Peeta heard her gasp in pain and frantically looked around for her. He finally spotted her as she turned the corner and sprinted towards him, bleeding heavily from a deep cut on her arm.
"Katniss?"
"I have the book about Panem's secrets. We can finally figure out what a phone is!" Katniss breathed. She tugged on his sleeve, "We have to go!"
"Right," Peeta said, following Katniss to the door.
"Dad?! Mom?! I have it! Where are you?" A frightened voice called around the corner. It was Rose, their twelve-year-old daughter. Peeta stopped, and turned to head towards the sound of their daughter.
The sharp, commanding tone of a Capitol officer cut through the air in the narrow hallway. "Peeta, let's go!" Katniss urged, pulling his arm, "They're coming! Rose will be okay! She'll remember!"
Peeta started to run with Katniss to the door when he heard the small scream that unmistakably came from Rose. "Katniss, Rose is in danger! You go escape and I'll help her."
"No Peeta, we go together!" Peeta looked into her piercing gray eyes. They were determined, but Peeta knew she was exhausted and would soon collapse. Her quiver of arrows was running out, and Peeta knew that if they did, there was no way she could survive. Katniss depended too much on them."You're more important! Go!"
"No!"
"Go Katniss."
They glared at each other for a few slow heartbeats. Katniss sighed and finally obeyed, taking a few steps to the door when she paused and ran back. She flung herself into Peeta's arms hugging him tightly. Peeta took in the sweet scent that was the love of his life. She smelled of blood, dirt, and trust. "In case it's the last time I see you, I love you." She said in a barely audible whisper. Then, she ran through the door, safe at last.
"I love you too," he replied to the lingering scent she left behind.
"Mom?! Dad?!"
Peeta dashed in the direction of Rose's voice and found himself face to face with former president Snow's personal assistant. It was said that the woman had special abilities, but only Snow knew what they were. The people who came to face her all only remembered one singular detail. Miss Allicious Drace curled her lips into a cruel smile when she noticed Peeta.
Soldiers started to clatter in with swords, axes, and knives ready. The weapons glinted viciously, as if they couldn't wait to spill blood.
Peeta glanced over at his daughter. Rose was breathing heavily, covered in cuts and bruises that needed to be treated, and a crimson trail of red slowly ran down her leg. In Rose's shaking arms were three different colored metallic scrolls, each containing very dangerous and valuable information.
Allicious flicked a signal with her hands and the soldiers charged forward with their blood-hungry weapons.
Peeta slashed with his knife while Rose shot arrow after arrow after arrow. But it wasn't enough. Allicious grinned and started to stalk closer as Capitol soldiers started to overpower them.
A harsh barking came from behind the soldiers. It was too robotic to be an animal. Mutts. Genetically mutated animal weapons created by the Capitol, getting ready to kill Peeta and Rose.
"Rose, go out the door. Don't wait for me. Your mother is already out there," Peeta whispered.
"I can't, I have to help you," she answered back. Despite the shouts of the angry Capitol soldiers, and the burning sting of the cuts on his body, Peeta smiled. Rose was ridiculously stubborn, just like her mother.
"You and Katniss are the most important people in the world to me. You're my top priority. Run!" Petra shouted
Rose looked at Peeta for what felt like 30 minutes then nodded, running in the direction of safety, leaving Peeta alone to fight.
He didn't regret his decision at all. He was willing to fight for his family until his very last breath.
The mutts were starting to appear. There were about 50 of them right now, and more were still coming. They had a lean wolf-shaped body, but the head was shaped like a shark. There was no way that Peeta could hold them off and survive, but he could give his family just enough time to escape the fortress.
Peeta thought of Katniss, with her beautiful gray eyes, and her long dark hair. Her voice swept him off his feet every time she started to sing. He remembered the time she tried to teach him archery. He had been horrible, but so had she when he tried to teach her to bake. Or to paint. Peeta smiled again at all the times they went through, the good and the bad.
Rose. He also thought of Rose. The girl with Katniss's dark hair and his blue eyes. The girl with the gentle hands of a baker, and the strong spirit of a hunter. The girl who was kind, pretty, fierce, and talented.
These thoughts filled his mind as Peeta fell to the ground, his body still