So here's the last chapter! It's pretty bad, very fast paced, rushed etc. but I honestly don't care a whole lot. I just want this story out of my life, I started to dislike it more and more as I continued…which is why I'm giving my readers who stuck with it an extra big thank you :P you guys keep me going.

"The powers of the Capitol always knew we were never destroyed."

Carlos and Logan sat side by side in the conference room, hands held discreetly under the table. Around them sat District 13 officials, all dressed in the same grey shirts and pants, hair cut short or scraped back in low ponytails. The leader of the District stood at the head of the table, all attention drawn towards her, even as she reiterated information most of them already knew. She was President Claudia Hay and she was a woman to be feared, Logan was sure of it. But one thing was for sure; what she was telling him defied everything he'd known about the Dark Days since he was a child, and so he listened with bated breath.

"They also knew that we had — and we still have — enough nuclear power at our disposal to wipe them out in seconds. You see, the Capitol may have territory and vast numbers of Peacekeepers, but when it comes to real weaponry and power they're nothing compared to us. That's why they stuck up a deal. They would leave us alone, pretend we didn't exist, tell the rest of Panem we were gone, and in return we wouldn't attack them. Of course it seemed fair, and the deal was made, but since then plans have always been in progress to rebel and take the Capitol down once and for all. This is what we've been working towards."

"And why did you take so long?" Carlos asked suddenly. "It's been seventy four years of child murder." Logan had to admire his courage, his determination to be heard.

"Well, although our district wasn't destroyed, we did sustain a lot of damage. It took time to build it up to what it is today. After that came the training, and all the planning. Long studies of the Capitol and its behavior to try and map out its weaknesses. And one of the most important things was making sure we didn't choose a wrong moment, when the people of Panem would hate us for it. Don't misunderstand, we know that there aren't many people who would be upset at the fall of the Capitol. But an entire new power taking over, maybe they would be. We needed a time where we were needed, and we would be accepted, because we truly are the better option."

"And that time is now?" Logan couldn't help asking cautiously. She glanced at him with her slightly cold eyes and for a moment he feared for his life.

She gave him what he could almost decipher as a smile and said in a clear determined voice, "Yes, the time is now. People are breaking out, since the end of the Games they're finally getting the courage to fight back. These three winners are a beacon of hope for them, a symbol that the rules can be broken. Especially your brother. He's the mockingjay. He's our sign that now is the time to attack. And trust me, it'll be soon. We have no reason to wait around any longer. Especially since all the victors are gathered in the Capitol. They were brought there for a reason, whatever that reason is, we'll be putting a stop to it. You can contribute or you can't. It's all your own conscience, it makes no difference to us. Now," she cleared her throat. "This meeting has ended. In one hour precisely I expect you all to be in the training area, where we'll review our plans. You are dismissed." She turned away as the room began to move, people shuffling as they stood, some straightening their clothes, and bustling out of the room without speaking.

Carlos and Logan stood up and left the room together, walking down the grey dimly lit corridor until they were alone. At last they glanced at each other and let their emotions run freely. "What do you think Moon has planned for the victors?" Logan asked Carlos immediately, frowning. "It can't be good, surely . . ."

"I'm not too sure," Carlos sighed, concern for Kendall already building up inside of him. James too, sure, but he and Logan both knew that Kendall was their first priority. However, all the victors had been through enough. They didn't deserve any more trauma in their lives. Surely that was their reward for winning the Games. "She was right, about Kendall being a symbol of hope. But they all are. Maybe he wants to break that image, maybe he wants to show the people that their victors aren't as strong as they think."

"Shit, a slaughter? He wouldn't . . ."

"Logan, I really don't know. We can only find out by tuning into their news stations. Those parties are still going on, if he plans on announcing anything, it'll be there, where they're all corralled in one room. All we can do is wait."

"Excuse me, excuse me."

Kendall and the others glanced up at the stage with wide eyes to see President Moon standing there in his crisp white suit, hands on the podium in front of him as he smiled out at the crowd. As usual, it never reached his eyes. "Thank you. Now, this has been an interesting few nights. Quite entertaining, I must say. And I'm here to finish it off with a little announcement."

The crowds waited with their breath held, some with hands clenched tight in fear.

"As you know, next year, the Seventy Fifth Hunger Games will take place. It will mark the third Quarter Quell and, I feel, a new era within Panem. I feel that we should celebrate, before this new age of Games arrives, with another game. Something of similar effect."

