Arya Rivers(District 12)
The rain is starting to let up a bit, though after yesterday's downpour letting up is a relative term. I'm holding out hope for some sun at some point today, if only to dry out my stuff and warm up a little. That's been the worst part of the rain I've been cold since it started, which is amazing when you consider the temperature in the arena and of the rain itself.
"Arya are you awake?" Well it looks like my time to reflect and think is over, though at least Nox is friendly. I hate to think of the conversations I'd have been subjected to if Rudra had found me instead of Nox, not to say Rudra isn't a nice guy but Nox is more my speed. The fact he's been easier to play so far hasn't hurt his stock either.
"Yes, just trying to get warm. What are you doing up anyway?" Now I have to play up the concerned and naive little girl angel again, though I feel like he's picking up on it more often than not which could be a problem down the road if he is.
He shakes his way out of the sleeping bag and makes his way toward me, that boyish grin glued to his face once again. "I could here you moving around, for such a small girl you sure make a lot of noise." That's one thing I've noticed about him so far, he tends to use humor to deflect serious questions. Knowing this however makes me more intent on finding out why he can't seem to relax anymore.
"Well I try to sound more intimidating than I am, it only works when you're close and don't look though." This elicits a small chuckle from him and I respond in kind before turning toward the more important subject of his state of mind. "Seriously though Nox is everything ok?"
"Why wouldn't it be?"
"You haven't looked comfortable since our little run in with that mutt yesterday."
I can tell by the look on his face the mere thought of the mutt makes him uneasy. "It's nothing really. Just can't get over how ugly that thing was, I mean really why did the game makers have to make it so ugly?" Here he goes again, trying to mask his feelings with humor. Well it's not going to work this time, this is far too important.
"I'm not buying it Nox so quit trying to play it off. What about that mutt scared you so much?"
He's fidgeting now, he's uncomfortable which is just wear I want him. When Nox or anyone for that matter get like this they're always more forthcoming, and right now that's exactly what he need to be. "You really want to know?"
"Would I have asked if I didn't?"
"Ok but it's really not that big a thing." He sits down across from me and takes a few deep breaths before turning his gaze skyward as he begins.
"Whatever that thing was, I think it's what killed the other things in the passage. Those things we found I mean, I think they were his food and that's why it was so aggressive with us."
"It didn't seem all that aggressive to me, honestly it seemed pretty controlled until the rain hit it."
"That's the thing though it really wasn't. You weren't in there with it like I was, after I had you run I mean. As soon as you took off I could hear the difference in it, the anger, the deep simmering anger. I could almost feel it in there and it bothers me, a lot."
"Ok say you're right about it, why would it bother you so much that it was angry. Mutts are supposed to be that way after all."
Well I didn't think it was possible but he looks more uneasy now then he did before, if anything this conversation has made his problem worse not better. This is one of the few times growing up with three tough older brothers is a bad thing. I can't relate to people who need a comforting push, all I know how to do is provide a tough one. Well that could be just what he need right now, and if his answer is anything like what i'm expecting it to be i'll have to do it.
"I just didn't think i'd run into anyone or anything like that, so violent and filled with rage. You probably think i'm being silly right now."
Well now that did it. "No you're not being silly, you're being stupid."
"What?!"
"Nox you're in a fight for your life and you're worried about how a mutt feels?! That's possibly the dumbest thing anyone could ever be afraid of."
"You don't have to be such a jerk about it Arya, you asked after all."
"I did and it's a good thing too because we're at a crossroads and I need to know I can count on you to hold up going forward."
Now he looks insulted and angry, we're getting closer to where he needs to be but we're not there quite yet. I may have to push him even farther. "If something like that upsets you so much how are you ever going to kill anyone?"
"If I have to I will."
"Really?! From the looks of it you couldn't kill anything right now. If a mutt being violent because you invaded its territory can send you off like this how will you react when another tribute is charging you, that same murderous intent in there eyes?"
"I don't know, what would you do Arya?"
I hope I look sure when I tell him this, because if I don't all this will have been for nothing, Here goes "I would do whatever I have to. Surviving the games requires nothing less."
He sits quietly for a while before a hardening resolve flashes in his eyes, the kind of thing that says he finally realizes what he has to do. "You're right, thank you Arya."
He gets up and heads back to pack the campsite up, going out of his way to avoid looking at me as he does. I hope I didn't offend him to much, that wasn't my intent all I wanted to do was make him see how naive he was being about the mutt. I head over and help where I can and in no time our supplies are loaded up and Nox slings the bag across his body and makes his way toward the nearest ladder well.
