The voice of Claudius Templesmith has just finished announcing the start of the games. Leaving only 60 seconds on the clock for the tributes to get their bearings.
Naomi spins around on her platform, taking in the arena. She stands on a pedestal in water. To her left is the male from District 11. To her right, a thing rocky path leading from a small island in the centre of the arena to the rest of the land. On the small island is the cornucopia with a pile of weapons all in the mouth of the horn. Breaking off of the island is twelve paths similar to the one to her right. Like spokes on a wheel.
She turns around, to the tributes backs is a sandy beach which turns to thick jungle.
"59...58...57...56."
Alyss. The name is Sebastian's second order of business once figuring out the arena. To his right is the male from 7 who seems to be tasting the water. Further down, the male from 4, female from 5.
"Sebastian!" The voice calls out.
He turns, facing his left to see Alyss closeby. Only the female from District 12 between them. She is looking at the two from 2, figuring out that they will likely have their strategy worked out.
The female from 12, Sarah, begins to predict their moves. Will they flee? Both rush into the bloodbath? Will only one go well the other takes watch? Sarah knows she could take on Alyss in combat, should she just go for her as soon as the gong sounds and separate the married couple right off the bat?
"44...43...42...41."
Harmony gets on her tiptoes, waving in the air.
Callum, who stands three tributes from her, gives her a wave to confirm that he now knows her position.
"29...28...27."
Claudie removes the necklace from her neck. Her token into the arena. One of the few things she holds dear to her. But this is the Hunger Games. Despite not wanting to part with the accessory, she needs to do whatever it takes to ensure her survival. Even if that means parting with treasured possessions such as the necklace. She twirls the pendant between her fingers. Her wedding ring.
She closes her eyes, remembering:
"Otto," Claudie mumbled, "please."
"I'm sorry, hun...I can't do this anymore. I can't be your rock...It's too much."
He walked out the door, leaving the wedding ring on the counter. His final gift to her.
"5...4...3..."
Claudie opens her eyes, squeezes the ring and chain, and flings it to her left.
Stevie can only gasp as he sees the metal chain fly through the air, right for him. His only chance to survive is to catch it.
He leans forward, bends his knees, his hands spread out to catch the pendant. Time itself seeming to slow as the ring lands within Stevie's grasps. He clasps the ring of it but the chain is another story. Before he can yank the necklace to safety, the chain hits the water.
BAAAAAM!
The gong sounds.
Claudie dives into the waves, to her right, heading straight for the rocky spoke.
the other tributes aren't as quick. The sudden explosion, the height of water in the sky, the painful screams of a tribute as he is blown off his pedestal by the land mind embedded in the side of the platform he stood on. It all takes the tributes attentions, allowing Claudie a few seconds head start.
Boom!
Lea is next to react, leaping into the deep water. Cypress, Jack, Mercedes. All recover from the distraction the fastest, gaining a slight lead on the others.
Claudie grabs onto the rocks and drags herself up. She is the first one to get out of the water. Stumbling to her feet she bolts for the cornucopia. She sees most of the other tributes have at least gotten into the water. A shy few still on top of their platforms either unsure of the water or unknown of how to swim.
Alyss grabs onto the rocky edge and pulls herself up but freezes. Above her stands a male, Daniel. He towers over her, dripping of water, catching his bearings. Then, he glances down at her. Given an advantage that he does not take. Daniel bolts off, away from the cornucopia.
Alyss watches as the male hurries away before pulling herself back up onto the rocks.
Daniel, Verizon, Cypress, and Mercedes have fled the bloodbath and are now venturing into the jungle.
Lea reaches the cornucopia. She sees the wet, rusty-brown hair of Claudie waving in the air as she runs away, down another spoke. Lea could chase after her but from the look of a scavenged cluster of knives, Claudie has already obtained at least one weapon. Attacking her could be dangerous.
Lea takes a quick glance at the insides of the golden horn. All weapons. No survival supplies. She pushes the lack of survival items to the back of her mind and grabs a spear and knife. Weapons in hand, she turns to the spokes.
From the cornucopia, she can see almost half of the rocky paths. Down three of them, tributes are rushing towards the cornucopia. The closest one being Milo, to her left.
Lea throws her spear first but Milo is the quickest of the victors. He avoids the spear with ease by diving to his right, plunging into the blue waters.
He surfaces again, taking a deep breath. The adrenaline and pounding of his heart making it near impossible to hold his breath. He grabs onto the rocky edge of the island and begins to pull himself up when Lea leaps towards him.
She wraps her arm around his head, the two falling back into the water. Milo is quick but Lea is a better swimmer. She drags him under the waves.
Milo claws at Lea's face, trying to get out of her grasps to get back to land but she holds onto the top of his hair tightly. He reaches for her eye but then notices the red tinge of the water around him. The adrenaline has blocked out all the pain.
