2. Behind every door is a fall, a fall...and no one's here to sleep.

[wegotarunner]

[Open Spam -- Guardsmen's Tower]

[Thomas has woken up in places he isn't familiar with two times before this. The first, he woke in a metallic box that had been racing upwards, toward a crowd of sixty other boys staring down at him like he was some sort of alien. The second had been the last breach. That time had at least felt familiar even if his familiarity was some kind of falsehood. Now, though, nothing felt familiar. He felt the same amount of terror that he'd felt when he woke up in that box, unaware of where he was, who he was, or what the hell was going on.

He's not in a box now. He's in a large room that looks like it's seen better days. The walls are dark and dingy, the scattered furniture is rotting to the point that he thinks if anyone sits on it, it'll collapse completely. There's dust and cobwebs everywhere and he sneezes, grimaces a little and looks around only to realize that he's captured the attention of someone dressed like a medieval knight. He or she is wearing full armor, and carrying a sword.

He wonders for a second, if this is some kind of dream. But the knight is approaching quickly and raising the sword as they get closer and Thomas feels his instincts kick into gear. He scrambles backwards on the floor, and manages to get to his feet, eyes wide.]

Hey, what are you doing?

[The knight doesn't respond and Thomas is pretty sure he isn't going to. He darts to the left just as the knight takes a swing at him. What the shuck? He moves farther away, trying to put distance between himself and the crazed guard, only to nearly run into another. He barely notices as the second guard's sword catches him in the arm. He dodges another hit, reaching out and grabbing one of the chairs. He heaves it as hard as he can at the two knights, watching as they stumble backwards. When one of them drops the sword they were carrying, he rushes forward, grabbing it and picking it up.

He doesn't waste anymore time because there are three others heading his direction. Thomas books it to the exit and gets the hell out of there.]

[The Servant's Quarters -- Spam for Katniss and Kieren and also open to others]

[He finds himself in an even more rundown place than the last. The place has cobwebs everywhere he can see. He makes a face as he shoves one away, out of his pace, and grows still when he sees a giant creature that looks a lot like a griever, except it doesn't look like it's at all mechanical. It makes a noise that makes him wince and he takes a step back, heart beating a little faster in his chest.

He lifts the sword in his hand, gripping onto it with both hands in a defensive posture. He's never used a sword before -- at least not that he can recall -- but it doesn't look like he has much choice now.

He hears a noise and from the corner of his eye, he catches sight of movement. A girl. Before he can say anything, the spider hurls itself on him.

And Thomas hopes like hell it's easier to kill than a griever.]

[Network -- Open]

What the hell is going on? What is this place?



[ooc: If you want someone to run into him somewhere else, that's fine with me, just let me know where -- and Katniss will likely be with him.]

Comments

[mockinjay]

[Katniss woke up in this place. She knew something was coming because she's actually been checking on that stupid communicator every now and then and she had time to wear her suit and grab her bow and quiver -- not that she's been going anywhere without her bow since her first day.

When she first opened her eyes, one of these things was hovering inches over her. She didn't hesitate before grabbing an arrow and stabbing it with it. Over and over again. There's probably spider guts over her suit now, but she doesn't care enough to check.

Since then, she'd been killing one after the other. She's not even stopping to think, just shooting arrow after arrow. And she's not planning on leaving before she's done.

But then she sees someone moving, she sees someone getting attacked by one of those things and she has no idea how lethal a bite would be, but by the size of these things, she's assuming pretty lethal.

So she doesn't hesitate before pulling on one of Beetee's special, fire arrows, and aiming for that thing's head. Hopefully it'll kill it with one shot.]

[wegotarunner]

[He hits the ground hard, the force of the spider's weight on top of him, and for a second he has a flash -- he remembers seeing the griever atop Minho as the rest of them tried to get the monster off him, remembers the fear he'd seen on his friend's face -- and he struggles with the thing, turning his face away as its fangs come closer to his skin, opening and snapping shut rapidly like it's waiting to chew his face right off.

He kicks out with his leg, lands a solid hit to the thing's underbelly, long enough for it to rear up and Thomas to reach for his sword, which he figures is the only way he's got a chance of making it out of this alive.

In that split second though, there's a flash of bright burning light and his eyes widen as he realizes that an arrow has lodged into the spider's head, dead center. The whole body of the thing catches fire and Thomas manages to scramble away from it, grabbing onto his sword tightly and staring at it for a second longer before searching for the source. The girl.

