keep the cannons firing. With any luck, it would give her the cover she needed.
Holly jumped down, crying out in pain and ran for the hovercraft landing in the runway. Sprinting around the hail of shells and ducking the bullets of the remaining Peacekeepers, Holly made it to the bay of the hovercraft and dropped to her hands and knees, finally free.
Agni helped the fourth and final victor up into the cockpit as Millie pulled the hovercraft back into the sky. She pushed the throttle and headed out towards the outer districts.
“What happens now?” Holly asked.
“We’re headin’ out to thirteen,” Agni replied.
“Thirteen? Wasn’t that destroyed four years ago? I heard there’s nothing left. It’s uninhabitable.”
“Yes’m. So it’s the last place the Capitol’ll think t’look fer us.”
Millie looked back at the other victors as the Capitol faded in the distance. Whenever she had envisioned this moment it had full of smiles and celebration but instead it seemed as though she was surrounded by bullet wounds and broken hearts.
As apt as their defeated faces were, Millie didn't want this to be the mood they associated with the memories of this day. "I could tell you that your injuries and losses were worth what you gained," she ventured addressing the victors, "I could tell you that your fallen friends and loved ones would've wanted the sacrifice they gave to lead your happiness. But what's truly important that you remember is that today...no one truly died. Because from their ashes and the strength of our Accord they have been reborn as the seeds of something that all of us have to carry on."
Millie gazed out towards the horizon, "And I promise you that we will rebuild the resistance. And when we’ve fully grown we will return to the Capitol."
She turned back to them with a beaming smile, "And the odds won't be in their favor."
The Peacekeepers led the handcuffed tributes to the end of the runway where the tribute parade normally took place but today everyone had gathered for a different sort of display. Gwen’s thoughts were racing. How could she get out of this? She had been in cuffs before in situations like this and other situations not so like this. Gwen glanced over to the peacekeeper escorting her. Everyone was human, right? She pretended to stumble into the peacekeeper and put her cuffed hands on his chest.
“Oops. Thanks for catching me,” Gwen said, breathy and low, sliding her hands down from the Peacekeepers chest. “I guess not all Peacekeepers are so bad,” her hands reached their destination. She pressed her body full against the Peacekeeper to distract the fact she was trying to palm the keys to the handcuffs. “Too bad I’m about to die. I would have liked to get to know you better,” she bit her lip and winked at the peacekeeper.
“S-stop!” the peacekeeper stuttered, a bit flustered. He shoved Gwen. “What the hell, tribute? Move along. Don’t pull something like that again.”
Gwen grinned to herself as she kept her hands clenched in fists to hide the keys. As her nervousness grew, there was still a certain sense of comfort she gleaned from dying with the people she considered family.
In the middle of the road were eight poles, each with a short chain hanging from the top. The tributes were each made to stand in front of a pole. Peacekeepers lifted each tributes arms above their heads and linked their cuffs to the short chain.
An official enters and announces, “Wren Hartwood, Holly Edison, Gwendolyn Fisk, Thomas Windsnip, Cal Mensen, Valeria De’Masque, and Sydney Gardiner you are hereby sentenced to death for your acts of murder, terrorism, attempted escape from the Hunger Games, destruction of Capitol property, and treason.”
From the other side of the driveway two Peacekeepers assist Vester, now covered in burns and cuts, to the eighth and final pole.
“Vester Lombard you are hereby sentenced to death for sabotaging the Hunger Games, unauthorized use of arena hazards, destruction of Capitol property, and inciting a rebellion. May you all be an example to Panem as to what happens to traitors who attempt to defy our great nation. Peacekeepers, raise your weapons. May your aim be true.”
The Peacekeepers raise their rifles.
BLAM!
A shell narrowly missed the approaching airship.
"That was a warning shot!" sang a familiar voice from the cockpit.
From over the rooftops the shiny chrome exterior of a Peacekeeper hovercraft came into view. "Agni, we're gonna have to take care of that firing squad," Millie said as another large shell whizzed past, "...and that anti-aircraft gun. I can’t get down to the tributes without risking serious damage to this hovercraft." She motioned to the large turret on the back of the hovercraft, "Man that gun and take out any many of them as you can… I have a plan!"
