Chapter 7

The next morning was brisk and cool. I hadn't slept, although Jennifer had fallen asleep in my arms, after disposing of the kids from District 7. There was a slight breeze, that had a slight tinge of smoke, and the smell of fire tickled my nostrils.

I decided this was a good time to do some more hunting. If anybody had been able to get a fire going, it was somebody with equipment. I woke Jennifer up.

"Wha-?"

"Come on. If we're gonna survive this, we need to go hunting. We'll need food, and if anybody tries to get us, we'll kill 'em." I pulled her to her feet, and handed her the Ka-Bar and one of the knives I got from the kid last night. I kept the hatchet and throwing knife, and leave the other two knives by the backpack.

I lift myself out of the cave, and pull Jennifer up by her arm. I hold the hatchet at the ready, and she keeps the Ka-Bar held slightly back, with her left hand a little bit forward, ready to stab. I lick my finger and hold it up into the air, trying to feel which way the wind is blowing. I feel the cold nip on the right side of my finger, so I know the wind is blowing to my left. The smoke is being carried by the wind, so I know I need to turn into it to find the fire.

I sneak along, hardly making a sound, then jump when I hear a snap. I quickly turn, and see Jennifer lifting her feet off of a broken branch.

"Sorry." She whispers.

"Don't let it happen again." I reply.

We keep going, me making virtually no noise, and Jennifer only snapping a branch every now and again. The area is beautiful. It's too bad it's now in an area that's meant for 23 people to die in. Trees dot the rocky terrain. Snow covers the ground. Bloodstains ruin the beautiful area. It's obvious somebody died here. Then I realize; this is where Hulk killed the girl from District 4.

I hear another snap. I turn around, ready to chew Jennifer out. Hulk stands there. Jennifer is in a choke hold, and Hulk is holding a knife to her throat.

"Don't move, or she's dead." He says to me. His voice is deep, and gravely. It reminds me of death, and it reminds me of what he's capable of. I hear a laugh off to the side. I look, and discover it's District 2. He must have forgiven Hulk for killing that girl. Maybe she was disliked.

As District 2 moves closer, a sword at the ready, Hulk picks up a throwing spear, and as District 2 is saying, "Nice job, Jerred, now there-" Hulk throws the spear, hitting District 2 in the gut, and he falls over, lifeless. A cannon goes off.

Even I'm shocked at Hulk's ruthlessness. He can kill without a moment's notice, and seemingly unprovoked. I hold my hands out, and set the hatchet on the ground.

"Just don't hurt her." I say. He laughs.

"I'm not gunna hurt 'er. I need help. And you two are the only ones who seem like they need an ally. I need an ally that I can trust. And you need one who can help you. That's me."

I think about how he seemed to kill District 2 without any thought. Maybe, he might be useful, but if I did anything to provoke him, he could, and would, kill me and Jennifer.

"How do I know you won't just kill us like you killed him." I motion to District 2. "Or the girl from District 4." I ask.

He replies. "He was untrustworthy. I found a page of paper, it had a plan written on it, to kill me. And the girl stabbed me." I wasn't about to tell him it was my fault. He obviously isn't that smart.

"Alright. If you promise not to hurt us, we can make an alliance." I say.

"Good." Hulk smiles. Then he lets Jennifer go. She staggers to my side. "Now, if you'll follow me, I can take you to where I'm stayin'." I look at Jennifer as Hulk lumbers off. She shrugs, and walks behind me as I follow Hulk.

"Hey, I don't even know your name yet. What is it?" I ask Hulk.

"It's Jerred." He replies.

"I'm Thrazz." I say. Jennifer pipes in. "And I'm Jennifer." Hulk nods an affirmative. We continue to follow Jerred, all hopes of staying stealthy lost as he lumbers through bushes, jumps off of boulders, and generally makes a lot of noise.

I hear a scraping sound off to the side. Jumping forward, I grab Jerred's arm, and pull him down. He looks at me, a flare of rage flashing through, then crouches next to me. Jennifer ducks down next to me. "I heard something." I say. "Stay here."

Holding up the hatchet, and loosening the throwing knife in my belt, I make my way towards a bend in a rock face. Then I hear a muffled, TWANG! I drop to the ground as District 6's arrow shatters above my head. Then District 1 jumps out from the bend in the cliff, sword waving. I hear Jerred roar, and turn to see him fighting District 3. It's an ambush! I suspect Jerred, until I see him knock the boy to the floor, and then something terrible. Stepping on the boy's ribcage, Jerred takes hold of the boy's right arm, and pulls. Even from several yards away I hear the snap, then tearing of flesh, as Jerred rips the boy's arm off, in a terrible fit of rage.

