Day One: Arnold and Maggie
Arnold sprinted.
He was low to the ground, his muscles tensing as he ran. He ran for the backpack, dodging a knife as he swung it onto his back, grabbing the knife belt before drawing the javelin from his backpack. He still ran, but the guy from Eight was in his way. Arnold knew what he had to do, throwing the javelin straight into the guy's chest. He fell immediately, but Arnold sprinted, pulling the weapon out with ease before diving into the river, glancing Maggie running across the fjord. Too far for him to reach it easily.
A cannon shot. Someone had just died. A cannon shot. The guy was dead. And another cannon shot, someone else was dead, too. Three in the first two minutes.
The cold water rushed over him, and an arrow penetrated the liquid next to him. He struck out, swimming quickly before he could be shot at again.
After what seemed like a millennia, he came up at the other bank, pulling himself up and securing his few possessions before running down the bank towards Maggie, who seemingly had just killed the girl from Eight. Cannon shot.
"Go," he gasped, grabbing her arm and running straight for the forest. They kept going for a good hour, before their lungs and legs starting to protest. Maggie suggested the climb a tree to rest, and he didn't protest.
"What did you get?" She asked, swinging her bag off her back. He did the same.
"Six knives. A javelin," he began, unzipping his bag. "A sleeping bag. Two water bottles. A bag of...Salt?" He said, puzzled. Then he shrugged. "And some kind of jerky. You?"
"A throwing axe, three knives. Water bottle. Some kind of jerky. Flashlight."
"Could be worse," he stated, running a hand through his now-dry hair. "I just killed someone, Maggie, and I -"
She suddenly held up a hand for quiet, and the two crouched in the branches. They watched as some Careers trekked underneath them. Maggie and Arnold locked eyes, and Arnold mouthed 'Shit.'
Ornate, the girl and guy from two and the guy from three. And they'd pulled along the girl from Seven, too.
Arnold pressed a finger to his lips. He knew the cameras would be on them now.
Arnold and Maggie crouched for what seemed like an age, making sure that the Careers were gone before shimmying down.
"We have to move, now," Arnold said, and they moved in the opposite direction to the Tributes, towards the left. The Woods were bigger than they thought, and they kept moving. That was the better idea, to keep moving. Trying to stay away from conflict for the first few days.
The faintest sounds of a scream came from their right, the whispers of a scream. Arnold stopped, and Maggie thudded into his back.
"Uh, Arnold..."
"That was Lorna," he stated, swallowing as a cannon shot went off. Maggie's hand rested on his shoulder.
"I'm sure that wasn't for her. She's with that guy, remember? She'll be fine," Maggie said, calmly, but Arnold was preoccupied with the thought of a dead Lorna on the big screen in the Capitol. Maggie was the one who took his hand, pulling him along. She found a large tree, with thick branches and thicker foliage, prodding him to climb. He did so, numb, and she made sure he settled before climbing up next to him.
"What were you saying earlier? You know, before we saw the Careers?" She asked, trying to keep his mind off the cannon shot. He turned to face her.
"I was saying...I was saying how I killed someone. Someone's son, brother, whatever, and...and I didn't even think twice. I knew I had to do it. If I hadn't, he'd probably have killed me," Arnold stated, fishing the sleeping bag out from his bag, climbing in and offering Maggie half. The temperature was dropping rapidly.
"I did, too, Arnold. And I know what you mean. It's the arena, though. It's not you. It's what this does to you," she stated, her body warmth helping to warm up the sleeping bag. The Capitol's tune played, and Arnold's gaze dashed to the sky. The girl from One, Opal, was dead. The boy from Six. The girl and guy from Eight were both dead. And then, the boy from Twelve.
Maggie's inhaled sharply, and Arnold breathed a sigh of relief. Lorna was still alive.
"I'm sorry, Maggie," he stated. Maggie shook her head.
"Poor Ted. I didn't know him well. But my younger brother did," she stated, shaking her head. Arnold offered her some food, and she accepted it gratefully.
"Nineteen left," Arnold replied. Both of the siblings had survived the first day. That was promising.
Maggie merely nodded, her eyes drooping. Arnold stifled a yawn.
"Sleep. I'll take first watch," Arnold stated, and Maggie regarded him curiously, before sleeping. Within seconds, she was breathing deeply. And she'd pressed close to him. But he made no move to move her, because right then that was the only comforting thing in that entire arena.