Oh god. Kendall felt James' hand squeezing his a little too tightly, but he gripped it back, heart beating faster and faster.

"We are going to have a showdown!" Moon announced, grinning. "A victors' showdown." He raised his hands to quieten the excited whispers and cheers of Capitol citizens. "This has been in planning for months now, and we decided that these celebrations would be a launch party of sorts. The showdown's starter date isn't yet decided, but I can assure all of you it will happen shortly. Tomorrow night we'll be broadcasting a special program about the rules, and the process of creating this exciting new Game! Deke Flickerman will be hosting it and speaking to Gamemakers, and some of our lovely competitors. Until then, thank you for your attention. And . . . Happy Hunger Games."

Kendall could swear he saw someone ahead of him in the crowd simply faint. Capitol people were squealing, congratulating the victors around them. He was trembling uncontrollably and his vision was starting to blur. James' hand acted as his anchor and pulled him back, and suddenly his vision was focused again and he could see who was around him. He saw the president leaving the stage, still grinning. He saw Gustavo at his side and other victors in front of him, in a close knit group. He saw a familiar face and grasped towards it weakly.

"Dustin." Kendall grabbed the older man's arm without even thinking about it, turning to face him. "What do you think about this?" James stood beside him, also watching the dark haired victor.

Dustin glanced around at the crowd of people gathering together to discuss what had just happened. Some were full of rage, some full of fear. Some seemed just numb. "This isn't a real game," he said in a biting tone, smiling grimly. "It's just a slaughter. He wants us all dead, he has to."

"It's my fault," Kendall choked, hands wracking back his hair, clawing at his scalp. "This is all my fault."

"No, no it's not," Mercedes said firmly, grabbing his hands and yanking them off his head. "It's all our faults, alright? We all had a part in breaking out against them, didn't we? I'm sure he's wanted the victors dead for a long time."

"She's right," Gustavo said grimly. "But so is Dustin. This is definitely nothing more than a chance to round us all up and kill us all. The only Victor will be Moon himself."

"So what do we do?" Kendall pleaded with him. "We can't just let this happen, there must be something . . ."

"We escape." They all turned towards James. "We leave the city," he continued in a low but urget voice. "We're so close to the Training Centre, we go there tonight, we take whatever weapons we can carry, and we escape."

"That's insane!" Dustin exclaimed. "We'd never manage it!"

Then something dawned on Kendall, and he chuckled, giving a small smile. "So what if we don't? We're dead anyway. I think it's a good idea." He reached out and took James' hand again. The brunet grinned at him.

"Okay, it's worth a try," Gustavo agreed, shrugging. *This party ends soon. I'll spread the word. We gather outside our rooms at midnight, got it?"

They all nodded and he turned around, disappearing into the crowd. Kendall and James' hands stayed intertwined for the rest of the night. Kendall wondered what would happen in this "showdown". He and James discussed it in low voices as they forced themselves to eat more food (they would need all the strength they could get later on), trying to figure out when how it would happen. Moon had said "shortly" so Kendall guessed probably within the next week. He certainly wouldn't send them all home beforehand. He was struck with a bout of sadness at the thought of never getting to say a real goodbye to his family. Even if they were planning their escape, there was no guarantee it would work. If he had known saying goodbye before this trip would likely be the last time he ever saw them, he certainly would have said more. He would have done more. The party ended and everyone retired to their rooms. Changing into warm clothes for the escape, Kendall lay flat on his back on the bed and stared at the ceiling, hands clasped over his stomach. He stayed that way until midnight arrived.

When the little clock beside his bed chimed, he slipped off the bed and put on his shoes, stepping outside his bedroom. The hallway was totally deserted for a few seconds. Then James emerged beside him. "Hey," he whispered, approaching him and taking his hand. "Are you ready?"

Kendall nodded. "I suppose so. It doesn't really matter either way."

Slowly, more victors emerged from their rooms, all gathering in a cluster by Jett and James' doors, but staying completely silent. They all came in twos and threes, only a minute apart at most. But eventually a few minutes passed, and nobody else cared. Kendall looked around, knowing this couldn't be everybody. There were less than thirty people there. Which seemed like a large group, but when you put it into perspective . . . "Where are the others?" he asked Gustavo softly.

"Not all of them are coming," Gustavo said grimly. "Some of them are just resigned to waiting for it to happen, and they're going to wait in their beds. But the rest of us, we're getting out of here."

Kendall sighed, nodding and buttoning up his coat. "Okay, let's get going. Stick together."

