I screamed so loudly that I almost threw up! I frantically tried to get my ankle free from the snare trap that Stearic had pushed me into. I was face-to-face with a monster! Well, a Capitol mutation monster. It appeared to be an alligator that stood on his hind legs, and he was at least 6 1/2 feet tall! He was dripping with swamp water, and he had a horrible under-bite. His crooked, top teeth sank into the tender skin of his lower jaw, causing a little blood to splatter. The mutation reeked of... rotten flesh and blood! And he was inches from my face! I continued to scream bloody murder as I grabbed his snout and shoved it away from my face. It's a weird feeling to be upside-down and hanging in front of a man-eating machine; it isn't fun!
The mutation let out another blood-curdling sonic scream, forcing me to cover my ears. The alliance was screaming and wailing in horror! The District 3 girl, Clartia, took off running into the woods. The rest of them just stood there, as if stunned and frozen with fear. I swung my arms desperately at the mutation, but I knew it was only a matter of seconds before I would become his lunch. But the mutation looked at me, his cold eyes narrowed. I was shaking in terror as I frantically tried to think of a way to make it out alive! Suddenly, the mutation turned, lunging at the alliance! "I... I'm alive! I have to get down, NOW!" I think to myself as I desperately try to rip my foot out of the knot.
"RUN!" Clutch blurted out as he began to stumble backwards. The alliance suddenly sprang into action, trying to get away from the mutation, which was going nuts on them. Zeke swung his sword at him, but the sword hardly scratched the monster. Stearic clutched his two knives in both hands and leaped at the mutation's back. He dug one into the monster's thigh, making blood gush everywhere. But the alligator spun around, knocking the other knife out of Stearic's hand. I gasped when the knife flew toward my face! Instinctively, I reached out and tried to grab it. But the blade impales my hand, making me shriek in pain. My voice was drowned out by all the screaming and yelling, though. The alliance was trying to attack the monster, but they were failing miserably! The alligator launched at Clutch, and Clutch tried throw his ax at the mutation, but it didn't even phase the monster. Instead, it whacked Clutch with its powerful tail, sending him flying face-first into a tree.
The monster swung around, scratching Zeke across his face. Zeke fell backwards, holding his face and groaning in pain. It then snapped at Stearic, catching his hand and ripping off a few of his fingers. Stearic let out a scream, clutching his hand close to his chest. Yopa grabbed her spear, throwing it at the alligator, but he didn't even flinch. "I have to get down while I still can!" I think to myself as I grab the knife which was lodged in my hand and rip it out. I wail, but instantly began to cut the thick rope which held me captive.
"We can't win! Scram!" Stearic shouted, his eyes wide with terror. He spun around, disappearing into the darkness. Everyone began to run, except Yopa. She had a determined look in her eyes. I took a few glances at them, making sure the monster was still distracted, then continued to cut through the thick rope. I was almost free! Almost.
"Yopa! What are you doing?! Run!" Zeke screeched, looking back at her. Yopa payed no attention to him. Instead, she reached down, picking up Clutch's ax from off the ground. The mutation slowly turned around, looking directly at her. It tensed, getting on all fours and bracing to lunge at Yopa. Yopa raised the ax, grinning evilly at the alligator.
"Yopa!" Zeke said as he began to run for his District partner.
"Dude! Are you nuts?! Just leave her, we have to get out of here!" Clutch demanded as he snatched at Zeke's arm. Zeke quickly dodged Clutch, racing for Yopa.
"Come on, you big ugly lizard! Lets see what you've got!" Yopa hissed as she swung her ax at the monster. The alligator stepped back, dodging the ax. He then roared, raising himself onto his hind legs. I stopped cutting the rope for a split second, my eyes widened as I watched. He took his front arm and swung it at Yopa.
"YOPA! NO!" Zeke screamed as Clutch grabbed Zeke's arm, forcing him to stop. The alligator wrapped his slimy fingers around Yopa's head, then yanked back. I closed my eyes tight, letting out a scream of horror. As if on cue, the rope around my foot snaps and I plummet to the ground. Pain shot through my body, but I was too terrified to care. I stood up just in time to see Zeke frozen, looking at the monster in horror. Was... was that tears in his eyes? I didn't have time to feel bad for him, because the monster began to turn toward me! I spun around, racing into the dark swamp.
Branches, leaves, and plants all smashed into my face as I ran through the swamp. My right foot was aching, my hand was throbbing, but I didn't care! I was alive! But I wasn't out of the woods yet. That... that thing could be right on my tail! I ripped the vines and branches out of my face as best I could, trying to see where I was going. But it was so dark that I could barely see three feet in front of me! Suddenly, BOOM! The cannon went off, and I knew who it was for. Yopa was dead. But I couldn't look up at the sky, I had to get as far away from the mutation-and the alliance-as I could!
