I hate to do headers but I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has recently supported the story. Know that it is appreciated and inspires me to continue writing. I've worked hard on the concepts behind Dark Moon Rising and have big plans (cue in maniacal laughter). Anyways...enough of my ramblings. Enjoy :)


The Gentle Hum of Anxiety

Large flakes fell from the battered clouds above, coating the strange city of rubble with a blanket of ice and snow. The temperature had dropped significantly, and the days were getting shorter. There had been tremors. Occasionally in the distance the sound of buildings crumbling sounded. The remaining Tributes were being pushed into the center of the arena.

Two days had past since the sewers. Since then no cannons had fired.

Pandora was roasting a bird, which had been caught in one of her snares. She tiredly held it over a small fire. Her fingers were red. She had let her hair down to keep her neck warm. The whispers of emerald strands had faded to a light mint color. Dark circles peered out form under her brown eyes. She had barely slept.

Her lips trembled as she lifted the charcoaled meat to her mouth and ripped into the pithy texture. Normally it would have tasted rancid but not now. Now she was starving, not to mention dehydrated. She had finished the canteen of rainwater a day and a half ago, a miscalculation on her part. She didn't realize that the rain would turn to snow.

Birds flew overhead in cawing flocks. They were her indicators that another Tribute was near. She needed to move.

Promptly she stamped out the fire and retrieved her bag. Her boots crunched into the snow as she headed towards the gutter, hesitantly grasping the cold metal and throwing her weight into the wall. She slid down the metal pipe, landing spryly on the ground. The wind blew the falling snow into flurries. Pandora lowered her eyes to the snow-laden road, curling her lips.

The snowfall meant she would leave an obvious trail, but she had no choice. Her breath rose through the air, quietly she started to walk.

Crashes. Sudden and deafening crashes.

Her heart thumped against her ribcage. Abruptly she spun around and widened her eyes. Collapses, coming closer. From where she stood, Pandora could see the sediment rising into the air. Two days of no deaths. The Gamemakers must be getting antsy.

Her lips pursed as she clutched the straps of her pack and began sprinting through the snow. Thought Pandora was sure the bite on her ankle would leave a nasty scar, it had started to heal almost immediately after she applied it to the wound. She had been inconspicuously searching the perimeter of the arena for Marius for the past two days with no luck. Pandora didn't want to admit it to herself but she knew that he must be close to the square. It was the only place she hadn't looked, for fear of the Careers.

Her tactic was to wait everyone out, but from the sound of the buildings collapsing it didn't look like that was going to happen.

In thought Pandora's brow furrowed. Before her mind made up the decision, her feet began moving inland.

Silence.

She tasted the snow on her lips, slyly pressing her back against the wall.

It wasn't like the silence before: empty and stagnant. This was a full quiet. The calm before the storm.

Her hand searched for the piece of shrapnel near her belt, her eyes twitched to the windows and doors along the narrow way. Snow had covered the windowsills and easels of the buildings. They looked untouched, but at the rate the snow had been falling that didn't mean much. Another Tribute could still be lurking near one of the doorways waiting for her to pass by before they jumped out.

Over the past two days she hadn't seen a glimpse of another competitor, it was beginning to wear on her. She almost wished someone would jump out just so she would know she wasn't going crazy, that she wasn't completely alone. Her cracked lips puckered in concentration as she crunched through the snow. Isolation. It was one of the most dangerous obstacles in the arena. Pandora had seen it many time on screen but never experienced. It didn't take long for that isolation to morph into paranoia. Snowflakes caught on her eyelashes as she looked up at petrels that were nesting near a pair of stone gargoyles. The menacing faces of the sculptures glared at. She could feel the paranoia take hold.

Already the grey light was starting to become dimmer. The sun was setting. It had only been up for 2 hours. Apparently the Gamemakers wanted this Hunger Games to be in darkness. The longer it took for everyone to die, the longer the night became.

Her mouth was dry. Pandora could feel the lightness in her head, she need water.

A grimace darkened her face.

Her only hope was the snow, but she couldn't eat it. Ingesting the snow would lower her body temperature, something she wasn't willing to do. She needed to make another fire. Again she looked to the sky. With the sun setting she knew she couldn't build one. She would have to wait till the sun rose again.

