Luell Berring-13(D5M)
I can't believe I let myself get talked into this, I mean I've let myself get roped into a lot of crazy plans and schemes in my life but this has to be the single most outrageous one yet. Sure the plan seems sound and I can't for the life of me find a real flaw in our goal per say but it still seems a little far-fetched to me. Then again I've never been the most tactically proficient person and outside of humor and sarcasm, I've never been much of a judge of character or personality so maybe I'm just not seeing the opportunity Quanta and Drago are.
"Ok, Dargo is just about finished tying off the trap so if you have any last-minute questions before you head out this is the time to ask them."
I have a zillion questions honestly, but I'm not sure any of them are really worth asking. After all, I'm the one that talked Quanta into letting me play the bait so I don't want to give her any reason to doubt my ability or commitment to doing so right before we set the board in motion. Then again my dad always told Abner and me the only stupid question is the one you don't ask, but he's never been in the arena before so I'm not sure how applicable his advice is in this situation.
"Luell are you sure you're ok?"
"Huh….? Oh yeah, I'm fine, why do you ask?"
"Well for starters you have that same 'I'm so scared I could crap myself' look you had during the individual sessions. Not to mention that this is the quietest you've been since I met you and considering how little you talk normally that's saying something."
"I'm fine Quanta, really I am. I'm just trying to prepare myself mentally for what I'm about to do."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Yes, but I don't want to spend what could be my last few minutes of life dwelling on this either."
"Well, then we'll just talk about the general stuff then and not about the specifics."
"The problem is all of the general things are directly connected to the specifics. It's impossible to talk about one without touching on the other."
"I see, so what specifically is it then that's got you so flustered?"
"Outside of the ten million things that could go wrong with this plan?"
"Yes, outside of those."
"Honestly I just never thought this would be something I'd be in the middle of. From the second my name was read at the reapings until this moment I never dreamed for one second that I'd be trying to get the most dangerous tributes in the arena to follow me. Like no one in their right mind wants another tribute to follow then let alone the career pack but here I am getting ready to try and get them to chase me. I never thought that this would be how it ends."
"I know what you mean, I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I'd be setting a trap to kill someone. I've worked on some pretty cool little gadgets and explosives in my short life but I never thought about the practical application of them in a setting like this until just recently. The very idea that something that came out of my mind could be used to end someone else's life is terrifying to me, and if our lives weren't on the line too I'm not sure I'd have the guts to even try something like this."
"I would never have guessed you were worried, you seemed so sure and confident last night when we were planning everything."
"I'm not worried about the plan; I'm worried about what doing this means for me and what it'll mean for you and Dargo."
"What do you mean?"
"My parents always taught me to use my brain to help people yet here I am laying a trap that's fully meant to kill people and even though I know I'm supposed to feel bad about it I really don't. I mean I feel bad that someone's probably going to die and I'm a little scared that I could be the cause of it and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about what my friends and family are going to think of me doing something like this, but I really don't feel bad about doing it. That probably doesn't make any sense but I'm not sure how else to explain it."
"No it makes perfect sense and I'm in the same boat. Not that I'm anywhere close to as smart as you but I've always been taught that hurting someone is wrong, but I just don't know if I really feel sorry for doing this or if I'm subconsciously trying to prepare to explain myself to my family if I make it back to Five."
I'm not sure what else there is for the two of us to say and unfortunately, it looks like Quanta feels the same way and all too quickly our incredibly awkward and uncomfortable conversation devolves into an even more awkward and uncomfortable silence. For what seems like an eternity the two of us just sit there and trade awkward glances until Dargo finally finishes putting the finishing touches on the trap and mercifully interjects himself into our silent discussion.
"Ok I think I've got everything set up but I don't think we should go back inside unless we absolutely have too. So what's next?"
We all know what's next but I'm not sure I'm any more prepared for it then I was a little while ago, hell if anything I'm probably less prepared because I've had extra time to let all my doubts and question bubble up. I try my best to bury my fears and look confident as Quanta quickly scrambles to her feet and moves to tie off the little fishing line that's supposed to serve as our trip hazard. After she finishes she motions for Dargo and me to join her by the entrance where she's currently trying to cover the rope running along the ground with enough sand to hide its presence from wandering eyes.
"Ok so let's go over everything one more time. Luell you'll head down the wadi and try and draw the careers into following you, now it's vitally important that they do follow so do whatever you have to but make sure you get them to commit."