After about 20 minutes of running, I fall to my knees in the middle of the swamp, completely out of breath. I was gasping for my breath as I looked down at my hand. It was still bleeding. "Great, another wound. How do I keep getting hurt so much?" I think to myself, frowning. I look around, having absolutely no idea where I am. But at least I was still alive! The swamp was beginning to light up as dawn was on the horizon. Even though it had been a horrible night, it seemed like a weight lifted off my shoulders as the darkness fled away. I was still trying to catch my breath as I rip a thin piece of the hem of my shirt off, then wrapped it tightly around my wounded hand. I hoped it would stop the bleeding, but only time would tell. Maybe I could sneak back to the cave and get my backpack, and get that wire to stitch up my hand... But what if Stearic had set a trap there? What if he was waiting for me there? Should I risk going for my backpack? Hmm... I guess I should see if my hand stops bleeding first before I make any drastic decisions. I gulped hard, realizing how exhausted I was.
I put my hand on my forehead, closing my eyes for a second. It was rare that I got to close my eyes in the arena, very rare. Ever since I've gotten here, I've only gotten a few hours of sleep each night; then I would spend the day in the scorching sun trying to find water or food, etc. I hated this. I could feel the water from the wet, soggy ground sinking into my knees. There was so much water everywhere! I wasn't used to this, and that was a huge disadvantage. Then, there was so much vegetation everywhere! What a joy it is to find out what a tree feels like in the Hunger Games arena, right?
I rubbed my temples, opening my tired eyes. "I had better keep moving." I think to myself as I stagger to my feet. I slowly walked along, practically dragging my feet. I paused, frowning.
"What do I do now?" I say aloud, realizing I have no plan. My hand grazed my pocket, and I instantly remembered the poisonous berries I had picked from the bush. I grinned slightly. I was on my own, and I could make my own decisions! I didn't have to listen to my old ally partner, Stearic, anymore! I could do what I wanted and do it my own way.
"I could set some traps, I know how to do that," I say to myself as I pull some berries out of my pocket.
"Poisoned traps," I mutter under my breath.
For the past hour, I've been walking around collecting sticks and rocks. I was now sitting under a huge tree, cutting sharp edges on the sticks. I glanced up at the sky, I'm guessing it was around six in the morning. The sun was casting little rays of light onto the swamp, and I knew in a few hours it would be extremely humid and hot. But for now, it was considerably cool! Dew was still everywhere, my pants were wet from sitting on the soggy ground. I look over at all the sharp sticks and rocks that I had collected. I had counted about 100 sticks and rocks each. I reached in my pocket and pulled out a handful of the poisonous berries, they were kind of rotten by now, but still usable. I set them on the ground, then began to roll the edges of the sticks and rocks in the berries. The berries broke when I did so, spreading the juice onto them. I then stood and looked up at the big tree I had been sitting against. It was huge! But the best thing about it was that the roots of the tree were tall and sticking out, making a rather large hole beneath the tree. Like a giant hole underneath the tree! Tall and thick, I knew it would be a good place to stay; at least for one night.
I would set the traps around my tree, and if anyone tried to get me, they would step on one of my poisonous traps. I began to set the sticks and rocks in a big circle around my tree, hiding them under moss. I smiled after I was finished, admiring my work. Everyone might think I wasn't capable of winning, but hey, I just might. I then frowned. I wouldn't even have to do this if the Hunger Games didn't exist. Who could come up with such a horrible idea as the Games? Seriously? I shook the thought, taking a deep breath. There was no use in asking why. The Games existed, I was here, and for some reason the alliance was after me. Asking why wouldn't help anything. Without thinking, I wiped my forehead with my sleeve. I paused, realizing that it was getting hotter. I bit my lower lip, frowning. Soon it would be hot, and I had no water!
My mind drifted off to the canteen of water back at the cave. I was tempted to go get it, but should I risk getting caught again? "No, no. There has to be some other way that I can get water." I thought to myself, shaking my head. I looked around, maybe there was something I could use as a water holder or something. But all I had was the sticks and rocks! Great! I placed my hands on my hips. There was water everywhere in the swamp, but there was no way to bring it back to my tree where my traps were! What to do... What to do... I could stay by the river, it would be nice and cool, but then again there would probably be a lot of tributes looking for water as well. I closed my eyes and hung my head. I had to go back to the cave and get my canteen of water.
I cautiously made my way through the swamp, retracing my steps until I could find something that looked familiar so I could figure out where I was. The sun was beginning to beat down on my back, it was getting hotter. I quickly took my jacket off and tied it around my waist. The swamp was now booming with life! Bugs zipped around in all directions, a few bird chirps echoed through the air, and it was just plain old noisy. I grumbled and swished a few vines out of my way, looking desperately for something that looked familiar. But just my luck, nothing was familiar. At all.
