A/N: Well I'm back. Hopefully I'll be updating on a regular schedule. Hopefully. Anyway, I've decided that I am going to make this a two-shot. Of course, things like this usually take me a day or two to write, so the ending note is probably going to have any revelations I come to and if I will be doing any more chapters of this.
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The siren rang off, and quite frankly, time seemed to lurch into slow motion. Twenty-three teenagers leapt off their podiums, sprinting to the horn of plenty in the center of the large field. I managed to make it seconds before the majority of the rest of the tributes, so I grabbed the first thing my hand touched. The slender shaft of a spear managed to win my grasp, whilst my other hand snatched up a backpack. Without a second thought, I sprinted away from the silver building and into the woods. Right before breaking through the threshold of forest, I looked over my shoulder to ensure I had no pursuers. There were none, but something even worse filled my sightline. The entire field had practically been painted red with the blood of tributes. I managed to catch a glimpse of Colin, the last in a while, I thought, before turning back around to continue my escape into the familiar. Seconds later, I heard cannons boom in the distance. Nine. Nine cannon blasts. No time to stop and mourn, I thought, as I continued my pace through the hilly, forested landscape.
It must've been hours until I stopped, but eventually I decided I was far enough out to be safe. The Capital had been generous enough to mention that the Gamemakers had near-complete control over the landscape, so I decided not to navigate by the hills and trees. Internal compass it is, I thought, as I sat down on a log to assess what was in my backpack. It definitely had some weight to it, so there had to be something good, right?
I peeled back the zipper and reached my hand into the black bag. I pulled out the first object; a long, black tube of some sort which had a hole that followed clear through. I racked my brain for a minute, before deciding that I'd figure it out later.I felt like a little kid again, opening my presents on Christmas morning. Then it hit me. My eyes filled with tears. I was going to die, wasn't I? It's not like I was going to win. If anything, it would come down to me and Colin and he would murder me in seconds. All I could do was prolong the inevitable. I was on the verge of breaking down and crying myself a river, but that thought of incomparable joy that was Christmas morning stuck with me.
Back in 7, they weren't spectacular, the workers only got half the day off and whatever money they had was small and generally had to be saved. That one day though, families would combine their money and buy something special, although it was often something like a mug or candle stand, but we were sure to celebrate it to the fullest. The year before, in particular, my brother had stumbled across a small pile of coins in the woods, and brought them back to our house without a thought. That year, we bought a candle and burnt it above our tiny mantle. It was the best Christmas I'd ever celebrated.
I'm sure I was on TV, and I'm sure the Capital really wished they had invested in mind-reading technologies, but I stood up and wiped my eyes. The sun was already beginning to set. Wow, the time within the arena was weird, I spoke softly to myself, before deciding to find a place to make shelter. After a few minutes of searching, I found an odd rock formation that would function just fine as a shelter for the night. After a quick sweep of the area, I crouched down to get a better look into the pile.
BANG!
A gunshot rang from the pile as a bullet narrowly missed my face and dug itself into a tree. I squealed in surprise and jerked away from the cave.
"H-hello? Is someone i-in there?" I nervously called out, hoping for voice to answer me.
"G-g-g-go a-a-away, I-I've got a g-gun!" a young boy, equally startled, shouted from the cave.
"Hey, don't shoot off that thing again, you want to get us both killed?!" I whisper-yelled at the boy. "Look, I just need a place for the night. We can help each other out here."
"J-just stay there. Plant that sp-spear too, and I'll come out." He called back. I obliged, taking my spear and thrusting it into the ground. The boy emerged from the cave, holding his handgun in one hand and a stick in the other. He appeared to be twelve years old, possible thirteen. Either way, too young. I felt bad as he eyed me over, obviously trying to decide between trusting me and shooting me on the spot.
"Any other weapons?" he questioned, pointing his pistol at my chest. I nodded, slowly producing the black tube from my back pocket.
"Well, does this thing count?" I asked, holding it out.
"Holy crap, let me see that!" he exclaimed, obviously seeing something in it I didn't. I handed the thing to him, and watched as he swiftly disassembled the slide on his gun and attached the tube, before reattaching the slide and holding it up triumphantly. "Thanks miss. You can come in if you want!"
"Well now, no need to be formal out here" I laughed as I crawled into the cave. It was bigger than it looked. Easily twenty feet in a circle with four or five feet of a ceiling. I never would've guessed from the outside, but there was a small fire burning by one side. I sat down, grateful for the rest I got to give my legs.
"So," He started, "What's your name and how old are ya?" He asked as he threw a stick into the fire and sat down across from me.
"Well, I'm 17, kid, and my name's May. I'm from 7. What about you?" I inquired.
"Eleven. Name's Jake. I'm twelve." He answered. Just then, the anthem blared outside. I quickly made my way out the cave, followed by Jake, as we watched the toll. The girl from 1, the boy from 3, the boy from 4, the girl from 4, the girl from 6, the boy from 8, the girl from 10, the boy from 12, and the girl from 12 all paid the price of defiance that day. Colin was still out there, which made me both happy and fearful, as I pictured him like a bear that never sleeps, prowling through the woods. Two people had died by him in one day, as the toll showed, and as the Capital logo flashed before the sky went back to dark, I wondered what he was doing right now.
Jake and I climbed back into the cave, him uprooting my spear and bringing it into the cave with us, before be pushed a few rocks up against the entrance. For camouflage, he told me, although it felt more like being sealed into a tomb. Honestly, I wasn't sure if I'd wake up, but it beat staying outside with the other tributes after my blood.
After quite some time, Jake's breathing had settled and I felt comfortable letting sleep take over. Maybe I'd dream pleasantly, maybe I'd wake up in heaven. I had no idea. But The Games had begun, and no one was safe anymore.
A/N: Well, if you couldn't tell, I've decided to turn this into a full-fledged story! In case you're wondering, the black thing was a silencer, and there's only one in the Arena, which was why Jake was so stoked. Anyway, I've been Pix, and thanks for reading!