Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Silver Parachute

I couldn't help but shiver.Am I really that cold, so calculating?Gale didn't say "Katniss would choose someone without whom her heart would break" or "choose someone she couldn't live without".It sounds like I'm still an emotional person.But my best friend predicted that I would pick "the man who couldn't live without him".The meaning in the words is that I don't choose my feelings for love, or desire, or even mutual sympathy.I can only estimate what my partner can give me without mixing any emotional factors to judge whether I want him or not.It's like saying, I'm weighing whether I'll live longer between a hunter and a baker.It's horrible that Gale says that, and Peeta doesn't even object.You know, my relationship was almost completely destroyed by the Capitol or the Rebels.Judging from the current situation, my choice is very simple. No matter which of them is missing, I will live well.

Waking up in the morning, I don't have the time or energy to deal with my hurt feelings.Before dawn, we ate breakfast of pork liver pate and fig biscuits while we watched the news coming in from the bit in front of the TV.The war has made new progress. Inspired by the black waves, the rebel army collected some abandoned vehicles from the people and crossed the street without driving.The car doesn't trigger all of the pods, but it apparently destroys most of them.By four o'clock in the morning, the rebels began to advance on different streets - the routes were simply designated as A, B, C, D - to the center of the Capitol.As a result, they took block after block with few casualties.

"It doesn't last long, and I'm actually amazed how deep they can travel. The Capitol can shut down certain pods and then manually activate some pods when the target gets close." Gale Say.Before he could finish his sentence, we saw what he expected on the screen.A squad drives a driverless car into a block, triggering four pods, and everything looks normal.Three scouts followed, walking to the end of the street.But when the 20-man team rushed forward, they were blown to pieces by a potted shrub in front of a flower shop. "I'd say Plutarch's not being in the control room at this point killed him," Peeta said.

Bit handed over the broadcast to the Capitol, and on the screen, a stern announcer was announcing which neighborhoods residents needed to evacuate.By comparing the news she broadcast with the video I just saw, I can mark the positions of the armies of both sides on the map. I heard a commotion in the street, so I moved closer to the window and looked out through the slit in the shutter.In the twilight of the morning, I saw a strange picture.Residents of the now-occupied neighborhoods are crowding into the downtown Capitol area, many in a panic wearing only dressing gowns and slippers, while those who are prepared wear layers of clothing and carry everything from pet dogs to , jewelry boxes, to potted plants.One man in fluffy pajamas even holds an overripe banana.The sleepy and flustered children ran and jolted behind the adults. They may have been frightened or they were too flustered to even cry.Chaos flashed before the shutters, now a pair of panicked brown eyes, now an arm cradling a beloved doll, now a pair of bare feet, blue with cold, scurrying across the flagstones of the sidewalk.Seeing them reminds me of the children who died fleeing the Molotov cocktails in District 12.I hurried away from the window.

Ticlis agreed to scout for us, since she was the only one of us who didn't have a bounty on our hands.After we were safely hidden in the cellar, she headed to the Capitol for useful information. In the cellar, I paced restlessly up and down, driving the others crazy at the sight of me.Something inside of me was telling me that it would be a mistake not to take advantage of this fleeing crowd.Can we get better cover than this?From another perspective, every eye of every human being walking the streets became a watcher for the five rebels who were at large.But, on the other hand, what can we gain by staying here?All we can do is consume our little food and wait... what?Rebels take the Capitol?It will take a few weeks until then.Also, if they did take the Capitol, I'm not sure what I'd do.Not going out to greet them.Before I could say "Killfruit, Killberry, Killfruit," Korn would transport me back to District Thirteen.I've worked so hard to get here, and lost so many people, not to put myself back in that woman's hands.I'm going to kill Snow.Besides, it is not easy to explain what happened in the past few days.There were a few things that would have done nothing to exonerate the victor if the true intentions had been revealed.Leaving me alone, I have a feeling the other winners will need this deal.Like Peeta, for example.No matter how you defend him, he was the one who got Mitchell into the barbed wire, and it was seen on television.I can imagine how Cohen's court will judge him.

In the afternoon, Ticlis hadn't come back, and we started to feel uneasy.It is speculated that she may have been arrested and forced to confess, or that she may have been injured in the crowd.But at six o'clock we heard her come back.There was first a sound of footsteps upstairs; then she drew back the partition.A smell of fried meat wafted in with her.Tigress had grated ham and baked potatoes for us.It was the first hot meal we had in days, and my mouth was watering as I waited for her to serve me the second plate. As I ate, Ticlis told us how she got them.But one of the most important messages I've heard is that fur underwear is a tight commodity right now, especially for those fleeing in thin clothing.Many people are still wandering the streets, trying to find places to stay overnight.Those living in the city center did not open their doors to welcome the refugees.Instead, most people locked their doors, closed their windows and pretended to be out.Now the city center is full of refugees, and the security police are going door-to-door to force the homes to open their doors to accept these refugees.

