Rifle's Spiral

"Dead lungs command it, you pour your life down the riffle's spiral"

It was a long time before they stopped running. The unutterable grief of the bloodbath moved their legs for them as they ran from death, terrified that reality might eventually catch them in their sprint. Only when the castle was growing small in the distance, and they were surrounded by nothing but small village houses did they dare pause for a breather- they had learned their lesson the first time.

"We have to stop," Avanna panted as she allowed her body to collapse against the side of one of the small cottages. Her two companions halted without saying a word. Kan's face was twisted with anguish.

"We got out, Zea said quietly.

Kan lifted his head, looking like a kicked puppy. "Not whole we didn't," he muttered back. Avanna watched Zea's face soften and then harden again. She admired the girl for her strength. It was something Rowan had too- a certain grit underneath a kind surface.

Thinking back to that moment, when Porcelain's knife effortlessly sliced through Rowan's neck, Avanna couldn't help but feel weak. Unlike Kan, her instinct wasn't to valiantly rush forwards and save her friend, and unlike Zea she didn't think to run away and preserve those that were still left. No she had froze, her will oscillating between the two choices, completely and utterly useless.

And in the end all any of them could do was watch.

Without even realizing it, Avanna could feel a sob threatening to rise in her chest. She couldn't cry though. After all, despite his dry eyes now, she had a feeling Kan would be crying enough for the both of them later.

"Shelter," Zea said suddenly, when the silence became too much for any of them to bear. "We should find shelter. Maybe one of these huts would work."

"I guess we should check one of them out for supplies anyway," Kan mumbled. Avanna nodded in agreement. None of them had been paying much attention to the scenery as they had been running, but they knew where to find water if they needed it. The castle had been surrounded by a thick moat filled with murky brown water. The moat drained on one end into a long river that winded away, tracing the exterior of the village they were passing through.

Zea led them into a random house, carefully pushing open the door. Avanna followed, her eyes examining the new environment immediately. The little cottage was simple and cozy. The front door led into a large main room that had a fireplace on the far end. Surrounding the hearth was a humble seating area, consisting mostly of hard wooden chairs surrounding a hand-made tweed carpet. On the other side of the room was what looked like a kitchen, though it was missing the electronically appliances that Avanna was used to. Mostly it was just a series of counter tops and cabinets, made out of a thick soft wood. A sturdy table was situated over there as well as more wooden chairs.

Avanna's eyes found the entrance to a hallway in between the two rooms, and silently she moved forwards, curiosity taking over. There were three bedrooms in the hallway. The one on the end was the largest, though it was still smaller than Avanna's old room on top of the jewelry store. It had a large bed, made for two, with a straw matress and a heavy wool blanket in the center of it. On the far wall was a dresser. A decorative ceramic vase rested on top of it.

Avanna could just picture a family living in here, maybe one from District Seven because everything was made of wood. They would be of a humble background, too poor to afford anything fancy like electricity, but they would be happy. This house would be like their castle. The parents would live in the room she stood in now, and the two kids would be in the ones across the hall. The ceramic vase was probably a gift to wife, one simple indulgence that probably meant the world and more to her.

With a sad smile, Avanna walked over and ran her fingers over flowers painted on the side of the vase. It was the most beautiful thing she'd seen since she'd gotten reaped. If only Rowan were here to see it too.

"Avanna you okay?" Kan's voice called out suddenly. There was a slight edge of panic in his tone, one that worried her. Hopefully he'd be okay.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, poking her head out the door. "Just looking around... Are you okay?"

Kan gave her a tired smile, one that didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah," he said with a deep sigh. "... I guess I just didn't expect to lose her this early. You know, she was my neighbor back at home. She lived just across the street."

"You've told me," Avanna said softly. She felt her heart squeeze. To think that they had only been in the arena for about an hour and a half, and yet things were already so messed up.

She could only imagine the sorry state they'd be in two weeks from now.

Outside, just a few streets over from the house that Kan, Zea, and Avanna were inside, Cutter's alliance walked through the street, Petro still clutching to the box he had risked his life for. Auden had made several small attempts to stir up a conversation, though admittedly, it wasn't something she was good at. They were all still shaken from the danger of the bloodbath.

"So you are you going to show us what you risked all our lives for or not?" Cutter finally said, as she pulled to a stop in the middle of the dirt road.