I look away in disgust, just in time to take on District 1. She swings the sword at my head, and I duck, swiping at her legs. She jumps back, and evades the hatchet. Then I see District 6. She's on top of the rock face, and taking aim at me. I only have a few moments before she releases, and I take that time to charge District 1, take a swing, and taking advantage of her dodge, I kick her in the chest, winding her, and giving me my chance. I jump forward, and smack her wrist, causing her to drop her sword. I take her in a chokehold, and face her towards District 6, my throwing knife at her neck.

"Just try it!" I shout. She's too far away, but I think I see a smile on District 6's face as she releases her drawn arrow. With only a moment's notice, I slit District 1's throat, and push her forward, dropping behind a rock. A wet thwack tells me that District 1 has been hit. I peek out, and confirm it. If I hadn't jumped out of the way, the arrow would have gone through District 1's belly, just far enough to stab into my stomach.

I look for District 6, but she's left. I run back to Jerred and Jennifer. Jennifer is cowering, and Jerred is standing over District 3's blood-soaked body, caked in blood, and smacking the already dead boy with his own severed arm. I grab Jennifer's wrist and we run for it. I can't trust Jerred like that. He's just too bloodthirsty.

We run back to our hideout, retracing Jerred's prints. I make a mental note telling myself to start calling him "Hulk" again. Using names makes it harder to kill someone when it comes time. We run and run, and when Jennifer starts gasping, I slow us down to a jog, then a brisk walk, and then finally to a complete halt. It's always good to stay in shape, and it's not good for you to come to a total stop from a dead sprint.

I recognize the area we're in. Very close to where our fort is. I urge Jennifer onwards, telling her we're almost there. She sighs in relief. When we get to the boulder, we go inside and sit there, panting. I'm extremely thirsty. I've made a huge mistake in not going out for water and food sooner. I've let the other Tributes get the better of me.

"We need water." I say to Jennifer. "Stay here, I'm going to get us some. You won't be needing the lantern, so put it by the hole so it can recharge. I'll be back soon." She nods, tired from all the running.

I peek my head out. Nobody in sight. I duck back down, grab the canteen, and the hatchet, and pull myself out of the cave, and into the small crag. I wait there, nestled in the shadows the boulder grants us, and watch. When I'm satisfied that nobody is there, I creep out, and then go into stealth mode.

Trusting on years of experience, I know I am virtually invisible to the untrained eye. I move, dashing from cover to cover. It can only be about 4 o'clock, but it's already getting dark. Due to the mountains I guess. I look for a spring, or a pond. Anywhere we can get water. I search for water, but can't find it. I search for another ten minutes before I give up. I decide to cheat instead. I pick up snow off the ground, and put it into the canteen.

Next we need food. I know I should have scavenged food off of the other Tributes I've killed, but I neglected that as well. I look for a nice, big, flat rock, and set it up in a trip-fall trap. I bait the trap with some berries, and then make more like it, in various areas.

The sky turns dark blue as it gets darker out. It's now about 5 o'clock. I decide to go back, so Jennifer doesn't worry. On the way back I notice a strange animal. As I see what it's eating I duck down. No, it's not some poor Tribute, but it might as well have been, because it's a large casket of food.

The animals fur doesn't look like anything I know, then I realize it's a muttation. A mixed breed of an arctic fox, and an arctic wolf. I get the hatchet ready. I can kill it, and scavenge some food from the casket. I get ready to attack it. Before I rush out, I decide that incase this fight will be too much for me, I need an escape rout, so I study the surroundings.

Behind me, thick underbrush grows thick. Ahead of me, and after the mutt, is a cliff. To my right lies a rock wall that is too high for me to climb. To my right there's only a single tree, then a downward slope. I decide that should be a good escape route.

I jump out from behind the pine tree I had been hiding behind, and charge the mutt. I don't shout, knowing that it'll be a lot better to catch it by surprise than anything else. By now it's incredibly dark, and I can barely see my hand in front of my face. Luckily the mutt's coat is so white, it is easy to see it.

The mutt looks up as it hears my feet hit the ground. I'm about two yards away when it notices me, and with an incredible leap, jumps at me. I throw myself into a slide and take a swing at it's stomach as it flies over me. I feel my hatchet connect, and the mutt falls to the floor, dead.

That was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I stand up and turn to the casket of food, only to turn right into someones sword. Although my adrenaline is pumping, the blade cutting through my chest still hurts. A lot. I fall back, and grab at my chest. Strangely my hand comes away dry. Maybe I didn't get hit. But I felt it…

My assailant confidently strides towards me. My hatchet is too far away to reach, but I still have a knife. I pull it out of my belt, and try to stand. The unknown Tribute runs at me, and kicks me in the head. My knife flies out of my hand. He stands over me, his head tilted. Then he laughs…

And a blade sprouts from his chest! His blood splashes my face as his wicked laugh is cut off with a strangled sound. His body falls to the floor with a thud, and then a cannon goes off. The dark silhouette of a girl takes the place of the would be assassin. I know this is the end. I can't defend myself. Then shock from the cut in my chest knocks me out. With my last conscious breath, I see the girl lean forward, a knife at the ready