Gripping fear squirmed inside. What if the sun doesn't rise again? She shook the doubt from her mind and lowered her head. She had to wait. Now wasn't the time for impatience, impatience can kill you in the Hunger Games.

Her feet had just reached the mouth of the alley when a terrible sound bellowed nearby.

Her heart jumped.

Swiftly she threw herself over a pile of rubble, crouching her body in the shadows as she adjusted the crude weapon in her palm.

At first there were no signs of life.

Pandora's eyes nervously twitched around. Her senses heightened, just as they had in the sewers.

From where she hid she could see a large stretch of road. It was wide and open to the elements. Just like the rest of the arena, snow had covered most of it, though pieces of metal and bricks protruded out of the crisp powder. Across the way, a wave of steps was carved into the slope of a building.

Despite the strange outcry, the wide juncture seemed vacant of life. Darkness was coming, twilight would only last a few brief minutes.

Her breath puffed from her lips. Her body refused to move an inch.

Cries. Terrible, shrill screams.

She held her breath, pushing her back harshly against the icy wall. Pandora held her breath, closing her eyes tightly. Another noise echoed. It sounded like a rock being hurled against a wall.

Ignoring her fear she blinked her eyes opened, drawing back in astonishment at what she saw.

The lanky boy from District 6 fell to the ground near the carved steps. He was only a few strides away. Blood ran down his face.

"Help me! Someone help me!"

Pandora widened her eyes in terror.

She gritted her teeth when she heard District 6 start crying. The cries. They were the same ones that Pandora had heard before.

"Where's the little one, huh?"

Petro. She remembered his voice. He walked into view with Nova to his side. Pandora peered around, Scorch wasn't with them.

The lanky boy squirmed on the snowy ground, "I don't know…I swear."

"Wrong answer," Nova snickered just as Petro kicked District 6 in the stomach. The boy curled into a ball, spewing blood with a gurgle.

"Your turn, Nova," Petro whispered.

Pandora watched in horror as the blonde girl knelt down to pick up a brick. She laughed a little before hurling it through the air at the boy. Pandora could see blood splatter as it hit District 6 just under the ribs. The scream that he let out was nightmarish.

"Still nothing, huh?" Petro asked, picking another brick up.

This time it hit the boy in the head.

Pandora froze. They were stoning him to death.

She knew she should do something but didn't know what. Her eyes dropped to the shrapnel, she couldn't take them both on.

"Stop! I'm here! Just don't hurt him!"

The voice was innocent and high pitched.

When Pandora lifted her eyes, her rosy cheeks went pale. Wisty was running towards them. What was she doing? She was outing herself when she needed to hide. That little girl didn't stand a chance against two Careers.

Petro and Nova didn't stop. They hurled bricks, rocks, and anything else they could find at the boy. He tried to climb to his feet, only to be bludgeoned to the ground. It all happened in a matter of seconds. Seconds that Pandora would never forget.

Wisty had just made it to him when his body dropped to the ground.

Even from where Pandora hid, she could tell he was dead. The cannon sounded.

Wisty knelt down beside him, her tiny hand shaking him as if he were only sleeping.

Suddenly Pandora's eyes filled with compassion. The lanky boy from District 6 had been protecting Wisty.

The shadows of Petro and Nova started moving closer to Wisty. They snickered like a pack of wild hyenas. It terrified Pandora.

Her heart felt like it was going to explode. She needed to get up.

"Guess whose next?" Nova hissed, laughing as she slinked closer, this time retrieving a short spear that had been attached to her backpack.

Through the darkness Pandora could see tears streaming down Wisty's cheeks. Suddenly she thought of Finnick and something overpowered her, although she couldn't explain what.

She bared her teeth like a wild animal: "NO!"

It took her a second to find her footing in the snow. Her dark hair blew around her face as she leapt out of the shadows and over the scattered debris, charging at them.

Petro and Nova spun around in surprise, though their smiles didn't drop.

