A Whole New Game: A Hunger Games Story

Chapter 26: Voices and Rats

Athena

We walk in silence through the rest of the tunnels. Gale leads ahead with a map in hand while Cato lags behind. Every few seconds Cato looks up at the ceiling, expecting it to collapse again.

When the tunnels had collapsed earlier, Gale, Cato, and I were separated completely from the rest of the group. Unfortunately, now we must have to find a new route to the surface, but even with the map, twists, turns, and cave-ins lead us to dead ends.

Gale stops at a fork in the tunnels; I shine my light on his map for better view.

"The path on the right should lead us directly to the surface-"

"Shh! Did you hear that?" Cato suddenly interjects.

Our eyes fly up to the ceiling.

"No, it's coming from the tunnel on the right. It's like a hiss or something," he whispers.

I listen carefully, hearing the noise he had insinuated. It sounds much like a reptilian hissing, though eerily human at the same time.

"Left tunnel, now," Gale says urgently.

We sprint down the left and find ourselves at another fork, this time with three options.Again, we hear the noise, this time coming from two of the tunnels, this time growling.We run straight down the middle tunnel only to find it caved in with rubble.

We pause to catch our breath.

Silence.

"Did we loose it, whatever it was?" Cato asks.

"No, I don't think so, but something is holding it back." I say, my voice barely audible.

Then the icy breath crackles from somewhere above, filling the entire tunnel system and echoing among the cement.

"Very good Miss Raze, you have proven to be a very good soldier.Though I shouldn't be surprised, your test results were impressive."

My rapid heart nearly stops for a moment I can't breathe. "Snow," Cato says. He tries to sound calm but I can see his hand shaking in anger.

"President Snow I should think, Mr. Rofter," Snow replies coldly. "My, my, you are just a child after all.With you immature mockery and your childish attempts to enter my household.The tunnels? Not a very bright idea, as you must have already realized." A low rumble follows his voice.

"So you decide to collapse the tunnels on us," Gale cuts in. "It's a good scare, but it won't keep us from getting in forever.Why not just crush us right now?"

"Yes, why not just crush you now? Maybe because it's more fun."

"No," I hear myself squeak.

"Excuse me?" Snow asks, amused.

"No, you can't completely collapse the tunnels or the part of the city would collapse in with it. The tunnels are part of the Capitol's structure.You cave us in, and your city becomes one giant sinkhole," I say more confidently.

"Well, I am impressed, Miss Raze.You have come a long way from living out of the storage room."

My blood turns to ice.

"I- how- bu-" I stutter uselessly.

"Two years was it? Two years of taking care of your baby sister all by yourself, too young for a job, too old for the community home.Ah,but your sister was young enough wasn't she? But you were selfish,wanted her all for yourself. And now look at where she is."