Post by Jax Funen on Mar 19, 2020 14:06:53 GMT -7
Jax had been in District 7 for six months now. It wasn’t his longest stay in a District, but he’d been through many other places much faster than this one. The political situation there was complex. It wasn’t so easy as labeling a list of who was and who wasn’t a rebel. Jax suspected that nearly everyone in the District was a little rebellious. Few had much love for the Capitol. Life in the District could be rough, so it was about survival. A side effect of the layers of complication was the length of Jax’s stay. He was finally beginning to crack into the information. Gaining the people’s trust wasn’t easy. They knew how risky the information was, so they weren’t talking to just anyone.
Jax found most of his information at bars, late at night. Once the men from the fields got to drinking after work, they were much less careful with their words. Rumors flowed so easily in those times. Most of them were completely untrue, but a few of them came from truth or led him to truth. They were worthwhile enough to keep him in the District while he worked on painting a picture for the Capitol. Jax felt bad about it, of course, but he knew these people were endangering the others. They hadn’t heard the news, he was sure, but in other Districts, any signs of rebellion were immediately put down with heavy force. So fresh out of the war, the Capitol wanted to make it abundantly clear to the people of Panem who won and who was in charge. By putting out just the active, violent rebels, Jax told himself that he was helping the innocent people of District 7.
In the past few months, he’d also had Evelyn to occupy his thoughts. He wasn’t trying to get the information out of her, actually. After the second night at her apartment, Jax kept the stupid idea he’d had in the back of his mind. It was ridiculous - they weren’t even together, but he secretly lusted after this imagined life together. Jax also hoped for them to become something, anything really. In that time, their clear tension collapsed into him sharing her bed more than once. Physically, they were incredibly compatible, but it seemed like outside of her bed, they were nothing more than friends.
It had been a stupid idea anyway - why was he so ready to go for this girl he barely knew? Jax was finally starting to abandon the plan. If they hadn’t evolved into something by now, they probably never would. Jax was trying to move on emotionally in the same way. He’d gone back to occasionally picking up other girls at bars, but it was never the same and never fully satisfying.
Jax spent most of his days out in the east yard, working on leveling the trees there. Demand was up from the Capitol as they continued their reconstruction. Jax’s back ached after work - it seemed a little unfair that as a part of his gig, he had to do the same work as the people in the Districts. Even as a soldier, this work was hard. Jax thought that was maybe why the workers were so unhappy. Men like Edgar died when the work was rushed, and everyone else that left the yard walking each day went home with horribly aching bodies and a small paycheck that didn’t fully settle the debt for them. Jax got his best information here, from the angriest, most dissatisfied people. He could feel the workers straining under the demanding new orders, but he never expected them to snap so fast.
The yard was clearly tense - the Capitol sent in more soldiers to guard the fields and watch all the workers. Jax felt quietly unsettled at work. No one acknowledged the tension, but everyone felt it. The accidents were becoming more common. During Jax’s day at work, one man had been badly cut by equipment but was delayed in getting help. The soldiers insisted on keeping him at the field and waiting for a healer to come to them. The man was moved to a back building, so Jax and the others didn’t see him for the rest of the day, but he had a few guesses. He’d seen how deep the cut ran.
During shift change a few hours later as the men moved out of the fields and back towards their home, Jax heard the unmistakeable sound of shots ringing out. He immediately whipped around to see Linden, a boy who was no older than 16, holding one of the soldier’s gun. Linden was a nice boy, but excitable. Surely, the news of today had pushed him over the edge toward acting out. Jax felt his blood running cold through his veins, his limbs not moving as fast as his mind as he tried to get to Linden. ”Linden!” he barked, ”Put the gun down!” Jax’s voice was lost in the crowd that was trying to run as he pushed toward the boy. ”Linden!” he screamed again, desperate for Linden to hear him. If he stopped now, he still could have a chance to live. But the other soldiers got to him first. Just before Jax reach him, screaming ”Linden, stop!”, the other soldiers began to fire indiscriminately. Multiple bullets caught the boy’s body which quickly fell lifeless to the ground.
Jax stood, trying to process what he’d just seen. The light was so bright. When he blinked, the image of a battlefield during the war flashed behind his eyes. The dark crimson puddle wrapping around Linden’s body, the glint of the sunlight on the metal of the guns. Jax felt an arm catch his. He opened his eyes and found those of an older stranger. ”Son,” the man said, ”You’ve been shot. You need to get out of here - NOW.” Jax looked down at his torso and saw the red blood blossoming darkly across the blue fabric of his shirt. Jax looked at the man’s eyes, back down at himself, then once again at Linden. Linden’s bright green eyes looked unblinking upwards into the leaves of the still standing trees. Screams echoed around Jax as the men tried to run away. Jax half felt hands on his body, but felt the touches melt away as his vision blurred black. The last thing he felt were the hands on his body lifting him as his legs failed beneath him.
