Chapter 4
The anthem wakes me up with a jolt, I wish I had a rope it would make sleeping in a tree much safer, I've always been a fidget when asleep. My brother used to complain that I would talk and move around at night and wake him up, one night I even pushed him out of bed.
I quickly climb higher in the tree, leaving my backpack, and get to a spot where I can see the projection.
Seven tributes dead.
The girl from three. Both the tributes from one and two must have made it.
The boy from five. It was his backpack I stole.
The girl from six.
Both from nine.
The boy from eleven.
The girl from twelve.
That must mean that the girl from eleven, the one I spoke to, made it. The boy from six who reminds me of my brother but only because he's the age my brother should be is also alive but now without a district partner.
I wonder if Oak is already working with the Careers, perhaps he's on his own for a while, working on some plan of Blight's. I dismiss that theory because I know that Blight didn't like Oak, and even if they did have a plan I suspect that Oak is too confident to stick to it. I wonder if he's killed anyone yet.
I move down the tree and grab my backpack. Deciding that now it's dark enough to get water I rub my face to make it look tear stained and then descend to the ground.
I listen for a few minutes and then feel satisfied that I am alone. I creep towards to sound of the stream and reach it within minutes, I fill the water skin and splash some water on my face. My pine tree is too close to this water source.
I grab the arrow to defend myself and then walk away from the stream, I pass a strawberry bush but when I pick one it burns my fingers and I cry out with the pain.
A twig snaps near me and I whirl around, it's a deer. A huge deer, easily the size of a bear. I freeze knowing that this must be a mutation and anything could set it off. It walks towards me, sniffing and then reaches to the burning strawberry bush behind me, I edge out of the way as slowly as I dare.
It doesn't appear to notice me and I am about to run when I hear the whistle of an arrow, it strikes the deer in the back and it turns and runs towards the direction of the arrow. Hoping that the sounds of the angry deer cover me I bolt and run quickly putting as much distance between myself and the confrontation as possible.
When I've been running for fifteen minutes I scale a pine tree and listen for any sounds, natural or mutations. I hear nothing but I climb higher, just in case.
I'm just about to open my backpack when I hear a cannon, I know that the deer killed someone, another cannon follows quickly and then all is silent.
The deer only attacks if threatened, that's important to know. It didn't pay any attention to me, it just wanted the burning strawberries. I look at my hand but I can't see it well enough in this light to know if it's marked, it still burns but not enough to take the pain tablets.
I decide that the next time I see one of the strawberry bushes I will wrap some in leaves and keep them in my back, perhaps to offer a deer if I see one again.
The air is cold but not cold enough for me to use the blanket, I'm used to cold nights, we can rarely afford coal at home and sometimes the wood is too damp to burn.
Settling into sleep is difficult, perhaps I shouldn't have relied so heavily on sleep syrup for the past few nights. When the dreams finally come they are odd and disjointed, tributes who sound like my mother, my grandpa who speaks with Blight's voice.
A bird call wakes me up and as soon as I open my eyes I know I'm in trouble. I have a horrendous headache and my vision is blurry. I look at my hand and see that it has a blue tinge to it which has started to spread to my fingers and wrist.
I drink some water and eat some dried fruit but it makes me feel sick. I suspect that the cameras can't see me in the tree so I listen to make sure there is no one around and then jump out of the tree.
I'm dizzy and if anyone attacked me now I know I'd struggle to defend myself. I stagger around for a few minutes and then collapse into the tree.
I sit against it and pull the arrow out of my bag, perhaps if I can get the poison out I stand a chance.
I slice the head of the arrow across my wrist, perhaps the Capitol will think I'm trying to kill myself. I hold my wrist above my head with great difficulty and pump my hand, I see blood dripping and then I feel a trickle of the poison, I adjust my position so it won't drip onto my skin and poison me again.
It's agony and I swallow a pain tablet but it doesn't seem to work.
The parachute lands next to me and I nearly jump out of my skin, that will look good for the cameras although it was not an act, I did not see it coming.
I open it with my good hand and find a tiny parcel inside, unscrewing the lid I see a green cream, it smells disgusting but I smear it on my hand and feel almost instant relief.
"Thank you." I whisper, closing my eyes in bliss.
I stay there for another twenty minutes until the cream has expelled all the poison and then I cut a bit of the red blanket with the arrow and wrap my hand with it, if I keep it in my pocket I should get away without being seen.
The sound of footsteps has me gathering my thing and fleeing back up the tree like a monkey. It's the Careers and I can hear Oak with them.
"…can't believe how much she fought!"
"She's scored an eight, she was never going to go easy." The boy from one replies.
"Can I have the next kill, Gus?" The girl from one asks.
"No Dazzle, I told you, it's Slate's turn." Slate must be the boy from two.
"Yeah, my turn. I want to get Patrick, from four."
"Just cos he didn't want to team up?"
"Nah, he just annoys me, him and Ariel, think they're so great just because they got a good score, I'll gut them!" It's clear that Slate has a bloodlust, all the Careers seem to relish killing.
"Do you want dibs on anyone, Oak?"
"Johanna." He replies, for a moment I think he's spotted me but then I realise he's just answering the question. He wants to kill me.
"Why? Want to hear her scream?"
"No." Oak replies sharply, "I want to make it quick, I made a promise."
"Who to?"
