I took off running toward the pile of supplies. I got to them, scooped them up, and turned with as much agility as I could and started sprinting toward the opening behind me. I pumped my legs, faster than I ever had before. I guess it was the adrenaline. I got to the opening, and around a twist in the bend.

That was how far I made it. I slowed down; that was my fatal mistake.

I was tackled from behind by a body that felt like a tree. We started wrestling, each of us trying to get the upper hand. I was working on pure adrenaline. He was on top of me, with his hands around my neck, and just as I was about to lose consciousness, he suddenly went limp.

I didn't miss a beat and threw him off me. I ignored the blood and yanked the knife out of his head. I would be needing this.

I scooped up the supplies I'd dropped, trying to get my head together again, and ran.

Ok, so by now you have to be wondering why I slowed down. I wasn't tired or anything. No, I slowed down because I was faced with a big, red, dusty, cacti filled field. On the other side was a simmering green line all across the horizon. I'm guessing that's where people like me would find shelter.

Now, I didn't hesitate. I ran as fast as I can, avoiding cacti when I could, toward the green line.

It turned out to be a lot farther than I thought. I don't consider myself to be out of shape, but I had to stop to walk more than once. I wasn't stupid about it this time. I looked back to see if there was anyone behind me. There was, but they were people like me who were running for their lives. Not to mention they were really far back. I was in better shape than I thought. Or, at very least, they were in worst shape.

Soon, but later than I would have liked, I was at the tree line. I guess I shouldn't say that. It was more like, tree here, tree there, getting more and more dense as I kept going. I didn't slow, the trees giving me modivation to keep going.

Pretty soon, I was in a full out forest. The sand was replaced with dirt, and the cacti with brush. I felt more comfortable than I was out in the open, but this was still unfamiliar. I was used to trees planted in neat rows, with colorful fruits growing from them.

I kept running, slowing down the pace a little, now that no one could see me as easy as they could out in the open. You know, everyone exept the millions of people watching me right now, through the hidden cameras.

After a few hours of going between jogging and walking, I felt good enough to stop and look to see what was in my bag.

First, I looked to see how many darts I had. 24. They all looked to be able to eject some sort of poison when shot. Cool. I could use that. In the bag, I found a loaf of bread, and a canteen of full of water. I limited myself and only got a mouthful of water. I went back to the backpack and was about to reach in, when I heard footsteps.

I froze, and when I gathered my thoughts, all I could think was 'Crap! I'm not killer! I won't be able to kill this person!'

Once I got that thought out of my head, I grabbed my knife.

When I turned to the noise, I saw a figure. As it drew closer, I saw it was female.

She stopped when she spotted me slowly standing up. She didn't run. I didn't run. We both knew that the other saw us, so if the other was a killer, they were screwed if they ran.

She slowly reached for her belt... And pulled out a knife. Crap!

She slowly walked toward me. I didn't want to seem cowardly, so I held my ground. Being a coward was a big no-no. It drove away sponsers.

The knife got slippery in my plam, but I held it tighter. There was no way I was going to let it drop.

The girl got ten feet away and stopped. I realized she was the girl from district 12. I relaxed just a little, because most of the time people from 12 weren't killers. I could see now that she held the knife awkwardly. I grew confident and stood a little straighter. I feined a throw, and she flinched. I smiled just a little.

"I won't kill you if you don't kill me." She said in a shaky voice.

I admit, I almost laughed. It was just so ridiculous. I mean, I came up against the only person in this arena I could beat, and she said that like she could kill me. Then I thought about the fact I can't do this alone. She had a backpack of her own, and I could always use extra supplies. And who knows what she would be able to do. She obviously couldn't fight though.

Maybe she was thinking along the same lines. She couldn't fight, so she would be needing someone to protect her. And I had supplies of my own. Surely she could use them too.

District 12... They starve there. Surely, she knows something about what to eat and what not to eat. We only get the food they give us, no more, no less. We can't even scavenge for food, the security is so tight.

Yes, I think we could use each other. If it comes to it, I feel confident I could overpower her and even kill her, if I had to.

After going through this thinking process, and add a little more time, just to make her sweat, I say, "Deal."

I thrust my knife into my belt. I feel confident I can pull it out in a moments notice if she tries anything cute.

She smiles and draws closer to me.

"Does this mean we're allies now?" She asks.

"Yes, I think it does." I respond.

Her smile vaporizes when she looks at the end of the knife the protrudes from the bottom of my belt.

I almost laugh again when I realize I still have the guys dried blood on it.