And now, a month and a day of waiting has brought you guys the next chapter! Enjoy!


Eleven

(Dark)

This place is absolute hell. As far as I can see, there are no places to hide here in this desert. The only shelter any of us will be able to find to escape each other are behind the sand hills. I quickly scan the other tributes, looking around for Hollow and Nel. Nel is about six or seven tributes away from me to the right but Hollow is nowhere to be seen, which means he must be on the other side of the Cornucopia. A large amount of tributes usually get killed in the first day, as there's always a blood bath at this spot. Already I can see the various different weapons belonging to each of the tributes situated in piles around the front of the Cornucopia as well as other tools and human food. No available souls to eat. That's for us to find later on.

The countdown begins on the clock. If any of the tributes step off the plates before the one minute is up, they'll be blown to smithereens. I think that's happened once or twice in some earlier games before I was born.

Okay, so here's the plan of action: I meet up with Nel as soon as possible, and we get to the Cornucopia together so one of us can loot while the other covers their back. Hopefully Hollow will meet us there, if he doesn't get killed on the way.

'… twenty... nineteen... eighteen... seventeen... sixteen...'

Oh hell, this is it. My death could be approaching really soon. The chances are it probably is.

'… ten... nine... eight... seven... six... five...'

I put one foot forward, ready to run.

'… four...'

I fix my gaze on Nel.

'… three...'

I pray this will work.

'… two...'

I hope Hollow's thinking along the same lines.

'… one...'

Quit thinking and move!

I immediately sonido over to Nel and she jumps in fright, probably thinking I'm some other homicidal tribute. I grin down at her and say, 'Come on!' She smiles back and together we make our way cautiously to the Cornucopia. Luckily, Nel is able to pick up her sword almost immediately but I can see I'm going to have to pass two fighting tributes in order to reach my scythe. I shout, 'Cover me!' to Nel and she nods. I dodge a dagger being thrown in my direction and spin wildly around looking for the culprit, until I see the female tribute from Nine racing towards me with more daggers. I duck down as another one comes whizzing past, and then Nel throws herself at the other tribute, blocking the rest of the daggers with her sword. I worry for Nel's safety then I remind myself that she will be the enemy once the alliance is broken and I mustn't get too attached... still, it's useful having an alliance with such a talented young girl and it would be a pity if she died too soon.

I edge my way around the two fighting tributes just as once drives their sword through the other's chest. A canon immediately fires, marking the death of the fallen tribute, and as this was the first one to be sounded it means this was the very first tribute to die. I quickly survey the scene and recognise the dead tribute as the girl from Five, actually being killed by her district partner (Nnoitora is his name, I think). I reach my scythe and spin around, ready to ward off any attack that Nnoitora might try to pull but luckily he's not interested in me, and he instead tears off round the other side of the Cornucopia as if he's spotted something more interesting.

I run back to Nel, who's still battling the girl from Nine. As the enemy notices Nel has backup, she decides that maybe fighting us is a bad idea because she races off in the opposite direction.

'Where's Hollow?' Nel asks.

'He must be on the other side of the Cornucopia,' I answer. 'It doesn't look good over there; look, all the other tributes are gathering- it must be a bloodbath.'

As I finish saying this, two more cannons sound.

'Do you think he's...?' Nel begins, worry creeping into her voice.

'Wait here,' I instruct, feeling worried myself, even though I shouldn't be. There's no reason why I should fret about this. Hollow's strong, even if he's not a Career. There are far weaker tributes... they must have been the ones that died...

Anyway, he'll be my enemy eventually. I shouldn't really care about what happens to him, even if his death will cause a disadvantage to our alliance. I leave Nel standing here and edge cautiously around the Cornucopia, slightly scared at what I might see. I've witnessed gore before, having been forced to watch the Hollow Games on TV each year, but nothing of this magnitude, as I am actually in the arena, in the battlefield, here in person, my own life at risk.