"Come on we need to look for food and our best bet is one of the islands out there." Well at least he's taking charge for a change, I just hope it's a good thing.
Kradus Valentine(District 6)
"GAHHHHHHHHH! What are you doing you sadistic little freak?!" His only response is to let another freakish chuckle go as he continues with whatever he's doing behind the sheet separating the upper and lower halves of my torso. He's been 'working on his masterpiece' since he caught me over a day ago and the pain has been the only constant since.
It started small, an incision here, a scrape there, but over the last little while it's gotten much worse. I lost all the feeling in my right leg and the left is starting to go numb too and all that's done is make him mad. Whatever he's doing down there he wants me to feel it and the fact that I can't has made him more violent with his work.
Perhaps sensing that his torture is losing it's effect he stands up and makes his way around to me, laying his small blood covered flaying knife on the table as he does. "You know Kradus this really is my best work yet, when i'm done you'll be the talk of the town."
"I'm sure I will, Kradus the idiot who got overpowered by the nut job from Ten."
The shift in his facial expression is so sudden I almost miss it, then as quickly as it appeared it's gone again hidden behind a mask of cold and calculated ruthlessness. I knew there was something wrong with Scythe from the first time I saw him, I just didn't know how messed up he truly was. Since being taken prisoner however i've been granted a front row seat to his inner workings and it's lead me to one inescapable conclusion. Scythe is a remorseless, emotionless monster. I have no doubt he's going to kill me, the only question is can I make him do it before he tortures me into a pile of scarred flesh and serrated organs?
"There you go again trying to anger me, well it won't work Kradus. I'm going to have my fun and then you have my permission to die." He chuckles to himself again as he makes his way back around the sheet and resumes his work, this time with more vigor than before. The room is filled with a complication of humming and slashing, which for the most part seems to be localized in my numb leg so at least I can't feel it.
"GAHHHHHHHHH!" I don't know what he did but that was the most painful one yet.
"Well if my guess is correct that should fix our little problem. So Kradus tell me, how do you feel now?"
"How do you think it feels you little prick?! Why don't we trade places and i'll show you?!" The worst part is I know what he really meant by his question but I hope denying him an answer will cause him to move on.
"Now Kradus I can tell you're hiding something, but what could it be? Maybe if i twist my knife like this you'll tell me." His knife plunges into the heel of my right leg and I feel every single pang as it does. I do my best to avoid giving him the satisfaction of hearing me scream, but as he twirls the blade around in my foot I loose all control and let loose with a pain filled scream.
"GAHHHHHHHHH! Please Scythe stop, i'm begging you to just kill me."
"Now if I do that how will you ever see my finished product? After all i'm doing all of this for you, it would be rude of you to leave before you saw the finished work."
Despite my best effort tears begin to streak down my face as the pain becomes too much to bear, and with the loss of my last shred of dignity I begin to beg. Beg for him to show even an ounce of humanity and end my suffering now, to let me die with what little self respect I have left.
"Your pleas are falling on deaf ears Kradus. I still have much I can learn from you and i'm not about to spoil my own fun by letting you die now."
"What could you possibly learn from me Scythe?"
As his face comes back into view I immediately regret asking, the look of glee on his face can only mean there are some truly horrific things in store for me before I finally die.
"For starters I can learn so much about human vocal cords from you. I tried to work with the Avox cords during my session but I was pressed for time. With you however I can finally get down to the nitty gritty of how they work, what makes a voice sound like it does, and so much more Kradus. You should feel honored that I chose you to be my test subject."
I begin to sob again, almost uncontrollably as he details the finer points of what he hopes to do with my vocal cords. "I may even keep them with me, just in case I find another potential 'assistant' later on down the road. If i'm lucky I can even implant your cords into their throat, see if it's the cords or the person that make the voice."
"Why would you do that?! You are seriously messed up Scythe."
"It's all in the name of science naturally. You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. Now I think we should begin with the procedure, but it will go much easier if you're not thrashing about and talking."
Turning my head I notice the same rag he's used to keep my unconscious clutched in his had, a dark wet spot signaling that he'd applied whatever he uses to do it already. As he approaches me I begin to thrash about, hoping against hope that with the last of my strength I can break free and escape. I can't and a few seconds later the rag covers my nose and mouth and my resistance begins to ebb, a few moments later I fall into a deep and terrifying slumber.
Scythe Taron(District 10)
Now that Kradus is finally silent I can begin my work. I honestly could have kept him awake for the procedure but that would have heightened the chances of a mistake, and at this junction I refuse to let that happen. After all the chances of me getting another person to work on are already low enough, but to get two would be impossible so Kradus will have to do for the first part of my plan.