The group crept along the hallway and down the steps, eyes and ears open. Kendall expected the place to be swarming with guards, but there were none in sight. He didn't expect them to get to the door without being stopped, and yet somehow they did. It was very troubling, but going forward would always be better than staying inside. Luckily for them, the Training Centre was right by the mansion, and once they forced the front door open and made their way out into the dark street, it was only a minute's walk away. They kept close together as they walked; it was eerie how deserted the Capitol streets were at night. Not a soul in sight. It puzzled them a great deal, but they chose to push it aside once they arrived at the Training Centre.

"The elevator won't fit all of us," Gustavo said to the large group. "We'll take the stairs, that way we can stick together. Once you get down there, grab anything you think will be useful to you, anything you can carry. We have to be quick and efficient, got it?"

The group nodded silently and Gustavo nodded back, before leading them towards the steps to the basement.

When they got into the centre, they saw all the weapons out on display, as always. The room was dimly lit, but it was enough to see easily enough. Kendall made a beeline for the bow and arrows, grabbing a loaded quiver and a bow before following James to where the knives were. People flitted back and forth, gathering various weapons and whispering occasionally to each other with either a comment or a question. It seemed far too easy.

That was when a crowd of Peacekeepers burst through the door.

"Run!" Simon Lane roared, grasping his spear as the Peacekeepers began to fire, began to break their way through with their batons.

Kendall ducked out of the way before stabbing one hard in the leg, knocking it down and running after the others. He heard the ceiling quaking above them just before he heard a clatter of something being thrown, and three screaming victors were blown high by a Capitol bomb.

"We have to get out of here," Kendall coughed, choking on dust from the broken rubble as he stumbled along on search of freedom. The wall blew up to his right and he was surprised when the group veered in that direction and sprinted over. Kendall followed, finally noticing what they had seen; it led out into the underground travel system. Gustavo quickly climbed through the hall in the wall. Behind them bombs were still going off, shots were still being fired, and the people were still dying.

Suddenly Kendall heard a yell in a very familiar voice and looked back, gasping in surprise at seeing Marcos gazing right at him. It didn't make sense to him. But he wasn't alone, and he was bloody and beaten. He was on his knees, two Peacekeepers standing behind him. One raised his gun. Kendall screamed. He tried to go back, but James tugged him onwards. "MARCOS!" he roared, wailing and struggling as James yanked him out through the hole in the wall. A shot rang out, and one of the only people he'd ever trusted dropped to the floor, dead.

Kendall couldn't walk, so James hoisted him over his shoulder as the group sprinted through the system and up the steps into the street. They ran for over five blocks, before Dustin quickly beckoned them into a nearby alley, broke down the first door he found, and they all crowded inside what looked like back hallway of some sort of apartment block. James placed Kendall back on his feet. The blond was trembling, whimpering, but no tears were coming out. It only made him feel emptier than he already did. James wrapped his arms around him, pressing his lips to his forehead. "They brought him there just to show me," Kendall whispered, nails digging into James' shoulders. "W-why . . .?"

"They knew we were there," Penny said grimly, arms folded as she stood stiffly against the wall. "It explains how we got there so easily, doesn't it? It was a trap."

"But we got away," James said softly, trying to be positive.

"Not all of us," Penny snapped, and Kendall looked around, finally noticing her father's absence. Penny and Dustin were there, and Mercedes, and Gustavo, and James and himself. That was it. The rest had either gone another direction, or had been killed by the Peacekeeprs or the explosions.

"I don't see what they have to gain from that," Dustin said at last, twisting his spear idly in his hand. "They were planning on killing us either way, why didn't they just keep us locked in the mansion so they could make a show out of it?"

"They must be thinking of a different show," Gustavo said slowly, thoughtfully. "But as for what that is, I have no idea. For now, what we need to do is stay together and find somewhere to hide, maybe some clothes to disguise ourselves. It's our only chance."

Carlos and Logan had separate rooms in the District Thirteen compound with their families, but much like when they lived in Twelve, they spent a lot of time together in one or the other. Today they sat in Logan's room, eyes fixed on the television in front of them. It was showing a broadcast of the Training Centre and its destruction. It then continued to show the bodies of dead victors, along with the faces of the ones left alive and missing, and the news broadcaster wailed at the devastation they were causing in an urge to disobey the president and his showdown. They were a danger to society and must be stopped at all costs. One of the shots made sure to show Marcos lying dead with an arrow in his back.

