So here we are, folks, at the bitter end. Believe me when I say I am extremely depressed about this. One more time, thanks to everyone who read, commented, and contributed.

Disclaimers: I don't own this. Suzanne Collins owns the Hunger Games. JK Rowling owns the title. Caisha702 and be-nice-to-nerds are my inspiration. If you like my story, READ "A Fox's View", "Love is a Battlefield", and "Cripple". You will not be disappointed.

Chapter 14

Much sooner than expected, an opportunity to turn the tables on the Careers seems to present itself. I wake up abruptly in middle of the night, or perhaps early in the morning. The fire has gone cold, but the sky is still dark. I look over at the Careers and my heart leaps as I realize that Arrogant One has fallen asleep on his watch. Cato and Clove are lying motionless, cuddled against each other in the same sleeping bag. This is my chance! I could do it. I could do it right now. I won't even need the sleep syrup. All I have to do is dig up a couple of the mines from the edge of the minefield and slip them under the sleeping Careers before I reactivate them. I make my decision. Quietly I begin to creep over toward the supplies.

I've only taken a few steps away from the fire when everything falls apart. "Are you going somewhere, District 3?" The voice of Psycho Knife Girl suddenly cuts through the darkness. My heart pounds violently as I slowly turn and see that she's sitting up, completely awake, in stark contrast to Arrogant One who is still fast asleep. Oh. Crap. "I… uh…"

"Do you really think I'd trust an imbecile like District 1 to watch over me? I thought you were supposed to be intelligent."

Now her district partner is awake, too. "Were you thinking of leaving us, District 3? That would be a shame. For you anyway."

Clove moves over and stands behind me, putting me directly between Cato and herself and cutting off any hope of escape. Terror rushes through me as I realize the peril that I am in. What is she going to do now? Kill me? Torture me?

She smiles manically at her district partner. "Why don't you go hunting? Take him with you," she says, pointing toward Arrogant One. "I won't be too devastated if you don't bring him back."

Is this their strategy? Divide and kill? But it makes no sense. Marvel is still fast asleep. If they wanted us both dead Cato could cut his throat right now, and then the two of them could have all the fun they wanted with me.

As if to prove my point, Cato drags Arrogant One to his feet and holds a knife to his throat. "Sleeping on watch, District 1? You should be dead already," he sneers as the boy wakes up. "We're going hunting." It's a command, not a statement, and like a whipped dog, Arrogant One starts to obey without a word. Halfway to the forest, though, he realizes that Clove is not following. "Why is she staying here?"

"While you were keeping watch as diligently as you always do, District 3 decided to test the boundaries. Clove is merely staying to remind him exactly where he stands."

Where I stand right now is about twenty feet from the minefield. I tense my feet, ready to make a run for it if Clove shows a clear intent to kill me. Not that I'd have much of a chance of escaping her deadly knife throws, but it's better than standing here and letting her end my life without a struggle. My fingers grip the remote control inside my pocket that represents my only chance. Maybe Clove will hesitate when she sees me running directly through the minefield without getting blown up. Maybe she'll think that I lied and the mines never worked. And if she then tries to follow me through, I can reactivate the minefield and take her out.

I watch as the two boys head into the forest. Vaguely I wonder what will happen between them. Cato is undoubtedly the better fighter, but this is probably the best chance that Marvel will ever get to fight him on an level field. Will there be a battle? If there is, though, I may not live long enough to find out who wins. My attention returns to much more pressing matters, namely what Clove is planning to do to me.

After the other two have vanished into the forest, Clove slowly walks toward me, drawing a sword and pointing it at me. I back away at the same pace, still unsure of her intention. After all, the Careers still need me to retrieve the supplies, unless they're willing to brave the minefield themselves. But Clove might just be psycho enough to do it.

When I reach the edge of the minefield, I stop, allowing Clove to close the distance between us. Should I run? Should I plead? My options aren't very good. So instead, I wait for Knife Girl to make the first move.

Clove tosses me a backpack while switching to a knife in one motion. "Go on then," she says, cutting through the collar of my shirt with such precision that it leaves just the slightest scratch on my skin underneath.

"Y-yes, C-c-clove. I'm going." Heart pounding, I breathe a huge sigh of relief as I navigate my complicated path through the now-deactivated mines. That was close. Way too close. I'm actually fortunate that she had caught me so soon. They probably think I was merely planning to run away. If she had seen me with a land mine in my hands, I'm certain that I'd be dying a horrific death right about now.

