Chapter 14- "Owned"

"Sirius do you know where we are going?" I ask tenderly and he squeezes my fingers.

"Not a clue." He replies.

I sigh, I look around the tunnel. Makes you kind of paranoid in the dark, I mean I keep imagining people following us. But every time I tell Sirius about it, there is never anything there.

I feel useless, and I my mind- now that I'm pretty much sane again- has been trying to make plans. But I just can't complete any of them without seeing.

"Do you have a general direction you're sticking to?" I inquire- I've been asking question nonstop for a long time now and I think it might get to him, but I can't help it. I just need some answers.

"Umm… right?" He offered and I sigh again.

"Do yo-"

"Keera, I promise as soon as something happens you will be the first person I tell."

I roll my eyes. "Oh yes, let me take comfort in that."

I hear him chuckle under his breath, and I feel the instinct to give him a shove. But I hold back from that because suddenly as we swerve to the right and he gasps in a breath. I felt his body go stiff.

"Wha-"

"Don't talk!" He hisses, almost breathing the words. I detected fear in his voice and then he has turned around grabbed me by the shoulder and half dragged me while he sprinted down another path.

Once we are far from our last place he lets go of me and he doesn't even keep hold to one of my hands. I reach out for a wall and then lean into it. He breathes heavy a few steps away and I stare into the darkness there.

"What was it?" I whisper.

"I-It..." He swallowed and his hand reached for me, holding onto my fingers. "It doesn't matter now, they are behind us."

"They? Were they tributes?"

"Keera, you don't want to know what they were."

"I do, I can handle it you know. I'm not a delicate flower."

"I know you aren't I just-"

"You are treating me like one." I say softly and pulling my hand from his.

"Oh come on, you needed help earlier-"

"I had been frightened…"

"You were irrational! I had no choice!" He exclaimed and I fell silent.

It felt like he slapped me, and I pressed my back against the wall. I wanted to run, but that would be stupid.

"Wait." He suddenly says, obviously seeing the hurt on my face. "I-I didn't me-"

"You did mean it." I say. "You know you did."

"Of course I don't it's just the Games they're stressful and I jus-"

"Do not tell me about how stressful the Games are." I snap, he calls me irrational- yet he will complain to me about how much he hates it here. "I am here… a second time! I am here with the boy's brother; I had tried everything to save! Do not call me irrational for actually feeling emotions, instead of avoiding them!"

He scoffed suddenly. "Avoid them? That's no-"

"You wouldn't say his name for six months! You flinched every time your mother even said it!"

I felt better throwing it in his face, I had been holding onto it, but I knew it would come back to bite me in the ass. I was wounded though- because I knew I was being irrational- I knew I had been. I also knew there was a good reason to be, I had the right at least for one freak out.

He was silent and I looked around the darkness for him. It was about five minutes of this silence did a horrid thought hit me, draining my face of all color and my heart sinking to my stomach.

"Sirius?" I call, the name echoing around me.

I got no answer.

I fought for even breath, he wouldn't leave me. Not all alone in the dark. Never.

I reach out for him and I find nothing. I listen, holding my breath just to hear his. But still I see no sign of him.

"Sirius!" I shout and I cringe as it echoes back at me with nothing to answer.

I had hoped maybe… he'd come back. But he never did.

I stood against that wall until I heard a terrible echoing sound of a canon shot, loud enough I had to cover my ears. I counted seven of them, and I wondered just who they all were.

Maybe last year was better- not knowing them first- because now as I curl up against the bottom of the wall all I can do is picture and name the tributes.

I remembered last year's tributes and how terrible I felt after winning. They had been good kids- most of them- they all were just trying to live.

And this time around is no different.

I waited- and waited. Praying for a distraction to detour my thoughts, but nothing came. I could not even look around myself to distract, everything was swallowed by black.

It may have not been my smartest decision, but I stood- using the wall for support.

I began walking, though more like stumbling, along the outer edge of the cave. I lay flat against the wall, one arm behind me and another in front- my fingers tracing every aspect of the wall. My eyes were useless so I had them closed tightly so I may listen more carefully.