Petro gripped the wooden box tighter, feeling a wave of distrust wash over him. In the heat of battle, he had forgotten his suspicious about the two girls. Now that things had settled down though, the worries were nagging him again. He was just waiting for the knife to turn in his back. This alliance, it was too perfect. What was their ulterior motive? There had to be one. While he had this box though, he felt safe. It meant they still needed him.

"Well?" Cutter said, narrowing her eyes.

Knowing that he didn't have much else of a choice, he dropped the box onto the dirt road, and sat down beside it. "Let's find out," he said.

He turned it in his hand, searching for some sort of opening. He found it in the form of a medieval metal latch at one of the seams. Clicking it open, Petro lifted the lid. Immediately, Cutter's face broke into a deep frown. The container was filled to the brim with some sort of black grainy substance.

"So we almost died for a box of gun powder," Cutter clicked her tongue.

"At least it's something," Auden sighed in return.

Petro didn't say anything he just continued to stare at the box disappointed. Gun powder was one of the most useless weapons provided in the Games as they didn't get guns. Sometimes a particularly clever tribute would rig some kind of explosives with it, but the only person who might be smart enough for that was Auden. They both knew that even if she had the knowledge, she wouldn't use it. She was touchy on the topic of intelligence.

"Yeah, I guess so," Cutter sighed. "Just don't do anything like that again. You could've gotten us all killed."

"I won't," Petro muttered. And with a snap, he clicked the box shut, saving their weapon for later.

Crescent scurried through the field as she clutched her tunic close to her body. She had crossed the river twenty minutes earlier, and found herself in a large field filled with growing crops. Nobody would be starving in this arena. She didn't even have to be knowledgable with identifying plants. The crops were all recognizable foods, like corn, tomatoes, and lettuce. She'd taken the liberty of stuffing several vegetables into the pack she'd nabbed in the confusion of the bloodbath. Earlier she'd even seen a heard of cows grazing in a large pen.

Currently though, she had one mission, and one mission only- to get out of the sun. She needed to find some place to set up. Earlier she'd considered making residence in one of the houses in the village, but after a brief consultation with her friends, she'd decided that the houses wouldn't work. They were too close to everything. She wanted to be left alone, and if she felt like she was in a village, surrounded by other houses, she'd never get complete peace of mind.

With a determined sigh, Crescent began to walk faster. She wasn't entirely sure where she was headed- the forest maybe. She could see the trees starting to appear on the horizon. The trees would bring her the seclusion she wanted so desperately, though she'd still be exposed to the elements there. She couldn't expect perfection though. The game makers weren't going to cater to her needs.

Just as that thought crossed her mind, a grey pier caught her eye. She paused, examining the figure in the distance. It looked like a tower, tall and grey, made from the same rock that the castle had been constructed from. She changed her course, walking towards it. Perhaps it was meant to act as some kind of watch tower. She could see a lone window in the top of it. The hole peered away from the castle, towards the unknown.

It only took her a couple of minutes to make it to the tower's foot. Circling it, she discovered that on the far side, the crop fields ended, and grass began. A heavy wooden door was set in the grey stone. An iron circular handle bid her to enter. She took care to take out the slick dagger she had grabbed earlier before entering.

The moment she opened the door, a loud squealing noise filled her ears, and she slashed out with her dagger startled. Something flew into her shoulder, making her jump. The door swung closed as she backed against the wall, trying to make out this unknown threat in the dark.

Her shoulders tensed as her eyes adjusted. She was in a small circular room filled with dusty wooden crates. To her right, a staircase spiraled up into the ceiling, presumably leading to the window she had seen from the ground. Across the room though, hanging upside down on a low support beam, a dozen or so yellow beady eyes bored into her.

Then they attacked.

Swinging her dagger out, she collided the blade into one of their rodent-like bodies. It fell bloody to the ground, squealing helplessly. A sharp stinging feeling dug into her left bicep as one of them dug their talons into her. She stabbed at it, killing another one. It continued like this for another minute. She would feel one of them cut her forehead or her leg or her stomach, and then she'd attack. Before she knew it, their carcasses were surrounding her feet.

She sneered at them, kicking at their lifeless bodies. This tower was hers now, and they had to be eradicated. Kneeling down, she lifted one by a shriveled wing. It's a bat, she heard one of her friends whisper in her ear. It pleased her to find that the voice was potent, as the darkness was so extreme.

