Darkest Before the Dawn: The 71st Hunger Games

by Thomas J. Flynn

The Captiol wants to remind the districts what their place is. These games will not only destroy the tributes' bodies, they will test their sanity. There are more to these games than meets the eye.

20. Five

And now a quick summary of Part II. The tributes enter the arena, a labyrinth filled with jagged walls and a gas derived from tracker jacker venom, which brings out the worst in them. The bloodbath is particularly brutal, ten tributes end up dead; Nessie, Ekronik, Aiden, Arto, Reid, Marly, Isabelle, Brooklyn, Lucian, and even frontrunner Maya. Charlie also suffers a fatal injury and dies the next day. The careers manage to hold the cornucopia but strife quickly develops in the group. Jasper finds a mysterious stone circle which leads to an underground trap. While Leighann is attempting to poison her allies during the night Jasper's cannon wakes them and a fight breaks out. Mina is killed by the poison, and Rook runs off into the arena wrongly convinced his face has been ruined by the poison while Baron and Kayde manage to take the traitorous Leighann out and bond afterward. Darcy and Terya, who have been rivals since training, meet and Terya kills Darcy with her bare hands. The crazed Rook finds Chel in the dark and after a long battle Chel kills her attacker. The anti-careers make their way to the cornucopia and attack the careers; Ivan and Kayde are killed in the battle. Terya is horrified by what she has become and sickened by the thought of becoming a victor so she takes her own life. That was Part II, on to Part III!

PART III: THE FINALE

Baron Aleric

District 4 Male Tribute

When I finally decide to take a rest its morning. I'm still covered in Ivan's blood and it's starting to dry. It feels so sticky and warm. It's sickening. He died so quickly; I didn't even flinch when I cut his throat. I can still see the look in his eyes, the shock he felt, it was only there for a moment then it was gone as his eyes became as lifeless as the rest of his body.

Kayde died just as quickly, Cal murdered him as brutally as I murdered Ivan. He isn't the only person I've murdered; I also killed Leighann and Marly. Marly, who was just a scared little girl sitting in a pool of her own blood. How am I supposed to come to terms with what I have done?

Now I've killed again and unlike when I killed Leighann it was for nothing. I killed Ivan to try and get to Kayde, but what did it amount to? He died for absolutely nothing. In fact what are any of us dying for? It really dawns on me for the first time how pointless these games are. Maybe it took the death of someone I considered a friend to snap me into reality, but I can't glorify the games any longer. How could my father be so proud of winning the games and killing all those children? I will never be proud of the actions I've taken.

That does not mean I am going stop trying to get out of this thing alive. I am not about to kill myself because of this realization. Killing myself would not make me a hero or a martyr; it would make me an idiot. I may have to keep killing others, but I will do it on my terms.

I will fight fairly and honorably, I'm not going to pull some underhanded moves like Cal and Leighann and I'm going to make sure that if I don't win some monster like Cal doesn't either.

I know better than to get my hopes up that the cannon I just heard was for him, that would be much too good to be true, it was probably one of the girls. I need to take him out as soon as possible because no matter what I will not let Cal become a Victor. He doesn't have a shred of humanity in him, I saw his eyes too when he held Cal's corpse. He is pure evil. I might be evil too, but he is beyond anything I have ever seen.

I get up; if I'm going to kill Cal I need to stay sharp. I've gotten used to living at the cornucopia; I need to find my own water now. Hopefully I can find enough to wash Ivan's blood off me.

Cal Barnes

District 9 Male Tribute

I take a moment to soak in the beauty of it all. The cornucopia and everything here is mine. It's too bad Baron ran away, I'd have loved to kill him too, but other than that everything went perfectly. Not only is Kayde dead, but Ivan was taken care of too, and Safyra's wound is life threatening. She stitched herself up, but she still keeps complaining; she is weak.

I can't help but suspect that she is pretending to be weak, so that I won't mark her as a threat, and keep her alive. If she thinks I will keep her around because I'm not worried about her she is an idiot. I have no patience for people who pretend to be weak. The only question is how I am going to kill her.