"You don't really think Kendall did that," Carlos said hoarsely, gripping Logan's arm. "Do you?" Kendall hated the Capitol, they all did. But Marcos . . .

"Not a chance," Logan replied curtly, angrily. "It's a set up, it has to be, there's no other explanation. We have to talk to Hay about this, it must be what she was talking about before."

"You think this was the Capitol's plan?" Carlos glanced doubtfully at the TV screen.

"I don't know what their plan was, I just know damn well that this must have something to do with it, it's a load of bullshit." Logan stood up, wobbling a bit and gripping his cane tightly. "Come on, let's go see her."

The two made their way out of the room and down the hallway, in the direction of the main conference room. Carlos knocked briskly on the door before opening it up anyway and banging in, Logan following close behind them. Claudia Hay glanced at them from where she was deep in discussion with the other leaders. "I take it you saw the broadcasts?"

When they nodded, she gestured towards the empty chairs and they quickly slipped into two of them, sitting quietly. "Well, that victors' showdown was similar to what I expected. Now, the escape plan and the explosion weren't so similar. But I think I've cracked their plan."

"Which is?" Logan asked impatiently. It was difficult to stay polite in these circumstances.

"I think that they expected an escape plan. If they really wanted the victors to stay in the mansion, there's no way they would've made it all the way to the Training Centre unscathed. This is a way to turn the Capitol people against them, make them look like dangerous revolutionaries, just like the leaders of the Dark Days."

"You mean you guys?"

She nodded. "Anyone would be horrified at the image of Kendall's own stylist, who we all believed he loved, being killed by his own tribute. It's outrageous, it's cruel, it's terrifying and that's exactly what Moon wants. To build them up into monsters so that when they do get caught, people will welcome their execution and once that's done, the victors will be no more."

"But, you can't seriously think the Districts will—"

"I don't know what the Districts think. All I have are theories. What I do know is that this is our chance to act. We'll get as many of those survivors back as we can, while simultaneously taking down the city." She turned back to her men. "This is why I called you in here. Gather your troops, medical teams, everyone you need and proceed to your allocated hovercrafts immediately. We leave in six hours." And she turned away finished with them all once again. They hurried out of the room.

Suddenly Carlos was getting up and stepping quickly over to her, tapping her on the shoulder. She turned sharply to face him, gaze harsh. But he held his stance. "I want to go too," he said determinedly. "I'm fast a-and strong too—"

"I doubt you can use a gun," she said dismissively.

"I can learn."

"And you expect me to allow any of my soldiers to take time out of their own training to help you?.

"Well . . . No. But I–"

She cut him off, mouth upturned slightly. "Go to the training area outside, I'm sure someone will be willing to teach you the basics."

"Thank you!" Carlos hurried out of the room, Logan getting up and following him.

"Carlos, wait!" he yelled in annoyance, limping after him. "Wait! I want to go too."

"Logie, you can't go, you have a bad leg," Carlos said briefly, kissing him before turning off around the corner.

"I'm not useless!" Logan yelled after him, huffing. He turned around and saw Hay standing there, gulping and feeling his cheeks flush. "Um . . ."

"Tell me, Knight, what can you do?"

"Well, I haven't worked with anything advanced but I'm a healer. I'm good with that kind of thing. It runs in my family."

"I'm sure there's a place available for you on the medical team. You'll find them around the corner from the last living quarters."

"Okay, thank you. I'll go there right now." As Logan headed off in the direction Hay had sent him, he decided that he wouldn't tell Carlos where he was going. He clearly didn't think he was capable. Plus the younger boy was clearly busy; there was no need to. As he passed his own living quarters, he suddenly heard his name being called and saw his mother and Katie hurrying towards him. "Where are you off to?" his mom asked, frowning in concern. "Everyone's bustling about getting ready to go off to the Capitol, I don't know which way is up around here".

"I'm going to join the medical team and go with them," Logan replied steadily. "I want to help in any way I can."

"So do we," she replied, wrapping her arm protectively around Katie's shoulders. "He's our family too, you know. Sometimes I think you forget that."

"Of course I don't, I . . ." Logan sighed. "But isn't Katie a bit young? She's only twelve."

"There are children around here that age who've got rifles over their shoulders. She's well capable. Anyway, we'll only be dealing with injuries, we're not soldiers. We'll be fine. Please Logan, we want to go with you. We can't sit here helplessly anymore."

Logan glanced back and forth between them, wondering what to do. Then he nodded. "Alright . . . follow me. We'll go together."

