Chapter 22 Chapter 22 The Underground Contest

The time we have gained is over.Perhaps as soon as the fire was under control, Snow let his men dig all night.They found Boggs' body and felt relieved, but, as time went on, they didn't find any more loot, and they became suspicious.At some point, they realize they've been duped.And President Snow couldn't stand looking like a fool.Whether they tracked us down in that apartment or deduced that we were underground, they knew we were underground and they had unleashed something, maybe a mutant animal, that was after me. "Katniss." The voice was so close that I jumped.I frantically searched for the source of the sound. I had already set up my bow and arrow, looking for the target to shoot. "Katniss." Peeta's lips barely move, but there's no doubt the voice is coming from him.Just when I thought he was getting better and was slowly returning to my side, I discovered that Snow had deeply poisoned him. "Katniss." Peeta has been programmed to respond to the slight sound, to join in the hunt for me.He started writhing, and with no other choice, I aimed the arrow at him, ready to shoot through his head.Shoot him at this point and he will hardly feel anything.Suddenly, he sat up, breathing rapidly, his eyes widened in panic. "Katniss!" He turned his head sharply at me, seemingly oblivious to the fact that I was aiming his bow and arrow. "Katniss! Run!"

I hesitated.His voice was panicked, but not mad, "Why? What's that sound?" "I don't know. Just know it's going to kill you. Run! Get out of here! Run!" Peeta said. After a brief moment of confusion in my mind, I decided I didn't have to kill him.I put down the bow and arrow in my hand, "Whatever the sound is, it's coming for me. Now we should split up." "But we're protecting you," Jackson said. "We're your camera crew," Cressida said. "I'm not leaving you," Gail said. I looked at my crew and they didn't have any weapons other than the camera equipment.And Finnick has two guns and a harpoon.I suggested he gave Custer a gun, took out Peeta's empty clips, loaded them with live clips, and gave them to Poros.Since Gale and I have bows, we gave Maisara and Cressida our guns.There was no time to teach them anything but how to aim and shoot.At close range, that's enough.Better than bare hands.The only person without a weapon right now is Peeta, but a person calling my name with mutant animals doesn't need a gun.

We left the hut and all that was left was our smell.There was no way to get rid of the smell.I figured the things that called me softly tracked us by scent, but we didn't keep many.Mutants' noses are supposed to be extra sensitive, but it's likely that since we've been walking in water, that helps a lot. Stepping out of the room, away from the hum of the machine, the sound became clearer.But it also helps us find our way.Behind us, quite a distance away.Snow probably released them in the very spot where Boggs was found.In theory, we should be well ahead of them, even though they are moving much faster than us.I thought back to the wolf-like animals I saw for the first time in the arena, the monkey-like animals I saw while competing in Xtreme, and the animals I saw on TV over the years.I wondered what kind of animal it would be this time.The animal that Snow released must have terrified me the most.

Boros and I have already planned our next course of action, because this path will take us away from the sound, so I don't need to change it.If we go fast enough, maybe we can make it to Snow's private house before the mutants catch up.But as soon as we got faster, there was an inevitable sound of boots hitting the water or the butt of the gun hitting the pipe.Even the voice of my command is easily picked up. We walked for about three blocks along the waterway and across a stretch of secluded train tracks when we heard screams.Low and vague, echoing in the underground passage. "Avax," Peeta said quickly, "that's the sound of Darius when they tortured him."

"The mutants must have found them," said Cressida. "It seems that they are not only looking for Katniss." Li Geyi said. "They'd probably kill anyone. They wouldn't stop until they found her," Gale said.He's been working with Bit for so long, he should be right. This is the case again.Many people will die because of me.Friends, allies, strangers, died for Mockingjay. "Let me go alone, and lure them away. I'll turn Holo over to Jackson. The rest of you get the job done." "Nobody agreed to do that," Jackson said angrily.

"We're wasting time!" Finnick said. "Listen," Peeta said softly. The shouting stopped and was replaced by my name, which surprised me by being so close.It's behind us. "Katniss." I pushed Boros on the shoulder and we started running.The problem is, we planned to go down, and now it seems impossible.When we came to the down passage, Poros and I began to search for an alternate route on Holo when I felt out of breath and wanted to throw up. "Put on a mask!" Jackson ordered. There is no need to wear a mask.Everyone breathes the same air.And I'm the only one who feels uncomfortable because only I react to the smell.It was the smell from the mouth of the ladder, and it came up through the sewage.It's the smell of roses.I start shaking.

