"Now, let's not do anything hasty," said Katniss cautiously. As per usual, the situation had gone from bad to worse. She had woken up on the floor of some sort of bakery- which was pleasant enough, since it reminded her of home. It became quite unpleasant when the owner began to aim his shotgun at her.

"Hasty? I don't care what you call hasty- you're one of them, those crazy folks. Who knows what you could do!"

"Listen, sir," whispered the girl, her hands in the air. "I'm not going to do anything. I'm going to walk out that door back there and never come back. I promise. Just don't shoot me."

"What makes you think you can tell me what to do?" cried the old man, sweat dripping down his bald head. "I can shoot you if I damn well please."

"But what do you stand to gain from it? I'm just going to leave."

"The way I see it, you ain't got any way to prove that."

Katniss backed into a glass cabinet of donuts. There were a few tables in the room where two families sat with their children, nibbling on coffee cakes. Or rather, they had been nibbling. Now the parents kept their heads ducked low, their children pressed down under the shields of their arms.

"You're making a scene," Katniss noted.

"I don't care," he growled. "I don't want you trying anything, and if I have to make a mess outta you to stop that I will."

"There are kids over there," she warned.

"Well, you look like a kid yourself so I don't figure you've got anything wrong with 'em being exposed to a little blood."

Katniss frowned. "No, I'm the last person that would want that. Honest."

"Then I'm real sorry for what I'm about to do."

Katniss watched the man's finger begin to slip down on the trigger. She knew she had to act, and fast. Her hands dropped from the air and to her sides, running along the edges of the cabinet behind her. Below it was a counter, as she had expected.

This is it. My only chance.

She grabbed onto the counter as tightly as she could, and jumped with all of her might. Katniss vaulted backwards over the counter and dropped to the floor as the wooden panels above her were torn apart by the blast. Her heart racing, she scampered on all fours out the door and into the street, ducking behind a barrel across the way. The man rushed out the door, swung his weapon around in search of his target, and upon not finding it, walked back into his establishment. Katniss attempted to collect her thoughts as she breathed heavily.

This town doesn't look like Northville, so I've been taken somewhere else. And I was almost shot to death by… a donut man. The odds aren't exactly in my favor, are they?

She took a moment to examine her surroundings more thoroughly. The bakery was across the street, which appeared to be the main road around which the town was clustered. The building she now cowered under was, according to the sign that hung over her, the Southville Tavern.

Look at that. Ryuko was right. And if Twilight was right, too, then I'm straight south from where I started. I wonder where the rest of the team is, though. Probably at other towns.

She heard some voices from down the road and immediately lowered herself as far along the barrel as she could. When she realized that she recognized those voices, she attempted to move lower, which was not very successful.

"Well, at least they're doing us a favor and staying off of the street," sighed her father.

"If they were on the street I'd have something to play with," Dio seethed in response.

"Or eat," oozed Starling. "I'm just starving, trying to keep my figure… and I think it's about time I let myself go."

"You sicken me," grunted Nightmare. "Human flesh is weak! It has no value! But the soul- the soul is wonderful."

No, no, no! I can't deal with them on my own. I need to hide.

Katniss looked up and down the street for potential spots. Every building would have worked in theory, except they were full of people that wanted her dead. That meant that they were not an option. She had to pick something expansive, with enough hiding spaces that if the King's League decided to pursue her, they'd have to look around for a while. She also had to pick something uninhabited. Nothing within sprinting distance met both requirements… until her eyes fell on the shed. It was an old, dilapidated building with huge, wooden doors on the front-perhaps it was once a barn- and it sat inconspicuously on her side of the street. Katniss knew it was her only hope. She darted forward, found that the door was open, and slipped inside, drawing a crossbar shut behind her. If she could stay quiet, she'd be fairly safe.

Well, as long as those two monsters don't come looking in here. They always seem to know right where you are.

Katniss decided it would be a good idea to check for any further hiding spots in the shed. It seemed that it really had been a barn, as it was full of old, cob-webbed stalls, but no animals. It even had a loft filled with dusty-looking hay bales. But the most striking thing about it was not part of the building at all, but rather what was also in it, right in front of Katniss. A truck- and not just any truck. It was one of those heavy-duty hauling machines Katniss had only glimpsed maybe once or twice hauling trailers full of coal away from District 12. This one was not flat gray or stained with soot, however. It was custom-painted, with candy-red flames racing across its long nose, its grille and wheels glittering chrome. Katniss found it very odd that someone would put the effort into making a vehicle designed solely for heavy work so fancy. What good would it be if you couldn't use it without fear of ruining the paint job?

