《Broken (Peeta Mellark Fanfiction)》Chapter 13 - Chaos
Advertisement
I fasten Tigris's furry hat over my head so it hides my blonde hair, grimly remembering what happened to the man who'd been accused of being me just because of his similar hair.
I pull my scarf over my mouth as the cold air whips onto my face. I merge into the crowd of Capitol citizens with my head hanging low. The sky is very dim, making it difficult to locate Katniss and Gale ahead of me. It shouldn't be a problem, I know they went this way, and I'm sure that they're headed to the President's mansion. It's essential that I find them, so I know if or when I need to cause a disturbance. At least it'll be harder for people to see my face.
I can hear gunfire in the distance, and I try to block out the desperate crying in the crowds. There's silent refugees, and curious children, asking what's going on and where they're going. A little girl in a purple tutu holds hands with who I am assuming is her mother. They're right in front of me, the little girl looks up at her mom with a confused expression.
"Mommy, where are we going?" She asks.
"We're going to the president's mansion." The mother answers in a hushed tone.
"But why?"
"He's offered us a place to stay, we will be safe there."
The little girl nods before looking back at me. She looks away, then quickly looks back at me again. I keep my eyes on the ground, and nestle my face more into my scarf so it's covered better. Luckily the little girl looks away from me again, so I can release a breath I didn't realize I was holding in. I slowly move to the edge of the crowd, thinking I can get a better view from here. Suddenly a bunch of people in front of me randomly start dropping, at first I'm confused, then I hear the gunfire above us and see the ripple of bullet wounds across their bodies. I drop down to the ground with them, a woman next to me starts screaming, and other people join in. I crawl over to the wall, my entire arm dipping into a puddle of someone else's blood. When I look up, I can see the dark uniforms of the rebels. They're the ones shooting. When my eyes glance over the motionless bodies, I see the purple tutu of the little girl who stared at me only moments ago, she's lying in the street next to her mother, motionless with the others...
Advertisement
I can feel my heart racing, but my mind is somewhere else, I have to find Katniss. I can hear more gunshots coming from the rooftops, I stay against the wall with a few other panicked Capitol citizens. People are running now, tearing past each other while peacekeepers shoot at the rebels above.
I move quickly against the wall, avoiding the sight of any peacekeepers, but luckily they are occupied with trying to shoot down the rebels, who are now starting to pour out into the streets and take cover behind vehicles or display stands. Many refugees aren't so lucky, a large number of them are lying out in the streets, dead. Some of them might've activated a pod, because I can hear explosions followed by piercing screams coming from up ahead.
I aggressively push away the dizziness that is prickling with madness as I try not to trip on the bodies, or slip on the pools of blood.
Maybe I should head back to Tigris's, I'm going to lose control and make things worse.
I can't head back now, I've made it this far, and I still haven't found her.
What could I do at this point? I came to cause a distraction but now there's plenty of that going on now.
I'm not going back, I'm not going to do nothing, this insanity can't control me any longer, at least not now.
I make my way towards where I think the City Circle is, it's still a little far away but all I can do is try to get there, I know that's where she'll be. The air is steamy, all I can see is snow, piles of corpses, and people shooting at each other through unclear steam. There's so much blood, flooding the streets and sidewalks, then there's the screaming, never-ending from every direction. There are so many ways Cressida, Pollux, Gale and Katniss could have already died by now. I hold onto the idea that they're still alive, but it's barely possible to think.
I duck into a doorway, then crouch down and lean my head against the wall with my hands clamped over my ears. Insanity spirals through my veins, yanking me away from the real world, but I'm still desperately holding on. As I'm slipping, her name appears, and I repeat it to myself over and over.
Advertisement
Katniss.
She might still be out there. I have to find her, I have to make sure she's safe.
That's what you and I do. Protect each other.
I force myself to stand back up, to step back out into the chaos. Most of the screams have stopped, and I can't see any peacekeepers and rebels shooting at each other anymore. The steam is a little faded, I can see groups of people in white uniforms pouring throughout the streets. They are medics from District 13, and it looks like they're checking every corpse, searching for survivors that they could possibly help.
I'm not too far away from the City Circle, I can see a large concrete wall that separates a big crowd of people from the president's mansion. I quickly walk towards it behind a small group of panicked Capitol women. I get close enough to see the president's mansion in the short distance, not currently taking in any residents. Citizens are crowded in front of the wall, shoving their children to the front, it looks like they are taking in the children first.
What happens next is a blur, there's shouting, pointing, falling parachutes like the kind you usually see in the Games, then a giant explosion.
The snow is tainted red with flesh as blown off body parts are randomly lying about.
I'm on the ground, covering my ears as they ring, staring at the scene in horror while feet pound past me into the City Circle. It's the medics, they're running down the street to the moaning children lying on the burnt ground.
When I look behind me at the frantic medics running past me and into the City Circle, I see a familiar face.
Her blonde braid, the innocent eyes, it's Katniss's sister Prim.
I blink my eyes several times, then look away.
I'm probably hallucinating. My hijacked mind lies to me all the time, I can't trust it. It can't be her, it's not real. But what if it is real? Then again, what if none of this is real?
My head hurts, but I find the motivation to stand up again. People are crying, children are screaming, my hearing slowly recovers from the ringing but it's still all very distant. Medics, peacekeepers, and refugees all rush past me to and from all directions. I move with them, closer to the City Circle, and I scan the many faces to see if I could find Prim's once again, but I can't.
