· 。ﾟ☆: *.☽
▎ RUINS ▎
»»————-　act three. from the ashes
FIFTY TWO ━━ icarus closing in

In the end I do care, and I'll never
stop and if this is how it ends do your
utmost to remember that I love you

— unknown

     ERIN HAD NO CONCEPT OF TIME ANYMORE AS SHE SAT BESIDE FINNICK IN THE DIMLY LIT BASEMENT, THE MAN'S FINGERS LACED WITH HERS AS CRESSIDA STITCHED UP THE WOUNDS in her leg with a knowledgable precision. A quiet hiss escaped her lips as the blonde woman finished up the last suture before tying it.

"It should hold for now," Cressida looked up at the woman with a small smile, "Just try to not rip them anytime soon alright."

Erin chuckled in pure exhaustion, pain coursing through her whole body as she let her head fall on Finnick shoulder and closing her eyes. "I'll try my best." She breathed out the promise, but with their current situation, the outlook wasn't that ideal.

"Good." Cressida nodded, dusted off her hands on her pants before standing back up to attend to the wound on Pollux' arm that luckily had stopped bleeding so badly.

The brunette noticed Katniss laying on her side, eyes shut but she knew the girl was still awake as Peeta and Gale quietly conversed about her, but before they could continue their conversation, loud rumbling resounded from above them as the walls started to shake and Erin inhaled sharply, sitting up a bit straighter. Finnick's hand already loosened from her own, and instead traveled up to her back, trying to support her.

"Mortal shells." Gale speaks out loud in realisation, brows creasing together, "They're not ours. Peacekeepers must be shellin' the rebels outside the city."

"That's not outside the city." Cressida shakes her head in denial and the weight of what is happening starts to sink in.

"We have to prepare." Erin manages to get out as she stands up, stumbling slightly on her injured legs before regaining footing as Finnick's supports her, but the word resonate with the others as they all stand up to gather their weapons and ammunition.

"I don't think you should be doing anything at all Erin." Finnick whispers in her ear as the girl tries to go and pick up one of the leftover guns.

"I have to." Erin argues, looking up at the man she loves with her whole heart. "I almost lost you today, and for a moment I actually though I had. And that feeling, that pain, I can't go through that again." Tears are welling up inside her eyes and the blonde man graps her head in his hands, pulling her closer. "I can't stay back and wait, I'll worry myself to death. We've come this far together Finnick, and I am not ready to give up yet."

"You're hurt—"

"We're all hurt." She interrupts. "And if we go down today, we go down together alright?"

Finnick sharply inhales at the words, not wanting to even think about that possibility for even a second. "Alight." He rests his forehead against hers and the two close their eyes, taking in each others presence.

Like how Finnick still manages to smell like saltwater— even though the amount of dirt, sweat and blood that is sticking to his skin should have complete erased it intirely. Or how her warm skin still feels so soothing against his cold one. And both can clearly picture the future like this, in each others arm.

"I love you." He whispers against her chapped lips.

"I love you more." She breathes out before their lips collide in a kiss and she places her own hands around his neck, pulling him even closer to her than she was before. After a moment, the two pull away and she smiles up at him.

"We started this together," She grins, but he can also see the pain in her hazel eyes. "We'll finish it together too."

Finnick presses one more quick kiss to her lips, "Together." He promises.

"The sun is coming up." Gale announced as he came back down the stairs in a rushed manner, "There's some small-arms fire. Could be Paylore, maybe Lyme. Rebels are close."

"This is it." Cressida says encouragingly, a certain longing in her voice as she looks at the people around her, but the woman was interrupted when a loud alarm went off and a holographic television screen lit up.

Erin clenched her jaw as the all to familiar face of President Snow appeared on the screen.

"To all Capitol Citizens more than a half mile outisde the City Circle, I am announcing a mandatory evacuation. Come to the mansion, I am promising you shelter and sanctuary. All refugees, come to my home. There you will be  provided with food, medicine, safety fore your children, and you will have my solemn oath to protect you until my dying breath—"

"Wish he'd hurry up with that." Cressida scoffs.

"—our enemy is not like us. They do not share our values," President Snow continues, his voice even and commanding, "They have never knows our comfort and our sophistication and they despise us for it. Make no mistake. They are not coming to liberate us. They are coming to destroy our life." He pauses for a moment, "They've come to bury us."

"Is he still in the mansion?" Katniss questioned..

"Yeah, I recognise the room." Peeta confirms after a second, fleetingly looking between the screen and Katniss.

"Where is that." She is already pulling the map from her pocket, folding it open on the ground.

"About five blocks away." Cressida states before kneeling down next to the girl and pointing at the map, "We're right here. Off Avenues." Here fingers trails over the paper, "The mansion is here."

"What about the pods?" Erin cuts in worriedly.

"They'll probably deactivate the pods around here for the resident's safety." Cressida point at another part of the map.

"That could work." Katniss nods. "I could get close enough."

"Every peacekeeper is gonna be waiting." Gale counters with a shake of his head.

"Next to our faces on every billboard." Finnick adds with a frown on his face as he looks down at the map.

"Snow's offering shelter to all refugees." Katniss' tone is suggestive.

· 。ﾟ☆: *.☽

TIGRIS HAD GATHERED CLOAKS FOR KATNISS, GALE, FINNICK AND ERIN— EVEN THOUGH FINNICK CONTINUED TO PROTEST THE BRUNETTE'S involvement in their current plan. The Dark purple satine and fur cloak felt odd to wear, only something as absurd as this could be found in the capitol as she stared at her reflection in the mirror.

"I though you said you would take it easy." Finnick muttered as she came to stand beside her, his own maroo colored cloak already fastened around him and the hood pulled up.

"Katniss needs us for this, and no way I would let you go without me." Erin shook her head, pulling her own cloak up as Tigris walked back in with a cloak for Katniss.

"Head straight north." Tigris advised them as she checked on Gale, adjusting the black cloak carefully.

"We got one shot." Katniss states, taking in a deep breath.

"Let's make it count." Gale nodded just as Cressida came back into the room, a solemn and concerned expression etched on her face as she took the group of four in.

"Good luck, Katniss." She says to the Girl On Fire, pulling her into a tight embrace before doing the same with Erin.

"You take care of each other." Cressida whispers in her ear.

"You guys too."

"Tigris, thank you for everything." Katnis adresses the woman after she pulled away from her hug with Pollux and smiles at her in gratitude.

The woman smiles in return and Peeta steps forward, "Katniss let me come with you. I can be a good distraction. They know my face."

"No." She quickly stops him, "I am not losing you again. You will be safer with Cressida here."

"What if peacekeepers are searching houses?" Gale interjects making a good point. "And if he is captured..." He trails of

"Then give me a nightlock pill, okay?" Peeta suggested softly, looking up at Katniss pleadingly. The girl hesitates for a second, going over her option in her head before finally caving in. "I'm not going back."

Erin watches sadly as Gale reaches into his pocket to take out a small nightlock pill and hand it over to Peeta, her own pill suddenly feeling like it weigh a thousand ton in her own pocket.

Slowly, Katniss approaches him and she unlocks the handcuffs that are still restraining him before embracing him tightly. "Stay alive."

"If I'm gonna see you again." Peeta breathes in her neck, taking her in for what might as well be the last time. "It will be in a different world."

"Please all of you." Erin gazes out at the group, fear still prominent in her system, "Stay alive till all of this is over."

But luckily the hope inside of her is a lot stronger and her lips twisted at the thought of the odds being in their favor— how ironic it would be.

"See you guys soon."

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