On television, we see a crisply-spoken sheriff make a terse statement on the resettlement of residents, stating how many refugees should be accommodated per square foot of housing.He reminded the citizens of the Capitol that the temperature may drop below freezing tonight, and he also warned the residents that the President hopes that in this special critical time, every citizen should be willing to be a warm host.Television then showed some dramatic footage of residents welcoming the refugees into their homes.The sheriff said that tomorrow the president himself has given an order to vacate some rooms in the presidential palace to accommodate citizens.He went on to say that if necessary, the store owner should be asked to release the floor for the residents to live in.

"Ticlis, it might be your turn," Peeta said.I think he's right.The shop in this narrow alley is also a suitable place to live when the number of refugees is increasing.In that case, we would really be trapped in this cellar, in danger of being discovered at any time.How many days do we have?one day?Maybe two days? The sheriff issued new orders to residents.Something unfortunate seems to have happened tonight when a group of people beat a Peeta lookalike to death.Since then, everyone who saw the rebels reported the situation to the authorities, who were responsible for identifying and apprehending the rebels.Pictures of the victim showed up on TV, and it seemed to me that he did look a lot like Peeta, except for the dyed curly hair.

"People are crazy," Cressida said. We looked at the latest reports of the fighting, some blocks were just taken today.I made a map of the intersection I had just captured, and I studied it. "Block C is only four blocks from here," I said.Somehow, this made me more uneasy than the vigilante finding shelter for refugees.I suddenly became diligent. "Let me wash the dishes." "I'll help." Gail put away the dishes. I felt Peeta's eyes follow us as we walked out of the room.In the cramped kitchen at the back of the shop, I filled the sink with water and detergent. "Do you think it's true that Snow let refugees into his mansion?" I asked.

"I think he's going to have to do it now, at least for TV," Gale said. "I'm leaving this morning," I said. "I'm going with you. What about the others?" Gail said. "Poros and Cressida might be able to help. They're good guides," I said.Cressida and Pollux aren't the problem, "but Peeta is too..." "Unpredictable." Gale finished what I hadn't said. "Do you think he'll let us keep him?" "We can talk him out, say he's a danger to us. He can stay here if we can talk him out," I said.