"Way 'head of you, Ms. Cartwright!" The first victor shouted, fingers gripping the turret controls. Peacekeepers had begun to open fire on the hovercraft, their bullets denting and cracking the cockpit's window. Agni felt the hovercraft jolt with every shot he fired from the twin turret's massive barrels. He swept his targeting reticle across the line of executioners, and grimaced as they were cut down in a haze of debris and blood. "Not much left of 'em, Millie. Great job holdin' this thing steady!"
"I'm gonna take us down as close as possible," Millie grinned, "and leave the tributes a little present." Millie threw back the throttle and sent the hovercraft into a dive straight at the chained up tributes, "hold on tight, Agni. We're only gonna get one shot at this!"
"The hell're you- Ohhh no!" Agni's head slammed back against the copilot's chair as Millie dove the hovercraft and at the last second took a sharp turn back towards the sky causing a crate to fall off the back and smash on the pavement in front of the tributes. Out of the crate tumbled a bow, a shot of adrenaline, and a rifle. "Little warnin' next time!" said Agni.
"Alright, Agni!" Millie yelled over the engines roar, "Let's just hope those tributes can knock out that artillery!"
Dust flew into Holly's eyes, momentarily stunning her. She blinked them clear and saw the remaining two members of the firing squad had ducked for cover. Holly wasted no time. Looping the heavy chain around her wrist and turning towards the pole, Holly wrapped her legs around it and climbed the extra foot and a half she needed to pull the chain off the hook it had been attached to at the top. She grabbed hold of the end of the chain and dropped back down, taking the chain with her.
Thomas took in his surroundings. While the seven older and larger tributes were looking for ways to creatively break out of their bindings, Thomas tucked his thumb tightly into his palm, and after a few minutes managed to slip his tiny left hand out of the cuff. Perhaps being a scrawny thirteen-year-old was about to pay off for the first time in his life. He set to work on his right hand.
It wasn't going to end like this, Syd thought as she fought against the cuffs holding her in place. Twisting and writhing around, the metal scraped against her thumb which seemed to be the only reason that the handcuffs wouldn’t fit over. She moved her hands closer together before gathering her fingers to push down on her left hand with the metal of the cuffs. Then, she pushed. Hard. The pain shot through her like a thousand knives but she was able to push her thumb, dislocating the joint enough to slide one wrist out.
When the dust cleared, only a few had found their way out of the handcuffs. Gwen and Holly quickly each turned to unhitch as many of their friends as they could from the chains that bound them to the poles, and Vester had managed to disappear.
The two Peacekeepers emerged from their cover after the victors’ hovercraft looped back to make another round. “The tributes are escaping!” one exclaimed. They aimed their rifles at the tributes sprinting away from the execution site.
No one else should have to die by the Capitol’s hands, Sydney thought as she watched Wren, Cal, and Val freed by their teammates, the handcuff still attached to her right hand. She made her decision. She waved her free hand, shook her chain, and shouted as loud as she could, “Go! Get out of here!” knowing it’d be her last words.
Just as she had hoped, the Peacekeepers turned their gaze back to the execution site and opened fire on her and Thomas, who were still tethered to the pole. After being pelted with bullets they each hung lifeless by one hand.
Sydney’s diversion was all Holly needed to cover the ground between her and the crate by the Peacekeepers’ feet. As a Peacekeeper turned his attention back towards her, Holly dove under his line of fire for the rifle and felt a sharp pain in her ribs. The Peacekeeper’s steel toed boot had landed on her side and there was a sickening crunch as her rib cracked from the force of his kick. Bearing down on the pain, Holly reached the last few inches for the gun ahead of her. Grasping the butt of the gun she turned and aimed at the Peacekeeper above her and fired. The bullet hit him square under the chin and he collapsed on top of Holly, trapping her under his weight.
Val saw Gwen slipping into the crowd, away from the attention of the fallen crate, and from the corner of her eye noticed the second Peacekeeper ready his rifle, keeping her in his sights. Gwen kept moving forward not even noticing her impending death. Val sprinted after Gwen, her mind in a haze as time seemed to slow to a crawl. Val's heart ached and her vision grew blurry as she heard the rifle fire.