My foot catches on the stone a lot and I've fallen about ten times, but no bloodied knees or scratched palms will stop me. Even though I've no idea where I'm going, I just can't sit in the darkness any longer.

I was hoping for Luke or Cooper, someone I can plead with. My worst fear was to run into Blake.

Or… whatever Sirius had seen.

I'm careful not to take the side passages. I don't trust them, some are- when I call into them- echo-y as if they are ten times the size of the one I'm in, and just a few minutes ago I passed one that didn't even reach to my waist.

I had hoped for maybe vines on the wall- for berries- and some sort of stream of water running down it, but I came up empty. How long did they expect us to survive? With no natural sources, and just rock?

But then again who knows what other passage ways could hol-

"Keera?" I froze.

K-K-eeeer-aaa.

It echoed around me and I soaked in the voice, because it was impossible not to recognize.

"Gina?" I murmur. I knew I should run, run away from potential murderers. But the silence and darkness was getting to me, just knowing someone else was here brightened my outlook.

I turned around so my back was against the wall and I looked blindly along the other side of the caves from where her voice came from.

"It's me." She says her voice like a bell ringing through the darkness and then I heard footsteps- more than just one person's.

I tensed and slide a few paces away from the approaching people. "Who else?" I demand.

"Flutter and Moss." She replies and then I am able to place the two distinctively other footsteps. I could tell which ones were clumsy, which ones were hesitant, and the last was confident- that could be no other then Gina's.

"No Weyland?" I respond, straining my ears to hear him creeping on me from the other way with a knife- ready to stab me at any moment's notice.

"Dead. Died in the first battle." Gina sighed. "He was weak."

I was kind of surprised to hear it, even after I assessed in as someone with no strength. I stayed silent not really sure what do to. They were close now- I could hear their breathing- and I knew any move I made they would be able to see it.

I could out strength Gina, but with the two others- I am at loss to steal glasses.

But how desperately I want to see! I would give anything to see, because that is where anyone's victory in this Game lies. And I think that is exactly why the Gamemakers wanted this. The faster we are to turn on each other, the more desperate our acts are- the more entertainment.

"I'm surprised." Gina finally says, filling the empty cave with her calm voice. "That you have lost your glasses so early on."

"I never had any." I say bitterly. "My punishment for attacking Bl-Blare." I stumbled on the name and I prayed no camera had picked up on it.

"And I trust you figured out the dead tributes glasses don't work?"

I don't understand and I'm sure she sees the confusion in the set of my face. "What gives you that impression?"

"The blood, on your clothes. I doubt you killed anyone in your state." She steps forward and I hate not being able to look into her eyes. "But you know? Don't you?"

I bite my lip, suddenly closing my eyes. I can't read her face and I won't allow her to read mine.

"Yes." I whisper, my voice void of emotion.

There was a long silence then, and if I couldn't hear them still, then I would have thought they left me here also. Suddenly though Gina's voice became harder, negotiating.

"You are good with weapons. I am not." She says. "Neither are my allies…" Her voice trails off, but then she snaps. "Flutter."

I hear stumbling footstep and then I feel Gina standing right in front of me."Hold out you hand." She commands and do it- though hesitantly. But then she places something in my palm, closing my fingers around it. While her hand still incases my fingers tightly. "I'll make you a deal, Keera. I give you Flutter's glass, and you keep us alive. She will only listen to me, and you need her alive to see. Moss… he is a good sneak."

I blink. She is goading me into a deal, that I can't resist. Not with the glasses in my grasp.

I will have to keep all of them- for the glasses- because Flutter must live for me see and I know Flutter would be unwilling if Moss was dead. So I had to protect him too. And Gina practically had the two on a leash; anything she says will be okay with them.

And there was a hidden threat when she said Flutter only listened to her. I can't be sure, but I think she's threatening to kill Flutter herself if I am… disobedient.

I sneer at the concept of being owned- but what other choice do I have?

"Deal?" She asks, pressing the glasses more firmly into my palm.

"Deal." I murmur and then her hand removes itself and I instantly pull the glasses on.

I leaned even further into the wall, sighing in relief. I blink around at the tunnel. And I soak in Gina's face.

