A Whole New Game: A Hunger Games Story

Chapter 27: A Shot, a Shot, and a Spark

Eleanor

Finnick is the first to emerge from the manhole cover, the moonlight streaming into the dark tunnels. He hushes the army, climbing the ladder to the surface and slowly sticking his head from the opening, gesturing the rest of us silently up.

I am directly behind, and slowly make my way up the ladder and follow him out into the dark street.We are in the middle of a crowded Capitol avenue, people racing about in panic.The street lights are out, as are all lights in the buildings, leaving everything illuminated by the rays of moonlight.

Marvel's head pokes up behind me, and a bit farther down the street, I see a second manhole cover come flying off with more anti-Capitol forces emerging.Then another, with more grey armor and black weapons poised at their sides. Soon the street is full of the Rebellion Army, and the Capitol citizens stand petrified, silent and paralyzed with terror. No one moves for a moment, each side awaiting the others reaction, a timed game of chase. The mouse waits for the cat to pounce, the cat awaits the mouse to move.And then, somewhere amongst the crowd of dumbfounded Capitol people and grey soldiers, a gun fires.

And so the chaos begins.

In a matter of seconds, the street is a mess of fireworks: the rainbow sparks of Capitol citizens fleeing by, the smokey haze of Rebellion troops that smolder in the crowd, the bangs and booms of the weapons as they echo off the buildings.

"Go!" Finnick screams. Marvel and I do not hesitate to follow.We run up the street, avoiding bustles of grey and swarms of color. Bullets ring out. People scream. I see the first Rebellion soldier fall.

"What do we do?" I shout, dodging a pudgy woman, whom I believe to be orange, as she hurdles past,

"Round up the citizens in the city Circle.Try and do it before the Peacekeepers come. It'll be easier if we aren't all rummaging together," Finnick hastily replies, stopping to fire his gun at a Capitol citizen attempting to shoot a Rebellion gun, dropped from its now lifeless owner.

We follow a hoard of grey up the street, and I take a moment to evaluate the buildings as I run.Though the electricity is out, the Capitol somehow still seems to have a glow to it, one that illuminates the whole city and allows almost everything to still be seen. I realize-it is the stars.There is no comparison, not even to those of the seaside in District 4.They sparkle and illuminate; the moon is their brilliant queen, glistening bright and proud in her dark open throne. I have never seen a night sky such as this. One that though dark, encases the landscape in light.A glow. It seems appropriate for the Capitol. In the ultimate world of luxury, even their sky is better.

It reminds me of the arena's sky, and I begin wonder how much of it is real. A shot cuts through my thoughts.

"Get down!"

I hit the cement, nearly toppling into Finnick as Marvel comes crashing down next to us.

A swarm of peacekeepers emerge from the road up ahead, and several begin running towards us with vicious looking batons in hand. Finnick fumbles with the gun at his side, and my hands find themselves locking around the hilt of the trident, it's body humming with electricity. One Peacekeeper has made it to us before we are on our feet, and he manages to give Marvel and good thwack! on the forehead with his baton before he is up.The boy falls backward, a large gash now imprinted just above his eyebrow. He hits the pavement hard again, and if not dead, then he's unconscious, though hopefully the first.

The peacekeeper turns to Finnick, still fumbling with his gun, and pulls back his bat as if to swing it again. Rage courses through me and out into the trident, which sails clean through the Peacekeeper's midsection in a single firm thrust. In his fleeting moments his eyes go wide, and I halve the remainder of his life by yanking the pronged weapon back out, snapping his ribs and piercing his lungs in the process. His body hits the cement with a satisfying, hollow thunk!