As I fill the backpack with food, I realize with shock that our supplies are depleting far quicker than I thought they would. I didn't notice last time because I was so worried about the land mines, but it's almost as though some of the supplies have evaporated into thin air. I shake my head to clear it. I must be imagining things.

I have barely delivered the now-full backpack to Clove when a cannon sounds. Is it one of the Career boys? Did they fight? Or did they just find some unlucky Other in the forest? Could it possibly be Fire Girl?

Unfortunately, I don't have time to consider all the possibilities, because at that moment, Clove smashes me on the forehead and I black out.

I'm awakened some time later by the splash of cold water being poured on my head. For the second time in as many days, I look up to see the face of Cato sneering down at me. He seems to be in a much better mood this time, though, as he drags me to my feet. I look around and see that Arrogant One is also still alive. So that cannon must have been for one of the Others. But who?

Cato sends me back through the minefield for more supplies, including some burn ointment which he uses to treat Clove. Then they make me get yet another load of supplies. I'm beginning to think that they intend to clear out the stock soon, so that they'll no longer need to have me around.

The Careers have a strategy discussion, and it quickly becomes clear that the tribute they killed this morning was not the Girl on Fire or Lover Boy. Eventually, I learn that it was the boy from District 10. The Gimp. I'd forgotten all about him. It's pretty amazing that he actually survived for so long with his disability. But he's still dead. That leaves nine of us, at most. At eight, they interview our friends and families. So that might even be happening right now. I try to imagine how proud my parents and my brothers must be that I have made it this far. But I can't picture them being happy or excited. They'll be far more focused on the daunting number of tributes that still have to die in order for me to win.

I grit my teeth. I was so close to disaster this morning. It was such a stupid mistake to assume that District 2 was asleep. I have to be way more careful tonight. And it has to be tonight, because I can't afford to wait any longer. Tonight I have to find a way to slip the sleep potion into a drink, and wipe out the three remaining Careers. I'll take my chances with Fire Girl and the Others remaining in the arena.

Sometime in the afternoon, though, something happens that alters my plans yet again.

We're sitting in what is starting to become our usual triangle around the remains of the campfire: Cato and Clove practically inside each other's clothes; Marvel on the opposite side of the fire, watching them warily; and me trying to keep as much distance as possible from everyone else. The Careers are eating for what seems like the hundredth time today. Either they're trying to gather some energy for another hunt, or they just don't have anything better to do. As for me, I've taken to absentmindedly playing with my remote control. The others still have no idea that what I hold is actually functional. I guess it makes me feel somewhat better to know there is one little aspect of the arena that I am in control of. Click. The mines are deactivated. Click. The mines are live. Click. If the Careers were unconscious I would be placing the mines under their sleeping bodies. Click. The mines would be exploding and blowing them to bits.

"Look!" shouts Cato, interrupting my homicidal daydreams. He points to the forest where an obvious plume of smoke is rising a couple of miles away. Someone has started a campfire.

To say that the smoke is suspicious would be an understatement. I learned a little bit about building fires during training. There are certain kinds of wood that give off more smoke than others, and this person seems to have chosen the exact wrong kind. If that tribute was really out there trying to cook some food, he or she would be the biggest idiot left in the Games. And idiots like the girl from District 8 were weeded out early on. So the most logical explanation is that it's a trap of some sort. Is it of Gamemaker origin? Unlikely. Only the Careers would go anywhere near the smoke. It's probably the Girl on Fire. She's probably hidden near the fire, lying in wait for the Careers so she can try to pick them off with her bow and arrows.

The Careers have the same suspicions as I do, but there's a debate about whether or not to go anyway.

Cato is convinced that it must be Fire Girl. "I will not allow her defy me again."

"If it's District 12, then it must be a trap," objects Marvel.

"If we go in knowing that it is a trap, we can turn the tables on her," Clove points out. "We still outnumber her, three to one. And this time she won't catch us off-guard. No more dropping tracker-jacker nests on us."

I say nothing, but my heart leaps at the thought. This might be the moment that I have been waiting for ever since I joined the Careers. If it is Fire Girl, and Cato kills her, the Careers will be in high spirits tonight. Maybe even high enough to get careless. Then the biggest threat left will be the Giant from District 11.

Cato considers the options for a moment before making a decision. "Alright. Let's investigate the fire. Grab your weapons."