The hallways of the apartment block were quiet and deserted, small lights nailed into the walls. Dustin chose an apartment at random, trying the door and finding that it was unlocked. It was pitch dark when they slipped in. All Kendall could do was slump down on the plush sofa and shut his eyes, just letting it all wash over him.

He realised he must have dozed off when his shoulder was shaken suddenly and he opened his eyes to see Mercedes above him. "Evening, sleepyhead," she said quietly. "The other guys tied up the homeowner, it's just one man. We're gonna stay here until we figure out what to do."

Kendall nodded, and felt foolish for not helping the other men. And yet somehow he didn't care a whole lot. He could still see Marcos' bloody face. "Are you alright?" Mercedes asked, sitting beside him. "The others are raiding the place collecting all the food, do you want anything?"

Kendall looked over and saw Penny piling up tons of food on the table and shook his head. "Maybe in a minute."

"That was probably hard to watch, huh?"

Kendall nodded, biting his lip hard. "Merc, he was such a good person."

"Yeah, well, it's always the good ones . . ."

Kendall nodded, sighing. "We can't stay here forever, can we? We'll have to move on."

"We will, they'll track us down if we stay still."

"Maybe we can disguise ourselves, I don't know. We'll have to conceal our weapons and that might be difficult, but we'd be able to move around and hopefully no one would stop us . . . it's worth a try, right?"

She nodded, glancing over at Gustavo. "I'll go talk it over with him, he's kind of our self-assigned leader. In the meantime, you get some food in you, you need it." She patted him on the shoulder and got up, moving over to Gustavo and beginning to discuss the plan with him in a low voice.

Kendall got up and walked into the kitchen area, where Penny handed him a plate of bread rolls, cheese and meats. He took some in his hands and ate it slowly, taking his time. He didn't have much appetite but he knew he would need his strength later on. As he was halfway through his roll, Gustavo walked over to him and lightly touched him on the shoulder. "Hey, little dog. Good plan."

"Thanks," Kendall mumbled, taking another bite.

"How about you go and start gathering some clothes up? The bedroom is just around the corner there, first door on your right."

Kendall nodded, finishing his food and walking into the bedroom as Gustavo instructed. His eyes immediately fell on the man tied up in the corner of the room. They had strapped him to the heater so he couldn't get away, and his mouth was taped shut. He had purple curly hair and tear stained cheeks and looked terrified out of his wits.

"You look like a cornered rabbit over there," Kendall said, giving a humourless chuckle and moving to sit at the edge of the bed, facing him. "Thing is, I'm not sure about the others, but I certainly don't plan on killing you. Just leaving you like this while we get away. By the time you get free we'll be long gone." The man stared at him fearfully and he continued. "If we are dangerous people, it was you who made us dangerous. Forcing us to kill other people just to survive, destroying our entire lives for your own entertainment, and now you're afraid of us? Why? Do you finally see the consequences of your actions, of your whole city's actions? If you treat us like animals, don't be surprised if we start acting like them. It's your fault."

The man continued to cry silently. Kendall sighed again. "I know, I know, you don't understand. You didn't do it intentionally, you didn't understand that we're people too. You watch us cry and hug our starved families but you don't really get it, it doesn't hit you that they're my family and I love them, the way you love yours: they're people too. We have fears and dreams and real emotions and so do you but you don't get it, because we're just props." He took a deep breath, composing himself. "A year ago, I would've felt unbelievably guilty about killing you, but I'm not that boy anymore. In fact, the boy I am now would probably enjoy it." He stood up. "But I've made my point, and I'm going to show it by letting you live. I don't owe you anything, and you know it." He caught sight of James walking into the room and reached for the rack of hats along the wall, choosing a woolen one and pulling it down over the man's eyes. He could breathe but not see, which was all he needed.

"I came in to give you a hand," James told him, closing the distance between them and kissing him briefly. "Let's be quick about it, yeah?"

Kendall nodded, stepping back from the man and opening the gigantic closet. They gathered sweaters and shirts and scarves and colourful trousers. The shoes they left as they were all different sizes themselves. But their own footwear wasn't particularly out of place. Kendall then grabbed a few hats and pairs of sunglasses and the two left the room. "This is what we got," James announced as he dumped it all on the coffee table. "Free for all!"

Fifteen minutes later, Kendall was kitted out in a leopard skin coat, purple scarf and fancy sunglasses and felt totally ridiculous. He let out a chuckle as James approached him wearing a shiny purple outfit with a black hat bulled down and sunglasses to cover his face. "Oh, you look very handsome," he said in the most serious tone he could manage, kissing him and squeezing his hands. "Simply spectacular."