He blinks a couple of times and starts toward her, reaching out and knocking cobwebs out of the way until he can see her clearly.

Katniss.]

That was a hell of a shot.

[mockinjay]

[She's running over to him, halfway through the room by the time he reaches her. She recognizes him instantly, obviously. It's not like she had almost friendly conversations with a lot of people since she got to the Barge.

Once the cobwebs are out of the way, she surveys him for a moment. At least he's armed, it's a good enough start.]

Did it bite you? [She knows he complimented her, but it's not like it matters at the moment. They're still surrounded by giant spiders. Aggressive ones.]

[wegotarunner]

No, I'm okay.

[Mostly thanks to her well-placed arrow in the spider's head. His sword is hanging down at his side, but not for long, because there's another spider approaching quickly from behind her.]

These weren't in the other room I was just in.

[He raises his sword, preparing to slash at the overgrown insect.]

[mockinjay]

[Her instincts tell her that something is approaching her from behind almost at the same time he lifts his sword. She turns around sharply and doesn't hesitate before pulling an arrow from her quiver.]

I don't have a lot of the fire ones. [Meaning, she's only gonna use them in an emergency. Can you actually use that sword?]

[wegotarunner]

[He hopes the regular ones will do the trick. He gets her message loud and clear, hearing another spider approach from behind him. Instinctively he puts his back to hers, feeling adrenaline rush through him once more.]

Come on. [His heart is beating quickly again.] Come on!

[The spider lunges and he slashes at one of it's legs, slicing it off and grimacing as it roars loudly.]

[mockinjay]

[As much as she hates having to trust someone else to keep her alive, the fire she set on the other spider seems to have infuriated more of them. Because yes, they're effectively surrounded by them now.

She pushes her back to his and as he moves forward so his sword can come into contact with the one he's fighting, she steps backward, putting more distance between her and the spider she's facing. Giving her arrows more speed, making them more effective.]

The brain! [She yells when one of them seems to give out the second she puts an arrow right through it's head. Even if it's legs were still moving uselessly.]

Go for their brain, on top of the eyes. [All of the eyes.]

[wegotarunner]

[It's less of a problem for Thomas to trust people at this point. Only one person has actually tried to kill him -- at least that he's aware of. And she's already saved his ass from one of these things. He's not too worried that she's going to turn and suddenly shoot him in the back. It doesn't even occur to him as a possibility.

He winces at the way the thing roars again, barely hearing her words over the noise. It takes him a second to realize what she's said, and short of the spider dipping down low enough for him to stab it in the head, there's no way he's going to be able to kill it like this.

It only takes him a second to make up his mind. He heaves the sword at the spot above its eyes the way he'd heaved his spear at the griever attacking Minho, and watches as it hits its mark. He has no idea how he's able to pull that off, but he's momentarily relieved when it stumbles backwards and falls.]

We need to get out of here!

[mockinjay]

[She's managed to get rid of the one she'd been facing and one more that was making it's way down toward them. And then she turns around to see his own kill and apparently he does know what he's doing with the sword.

For now, the spiders are far away enough that they're not in immediate danger. So she steps forward and pulls her arrows from the two spiders she's killed.]

There's a door on the other side. ]She nods at the corner opposite from the one he came in from.]

Can you run?

[wegotarunner]

[He watches her yank the arrows out of the spiders and grimaces a little before he moves and grabs his sword out of the one he killed. He follows her line of sight to the door.

A smile tugs at his mouth, the first real smile he's had since he got to the Barge, and he nods.]

Yeah. I can run.

[He glances at her before taking off toward the door as quickly as he can.]

[mockinjay]

[She has no idea why he's smiling at all. But she does nod when he does. And apparently he can run pretty fast. But she's not far behind as she pretty much manages to keep up the pace with him.]

Keep going! [She calls out when she can feel a spider catching up to them, and she turns just long enough to release her arrow at it.]

[wegotarunner]

[Don't worry, Katniss. He isn't planning on stopping til he gets out the door. And he doesn't. He practically jumps through it and rolls out into the corridor, looking back over his shoulder. He watches the arrow land right between the monster's eyes and he holds his breath, heart beating way too fast in his chest.]

Come on!

[mockinjay]

[As soon as she crosses the door, she turns around and prepares to shoot another arrow. It takes a second before another spider comes after them, but she still doesn't move.

