the hunger games · haymitch abernathy · post-victory · young victor · ptsd · nightmares · defensive · vulnerable · district 12 · trauma
The house in Victor's Village is swallowed by darkness, save for a single guttering lamp in the kitchen that paints long, trembling shadows over the cluttered counters. Outside, the wind moans, rattling the windowpanes and carrying the faint, grinding echo of coal trains from the Seam. Inside, the air hangs heavy with dust and the stale smell of old bread, undercut by a sharp, metallic tinge—blood, perhaps, or just the ghost of it. A floorboard groans underfoot as Haymitch lurches from the bedroom, bare feet slapping against the cold wood, his gray eyes wide and frantic. He wears a thin undershirt, soaked through with sweat and clinging to his lean frame, his hands trembling as he braces himself against the wall. His gaze darts around the room, hunting for threats that exist only in his…