Her long curly black hair is ruffled, her lips is bleeding, and even now with having the glasses her eyes are hidden from me- behind big, awkward looking goggles. I knew I must look the same expect it's my neck that pains me, not my lip.

I look to the two tiny things on either side of her. Moss is absolutely soaked in blood. It's splattered across his face and his clothes have absorbed a lot of it; the black fabric almost a deep shade of red.

Gina notices my stare. "Weyland's death was… messy." She winced and I looked back to her quickly.

"You killed him?" I ask in disbelief.

I watch like it is an obsession for me to notice now, as her face falls grimly. "No, I can't. It was that boy… Blare. He was taking down people left and right. He caused that girls scream- until Luke put her out of the misery."

Luke… I wondered if it was Aly or Summer or another girl he had claimed unable to choose from. "Is he still around?" I ask.

Gina shrugs. "I left as quickly as I could. I hadn't even seen you. Though I guess…"

"I was on the ground, you probably didn't notice." I murmur, thoughtfully.

I look around the cave again, my mind turning. Seven dead and I know only three of them- Weyland, Paige, and another girl. How else would I know, it wasn't like this arena gave them a chance to show us those who are dead. Or at least how they usually do it.

Then I thought of the hovercrafts and I looked back at Gina. "Did they take the bodies? They wouldn't leave them to rot would they?"

She shook her head, but then looked to Flutter.

Flutter was looking around almost franticly- it was so disorienting to not see and only hear the voices bounce around- her frail shoulders were caved inward slightly, she was only a little bloody.

"Flutter?" Gina inquired and I watched as the girls eyes widened, looking around.

It was odd seeing through the glasses, they were green tinted and slightly shadowed, but it was so much better than the darkness. Seeing someone without glasses makes you pity them, the lost bewildered look in their eyes, that almost determined set of their jaw.

"W-When I ran back for the pack, they were still there, but when I was leaving…." Her voice was nothing more than a squeak. "The floor swallowed them up."

I nod, I should have known. Yet, I still wondered when they would show us who are dead. Since there was no way to know whether it was day or night. I was pondering how much time has passed when suddenly Gina stripped a pack off her back and held it out to me.

I raised an eyebrow. "You want me to keep it?" She must have a lot of faith in my need to see, it seemed like a risky thing to do.

"It is no use to me." She shrugs, her voice is so calm and collected you would think she wasn't in the Game, but just taking a stroll. "They are only weapons."

I look over her face, but I see nothing so I take the pack and unzip it. There was a pack of nice throwing knifes, an awl, and a slingshot. There was an empty water bottle too.

"Intres-"

But my voice was drowned out as another canon shot echoed around, everyone clapped hands over their ears and Flutter cried out.

When the sound faded though I turned my gaze to the direction I had come. I felt my heart tug slightly at the thought it could have been Sirius.

"We need to move." Gina finally says. "We have to find some water, before we are too tired."

I look to her and it seems she is fully ready to give me any order that she deems fit. I narrow my eyes and one of her hands reaches out for Flutter, her fingers curling around the small girls shoulder. I bare my teeth, and pull out a knife to place in my belt before throwing the bag onto my back.

Gina nods me forward and I push myself up from the wall, walking swiftly. They struggle to keep up- but they manage.

I swear we wandered for hours! And even now that I could see… I still don't know where to go. Everything looks the same, me and Gina both agreed side passages were bad news, so we have yet to try one. Though it seems like we might be soon.

We were turning just one more corner when I found myself looking at a wall. The tunnel had stopped, abruptly, and all that was there was a solid slab of stone. Moss beat his fists against it, and I just stood back watching- thinking.

Traveling with such a vulnerable and large group was bad. But I can't kill any of them- not unless I want to be both alone and blind.

I tried to come up with plans, but each one of them was shot dead in the face each time.

Why had Sirius ran? Why didn't he come back!

I pushed back the question, knowing I had said unkind things. But I had not thought him to r- Doesn't matter.

I sighed turning away from the blank wall and I grab onto one of the shoulder straps of the bag as I walk back from where we came.

"What do we do now?" Moss muttered and I glanced over at him, as he clutched to Gina's other free arm.

"We follow Keera." Gina says simply- as if I had all the answers.

