Bloodbath

Charlie Leah Edison (18) D5F

My feet shook as I stepped towards the tube. I did not like the feeling of going through it all again. The suffocation, the fear, the helplessness of my situation had started to sink in, and despite fighting hard I couldn't stop the tears. My warm T-shirt and sweater did nothing to ease the cold I was feeling. With leaden steps, I started towards the tube. I was about to step inside when the door of the room opened and in barged my stylist.

"Charlie!" he cried out, "Do your best! I'm sorry I'm late cause I slept in but honestly, please know that I've got your best interests in mind! I'd be desperate if I couldn't say goodbye to your properly!"

I narrowed my eyes at him even as he ran over to me and crushed me in an unwanted embrace. I tried to push him off, but without success. Finally he released me, his eyes moist with tears.

"Oh Charlie!" he cried, "I wish-I wish it wasn't this way. You're too good to be gone and I loved working with you!"

I sighed at his statement. I guess it was his way of telling me that he wanted me to win and that he wished I would never have been reaped. It was a weird way but it meant… something.

"If it weren't for this occasion," I replied honestly, "I would've been happy to have you as my stylist as well."

He looked at me in utter sadness, and I felt horrible for being this way with him. But he had tried his best, so I squeezed his shoulder and smiled at him, hoping that he'd understand how much I appreciated his efforts.

Even if they wouldn't help me.

With a nod, I got inside the tube. For a few seconds everything was still, even after the glass walls had erected themselves. He showed me a thumbs-up and just then the tube started rising.

Just like last time, I felt like throwing up all over. My stomach was churning and my heart was beating so hard I thought it would smash the ribcage and jump out. Just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore, the tube stopped rising.

But I was not in the arena.

Everywhere around me was darkness. Overhead, I could see the sky, the pale blue light colour blinding me. No… this couldn't be happening!

"LET ME OUT!" I cried, banging on the glass as hard as I could, "This tube has stuck! Help!"

The tube did not move even a centimetre but I kept on shouting for help and banging the wall till my voice cracked and my knuckles started bleeding. And the oxygen… why did I think I was having difficulty breathing?

"HELP!"

But when I certainly couldn't breathe anymore, and was on the floor curled up, I knew that there would be no help. I heard the gong as if listening to a faraway train, going even further away. I was sure this was an 'example' for the victors. That we were nothing. That even if they won this particular game, or any game, they'd still be playthings for the Capitol.

So, I stopped pleading for help, and I tried to stop myself from struggling for breath. It was no use. In a way, I was lucky. At least I'd die here peacefully, away from all the gore…

Rodney Steel (23) D6M

My legs were shaking as the tube ascended. Would there be enough food in the arena? And what would be the arena like? Did I have any chance at all? For one thing, I didn't want to starve like last time. The mere memory of it was enough to make my knees go weak.

Finally, the tube stopped rising and the glass walls started retreating into the platforms. The cold wind hit me first. It was as if someone was slapping me hard. All around me all I saw was white, whiter than anything I'd seen. There were green trees, but they were also mostly white. The sky was clear blue but nothing flew overhead. The rustling of the wind was so strong that I could hear it like a low whistle.

Something white fell on me. I brought my hand forward and took it, even as more of it seemed to fly with wind from the ground and trees towards me.

Snow.

Had it not been such a circumstance, this place would have been exotic. Absolutely nothing as far as the eyes could see, except for a snow forest. The cornucopia was shaped like a semi-circular house, made of ice.

Igloo.

From the back of my mind I recalled that foreign word. Igloo. There were no igloos anywhere. In ancient times people used to live in these. I wondered if there was enough food in the igloo.

"Where's Charlie?" Passion's voice rang out, and echoed in this beautiful land of death. I looked all around me. Indeed, the girl from Five was missing. Just as all of us registered this fact, a voice boomed in the air.

Due to a malfunction in the tube of Ms, Edison, she'll be unable to take part in this year's Hunger Games.

And after a few seconds, even as everyone was trying to overcome the shock and panic, the gong rang, and along with it a cannon.

It was so sudden that for a few moments nobody moved from their place. I was myself feeling extremely dizzy following this event. She had died inside her tube. That was no malfunction. It was done to show us our place.