The Careers have already formed their group and are picking off the separate tributes one by one. A load of tributes are desperately trying to fight them off. I feel a huge wave of relief wash over me as I notice Hollow standing there, alive and only slightly wounded (a patch of blood on his cheek) but my relief morphs into horror as I realise he's weaponless. The male tribute from One (Starkk or something) is clutching the overgrown kitchen knife as well as some sort of gun and is firing... ceros! He can fire ceros with it! The girl from his district, Lilinette, is warding off Hollow with her sword, giggling. Hollow holds his hands up as if attempting to make a cero, but he is cut off when Lilinette's sword catches his palm and crimson liquid erupts from the point where the blade came into contact with his pale skin.

I have to get Hollow come over here without drawing attention to myself. We'll have to leave his weapon as there's hardly any chance of us being able to retrieve it. But I completely forget all my plans when I witness a cero from Starrk's gun hit Hollow in the shoulder, causing blood to explode from that spot. He falls to his knees, his face rigid with pain.

'HOLLOW!' I scream.

He lifts his head to look up at me, and a number of other tributes also turn in my direction. Shit! I'm such an idiot! Before I can think of a better plan, I sonido over to Lilinette, catching her off-guard, and slice her around the waist with my scythe, wounding but not killing her. The next thing I know, she has grabbed me around the throat and begins to strangle me. I struggle violently in panic, unable to breathe, until I am tossed aside back in the direction I came from, and I realise Hollow must have done something to her to make her let me go, even in his incapacitated state. I lie winded on the ground until Nel races over and helps me up. I can see the Careers focusing on Hollow and he turns to look at me one more time, mouthing, Go!

Oh hell.

He's right.

We're going to have to leave him.

XOXOXOX

[Hollow]

When the countdown is over, I am immediately tackled to the ground as I step off my plate. It's the male tribute from Two (Barragon or something) and he seems intent on dealing with me before the Games has even properly begun. I've already sussed out that Dark and Nel must be on the other side of the Cornucopia (the inconvenience is overwhelming. I'm sure my various stunts during my private training session and the interview saw to that) and this tribute is considerably bigger than me. Well, Careers often are. I kick him as hard as he can in the place where it counts (courtesy of watching Karin do it to every male that got on her nerves for years) and he rolls off me with a grown. I consider using a cero on him but he's already on his feet again and I change my mind pretty quickly and decide I should get my sword.

However, when I reach the Cornucopia I find that Starkk, the boy from One, already has it.

He is also equipped with his own weapon, some sort of gun that fires ceros. I admired it as I watched him use it in the training centre and it looks as if it will be my death if I'm not careful. I hear a cannon fire which means somebody has already died, and I just hope it isn't Nel or Dark. I am about to plan some sort of sneak attack on Starkk to get my sword back when the girl from his district, Lilinette, pounces on me with her sword. I quickly roll out the way and face her angrily, wondering if I'll be able to take her down with just my sonido and cero abilities. She grins mockingly.

'Where's your girlfriend? And that other little runt?'

I aim a cero at her and fire. She dodges it and manages to land a cut on my cheek. I lick the blood away from my mouth, eyes flickering up towards Starkk in case he tries something funny. I try shooting another cero but Lilinette's sword catches my palm and blood squirts everywhere. I curse under my breath and then realise this was only a distraction.

I've never felt pain like this before, and it's as if my shoulder is on fire. I fall to my knees, my brain unable to focus on anything but the agony.

'HOLLOW!' comes a familiar voice. I am able to turn my head towards the noise to see Dark standing a few metres away, her face horrified. The then shimmers and disappears and Lilinette shrieks. I turn around to see Lilinette clutching her stomach with one hand while she grabs Dark around the throat with the other. My mind only just registers that Dark needs saving, and it is my duty to do so because we're in an alliance. I shoot a cero (weak because of my current state) at Lilinette and it hits her in the back. She throws Dark a distance away in shock and turns to face me, fury written over her face. In the distance, I see Nel helping Dark up and I mouth, Go! to them, hoping they'll do just that.

Looks like it's the end for me. I hope Nel or Dark win the Games.


Nothing like a good old cliffhanger to piss readers off. Oh, the fun we have.

Review please!