Arrogant One starts to shove me toward the supplies, but Cato has other ideas. "No. This time we're all going."

What? Me, go hunting in the forest with the Careers? I've never even stepped foot in there! I stare at Cato in shock.

Marvel is as surprised as I am. "But your girlfriend said that he would only slow us down."

Clove gets right into his face. "If there was actually a brain inside that massively inflated head of yours, you would realize that back then there were six of us. Now there are only three."

"He's coming," says Cato in a tone of voice that clearly indicates that the debate is over. "We need him in the woods, and his job's done here anyway. No one can touch those supplies."

"What about Lover Boy?"

"I keep telling you, forget about him. I know where I cut him. It's a miracle he hasn't bled to death yet. At any rate, he's in no shape to raid us."

This is bad. This is very bad. How could they possibly need me? What help could I provide? Hunting Others in the forest with the Careers was never part of the plan.

"Come on." Cato picks up the largest spear and pushes it into my hands. At my size and strength, there's no way I can use this ridiculous weapon, and he knows it. I bet he just wants me to be a possible target in case the fire is a trap. As we start off into the forest, he says roughly, "When we find her, I kill her in my own way, and no one interferes."

Even though I want – no, need – the Careers to eliminate District 12 soon, I can't help but feel a little disgusted at the thought of Cato making her suffer as much as possible before finally killing her. I can't possibly fathom how anyone, even someone who has trained for the Games his entire life, can be sadistic enough to enjoy making others suffer. I will kill when the time comes, because that is the only way to win, but I would never intentionally inflict more pain than necessary.

It's frightening, walking through the forest, a section of the arena that until today I have never entered. I realize just how much I have been relying on being out in the open with the threat of the Careers to protect me. Here in the forest, there are so many places for someone to hide, so many good places to set up an ambush. My nervousness increases with every step, and I soon become convinced that every shadow in the trees is the Girl on Fire, lurking in wait with her bow and arrows. Even the Careers proceed more cautiously as we approach the clearing where the fire is burning.

It's completely deserted. Not only is there no one around, there is no indication that the fire was even being used for anything. No sign that meat had been cooking on it, nor that someone had left in a hurry. It's almost as though someone had just started the fire and left.

"There," says Arrogant One in a low voice, pointing above the trees to where a second plume of smoke is now rising. By now, everyone is convinced that it's a trap. Still, there's no option but to try to close in on the one setting the fires. As we walk, the Careers go over the list of remaining tributes. Fire Girl and Lover Boy. The Giant and the tiny girl from District 11. And the Redhead from District 5. I'm almost certain that the Giant has made his home in the field, so that only leaves four candidates. I begin to wonder if perhaps some of them have formed their own alliance.

I consider the possibilities. If Lover Boy is alive – and I am not nearly as convinced as Cato is about this fact – and he's managed to reunite with Fire Girl, they'll definitely be allied. But from Cato's description it doesn't sound like he'd be in any shape to be setting these fires. The Redhead didn't show any inclination to ally with anyone, and I know for sure she wasn't with Fire Girl before the tracker-jackers. That leaves Tiny from District 11. I remember Pixie's observation that that she was tagging along with District 12 during the training. Could she have allied up with them as well? I try to picture her next to Fire Girl. Suddenly, the image of another girl jumps into my head. The little blond girl that was reaped in District 12. Fire Girl's little sister. Despite the differences in skin and hair color, it strikes me how alike they are. Fire Girl must have noticed, too. They're allied. They have to be. It's the only pairing that makes any sense.

Now it makes sense that Cato wanted me with the hunting pack. Fire Girl might be allied with both Lover Boy and Tiny. Three on three, with Fire Girl's pack choosing the location and terms of the confrontation, it would be highly dangerous for the Careers. No wonder why he wants me here even if all I can do is be a distraction.

I turn my attention back to the mystery of the smoke. One of them must be setting the fires and the others are… doing what? Fire Girl wasn't lying in wait to ambush us, so where could she be? I start getting a very bad feeling. The most logical place for one of them to be is back at our camp. Because the one thing that the person out here setting the fires has done is lure us away from…

At that moment, a series of explosions rocks the entire arena. Adrenaline rushes through my body. She just stepped on one of my land mines! For an instant, I'm excited that maybe my trap worked. But then the explosions continue, one after another after another. My heart drops through my stomach. That was way too much to be just one. Something catastrophic just happened back at our camp.

