The Last Thoughts of Cato, District Two
I could taste victory.
I knew where they were headed. They wanted the end as much as I did. My life's worth of training may have actually paid off. Maybe I wasn't raised as a pig for slaughter. It seems as though my district had more confidence in me than I had myself. I slipped around the trees, using them for cover, quickly running from one to the other. I was eager to reach the clearing that was around the Cornucopia and finish this. My confidence was now running very high. This body armour almost guaranteed my win, especially with her stupid injured boyfriend and her flimsy bow for protection. They were not strong enough to dent my vest, let alone penetrate it.
I could see them now, vaguely through the trees about three hundred metres directly ahead in the clearing, the Cornucopia not quite in sight. I crouched down, keeping low to avoid being spotted and waited for the opportune moment to spring and start running. This was not my usual approach, but I had to guarantee my win and use the time given. It was clear that they were waiting for me, checking each direction to see if I was coming. I positioned myself to start running, knowing that the next direction that they would check would be the opposite to where I was. They turned and I sprang, quickening my pace, adrenaline now pulsing through me. The crunching of the leaves beneath my feet felt as though they were loud enough to wake a small village, let alone two people that stood ahead of me now about two hundred metres away. It was the snap of a large branch behind me that I had definitely not broken that stopped me in my tracks and made me turn. Sprinting towards me were the biggest dogs I had ever seen, more like mutations from gigantic wolves.
I was now sprinting. They could hear me now; lover boy and the fire girl, I knew. Nor did I care. Maybe if I ran fast enough, the wolves would tear them apart first, then the Capitol could get me straight out of the arena before they caught me too. As I entered the clearing, the stupid girl raised her bow and shot an arrow that bounced off my chest. I kept running, straight through them and their exchanged looks of complete bewilderment. That's when I remembered the Cornucopia, my place of escape. Surely the mutts couldn't climb the giant horn, not with their claws being unable to grip the slippery metal. This was my only chance. I reached it and scrambled to the top. The sounds of other limbs on metal reached my ears and for once I hoped it was the other two, as they were much too close. I stood, now up the top of the Cornucopia about a second before two others joined me. The wolves were below, doing everything they could to get to us, to kill us. I choked and spluttered. I felt so dizzy after running for so long so quickly. I desperately needed water. One of the wolves stood and started grunting directions to the others. Wait.. no, wolves don't point. They don't even stand; either these were some monstrous toys from the Capitol, or I was hallucinating.
The capitol wanted a winner, that much was obvious. Preferably as soon as possible... and I could give them one. It was easy now, all I had to do was push them both off the horn, leaving the rest to the dogs. It shouldn't be too difficult. The girl was only good with an arrow,which was no good at close range, I could overcome her one on one, easy. Lover boy was injured, I acknowledged that he was still limping whilst toppling to the centre of the Cornucopia. He was strong, I knew. He would put up a reasonable fight. But if I used his injury to my advantage, I would come out on top.
My decision was made. I would get rid of the girl first, so she couldn't drive an arrow through my skull to defend the boy. I lunged, knocking him over before I smashed her into the rooftop, her body beneath me, head dangling over the edge. I cut off her scream for his name as I pressed my hand down on her throat, cutting off her air supply. She choked and spluttered, thrashing around to escape. Her attempts were useless, she was losing strength and her flails weakened under my grasp. The Mutts finally got the gist of my idea and jumped from below, jaws snapping inches from her head. I watched as her eyes started to roll to the back of her head, slowly losing her reality. Just as I remembered the boy and how long this was taking, I was grabbed from my shoulders and flung to the side a good five metres away. I had run out of time. He slammed down on top of me and pinned me down, reaching to pull a glinting dagger from his shoe. His shift of weight was enough for me, I flicked his feet around with mine and he fell forward into my ready arms. His body freezes as I stand up, with him in my famous, but very deadly headlock. We had ended up at the edge of the Cornucopia, no more than half metre away. I stood, ready to throw him down, when I saw a flash of movement. I turned to see her, bow drawn and aimed straight at my head. I laughed, "You shoot me, we both fall down honey," I chuckled. The cogs working in her mind showed through her face clearly. She knew I was right. She knew I was in complete control. I had to think how to get out of this without getting an arrow plunged into me. If I chucked him down, she would shoot straight away. We couldn't just stand here either, just waiting for the other to make a move. Nothing would ever happen. I decided to talk it through, bide my time to think of a plan.
The audience must be loving this, I can just imagine them sitting on the edges of their seats, barracking for their favourites, placing very last bets as to who would win. It was as I thought of this when I actually realised what a truly horrific thing the games are. I never really had that much of a chance. We are punished, as districts, for things our ancestors did years ago. But they did have the right idea, they stood up for what I had only just discovered. Literally. We are all dead, in a way. Dead souls, trained to kill and live our haunted lives if we should happen to survive. The games had taken control. I was corrupt with power and had turned savage, lost in the mists of what the Capitol had created. Killing people willingly. But for what exactly? They had told me to, that didn't mean that I had to. We should have all made a compromise; the districts. All agree to refuse to kill, start a real rebellion against the Capitol ourselves. Show them that we are our own people, they do not own us. I didn't know what to do anymore, whether I should try to win or just welcome death.
"Go ahead kill me. I've been dead a long time and it took me until now to realize it." I said to the girl, or Katniss, as I should be calling her. She drew her bow tighter. But she couldn't do it. I could see the innocence behind her hesitant eyes. At least one of us retained their being, their soul. The bo - Peeta, had his hands on my arms now, trying to pull me off. He was too weak from his injury and from pulling himself back up onto the Cornucopia when I was wrestling Katniss. Or that is what I assumed he was doing from how long it took him to come for me. He was trying to pry my hands away from his neck, she was staring while thinking and I was staring back trying to work out her decision. His attempts were pathetic now, all I could feel were his fingers brushing the top of my hand. It was a split second too late that I realised that he had traced an 'X' on my hand with his fingertip.
The pain was unbearable, but nothing compared to what was coming. I yelped and twisted around, losing my footing on the edge and falling down to the depths of the sea of wolves. I knew it was over, so I wanted it to be quick. Just like falling asleep. But dear holy God it wasn't. They tore at my flesh. It felt like a burning hot rake of giant barbed wire was lashing at me, puncturing every part of my body it could reach. But about twenty-one times worse, as that was how many wolves were ripping me apart. I was barely aware that they were dragging me away, I didn't care. All I wanted was the pain to stop. They must have been venomous. White hot suns were searing into my blood, heart pumping to the rest of my body, spreading the fire. I was going to explode. Is that possible? Explode from heat. I didn't have legs anymore, I caught a glimpse of them in two other wolves jaws. I also could see out of my right eye anymore. The end was near, I just wanted it to come sooner, as soon as possible; and I knew a way. I very much willingly take death now, I didn't care, this was too much. I don't know how long it had been since my fall, it seemed like years. My last hope was Katniss and her bow, for the first time tonight I just wanted that arrow to go straight through my skull. Quick, short and sharp. I managed to turn what was left of me to the direction that I hoped was the Cornucopia. I formed my shreaded lips to mime my plea to her. If she was looking, she would know.
Please.