"We have something different planned for this year's games," said Seneca Crane, head Game Maker of the Hunger Games. Cesar Flickerman, the blue-haired announcer of the Hunger Games smiled and leaned forward in intrigue, "care to tell us or is it…hush, hush?" Seneca grinned "what I can tell you Cesar is that our plan this year is very, very large." Cesar laughed, "I'm sure it is, Seneca."
President Snow looked over the balcony of the laboratory, Seneca Crane was there as well, looking down in satisfaction at the 74th annual Hunger Games' new "additions". "They are marvelous, don't you think, President Snow?" Seneca asked, "they are indeed, quite a specimen" replied Snow. The room had the feeling of a sauna, due to the specimens referred to by Snow, the president loosened his shirt collar. "You down there! Make sure that one's still under sedation!" Seneca ordered, "I do have a question Seneca, where did you acquire these creatures, more so, how did you bring them here?" Snow asked. "Well Mr. Snow…" began Seneca "…we were venturing in the ruins of the old world and found a place that was ruined by these things. At first we did try to bring them back alive but they were challenging to fight, so we attempted extracting their DNA but their blood evaporated within seconds. Lowering their body temperatures allowed us to get samples of their blood which then we cloned into our versions. This year's arena is in the place where we found them, of course we modified it so any strays of these creatures don't wander in and kill the victor." Snow looked at the creatures Seneca explained about "this year's victor is going to have to be skilled to win against these creatures."
Katniss Everdeen strapped on the gear for the 74th Hunger Games' arena. The gear she wore consisted of white pants, white tight-sleeved shirt, sturdy leather boots, and a harness that strapped leather belts around Katniss' legs, waist, and torso. "Do you have any idea where we'll be going?" Katniss asked her stylist, Cinna, he shook his head. Cinna walked up to Katniss and hugged her, she felt something being slipped into her pocket, "I'm not allowed to bet," he said, "but if I could, it'd be on you." They let go of each other, a voice over a loud speaker announced that all tributes step into the tube. Katniss turned to the large plexi-glass cylinder set in the cement room. With one last look at Cinna, Katniss stepped into the tube. The tube closed and began elevating Katniss up past the concrete. The hovercraft ride nearly took six hours, it was a long way to get to this arena, Katniss thought. Katniss looked up as a shaft of light appeared from above, the arena was moments away. Katniss breathed shakily as she closed her eyes, when she opened them, they fell upon the arena. Hell must have passed through here, brick and wood buildings surrounded the area, most were smashed to the rubble and twigs they were built from. Towering higher above Katniss was a massive stone wall, miles high beneath the warm orange sky, evidence that something smashed it's rim was obvious. Katniss returned her gaze to her soon-to-be opponents and the cornucopia, a massive gold container of gear. A voice boomed the count down, one minute before the games began, Katniss looked over at Peeta, he seemed intimidated at this arena. The count down was at forty nine seconds, time seemed to pass as quickly as sand through fingers in this place. Katniss examined the gear, Haymitch, her mentor, told her to go for a backpack but what did he know of this arena? Katniss' eyes fell upon a dozen sets of strange devices, belts with two rectangular boxes holding slots of blades, she could also see cylindrical devices on the boxes. Twenty seconds, time was coming to show Katniss her ability to kill. The seconds between twenty and five never seemed to happen, five…four…three…two… The gong sounded, the Games had begun. Katniss dashed to reach the nearest backpack, but those devices, what were they? Katniss spotted an orange backpack laying yards away from her, and also yards away from a quiver of arrows and a bow. Katniss hesitated, what would she choose, tools to survive, or tools to kill? Many of the tributes had chosen the latter, many had reached the weapons and were beginning to attack the ones who would not survive the first day of the Games, determined by them. Katniss began to sprint towards the backpack, she glanced around quickly to see if she could find Peeta. Katniss saw Peeta dashing away from the bloodbath into the ruined city. Katniss turned her attention back to the backpack, she saw another tribute making his way to it, Katniss picked up her pace. She reached the backpack narrowly, the tribute boy also got hold of it, suddenly, warm fluid spattered on Katniss' face; blood. Katniss took the backpack from the ground and saw the tribute boy had been struck with a knife, Katniss turned to see the knife throwing girl from District Two; Clove. Katniss threw the backpack in front of her face before a knife thrown by Clove could strike her dead between the eyes. The knife stuck in the backpack, Katniss turned away before Clove could fling another blade. Katniss, with one strap around her arm, dashed into the ruined buildings, at the time safe from bloodthirsty tributes. As she ran, Katniss looked behind her, making sure no one hostile followed her. When she decided the coast was for now, clear, Katniss turned her gaze only to crash into the fox-faced girl from District Five. The two girls shook off the effects of their collision and looked each other dead in the eyes. Katniss did not know what to do, all she could do was keep going her way, past Fox-face. Katniss ran on the cobblestone streets littered with rubble and what seemed to be dark crimson stains; old blood. Katniss kept running, away from whatever violence continued at the cornucopia, the canons began sounding. Cato removed his blade from a fallen tribute, the blood staining into the stone ground.
