Chapter 21 Chapter 21

It was the second time in less than an hour that killing Peeta was brought up. "Don't be silly," Jackson said. "I just killed one of my team!" Peeta yells. "You just pushed him away, and you didn't know you were going to trigger the net in that position," Finnick said, trying to reassure him. "Who cares? He's dead, isn't he?" Tears rolled down Peeta's cheeks. "I didn't know anything just now, and I myself have never seen me like this before. Katniss was right. I was A monster, a mutant, Snow has turned me into a murder weapon!"

"It's not your fault, Peeta," Finnick said. "You guys can't take me, it's only a matter of time before I kill the next one." Peeta looked around us, everyone was conflicted, "Maybe you guys think it's kinder for me to leave me somewhere, let me touch it Luck, but it's no different from delivering me directly to the Capitol. You think sending me back to Snow is doing me a favor?" pita.Back to Snow's hands.To be tortured and destroyed until the last bit of himself was gone. For some reason, the last verse of that song "The Hanging Tree" was stuck in my head.The man would rather his lover die than let her face the evil world.

Would you, would you, come to this tree with a necklace of rope around your neck, shoulder to shoulder with me, something strange happened here, but it was even more strange that we were at midnight under this hanging tree meet. "I'll kill you before something like this happens, I promise," Gale said. Peeta hesitates, as if considering whether it's safe to do so, before shaking his head, "That's not good. What if you're not here with me? I want a pill of your kind." Deadly fruit.I had a piece at camp, sewn into a Mockingjay costume.But there is also a grain in the jacket pocket of my military uniform.Funny how they didn't send Peeta a single one.Maybe Cohn thought he'd swallow me before he got a chance to kill me.It's not clear if Peeta wants the pill now to end his life immediately before we kill him, or if he'll kill himself when the Capitol catches him?In his current state, he will likely eat right away rather than wait until then.Of course, this would make things much easier for all of us.Don't shoot him.At the same time, this also solved the problem of his crazy killing.

I don't know if it was Pod, or fear, or watching Boggs die, I felt like an arena all around me.It's like I never left.Once again I threw myself into the fight, this time not only for my own survival, but for Peeta's as well.How happy, how satisfied Snow would be if he saw me kill Peeta.And I'll live with the guilt of killing Peeta for the rest of my life. "It's not just about you alone." I said, "You're helpful in this mission we're doing." I looked at the others, "Think we can find something to eat here?" Besides the first aid kit and video camera, all we have left is uniforms and weapons.

Half of us stayed behind to watch over Peeta, watching the news on the TV, while the rest of us split up to find something to eat.McSara did a great job.He had lived in a house like this one and knew where people were most likely to hide their food.For example, there may be a storage room behind the glass wall in the bedroom, the ventilation mesh in the hallway can be easily opened, etc.So, although the cupboard was empty, we found more than thirty tins and a few boxes of biscuits. This kind of hoarding of food makes people in the thirteenth district very uncomfortable. "Isn't this illegal?" Li Geyi said.

“On the contrary, in the Capitol, if you don’t do it, you’re considered a fool. People have been stockpiling food shortages since before the century race,” McSara said. "But other people have nothing to eat." Li Geyi said. "Yeah, that's the way it is here," McSara said. "It's a good thing that's the case, otherwise we wouldn't have food. One can per person," Gail said. Some people seem reluctant, but this is a good way to distribute food.I'm not in the mood to divide the food into eleven portions according to everyone's age, weight, and height.I was digging through the pile and was about to pick up a can of cod chowder when Peeta reached over and handed me a can. "Here you are."

I'm holding a can, I don't know what it is.On the wrapper of the can it read: lamb stew. I bit my lip, thinking of us in the leaky grotto of the arena, of my clumsy kisses, of the aroma of my favorite Capitol food wafting in the cold air.So he still has memories of the past in his mind.How happy, how hungry, how close we were when the picnic basket landed outside our grotto. "Thank you." I opened the can, "There are still dried plums in it." I bent the lid of the can as a spoon, and scooped a little into my mouth.Now the place even smells like an arena. We were passing around a box of custards when the TV beeped again.The national emblem of Panham appears on the screen and the national anthem is played.Afterwards, there were heads of the dead on TV, just as they played death's "tribute" heads in the arena.First came the four members of our film crew, followed by Boggs, Gale, Finnick, Peeta, and me.Among the players in the thirteenth district, only Boggs's head appeared on the screen, because the Capitol didn't know who the others were, and the second knew that these people would not arouse great repercussions among the audience.Then the man appeared, sitting at his desk with the national flag behind him and bright white roses glinting faintly in his suit pocket.Apparently he's been busy lately, as his plump lips seem even bigger.And his makeup artist should have given him less cheek paint.

