Even if we're breaking down, we can find a way to break through.
She stands on her pedestal, searching the ring of tributes to find her District partner and ally, Erik. Her eyes meet his, he gestures towards the Cornucopia, and she nods. They simultaneously turn back to face the large silver horn, full to the brim with knives, swords, bows, backpacks. Eadlyn starts to hyperventilate, smoothing her dark brown ponytail and closing her hazel eyes.
The gong sounds, but she doesn't move. Erik, racing along with the other tributes to the Cornucopia, shoots a glance over his shoulder to Eadlyn. She squeezes her eyes shut.
He sighs, still running for his life. Of course she did. Entering the horn, he sweeps a few knives into the nearest backpack and slings a quiver of arrows and a bow over his shoulder. Picking up the red bag full of knives and supplies, he flees in her direction.
"Come on, Eady! We've got to get out of here!" She flinches at his touch, but opens her eyes and accepts the small knife he holds out to her. Gripping it tightly, she steps off her pedestal without a word.
"Are you okay?"
Eadlyn nods. Erik grasps her hand and pulls her away, not letting go. She holds on for dear life, and together they run from the carnage of the Bloodbath.
oOo
They run until they can't anymore, and then they walk until their lungs are on fire and legs feel like they'll fall off. Breathing heavily still, Eadlyn stumbles to a stop, still holding Erik's hand tight. He follows suit, placing his hands on his knees and bending over slightly.
"Hey, we made it out," he whispers.
"Thanks for saving me," she breathes. She walks in that graceful, almost regal way of hers to a fallen tree and perches on its slanted trunk.
"Not a problem. After all, that's what allies are for, right?"
They both know they're much more than allies.
Even if we can't find heaven, I'll walk through Hell with you.
Erik sits next to her on the fallen tree. Shrugging the bag off his shoulder, he unzips it and hands Eadlyn another knife, one larger than the small pocket knife he'd given her at the very beginning of the Games. With a slightly serrated blade and a handle just the right length, it's a perfect fit for her.
As he pulls two more knives from the bag, he spots the unmistakable ridge of a bottle's cap. He digs through the contents of his treasure and pulls a clear orange bottle half full of dirty water from the bag.
"Why would they give us dirty water?" she wonders.
"No one knows," Erik replies absentmindedly as he searches his backpack. "There'd better be some purification tablets in here. That's our only bottle."
A twig snaps.
Eadlyn looks up, and Erik places a hand on hers. His other hand flies to her mouth, one finger over her lips, barely touching. Shhh. She sweeps up her knives, he his bow, and together they stand, careful not to make noise. As Erik notches an arrow, a small figure moves from behind a nearby bush.
Erik releases his arrow and lowers his bow. She grips her knife tightly.
First, a yelp, then a thump and finally a cannon boom. He covers his mouth and looks at Eadlyn.
"What was that?" she whispers.
No reply comes. Slowly, Erik takes a step toward the small bush the figure had come from. Eadlyn follows, one hand light on his arm. He pulls back a branch, revealing the body of a small, dark-skinned girl with an arrow sticking out of her.
His eyes widen. "I killed a little kid. I killed a girl. Oh my god, what is wrong with me?"
"There's nothing wrong with you. It was an accident. We have to kill to survive here anyway," she says softly.
"No. I swear, Eadlyn. There's gotta be something wrong! How can you say that? She can't be more than thirteen."
"Erik, trust me. You'll see this kid's face in the sky tonight. I can already tell that she's an Eleven, from her coloring. She'll be one of the last ones. I want you to grieve then, but afterwards, you have to forget. Do you hear me, Erik?"
"I hear you, Eadlyn, but I cannot comprehend what you are saying! Let me grieve! I killed a child, and you are saying to forget?"
"I am telling you, you need to forget. She'll plague you, haunt you, the whole Games, otherwise. She'll make you too guilty to kill. I'm not saying death is good, Erik! I'm saying that to get out of here, you'll have to experience at least one more death, and it'll probably be my own." She takes a deep breath. "Okay, Erik. Do you get it now?"
"Yeah. I guess so. I still feel terribly guilty, though."
"That is very understandable."
They're silent for a few minutes, staring at the body of the little girl, before Erik speaks.
"We should at least clear out, you know. The hovercraft will be here soon."
She nods. They parade in a slow procession away from the body, pick up their bags and leave.
oOo
As they walk, Eadlyn feels the common urge.
"Nature's calling," she tells Erik, as she stalks off to a patch of pines, nearby but not overly close.
Now is my chance, he thinks. He slips the third and final knife he got from the Cornucopia out of his bag and holds it up to his chest.
"Mom, Dad, I'm sorry. I can't do it anymore. I love you and I'll miss you. And Eady, I know you don't know this and you probably don't care, but I love you. I love you so much and I wish I could be with you forever," he whispers, careful not to let Eadlyn hear. She can't know, not yet.
He takes a deep breath, one two in, one two out, and stabs the knife into his chest.
Love, you're not alone, 'cause I'm gonna stand by you.
He's not quite dead when Eadlyn returns, still embarrassed because there was surely a camera on her that whole time and who wants to be filmed while they excrete their waste?
She doesn't see him there at first, since he'd fallen behind a log instead of out in the open.
"Erik?" she calls, worried. Did the Careers find him? No, they'd have taken his stuff, and there it all was, out in the open. It all looks strangely… peaceful to Eadlyn.
A moan escapes from his mouth, and Eadlyn hears it. She whirls around, fearing the worst.
There, draped over a bed of leaves, twigs and grass, lays her ally and District partner, a bloody knife sticking out of his chest and eyes drooping closed.
Her hand flies to her mouth and she runs to his side, dropping to her knees and trying to revive him.
"No, Erik. Why would you ever do this?" Then she remembers, remembers the little girl in the bushes. "Oh my god, Erik, did you really?"
She pulls her own knife from her jacket pocket. "Erik Koskinen, I love you. I know we haven't known each other long, probably only a few weeks, but I love you. I would die to be with you. And that's what I have to do now." By this point in time, she is openly weeping.
Eadlyn takes a deep breath. His cannon goes off, and her hand shakes. She falters, but only for a minute. As she stabs herself in the heart, and as everything goes black, she smiles.
I love you, Erik. There's no one else I would die for, and if you die, I do too. I'll see you soon. I swear it, once I meet you… wherever we go, I will be your one and only. We'll apologize to the little girl you shot, we'll dance gaily around and around. We'll never be hungry. We'll love each other forever.
BOOM.
Written for Caesar's Palace challenge; OTP Games. Based on the song "Stand By You", written by Rachel Platten. Some lyrics are taken from said song. All rights belong to their owners.