"Got it."
"Good, now once they start chasing you make your way back up along the wadi and towards the entrance here. Now the area where we broke off the rocks is where the trip line is, we did this to make sure you can avoid it but do your best to not draw attention to the fact that you're stepping over something. Once you're over the line head as far back as you can and take cover because as soon as the careers hit the ground on the trap Dargo and I will pull the supports out from either side of the doorway and drop the rocks on their heads. Once they're out cold we'll meet you at the door and we'll scavenge what we can off them and then get the hell out of here. Any questions?"
She looks between Dargo and I a couple of times and when neither of us offers anything up she offers the two of us a small smile before throwing her arms around each of us in turn and wrapping us in a surprisingly strong and reassuring hug. After she finally pulls away from me I catch the faintest of glimpses of tears streaming down her cheeks but she brushes them away before I can be completely sure she really is crying but as she utters what may well be the final words I'll ever hear her say I can detect the faintest quivers in her otherwise confident and sure voice.
"If we all play our parts right we'll all be three steps closer to home at the end of this, just hold onto that and I know we'll get this done. Good luck to us all and we'll see you once this is over Luell."
Iona Harrowell-13(D4F)
I can't help but think this is just too easy, I mean we've spent the last two days without seeing so much as a trace of anyone or anything at all and now just when we need it most we find two sets of track leading away from our camp and up into this canyon. Every fiber of my being is screaming that this has to be a trap or at the very least a concentrated effort to lure us into an ambush or a mutt attack, but I can't seem to convince Aldrin and Antonia that this might be to goo to be true.
"I'd like to state once more for the record that this is a very bad idea."
"You've made your opinion abundantly clear Iona, and Antonia and I decided against playing it safe. This is one of those cases where throwing caution to the wind is more advantageous than taking it slow."
"Ok, once more this isn't just about playing it safe or taking things slow it's just common freaking sense. We don't know who or what left those tracks and we don't know where they might be hiding. I know we have to take chances eventually but this seems like an incredibly unnecessary one to be taking especially when we don't need to take it."
"For the last time Iona we just can't sit around and wait for tributes to run across us. The Capitol has to be getting anxious for some action out of its best tributes by now."
I really wish I could poke a couple of holes in his argument but I can't for the life of me see a real flaw in what he's saying. Sure it's never a good idea to go looking for trouble like we are right now but when you have a grand total of three regular kills and a mercy kill for the entire career alliance out of the twelve or so kills so far it's not exactly a good thing.
Then again we were in an incredibly powerful position when we held the cornucopia, we had all the excess water and we controlled the only crossroads for the entire arena and we just abandoned it to go hunting. I know careers are supposed to go out and look for kills and stuff like that but it just seems wasteful to me, after all, we sacrificed Alex to win control of the cornucopia and then we just abandoned it to whoever might want it without taking advantage of what it had to offer.
Then again it's not like it really matters now anyway, it's too late to go back so there's no use in waxing nostalgic or wondering what might have been. No now it's time to devote myself to surviving the oppressively sweltering heat of the arena and hoping to end the games before we actually have to regret leaving so much of the water behind when we struck out into the arena proper.
Trying to ignore the zillionth bead of sweat to run down into my eyes I pull my canteen out of one of my inner pockets and quickly screw the lid off and gulp down the last few swallows I have before sorrowfully replacing the cap and tucking it back inside next to the little seashell I brought with me from home. I quickly find myself lost in the wonderful memories I have of the water and the cool sea breeze whipping against my face and for a small window in time the sand and the heat are gone and free and happy again.
However my happiness is all too fleeting and within just a few minutes I'm rudely torn away from my happy place and drug back into the present where a torrential downpour of sweat is currently covering my face and stinging my eyes as I try and force myself to keep walking.
"Hay can I borrow someone's water for a second? I need to get the hair and sweat out of my eyes and I'm empty."
I can hear the incredibly dramatic and overly exasperated sigh of impatience from Aldrin as he stops and takes up a lookout position at the front of our little column while Antonia takes me by the hand and gently guides me over to a rock on the edge of the trail. She helps me sit down and a few seconds later I feel the refreshing kiss of a damp cloth as she tries to wipe enough of the excess sweat off my face to adequately flush my eyes out without wasting any more water than she has to.
It takes a few minutes but eventually she manages to clear enough of the tangled mess away that I can finally see again and a few seconds later she has me looking up at the sky while she gently pours a small but steady stream of cool water into my now bloodshot eyes.
