· 。ﾟ☆: *.☽
▎ RUINS ▎
»»————-　act three. from the ashes
FIFTY THREE ━━ all alone

I think we deserve a soft epilogue my love,
we are good people, we have suffered enough

-nikka ursula

      "BY THE ORDER OF PRESIDENT SNOW, ALL RESIDENTS MUST PROCEED TO THE PRESIDENTIA ESTATE, PLEASE CONTINUE TO MOVE foreward in a calm and orderly fashion. Additional food, medicene and clothing will be provided upon arrival." a recorded message keeps repeating loudly throughout the crowed streets of the Capitol. Hundreds of Capitol refugees have gathered on the streets, but beside the thundering message echoing over the streets, everyone is quiet as the marge on.

     Erin and Finnick are a little to the left of Gale and Katniss, trying not to gain any attention or raise suspicious as they blend into the crowd. The two of them were both nervous, sweat lining on their brows as the tried to cautiosly look at their surroundings. On both sides peackeepers were stationed on the ground and the balconies lining the streets. Guns were raised and ready too shoot if necessary.

    Blinking, Erin turned her gaze to her side where Katniss and Gale were walking, but what caught her attention was the little girl in a bright yellow coat staring at Katniss with wonder in her crytal blue eyes. For a moment, she expected the little girl to cry out and recognise the Mockinjay, but after a moment the girl turned her head again and Erin let out a breath of relief.

    The brunette swallowed thickly as she noticed the peacekeepers ahead, checking people with their hoods pulled over their heads, and her eyes widened at the sight. She gently grabbed Finnick's hand and the two turned around and tried to walk back. They only made it a couple feet before the saw more peacekeepers checking everyone.

    With no other choice, they both turned around, hearts beating rapidly in their chest. She could feel someone getting closer to her, and just as she felt an armour-clad hand land on her shoulder, a resounding blast shook the streets before gunfire erupted around them.

    "It's rebels! The rebels are attacking!" Someone screamed in fear as panic ensued all around them.

     Erin immediately ripped the hood from her head, wide eyes meeting Katniss and her grip on her gun grows stronger as they started to run forward with the other Capitol residents as another explosion cuts through the air, blasting a building to pieces

    Both Erin and Finnick barely manages to throw themselves over the barrier separating them and the courtyard of the Mansion before gunfire takes down almost everyone that stood where they were only second away.

     She heaves in a large breath, snapping her head to the left to see Gale and Katniss hiding with their backs against the same barrier before she notices the peacekeeper in front of them. Gale immediately jumps into action, kicking the peacekeeper harshly and grabbing the gun from his graps and hitting him with the butt of the gun.

    They all quickly get back on their feet and started to run across the crowed courtyard where people were running around aimlessly, screaming out in panic. They all rush over to an abanonded Capitol truck and pressed their backs against it as they hid from the endless gunfire.

    Erin turned her head to the left only to see a missle coming right at them, a loud yell escapes her lips as she starts to push Katniss foreward, "Incoming!"

     They all leaped forward as the missle hit the truck, large explosion following that send the truck flying and the surrounding to catch on fire. Erin coughed, pushing herself up from the pavement and tried to see through the smoke around her. She sighed in relief when she noticed Finnick next to Katniss before she noticed Gale on the other side of the truck surrounded by peackeepers.

     "Shoot me!" Gale shouted as he struggled against the peacekeepers dragging him towards another truck. "Shoot me!"

     Erin fumbled with the gun before raising it with tears in her eyes. She could take the shot, just like Katniss could with her raised bow, but both woman didn't have it in them to shoot their friend, even if it was a mercy kill.

    And neither had any chance left as the peacekeepers finally managed to get Gale inside the truck and Erin let her arms fall limb in front of her in defeat. She shook her head, trying to get her attention back to the current situation as she rushed towards Finnick and Katniss side.

     "Are you okay?" Finnick immediately asks eyes raking over her body to look for any new injuries before stopping at the sight of her legs. "You're bleeding again."

     Erin looked down to see a bloodstain on her right leg. "I probably teared a stitch. No need to worry about it okay. I'm fine." She assured him and after a second Finnick nods and the three of them continue to run through the crowd before coming upon a more denser group of people.

     "Bring your children forward." Another recorded message resonades over the crowd, "The gates will open momentarily."