I rub my temple with my free handle. Why now? Why when I'm stuck in the arena can my mind not come up with any plans!

I look to the people behind me, and my eyes glide across the rock ceiling. But they land on the path in front of us. I knew we would have to choose a side passage now and I stopped walking dead in my tracks, staring at the path just to our right as Gina walks towards it.

"That one?" I ask.

She nods, taking a few steps towards it. I shake my head eyeing the cave untrustingly.

"I don't like it." I say, making no move towards the tunnel.

Gina shoots me a look over her shoulder as she approaches the slender and tall entrance of it. "Neither do you like any other one along here. We have to choose one- and this is the one."

I give her a defiant look and her hand holds tightly onto Flutter, her eyes flashing between me and the girl. I sigh in annoyance and I walk over to her, my hands balled into fists at my side.

I step up next to her and she inclines her head to the cave, her expression blank. I glare as I pass, slipping into the skinny tunnel. My eyes climb along the tall walls; that are unusually jagged. The ceiling is too high for me to completely discern it, but the width… there is hardly enough room for Flutter and Moss to walk side by side behind me and in front of Gina.

We walk slowly, and very quietly. I hold my breath, hoping for no tributes, not at this moment- I need more time to think myself out of this situation. But there is nothing to come, for awhile anyway…

When we had walked about ten minutes, I spotted an opening at the end of the passage. It widened and I was too far to see to what it led to. So I started to pick up speed.

The others struggled to keep up and as I reached the end I stepped out into a large circular room. I looked across it and there was only on other passage on the far wall, just as skinny as the one behind me.

Was it possible it seemed even darker in this place then the last, I blink behind my glasses- listening as the others still hurried to catch up.

I swept the room again then I looked up at the ceiling… my body went cold.

"No!" I hiss, in a whisper. But they hadn't heard me and when Flutter came clambering out following Moss and Gina, her foot caught on a nook she was unable to see and she fell forward, smacking against the floor loudly and with a squeak that echoed in the room like nothing else.

Screeching like noises came in response and it was so unbearably loud; I had to force my eyes to stay open as I crouch to the ground, hands pressing against my throbbing ear drums. I watched as the black figures hanging from the ceiling started to stir. And suddenly they all swooped down like a looming thunderstorm cloud.

Flutter screamed- unable to even see it, only hear, and Moss was staring, looking too stunned to move.

"Bats!" Gina shouted, stumbling back and covering her face with her hands as suddenly they were everywhere.

I screamed as they surrounded me, their wings tangling in my hair, their claws catching across my cheek, their fangs nipping through my clothes. I heard the others screeching, but I kept flinging out my arms, knocking the bats to the ground brutally- but they're always more to replace them.

I pulled out the knife and began cutting them down- almost franticly. I could hardly see through the flapping figures of black that waved in front of my face. I had to fight to stay in the sitting position.

It wasn't until I heard Moss's body hit the ground did I start to panic- were they venomous?

I jerked around- elbowing, fisting, slicing- anything I could do to get through them. One cut me just over my eyes and I grabbed it by the leg, throwing it against the ground and I stabbed the knife straight through its ugly, fur-like body.

I reached Moss then- fighting through them- and he lay on the floor twitching as they continually swoop down at him, cutting at his clothes and skin. I hissed, and pushed myself forward- crawling wobbly- until I was just over him. I flung my arm at the ones that had perched themselves on his back- their mouths brutalizing the exposed skin.

I tried to keep them both off of me and him- but it seemed useless, so suddenly making a quick decision I threw my body across his, to protect him.

Flutter was still screaming strong and I hoped nothing happened to her- or else I'd be blind again. Gina was silent and I was only slightly worried about that.

Panting and wiping away the blood dripping over the glasses I looked around desperately, snapping out an arm every so often to fight back the infuriating bats, and trying to think.

I leaned over Moss more and I tried to spot Gina or Flutter- but I couldn't see them through the endless amounts of b-

I sucked in a gasp of air and a canon shot echoes around the room.

No!

I blink and everything was gone, I couldn't see again- Flutter's screaming had ended and... and…

All I could hear now was the bats screeching pounding into my eardrums. I couldn't see them now, just hear their swooshing wings and the slight rip as their claws slit my clothes.