It was only a few strides to Nova. She locked eyes with the blonde and growled. When she was two feet away, Pandora slid on her side, past Nova, and gave her a swift kick to the back of her leg. Instantly Nova fell. Pandora grabbed a brick as she jumped to her feet. She threw it at Petro, nailing him in shoulder and sending him to the ground.

"Run, Wisty!" she shouted, balling her hands into fists as she whirled back around to face Nova. But Wisty wasn't moving, she was crouching near the corpse of District 6.

A sting sliced Pandora near her shoulder and sent a screech reeling out of her lungs. Nova had stabbed her in the arm. Pandora gasped as she stared into Nova's cold blue eyes.

"You should have stayed away, District 7."

Pandora narrowed her eyes. "You should take your own advice," she grimaced as her nails clawed Nova's face.

Pandora grabbed the spear from Nova with a groan. She was trying to pry it from the blonde's hand, but Nova wasn't giving up that easy. She held onto it, smiling darkly as the blood ran down her face.

"Is that all you got?" She roared, defiantly staring into Pandora's eyes.

Unexpectedly, Nova extended her hand. Pandora thought she was going to hit her, instead the Career held it in the air. The smile on her lips grew as she twisted the spear into an unnatural position with the other hand. Instantly Pandora could feel the pain in her wrists, she released the spear clutching at her arms just as Nova punched her in the chest.

In shock, Pandora staggered backwards and gasped for air. She tried to find her footing but the rubble beneath her gave way, and she fell to the ground with a yelp.

Nova licked the blood from her lips, tilting her head up as she held the spear.

"We don't need this," She chuckled, suddenly snapping it two over her knee and tossing the pieces to the white ground, "If I'm going to kill you I'm going to do it with my bare hands."

Pandora groaned in pain. She could feel the snow soaking her pants and stinging her hands. She tried to get up but continued to struggle against the icy cobblestone. From her peripherals she could see Petro rising from the ground. In fear she glanced at Wisty. She wasn't moving.

"Get out of here!" Pandora shouted, waving Wisty away.

In response, Wisty only peered up and blinked her eyes.

"Damnit, I said get out of here, Wist—AAH!"

Her breath violently rose through the air as she felt pain shoot up her leg. Her eyes lifted to see Nova, she was pressing her foot onto Pandora's ankle, the pressure was unbearable. With a devilish smile, Nova applied more pressure and leaned her body over Pandora.

"Where is he?"

Pandora tried to wiggle away. "What are you talking about!?"

Nova dropped to her knees, pinning Pandora. She wrapped her hands around Pandora's throat and began squeezing. "You're little friend, the other one from District 7."

Marius.

Pandora's eyes narrowed in anger, she tried to throw Nova off but the blonde was heavier and a lot stronger. Her blue eyes twinkled as she tightened her grip around Pandora's throat.

Pandora's breath cut out, fearfully she turned her eyes towards Petro. He was walking towards Wisty, helpless Wisty.

"You stay away from her!" Pandora managed to shout, flailing her arms.

"Uh-uh-uh. Did I say you could speak, District 7?" She heard Nova croon.

Pandora's hands began wandering blindly for something in the snow, anything. Finally her fingers caught a grip on something, a rock.

She twitched her eyes to Nova and pursed her lips as she took the heavy piece of debris and smashed it against her skull. She could hear the crack as Nova fell to the ground with a shriek of pain.

Pandora's eyes darted to the broken spear. It was close. Holding her breath, she climbed to her feet and ran. Nova followed quickly behind.

She slipped as she snatched it from the ground but quickly recovered, turning around just in time to prepare herself.

When she shoved the bladed end into Nova's stomach she could feel the girl's body collapse. Pandora parted her lips sorrowfully as she watched the light leave the blonde's eyes.

The cannon boomed.

She had barely noticed the blood on her hands before she heard Wisty's scream. Quickly she shoved Nova's corpse away.

Petro had Wisty by her auburn hair and was dragging her through the snow. He was pulling her towards an alleyway.

"No…" she whispered, pushing herself into a run, though her muscles strained to do so.

She heard herself cry out as she stumbled over rocks and ice, "Let go of her!"

Petro spun around, lifting Wisty from the ground and wrapping his arm around her neck, "Hold it, right there."

