The next day I ache all over; I eat a tin of spiced squash and use half a bottle of water to wash down the last of my pain pills. I let myself daydream of home and, when I think of the winding streets and the lapping ocean, I'd swear I can almost smell salt in the air. I want to go home so desperately that I start making stupid decisions; I light a huge fire and hope someone will come to investigate it, I use my sword to hack away at trees to try and attract attention and then, finally, I try to hike back to the cornucopia but fail when my injured foot unbalances me. In the early afternoon, feeling exhausted and irritable, I dig myself another little hole and lie in it, hoping the cameras catch my sullen expression.

That's when I hear them. Two spiders; more enormous than the corpse I found by the river, taller than I am and with huge circular bodies. They rear upwards every few paces to spew a disgusting, stringy web all around them and then they move on, clicking to each other in a strange conversation. I am immediately struck by their size; have the little ones grown? Were the Game makers waiting for the right moment to let the big ones out? Either way, I don't want to stick around and become bait.

I scurry out of my hole as quietly as possible and duck behind a tree to ensure that everything, except my sword, is stored in the backpack. I swing it carefully over my shoulder and back away as quickly as I dare. My attention is purely focussed on the spiders and this quickly becomes a problem for my footing; the terrain isn't smooth and my balance is impaired, meaning I soon find myself stumbling backwards, unable to hold back a yelp of pain. The creatures let out a sickening squeal that could almost be described as excitement; the spider at the fore looks back at its partner and I swear I see it point a hairy digit in my direction. I shuffle backwards and get to my feet, running, crashing and stumbling in a desperate search for somewhere to hide. They get close quickly and the first creature disgorges its sticky web all over my back, it sticks to my pack and pulls me backwards to the ground; the spider bears down on me and lowers its vast, circular mouth until I see myself reflected in the rows of teeth. I try to stab my sword into its huge leg but it doesn't even make the creature flinch so I try again, stabbing upwards this time, grazing the belly of the beast, making the spider squeal so loudly that the sound rings in my ears. I strain to get up but the webbing sticks me to the ground; the second spider runs and pokes its leg towards me, almost spearing my eye. I remember the small spiders from a few days ago, one was wrapping me in web whilst the other seemed to be a sentry, only attacking when I moved. I risk keeping totally still. I force myself to ignore the mouth, coming closer as the spider lowers itself down to my head, and watch the second spider until it takes up a sentry post a few feet away; then I stab upwards and put all of my hate for the Games into the thrust. The sword comes out with a waterfall of green slime and the spider cries out in pain; I slip my arms out of the backpack straps and roll out between its legs.

I don't turn to look, I don't worry about my foot, I just run.

Minutes later, in the panic of my escape I hear a sound, it's barely above a whisper but it registers because it's my name.

"Delta…Delta, down here."

The sound comes from a shallow crevice beneath a huge boulder and I don't give myself time to think about it, I just drop and roll, shuffling my body into the darkness and letting my eyes adjust to the gloom. I make out a body and the shade of blood on the sand.

"Ebb?" I whisper in surprise "What are you doing under here?"

He laughs hoarsely "I'm dying."

I don't know what to say so I just stay quiet; I saw him take two arrows at the feast but it's not enough to make me forget his betrayal.

I can hear clicking from outside and I forget about my hatred for Ebb, shuffling further into the crevice and feeling the dampness of his wounds against my clothes. What little sunlight we have is blacked out by a huge and hairy leg, stamping into the ground outside the boulder; I hold my breath and pray that the spider isn't intelligent enough to track me. The next few seconds feel like an hour, but the spider moves on and I risk peering out; behind me is the huge dead body of the creature I stabbed, ahead of me is the spider's partner, clicking and squealing as it moves through the trees.

I exhale and lie back under the boulder. The inside isn't large but there's enough breathing space so long as Ebb and I stay flat on our backs.

The hours tick on and I have to break the silence, "what happened to you after the feast?"

Ebb wheezes as he speaks "I fell down and Loi went after the boy with the arrows, they ran and I crawled away."

"Are you sure? Or is this another hiding space your friends know about?" I ask peevishly

Ebb replies between short breaths "I never told them where you were; I sent them north, I assumed you'd travel back to the river once you could move."

"Oh…"it's the only response I have; these Games haven't needed much compassion from me and I have little to spare right now, other than a mumbled thank you, but now I feel like I owe him more than I'll have chance to pay back.

"Do you want me to have a look at your cuts?" The question sounds moronic and I'm glad he ignores it, there's no way I could possibly help him now.

"Delta, when you get back home…" I try to shush him but he continues "please don't forget my family."

"Ebb you didn't need to call me in here to tell me to look out for your family…you know I will." I say this a little more harshly than its intended, trying to retain my composure and distract myself from the tiny blood splatters he coughs into the air.

"I didn't call you in here to make you feel you have to help my family…I wanted to save you" I gasp in surprise as he takes my hand; it's the first time in days someone has touched me without wanting to kill me. "Just like I wanted to save you when I saw you by the river. Do you know how long I stood watching you? Wondering if I should just leave…" He pauses to cough, "we were friends Delta and that has to mean something, even here."

I want to tell him that it can't mean anything, I can't have a friend here and I can't lose a friend here; this place has taken more of my humanity than I ever thought I'd give and now it suddenly wants me to feel real emotions again. If I try to speak I'll cry so, instead, I lace my fingers through Ebb's and squeeze his hand.

Ebb pulls my wrist up to his cheek and I hear him rasp as he inhales deeply "you still smell of the sea."

There are no more words and, when the wheezing stops and he drops my wrist, I only allow myself a few moments to cry. I roll out of the crevice and lie flat on my belly, reaching in for Ebb's hand; it takes all kinds of strength to pull him out from under the rock, but I want his body to make it home in one piece so I keep going until he is laid out on the sand.

Next I use my sword to cut my abandoned backpack out of the dried spider-web and watch as the Capitol seal shines in the sky; I see Ebb, strong and sullen in his tribute photograph, but no-one else. I drink some water and eat a tin of food before deciding to go back to the boulder; I slide into the crevice and position myself so I can see out, sword gripped and ready to fight.