Lea rips the knife out of Milo's side. She stabs him through the chest.
Boom!
"Aah!" Duncan hollers.
He claws at the rocks but Jack yanks him back into the water. CRK! Duncan's nail snaps off as he grabs at the surface to no avail.
Jack slams Duncan's head into the rocky edge. Duncan's nose snapping. He pulls Duncan's head back, slamming him back into the rocks. Pulls his head back.
Jack is about to deliver another harmful blow when a hand reaches down, picking Jack up like he weighs no more than a feather.
Maximus lifts Jack right out of the water, away from Duncan. His muscles tense as he throws Jack on the opposite side of the spoke.
SPLASH!
"You okay?" Maximus asks as he reaches down, helping Duncan out of the water.
"I almost had him," Duncan mumbles.
Maximus looks back at Jack who has already begun to swim back. Then, he looks at Duncan who is dizzy from the recent hits to his head. "Good luck," Maximus says, "Don't make your children ashamed of you."
It's a failed attempt at lighting a very bleak moment.
Duncan just grasps Maximus's shoulder, wishes him luck, and staggers off for the woods. Maximus heading for the cornucopia.
Sarah reaches the cornucopia. She is quick. Snatching a few knives and an axe. Weapons in hand, she whips around the edge of the golden horn only to see Sebastian.
Sarah gasps. Sebastian stumbles back but it isn't fast enough. Sarah swings her axe in defence, slashing into Sebastian's forearm. He lets out a holler and falls back, allowing Sarah to flee.
Naomi has reached the island. She whips her head both ways, seeing who else has now reached the island and is going for the cornucopia when she spots Hayley about a spoke down, just coming up to the island.
The rage is almost instant. Her body shaking no longer with fear and adrenaline but with anger. She killed her child!
Naomi turns from the cornucopia and instead runs straight for Hayley. Her only focus, her only care, everything pooled for the girl who killed her child. Finally, she will have revenge.
BANG!
Lea slams right into Naomi's side, pushing her to the ground.
Hayley runs along the rough terrain for the cornucopia. From the corner of her eye, she can see two tributes fighting. Lea and Naomi. Lea on top of her, knife in hand, stabbing Naomi over and over. Thick red blood pouring along the rocks into the water.
Boom!
Hayley rushes to the cornucopia. The first thing she finds is a sword. There is someone behind her. A change in the air, shift on the ground, something makes the hairs on the back of her neck stick straight up.
Hayley turns around, swinging the sword. The metal meets flesh. Blood splattering into the air. A scream followed.
Anastasia grips at her throat as she drops to her knees. The sword having torn into her neck. The girl from 1 falls onto her back, her legs kicking in the air as she struggles through the pain.
Hayley is unsure what to do. Finish her off? Flee? Flight wins out and Hayley runs around the squirming woman, running for the woods.
Boom!
Harmony waits at the edge of the island. She watches carefully, cautiously. The female from District 11 running right by her. Not bothering with attacking Harmony but focused on getting to the supplies in the cornucopia.
A hand suddenly grabs Harmony's shoulder.
"Aah!" Harmony screams.
Link pushes her aside. The girl having blocked the entire spoke. "Move," he mumbles. He rushes past the girl.
Link rushes, at least as fast as he can move, towards the cornucopia.
"Harmony, are you okay!?" Callum reaches her.
"I'm fine, we got to get to the cornucopia." Harmony still breaths heavy from her brief encounter.
Link shuffles past the mouth of the cornucopia. Inside, Laura and Lea go at it. The two girls fighting over some of the weapons. Link just grins, it means they will be distracted. A few feet away lays the body of the girl from 1, a spear beside her.
Link snatches the spear in his hands and hurries back for the woods. He just reaches the spoke when a rock slams into the back of his head. Link collapses into the water, not moving.
Jack drops the bloody rock, reaching into the water to pluck the spear out before it sinks.
Boom!
Jack looks around the island from where he stands. Most of the tributes have fled. A small number lay on the ground or float in the water. Some continue to fight near the cornucopia. But there is one away from the fight...Waiting...Alyss.
She stands near the water, her eyes at the cornucopia waiting for her husband to come back with weapons...Alone.
Sebastian flees from the cornucopia, having enough weapons for both Alyss and himself. The remainder of tributes converging on the cornucopia for the last amount of fights.
Sebastian checks over the area. His wife, Alyss, she was just here. Waiting. "Alyss!?" Sebastian hollers.
The sudden splash of waves catches his attention. Sebastian can see it. Tributes wrestling in the water. the tint of red mixing with the blue. The greying hair of his wife. Then the painful sound...
Boom!
Finally, some people have died XD
A lot of you have chosen to hide out in your strategies and I'm sure a lot of you realize it is the same arena from the book and hiding is basically impossible so all your strategies just got royally screwed over.