"Twenty-nine go in. One comes out."
LadyItty repeats it like a mantra as the sixty-second countdown begins. She stands in the ring of tributes, one face among many, sizing up her competition. Adrenaline and anticipation make her insides twist and clench painfully. To her left, iluvmonkeyz is rocking from foot to foot, twitching and fidgeting endlessly on the little platform as she looks around the arena. WormiusFisticuff, on her right, is still as a statue, perfectly composed and moving only his eyes. It's easy for LadyItty to tell which one of them will last longer.
Forty seconds. Across from her, Bogie_ quickly analyzes the mound of supplies at the center of the circle. Food, water, and minor weapons like clubs or knives are scattered closest to him, but closer to the Cornucopia are premade packs of items. He locks eyes with his teammate MathGangster, trying subtly to indicate a pair of medium-sized packs lying a reasonable distance from their pedestals. They're going to be a bitch to run from the spawn with, but Bogie_ knows he always needs to be thinking ahead. MathGangster's slight nod gives him a tiny burst of confidence.
Thirty seconds. CatHugs and AllieHugs stand side by side in the ring, waiting. Cat can barely hear the countdown over the pounding of her heart and the buzzing in her brain. Allie can see her hands shaking and her heart sinks. She wishes she could give Cat some kind of comfort, but all she can think of is an escape route. Panic is setting in for both of them.
Ten seconds. Bunbun curses her bad luck; she's positioned directly behind the tail of the Cornucopia. If she were in a better position, she wouldn't feel so afraid. Her teammate Rasputin is blocked from her view by the structure and she resigns herself to trusting him to follow the plan they made. Bun wishes she had some kind of way to make contact with him, but there's nothing she can do until the Games begin.
Five seconds. Diffuse waits and watches, as he always does. He's confident in his ability to fight in close quarters for some of the higher tier supplies, but he doubts he can take on the ones who will go straight for the best the Cornucopia has to offer. The tension in the circle is beginning to get to him, but he slows his breathing by sheer force of will. He sets his sights on a slight rise directly behind him, not wanting to be anywhere near the Cornucopia when the timer is over. Diffuse prefers watching other people make messes. Picking up the pieces is more fun.
The gong sounds, echoing off the mountains in the distance. Ugo and Creepa are the first to the Cornucopia, disregarding the other tributes entirely as they struggle for low-level items. Creepa opens the nearest chest, draws a sword, and slices cleanly through Peter_2014's arm as he reaches for a weapon as well. Blood spurts out and Creepa shies back from the spray. Seeing his distraction, Gik draws a knife and tries to force Creepa back out of the Cornucopia while Peter tries to compensate with his left hand. The closeness makes it difficult for Creepa to slash at him, and Gik almost succeeds before Ugo throws a spear that pierces his back. He crumples to the ground, dead, as Creepa sinks his blade into Peter's chest.
Two cannon blasts go off as they fall. Amaphora feels detached and light-headed, as if there's someone else in her place and she's just an observer. She reaches a large pack at the same time as Skillcheese and for a brief panicky moment, they fight for it. Skillcheese has managed to pick up a short knife but Amaphora sees him draw it and dodges the first cut while keeping a firm grip on the pack. A scream of agony and another cannon blast distracts them both and they look up as Iluvmonkeyz collapses at SirTom's feet. Blood fountains from her slashed throat as the scream dies away into gurgling. SirTom looks a little bemused, as if he doesn't know what just happened, but the switchblade in his hand is dripping crimson.
Suddenly, Skillcheese lets out a gasp and goes limp. Amaphora turns back to see a small axe buried in his forehead and the cannon shot echoes throughout the arena. Bloody fluid trickles down his face as he stares, sightless, at the sky. WormiusFisticuff is sprinting towards her, another axe held ready to throw.
Terror gives her new energy. She yanks the pack from the remains of Skillcheese's grip, slings it over her shoulder, and runs for her life. She can hear the soft sound of the axe flying at her head and dodges to the left. It lands in the ground to her right, and she quickly scoops it up, checking to make sure she's not being chased. There's no one behind her; Worm isn't going to waste his time chasing one lone tribute while his teammates divide the Cornucopia spoils. She vanishes into the thick underbrush of a forest.
The spawn is almost empty. Ugo and Creepa are busy sorting the remaining supplies in the Cornucopia as Wormius and Gillzrus stand guard. The bodies of the dead still lay where they have fallen as night sweeps over the arena.
Somewhere in the forest's depths, a spark of flickering light appears and disappears. As they watch, the light is blocked from their view, as if someone is standing in front of it. Gillzrus points it out to Worm, and they quickly arm themselves to hunt. Seconds later, they're running into the depths, and the forest swallows them up.