The pain of the bullet digging its way into her skin was intense. Nothing could prepare you for the agony caused by a rifle bullet tearing about the sinews and muscles of the chest as they tried desperately to protect the organs inside.
Val fell to the ground and as the Peacekeeper with a smoking rifle ran by in pursuit, she feebly grabbed at his leg, tripping him up a bit. "Damnit! You don't get to take this from me!" Val yelled as she did everything she could to prevent him from chasing the woman she loved. "...you don't get to take this from me," she repeated quieter as the ground beneath her grew slick from a mixture of tears and blood. She watched as Gwen made her way through the throng of moving bodies and out of sight.
Wren managed to find Cal in the crowd of terrified Capitol citizens, Peacekeepers, and tributes. He ran along side him, trying his best to hold back tears as he kissed Cal quickly and said, "Thank you. And I love you. I always will.”
Keeping pace with Wren, Cal gave him a playful punch to the shoulder to get his attention. He smiled, his eyes filled with confidence, tears edging into the corners. “No matter what happens, you finish this Wren. I love you, too.”
“Goodbye, Cal." Wren knew there was no happy future with Cal in it. He knew Cal would give his life if it meant the others could live. Wren couldn't bare to look at Cal any longer. He turned and ran to grab the adrenaline shot as Cal sprinted ahead for the anti-aircraft gun. As Wren’s fingers closed around the adrenaline shot he found himself face to face in the Cornucopia with Vester.
"Poor choice, little bird.” Vester stood there with an evil grin, covered in burns and scrapes, clasping the black bow. “I thought by now you’d know better than to test me." With lightning speed he nocked an arrow and flung it into Wren’s heart with deadly accuracy.
Wren dropped to his knees as strange, guttural animalistic sounds erupted from his throat. He both fully expected this fate, yet wasn't prepared at all. Wren couldn't even cry. He'd taken worse beatings from gangs of bullies back home. Nothing could touch him. He was numb. This was nothing compared to the loss of not being able to be with Cal. Wren felt that all his efforts had been worthless, but he also knew if he had given up hope, the rest of the Accord would have, too. What they had created in the Accord, working together… it was beautiful. But beauty can't last forever. Wren's body went limp, and everything went dark. He felt himself floating. He felt a breeze, as if soaring over the treetops in Seven. He saw Cal's face beaming at him. He finally found the peace he had been searching for.
Cal made a bee-line for the anti-aircraft gun, but his heart sank when he turned and saw Vester take position and ready his bow to take out Gwen who was already climbing up the platform to the turret. Cal took a deep breath; he needed to give his friends as much time as possible. He turned around to face Vester, a small smile on his face, his eyes glinting with amusement. “Vester, thank you so much for your incompetent handling of the Hunger Games! If I had listened to you, I’d just be another dead tribute.”
The Game Maker turns his focus, now aiming his second arrow at Cal. “You misguided fool. I have created the greatest Hunger Games the Capitol will ever witness! You end here, and your death will be meaningless.”
Cal did his best to dodge the arrow, but it struck him in the side and the damage was severe. It was a losing fight, but he was going to go down swinging. Cal’s small smile grew into a wide grin. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you? You can’t kill a Ghost!”
Cal threw himself at Vester, but the Game Maker easily countered, throwing the wounded Cal into a heap on the pavement. He kneeled down next to Cal and whispered, “No one will remember you.” Vester twisted the arrow in Cal’s side.
The agony plus the toils of starvation and sustained damage broke Cal. From the corner of his eye he spotted Gwen sneaking across the turret’s platform. Maybe he had held the Game Maker’s attention just long enough. See Wren… Cal thought. I became a hero after all…
Gwen noticed the hovercraft was having difficulty dodging the anti-aircraft gun. There was no way they could escape without disabling that gun. Now on the platform, she carefully snuck up behind a Peacekeeper guarding the weapon. If I can just make him so much as stumble, she thought. Gwen charged as he was distracted by the incoming hovercraft and knocked him at just the right angle to send him tumbling over the railing. She heard a sound that indicated he hit his head hard on the ground below. She then quickly set to work on the turret’s automated controls.
After a minute of tinkering Gwen cheered. “Yes!” The turret whirred to a stop just as someone grabbed her from behind and threw her sprawling to the ground. She groans and looks to see a burned and bleeding Vester standing over her. Vester pulled out his final arrow...