In order to avoid the smell, I suddenly ran in another direction, but I just ran into the transit passage.It's all clean, colorfully tiled passages, like the main street above, but with white-tiled walls instead of apartment buildings.Here, trucks can travel unimpeded, avoiding traffic jams on the ground.Now the passage is empty, just us.I took my bow and arrow and shot the first pod with a dynamite arrow, killing the man-eating rats inside.Then I ran quickly toward the next intersection, knowing that one wrong step here would cause the ground to cave in and us to fall into the trap marked "Meat Grinder" on Holo.I yelled at everyone to follow me.I was going to trigger the Meat Grinder after rounding the corner, but another pod that wasn't marked on Holo was waiting for us.

It was triggered so silently that I would have been hit if Finnick hadn't grabbed me. "Katniss!" I immediately backed away, ready to shoot, but what could I do?Neither of Gail's two arrows had any effect, and a golden beam of light shone from the top to the ground.In this golden beam of light, Messala stood still like a sculpture, one foot landed on the tiptoe, and her head was thrown back, fixed by the light.Although his mouth was open, it was impossible to tell whether he was shouting or not.We can only watch helplessly as his body melts away like a candle. "Can't help him!" Peeta began to push everyone forward. "No way!" Surprisingly, he was the only one who stayed awake, urging everyone to move on.I don't know why he didn't get out of hand, when he could have just lost his mind and smashed my skull at such a time; but it could happen at any time.He was pushing my shoulder, and I looked away from Messala's horrific look and sprinted forward.Come on, I ran so fast that I almost didn't stop when I was approaching the next intersection.

There was a loud gunshot and the plaster fell from our heads.I hurriedly looked around, looking for the origin of Poud, but found that there was a team of security police swarming towards us at the transit passage. The "meat grinder" was right in front of us, we had no choice but to fight back.They had one or two more men than us, but we had six stars in the squad, and they couldn't run and shoot. "The turtle in the urn," I thought to myself as the blood splattered red on their white uniforms.Three-quarters of the men were killed by us, and more poured in from the side passages.These people have an odor I've been trying to avoid, from...

They are not vigilantes. They have white bodies, four legs, and the same size as an adult, but that's all the similarities end there.They are naked, with reptile-like tails, arched backs, and heads stretched forward.They jumped on top of vigilantes, dead or alive, bit their necks, and wrenched their helmeted heads off in one go.Apparently, Capitol blood is as useless here as it is in District 13.The animals seemed to take all the vigilante's heads off in just a few seconds.Then, they lay on the ground, alternately running on all fours, and rushed towards us. "This way!" I yelled, wrapping my arms around the wall and turning sharply to the right, avoiding Poud.When everyone was there, I rushed towards the intersection.At this time, the "meat grinder" was activated, and the huge mechanical claws pierced through the street, smashing the floor tiles to pieces.With this thing, mutant animals should not catch up with us again, but it's hard to say.Mutant Dingoes and Mutant Monkeys can jump very far.

