𝙏𝙄𝙇𝙇 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙀𝙉𝘿 - 𝑯𝒖𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝑮𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔

Nine

With giant leaps, Finnick and Sidney ran up the stairs side by side, Katniss and Peeta only slightly ahead of them. Sidney's speed staggered however, the moment she witnessed Peeta pull Katniss back by the back of her jacket and throw her to the ground.

Katniss barely managed to roll aside before Peeta slammed his gun on the ground mere centimeters away from her shocked face.

The two immediately sprung into action as Sidney latched onto Peeta's back with the help of Mitchell, while Finnick rushed to Katniss' side and hauled her back up to her feet again.

The black liquid started to creep closer up the steps again, closer to Sidney, Peeta, and Mitchell.

"Sid!" Finnick shouted as he tried to pull Katniss with him up the stairs. "We have to go!"

"You think I don't know that?!" Sidney looked at him, a panicked yet annoyed look on her face. Peeta thrashed in Mitchell's arms, and before anyone could predict what was happening, Peeta managed to twist around in the soldier's arm and with one strong push, Mitchell fell back in the black tar with a loud scream.

They expected it to be over right then and there as Sidney finally managed to control Peeta while she dragged him up the stairs, but they were proven wrong rather quickly when something pulled Mitchell's body up and strung him over the courtyard for everyone to see.

Sidney finally reached the group - a thrashing Peeta in her arms as they rushed up the last couple steps of stairs when the black liquid started to gain on them again, crashing against the stairs like waves on rocks.

"Go, go, go!"

Sidney watched as Jackson shot through a glass door of the nearest building and ushered them inside with curt instructions.

"Let go of me!" Peeta yelled, spit flying from his mouth.

"Calm down and please just walk!" Sidney shouted back at the brainwashed boy, but it barely stopped his attempt at escaping.

With much struggle, Sidney got him up the stairs, but their luck was already running out again as the stairs to the next level were completely destroyed, leaving them stranded as the tar kept growing closer and closer.

Luckily, one of the soldiers finally sedated Peeta as he went limp in Sidney's arms. She carefully lowered him to the ground before she let out a tired huff and slumped against the wall.

The air was filled with tension as they watched the liquid climb up the stairs and Sidney's breathing grew calmer with each passing second as she held tightly onto Finnick's hand.

"It's slowing down," Cressida observed as the liquid reached the top step, but it didn't move any further.

A large sigh escaped Sidney's mouth as she watched the liquid recede. "Gamemakers are still putting on quite a show." She lightly smirked. "They're dedicated, I'll give 'em that."

"451 to base. Over." Jackson spoke into the intercom.

"We better move." Finnick suggested calmly, "If Peacekeepers didn't know where we were, they do now."

"451 to base. Over."

"Those surveillance cameras caught us," Castor added thoughtfully while Jackson kept trying to get radio contact with the base.

"451 to base. Over."

"This is a bad spot."

"I'm with him. We need to move now," Gale urged only hurriedly, as he looked at the unit.

"I can't get a signal," Jackson announced in defeat before her gaze fell on the holo in Katniss' hands, "But I can get us back to base. Everdeen, give me the holo."