Then I see her, on the other side of the Circle, it's Katniss, she moving closer as well. She can't see me, she's staring at all of the unfortunate children. Through all the loud roars of noise, without the slightest bit of thought, I shout her name. But when I take one step towards her, a giant fiery wave blows me backward.
A wide line of heat burns into the left side of my body. Flames slash my face, and my forehead stings. I try to lift my hand to my face, but it's burning too, the entire sleeve of my Capitol outfit has giant holes burnt into it. My neck sizzles with pain, and I'm suddenly aware of my clothes on fire. The smoky scent of burning fabric fills my nostrils. Before I can attempt to stand up again, the smokey air turns into complete darkness.
Advertisement
- In Serial20 Chapters
World Servers - Dawn
The year is 2143, and much of the world’s population has been digitized for decades. Different servers are configured for different purposes. Some servers are pure gaming worlds. Others are offshoots of fringe political experimentation or regimes. Still others are based around ethnic or nationalist sentiment. Some replicate past times or past eras. And still others have been designed as totally imaginary locations created out of the dreams of programmers and the Artificial Intelligences that have been used to build and drive them. The gaming guild I Like Big Booty is a loosely affiliated group of friends and avid players. Theirs is an international guild which spans multiple servers, mostly running raids, ganking other players in PVP, and generally trying to build up the funds to purchase their own home world server. On one of the most populous servers – designed to resemble 20th century earth – a small raid team running a boring and routine run in Washington DC, comes across something that might change the fate of Virtual Reality across the solar system. Note: Per request, the title has been changed, though I might change it again when if I come up with something a little better.
8 98 - In Serial6 Chapters
Close Combat: A ninja who can't use ranged techniques (Xianxia)
A conflict is brewing in The Valley of Dragons. With the disappearance of the mountain sages, A peacekeeping organization, a power struggle emerges leaving the village of Kiyo at the epicenter. Dani is a young ninja in the top of his class at sealing and close combat techniques. He achieved Gold status with those two skills alone but the village seeks to keep him there. " A true ninja should be able to master every path." The Elders say.
8 223 - In Serial68 Chapters
The Unknown Returnee
Warning: Slowly Developing Story For 60 years, Aldryn, the Oracle of Light has been searching for the people who murdered his family. Just when he was about to give up, he encountered a mythical creature who arrived from another world. Apparently the creature could also see the world in a game-like interface. It appears that Aldryn's life is about to become more interesting.
8 143 - In Serial31 Chapters
Danimal - Español
La vida de un niño (mitad humano, mitad ángel) que fue capturado y experimentado para crear un arma, viviendo en uno de los planetas más grandes del universo, luchando contra criaturas y razas, en donde tiene que crecer, luchar y vivir su vida, nuevos retos nuevas aventuras, todo es posible. No todo es perfecto en su vida, ya que tendrá que cortar algunas cabezas y aprender de un corazón roto.
8 127 - In Serial12 Chapters
Death Note : A New Story
What if the 'Death Note' was given to someone other than Light? How would the incidents progress? Would there be havoc and chaos or peace and prosperity? Find out in an alternate story of the franchise 'Death Note'.
8 175 - In Serial44 Chapters
The Book of Hickory
Now why did Hickory go and punch that Angel? Sure it spooked him, popping up right there at lunch, and yet, it wasn't fear that balled his hand into a fist - Cause wouldn't you? Wouldn't anyone - with a sick Ma at home, Da long dead, buried, all them prayers piling up on bruised knees, unanswered? Hickory was angry, all right. He was fierce, now - cause that Angel didn't show up to give no help, that Angel came by asking for it - with all that power just plain to see, the power to fix the world and all that ails it! And now look what poor Hickory has to do - to save the world? Now how is he supposed to do that when its taking near everything he's got - just to keep them chickens safe, Ma fed, and himself out of trouble - All he wanted was maybe just a dance with May, maybe a bit more, to hold her close? That she's sweet, now, a voice like an angel, but now she's over there lookin at him like he's more than a man. And that's not to say Hickory is bad, not all the time, not ever on purpose - just there are things a man has to - That drinking and fighting ain't wrong just as long as the chores are done proper first, that those parts of life that make it worth living ain't no sin, that loving a lady is proper and Hickory just has so much love to give! And May is special, right, sweet and soft, now she's sophisticated. That she wears her passion like a pearl necklace? That certainly Hickory would notice, naturally - that she's already spoken for, perhaps taken? That ever since Hickory came back, that all she can think about is swallowing - those strange feelings, because it wouldn't do, would it? For a Lady? But certainly she can worship him and still be seen with Weston Covanger? Because Weston needs May, that what happens in the Study is only half the battle, the Men's Business, and he's far too proud to settle for half of anything. That if he wants to move up the ranks of his family, to be more than a Covanger, to become the Covanger? He's going to need a woman in the Kitchen as well - he's going to need May. And if that seems a bit old fashioned? A bit too much like the Wild West? Well the West is starting to get wild again now that everyone starts to Drink. A different take on LitRPG where answers aren't given - they must be earned, discovered and fought for, one at a time. An orator style, a long read, filled with magic buildings, crafting, alchemy, but most of all - This is a story about the human spirit. About understanding what defines a person, their morals, their beliefs, and also faith when everything they understand becomes challenged - changed. So do they. People can change. They will. Just not always for the better, not always - sometimes. Sometimes that's enough. Sometimes that's even everything.
8 122