Abruptly, Pandora froze, listening to Petro's orders.

They stared at each other in silence. Several heartbeats past. The snowfall was thick.

"I said let her go!"

In reply Petro chuckled, "Look at you, you can barely stand."

Pandora's knees were trembling but her face remained stern.

He smiled as he placed his hands on either side of Wisty's face.

"Stop—" her voice cut out.

"You have to win!" Wisty shouted, kicking her feet as the tears streamed down her face, "You hear me? You have to—"

Cracks. The terrible sound of bones breaking.

The series of pops quickly stopped Wisty's words.

Pandora wailed as she watched the little girl's body fall to the ground. Petro had snapped her neck.

Tears burned in Pandora's eyes, she felt nauseous.

Her feet went numb. Her knees fell to the ground. She clawed at the snow, letting out cries of agony.

She could hear Petro's steady footsteps coming towards her but she didn't move. It wasn't until she saw his boots that she lifted her eyes. His gruesome eyes stared down at her. She couldn't form words, tears were pouring into her mouth and down her neck.

Finally she found her lips.

"Y—You're a monster!" She wailed, digging her fingers into the snow.

Without responding he reached down and grabbed Pandora around the neck, lifting her off the ground so that she was eye level to him, "Scorch wanted to be the one to kill you—but I think he'll have to be disappointed. To be honest if he really wanted to he would have gone down in the sewers with you. I still don't understand how you managed to kill the girl from District 3."

Pandora remembered the song of the sonar eels. Her breath trembled.

She gritted her teeth as he pulled her closer. She wanted to fight back but her muscles weren't cooperating. She could barely lift her arms.

Hope was lost.

Petro, from District 2. It would be the last face she would see before she died. Around her wrist she could feel the bracelet Dash had given her. Although she couldn't see it, she tried to imagine it in her mind. The silver tree delicately dangling form the thin chain.

"I'm sorry, Dash—" her whisper disappeared with the wind.

Pandora could feel Petro reposition his hands around her throat. He was going to snap her neck, a fitting end to a tragic story. President Snow couldn't save her from this, and truthfully she didn't want to be. It all came in a rush. What Finnick had said to her, why Lux Hastead chose morphine over water. Finnick had wished her death knowing that if she survived the arena she would have to live with the nightmares, with the faces of dead children haunting her.

She felt her heart slowing. She had accepted her death.

But it was wishful thinking. From the darkness something stirred.

Her brow creased and her jaw clenched as she squinted her eyes past Petro into the night. That was when she saw it. A shadow.

Her eyes widened. It was coming straight for them. She gasped in fright. She had barely blinked before the shadow moved behind Petro and hit the Career over the head with, what looked like, a club.

Her body went rigid as she felt Petro's hands loosen form her throat and his body dropped to the ground. She panted for air, stepping back in fear.

The shadow had no face. For all she knew it was Scorch or another one of the Capitol's mutts. She opened her mouth to scream but nothing came out.

Blood was draining from her cheeks, she was dizzy. Suddenly her legs went limp. As she fell into the rocky snow in defeat her eyes rolled back in her head.

Seconds past but they felt like a lifetime.

Why hadn't the shadow killed her? What did it want?

In one last effort she focused her eyes, the silhouette was kneeling beside her. It took her a moment to recognize the face.

"Marius?" she weakly breathed his name, blinking her eyes as if she seeing a mirage.

His hands were cold when he touched her cheek.

Tears started to roll down her face, "I thought you were a mutt."

Through the darkness Petro grumbled. He was coming to.

Marius anxiously looked at Petro's unconscious body and then back to Pandora, "We need to leave—now."

"I—" She bared her teeth as she tried to sit up, "I can't move."

Instantly, he reached out for her. Pandora trembled as Marius picked her up and started running. She didn't know where they were going, only that her friend had her. The cold bit at her cheeks and nose, snow fell in the darkness.

She was drained of life, her arms and legs hung limply. Though she tried to keep her eyes open they slowly started to close. The last thing she heard before fainting was Petro's defiant screams of revenge echoing through the maze of the arena. They reminded her that the worst was yet to come. They reminded her that the nightmare wasn't over.