"That should help you see a bit better for the time being but you're going to need to find a way to keep the sweat out of your eyes. If we have to keep doing this every hour or so we're going to run out of water before too long."
She pulls back and asks me for my empty canteen as Aldrin paces impatiently back and forth a few feet away with his machete held at the ready even though there's absolutely nothing remotely threatening anywhere in sight. I pass Antonia my canteen and she quickly un-slings her supplies and pulls out one of our two remaining unopened gallons of water and gently sets it aside before pulling out a half-empty bottle and quickly filling her canteen as well as mine and then tossing the now empty bottle way with a slightly saddened huff.
"Could you two hurry up, at this rate the games will be over before we find anyone else?"
It's only there for a couple of seconds but I manage to catch the distinct outline of a smile on Antonia's face for the briefest of moments before it's quickly replaced by the same impassive scowl she's had since Alex died. She quickly re-packs and shoulders her supplies before extending her hand to me which I take after a half second or so of hesitation. No sooner has she helped me to my feet then Aldrin lets out a startled gasp followed by a string of surprisingly incoherent words. Fortunately, I'm spared from having to ask what he's trying to say as Antonia beats me to it by a country mile but unfortunately, her temper is much shorter than mine is and her question comes out in a snappy and slightly angry sounding remark.
"Slow down and talk like a human Aldrin, It's too damn hot for us to be playing guess what I'm trying to tell you."
I'm forced to stifle a grin as Antonia's face is hilariously contorted in a mix of anger and disbelief while Aldrin quickly scampers back to us and points towards whatever it is that's got him so worked up. For a moment my eyes just scan the area he's pointing too without any luck in seeing whatever it is he sees however after my third or fourth pass I catch a glimmer of movement out of the corner of my left eye and within a few seconds I'm locked in on the slowly retreating forum of the boy from Five.
I try to caution Aldrin against doing something rash but before I even get a word out he's darting off towards him at a near sprint. A few seconds later Antonia's taking off after them while trying to fish her darts out of her belt and despite the little voice in the back of my head screaming at me not to follow I quickly find myself pulling my sword out of the makeshift scabbard slung across my back and giving chase as well. For better or worse it looks like we're about to see the action Aldrin's been so desperate to see, I just hope this doesn't end up being as big a mistake as my gut thinks it is.
Quanta Bomm-13(D3F)
I never thought waiting would be this hard. I have plenty of experience with slow and extremely delicate procedures like rewiring electronics and soldering connections on cards to make them do different things but something about sitting here and waiting for something specific and incredibly necessary to happen is the most impossibly nerve racking experience of my entire life. The fact that I can't talk to Dargo either hasn't helped matters but I'm not sure what exactly we'd talk about anyway, it's not like there's a whole lot left to say about what we're doing and after my little talk with Luell I'm kind of all talked out.
I guess this is supposed to be the calm before the storm Zapp warned me about, the period of calm before all hell breaks lose and the dying starts. I felt like this before the bloodbath started but I didn't realize just how painfully nerve wracking it really is to sit and patiently wait for an opponent that has no idea you're there and I guess that makes all the difference between an all out fight and a trap, with traps only the setter is nervous while during a fight everyone is.
The waiting is getting to be too much but just as I'm starting to feel like I can't take it anymore I hear the unmistakable terrified disembodied voice that belongs to Luell calling out for help and a few seconds later I hear a distinctly male but otherwise indiscernible voice taunting him. I can't make out all the words but from the few of them I do pick up I'm kind of glad I couldn't hear it all, it didn't seem all that polite after all. Knowing it's dangerous but needing a line of sight on the targets I risk a quick peek and am rewarded by the sight of Luell running for all he's worth followed by the career trio in a closed but noticeably staggered line running after him.
I quickly duck back down behind my rock and brush away a couple of stray tears before wrapping my rope around my hand and pulling it up to my chest. After a few seconds, I slip my feet underneath my legs and push myself up into a crouching kneel and pulling the rope as taught as I can without exposing what Dargo and I haphazardly tried to bury in the sand.
A few seconds late my breathing has become labored and terrified as the longer I wait the more my mind wanders to the laundry list of potential tragedies that could have befallen Luell in the maybe minute and a half since I last saw him and while most of them are outrageous and completely impossible given the distinct lack of a cannon blast I can't stop my mind from wandering and the more it does the more and more anxious I become.