"Guys, let's get going," Dustin said impatiently, carrying a knife before slipping it under his belt. "We can't stay in one place too long."

"But we don't even know which way we're going," James said with a sigh. "How do we get to the edge of this city?!"

"Don't worry, I know my way around pretty well," Gustavo told him, opening the apartment door. "I've come here for the last twenty five years, you get used to it. Let's go."

The six of them returned to the alley and, taking deep breaths, finally walked out onto the street. Gustavo walked at the front, guiding them through the streets and past the crowds. Occasionally they got an odd glance or two, but they kept away and stared straight ahead. "We're getting closer to the bigger streets and the city centre," Gustavo said quietly to them. "It'll be the busiest part, so try not to draw any attention to us."

They headed out into the main square. Gustavo pointed out the direction they needed to go in. But the yard was massive and full of people, gigantic TV screens along the walls of the buildings. Kendall looked up to see another news broadcast about the missing rebels. He scowled. He heard a low hum in the air that suddenly grew into the roar of an engine. He looked up, jaw dropping. Reaching out shakily, he grabbed the first arm he found and saw it belonged to Penny. "P-Penny," he squeaked, pointing towards the sky. "Hovercrafts."

There was a whole fleet of them. He heard more whirring and saw other hovercrafts coming from the opposite direction. They had the Capitol crest painted on the bottom of each. And the first ones he'd seen were all painted with the number thirteen . . .

"Do you think . . ." Penny started. He wondered the same thing. Then the leading 13 hovercraft dropped a bomb down on a nearby building.

The square erupted in screams of terror, people pushing and shoving to try and get out. Someone knocked Kendall onto the floor and his head thumped off the ground, glasses falling off and breaking in two. Groaning, he sat up, head spinning. He managed to stumble back onto his feet. "It's him!" someone roared, pointing. His eyes widened, going to cover his face too late. "It's Kendall Knight! He's over there!"

Kendall and the others sprinted towards the edges of the square. Several of the hovercrafts were flying in the direction of the president's mansion and the Tribute buildings, while others were beginning to land with soldiers filing out, firing at Peacekeepers who were charging into the square. Kendall took out his bow and arrows, loading his bow and keeping an eye out. The others were drawing their weapons and beginning to spread out.

Kendall watched the new soldiers, all dressed in black with helmets on their heads. He could see their faces; he saw some that looked strangely familiar. Then he saw one that was terribly familiar. His eyes widened. "Carlos . . ."

Carlos was knocked to the ground. Kendall gave a roar and sprinted out into the square. "Kendall, no!" James yelled, reaching for him. But he missed and Kendall kept going, firing an arrow into the Peacekeeper's back.

"You're alive," Carlos gasped as Kendall heaved him to his feet. "What are you wearing?!"

"I really don't think that's important right now," Kendall retorted, firing more arrows. But it suddenly hit him that he and the others had nothing to defend themselves with. It hit him as he saw three bullets knock Penny down without delay. "Penny," he choked, feeling someone knock against him and turning to knock them right back down. It didn't even hurt.

Carlos fought off more Peacekeepers whole Kendall sprinted across the square to join the other victors. Gustavo was ducking out of the way; probably the smartest option. But he wasn't one to hide; he never had been. He fought alongside Dustin and Mercedes, their knives flying.

"I can't see James, where is he?!" he asked the second he could. Neither of them knew. He ran through the throngs of people still trying to escape, still being knocked down. "James!" he screamed, looking around frantically. He took extra time to scan the bodies on the ground. "James, where are you?!"

Suddenly a searing pain flared up in his leg and he cried out, falling to his knees and holding his bloody leg. He was sure the bullet was still inside of him. The pain was so strong everything was starting to become distorted and blurry. Mercedes killed the Peacekeeper who shot him. Right before another shot her. He couldn't see Carlos anywhere. Bodies were piling up. "James," he whispered, heaving himself to his feet and limping along. He should've run and hidden, he knew that. But he couldn't stop now. He was a sitting duck in the middle of these soldiers but what did it matter?

He saw another hovercraft land in the distance. He saw it open up with more people swarming out, but they were dressed differently in bulletproof vests and white clothes. They held medical equipment. He saw his family and his jaw dropped. No, they couldn't be here, not in this place, they didn't stand a chance . . .