And then, the spider comes right at the door and stills, before turning around and walking away on it's own. Like the quarter quell.]

We're in an arena. [She mutters, mostly to herself as she stares, stomach sinking.]

[wegotarunner]

[Relief sweeps over him as she crosses the threshold. The knights in the other room hadn't followed him into the corridor, and his suspicions are confirmed when the spiders stops at the door, too, then turns and walks away. It's like the Maze.

Her words throw him, though.]

The arena?

[mockinjay]

We're in their games.

[She'll never get out of the games, no matter what she does, what she tries. Haymitch was right. The games don't end when you leave the arena.

Her face is suddenly paler as she shakes her head. But her jaw clenches.]

In my world, they have the games every year. They pick 24 of us, throw us in the arena. Only one comes out alive.

[She turns to look at the door again, her eyes narrowing.]

They control the arena so it's dangerous. So it's entertaining for everyone watching.

[wegotarunner]

[Thomas rises to his feet slowly, sword down at his side as his eyebrows furrows and he tries to make sense of her words. The games. He doesn't know what that means, but then she explains and his eyes widen a little, stunned.

That's sick. People fighting to the death for other people's entertainment. It's barbaric.

For a moment he gets lost in that line of thought, feeling colder than he had only moments before. He shakes himself out of his stupor.]

I don't think that's what's going on here. Chromie said this was some tower from her world. She said we should try and make it to the library. That it's one of the safest places to be.

[mockinjay]

[She's said a lot more than usual for her, but it doesn't matter. It never does when she's angry, when she feels like she's under the Capitol's cameras again. She doesn't care here, because Prim and Peeta and Gale will be safe, regardless of what she says.]

Where's the library? [She doesn't sound convinced, though.]

[wegotarunner]

[He hesitates, then shakes his head.]

I don't know. But we can find it.

[He sounds confident about that. Clearly she's good with a bow and arrow, and he's not too shabby with his sword, plus he's a runner. They can get out of this, he's sure of it.]

[mockinjay]

[She doesn't like the idea of having someone with her. It never works, it never ends up well for them. But she's not sure he's right about where they are, either. And that means she feels kind of responsible for helping him until they can be sure.

Once she knows for sure, then she'll go her own way.

So with a nod, she stares down the hallway.]

We don't have much of a choice here.

[wegotarunner]

[Her words send a chill down his back, reminding him of the night the doors hadn't closed in the Maze. How the grievers had come out of it and attacked the Gladers. How many people had died.

How Alby had died.

His stomach tightens in a knot. She's right. There isn't much of a choice now, just like there hadn't been a choice then. It was act, or die.

And Thomas doesn't want to die, death toll or not. And he doesn't want Katniss to die either.]

Well we can rule out that room. [He points to the room with the knights.]

[mockinjay]

[She doesn't want anyone to die, either. She never wanted anyone to die, except herself instead of Prim. Instead of Peeta. But she survived and now she has to protect them.

She looks over at the room he's pointing at as she adjusts her bow in her hand, wanting to be prepared.]

Is that where you were?

[wegotarunner]

[There's been more than enough death in the whole week of his life back home that he can remember. Here, there's a death toll. A fail safe of sorts. He still doesn't want anyone else to have to deal with it.

He nods slightly, fingers flexing around the handle of the sword in his hand.]

Yeah. It's where I got the sword. There are knights in there. Armored ones. And they're pissed off and more than a little homicidal.

[mockinjay]

[She knows about the death toll, but she doesn't trust it anymore than she trusts Snow or Coin. Because the Admiral is behind it. And she doesn't trust people in charge.]

I woke up in this room, I only saw the spiders. [She considers the hallway for a second and looks at the other door for a moment, then back at him before starting toward it.]

[wegotarunner]

[He glances back toward the room full of giant spiders, then follows her toward the room, hoping it's the library, even though he figures it won't be that easy. His fingers tighten around the sword he's carrying, bracing himself for whatever might lay on the other side of the closed door.]

Here we go.

[mockinjay]

[She glances his way and takes the lead, reaching for the door and slowly pushing it open. She has more range with her arrows, after all. Katniss pauses when she sees silent, empty stairs, leading up. At least it looks better than a room full of spiders, or angry knights.

She glances at him, then starts upstairs. Her steps are completely silent and she hopes he's not as loud as Peeta.]