I walk around the cornucopia, looking for something useful. We have all kinds of food, supplies, and weapons. Excellent. I keep searching, I find a few interesting things, like an empty vial of poison, but I stop when I see a hammer. I pick it up slowly. It looks so simple, almost like the one I remember from my childhood, from before the factory. Back when I worked in my father's blacksmith shop. It feels like home. It makes me think of my little brother Skip, my parents, of Darlie and what she told me after I volunteered.

I notice Safyra staring at me and I toss the hammer aside. I can't afford to start reliving the past now. I'm not that compassionate person I used to be, the incident changed me; I'll never be weak again.

I can't start to crack now, when I'm so close to the end. A kind weak tribute who cared about others would not be able to murder his last ally. I don't need her anymore, there are no more alliances to destroy, only solo competitors and I'm strong enough to take anyone else by myself. I don't need allies anymore.

Once I kill her I'll be alone. Just like I was alone for fifty-two days in that factory. That was the worst experience of my life, far worse than these games. It was total isolation. I couldn't stand it, being alone. Can I really go through that again?

Yes, I just have to kill all the other tributes fast, before I let being alone for too long get to me, if I win in here I don't have to be alone, I get to be a Victor, and everyone will love me.

Safyra Hope

District 1 Female Tribute

I've finally made it to the final five. The stab wound I got back at the fight isn't great but there are enough bandages and meds around here to help me cope with it. It is just a minor distraction and an opportunity to make Cal think I'm weaker than I am so he won't suspect anything when I kill him tonight. It's almost time to stop pretending to be weak and show everyone out there just how strong I am. Once I take care of Cal the only real threat will be Baron, the girls will not be a problem. I'm not looking forward to what I'm going to have to do, but it needs to be done.

"You find any food?" I ask Cal.

"Yeah, a ton," he answers showing me a jar of peanut butter. He sets it down between the two of us and hands me a spoon. At first I'm afraid he's done something to it but then he starts eating it so I dig in too. My stomach feels strange when I eat it, after all it is the first real food I've had in a week.

"It's good, but I always liked smooth better than chunky," I say after we've sat in awkward silence for a few minutes.

"What are you talking about?" he asks.

"The peanut butter is chunky; I like the smooth style better." Cal just keeps giving me a confused look. "Which kind do you like better?" I say uncomfortably.

He doesn't say anything for a moment and I'm worried but he finally answers, "I didn't know there were different styles."

"Why not?"

"The food is pretty simple in 9," he says quickly. I never really thought about the fact that other districts might not have something as simple as two types of peanut butter.

"What's it like in 9?" I ask.

He glares at me for a moment, Cal has never been the type to let people in and I'm not sure why I want to get to know someone better who I'm about to kill. "There are a lot of steel mills everywhere," he hesitates a bit when he says steel mills, like he is hiding something but I don't press him, "The air is bad and it's gloomy, were far north were it rains all the time and it's constantly cold and cloudy."

This couldn't be further from how it is in 1, where it's always hot and sunny. "Sounds like an awful place."

"It's my home," he says aggressively.

"Do you miss it?" I ask. Really I am thinking about how much I miss my own home. I never thought I would, everyone there is so fake and superficial but I miss it, and it's not just because of where I am. I don't want to go back to the Capitol either, there really is something special about the place you come from; even Cal knows that.

"I miss the people," he answers simply.

"Who?" I question him.

He just keeps glaring at me and then says "It's getting late, I'm gonna get some sleep, wake me up in a few hours and I'll take the second watch."

I nod but I have no intention of waking him up.

Chel Bryne

District 9 Female Tribute

I had to do it, had to kill Rook, he was standing over me ready to murder me, maybe even ready to do other terrible things before he killed me. It was either him or me, he was a horrible person; he deserved to die. Doesn't change how awful I feel. I will have to live with the fact that I've murdered another human being for the rest of my life. Given the alternative however, I'll take living with the guilt.

Maybe Rook deserved to die, he had no problem signing up to brutally kill children; he was cruel, manipulative and made every girl around him feel like she could get groped at any second. That was the Rook from before the games began, whatever happened to him in the arena made him much worse. Rook's sanity and possibly his humanity had disappeared; he was like a rabid dog. He needed to die.