Cato turned to the interior of the cornucopia, he too had noticed the strange devices Katniss had, but what caught his mind about the gear was that there was only a dozen of the devices. "I guess the Game makers don't expect all of us to use those things" Cato said, gesturing to the devices, "but what are they for?" Clove asked, cleaning her blades on her white pants. The two tributes from District One, Marvel and Glimmer, had chosen their weapons, a spear and bow, they made their way near the tributes from Two. "Well if they're here they probably have something to do with the Games," Marvel said, "so it wouldn't hurt to take them." "I think if we can get our hands on a tribute from Three, we can figure out those things' use" Clove suggested, "that is, if any are alive" said Glimmer. Cato walked up to the devices he picked one up and began examining it further. The device had a mechanism on the front which seemed to hold two harpoon-like objects, on the back there was an exhaust port with two coils of black cable that seemed to attach to the harpoons. Hanging off the device were two triggers attached by thick wires, they both had a half of another attachment that could only be the hilts of the blades sheathed in the rectangular boxes. Cato unclipped the belt and slid the device tightly around his waist, he took hold of the "hilt triggers" and examined the gear on him. "Grab a pair everyone," Cato said, "we may need it."
Night had fallen and hour before, Katniss made shelter in a ruined building that obstructed the moon's light, but gave her a good viewpoint in case of unwanted tributes. The names and faces of fallen tributes had been shown in the sky, Peeta was not among them. Katniss had unrolled a sleeping bag; one of the many items in her backpack, she had slid herself into the sleeping bag and propped against a wall. From a shattered window, Katniss could see buildings she had passed, in one of them, there was a glowing orange light, a black shadow was set into the light; someone had a fire going. Katniss knew not to light fires at night in the games, better to grit your teeth and use whatever warmth available that does not glow. Katniss sighed and closed her eyes, suddenly, there was a loud thud, like a tree falling on the ground. Katniss reopened her eyes, the sound came again, slightly closer this time, Katniss felt her heart accelerate slightly. The thuds continued, Katniss thought they were coming from the street behind her. Katniss breathed deeply to refrain from making any loud noises, the thuds grew louder. What have the Game makers given us this year? Katniss thought. Her thought was answered when the maker of the sounds came into view. It had moved from the buildings behind Katniss and was making its way down the road she came from. Katniss could see what looked like a massive head of long greasy black hair, the body came into view, it was giant and naked with malformed arms and an ugly back. Katniss guessed that the thing was making its way to the fire, she saw the shadow in the fire's light try to quash the illumination but it was too late. The thing had stopped at the building the fire was in, it reached in a gangly arm and a female scream rang in the night. The thing pulled out the unfortunate tribute girl and looked at her for a moment, Katniss could barely see half of the thing's face, it had squinted eyes and a wide annoying grin. The tribute girl was completely helpless, her arms were within the thing's grasp, she screamed as the thing opened its mouth and pushed the tribute girl in as if she were a snack food. Katniss tried to suppress a gasp, she was completely horrified, why would the Capitol do this? She thought, what demons had sweet talked the Game makers into making the parents of the tributes only able to stand and watch as the children they gave life to were eaten alive by that thing, who could have possibly thought of the idea to make the citizens of Panem more scared of the Capitol tan they already were? Katniss felt as though she would vomit, the thing had moved away from the building as the canon sounded, it continued down the street, away from Katniss. The thing was out of sight and Katniss was relieved, momentarily though, she knew death still waited around every corner.
"What in the world is that?" Finnlè asked, this young lad was the latest recruit to the Scouting Regiment. Eren Jäger peered out to where Finnlè pointed; at a large dome with pentagonal shapes all on it. "I haven't the slightest" said Eren, "maybe we should check it out." "We'll examine it on the morrow" said Levi, Finnlè opened his mouth to protest but Levi held out a hand, not to silence him, but intimidate him. "We will return to Trost, tomorrow Mikasa, Armin, and the rest of our regiment will examine this new appearance" explained Levi, "exceptions, Finnlè or I'll stomp your toes again." "Yes sir" Finnlè said. Eren continued to look at the dome, who or what made this? He thought.