Dropping the bat back onto the ground, she crossed the room and settled down onto one of the crates. She had finally found a place where she could find some peace.

Ghram was almost sure of it now. He was dreadfully lost. Trees were surrounding him on all sides, each one looking exactly like the one before it. He missed the open fields of District Nine. He missed the security of a companion. He missed having someone to lead him.

Everything seemed new to him. Without Burnet, he was alone for the first time. Even back in District Nine, he always had someone older looking out for him. Milo had his back for as long as he could remember. Ghram was so used to following orders. In fact, it was almost what defined him. He was a follower.

Now he didn't have anyone to follow, and of course the first thing he'd done was gotten lost.

Feeling hopeless, Ghram stopped walking and sunk down against one of the tree trunks. Walking in more circles was just pointless. For the millionth time that day, he tears pricking behind his eyes. He gritted his teeth. He couldn't cry. Crying was for babies, and he wouldn't let his friends see him like that.

"Now what Burnet?" he whispered below his breath.

In his mind's eye, he watched Vlad nearly decapitate his lone ally. Violence was nothing new to Ghram, but this was taking things to a new level. He'd never seen a dead body before today, not in real life at least. He swallowed the thought just as it surfaced, thinking back to earlier that day when he had lost his breakfast in one of the plant pots lining the walls in the castle. If he wasn't careful, he'd puke again.

Looking up at the tree in front of him, he gauged the height of the canopy, wondering if he could climb to the top and steal a look around. After a minute of deliberation, he decided it was worth a shot. Grabbing onto one of the knots in the side of the trunk, he lifted himself carefully up onto the first branch, and then pulled himself up even higher. His stomach was doing somersaults as he glanced at the ground below him. He'd never climbed a tree before- he was having a lot of firsts today.

Once he was nearing the top, his view of the arena cleared. He could see the massive castle in the distance. President Snow's stain-glass window was a small ant against the grey stone, but Ghram thought he could just make out the gleam of the sun against the colorful window. Taking a few steps higher, he could see the village. Apparently he wasn't as far away from the forest break as he had thought.

Climbing back down to the ground, he felt better than he had just moments ago, more in control. That didn't change his situation though. He was still completely and utterly alone, and even he was questioning how long he was going to be able to last this way.

Back in the village, another young boy was moving under the cloudless sky. Avell, however, was feeling extremely secure. He was sitting inside one of the village houses, staring out a window carefully. The house he had chosen was just a couple hundred yards from the moat and the castle. He had chosen it for that very reason. This way, he could monitor the careers.

in his mind, he was already trying to formulate a plan. He had to destroy the Cornucopia supplies, that was clear enough. Getting rid of the career's life line had always been the first step in his Victory plan. He had known from the day he had made the decision though that it would be easier said than done, especially since he didn't have any weapons. Chewing on his lip, he stared at the castle, feeling frustrated but excited at the same time.

Wondering idly, he thought of his other competition. Any one of the outer district tributes would probably help him in his endeavor to destroy the career's alliance. Especially the two older boys from Six and Eight. He wasn't quite sure why, but they seemed to be carrying an almost personal grudge against some of the careers. Others, like maybe the girl from Ten, he might be able to talk into some sort of temporary alliance on rapport established from an urge for revenge. The boy from One did kill her District partner after all. And there was always Auden. He knew his District partner was so desperate for friends that she might do anything if he asked nicely.

Of course, he didn't want an alliance. What he really wanted was advice. He knew that going it alone was bold, that it was going to be difficult. He felt hindered without someone to bounce ideas off of. At the same time, he knew he was better off this way. Allies were only helpful for so long, then they became burdens.

Standing up, he crept back over to the door of the small house. He had decided his next move. Hopefully, it wouldn't get him killed.

The Rifle's Spiral by The Shins

A/N Sorry for the long update. I'm busy with life again. This was a short chapter with no deaths. I wanted to set a few things up, and introduce you guys to the arena more. Hopefully it wasn't too slow. There will be deaths in the next chapter.

ps QuietConspiracy just posted chapter one of her spin off story to Finding the Light where all the FtL characters go to Hogwarts. It's called One Long Year. Go check it out!

Until next time,

Tales