"I stinking hate this place!" I growl as I wipe some sweat off of my forehead with my sleeve. But then, my heart lifted! In the distance, I saw the cliff that I had fallen off when Zeke was chasing me. I knew exactly where I was now, and the cave was nearby.
I slowly walked toward the direction of the cave, and I tried to listen to see if anyone was around. But the noise of the swamp made that impossible. "If someone is around here, there's no way I'll know unless I see them. I have to be on my guard." I think to myself as my eyes scan through the trees. I tensed, frowning ever so slightly, I had a weird feeling that something was watching me. I gulped softly as chills ran down my spine. "I'm just paranoid about the alliance and that mutation." I think to myself, shaking my head. But for some reason, I couldn't shake the feeling.
I found myself looking nervously in all directions. Suddenly, all sounds seemed threatening. I tensed more, gulping hard. I slowly spun around, walking backwards to see if someone was following me. The trees and vines swished slightly in the breeze, and the sun shined directly in my eyes. But all of the sudden, a huge shadow was cast over me!
I froze, my eyes wide with fear. "It's the mutation!" I think to myself as I breathe in quickly. I instantly spun around, letting out a punch, hoping to hit whatever it was. Then I paused, smiling. It wasn't the mutation, I had backed up into the cave! "Well, that was dumb!" I thought as I laughed. And you know what was even better? There was no Stearic there. I let out a sigh of relief when my eyes settled on my backpack.
"It's still here!" I say aloud, joy flooding over me. I ran over and swooped up my backpack into my arms, giving it a big hug. I paused for a second. "Uh... I'm hugging a backpack... This is weird..." I think as I zip open the backpack. To my relief, everything-including the water canteen-was in there! Finally, something was going my way. I swung my backpack over my shoulder and took a final glance around the cave, because there was no way I was coming back here. Stearic would probably come back here, searching for me. I nodded once, then turned around and headed back for my tree.
As I walked, I felt like whistling! I didn't dare let out a peep, though. But I was overjoyed to have my backpack back. Hey, a backpack might seem like a small thing to love, but in the Games, you take whatever you can get! I silently waded through the swamp, the sun pounding down on me. The ground was still soft, making my feet sink every time I took a step. Normally, I would be miserable in the heat, but today I had my backpack so I was good! But then my mind began to drift back to Stearic and how he had betrayed me. He used me to get into Zeke's dumb alliance! "I HOPE HE DIES!" I think to myself, gritting my teeth.
I thought back to the first day when we became allies, I wondered if he had sneaked off while I was sleeping to go ask to be in the alliance or if he had stayed and kept watch, like he promised. Then I remembered the next day when we had finished eating the boiled raccoon; he had asked what time I thought it was. When I answered, he looked tense as if he had to be somewhere. He had told me to go and get some water, and on my way back to the cave, I heard voices. I wondered if one of the voices was his, if he was talking to the alliance. I clenched my fists, suddenly directing my anger toward myself.
"How could I have been so stupid?!" I say out loud, forgetting that I'm in the Games for a second.
"There were so many signs that he was a fake, but I refused to acknowledge them! What's wrong with me?!" I say to myself, hitting my forehead with my palm. I walked all the way back to my tree, mumbling offensive things to myself the whole way. Once at my tree, I carefully stepped over my traps then stopped in front of the tree. I would have climbed it, but I don't know how... I shrugged and dropped to my hands and knees, crawling under the roots of the tree. It was just as cool to hide under a tree then in a tree, right?
I stayed under the tree until it was nighttime, occasionally having to get out to go refill my water canteen. I was now sitting under the tree, mushing dirt onto my arms and face. I kept doing that until I was completely covered in dirt, like camouflage. I grinned, I never thought I would be covering myself in dirt. I slowly lied down, staring out of the hole in the roots; or the entrance to get under the tree. The wind began to pick up, causing more noise to flood through the already noisy swamp. I closed my eyes, imagining myself in my old bed back home. I smiled ever so slightly, but then frowned when I thought about my aunt. I opened my eyes, staring out into the darkness. I hoped she was okay, I hoped she would be there when I went back home.
If I went back home.
Hooday! I know it has been a while since I updated but I have a good excuse... I JOINED DC UNIVERSE ONLINE! OH YEAH! If you didn't already know, I am the biggest superhero fan-girl out there! I CAN'T WAIT TILL IRON MAN 3! And one of my friends already knows never to call Spider-Man a Spider-Pig! MUAHAHA! I don't own the Hunger Games cause if I did Cato would still be alive! :)