They were loading injured soldiers onto stretchers and hurrying them back inside the hovercraft. Some they were just treating out on the battlefield. Raking his hand back through his hair, forgetting it was covered in blood, Kendall looked around to try and spot James again. He heard more whirring overhead and saw a Capitol hovercraft flying over them. His eyes widened. No, no—

The buildings around him exploded into rubble and flames. The ground burst open and he was blown backwards into the air. He was floating for a moment, and saw the devastation that had been cashed. Tears spilled when he saw Dustin fall, his head wound too severe to not be fatal. He could hear screaming, some voices that he knew the screams off too well. He was reminded of when he ran from that explosion in the arena. He thought he'd come so far since then. But he was just the same.

Then everything disappeared.

Kendall woke up disorientated and stiff on a soft and springy mistress. It creaked as he tried to sit up, gasping at the burning pain in his side, and in his head. But he couldn't dwell on that for long. He looked around with wide eyes, alone in a white room filled with various medical equipment hat he would never recognise. He tried to get out of bed, wincing as he accidentally tugged at the IV in his arm. He got up, stumbling with bare feet across the floor, feeling his hospital gown swish around his knees and chill his thighs. He held on to this IV drip and ignoring the pain, wheeled it along beside him and slowly limped towards the door. He opened the door and walked out, groaning as he had to lean back and tug it shut again after him.

He was standing in a long hallway with rooms identical to his, the walls the same cold and neutral white. It stretched far on both sides, eventually turning corners, and he had no idea which direction to turn. He decided, finally, that he would turn right, and he set off.

It sounded stupid, but he had no idea if he was even alive. He didn't know where he was, he didn't know how or when they got there. He didn't know who had survived and who hadn't. He didn't know what the outcome had been. He didn't know why he was in pain.

Well . . . That wasn't entirely true. There was that unbearable pain in his chest, because he did in fact know some who hasn't survived. Marcos, and Dustin, and Penny. Mercedes. Probably so many others . . . He had to stop, try and get his breathing back on track. It was ragged and uneven and he felt tears building up inside of him.

"Kendall, what are you doing up?!"

Kendall spun around, letting out a sob. "Oh, Carlos . . ." He felt his knees give way beneath him and winced as they hit the hard floor with a thump, IV tugging again.

Carlos ran to him, tugging him under the arms and wrapping him up in a strong hug, holding him upright. The pain in his side intensified, but he didn't let him know that. It felt too good to be held again. "I'm so relieved you're safe," Carlos wept, as the two hugged each other close, heads nestled into each other's shoulders. "If you had died . . . I don't even know what I would do."

Kendall nodded, unable to make any sound other than a feeble whimper in response.

"I'm guessing you're probably really confused and worried right now." Arms still around him for support, Carlos led Kendall over to a pair of plastic chairs and they sat down. "I'll explain what I can. First off, we're in the Capitol. In a hospital, but you probably knew that much."

Kendall sat still, just waiting to hear more. He squeezed Carlos' hand tightly.

"You should know that President Moon is dead. He was shot after he and the Peacekeepers surrendered. Claudia Hay is in charge now. She was the leader of thirteen."

Kendall managed a feeble nod. "C-Carlos . . ." Having known the older boy for so long, he knew that he was straying from the information that Kendall really wanted to know. And Carlos knew that was all he really wanted to know.

"I know, I know . . ." Carlos sighed, lightly stroking his knuckles with his thumb. "It won't be easy to hear."

"Please tell me that Logan is okay," Kendall pleaded, eyes brimming over. "Please, please—"

"Logan is alive." His tone put Carlos off a little. "And James is okay. By the way, your injury is from you getting stabbed after you were knocked back from the explosion. Don't know what it was. A lot of your skin was burnt too."

"Who else, Carlos? I don't care about me right now."

"I figured you wouldn't." Suddenly Carlos had tears in his eyes. "L-look, Kendall—"

"Tell me!" Kendall screamed suddenly, shaking him frantically, heaving with rage. "Just fucking tell me Carlos, tell me who's died, now!"

Carlos began to cry, hand shakily reaching up to dry his eyes. At last he managed to meet Kendall's gaze. "Katie," he whispered. "Katie's dead."

Kendall's hands dropped from Carlos's shoulders. They just flopped down into his lap, useless. "W-wha . . . no . . ."