Peeta was sensible about our suggestion.He also felt that being with us would put the four of us in more danger.I thought the problem was solved and he could stay in Ticlis' cellar until the war was over, but then he says he's going to do it himself. "What are you going to do?" said Cressida. "I can't tell, maybe it can divert the attention of the enemy. Didn't the person who looked like me be killed, and you saw it too." He said. "What if you... lose control?" I said. "You mean... I'm a mutant? Hey, if I don't feel good, I'll try to get back here," he reassured me. "What if Snow catches you again? You don't even have a gun," Gale said. "It depends on luck, just like you." Gale and Peeta exchanged a glance after speaking.Afterwards, Gale reaches into his coat pocket and puts his pills in Peeta's hand.Peeta held the pill in his open hand, neither refusing nor accepting, "What about you?" "Don't worry, Bee told me how to detonate my bow and arrow. If that doesn't work, I still have Katniss." Gail said with a smile, "She won't let them enjoy the joy of capturing me alive." Thinking of the vigilante taking Gail away, that melody played in my head... Would you, would you, come to that tree... "Put it away, Peeta," I said, feeling a tightness in my throat.I reached out and closed his hand, "No one can help you then." We had a sleepless night, waking up with nightmares and thinking about our plans for the next day.By five o'clock in the morning, I relax, no matter what happens today, the day has already begun.We cleaned up the leftovers—canned peas, biscuits, snails—and left a can of sardines for Tigris as a favor.She seemed moved, her face contorted into a strange expression.Then she got into action, and she spent an hour dressing us up.Dress us well, and hide our uniforms before the greatcoats and mantles.She covered our boots with fur trim, clipped our wigs in place, wiped off and remade the make-up we had hastily smeared on our faces.Overcoats were draped over the weapons, and handbags and other miscellaneous items were stuffed into our hands.In the end, we all looked like fugitives. There seemed to be no news of value on the television.But there seemed to be as many refugees on the streets as there had been the day before.We plan to join the fleeing crowd in three groups. The first group is Cressida and Poros. They will go ahead and be our guides.After that came Gale and I, ready to blend in with the refugees entering the presidential palace, and finally Peeta, who followed us, ready to distract the enemy if necessary. Ticlis spotted the moment at the window, then unlatched the door, nodding to Cressida and Pollux. "Be careful." After Cressida finished speaking, she disappeared into the crowd. We'll be walking out after them soon.I took out the key, uncuffed Peeta, and put it in my pocket.He rubbed his wrists and moved around.I suddenly had a feeling of despair.I feel like I'm back in the Xtreme of the Century again, and Beet is handing me and Johanna the coils. "Listen, don't do anything stupid," I said. "No, it's a last resort, absolutely," he said. I put my arms around his neck and felt him hesitate before reaching out and wrapping his arms around me.Although not as strong as the previous hug, it is also very warm and powerful.Scenes from the past are reflected in front of my eyes. Once, these arms were my only safe haven in this world.Maybe I didn't feel that way at the time, but it was so sweet in my memory, but that feeling is gone now. "Okay then." I let him go. "It's all right now," Ticlis said.I kissed her on the cheek, tied my trench coat, pulled the scarf up over my nose, and followed Gale into the frigid air. Cold, sharp snow flakes cut my skin like knives.The slowly rising sun tried to pierce the misty air with its rays, but was blocked back.In the dim morning light, people who are near or far away cannot see clearly.Well, really, the only downside is that I can't see Cressida and Pollux clearly.Gail and I keep our heads down and walk with the flow of people.The voice that could not be heard by the window yesterday can be heard clearly now.Crying, lamenting, and exhausted breathing were all mixed together, but not far away, there was a gunshot. "Where are we going, uncle?" a shivering boy asked a man with a small safe. "Go to the president's house. They will arrange a new residence for us." The man said while panting. We walked out of the alley and into the street. "Keep to the right!" cried a voice.I saw many security policemen in the crowd, directing everyone how to go.Frightened faces peered out of shop windows.The store is already full of people.At this speed, Ticlis' shop should be packed with people by noon.It seemed right for us to come out at this time. Now, although the snowflakes are still floating, the sky has already brightened.I saw Cressida and Pollux about thirty yards ahead of us, walking along with the plodding crowd.I turned my head slowly to see if I could find Peeta.But I couldn't see it, but my eyes met the eyes of a child in a lemon yellow coat, who was looking at me inquiringly.I nudged Gale and we slowed unnoticed, letting the crowd get between us and the girl. "Maybe we need to split up, there's a girl..." I whispered. At this time, bullets whizzed past the heads of the crowd, and several people beside me immediately fell to the ground.People were screaming and making a fuss.Another volley of bullets knocked down many people behind us.Gail and I hurried off the street to a store about ten yards away and hid behind a rack of high-heeled shoes. A row of plush shoes blocked Gale's view. "Who is it? Can you see it?" he asked me.Through a row of lavender and mint green shoes, I saw dead bodies all over the street.The little girl who was watching me was kneeling beside a motionless woman, screaming in pain to shake her awake.Another volley of bullets pierced her chest, knocking the girl backwards to the ground, and the yellow coat was dyed red.Seeing the twisted and fallen young figure, I was so startled that I couldn't speak for a moment.Gale elbowed me, "Katniss?" "They're shooting down from our roof," I said to Gale.There was another burst of gunfire, and many security policemen in white uniforms were shot dead