The sound of my name being whispered made my ears ache, and the smell of roses made me dizzy. I grabbed Boros' arm, "Forget about that mission, where's the fastest way to the surface?" No time to check Holo.We followed Poros about ten yards down the transit corridor to a door.I was already aware that the tiles had turned into cement, and that we were going through a stinking narrow pipe and up a ledge about a foot wide.Our location was near the main drain, and a yard below was a noxious goo of human waste, trash, and chemical waste, bubbling and reeking.There were still flames in some places, and sickening steam in others.Just look at it and you will know that if you fall in, you don't want to come out again.We dared to walk as quickly as possible over slippery ledges and across narrow bridges.In a recess in the distance, Poros pulled a ladder that pointed down the shaft.Here we go, this is our way out. I glanced back quickly and saw something was wrong. "Wait! Where are Jackson and Li Geyi?" "They stayed at the 'meat grinder' and intercepted the mutants," Holmes said. "What?" I said, turning my head towards the narrow bridge. I didn't want to leave anyone with those mutants, but he grabbed me. "Don't waste their lives, Katniss. It's too late to save them. Look!" Holmes pointed to the pipe we came from, and the mutant was about to climb the ledge. "Back off!" Gale yelled.He shot an arrow of dynamite at the ledge, knocking out the far supports, and just as the mutants arrived, the ledge fell into the sewage below. For the first time I saw this animal carefully.They're a mix of man and lizard and who knows what else.It had white, taut reptilian skin, blood-stained, sharp claws, and facial features so peculiar that it was hard to tell what it looked like.They were hissing and screaming, and that sound was my name.Their bodies twisted in rage, wagging their tails, waving their sharp claws, biting off large chunks of flesh from themselves or their companions with their foaming mouths.They want to eat me, bloodlust drives them mad.The smell of my body is as deadly to them as their smell is to me.Not only that, due to the effect of this smell, the mutant animals began to throw themselves into the smelly water. On this side of the sewage channel, each of us opened fire.Without hesitation, I chose the most powerful arrows, flame arrows and explosive arrows, and shot them into the body of the mutant animal.They're not dead yet, but not for long.It is impossible for any natural body to pounce on twenty-four bullets.Yes, we can kill them eventually, but there are just too many of them.Constantly popping out of the pipes and jumping into the sewage without hesitation. But it's not their sheer number that makes my hands tremble. Mutant animals are all evil and all mutants want to kill you.Some take your life outright, like monkeys; others mess with your spirit, like killer bees.Yet the most vicious and terrifying mutants warp the human mind and terrorize their victims, such as the dingoes with the eyes of dead "tributes" and the twittering birds that imitate Prim's tortured cries.And now I'm dealing with a mutant animal that mixes the blood of its victims with the scent of President Snow's roses.The smell passed through the sewage and even overwhelmed the stench of the sewage, making my heart beat faster, my extremities cold, my breathing hard, and it felt like Snow was breathing into my face, telling me that my death was coming. Others were yelling at me, but I couldn't seem to move.A mutant animal was grabbing my ankle, and I shot its head off with an arrow, when a strong hand picked me up.I was thrown up to the ladder, with my hands pressed against the rungs, and a voice ordered me to climb up quickly.My numb and stiff body obeyed.I slowly moved my limbs and gradually regained consciousness.I spotted someone ahead, Poros, Peeta, and Cressida below me.We came to a platform and turned to the second ladder.The rungs of the ladder were slippery with sweat and mold.On the second platform, my head cleared and I realized what had happened.I started pulling people up and down the ladder like crazy.Peeta, Cressida.Gone. what did I do?Who did I lose the others to?I was going down the ladder when my boot kicked someone. "Climb up!" Gail yelled at me.I climbed up again, dragged him up, and looked down the dark ladder, hoping there were more people. "No." Gail turned my face to him, and shook his head.His uniform had been torn, and the side of his neck had been scratched several times by claws. There were screams from below. "There are still people alive." I begged him. Unable to accept this reality, I shone the flashlight on the barrel of Cressida's gun down.Down below, all I can make out is Finnick, struggling as three mutant animals pounce on him.A mutant animal yanked his head, delivering the final coup de grace.Then a strange thing happened, I felt like I became Finnick, and I saw scenes of my life flashing before my eyes like images.The mast of the boat, the silver parachute, the smiling Magus, the pink sky, Pitt's harpoon, Anne in her wedding dress, the waves crashing against the rocks, and then it was all gone. I unhooked Holo from my belt and yelled with difficulty, "Killing fruit, killing fruit, killing fruit," and dropped it, huddling against the wall with the others, the platform trembling with the sound of the explosion.With the sound of the explosion, the limbs of mutant animals and human flesh flew out of the tunnel and landed on us. Boros slammed the door on the passageway and locked it securely.Pollux, Gale, Cressida, Peeta and me.That's all for the rest.In the future, maybe the human sense will come back, but now all I have is animal instinct, and I want to keep the rest alive. "We can't stop here." Someone brought bandages, and we wrapped the wound on Gale's neck. "Peeta," I said.no response.Is he stupid again?I knelt down in front of him and took his hand away from his face. "Peeta?" His eyes were black pools, the pupils dilated so the blue irises were gone.The muscles in his wrist were stiff as a rock. "Leave me alone." He said weakly, "I can't hold on anymore." "Yes, you can!" I said to him. Peeta shook his head, "I'm dying, I'm going crazy, like them." Like mutant animals.Like those raging beasts trying to rip out my throat.Finally, here, under the circumstances, I really had to kill him.Snow would win.A strong hatred filled my chest.Snow has won too much today. I'm not sure what to do next, it's even suicidal, but it's the only way I can think of right now.I lean forward and kiss Peeta affectionately.His whole body began to tremble, but my lips pressed against his and didn't stop until I needed to breathe.I squeezed his wrist tightly, "Don't let him take you away from me." Peeta struggles with the nightmare that haunts him, and he gasps, "No, I don't want to…" I grabbed his hand so tightly that it hurt to scratch him, "Don't leave me." His pupils constricted, dilated rapidly, and then returned to almost normal size. "Always," he murmured. I help Peeta up and at the same time I say to Poros, "How far to the street?" He gestures, right above our heads.I climbed the ladder, pushed back the lid, and went to someone's "common" room.I was about to climb up when a woman suddenly opened the door.She wore a gown of bright emerald silk embroidered with exotic flowers and birds, and her magenta hair was fluffed up like a cloud with gilded butterflies pinned to it.She held a half-eaten sausage in her hand, her lipstick stained with grease.The look on her face showed that she recognized me, and she opened her mouth to call out. Without saying a word, I shot an arrow through her heart.