Return of the Mockingjay

Chapter 27

On the run back to other side of the wall I try to think of some solution as to what we could do to defend the wall but my limited military knowledge is holding me back. It was a welcome relief when  Steph and I reached the others and found that both Lyndon and Alek had taken control from the now rambling general Remus.

"Katniss, Steph, make your way back to the landing zone, we're leaving" states Lyndon as we finally make it back completely spent and out of breath.

"What, but what about the wall Lyndon, we cant leave it to Wolfe, it's the last line of defense before his army reaches 12 and 13!"

I feel Steph grab my arm and try to drag me away toward the waiting hovercraft.

"Katniss the wall is already lost, there's no way we've got enough soldiers to defend both sides, we can only hope to save the soldiers we've got here, now get going" he says pointing toward the landing area.

"Steph drags me on but I'm completely hopeless. The revelation that the wall has fallen is like the world has been ripped out from under my feet, put simply any hope I felt that the war would turn the way of the rebels is now gone. I'll never see Haymitch and Gale again, poor Ellie will be killed along with her parents and Plutarch, and me and my family will all return to the arena someday.

I stagger up to the collection of drop ships and hovercraft to see the engines are already running ready for departure.

Steph dumps me down by the drop ramp and runs back toward the wall edge, no doubt to helpout with the defence.
Only now do I hear the chatter through my headset, the shock of our predicament has passed and I'm just starting to take in the plan of what we're trying to achieve.

Lyndon and Alek have come up with an idea to use the heavy guns that we couldn't use for for the assault to set up a cordon around the landing zone to allow the soldiers to leave. Most of the guns are automated sentry drones and can be left to fight while we make our escape.
But as I Listen in to the plan I see the first few mutts reach the top of the wall and start running toward the soldiers. It's a one sided battle with the recruits having no hope of holding back the onslaught and Lyndon orders the remnants of our army to set up a skirmish line shooting into the advancing mutts while slowly retreating back to the line of automated sentries which the Rapiers have now set up.

These are to be activated once the soldiers have retreated behind the line of sentry guns, only then can everyone make a break for the hovercraft. I watch with my heart in my mouth as the soldiers keep shooting at the wall of mutts rushing forward, they seem uninterested in surviving the battle, man mutts, lizard mutts, even the dog mutts from my first games are among them, all bounding forward toward the sentry guns. Once past the sentries the soldiers stop firing and run toward the hovercraft. Someone, probably Lyndon activates the robot sentry's and the guns open fire on the mutts. The whole battleground is lost from view in a cloud of explosions and smoke from the guns and my spirits lift hoping that the sentry guns might actually win through for us.

Everyone turns and runs toward the waiting hovercraft and I find myself screaming at the top of my voice trying to encourage them. The guns only have enough ammunition for a few minutes and our time is limited to get everyone off the wall.

As I watch on I see the first few mutts make it to the line of sentry's and start ripping them apart, pulling the computers away from the guns and tearing them from their mountings. The stragglers hear the guns cease and turn and start shooting back at the rapidly advancing army of man mutts.