and fell on the snowy street. "I'm shooting at the security police, but my marksmanship is not good. It must be the rebels." Logically speaking, our army has already entered, and I should be happy, but I don't feel the joy I should have.The lemon yellow coat completely captured my mind. "If we shoot, too, the whole world knows it's us," Gale said. That's right.Only we have this special bow and arrow.Shooting an arrow tells both sides that we are here. "No, we must find Snow." I said firmly. "Then we'd better leave before everyone is gone," Gail said.We keep walking against the wall.The side of the wall is mostly shop windows, and every window is plastered with sweaty palms and frightened faces.As we hurried past the window, I pulled the scarf higher up, almost covering my eyes.Leaning against a narrow wall between two windows in front of a window displaying a framed picture of Snow, a vigilante begged us to help him.Gale kneed him on the head before taking his gun.At the intersection, he killed another vigilante, so we both had guns. "So, who are we supposed to be now?" I asked. "Crazy Capitol citizens. The security police think we are on their side. At this time, I hope the rebels don't shoot us. They can find more important targets." We race across the intersection, thinking about this new role.When we get to the next block, it doesn't matter who we are, who anyone is, because no one is looking at your face.The rebels have already entered, well, some of them rushed to the street, some hid in the door of the house, some hid behind the car, there were gunshots all around, and some people shouted orders loudly, ready to meet and rush this way Here comes the security police.Only the refugees were caught in the middle of the heavy fire. They were unarmed and panicked, and many were injured. A pod in front of us was triggered, releasing scalding steam that instantly cooked the people nearby, turning the skin of the dead all pink.Seeing all this, there was chaos all around.The steam continued to engulf the snowflakes and spread around, obscuring our vision, and everything outside the barrel of my gun was a blur.Vigilantes, Rebels, Capitol citizens, who knows who, anything that moves is a target.Even their own people shoot at each other.I am no exception.My heart was racing, my adrenaline was racing, and everyone was my enemy.The only exception was Gale, who was my hunting partner and kept me on guard for attackers from behind.We can only go forward, there is no other way, and anyone who blocks our way will be killed.There are screaming people, bloody people, and dead people everywhere.As we turned the next corner, the entire block ahead was glowing with a rich purple light.We backed away quickly and hid in a stairwell, squinting at the light.The person who is hit by the light is being attacked by some kind of substance... what is it?Is it a sound?a wave?laser?Weapons fell from their hands, they clutched their faces with their fingers, and blood flowed from their orifices—eyes, noses, mouths, and ears.In less than a minute, everyone is dead and the light is gone.I gritted my teeth and started to run forward. I jumped over the dead body, and the wet blood made my feet slip, but I didn't care.The howling wind and snowflakes obscured our vision, but we could still hear footsteps coming our way. "Get down!" I whispered to Gail.We immediately fell down on the spot.My face was on a pool of blood that was still warm, but I didn't move, pretending to be dead, and ran past us in a panic.Some avoided the corpses all over the floor, others stepped on my hands, my back, and some kicked me in the head.When the footsteps passed, I opened my eyes and nodded to Gale. On the next block, we met more fleeing people, and just when we thought we could breathe a sigh of relief, there was a sound, like the sound of eggshells hitting the side of a bowl, but a thousand times more magnified than that.Nothing happened.Then I felt the toes of my boots start to tip. "Run!" I yelled at Gale.There was no time to explain, but in just a few seconds, the Pod revealed its true colors.A large gap opened in the center of the block.The slate street opened inward like the mouth of a beast, slowly swallowing the people on the street. For a moment I didn't know whether to run straight to the intersection ahead, or run to the gate on the side of the street and break in.As a result, I thrust forward obliquely.When the mouth opened wider, my footsteps became unsteady, and the soles of my feet became less and less able to grip the smooth ground.It felt like walking on a slippery iceberg that got steeper with each step.My two targets—the intersection and the house next to it—were only a few feet away when the flagstones beneath me caved in completely.No way, I can only force my feet and rush towards the intersection.I grabbed the stones on the side of the street with my hand, and found that the stone pavement had fallen directly.My feet were hanging in the air, and there was no landing.The gaping opening was fifty feet deep, and a foul stench filled the nostrils, like the smell of rotting corpses in summer.Dark figures crawled around inside, and those who survived were stunned. I yelled with difficulty.No one came to help me.I was about to lose my grip on the smooth stone when I realized I was only six feet away from the pod's horn.I moved sideways little by little along the edge of the road, trying not to listen to the screams of the people below.After my hand grasped the horn, I raised my right leg, and my body moved upwards vigorously, where my foot rested, and then I used all my strength to pull my body back to the ground.Frightened and trembling, I finally climbed up.I was on level ground, but I still hugged a lamppost to stabilize myself. "Gail?" I yelled into the hole, not caring about being recognized. "Gail?" "Here!" I hurriedly looked to the left, the foundation of the building did not slip down.A dozen people were able to avoid falling because they were clinging to the base of the wall. They were all holding on to different things, doorknobs, door knockers, mailbox delivery holes.Three doors away from me, Gale is clutching the wrought-iron gate bars outside the gate.If the door was