[wegotarunner]

[Thomas follows her to the door, also pausing at the sight of the staircase. From where they're standing, he can't see anything threatening or out of place. So when she starts up the stairs, he does, too, his footsteps quiet as he grips a little more tightly onto the sword.

As they reach the top of the staircase, he sees figures moving around and he pauses, eyebrows raising. They aren't paying he and Katniss any attention and he looks at her warily. He's completely out of his element with all the supernatural stuff.]

Can they even see us? [His voice is so quiet the only reason she could hear him is because he's standing so close to her.]

[mockinjay]

[She definitely keeps her eyes on the ghosts as they get up to the next floor, her arrow trained on the one that seems to be the closest to them. But they look like clouds, she's not sure this would even work if she did fire.]

I don't know. [She whispers back, glancing at him for a second before continuing.

Let's keep going.

[wegotarunner]

[He nods his agreement, following her up the remainder of the steps and putting his feet on solid ground once more, warily keeping an eye on the ghosts. He sees a door across the room and nods toward it, pointing with his sword before making his way toward it slowly, tense.]

[mockinjay]

[Katniss doesn't hesitate. Whatever this place is, it's insane. The mutts or whatever creates these ghosts, the spiders, and everything else that might be out there are unlike anything she's seen on previous games.

So she nods at Thomas, then silently starts toward the next door over. They still don't seem to notice them.]

[SPAM -- tower]

[betamax]

[The breach wasn't bad. Everything seemed normal until afterwards, and okay, so it was insane, but at least he hadn't questioned what was going on while it was happening. This time? He's got no clue. It's like being back in Beacon Hills all over again, trying to scramble for something that makes sense, except there's nobody there to explain anything. Nobody seems to know what's going on.

He makes his way through the rooms, carefully, and while after the first few things try to attack him he knows to be more on guard, he doesn't need any weapons. Not when he's already got plenty on his own. He strains his senses as he moves through the halls, and the fact that he's already on edge from not knowing what's going on definitely helps him get to it easier.

He's right at the doorway to another room when the kid runs into him, and it's reflex to grab, even if he doesn't recognize the scent, to pull him out of the way as he retreats back into the hallway, out of sight. He can hear something coming, and he knows something coming is generally a bad thing. He peeks around the corner, tries to see what it is, and catches the glimpse of something shining and running full-tilt and he doesn't need to be told to pull back again, duck back out of sight, and only then does he turn to look at the kid.

It's...Stiles. He frowns, because that can't be right, but it doesn't stop the comparison. It looks like Stiles, if a Stiles who's had a hell of a day.]

Geez, if I'd known you were getting attacked by...whatever those things are, I would've tried to get here faster. You okay?

[SPAM -- tower]

[wegotarunner]

[He's not out of breath, but his heart is pounding hard in his chest nonetheless. Being chased and having swords swung in his general direction isn't something he's a big fan of. He suspects that's probably true for most people. He hopes it's true for most people.

Someone catches him, two solid hands on his shoulders as a kid about his age whose face he doesn't recall seeing before, pulls him out of the way and peeks into the room before looking back at him.

It takes him a second to realize that the guy's mistaken him for Stiles, and he wonders how many more times that's going to happen before he gets used to the reaction.]

I'm okay. [Then he shakes his head.] I'm not Stiles.

[strangehistorian]

This is Karazhan, I think. I've never been inside before. It sits at a confluence of ley lines, and the resulting chaos is very dangerous as you can see.

[wegotarunner]

[Thomas is pretty sure he's never heard of Karazhan before. And he's not entirely sure what she means by a confluence of ley lines, but it doesn't sound like a good thing. Not if it's causing this kind of chaos.]

How do we get out?

[strangehistorian]

The Admiral will retrieve us when the port ends, but finding the ship before then certainly couldn't hurt.

[wegotarunner]

How long does that usually take? For the Admiral to retrieve us?

[strangehistorian]

A few days. Never more than that.

[wegotarunner]

Is there somewhere safe here? Somewhere without giant spiders and armored knights trying to flay us?

[strangehistorian]

Not safe. Perhaps... less dangerous? Or dangerous in a way other than physical. The library doesn't have anything that will attack you if you don't try to read any of the books.

[wegotarunner]

Okay, good to know. So we just need to make it to the library then.

[strangehistorian]

Yes. I'll help you if I can.