Words: 1121
Tags: Evelyn Jagger
Notes: oop, this accidentally got so long
Jax found most of his information at bars, late at night. Once the men from the fields got to drinking after work, they were much less careful with their words. Rumors flowed so easily in those times. Most of them were completely untrue, but a few of them came from truth or led him to truth. They were worthwhile enough to keep him in the District while he worked on painting a picture for the Capitol. Jax felt bad about it, of course, but he knew these people were endangering the others. They hadn’t heard the news, he was sure, but in other Districts, any signs of rebellion were immediately put down with heavy force. So fresh out of the war, the Capitol wanted to make it abundantly clear to the people of Panem who won and who was in charge. By putting out just the active, violent rebels, Jax told himself that he was helping the innocent people of District 7.
In the past few months, he’d also had Evelyn to occupy his thoughts. He wasn’t trying to get the information out of her, actually. After the second night at her apartment, Jax kept the stupid idea he’d had in the back of his mind. It was ridiculous - they weren’t even together, but he secretly lusted after this imagined life together. Jax also hoped for them to become something, anything really. In that time, their clear tension collapsed into him sharing her bed more than once. Physically, they were incredibly compatible, but it seemed like outside of her bed, they were nothing more than friends.
It had been a stupid idea anyway - why was he so ready to go for this girl he barely knew? Jax was finally starting to abandon the plan. If they hadn’t evolved into something by now, they probably never would. Jax was trying to move on emotionally in the same way. He’d gone back to occasionally picking up other girls at bars, but it was never the same and never fully satisfying.
Jax spent most of his days out in the east yard, working on leveling the trees there. Demand was up from the Capitol as they continued their reconstruction. Jax’s back ached after work - it seemed a little unfair that as a part of his gig, he had to do the same work as the people in the Districts. Even as a soldier, this work was hard. Jax thought that was maybe why the workers were so unhappy. Men like Edgar died when the work was rushed, and everyone else that left the yard walking each day went home with horribly aching bodies and a small paycheck that didn’t fully settle the debt for them. Jax got his best information here, from the angriest, most dissatisfied people. He could feel the workers straining under the demanding new orders, but he never expected them to snap so fast.
The yard was clearly tense - the Capitol sent in more soldiers to guard the fields and watch all the workers. Jax felt quietly unsettled at work. No one acknowledged the tension, but everyone felt it. The accidents were becoming more common. During Jax’s day at work, one man had been badly cut by equipment but was delayed in getting help. The soldiers insisted on keeping him at the field and waiting for a healer to come to them. The man was moved to a back building, so Jax and the others didn’t see him for the rest of the day, but he had a few guesses. He’d seen how deep the cut ran.
During shift change a few hours later as the men moved out of the fields and back towards their home, Jax heard the unmistakeable sound of shots ringing out. He immediately whipped around to see Linden, a boy who was no older than 16, holding one of the soldier’s gun. Linden was a nice boy, but excitable. Surely, the news of today had pushed him over the edge toward acting out. Jax felt his blood running cold through his veins, his limbs not moving as fast as his mind as he tried to get to Linden. ”Linden!” he barked, ”Put the gun down!” Jax’s voice was lost in the crowd that was trying to run as he pushed toward the boy. ”Linden!” he screamed again, desperate for Linden to hear him. If he stopped now, he still could have a chance to live. But the other soldiers got to him first. Just before Jax reach him, screaming ”Linden, stop!”, the other soldiers began to fire indiscriminately. Multiple bullets caught the boy’s body which quickly fell lifeless to the ground.
Jax stood, trying to process what he’d just seen. The light was so bright. When he blinked, the image of a battlefield during the war flashed behind his eyes. The dark crimson puddle wrapping around Linden’s body, the glint of the sunlight on the metal of the guns. Jax felt an arm catch his. He opened his eyes and found those of an older stranger. ”Son,” the man said, ”You’ve been shot. You need to get out of here - NOW.” Jax looked down at his torso and saw the red blood blossoming darkly across the blue fabric of his shirt. Jax looked at the man’s eyes, back down at himself, then once again at Linden. Linden’s bright green eyes looked unblinking upwards into the leaves of the still standing trees. Screams echoed around Jax as the men tried to run away. Jax half felt hands on his body, but felt the touches melt away as his vision blurred black. The last thing he felt were the hands on his body lifting him as his legs failed beneath him.
Words: 1121
Tags: Evelyn Jagger
Notes: oop, this accidentally got so long