Maybe Rajan had the same idea, for he let out a sigh, and was the first to move towards the cornucopia. Everyone seemed to snap out of their panic at that, and even as the man grabbed a sword and a bag and dashed towards the forest, only to have his path blocked by Jackdaw. Rajan swung his sword at him without even pausing for a second, and Jake ducked. In that moment Rajan pushed him back and then ran past him into the woods.

I saw Aiken, Geoffrey and Leia fighting Lakely and Ciera. The two women were deadly, and they were not really making much effort to kill Geoffrey, probably because he was a guy. Slowly, seeing that everybody was busy, I got down from my platform and started trotting towards the forest, trying not to be noticed. Well, that wasn't going to happen for long, as my huge size and slow speed made me an easy target, but I tried as hard as I could.

And just when I thought I'd made it, a hand grabbed my shoulder and yanked me backwards. My predator turned me around. Passion's eyes were cold and icy, just like the arena, and his hands flew at my neck and he twisted them around.

There was a crack! and then there was nothing.

BOOM!

Jake "The Jackdaw" Dasby (32) D9M

By the time I got up on my feet, Rajan had disappeared from sight.

I swore aloud, and then I saw Tua gesture at me. She pointed towards the cornucopia, which was closest to me. I looked around, seeing that every other tribute was busy fighting among themselves. I nodded at Tua and then ran towards the cornucopia.

The igloo was too low for me. I bent down, only to see that supplies this year were low. I yanked two bags randomly and two daggers, before retreating out of the cornucopia.

"STOP HIM!"

Passion's loud yell drew everyone's attention. I saw Ciera turn towards me, and she bent down, scooped up some snow, and threw it at me. I side stepped the childish attack and then started towards Tua, who was in turn keeping Passion away. Lakely was distracted by it, and Leia, Geoffrey and Aiken made their way towards the igloo.

I wanted to take out Geoffrey right now. He had too high a score, something that was undesirable. But escape was more important, especially with Ciera at my heels.

"Tua!" I called out and threw the knife at her so that she could catch it. And she could have done so, had Passion not pushed her from behind. The knife embedded itself in Tua's stomach.

My eyes widened as I saw her gasp in pain, her hand moving down slowly to the knife. No… it didn't look too deep. However, now that my knife had hit her, even though accidently, she was going to try to seek her revenge. So I had to hope that she'd die right now.

Passion pulled Tua towards himself and then wrenched out the knife, only to stab her right back in the throat.

BOOM!

I smirked as her lifeless body fell on the ground, her red blood fell on the white snow. I changed my direction and raced towards the woods. On the edge, I looked back once. There was somebody missing…

Oxen.

Where the hell was he? Now that I thought about it, I hadn't seen him at all after the countdown. He had disappeared just as Charlie's cannon had rung. Where was he?

This wasn't the time to worry about it. Even as the tributes still fought for supplies, I disappeared into the woods.

Aiken Harper (20) D7F

It was my sheer luck that I found a tomahawk right within reach. I pulled it out, and saw Lakely outside, all alone. Ciera was with Passion, some distance away. Leia and Geoffrey were running away. I was the one with a weapon whereas Lakely was unarmed.

Her eyes darted back and forth from my weapon and my face. Enough was enough, and I thrust the tomahawk at her direction. She ducked and then rolled under the axe, before moving up behind me. She kicked at my knees but I jumped and turned around in mid-air, slicing the space ahead me with my tomahawk. She stepped back, and the axe almost sliced open her neck. I struck again, but she dodged the attack.

I hit her in the thigh, and luckily my target didn't miss. Her loud cry of pain was seemed to chill my blood. I looked back to see Passion and Ciera fighting Geoffrey and Leia. Geoffrey was the one with the weapon, a trident, and he was using it well. Passion's knife wasn't doing much to help him, although he used it well, but Geoffrey was keeping both himself and Leia safe.

I turned back to Lakely, who had managed to pull a machete from the cornucopia. My eyes widened. How long had I been looking at other tributes? It didn't matter, and I brought down the tomahawk. She blocked the attack with her machete. I pushed down hard and parried as hard as she could. With a yell she pushed back and I stumbled and fell.

