Lethal Charm - THG [1]

37

Knox stirred awake, an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She shifted forward and noticed that Katniss was still on watch and she was looking towards the entrance of the platform and hadn't even noticed that Knox was awake.

Knox frowned as Katniss pulled out the holo and stood up, stepping towards the girl, "Katniss?"

The girl shushed her, motioning for her to listen. Knox strained her hearing and listened. In the distance she could hear a sort of rumbling, "wait here," she instructed, putting her sword sheath back onto her back and strapping it into place.

Katniss handed her the holo and she took it, turning on the flashlight and scanner as she carefully descended the stairs and into the shallow water.

The holo beeped lightly as she pointed it down the tunnel ahead and then turned it to point down the direction they'd arrived from. That was when she heard it.

A low hissing from the distance, something not quite human. It was growing louder and louder as she stood in the dark wet tunnel, listening carefully and trying to locate the direction of the noise. It was echoing off of the walls and bouncing from direction to direction making it impossible to pinpoint which way it was coming.

"What is that?" She faintly heard Jackson ask from back at the platform.

Knox turned back towards the platform and handed the holo back to Katniss, "we need to move, now." She said urgently, keeping her voice low.

"Mutts." Peeta exclaimed in realisation, "They've released mutts."

"Keep your voice down," Gale scolded.

"Pollux what's the fastest way out?" Katniss asked quickly as she stepped down into the tunnel with Knox and he followed close behind.

"Come on!" Jackson whisper-yelled to the others, "Go! Go!"

Gale stepped to the front of the group, raising his crossbow and knocking a flaming arrow. He shot the arrow down the tunnel ahead of them, illuminating it and revealing it to be empty for now.

Seeing that the path was currently clear, Knox stepped back allowing Katniss to pass by her and walk ahead with Pollux and Gale. She gestured for Peeta to go ahead, following behind him as the group moved steadily through the tunnel, each member on high alert.

Knox took her katanas from their sheathes, needing to have them in her hands just in case. She couldn't help but glance back over her shoulder every few seconds, despite Jackson being at the rear of the group with her gun drawn at the ready.

Knox found herself counting the heads of each person, making sure everyone was still here, despite there being no reason to yet. They hadn't encountered any mutts but could hear them getting closer by the second.

They paused as the tunnel split off into another side tunnel. Gale shot another flaming arrow down the left tunnel revealing it to be empty.

They continued on until they reached a wall with a gap, big enough for someone to climb through, in it. Pollux shone his flashlight into the gap and saw that it was clear, well as clear as he could tell, and silently climbed up, shuffling his way through the gap and carefully climbing out the other side.

He turned back and gestured for them to wait and turned down the tunnel checking each direction but returned a moment later deeming it clear and gesturing that they could come through.

Gale went first, placing his crossbow into the gap first before quickly shuffling his way to the other side so Katniss could follow him. Then Peeta, Castor, Finnick, Cressida, and Messalla.

Knox placed her katanas back into the sheathes on her back and hoisted herself up, crawling through the claustrophobia-inducing space to the other side, moving quickly so Corporal Homes could get through behind her.