"The supplies," whispers Clove, and then we're all running as fast as we can back toward the lake. I drop the spear as I run because it's slowing me down, and it's useless to me anyways. I need to know how bad it is, whether any part of my plan can still be salvaged.

When I emerge from the edge of the woods, my worst fears are confirmed. The entire stack of supplies is gone. And with them went every single one of my precious mines, my only chance at taking out the Careers. Marvel says something about making sure all the mines are deactivated, so I throw some rocks in, but my mind is numb as I declare the ruins "safe". It's all over. Everything that I had been working toward is gone. My plan has failed. No, no, no, no, no!

How could this have happened? I know I positioned them all far enough apart so they would never cause a chain reaction if someone tried to steal something. My mind goes over the configuration of the supplies. Was there anything that was unbalanced and unstable so it might have fallen over? I don't think so, and even that should only have set off one section of the mines, unless there were multiple objects that rolled out. I think about whether the netting might have collapsed or… the apples. The bag of apples that the idiot Marvel had hung up right under the netting in the middle of the minefield. The bag must have fallen open somehow. But how?

It hits me in a flash. District 12. The Girl on Fire. Who risked her life to take Glimmer's bow and arrows after killing her. Who must have earned her training score of eleven because she demonstrated remarkable skill at archery. The one that I most needed the Careers to kill. The one that even the best-laid plans couldn't account for. Somehow, she did this, and in doing so, she has destroyed me.

My thoughts are interrupted as I realize Cato is yelling at me. He's furious, more angry than I've ever seen him. He thinks I messed up and put the mines too close together. I start to try to explain that it wasn't my fault, but as he gets closer to me I suddenly realize that it doesn't matter; I've outlived my usefulness.

For the first time since I launched this gambit, I am completely terrified. I have been surrounded by fear ever since the moment I stepped into the arena, but this is on a level beyond anything that I have ever experienced. As long as I still had Beetee's plan, there was something that I could hold on to, something that kept me grounded and my fears at bay. But now I have nothing left. Nothing but the certainty that, whether right now or at some point in the near future, I am going to die. I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I don't want to die.

That terror keeps me rooted to one spot for a second too long, and by the time my feet decide that I need to get the hell out of there, it's too late. I feel the weight of Cato's body as he tackles me from behind. I barely register the painful pressure of his arms encircling my neck before he twists my head sharply and everything goes black.

I'm sorry, Matt. I tried. At least I did something unforgettable.

A/N: Once again, thank you to everyone. This has been an amazing process. Considering that Max's death scene was one of the very first things I wrote, I never thought that it would hurt me so much to finally kill him. But this story, as published, is meant to be canon, so I had no choice.

I have received a number of requests for an epilogue or a one-shot from Beetee's POV, set during the QQ, where he of course would discover Max's message. For this reason, I am not going to mark the story as 'complete' yet. I'm still deciding whether write the Beetee-POV (most likely I will), and even if I do, I'm not sure whether to attach it to this story as an epilogue or make it a stand-alone one-shot. But either way, it will probably take a while, since it's taken me over two months to edit and publish 14 chapters of a story that was already drafted when the first chapter went live.

I'm also toying with the idea of writing an alternate ending for this story that diverges to AU from about chapter 12. This way I could have Max possibly win, although I think the story will be as dark if not darker. Would you guys be interested in reading something like that? Let me know!

Beyond that, who knows? I originally wrote this story because I wanted to read a full-length story about "Landmine Boy", and I couldn't find one beyond a few one-shots, and I really felt like his story needed to be told. If something else gives me such a strong inspiration, then maybe I'll do this again!

Finally, I know I've said it over and over, but thank you so much to Caisha702 and be-nice-to-nerds. They not only inspired me with their stories, but when I first approached them as a complete stranger and shared my idea, they were tremendously supportive and encouraging. They not only allowed me to use some of the characterizations and dialogue from their stories, but have been there constantly to help give me advice about developing my story and character. Caisha, I've said it before but I'll say it again, if Suzanne Collins ever says anything to contradict your version of the universe, I'd choose yours over the "official" one any day. And BNTN, I thoroughly enjoyed our discussions over the details our favorite District, even if my version is slightly different from yours. Last but certainly not least, allow me to quote MainstayPro from YouTube when I say "Thank you, Suzanne Collins, for writing one of the greatest books of all time."