Sidney Fawkes, 16, District Two Male
He stops at the stairs of the hotel, looking back to see the storm start to beat down onto the plains. The water already is starting to overflow from the river, spilling onto the ground and rising faster than he can imagine. The game makers must be contracting the arena inwards to limit the amount of water needed for this. There had always been water shortages in Two for years after the war, with citizens of the district lining up for miles upon end to get water from the few rivers untouched by the mines surrounding the district. Hills of radioactive leftovers from the mines had leaked into most of the nearby rivers around the main towns of Two, killing hundreds of unaware citizens. But the Capitol had diverted the rivers and removed the water with huge hovercrafts, bringing it to who-knows-where and removing the threat of contamination from Two. He remembers his parents smiling grimly as they returned with iodized water from the stream, his father muttering something about the barbaric practice of having to fetch their own water from the river, for crying out loud! But most of all, he could remember the dry feeling in his throat as he wondered why they couldn't drink the water. He was still naive back then, naive enough to question where the Capitol had taken the water before being shushed by his parents.
Maybe this is where they took it.
He takes a step up the stairs, gazing up to the end of the stairwell. Does he really need to get to the top of the hotel? Does he really need to get to the roof?
Of course, he does. The game makers want a vicious finale on the top of this magnificent hotel, and that's what they'll get. If he doesn't comply, he'll just be another cannon in the wind.
And the wind is howling angrily right now, blowing into the open hotel doors as he starts to climb up to the top. Before he disappears around the first turn, he's peppered with drops of rain and the wind pushing him up. He's choosing the right thing. He doesn't need to go out into the storm.
As he starts to run up, he sees a little girl open a door and hurry up the stairs, looking down at him with wide, calculating eyes before racing up the stairs. He runs after her, fingering the spear of the girl from Eight. He had grabbed it from her after the stampede, tucking his knife away in his shirt. He had needed a larger weapon in future fights. He couldn't rely on his knife and whatever animals were around him to help distract opponents. The spear granted him security. He was finally able to fight with others. He can fight against that ax of the girl from Seven. And he can kill that last member of the pride.
He laughs that he's still keeping the same nickname for the girl, but he finds it comforting to continue to use the same names. It adds a level of comfort to this stress-filled arena. It makes him feel more comfortable with killing them.
And the anonymity makes it easier to forget.
He keeps jogging up the stairs, his muscles slightly burning as he reaches the door to the roof. But he's there, and he takes a small break before entering the final battle. He wants to rest, he needs to rest.
But then he sees the lion bounding up the stairs.
The lion pounces towards him, slamming into the door as Sidney ducks to the side. The lion falls back down the stairs until it reaches the fifth floor, leaping back onto its feet and snarling madly at Sidney. But behind its ferocious teeth, Sidney can see fear written into his face. The lion is afraid.
He throws his spear at the lion, the spear piercing the side of the lion and sinking into the golden fur. Blood starts to drip onto the floor and the lion roars, lurching from side to side as it charges at Sidney once more.
Sidney grabs his knife, aiming for the eyes. It's always the eyes that he's been told to go for on wild animals, Mother had always said it's a weak spot for almost any creature. Take away vision, take away their power.
He stabs the lion in the eye, yelling in pain as the lion bites at his hand. He can feel the teeth sinking into his left hand, piercing pain emitting from his hand.
But then it collapses to the ground and the teeth let go, leaving a shivering Sidney still standing in the stairwell. He looks down at the once-magnificent beast and shakes his head, grabbing the spear and tugging it out of the stab wound. Then he turns around and walks up to the door, reaching with his hand for the doorknob.
But before he opens the door, it opens and smashes into his head, sending him flying down the stairs and onto the corpse of the lion. He yells aloud and reaches for his spear, a feeling of throbbing pain engulfing his head. But as he stands up and looks at the door, he realizes who has knocked him down the stairs.
It's the girl from Seven.
She stares at Sidney with surprise, not even moving as she observes the dead lion behind him. And then she nods, throwing her ax at his face. It's so unexpected, he's almost hit in the face.
But he ducks instinctively and runs at her with his spear, brandishing his weapon and causing the girl to widen her eyes in surprise. She steps to the side as he charges through the door, her foot sticking out just enough to send him flying into the gravel of the rooftop.
He starts to pick the pieces of bloody gravel out of his face as she runs down to her ax, grabbing the weapon and back towards him. But he's ready this time, blocking her attack with the piece of metal. It's when the ax deflects off of the metal shaft and away from him when he's truly grateful for the weapon for the first time. Even though he hasn't used it before, it's managed to save him.
And he'll use that second chance well.
He stabs at her with the spear, missing her as the girl steps to the side and swings again. He jumps away from her and attacks again, smiling grimly as it catches her in the side and pushes her down. But she jumps back up to her feet before he can properly stab her, glaring at him with angry, deliberate eyes.
And he attacks again, just barely missing her and stumbling right by her. It's then when he notices that the girl's arm is bandaged up, the bandages slightly pink from the blood that she had lost. She's weakened.