     The trio struggles to cut through the thick crowd and towards another Capitol truck stationed in the middle of the crowd. They all climb up the side of it and watched as mothers and fathers hand over their children to peacekeepers standing on the other side of a fence. But before they can make another move, the sound of an aircraft closing in gains their attention aswell as the attention of the Capitol residents.

     "It's the Capitol!" Someone in the crowd shouts happily pointing at the sky as the aircraft passes over them, dropping metalic containers with parachutes attached to them.

    Erin narrows her eyes as she sees them coming closer blinking randomly.

     "Gifts!"

    The beeping noise that omitted from the container grew faster and realisation struck the woman like lightning. "Get cover!" Erin screams out just as the first container makes contact with someone's hand, blowing up upon contact.

     The trio gets thrown off the truck by the sheer force of the blast. A painful groan escapes her mouth as she hits the pavement, tumbling over the ground before finally coming to a stop.

    She grits her teeth as she pushes herself up by her elbows before hurriedly looking for Finnick and Katniss. The two are close by and look seemingly okay as they push themselves back up their feet.

     "Medics!"

      "Medics!"

     Erin takes a step towards her friends when suddenly something, or better said- someone catches her attention over Finnick's shoulder.

     "Alex?" Erin breathes out in confusion, brows creasing together as she raised her voice to shout again, "Alex!"

     The curly haired man looks up from where he is standing in his medic uniform, sweat dripping down his face as he looks at his little sister after not seeing her for ages.

     Tears well up in her eyes and her face breaks into a large and jubilant smile, she is already running towards him when suddenly another explosion goes of behind her brother, engulving him in flames as she hears Katniss scream from just behind her.

     "PRIM!"

      "ALEX!"

     She doesn't hear her own scream as she is blasted back by the immense force, the heat of the flames scorching her clothes but she pushes herself to get back up- to look for her brother. She is coughing heavily as she inhales the thick smoke around her. Both Finnick and Katniss are lying on the ground but right now all she cares about is her brother. Her rock.

     "Alex!" She screams out looking around at all the burned and torn apart people laying on the ground. "Alex where are you!" She screams till her voice is raw. She is stumbling, as the world starts to turn around her but she does not give up.

     "Alex!" Her eyes dart wildly around her until she spots him, a broken piece of depris on top of him, but she can see his chest lifting slowly.

     "Alex!" She breathes out in relief as she runs to his side, falling on her knees next to him, tears streaming down her face as she takes in her brother's massive injuries.

     Half of his face is burned, the raw skin is inflated and red but his eyes are wide open in utter fear as he breathed heavily. "Alex it is me!" She leans over his face. "It's Erin" She cries out, eyes falling on the piece of debris on his stomache. "It's gonna be okay, it's gonna be okay." She mutters as she starts to push against the concrete with all her might only to expose the massive wound bleeding profoundly underneath it. "no-no, no." she stammers, shaking hands start to apply pressure on the wound, but the blood keeps pouring through her fingers.

     "Hold on Alex." She tries to speak through her tears as she looks up at her brother, whom's eyes are no complete focused on her face. "Help is coming." She hiccups, trying to add more pressure. "H-help is coming soon, just h-hold on."

      "It." Alex heaves. "It's- it's o-okay."

     "No" She shakes her head, her own tears mixing with her brother's blood. "You can't leave me. Mum and dad are already gone, I can't lose you too!" She denies fumbling wit her hands on the wound.

      "Please" She pleads, "Please stay with me Alex!"

     "I- I lov-" The words never fully leave his lips as his eyes flutter shut and his head falls backward on the concrete pavement.

     "Alex?" Erin whispers shaking him softly. "Alex? No-no!"

     She suddenly feels arms wrap around her waist, "Erin please, he's gone." The voice sounds familair but she can't look away from her brother's face looking for any sign of life as she grips tightly on her brother's uniform.

     "Alex!" She screams as the person behind her finally manages to tear her away, but she continues to trash around in her captors arms. "No! No let me go! I can still save him-Alex!"

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sooo that happened- it was planned for a long time, and actually writting it made me cry 😭🥺 but a life for a life 🤭 finnick is alive but sadly Erin's last blood relative is gone now 🤡🙈 I debated for so long for alex to tag along on the mission and die in the sewer instead of Finnick, but it didn't feel right to have him
ripped away from erin like that. And with this, she at least had the chance to talk to him and comfort him while he was dying. Alex had always been Erin's protector and today she had to be his rock. Didn't mean it hurt any less, it might have even hurt more to put my bby through this but it had to be done so peace out✌️ don't kill me please !