Lakely still lay on the snowy ground, holding her machete tightly as if her life depended on it. Now that I saw it, I had hurt her deeper than I could have thought.

I was about to bolt off, when another cannon rang. Both of us turned towards the others. Passion had apparently led Geoffrey away while battling him, leaving Ciera and Leia alone. And Ciera had taken advantage of the situation and snapped Leia's neck. I knew it was not the right time to stay behind, and probably Geoffrey realised the same, for he pushed Passion away and ran from the spot. I went the other way. To my surprise, Ciera didn't try to stop either of us and neither did she go to help Lakely, who was still on the ground.

Passion staggered to his feet and rushed to her side, he said something, but I couldn't hear it. Not that it mattered. The woods were dark and they'd have to provide me with shelter and hiding place.

Oxen Bamby (46) D10M

It would be very dark and cold here at night, I knew it.

I wasn't looking forward to evening. There was no light, no fire, nothing here. I wondered how I was going to survive once night fell.

For as long as I had walked, and as far as the eye could see, all I saw was cone shaped tress, covered in heaps of snow. My eyes were now yearning to see some color, for white was all that was visible. The greens of the trees were rare, and the barks were also snow clad. Not one animal was there. Only a deadly silence.

I still remembered when the first cannon had rung. Everyone had simply turned towards Charlie's platform, or where her platform should have been. I had taken the opportunity to make my escape quietly. By the time I had reached the edge of the woods, Rajan had snapped out of his initial shock and had made his move.

I sighed. I had never known the girl well, and had never spoken to her, but it was horrible that she was killed by the Gamemakers. In the tube. As far as I knew, nobody had ever died in a tube. She was the youngest, and I had a sneaking suspicion that she had been chosen for killing because of that very reason. It just made it clear that the youngest wouldn't be spared either. Anyway, if it was a regular Games, then she would have been one of the oldest.

But it was still very unexpected. And by now, there had been four cannons. Four people were dead, and only eight of us remained. These Games would last long, and I was looking forward for it to get over, hopefully with me walking out as the victor.

I needed to find a shelter here, in nowhere. I wanted to be asleep before night fell. It would be better that way.

I only hoped nobody would lose their way and end up walking into me sleeping.

Hello everyone. Long time no see! It's Reader here, presenting the worst bloodbath written in history, but ah. Bad writing happens sometimes. At least you can enjoy finding out hundreds of errors and shaking your heads at the pathetic quality. And that's something, isn't it?

Okay, so the deaths. Well, I know this'll sound very weird, but we just offed a tribute from submitters who sent in two tributes. We loved all of them, and it was extremely hard for us to kill these amazing characters, but then that's what happens in Hunger Games so can't really avoid doing that.

Eulogies:

12th: Charlie Leah Edison- Charlie! I loved you Charlie! Writing you was so fun, and you were my personal favourite. You were angry, but you could be soft sometimes. You were a deep character and it's a shame you were submitted as a bloodbath. Thank you Icicle Light, for Charlie. Rest in peace Charlie Leah Edison, you'll be missed. At least you still have Passion.

11th: Rodney Steel- Rodney was amazing. There was something so nice about him that I just loved him. But when it came to development and character arc, I think Aiken had a better scope for that. I couldn't really explain Rodney making it out alive out of bloodbath. Rest in peace Aiken, you'll be missed.

10th: Tua Uling- Tua was the ultimate villain, and it was a blast writing her. The reason I killed her was that I personally preferred Oxen. Tua and Jake were pretty similar, and ultimately it came to one villain falling down. Rest in peace Tua, I'll miss you for your villainy. I hope you don't hate me for it Tracee. You still have Oxen! :D

9th: Leia Foster- Again it came to Leia and Jake, and every story needs a villain, so Leia had to go. But believe me, Leia was really cool. Sally enjoyed writing her a lot, and I liked to work with her as well. She was a really believable character and I liked how team oriented she was, because I personally can't work in a team. Rest in peace Leia Foster.

So yeah, that's done. We're in the final eight! Congratulations! Lol.

See you next time. Have a good day!