Chapter 13

I wake up what must be quite a few hours later and find that it is still pitch dark and very cold. I would have thought dawn should have come by now. This is what the gamemakers had in mind as a severe disadvantage then, you wouldn't last long without night vision and warm clothing. I get all my stuff together and move to the mouth of the cornucopia, goggles on.

I sit there for about an hour before I notice anything odd, what looks like artificial light coming from the direction of the lake. It's moving rapidly towards me and I come to the conclusion that it's a torch. It must be either Patina or Nikon, I prepare myself for a fight.

As it gets closer, I realise why the light is moving so fast. The owner is sprinting around the lake towards the cornucopia and is being chased by something that I can't quite make out. I decide to climb on top of the cornucopia to get a better vantage point. What I see when I get up there is enough to scare the bravest of people. What looks like a giant spider is hunting down both Patina and Nikon, who are heading straight for me.

It's about 18 feet tall with enormous fangs and seems to be moving with incredible speed. I'm not sure if they're going to make it. Patina fires a couple of arrows at it (so she did get my bow) which seems to be slowing it down slightly. They finally make it to the cornucopia and scramble to the top, it was a close run thing.

"What the hell is that thing?!" I exclaim.

"Looks like a spider to me, and a giant one. We've been running from it for the last 15 minutes" explains Nikon, rather breathlessly.

"Do you think it can climb the cornucopia?" asks Patina.

"Probably, look at the size of its legs" I say.

As if the mutt heard me, it starts climbing the cornucopia and comes face to face with three tributes united against it. Nikon with his trident, Patina with the bow, and me with the scythe.

"I think we better kill this thing before turning on each other, don't you?" proposes Nikon.

Patina and I nod our agreement and get to work on the spider. Its huge and it's hard to get close but I manage to decapitate one of its legs. Patina seems to be getting the hang of the bow as she sinks two arrows into its face. Nikon on the other hand is struggling, if he uses his trident then he'll end up disarming himself if it's not a killing blow.

Whether it's brave or reckless I don't know, but Nikon decides to launch his trident straight at the spider's head. It finds its target and lodges deep, the mutt falls off the cornucopia and slumps to the ground. All three of us climb down to inspect the damage. Nikon goes to the beast and reclaims his trident. He turns around to face me and Patina.

"Good work guys, now let's get down to business" he says, assuming an attacking stance.

I immediately bring my scythe up to attack and Patina loads an arrow. All of a sudden, the spider's head rises up behind Nikon and it sinks a fang into his back. It must have been the mutt's final act, as it immediately slumps down again. The damage however, is done. It must have been extremely venomous, as Nikon immediately starts having a seizure and frothing at the mouth. Patina puts him out of his misery with and arrow. The cannon fires.

It's odd, Nikon's death doesn't seem to bother me as much as some of the others. Maybe it's because we're so similar and he was accepting of this possibility, or maybe it's because I've seen so much death that I've become desensitised to it. Either way, it's a good thing because now is not the time to break down crying.

"Looks like it's down to us district 12, I plan to hear one more cannon today" says Patina.

"As do I. Ready?" I ask.

"Ready" replies Patina.

I charge her immediately, but she's fast. An arrow lodges itself in my left thigh before I reach her, I'm lucky she's a rubbish shot. I knock her to the ground and go to bring the scythe down on her, but she sweeps my legs out from under me and I go crashing down. I land awkwardly on my ankle and think I hear a faint crack.

This time I manage to hold on to my weapon, and when Patina lunges at me with a knife I hit her hard in the chest with the wooden handle. I've knocked the wind out of her and take full advantage, getting to my feet and slashing a huge gash in her arm. She backs away in shock and launches her knife straight at me, but I dodge it and advance on her again, ignoring the searing pain in my ankle.

I swing at her with the scythe, this time cutting her stomach. I spin round and hit her in the back with the handle and she falls to her knees.

"Just, end it" whispers Patina.

I feel ashamed, what have I become. I think back to how I felt when I killed Abrax, I'm a monster. I've let the games consume me, I've failed.

"I'm sorry Patina" I say before bringing the scythe down on her neck.

I drop the scythe to the ground and collapse against the cornucopia, waiting for the cannon, waiting for the end. I just want the arena to end. I don't know myself anymore. The cannon finally goes off and the trumpets sound.

"Ladies and gentleman, your victor of the 74th annual hunger games. Rowan Everdeen from District 12" announces Claudius Templesmith.

I can hear the cheers of the Capitol citizens in the back ground and I suddenly feel sick. I throw up what seems like the entire contents of my stomach and fall to my knees, covering my head with my arms. This only makes things worse as my arms are covered in blood. The smell and stickiness makes me dry heave some more.

The sound of the victory hovercraft approaching is my savour. I can finally escape the arena, although I'm not sure it will ever leave my mind. I grab onto the ladder once it's descended and am lifted into the hovercraft. I am met by a group of doctors and they lead me to a room with a bed and hospital equipment. I feel a small pinch in my arm, followed by a cold surge before everything goes dark.