"Someone back home. She's mine, deal?" I hear the others agree and I find myself wondering who made him promise, perhaps it was Maple. We always got on quite well, she used to tutor me in Maths.
"What's that?" Dazzle says, again I think I've been spotted. It's too early to show my colours, I'll have to beg.
"A fire, idiots, come on!" Gus's order is met with the sounds of running and I start to relax as the footsteps fade.
When I'm sure they're gone I climb down and start to try and gather some food. I chew on some pine bark and it reminds me of home, I let the tears fall for the audience.
I see no more signs of the burning strawberries but I do find some tubers that look edible. I bite into one and it tastes like potato. I decide to wait for an hour to check it's not a cruel trick from the Games-makers before eating more.
After walking for twenty minutes I find myself at the edge of the forest, the desert ant-hill towers up towards the cornucopia. I climb a tree to take a safe look around but see no one on the hill. It defies nature for the sand to pile up that high, why doesn't it collapse in on itself?
I can see smoke rising up some distance away and I'm assuming that's where the Careers went, the fire-starter must be stupid. Everyone knows the best time to start a fire is dusk, when the fading light can hide the smoke.
I decide to stay in this tree until I know where the Careers are, if they find the fire then the cannon will surely sound and I'll know to move away.
Out of habit I break a piece of bark off the tree and start to carve it, I have no idea what I'm making until I finish and then I laugh. Blight would be proud, I have made myself a knife. It's not very sharp but if I can find a rock I can create a blade that could cut meat or fish.
A cannon fires, I climb down the tree quickly, tucking my new knife in my trousers, hopefully Blight will see it and will laugh.
I move into the forest and then move as silently as I can away from the fire, putting the greatest distance between the Careers and me. When it's only them and me left I'll start to track them but now I need to look like a coward.
I pass a stream and manage to catch a fish, in a few hours I'll start a fire and cook it but for now I wrap it in leaves and put it in my backpack.
After an hours hike I come across a river, much too wide to cross, the water is fast and has rapids and waterfalls. The shoreline is littered with stones so I find some to make a blade and then duck back into the trees.
I'll have to camp here, it will be better to know that the other tributes can only come from one side.
As the light fades I make a fire as close to the water as I dare, if I here footsteps I can douse the flames quickly.
The fish is rubbery but when I eat it with the potato-like tubers it reminds me of salmon. I eat half of the fish quickly and then wrap the rest and put it back in my backpack before returning to the trees.
I made myself cry for the entire meal but now I feel exhausted. I break some vines with my bark knife and then scale the tree. I use the vines to tie myself in and then try and imagine I'm in the enormous bed on the train, with those warm and too-comfortable sheets.
When the anthem plays I can see the projection without moving.
The girl from Two. She must have been killed during the confrontation at the fire.
Both tributes from Eight.
The girl from Five. Perhaps she started the fire?
I try and think about who is left. Both from One, Gus and Dazzle. The boy, Slate, from Two. The boy from Three. Both from Four, who refused to join the Careers. The boy from Five who reminds me too much of my brother. Oak and I. Both from Ten. The girl from Eleven, the one who spoke to me at the interview. I think one of the one's from Twelve made it but I can't think which one it is.
Fourteen of use left, ten dead and it's only day two.
The next day is spent crying by the river and then planning in the tree. If I can find a way to hide for a few more days then I can start fighting. That night there are no projections in the sky and that makes me nervous. The Games-makers will not be happy, they will find a way to drive us together.
I'm asleep and I think I'm dreaming about a stormy night but then I wake with a jolt and realise I'm in the middle of a sandstorm. I tug on the vines and drop out of the tree. The sand is so thick and it burns on contact. I pull my hood up as high as it will go and head towards the river.
The sand whips around me and I find myself instantly disorientated. I stagger towards the water and with no other choice I dive straight it, my backpack still strapped to me.
I open my eyes under the water and find that it's surprisingly clear and I can see as easily as if it's a fish tank. The current is strong and I cling to rocks to keep myself steady.
I rise to the surface but when I take a gulp of air I also take a mouthful of sand. I'm not much of a swimmer but I try to use the rocks to pull myself across the river, each time I gulp air there seems to be less sand. I take this as a good sign, perhaps the other side of the river is clear.
I think I'm nearly there but when I try to stand the bottom is not there and I panic. I can see the base of the river but is it an illusion, again and again I try to stand but my foot sinks through the floor.
I haven't got enough breath or strength now and for the first time since the Games started I really think I could die.
Suddenly a hand plunges into the water in front of me and I don't even consider not grabbing it. The grip is strong and it pulls me from the water.
I lie, panting and only semi-conscious on the ground, if my saviour wanted to kill me they couldn't do any better than right now. I can tell, even with my eyes closed, that the sand has gone. The air is calm.
"Are you alright?" I open my eyes and find the face of the girl from Eleven looking back at me. She's probably a bit older than me, maybe sixteen or seventeen. Her skin is puckered with burns but other than that she looks relatively unscathed.
"Yeah, thanks." I say, my voice quiet with exertion.
"Come on, we're exposed here." She helps me up and I lean on her much more than I would like. Do I have an ally?
A/N So the Games have really started, what do you think?
WriterWhoReads- The title refers to an idiom about fighting your natural instincts so I thought it would fit Johanna quite well. Thanks for the feedback, I'm glad you're enjoying it!