And he can defeat her.
The sound of a cannon makes both of them jump, thunder rumbling alongside the announcement of another death. And then the Capitol anthem starts to play dimly besides the storm, causing Sidney to laugh through his focus. It was ironic that he was about to be shown the faces of the dead in a battle for his life. But he's not going to pay attention. That's because the girl's just managed to clip his bad leg with her ax.
He yells and stabs at her, landing a graze on the side of her chest. She yelps and steps away, letting Sidney run to the other side of the roof. She follows him slowly but turns around as two more kids spill onto the roof. The girl from Three is being pursued by the boy from Five with a needle, the boy laughing wildly as he chasing the girl. But as he runs, she stops and falls to the ground, causing the sprinting boy to trip over her and land right next to the edge of the roof. And as he stands back up, the girl gives him a hard push in the centre of his chest. That's all it takes to send him spiraling into the dark air, screaming all the way before a massive splash and another cannon sounds into the air.
Sidney looks away just in time to see the girl charge at him again, her ax rising into the air as she prepares to give him a killing blow. But she doesn't know that Sidney is too fast to be struck by that. He leaps away and swings his spear into her side, the shaft of the spear sending her off balance. He stabs her in the leg before she has a chance to regain her balance, rewarding him with a scream of pain. But she attacks before he has a chance to celebrate, leaping on him and swinging wildly with her ax.
He grabs her hand with the ax just before it smashes into his face, the sheer strength of his arm keeping the blade from touching his forehead. But the girl pushes back, and she's strong. Inch by inch, the ax moves towards his face. It soon touches his nose, the sharp metal slicing into his skin and causing his nose to bleed. She's almost won.
But he won't let her.
He flips to his side, throwing the girl off of her and into the gravel. He winces as the pebbles dig into his skin, but gets up and charges towards the girl. She stands up slowly and screams as the spear stabs into her chest, Sidney wrenching it out quickly so that the wound won't rely on the spear to plug it up. She falls back down onto the gravel, her eyes staring up at the sky. She nods once as Sidney approaches her, closing her eyes and clenching her fist as the blood spurts out of her.
He slashes her neck quickly, slicing through both of her veins. It's a quick death for the girl. It's the least he can give the one person who had enough strength and courage to volunteer for these games, no matter her motives.
Her cannon booms into the sky and he looks up, seeing the girl from Twelve standing to the side of the roof. Her eyes are wide and she's holding a knife, ready to fight him in case he approaches her next. She'll be any easier kill, thank Panem. He almost lost everything in that fight. But he's in the final three.
He's not going to lose.
A scream from the girl from Three causes him to turn around, watching her hit a crocodile who had managed to get onto the roof wildly as it runs towards the edge. She hits it in the eye as it bites down on her leg, rearing wildly before stumbling at the edge. The two topple down, and nothing can be heard until a cannon booms in the air.
More animals spill onto the roof as he and the girl from Twelve look at each other with nervous eyes, each ready to fight. As the girl takes a step towards him, the animals all run away from the tributes and off of the roof. Splashes can be heard in the water and roars of pain, leaving only Sidney and the girl. And just like that, the metal door slams shut. He can hear the lock click, leaving them trapped on the top of the roof. It's the finale. It's the finale.
He nods towards the girl, and she nods again before whispering something under her lips. They look up at one another, and Sidney quietly counts to three before taking a step towards her. He's ready to fight.
And the tributes charge.
I finished another chapter! Yay!
Also, it's hilarious how I've basically sprinted to do the last half of this story in 11 days XD let's see if I can't keep my streak going!
Well, now it means that we're into the finale! Two tributes, two submitters, and only one victor :O I hope I can get the next chapter out quickly, but, seeing as it's a long one due to the finale, we might get it on Friday or Saturday rather than tomorrow. But let's hope for the best! I always try to hope for that in this story XD
4th: Adira Hemlock, District Seven Female, killed by Sidney Fawkes.
3rd: Hallie Vista, District Three Female, killed by crocodile.
Adira - the main antagonist/anti-hero, you were such a fun character. Your serious nature and observance lead to a few big storylines, like the assault on the hotel and Ashira learning more about herself. You were a great character, but you underestimated Sidney. His spy training was too much for you in the end, but you were both worthy competitors. Rest in peace, my first volunteer.
Hallie - OMG you were possibly my fave OC ever! You were so serious and smart, yet you turned out to be flexible as well! The bomb moment and your bluffing of the audience was GOLD, and you didn't deserve this untimely death. I'm going to miss you for a while, and know that you deserved more ;)
And now it's the finale. The next chapter will be structured differently than other arena chapters, with it focusing on the mentors, rather than the tributes. But remember, it's all just a fun story, so don't get upset if your favourite character dies ;) I love both Sidney and Ashira, and they both deserve the best, but only one can win. So, be ready for a great finale!
Also, PLEASE don't skip down to the end to see who wins. I'm putting a lot of work into this story, and I don't want to have the victor revealed like that for you guys. Enjoy that chapter! Until next time, TheAmazingJAJ