Chapter 14: The Games - Day 7

I wake up this time without chiding myself, because this place is so concealed that it's not likely to be found by anyone else. I unwrap the gauze on my arm, and the blood has clotted. I rub more anti-infection cream on it, and wrap it with new gauze. I don't know where I'd be if I hadn't found Thresh's extra belongings. I crawl out of the cave and put on my backpack. Just then, I hear a quiet rustling in the underbrush. I stand still. The noise gets closer and closer. Suddenly, Amber steps out into the tiny clearing in front of my cave. I notice that she's unarmed. She looks around, sees me, and speeds away. So this is where she was.

I know that she doesn't pose much of a threat to me, but I go in the opposite direction to the direction she took when she ran, because I'd rather stay away from everyone else.

I trek through the dense forest looking for water, stopping every once in a while to use the burn cream. I'm walking past another cave when I see another patch of nightlock. Perfect. I had lost my supply when the ground crumbled underneath my feet and fell, so I'm eager to restock. You never know when you might have to commit suicide. After all, these are the Hunger Games. Then I realize that today is the seventh day. I've managed to stay alive for an entire week, surpassing all the expectations. I pick some of the poisonous berries, place them into a container in my pocket, and continue on my search for water.

I've already used up one bottle since the last time I refilled, and I'm trying to avoid using up my other too quickly. If nothing happens, this will probably last a few days, but knowing the Gamemakers, I'm sure that they won't leave me alone. The forest goes on and on, and it seems like it'll never end. I enter a less dense area that is mostly made up of tall pine trees.

All of a sudden, I hear a rumbling sound. The earth starts to shake.

Earthquake.

I find myself thrown to the ground. The rumbling continues. I hear a snap, and a large branch lands with a loud thud right beside me. A hear a louder deeper crack. I look behind me. A tree is getting ready to fall, and I scramble away from it. Another tree falls in the distance. More and more branches fall, but none of them hit me. Is it because I'm just so lucky? The reason suddenly becomes clear. The Gamemakers can control where the branches fall. If they wanted me dead, a tree would've fallen on me. They probably think that being crushed is too boring, so they're trying to chase me out of this area.

This time, I oblige. The falling trees all around me scare me, and they might decide to kill me now if I don't leave. I hurry out of that section and back into the dense forest. I take a drink of water, and I'm reminded of my need for another source of water. This thick forest makes it hard to see, making my job harder. But I need the water, so I persist. It's hard to focus on this boring task, so I think about home..

Are they watching me? I'm pretty sure they were when the earthquake happened, but are they now? What are they thinking now? Is Clay with them?

"Rrrrrrrrrrip"

I look around, and I see that I have walked into a patch of brambles. A thorn caught my jacket and has ripped a hole in it. I slowly back out, trying to avoid getting scratched, but my legs and arm are covered with little trickles of blood by the time I get out. They aren't deep, and my arms barely feel it, but my legs ache. I suppose that cuts and burns don't go well together.

I rub some cream on it and take a break. Judging by the light, it looks like it around noon, so I unpack and eat. Which direction should I go next? I look at my options. There are the brambles, but I'd rather not go there. Another side leads to the earthquake section, so I'm not going there. Another direction looks like the dense forest I've been in most of the time, and my last option is a more open forest. I choose the last, because I really don't want to push through dense foliage with all my little cuts. I pack all my supplies and continue walking. After walking for an hour, I stumble across another pond. How lucky can a tribute get? I refill my bottles, and look around this pond. Like the one I was at with Rue, this one is surrounded by berry bushes, so I go pick them. I wander a little far, but I find my way back.

When I go back to the pond, my jaw drops in shock. The water is completely gone, and all that is left is a damp basin. The Gamemakers must have drained the pond while I was gone. I look at the bushes, and they all wither, one by one. The Gamemakers must not want me here. That's why I'll stay. I'm getting ready to unpack when I hear a gurgling sound coming from the now dry pond. A green liquid is rapidly filling it. A stick falls into it, and it dissolves.

On second thought, I think I'll leave. The liquid starts to go over the banks of the old pond and corrodes all the grass and dead leaves. I'm starting to panic now, and I go off as fast as I can. After running for what seemed like forever, I stop to rest. The liquid is nowhere to be seen, so I think I'm safe. But that means I'm close to the other tributes. I look at where I am and see that it isn't a bad place. The trees here are mostly oak, and there are enough bushes to provide cover without being overcrowded. I decide to stay here for the night, because the light is starting to dim. I sit, thinking of home, until night falls and I'm fast asleep.

A/N I personally thought that this one was better than the previous 2 or 3 chapters. Am I the only one? The end of the story is coming soon, and then I can start work on the AU. Thank you to all the readers and especially the reviewers and followers.