I suppose it's a good thing that my first kill came like it did; a brutal attack by a madman. This way I can justify it. I'm also glad I don't have any allies because allies can't be allies forever; you either have to watch them die, or eventually kill them yourself.

Instead I got to kill Rook, I'm glad I didn't kill Marly, even if my actions lead to her death if I had stuck my knife into her neck, the way I did to Rook, I would have gone insane too. I suddenly remember something that went through my mind a few days ago when I thought about the possibility of killing Cal; "One less monster is a good thing." Well I guess that justification works just as well for Rook.

Cal is still out there though, and I will kill him just like I killed Rook. There will be no hesitation from me if I come up against him. The same goes for Cal's ally, the princess from 1 and for that last career, Baron. I would not waste one second killing any of those three, my life is more valuable than anyone's who would actually volunteer to be in this place.

But I don't know what I would do if I found Violet. How am I supposed to find it within myself to kill such an innocent girl? Compared to her I'm the monster. She started out protecting a single mother and a sarcastic boy, while I've just been living for myself. That's what has kept me alive in these games, selfishness.

How someone like Violet has made it this far is beyond me, maybe luck or sponsor gifts, probably both actually. I know one thing though, she won't win, her luck will run out and some ruthless tribute will cut her down. I just don't want that ruthless tribute to be me. I need to hold on to what humanity I have left, and I don't know what I would do if I had to choose between surviving and murdering Violet. I hope that I never have to make that decision.

I sit down next to the small stream I found yesterday. I need sleep; I've been up all day thinking about Rook's death and Violet and everything else. I take a big gulp of water and wipe my mouth. The corridor behind me stops in a dead end; no one is sneaking up behind me. This place will be safe.

I close my eyes and lay down. I've heard that past tributes have loved going to sleep because when they dream they don't have to see the horrors of the arena. I just end up having nightmares and reliving all the worst stuff over and over again.

Violet Prior

District 5 Female Tribute

I desperately lick the last bits of the goulash out of the bowl. I'm out of food and water again. If I don't start looking for something now then I will be dead before I can find anything.

When I got that sponsor gift two days ago I was filled with a lot of hope and a real will to win, but now that it's gone I feel as awful as ever. I'm sure that all the other tributes out there have killed, but I've only made it this far through luck.

I haven't seen any other tributes since Charlie died. I haven't been in a fight this whole time, all I did was run during the bloodbath. I'm not good enough to win the games. I'm just some stupid girl who is in love with a boy back home. I didn't deserve to outlive the strong tributes like Maya and Kayde or the brave ones like Jasper and Ivan. I don't deserve to have made it farther than all the great tributes from 5 like Charlie, Dale and Azeika.

I still have to try, I need to keep going at least; I can't give up. I start walking down a random corridor and instead of twists and turns it's one straight line that goes on forever. I just keep walking and walking there isn't really a point in turning back once I've come this far, and even if I did I'm sure the gamemakers would just turn me back around anyway.

I can see an end to the path off in the distance now, as I get closer I can tell it rounds off into a big circular area and I notice something in the middle of the area too. I don't know what it is but in the Hunger Games this kind of thing can't be good. I'm in the circle now and I can see the thing sticking out of the ground clearly. It's a rock.

It's the same kind of rock that's all over the rest of the arena, but this isn't jagged and sharp, it's thin and smooth. It's almost like a mirror with a darkened tint. I can see my reflection clearly. I look terrible; I've lost a scary amount of weight, I can see my ribs, my usually straight hair is frizzy and all over the place and my eyes seem dead and lifeless.

Without thinking I put my hand to the stone; it's cold to the touch. It's mesmerizing; I walk up even closer to it and put my other hand on it. It's beautiful. I am so caught up in the stone that it takes me a few seconds to notice another figure is reflected in it behind me, but it's not another tribute, it's Lysander.

I spin around, for a second I think that my worst fear, that Lysander would be in this terrible place with me has come true, but when I turn around there is no one there. This is just a trick. Out of the corner of my eye I see that the path I entered from has been closed, but I can worry about finding an exit later. I turn back to the stone; even if it isn't real I need to see Lysander's face again.