Snow first congratulated the security police for their achievements, and praised them for eliminating a threat called mockingjay for the country.With my death, he expected a major turn in the war situation.Because the ragtag rebels lost their leader.Actually, what is she?Just a poor, nervous girl who can only play with a bow and arrow.She has no clear head, no ability to plan a rebellion, and she is just a commoner who attracted attention for her antics in the Hunger Games.But most importantly, the rebels have no real leader. Somewhere in District Thirteen, Bit flipped a button.Instead of President Snow, President Cohen appeared on the screen.She introduced herself to the people of Panem, saying that she was the leader of the rebel army, and then praised me.She credits the girl, the girl from the "Sandwich" of District 12, who had survived the Hunger Games and who had inspired slaves in Panem to become freedom fighters. "In life or in death, Katniss Everdeen's rebel face will not disappear from the crowd. Whenever you waver, think of Mockingjay. In her, you will find resistance to Capitol oppression. the power of."

"I don't know how important I am to her," I said.Gail laughed, and the others gave me questioning looks. Then a retouched photo of me appeared on the screen, beautiful and determined, with fire burning behind me.No words, no slogans.My face is what they need most at this time. Bit handed the picture back to Snow again.He looked composed.I got the feeling that Snow thought that emergency TV programs couldn't be cut, and someone was going to die for it tonight. "Tomorrow morning, when Katniss Everdeen's body is pulled from the ashes, you'll see the mockingjay for what it really was. A dead girl, she couldn't save anyone, not even herself." The national emblem, the national anthem, the end.

"It's just that you can't find her," Finnick said to the empty screen.He may have said something we are thinking about right now.I won't be gone for long.Once they dig through the ruins and don't find eleven bodies, they'll know we've fled. "At least we're ahead of time now," I said.Suddenly, I feel very tired.All I need now is to sink into the plush green couch next to me, wrap myself in a rabbit fur blanket or eiderdown, and get a good night's sleep.Instead, I took out the Holo and insisted that Jackson teach me the basics of the passwords—important for accessing the nearest intersection—so that at least I could operate them myself.My heart was even heavier when Holo revealed the circumstances we were in.We must be very close to the important target now, because the number of pods has increased significantly.How could we pass through this dense forest of pods without being seen?impossible.If we can't get through, we're like birds in a cage right now.I decided that since I was with these people, I'd better not put on airs, especially now that I was worrying about the guy sitting on the green couch.So I said, "What do you guys think?"