"I'm so sorry, Kendall, so sorry—"

"No," Kendall wailed, shoving Carlos off his chair in a sudden wave of strength. "Why would you say something like that?! Don't you know Katie? She's a fighter, she wouldn't just let that happen, for gods sake from the minute she was born we knew she'd be tough and she'd be trouble, she—"

Carlos just looked up at him, eyes filled with tears.

"Sh-she . . ." He stopped, hand clapping over his mouth. "Oh god," he sobbed. "She can't be . . ."

Carlos stood up, sitting back on his chair and putting his arm around Kendall's shoulders. "I'm sorry," he murmured, as Kendall buried his face in his shoulder and began to cry. He cried until his head ached and he began to feel dizzy and exhausted. At last his eyes closed and he just trembled, faintly feeling Carlos' hand running through his hair.

It was hours before Kendall woke up again. When he did, he was back in his hospital bed but this time, he saw his mother sitting beside him. She had a small bandage on her temple and her arm was in a sling, but she was all in one piece. She smiled sadly when he sat up and stared at her. "Hey, sweetie, how'd you sleep?"

"Okay, I guess . . ." Kendall swung his legs out of bed and reached forward to hug his mother. "I love you," he murmured, sniffling and trying not to cry again. "You know I do, right?"

"Kendall, of course I do," she replied softly, hugging him back with her good arm. "And you know I love you. I love you and Logan, so much."

Logan. Kendall pulled back, breathing slighlty faster as he asked, "Mom, I want to see Logan. And James too, do you know where they are?"

She gave a little sigh, nodding and standing up. "I do, follow me. And put on those slippers, the floor is cold."

Unable to help smiling at finally being treated like a child again, Kendall did as he was told and followed his mother down the hallway, holding her hand. She led him left and around the corner, where the white hallway suddenly turned grey. She stopped in front of a numbered door. "They're all in here," she said to him, hand on the door handle. "And, um . . . just take a deep breath, okay?"

Kendall nodded fearfully, knowing she wouldn't give him an answer if he asked. He'd just have to wait and see. "Okay." He did as he was told and she opened the door, leading him inside.

It was a small living quarters; Carlos was sitting on the bed and smiled when he saw him. Someone was sitting across from him with their back to the door, but he only got a brief glimpse of them before James was suddenly standing there in front of him, eyes filled with tears. "You're alright," he said softly, taking Kendall in his arms and hugging him so tight he was lifted off the floor. Kendall held him back; his side still ached but he felt too safe to really care. Over James' shoulder, he got a better look at who was sitting with Carlos. They were sitting in a wheelchair; and he recognised the back of that head perfectly well. "Logan," he called softly, letting James place him back on the floor and taking a careful step towards him.

Giving a small sigh, Logan nodded to Carlos and he stood up, taking hold of the wheelchair handles and turning him around. His face was half bandaged, the skin on the edges an angry pink. His good leg lay stretched in front of him. And his bad one had been chopped off at the knee. "Oh, Logan," Kendall choked, unable to tear his eyes away from the stump. "Your leg . . ."

"Yeah," Logan replied weakly, opening his arms and letting Kendall fall into them. "It was a piece of shit anyway, right? Maybe I won't have to use my cane anymore."

Kendall laughed shakily, hugging Logan tight and taking a deep breath. He smelled like a hospital. "You'll make any excuse not to use that cane," he teased, drying his eyes and snuffling.

"You heard about Katie," Logan inquired gently. When Kendall nodded, more tears falling, Logan hugged him close again and gave a small sigh. "She was a brave tribute."

Kendall nodded, trying to keep his breathing steady. "W-what are we doing now, Logan? What's going to happen to us?" He turned towards James and finally stood up, giving Logan some space and holding the brunet's hand in his. Wherever he did end up, he knew he wanted James by his side.

"We were just talking about it," Logan told him with a smile. "Panem is going to change not that Claudia is ruling, so we're going to have to adjust. But I'm sure they'll all be good changes. What could be worse than what we already had, after all . . ."

"Ain't that the truth," James chuckled. He pecked Kendall's forehead before saying, "Well, we could stay here, in the Capitol."

"You have a family back in Eleven," Kendall reminded him. But he didn't seem even the slightest bit swayed.

"Twelve is gone, so we can't go back there," Logan said. "I think the Capitol probably is our best option. Provided that we all want to stay together, that is."

"I know I do," Mrs Knight said sweetly, hugging each of them in turn. "Kendall and Logan are my children. And you two, you're like children to me too. We'll stick together until the end, won't we?"

Kendall nodded, pressing himself against James' side and smiling all around at his family. "Of course we will."