open, he could easily get in.But although he kept kicking the door hard, no one came to open the door. "Get out of the way!" I raised my gun, he turned sideways, and I fired a few shots at the lock, and the door swung open inward.Gale jumped through the door and landed on a pile on the floor.I was proud of saving him, when suddenly, a pair of white-gloved hands grabbed his shoulders. Gale stared at me and mouthed something, but I couldn't make out what he said or what to do.I can't leave him, but I can't reach him either.His lips moved again, and I shook my head to show that I didn't understand.It didn't take a few minutes for the Sheriff to figure out who they had and they were dragging him into the house. "Run!" I heard him yell. I turned and ran away from Pod.It's all up to me now.Gail becomes a prisoner.Cressida and Boros may die ten times.What about Peeta?We haven't seen him since we left Ticlis' shop.I can only hope that he has gone back, hastened back to the cellar when he felt himself losing control, and must have realized that he was no longer needed as a diversion on the streets of the Capitol, that he no longer needed to be a Capitol. Pete's bait, and no need to swallow the deadly fruit—oh, the deadly fruit!Gale was out of poison and said to detonate the bow, he had no chance.The first thing the vigilante did was take his weapon away. I fell in a doorway, tears streaming down my eyes, hurting my eyes.kill me.That's what he was going to say.I should have killed him!This is my duty, our unwritten agreement, our agreement.And I didn't.Now the Capitol could kill him, torture him, or hold him hostage—a hole opened up inside me to swallow me up.I have only one hope that the Capitol will fall, drop their weapons, and let Gale go before they can hurt him.However, as long as Snow is alive, this is impossible. Two security policemen ran past, paying no attention to the Capitol girl who was whimpering in the doorway.I suppressed my tears, wiped away the tears that had flowed out before they were frozen, and forced myself to pull myself together.Well, I'm still a nameless refugee.Or, did they catch Gale looking at me?I turned the trench coat inside out and put the red side inside to reveal the black lining.Put on the hood so it covers my face.I held the gun tightly to my chest and looked out at the situation on the street.Only a few bewildered people did not keep up with the large group and fell behind.I walked behind a couple of old people who paid no attention to me.No one would think of me staying with old people.When we got to the end of the next street, they stopped so suddenly that I almost ran into them.Already arrived at the central square.There is a row of luxurious buildings across the square, which is the presidential residence. The square was full of people, some were crying, some were sitting straight on the ground, and the falling snowflakes piled up beside them.I made my way through the crowd toward the presidential palace, stumbling over discarded treasure or frozen limbs.Walking about halfway, I found some concrete barricades in front of the presidential palace.The barricades were about four feet high and formed a rectangle around the presidential palace.I thought there was no one inside, but it was full of refugees.Maybe these are people who were picked to live in the presidential mansion?As I got closer, the barricades were filled with children, from toddlers to teenagers.They were all terrified and freezing to death.They huddled together, or sat on the ground numbly and swayed.Instead of being ushered into the presidential palace, they were enclosed here, surrounded by security police.I could see right away that the vigilantes weren't there to protect them, and if the Capitol wanted to protect them, they'd let them hide.This is to protect Snow, these children are his wall. There was a sudden commotion, the crowd moved to the left, and I was pushed aside, away from my target.I heard people shouting, "Rebels! Rebels!" I knew the rebels had broken the Capitol's defenses and were coming.The crowd squeezed me to a flagpole. I quickly grabbed the flagpole and climbed up along the pull rope of the flagpole, avoiding the crowd.Yes, I could see the rebels storming the Circus, pushing the crowds out into the streets.I scanned the square, searching for the pod here, thinking that it must be triggered, but the pod was not triggered.But the following happened: A helicopter bearing the Capitol crest loomed over the children without making a sound.Countless silver parachutes fluttered down.Even in this chaos, the kids know what the silver parachute brings.food.drug.Gift.They eagerly hugged the parachute and tried to open the rope with their frozen little hands.The helicopter disappeared and five seconds passed before about twenty parachutes exploded simultaneously. There was a cry from the crowd.There are many short stumps and broken arms scattered on the white snow.Many children died immediately, but some of them lay on the ground in pain.Some staggered silently on the ground, staring at the silver parachute in their hands, as if thinking that there should be something precious inside.The vigilantes didn't seem to know either, because they were removing the barricades to open a way to the children.Another group of vigilantes swarmed through the newly opened entrance.No, they're not vigilantes, they're medics, rebel medics.I know this uniform wherever I go.They rushed among the children and quickly opened the first aid kit. I first saw a man with blond hair and braids thrown back.Then, as she took off her coat and put it on a child, I noticed that the back of her shirt was not tucked into her trousers, like a duck's tail sticking out.I reacted like Effie Trinket when her name was pronounced at the Harvest Festival ceremony. I went limp and slid under the flagpole, immobilized for a few seconds.Then I pushed past the crowd in front of me and walked towards her.Just like before, I shouted her name at the top of my voice over the noisy crowd.I was almost there, almost at the barricade, and I thought she heard me calling.Because at that moment, she saw me, and her lips moved and called out my name. Just then, the other parachutes also exploded.