"Why don't we use the method of elimination and start by eliminating the possibilities. It's impossible to walk across the street." Finnick said. "The situation on the roof is as bad as on the street," Li Geyi said. "We could have retreated, back the way we came. But that would mean the operation failed," Holmes said. I feel guilty because that so-called mission was completely made up by me. "I didn't want everyone to go, but unfortunately you all followed me." "Well, it's pointless to say that. The problem is we're all with you now. Well, we can't stay where we are, we can't go forward, we can't go by sideways, so there's only one possibility," Jackson said. "Go underground," Gail said. underground.That's what I hate the most, like mines, tunnels, or the thirteenth district.Underground, I am most afraid of dying underground.But I'm so stupid, even if I die on the ground, won't I be buried in the ground soon. As well as showing pods above ground, Holo can also show pods below ground.I observed the underground map and found that the above-ground route is very clear and clear, while the underground passages are labyrinth-like twists and turns, but there are indeed a lot less pods. Two blocks further on, a shaft connects the above-ground apartments to the underpass.To get to the apartment with the shaft, we had to squeeze through a maintenance passage that ran through the entire building.The maintenance access is behind the cabinet on the second floor. "Okay, then let's tidy up here and make it look like we've never been here before." I said.So we wiped away all traces, threw the empty cans in the garbage chute, packed the uneaten for later, turned the bloodstained sofa cushions over, wiped the gel off the floor.The front door latch is unlikely to be repaired, but we deadbolt the second door so the door at least doesn't open by itself. In the end, only Peeta was not convinced.He sat on the blue sofa and refused to move. "I won't go with you, I will either expose you or hurt others again." "Snow's men will find you," Finnick said. "Then give me a pill. I'll only take it if I have to," Peeta said. "That's not okay, let's go." Jackson said. "What would you do otherwise? Kill me?" Peeta asked. "We're going to knock you out and drag you away. It's going to take time and make us more dangerous," Holmes said. "Stop being so noble, I don't care if I die!" He turned to me, pleadingly, "Katniss, please. Can't you see that I don't want to be in this anymore? " The thing is, I do see it.Why can't I just leave him here?Give him a pill and pull the trigger?Am I not doing it because I care too much about Peeta, or am I too reluctant to see Snow win?Am I using him as a pawn in my own game?It's despicable, but I don't know if I have such a private desire in my heart.If so, then killing Peeta here and now would be the most merciful thing for him.But no matter what my motives are, they are definitely not kind. "We're wasting time, are you coming with us voluntarily, or are we knocking you out?" Peeta buried his face in his hands, hesitated for a moment, then rose to join us. "Should we let go of his hand?" Li Ge asked. "No!" Peeta yells at her, pulling the cuffs closer to his body. "No." I said the same, "but give me the key." Jackson gave me the key without saying a word.I put the key in my trouser pocket, with the pearl. We had another problem when Holmes opened the small iron gate to the pit lane.The narrow passageway did not allow the camera's large carapace-shaped box to pass through. Castor and Poros removed the box and took off the emergency backup cameras. Each camera was the size of a shoe box, and this should work.McSara couldn't think of a better place to hide the box, so we ended up having to pile them up in a cupboard.Leaving such an obvious trail worries me, but what can we do? We crawled forward in single file, packs and weapons at our sides, and even then the passage seemed very narrow.We walked through the first apartment and then crawled towards the second apartment.The door to one of the bedrooms in this apartment is marked "COMMON" instead of "Bathroom".Behind the door is the entrance to the shaft. Mesara frowned at the sight of the large round lid on the shaft, and for a moment sank back into her own little world of trifling annoyances. "Because of that, no one wants the middle apartment, the maintenance guys are always coming and going, and there's no second access. But the rent is a lot cheaper, too." Then he sees Finnick laughing at him, so he goes on : "Oh, nothing." The lid of the shaft comes off easily.A wide, plastic-tread staircase descends easily and quickly into the city's underbelly.We climbed down the ladder and stood by it for a moment, allowing our eyes to adjust to the subterranean dim light, where the air smelled of chemicals, musty, and sewers. Poros was pale and sweating profusely, and he gripped Castor's wrist tightly, as if he was about to fall if no one supported him. "My brother has been working here since he became Avax," Castor said.Yes, who but Avax would work in this musty, damp, pould-filled place? "He worked here for five years before we paid him to work on the ground. He hasn't seen the sun for five years." In comparison, our situation is much better, there are not so many fearful things every day, and we can rest better. Logically speaking, it should be easy to find something to comfort him.But instead, we all stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what to say for a long time. Finally, it was Peeta who said, "So, you have become our most valuable asset." Castor laughed, and Poros also smiled. Halfway through the first underground passage, I realized that what Peeta just said was really different.He looked more like the old man, the man who always found the right words when people didn't know what to say.A little irony, a little compliment, a little funny, but it doesn't offend