18 DAYS

Chapter 12: The Cornucopia.

DAY 6

Cato is unlocking the door of his house. It's the biggest in the victor's village and he's always been proud of that.

"I'm home!"

As soon as he steps into the entrance, two kids run to him cligging to his pure white Peacekeeper uniform. A blond girl and a dark haired boy.

"Kids, go help mom with dinner while I get changed."

When he says that, a beautiful woman with long black hair and a porcelain face constellated with freckles pops her head through the kitchen door.

"You are late colonel. Just take off your jacket, dinner is already served."

Cato welcomes a smile pumping love into his heart. "Yes my lady."

In a rush, he throws his jacket on the couch - he'll get yelled at that later - and grabs the two children by their small hands.

The kitchen releases a smell of a homemade meatloaf that send his mouth watering instantly. After helping the kids sit down, he goes to his wife stirring sauce on the stove.

"Did I ever tell you how amazing you are? I don't know what is deadlier, your knife skills or your sauce."

To proove his point, the woman grabs a knife on the counter and waves it at him.

"Don't push me boy or you'll find out."

They both smile at each other, tenderly like they had been doing it for years. Making each other happy for longer than it was necessary to explain. He puts a kiss on her lips, still filling the shiver of passion at the bottom of his spin after all this time.

But suddenly the door barges open. By reflex, he puts his wife behind his back. A troop of Peacekeepers enter the room, way too many for Cato to fight them. Why would he have to anyway ? He is one of them.

"What is this?"

Not paying attention to him, the head Peacekeeper take a paper out of his jacket pocket.

"Clove. You are heareby sentenced to death for treason. Your execution is to be carried out immediately."

"What is this!? What are you doing?!" Nothing is right. Everything is wrong. It doesn't make any sense.

One of the Peacekeepers take out a gun and hand it to Cato. The man just looks at it bewildered, like he is looking at a strange alien apparition that should have never existed.

"Panem wants Cato to proceed with the execution. Thus by prooving his faithfulness to the Capitol."

To push their words, two Peacekeepers point guns to the children. "Immediately."

Disconnected with the events unravelling without his control, Cato grabs the gun and turns around to look at his wife. She is smiling, a single tear falling down her cheek toward her quivering chin. Only sign of her fear. She nods.

With a sob, Cato points the gun to her beautiful face. "I love you." The last word she'll ever say before he pulls the trigger, the last time he'll ever say them.