The 71st Annual Hunger Games
Chapter 7: The Melting
The next day started off uneventful as Johanna snared hares and collected pinecones. Paxton was cooking fish when Johanna got back. They cooked the hares and the three ate everything.
"Johanna, there is a berry patch over there," said Paxton as she pointed past the lake. "Why don't you go get some berries and I will get some greens? We can make a little salad!"
Johanna grabbed her pack and pulled out one of her knives for harvesting the berries. About 40 yards into the forest was the berry patch. Johanna started to cut at the berries when she heard a noise.
"Johanna! Run!" screamed Randolph from the rocky cliff. She turned around and saw Titus on the other end of the patch. Johanna realized that she didn't have her axe, so she threw her knife into his thigh. Titus groaned and Johanna ran to the side of the mountain and climbed up to the rocky ledge that Randolph stands on. She started to run towards him, and a spear flew over her head. She looked over her shoulder and saw Titus was on the ledge. Randolph jumped into the lake.
Johanna was now over the lake, and a loud rumbling came from the top of the mountain. Johanna lost her footing and started to tumble down the steep slope to the lake. She watched as the snow from the top of the mountain slid down the side of the mountain and hit Titus. Johanna hit the water and seconds later the snow came. Johanna reached the surface and heard the cannon. Titus had been killed.
The next day, Johanna awoke and felt wet. The ground was completely soaked. She got onto her hands and knees and a mixture of heat and humidity hit her at once. She took off her jacket and put it in her backpack. She walked out of the shelter and saw that the ice left behind by the rain was melting. Paxton and Randolph were packing up their stuff.
"Why are you guys packing?" she asked.
"Because: the temperature is so high that all the ice from the ice rain is melting. This is the lowest point in the entire arena, so eventually it will all come here and flood the lake. Also, the temperature might start to make the snow on the mountains melt, causing avalanches like the one that killed Titus. We need to get to the small hill located about a mile from here." explained Randolph. Johanna packed her stuff and the three started into the forest.
The humidity made the air unbearably hot. Randolph was so hot that he could barely walk without Paxton's help. The once cold pine forest was now a hot, piney swamp. The water was ankle-high and warm. Johanna noticed the air was becoming cloudier, and right ahead of them was a mist.
"Guys! The mist is cold! It could help!" said Johanna as she ran into the mist. Paxton and Randolph ran in after her. The mist was burning hot.
Randolph started panting in the dangerously thick mist. His skin turned pink and he lay down. Johanna and Paxton were also hot and having trouble breathing, but not as bad as Randolph.
Randolph's skin started to blister and his breathing deepened. The water started to bubble and they soon realized that it was boiling. Paxton stuffed her sling in her pocket and grabbed Randolph, trying to hoist him into a tree. Johanna, trying to lift Randolph, slipped and the other two landed in the mud. Paxton and Johanna couldn't take the heat of the water anymore, so they scaled the tree closest to Randolph. Seconds later, Randolph's cannon went off. The mist disappeared and the two reached the hill. Johanna and Paxton climbed the biggest pine tree and started to sleep.