anyone.I glanced back at him.He's trudging along under the watchful eye of Gale and Finnick, staring at his feet, leaning forward, feeling lethargic, but for a split second, the old him does come back. Peeta was right, Boros are worth ten holos.Underground, a clear traffic network is woven with wide passages that correspond exactly to the streets above, just below the main streets and intersections.It's called "transit lanes," which are used by small trucks to deliver goods to cities.During the day, many of the pods here are closed, but at night it becomes a dangerous minefield.In addition, hundreds of various passages, maintenance wells, train tracks, and drainage pipes make the underground a multi-level labyrinth.For a newcomer, there are many places that are extremely dangerous, but Poros knows them like the back of his hand, such as which branch junctions require a mask, where there are live wires, and where there are rats the size of beavers.He reminded us which sewers would drain intermittently, and how to avoid Avax's shift shift.He'd lead us down damp, dark pipes to hide from wagons stalking by.Most importantly, he understands where the monitors are located.In this dark and humid place, there are not many monitors, and most of them are concentrated in the transit passage, but we still avoid them carefully. Under the leadership of Boros, we have saved a lot of time—if compared with traveling on the ground, it should be said that it is a lot of time.After about six hours, we were exhausted.It's three o'clock in the morning, and the Capitol has been scouring the ruins to prevent us from escaping through the pit lane.So I figured it was a few hours before they found out we were missing. I suggested rest, no one objected.Poros found us a warm little room where a lot of machines with levers and gauges buzzed.He held out his finger to indicate that we had been walking for four hours.Jackson arranged for everyone to take turns to be on duty, because I was not assigned to the first shift, so I squeezed between Gail and Li Geyi and fell asleep. After what seemed like only a few minutes of sleep, Jackson shook me awake and told me it was my turn to be on the alert.It's six o'clock, and we'll have to start in an hour.Jackson made me eat a can, and keep an eye out for Pollux, who insisted on being on guard all night. "He can't sleep under here." I forced myself to be more alert, ate a can of potatoes and peas, and sat against the wall, facing the door.Poros looked wide awake, perhaps rediscovering the claustrophobic life he had been living for the past five years.I took out the Holo, managed to enter our area, and scanned the underpass.As expected, the closer we got to downtown the Capitol, the more densely populated the pods were.Poros and I kept looking up the map to get acquainted with the Pod's location.When I started to feel dizzy, I handed it to Holo and rested against the wall.I looked down at the sleeping soldiers, crew members and friends, and I wonder how many of us will see the sun tomorrow. When my eyes fell on Peeta sleeping at my feet, I realized he wasn't asleep.I wish I could know what was going on in his head so I could get inside and untangle the lies that were haunting him.However, I'll do what I can. "Have you eaten?" I asked.He shook his head slightly, indicating that he hadn't eaten.So I opened a can of rice and chicken soup and handed it to him, taking the lid off at the same time so he wouldn't cut his wrist with it or something.He sat up, tilted the can, and swallowed it whole without chewing.The shadow of the machine is reflected on the bottom of the can, and I'm reminded of a question that's been on my mind since yesterday. "Peeta, you talk about Darius and Ravinia, and Boggs says it's true, and you say you think so, because it doesn't shine. What does that mean?" "I don't know how to explain it," he told me. "My mind was a mess at first, and now I can sort it out. There's a pattern here, a memory altered by the killer bee venom. It always feels weird, like the memory is too strong or the image is not stable. Do you remember how we felt when we were bitten by bees?" "The trees were shaking, there were huge colorful butterflies in front of me, and I fell in a pit full of orange foam." Then, I thought, "Sparkling orange foam." "Yes. But the memories of Darius and Ravinia don't have that. I don't think they used bee venom here," he said. "Well, that's nice, isn't it?" I asked, "If you can tell the two apart, you can tell what's real." "Yes, if I could grow wings, I could fly. Only humans can't grow wings. Really?" he said. "Really. But people don't need wings to live," I said. "Mockingjay needs wings." He finished his soup and handed me the box. Under the glowing light, the underside of his eye circles looked black and blue. "There's still time, you should get some sleep." He didn't object and lay down, but he was staring at a pointer that was swinging back and forth.Slowly, as with a wounded animal, I gently brushed the hair from his forehead back.His muscles tensed, but he didn't flinch.So, I still run my hands through his hair.It was the first time since we broke up in the arena that I actively touched him. "You still want to protect me. Really?" he said softly. "Really." I replied.This seems to require further explanation. "Because that's what you and I have always done, protecting each other." After about a minute, he fell asleep. Just before seven o'clock, Poros and I got up and woke everyone up.Everyone yawned and stretched as usual when they woke up.But my ears heard other voices.It was almost a hiss, very soft, maybe it was coming from a pipe or sewer... I tell everyone to be quiet so they can listen carefully.Yes, there was a very slight, short sound, which seemed to be a word composed of several whispers, a word, echoing underground.A word, a name, repeated over and over again. "Katniss."