After catching her breath, Holly pushed the fallen Peacekeeper off her. Her side was exploding in pain, but she managed to scramble out from under him, pulling the chain and rifle free from his weight. The anti-aircraft gun had stopped for the moment. Adrenaline was pumping through her veins she dashed for the platform to aid her teammates. She pulled herself up onto the deck only to come face to face with Vester who plucked his final arrow out of Gwen’s limp body.
Holly pulled the rifle from her side but slowed by her injuries, Vester was able to make the first move. He rushed at Holly and clubbed her with the bow. Holly fell back on the railing coughing up a mouthful of blood as her rifle fell and landed on the metal grating at their feet.
Vester took a few steps toward her, kicking the gun behind him and leaned over her, his body and face heavily burned with a wild look in his eyes. He laughed at her as she struggled to bring herself upright. “Congratulations to the victor of the 4th annual Hunger Games. How unfortunate that your victory has to be so short lived.”
"The rebellion is here,” Holly coughed. “The Capitol will fall and there will be no more games. Panem will be free. Look around you! This can't be stopped!" Holly glared at him, hatred had been burning in her for Vester for a long time. The faces of her friends were flashing in her mind.
Vester smiled proudly. "There is no rebellion. You never escaped the Hunger Games. We’re in the arena right now. Splendid, isn’t it?” He stood back, admiring the chaos and destruction around him. “This will be the year that no one will ever forget.” He gestured with his arms wide open, "Everyone will remember the year Vester Lombard made the world his game!""
Holly spit out a mouthful of blood and gripped the chain behind her back. "Your game? My friends died for your little game and more will die today. You're right, no one will forget the last Hunger Games." Holly looked up at him with fire in her eyes, "But you won't get to enjoy it."
Holly pulled the chain out from behind her back and whipped it around Vester’s legs. It wrapped around his ankle and she pulled with all the strength she had left. Vester fell, smashing his head on the grating. Holly pulled herself over him as he lay stunned, straddling his chest and pinning his arms as she reached for the gun. In a moment she had it and forced the barrel beneath his chin. His eyes widened and he struggled to crack a smile and say, “Happy Hunger Games. May the odds…”
Holly pulled the trigger.
Holly slumped to the side, relief washing over her. You're not done yet, she thought. Get up. She pulled herself up and into the seat of the anti-aircraft gun, reviewing the controls.
Taking a deep breath, Holly turned the gun on the incoming Peacekeeper forces and fired. She hit several, the rest scattered for cover from the hail of shells. Holly wrapped the chain around the triggers, securing it with the handcuffs to the seat to keep the cannons firing. With any luck, it would give her the cover she needed.
Holly jumped down, crying out in pain and ran for the hovercraft landing in the runway. Sprinting around the hail of shells and ducking the bullets of the remaining Peacekeepers, Holly made it to the bay of the hovercraft and dropped to her hands and knees, finally free.
Agni helped the fourth and final victor up into the cockpit as Millie pulled the hovercraft back into the sky. She pushed the throttle and headed out towards the outer districts.
“What happens now?” Holly asked.
“We’re headin’ out to thirteen,” Agni replied.
“Thirteen? Wasn’t that destroyed four years ago? I heard there’s nothing left. It’s uninhabitable.”
“Yes’m. So it’s the last place the Capitol’ll think t’look fer us.”
Millie looked back at the other victors as the Capitol faded in the distance. Whenever she had envisioned this moment it had full of smiles and celebration but instead it seemed as though she was surrounded by bullet wounds and broken hearts.
As apt as their defeated faces were, Millie didn't want this to be the mood they associated with the memories of this day. "I could tell you that your injuries and losses were worth what you gained," she ventured addressing the victors, "I could tell you that your fallen friends and loved ones would've wanted the sacrifice they gave to lead your happiness. But what's truly important that you remember is that today...no one truly died. Because from their ashes and the strength of our Accord they have been reborn as the seeds of something that all of us have to carry on."
Millie gazed out towards the horizon, "And I promise you that we will rebuild the resistance. And when we’ve fully grown we will return to the Capitol."
She turned back to them with a beaming smile, "And the odds won't be in their favor."