Hunger Games: The Second Quarter Quell - The Story of Haymitch Abernathy

Epilogue

Everything buzzed in Haymitch's ears. 

The lights blurred, the people merely blobs.

 His consciousness slipped away as he felt someone strong lift him onto some sort of stretcher, and he awoke again in a strange, dim room, beds on either side of him. He opened his mouth to speak, but it filled with cold air, and no sound came out. 

Haymitch glanced down as the state of himself on what appeared to be a hospital bed, and noticed the uncomfortable compression and the agonising pain which was all occurring at once over his abdomen. And then he remembered it. Maysilee. Glitz. The blow to his stomach. The way he'd held in his intestines as he'd run up the hill. The way Glitz had died.

Haymitch sat up with a gasp, realising his inability to speak was due to the mouthpiece of a breathing machine, which he yanked off. Glitz had died. And he was still alive. Even if it was here, in this strange, gloomy hospital room. 

He had won the Hunger Games. 

For a moment, Haymitch was unsure what to feel. Excited? Guilty? Sick? 

The sound of the door in the far corner squeaking open interrupted Haymitch thoughts, for which he was grateful. But not as grateful as he was too see who stood there, smiling weakly at him from across the room. It was Connell Silvanus. 

'Hey, I... requested to see you,' Connell said quietly, taking a step towards the foot of Haymitch's bed with a smile. 'You did great, out there.'

Haymitch considered responding, but was unsure of what to say. Thanks? It felt inappropriate. The only 'good' thing he'd done out there was kill.

'I know you're probably not doing great, but I just wanted to—' Connell was interrupted all of a sudden by a much louder and fast bang of the door, and Haymitch sat up weakly to glimpse three armed Peacekeepers charge their way in.

'Connell Silvanus?' the one of the right asked to which Connell nodded, frowning.

'You're going to have to come with us,' the second instructed threateningly.

'Is there a specific reason?' Connell questioned nervously, glancing between the three Peacekeepers.

'Just come,' the third spat, taking ahold of Connell's upper arm.

'But I—' Connell's words were interrupted by a harsh blow to the face by the first Peacekeeper, from which he was knocked unconscious.

Haymitch watched on in horror as the first two Peacekeepers dragged Connell out, and the third lingered behind.

'What happened? What did he do?' Haymitch demanded hoarsely, feeling the immense pain his abdomen heighten. Clearly the medication was wearing off.

'He broke Capitol protocol. By providing a tribute with access to a drug before the games,' the third Peacekeeper grunted, and Haymitch recalled the night before he'd entered the arena, when Connell had poured him a drink.

'What? It wasn't even a stimulant! How was it supposed to benefit me?' Haymitch protested, relieved to hear his usual voice beginning to return.

'Stimulant or no stimulant, any consumption of a drug before the Games is strictly forbidden.'

'What are you going to do to him?' Haymitch demanded, swallowing bitterly down his dry throat.

'Sorry. Capitol orders. I'm not supposed to share—'

'Just tell me, goddammit!' Haymitch interrupted, watching as two nurses entered the room, approaching either side of his bed and holding him down as he began to thrash. 'What are you going to do to him?' he demanded again, desperation filling his voice.

'He will be dealt with, Mister Abernathy,' the Peacekeeper concluded.

'No!' Haymitch yelled, 'I want to go home! Get me out of here, dammit!' 

His loud demands were once again interrupted by the small hospital room's final occupant: Euphemia Trinket.

'Haymitch—'

'What did you tell them? What are they doing to Connell?' Haymitch shouted, watching as Euphemia bowed her head.

'Just listen—'

'I don't want to listen to you. Just get me home, please!' Haymitch interrupted, feeling a large lump in his throat begin to grow.

'Haymitch, you don't—'

'I need to see my mother and Elden and Etta! Please can I just go home?' came his final cry, before Euphemia took another step forward, tears in her eyes.

'Using the forcefield to win the Games is no joke, Mister Abernathy,' the Peacekeeper from before butted in, 'the Capitol don't take these things lightly.'

Falling still, Haymitch felt a horrible feeling sink into whatever was left of his stomach.

'But mom and—'

'Haymitch, they're dead.'

*

THANKS FOR READING! :)

Haymitch Abernathy returned to District 12 after the news was broken to him about the loss of his mother, brother, and girlfriend, and he then succumbed to a life of isolation, turning to alcohol. 

Haymitch did made sure Marigold Donner received her Mockingjay pin, however, and it was eventually passed on to Marigold's daughter, Madge Undersee, and eventually to the future District 12 Hunger Games victor, Katniss Everdeen.