He is so handsome, I know it's an illusion but I start talking to him anyway. "I've missed you so much, I love you; I'm going to get back to you."

"You're pathetic," he says.

"Wha… What?"

"You're a disgrace, you should just die already; you don't deserve to be in the top five." This is a trick, it isn't real; the Capitol has to have some way of twisting his image. I know that, but it still feels very authentic, just like if the real Lysander was telling me these things. My insecurities are definitely real and Lys… the stone is pointing them all out.

Two more figures appear behind Lysander, just when I thought there was no one that could make me feel worse, the images of Dale and Azeika are on either side of me. I want to turn away from the stone again, but I can't, it's like I've been hypnotized.

"How did I ever call you my friend?" Azeika asks with a disgusted look on her face. "Everyone loved Dale and I for good reason, we were great tributes. You are just riding our coattails; you are only popular because of us. Do you think you would receive any sponsor gifts if you weren't our friend? We were the popular ones!" she shouts.

"No, I'm sorry I know I've made mistakes but I can try-"

"Shut up!" Dale cuts me off, "You're boring, predictable; you aren't entertaining like we were. Our story was one of the best in Hunger Games history, and you are just a homesick girl who never does or thinks anything interesting. You're weak!"

I'm crying again, just proving that Dale is right about me being weak. Through my tears I can see another pair of figures coming into view, my dead allies Charlie and Brooklyn. I can't take this anymore.

"Your friends are right," Charlie begins, "You really are boring. Why did you get to live when you are so lame? I'm the funny one, people liked me! I should still be around instead of you!"

"And you think you're so special because you have a boyfriend? If you die he will move on to some other better prettier girl." I see Lysander nod as Brooklyn speaks, "I had a daughter, there is no moving on for her; she will grow up without a mother because you left me behind to die!"

"No…I….I didn't want to, but you…."

"You made the wrong choice," Charlie shouts, "Your decisions this whole time have been wrong!"

"You're too stupid and weak," Dale sneers, "You'll never live up to our legacy, you are a failure."

"No!" I shout pounding on the stone.

"Disgrace!" Azeika shouts at me.

"Whore," Lysander says glaring.

The insults keep coming from all of them;

"Coward!"

"Failure!"

"Disappointment…"

More people are appearing; Zane, Alex, Blaine and even the other dead tributes, all of them are shouting horrible things at me. I slam myself against the stone in a pointless attempt to break it. I keep slamming myself into it, punching and kicking, but I can't dent the stupid thing.

I slide down the cold rock crying and bruised from hurling myself into it. I finally manage to tear myself away from the images but I can still hear them; I can't shut them out. The people who came here with me and the people I love are hurting me more than I knew was possible.

"I'm sorry…" I whimper.

---

We've reached the final stretch, Part III! Drop me a review if you would be so kind! And if anyone has any predictions about deaths, who will win or anything else I'd love to hear it!

Rook Delacroix- Killed by Chel on the sixth night

Kayde Roberts-Killed by Cal on the seventh day
Mina Sablier-Posioned by Leighann on the fourth night
Baron Aleric
Maya Blake- Killed by Cal in the bloodbath

Leighann Ash- Killed by Baron on the fourth night

Ekronik Rodell- Killed by Maya in the bloodbath
"Nesie" Keiberger- Killed by Mina in the bloodbath

Safyra Hope
Arto Green- Killed by Kayde in the bloodbath
Ivan Hill-Killed by Baron on the seventh day
Cal Barnes
Lucian Night- Killed by Kayde in the bloodbath

Charlie Watsen- Died on the second day from a wound inflicted by Leighann
Violet Prior
Brooklynne Satire- Killed by Rook in the bloodbath

Reid Meyer- Killed by Rook in the bloodbath

Terya Wylie- Commited suicide on the seventh night

Isabelle Catcher- Killed by Safyra in the bloodbath

Chel Byrne

Adian Kay- Killed by Arto in the bloodbath

Darcy Eowyn- Killed by Terya on the sixth day

Jasper Jarrah-Killed in a trap on the fourth night

Marly Gray- Killed by Baron in the bloodbath