Helping The Mockingjay Sing Again

Chapter 60

Katniss's P.O.V. 

I wake up again, tied up in this cramped position. But there is a tiny barred window letting in a little bit of sunlight. Outside I can see the big guns that obviously shot at District 13's planes. The thick forest is behind along with big boulders bordering the Rebel's camp. I lean my head against the pole, groaning in pain at the bump on my temple. My right arm is loosely lying on my knees. The pain is still there in the actual cut when I actually move but the rest of the flesh around it is pretty numb. There is probably an infection in it, brilliant(!)

I take a good look around my home for what is most likely the remainder of my life. To be honest, I know I should have more hope that I'll be rescued but I know that Nicholinus and Julias wont keep me alive for very long. I just have to pray Peeta and the others will get here in time or I can find some kind of escape route. I'm in a dark, dusty cellar type room. There is the computer monitor on a table to my left and small tap to my right. The door is directly in front of me, almost tauntingly close, only about 8ft away. With nothing else to do my mind wanders back to what happened before I was knocked out. 

FLASHBACK

The blood trickles down my chin onto my battered shirt. But I'll be damned if I seem weak to scum like him. I take a deep breath and look up, smirking, and say,

"Is that all you got?"  Nicholinus hands the camera to Julias. He smirks and comes towards me. It's then I see the silver blade. 

"Oh Darling, I'm just getting started." He cuts my right arm free. Thank God my SDC is on the left. He places it on the floor in front of him, using his knee to put pressure on my elbow. This alone is painful as he's forcing my elbow bone into the solid ground. As he starts carving a word into my arm, the blade roughly tearing through my skin, he taunts me.

"Tell me Miss Everdeen, how much does it hurt? Not this I mean, knowing that you aren't an innocent girl anymore. You are twisted, corrupted. A mutt! Tell Mr Mellark, if he's watching, to avenge you once you've finally left this world. Tell him how much pain you are in right now! Tell him, TELL HIM!" As he's saying this, shouting this, I panic for Peeta. Surely he can see this. If this triggers another episode and I'm not there...... I decide I'm going to do whatever it takes to spoil Nicholinus's fun. I don't even attempt a calm voice though, I'm in to much pain. I cry out,

"No, NO PEETA, DON'T LISTEN!" looking directly into the lens, tears threatening to spill. But I wont let them, I am not weak. He finishes. The word MUTT is carved in small cursive writing. Just another one of my many scars.

"Why wont you just give in Miss Everdeen?" Nicholinus says tiredly. Seriously? He's tired? But this is my chance to show the people of Panem; I am not weak, I am not giving in and that just because I'm in the enemy hands I will not bow down to them. I take a deep breath before saying,

"Because, I'm the Mockingjay. The symbol of rebellion, the spark. People look up to me despite the things I've unintentionally done. They know that you and your ways are wrong. And whether I'm dead or alive, people will now that you are in fact twisted and corrupted. You are the mutt here not me." I shout, before I black out....

END OF FLASHBACK 

My thoughts wander to Peeta. I hope he didn't see it, but I know in my heart he did. I look down at the word Nicholinus carved into my arm. That must've really affected him. It's now I remember that my SDC has a volume button. I lift my untied arm, breathing through the pain. I rub the sticky congealed blood off of my chin and wipe it on my trousers, before reaching around to my tied hand. Fiddling around with the SDC and breathing through the pain of moving, I try to imagine the SDC as if it's in my hands. I finally find the button and press it , hopefully silencing it. If Nicholinus finds it, I really have no hope of getting out. It's then I remember I have a handknife in my boot. I reach down, and struggle to get it out. I manage it and bring it around to where my hand is still tied.

Without warning, the bolt is being unlatched and I'm just quick enough to be able to place the knife in my left hand and place my right in the position it was before, on my lap. 

"Wakey wakey, Mockingjay!" Julias sneers as he walks in. He throws me a chunk of bread and turns on the tap. A load of rust and soot comes out before I see him filling a glass of surprisingly clean looking water. He drops in down next to me and walks out again.

I lift the chunk of hard bread to my mouth but can't bring myself to take a bite. I can feel the cord from the ripped stitches stuck in the blood and torn flesh. I clamp my fingers around the frayed ends and, whilst gritting my teeth and closing my eyes, I pull. The split in my lip is made bigger and the metallic taste of blood fills my mouth. I throw the old stitches to floor and used my frayed shirt sleeve to try and staunch the bleeding. Once trying and failing to stop the flow of blood, I take a sip of water, swill it around my mouth and spit. I swallow half of the water and use the rest to slightly soak the bread. It's so hard, I can't even sink my teeth into it. After chewing the disgusting mulch of bread, water and blood, the door opens and Nicholinus walks in followed by Julias. I keep the last of the water in my mouth discretely whilst Julias takes the camera, stands to the side and points it at me again. 

"So, Miss Everdeen," Nicholinus says kneeling in front of me, "How are you feeling? I see you've ripped out your stitches and you've got a very fetching purple lump on your head. It brings out the dullness of your eyes. Anyways, have you enjoyed your stay so far?" 

Instead of answering, I wink and the camera and spit a mixture of blood, water and saliva into his face. He sputters and I can practically hear Johanna's laughter. 

"Well, it's not exactly 5 star accommodation is it?" I say, holding back a chuckle. I'm going to pay for this, but watching him gag and rub his face manically is worth it. 

"You little BITCH!" He screams at me, before punching me square in the bridge of my nose. The fact that he's wearing a ring only enhances the pain as the stone in it punctures the skin. Within seconds, more blood is pouring out of my face. It runs down my lips and I sputter it onto his enraged face again, making him angrier. His solid boot makes contact with my ribs and then my stomach. I groan in pain and bring my knees up to try and block his foot. Instead he takes out a whip  from his belt and raises it.

SMACK!!! 

I scream in pain as the whip makes contact with my cheek. It feels like fire burning through my skin. My eyes water and I let the tears fall. He cackles before turning off the camera and walking out with Julias laughing behind him. The force of the whip was so hard, it broke the skin in contact and bruised the surrounding. 

This is it. I need to get out. Other wise, my last memories will be in this cellar......