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

She was going to contemplate the further impracticalities when she heard the voices nearby. She had to hide, and while the truck was fairly conspicuous, it probably was a little more secure than crouching in one of the stalls. Katniss dove to the driver's side door and tried the handle, finding that the unlocked door swung open with ease. She flung herself inside, noticed the shallow bunk behind the driver's seat, and scrambled up to it. It was on a folding mechanism, which Katniss attempted to pull as shut as possible with her inside. Wedged between the back wall of the truck's interior and the small, uncomfortable bed, she listened for her enemies' banter.

"What's this? A barn?" asked Dio.

"I think that's what it is," replied Filia.

"It's not the bank," said her father. "Which is what we're here for, may I remind you."

"You don't need to remind me of anything," growled the vampire. "Fine. We'll go for the bank."

The voices moved away, but Katniss wished she could relax. Even if those three were gone, the Predator or Xenomorph could still be lurking nearby. They could even be in the barn, for all she knew. She remained silent, listening for anything else above the soft gasps of her own breath, which was beginning to mist up the sticky fake leather. As it turned out, she didn't have to wait long to hear something.

"Human girl," boomed a commanding, gravelly voice. "They have left. If you wish to make your escape, do it now."

Katniss curled further up in an involuntary spasm of fear.

Who was that? How do they know I'm here?

"If you wish to remain longer," it continued, "I will allow it. But I cannot guarantee your safety."

Katniss did not move, her breath becoming panicked and short. "Guarantee… safety?"

"For too long have I chosen to fight, but because of this, I have lost everyone I loved. Now that I am in this tournament, I have vowed to remain as passive as possible, lest my actions lead to more sorrow."

"Who… who are you?" whispered Katniss, lowering the bunk back into place.

"Step out of the truck," the voice commanded. Against her better judgment, Katniss worked her way out of the bed and climbed over the driver's seat, cautiously opening the door and dropping to the straw-covered ground. Almost immediately the truck began to produce grinding, clanking noises as the body panels began to detach themselves and move. The tires segmented themselves and folded up, with the hubcaps tucking away inside of long, pillar-like structures. The cab split in half and began to collapse in on itself, while gigantic limbs formed from within the engine block. The flying pieces of metal began to slow down, and congealed into a huge, mechanical form. It lowered itself onto a knee and bowed a blue helmet toward Katniss, its glowing blue eyes flitting around as it observed her.

"My name is Optimus Prime," he said. "I was once the leader of the Autobots, the proud defenders of Cybertron."

"Oh. You are the truck."

Cybertron… I've heard that before.

"Yes," replied Optimus. "We are robots in disguise."

"I see that."

"You are not surprised?"

"I've seen a lot of weird stuff lately," said Katniss. "This could have been weirder."

"Very well, then. Now, please leave," he commanded gravely. "I do not wish any harm to befall you."

Katniss stood still, thinking the situation over. Should she just leave? No. This could be advantageous.

"With all due respect, Mr. Prime, I'm not going anywhere," she replied at last. "Not without you. Harm's going to befall me whether I tag along with you or not, and I'd much rather have somebody with me. So why don't we work together on this one? I think I'll need a ride to the next town up the road, and a guy who can turn into a truck sounds pretty useful for that."

Optimus leaned back into a sitting position on the barn floor, scratching at his faceplate with a great mechanical hand.

"Very well, human girl. I will honor your request and transport you to the next town. But the path of the Autobot is filled with pain and suffering."

"Believe me, I'm used to both."

Optimus nodded and rearranged himself back into the truck he had been only minutes earlier. The driver's side door opened on its own, as if to beckon Katniss in. She accepted, and hopped into the driver's seat.

"If I may ask, what is your name, human girl?"

"Katniss," she said, buckling her seat belt. "Katniss Everdeen."

"Katniss Everdeen, it is my hope that I can call you friend."

"We'll see, Mr. Prime," she smiled. "Now, let's get the hell out of here, and fast."

Optimus revved up his diesel engine as his smokestacks belched black exhaust. The truck jolted forward and smashed through the barn doors, sliding onto the dusty dirt road that crawled through the center of town. Katniss checked the rear-view mirrors to see if the King's League had caught on. So far as she could tell, they had not. Optimus turned and pulled onto the otherwise-empty road, while Katniss gazed sternly out toward the horizon.

With any luck, snagging the coin from the next town will be a cinch with this guy's help. Or at least I'll get a ride out of it. Either way, getting toward another town has to increase my chances of running into the rest of the team. That's what I'm holding on to… because Holly's right. When we're together, there's nothing that can stop us.