I make a small incision running from the base of his throat up to just above his adam's apple doing my best to cut deep enough to open it but not to nick an artery or god forbid his windpipe. This is why I needed him to be unconscious, I could never do this with the necessary precision if he was talking the whole time.
My first cut wasn't deep enough so I do my best to perform a second incision along the same line, adding just enough extra pressure to sink in another quarter of an inch at most. This time i'm rewarded as I catch sight of a cord nestled within the spasming muscle tissue and blood of the cut. I do my best to clear the site of the excess blood but it's a losing battle, and after a few tries I decide to work around it rather than waste time trying to remove it.
As the blood continues to flow though it begins to annoy me, and that's when I reach for the remains of the shirt Kradus had been wearing when I caught him. Tearing off a small strip I ball it up and place it at the site of the flow and apply steady pressure. It takes a bit but before to long the flow has ceased and I can finally work in peace.
I begin by taking a few mental snapshots of the configuration and general appearance of his cords and throat, and i'm relieved to see that it shares a few similarities with the animals I worked with back in Ten. That's good in that it gives me a better idea of where to start when it comes time to remove the cords. I also notice that his throat muscles are continuing to contract and expand in a way that would suggest fear, or at least mild discomfort. The realization makes me laugh a little and before I know it I have to set my tools down as a full bodied one overcomes my self control.
Getting back to work I'm struck by the sadness of Hunters death. He had always been my first choice for a test subject and it had been truly heartbreaking when Vitaly had killed him. The things I could have learned from inspecting him would have kept me busy for days if not longer, but all that is in the past Kradus is the present and future, my focus has to be on him. Steeling myself for what is to come I pick my tools up and begin the delicate process of removing the vocal cords.
Maylen Valentine(Brother of Kradus Valentine)
This is almost too terrible to watch, and if my mom and younger brother weren't glued to the broadcast i'd leave the room. I can't do that to them though, Kradus had asked me to take care of them until he got back and I intend to keep my word. The only problem now is that he's not coming back, even if no one wants to admit it it's become clear that his end is near.
My mom hasn't stopped crying since the broadcast had switched to Kradus, and every word he uttered has drove a dagger into her heart and it's killing her. Watching her son, her oldest baby being tortured in such a despicable way is taking a toll on her.
"Mom please don't watch this, your last memory of Kradus should be happy not this."
The hysteria in her voice breaks my heart, even more so knowing that it's only going to get worse before it gets any better. "Don't say that Maylen, your brother is going to be just fine. Any moment now someone will put an end to this and he'll be fine, just wait and see."
It's hard to accept her naivety but I understand it at least, after all who wouldn't try to rationalize the torture of a loved one on national tv no less. While she can't seem to control her emotions my little brother Jaxon has hardly made a sound since Kradus came on. He's been curled up in a ball watching with a blank stare on his face the whole time, as is not showing emotion will make it easier for him to cope with.
After an eternity of watching the tribute working on Kradus decided he was done and begins to clean up. The cameras makes an extra effort to get a close up view of the area he was working on as he begins to sew it up with the thread from Kradus's pack and cloths. After he finishes up he cleans off his knives and simple watches as Kradus begins to stir.
A few minutes later Kradus is awake and terrified as the other boy holds a tray up to his face and laughs at his reaction. It takes me a while to make out what it is he's showing him but when I do it takes all my strength not to wretch. On the tray are a collection of what can only be Kradus's vocal cords, and he howls at his attacker in a muted rage as the other howls with laughter at the end result.
As my mother realizes what's happening she bursts into a new bout of tears and primal screaming as Kradus's attacker walks up to him and indifferently slits his throat in a smooth motion. The last sound from the feed is his hysterical laughter as the crash of the cannon rings out.
~BOOM~
A/N: Well here we have the beginning of day 4 and our first death since Lilac on day 2. With that we're down to 13 tributes in the games. I hope the chapter was worth the wait though it was a hard one to write as i'm not great with the portrayal of a psychopath like Scythe. He's fun to write but i'm not sure I do him the justice his character demands. Anyhow this takes us to the second part of day 4 which should be up on Saturday baring any unforeseen complications.
Now I have a few questions for you all :)
1. What did you think of the chapter?
2. How was the family POV?
3. Which district would you like to see get a POV for a mentor/family member next?
4. As always what can I work on to make the story better for you, the readers?
5. What do you think of the story as a whole so far?
As always I hope you review as I like to see what you all think, and i'm always open to suggestions or criticism if you feel it's warranted, just try to be specific with it so I know what to fix/change.
And as always thank you for reading and I look forward to seeing you all at the next update :D