I threw the knife, into the mists of them- not knowing what else to do. And I heard some drop to the floor. They roared in response and I felt one grabbing the back strap around my head with its claws and pulling back viciously.

I screamed, my eyes reeling around the darkness, until I suddenly ripped them from my face throwing the glasses across the room. But then I felt Moss move beneath me and a hand shot straight up his shoulder and twisted his down turned face to the side.

I got a few more searing bites as my hand wandered and then I felt at bat swoop down and sink its teeth into my shoulder. I screeched, throwing back my head and my hand instantly grasped the beast's wing and threw it away from me.

My fingers instantly returned to his face and ran eagerly along the glasses. I could feel him breathing beneath me still. So I instantly pulled them from his head and put them on me. I blink and then again I am met with the sight of the hordes of black above me, though they thinned out some in the direction we had come.

I glimpsed Gina's and she looked to be unconscious, blood pooling around her head and bats sitting atop her slowly fading body as they continued to ravish her skin until she is nothing more.

I looked further down, swatting away a bat from my face, and I see Flutter's body. There are no bats on her- she is already dead- but her face is turned up and I gag as I see the blood that pools from her eyes that have been torn from their sockets.

I whip my face around, knocking back a couple bats- and trying desperately to shake that image from my mind.

I know I can't kill them all and I need to leave. Now, while I'm still able to move- and see. I run my eyes along the other side of the room- where I had seen the last passage and I draw in a deep breath.

I wrap my arms around Moss's unconscious form and using every muscle I have I throw him over my shoulder and stand to my feet.

The bats do not like that.

They screech so loud I cry out and I wish I had the free hands to cover my ears, but I can't and my eyes start to tear over. Blurring the black figures that continue to arch downward, striking across my body and face.

I start to run, my eyes glued on the passage, and I stumble over cracks, I buckle under Moss's weight. But he cannot die. I need to see.

I push through the bats, and their claws crash against my body with resistance. A particularly determined one comes down straight at my face. Its claws attach themselves on the side of my cheeks before the creature flaps its wing, ripping itself into the air and tearing along my faces and- thank the gods- I had glasses on or that would have been a hit that would very well have blinded me… permanently.

The blood floods my mouth and the scratches sears, but I don't think they are posioness. They just hurt like fucking hell. I'm nearly there- when they start getting even more frantic.

They start attaching themselves to me and Moss and I jerk my body around- trying to unsettle them. It only causes my more damage as I just jerk their claws across my skin. I have to force myself to keep going.

I'm gritting away the tears and I think I might be a little deaf now- but I keep jogging, holding tightly to Moss hanging over my shoulder.

When I reach the passage I shake myself free of the bats holding my hair and clasping my forearm. Then with everything I have I sprint down the skinnier tunnel.

And they don't follow.

Their noise still echoes behind me- but none followed. I glanced back quickly and they had sat themselves along little shelves on the rock at the opening of the tunnel, they screeched their disgusting little heads off, but they didn't follow.

I keep running, my knees hardly complying with the movement- my breath coming in desperate little gasps. I didn't even try to stay quiet- with that screeching? Why try?

But when I had finally reached the end of the tunnel, relief spread through my body with the pain. I felt so light headed, I stumbled from the entrance into the normal looking tunnel and I laid Moss across the ground- his body oozing with blood and his face scratched to hell.

My body swayed slightly when I stood straight again and I looked up- then I blinked- stunned.

I saw Cooper, then Star and Amara- Lara, Terry, Rayman, Daisy- the whole Career alliance.

I blinked again and they stared at me and Moss- their eyes momentarily looking in the tunnel behind me and hearing the still screeching creatures.

"Ke-" Cooper began, but I hardly heard it.

My body swayed again, my eyes blurred over, and my head had a rushing swishing sensation. Next thing I know my knees give out and I feel my face smack against the stone floor- my mind sinking into unconciousness.

A/N: So.. xD Please review. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED LAST CHAPTER! (especially AyeKay10- yours are always fufillingly long. I don't care if you ramble!) Thank you for reading, sorry for any editing mistakes. -Taryn(: