following the tides {cato}

[Knuckles]

Ezekiel Alexander
Narration Thinking "Hearing" "Speech"

Volunteering in district four wasn't a vacation, and Ezekiel knew that, but his heart wasn't prepared for the death and destruction the district faced. Mangled bodies poured into the medical tent filling it past the max capacity as volunteers flooded the streets searching under the rubble. Working in a hospital should've prepared him for this, yet he never experienced this amount of broken bodies in one setting. A heart encased in glass shattered against the ground as the weight of the world crushed his fragile body. Ezekiel saw death every single day, and he pushed his emotions away placing on a poker face locking the sorrow away, but even the toughest can only handle so much.

Tears welled up in the corner of his eyes threatening to fall down his face at any given second, yet he forced them away refusing to cry. Ezekiel knew he had to get away from the tent. He had to find a place to go to relieve the pain lingering inside him as child after child came through the front doors lying lifeless on the cot leaving Zeke wondering what he could've done different. And all he can see as he stares into the eyes of the broken, mangled children was the helpless eyes of his sister staring back at him.

Don't worry, Haly, I'll save you, and I'll save them. Many broken promises fell from his lips, and each breath caught in the back of his throat, and he ran from the medical tent making his way outside trying to catch a break. Something to relax his mind from the ghosts standing in front of him taunting him every second of every single day. And now more stand before him.

Taking a deep breath, he grabbed a bag holding bottled water and a few snacks inside before grabbing his medical bag in front of him as he waltzed towards another area holding a group of people resting from search and rescue. Maybe someone inside was ready to go. Ready to search through the rubble trying to find any survivors. Looking around at the people sitting inside, he stopped for a moment allowing himself to take a break to control his thoughts gathering himself before finally speaking and hoping someone would take his offer. "Anyone up for some search and rescue?"

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[Cato]

Leo Pine
cause you search for years
but you lose everything you find

Time has flown since I was last here. Vividly do I remember the Olympics that were held here in the district. I desired to come here and compete to make a name for myself. Escape the shadow of my fallen twin. The disgrace of my family. I performed well. Many of the competitions I placed in. I also happened to meet someone who had my heart from the moment I saw her. Now many years later, I return to the place where my life changed for the better. The sight of such devastation is hard to stomach. Too many lives gone. Too many buildings are no more.

When the notice came for volunteers back home, I didn't hesitate to sign up for help. Long ago, I might have signed up for my own selfish reasons. Now though, I want to help. I know district four will require every available hand to help rebuild the district. Even then, I worry it might not be enough. I can not imagine being here as a witness to the sea claiming so much lives. So many have volunteered to help though. Every district coming to the aid of four in some way. Food and water amongst the things being transported here. District one is part of the search and retrieval team.

I definitely want to help the district out, but my fear is having to bring bad news to families that await their missing loved ones. I hear someone ask if there is anyone up for going out to search. I turn toward the man who spoke up noting that he isn't from district one. While I might have preferred to work with someone from home that I'm comfortable with, I know now isn't the time to be picky with partners. "I'll help if you want. I had been planning to head out soon anyway. Now is the perfect opportunity." All I can hope for is finding someone alive and saving lives.

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[Knuckles]

Ezekiel Alexander
Narration Thinking "Hearing" "Speech"

Crickets chirped in his ears through the silence while many eyes darted his direction before quickly turning away. It felt as though nobody wanted to go with him to scavenge the district to find survivors. Perhaps it was due to them all being from different districts, but right now four was in dire need of many helping hands. Ezekiel turned away for a moment, and a sigh fell from his lips leaving him with only one thought in mind. This is surely a lot cause. No hope stood before him like it had many times back in district six, but this was a chance to show the world all the districts could work together. The barriers could potentially fall, yet Zeke knew nothing like that would ever happen.

"I'll help if you want. I had been planning to head out soon anyway. Now is the perfect opportunity." A half smile spread across his face as a voice belonging to one of the people behind him hummed through the air. Perhaps it wasn't a bad thing working with someone from a much richer district, yet Zeke knew his life wouldn't last long if bad news kept coming his way. His eyes landed on the male who spoke up, and for a moment he felt like he knew who he was for only a moment, but he let it all go away in the blink of an eye because bigger things stood before him.

"Awesome." Zeke stated with a nod of his head before turning to the other people in the tent. "Anyone else want to help?" He watched as people shrugged their shoulders, and in this moment he realized how divided Panem truly was. "Alright then." He turned towards the male who offered to help hoping he wasn't like the bloodthirsty careers he had seen in the games over the last several years, and he held out his hand praying he wouldn't leave him hanging as many have done before. "The name's Ezekiel, and I'm glad you want to help. Thank you."

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[Cato]

Leo Pine
cause you search for years
but you lose everything you find

"Name's Leo. I'm from district one."

I want to help and have someone who appears to want the same thing. This man Zeke isn't from back home either. So I do not know what to expect. I thought I'd be ready for the help that district four needs. After arriving here and seeing the amount of work needed to make this place livable again is unbelievable. I suppose that's why I signed up though. I want to help rebuild this place. I owe a debt of gratitude to the place when I found eternal happiness. Still I expect all of the volunteers to be here for weeks if not months. So many buildings need to be built from the ground up. A lot of resources are needed. The Capitol must need district four if they're going through so much trouble. Calling in help from all over Panem only proves that point.

Regardless of why the Capitol wants to help so badly, I will do my part. Seeing the changes here breaks my heart. A few years ago; there had been many events going on. I remember losing a wrestling match to a powerful opponent. There were events with a sword. Fighting events. The boxing event had been quite exciting to watch. Even the volleyball tournament. Many events took place. Fast forward a few years and a lot of the district is in ruins.

I'd be mad at the destruction, but there's no one to be mad at. I've seen what the Capitol can do in the hunger games, but even I doubt they'd wipe out a district like this. If anything, I have mixed feelings returning here. I have a chance to go back home to my birth place in district two. I've thought about my old family for a long time. I've debated about finding some way to contact them, but it would mean abandoning my life in district one. Which I could never do. I can only pray that a cousin came to help. I look around wondering if anyone else were getting up to help. Either they were tired from previous searches or they didn't want to help complete strangers. No matter, I believe two people can still make a difference. I stand up and motion for Zeke to follow me.

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[Knuckles]

Ezekiel Alexander
Narration Thinking "Hearing" "Speech"

The world was falling apart around him, and in the back of his mind Ezekiel wondered if President Snow had anything to do with this much death and destruction, yet he pushed it away long enough to hold his tongue instead of spreading false rumors and lies. Going against the word of the Capitol always ended bad. It always ended up breaking through the ice before sinking forever. But that wasn't his reason for helping. Ezekiel didn't volunteer to receive front row seats to the problems of the district four citizens; he volunteered because he was bleeding inside, and this was the perfect opportunity to control it. This moment was hard knowing nobody else wanted to join, but it was enough to keep him going.

"Name's Leo. I'm from district one."

Ezekiel watched as Leo moved, and he watched as he motioned for him to follow, but for a moment Zeke was still with his eyes glaring at those around. It was a shame that nobody wanted to help. That nobody was willing to save those in need, but he imagined many of them had already been outside working. "I'm from six." He added quietly. He wasn't sure what it was like living any district one. He knew they were strong in the games. He knew they were a force to reckon with, and it partly scared him, but Ezekiel was capable of putting it behind him long enough to save the lives of those in need.

One step after he another he walked from the tent allowing the smell of salt water to fill his nostrils, but with the smell was the metallic smell of blood and death. "Which way should we go first?" He asked with a shrug of his shoulders before lifting a medical bag from the ground. "I'm sure there's a lot to go around."

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[Cato]

Leo Pine
cause you search for years
but you lose everything you find

Zeke is from six. Myself coming from one. We come from completely different ways of life. I wouldn't be surprised if he thought I was some sort of career coming here for selfish reasons. Regardless, I know why I'm here. Zeke appears to be a friendly person so I'm willing to hope today will go fine. A two man team can move faster than a large group. Granted with more people we could cover a large area, but I prefer for the moment to operate in small groups. Zeke asks me which direction to go. I had been thinking north. "I was thinking toward the north maybe? There's plenty of places to go."

We walk for a bit in awkward silence. Neither of us quite knowing what to say to each other. It's hard talking to someone you don't know on a mission to find those in need of help. The smell of the sea water grows stronger with each step we take. Something in the distance catches my eye. I'm thinking it might be someone under a pile of rubble. That or my need to help could be fooling me. Either way, I want to check it out to see if someone might be in trouble.

"Zeke? I think off in the distance there might be someone in trouble. I might be wrong, but I want to check it out. See if there's something over there." Without waiting for an answer, I break out into a run toward the pile of rubble that caught my eye. There's nothing out of the ordinary right now which leaves me disappointed. "Well Zeke, I thought there might have been something here. Turns out I'm wrong. Its just, I thought I saw something over here. Like someone was in need of help. Maybe its just my desire to help that's clouding my thoughts." I'm hoping Zeke is more rational. We might get something done if he leads the way.

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[Knuckles]

Ezekiel Alexander
Narration Thinking "Hearing" "Speech"

With a slight nod of the head, Ezekiel followed Leo’s lead. The silence was deafening. Never in his entire life had he seen anything like this. His time spent in the hospitals in district six taking care of patients had no chance of preparing him for the total death toll the tsunami caused. And knowing many were still unaccounted for only made him feel worse. He spent hours upon hours working in the overcrowded, understaffed medical tent providing care for the victims as rescuers brought them in. Even the best doctors needed a chance to escape from the scene if only for a moment. Breathing in the fresh air, Zeke knew this was for the best, yet his work wasn’t done.

He stopped in his tracks as Leo sprinted forward racing as fast as he could. His mind raced wondering what Leo saw, but only disappointment set in. Zeke felt his heart drop. How many are left? How many are dead? How many were washed out to sea? How many are gone forever? Question after question burst through his mind. A soft sigh escaped from his lips as he carefully made his way over to Leo. Part of the debris was untouched, and it made him wonder if anyone was trapped below it all. Zeke wanted to walk away to pretend like nothing was there, yet this nagging sensation in his stomach caused him to dig. "This place is untouched. Nobody has been through here yet."

And before Leo could say anything, Ezekiel started picking up pieces of debris and tossing them over to the side. Clouds of dust filled the air making it hard to breathe. For the moment, he thought this was an impossible mission. With a rough exhale, he reached down once more picking up one last piece of debris. Might as well give up. But before he turned away, something caught his attention. His heart pounded inside his chest beating firmly against the wall as he removed one more piece of rubble.

"Oh my god." His eyes were wide. "Leo!" He called out hoping his partner for the day could hear him. "There’s someone under there! In the rubble! Under all this debris!" And before anyone could stop him, Ezekiel frantically dug throwing pieces of trash towards the side as he revealed the face of what looked like a dead teenager.

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