Finally, after what seems like an eternity I hear the distinctive sound of footfalls on the surrounding stone as Luell and his pursuers transition from the soft sand to the solid stone surrounding the entrance and despite everything I can't help but let myself breathe a small sigh of relief, despite all my worries and concerns it's starting to look like this plan might actually work. Unfortunately, my joy is short lived as a few seconds later I hear the unmistakable thud of a body hitting the ground which is quickly followed by a shriek of terror as the boy from Six grabs Luell by the collar of his shirt and jerks him back to his feet.
"You little shit. You ran all the way out here and made us chase you all this way just to trip and fall, that's got to be the most pathetic way to go I've ever seen."
I'm tempted to pull the rope but the sound of more footsteps causes me to hesitate for a fraction of a second but it's during that fraction that I finally remember the two other figures that had been chasing Luell and the boy from Six.
"You didn't have to chase me, you could have just let me go."
"We both know that's not how this works, no one just lets someone get away. Not this late in the Game."
"Well, then I'm not sure why you're bitching about having to chase me, isn't that part of the game at this point too?"
"You're a little smart ass aren't you?"
It's only now as my plan starts to unravel that I realize just how stupid an idea it had been in the first place, how could I ever have been so stupid to think that this was going to work? Now because of my bone headed idea Luell and Dargo are going to die and I'm the only one with an actual escape route. Not that I'm like to get very far up the side of the wadi before one of the careers kills me too but at least I've got a snowball's chance in hell of getting away which is more than I can say for Luell or Dargo. Why did I have to be so stupid?
"Stop taunting him Aldrin, just kill him and get it over with."
"Let me have a little fun Iona, after all, he's the one who led us on a marathon run only to fall flat on his face. After running that hard in this obnoxious sun I deserve to have a little fun."
"Y….You…..You should lis…."
"What's that, I can't hear what you're trying to say?"
"If you're going to ask him questions then stop choking him, dumbass."
A fraction of a second passes in silence only for it to be immediately shattered by the ragged sound of Luell drawing in a massively jagged and obviously long denied breath that's quickly followed by the one thing I never expected to hear out of Luell in a situation like this, a snicker.
"Haven't you been taught not to play with your food?"
In the blink of an eye, I hear a strained grunt followed by a thud and the sound of feet hitting the ground and running back into the tunnel. For a moment, I'm not sure what happened but a few seconds later the boy lets out an infuriated bellow as he starts to head into the tunnel with his allies hot on his heels.
"Little shit kicked me in the nuts, now I'm going to make his death hurt. He was just going to die but now it's going to be painful."
A few incredibly tense and heart-wrenching seconds tick by before the one thing I wanted to hear less than a cannon finally graces my ears.
"DO IT NOW! QUICKLY BEFORE THEY GET AROUND!"
I spring out from behind my rock with hot tears streaming down my face and my half of the rope clenched tightly in my hand while Dargo does the same. He offers me a questioning glance and for a second I'm not sure what we're supposed to do, and just as I'm about to drop my rope and run after Luell I see Dargo give his rope a strong but determined tug as the first stream of tears start to drip off his chin in a slow but steady line. Driving the fear and doubt from my mind I pull too and once the last of the supports are torn violently out-of-place the rocks from above start to fall in the same slow but steady stream as the tears rolling down my face.
~BOOM~
~BOOM~
~BOOM~
~BOOM~
A/N: Well after a short delay mostly do to my need to watch the second episode of Game of Thrones I present you the seconds part of Day 3. I hope it was worth the wait. Well there you have it the epic showdown between the Careers and Bulls and Bombs and while I'm sure there are a couple of unhappy people with the results I hope it met the expectations all of you had for the fight :)
I don't have any questions but as always please review and let me know what you think of the chapter and I hope to see all of your smiling faces later this week for the next update :D
Death Order/Cause/Place
24-D10F- Fern Shelton-13- Killed by stepping off her plate
23-D7F-Sequoia Sable-12-Killed by D4M- Lachlan Melbourne
22-D9M- Jamie Dexton-12-Killed by D4M- Lachlan Melbourne
21-D11F- Iliana Alder-13-Killed by D2F- Antonia Bismarck
20-D5F- Emiliana "Emi" Jameson-13-Killed by D4F- Iona Harrowell
19-D11M- Moriah Trace-12-Killed by D6M- Aldrin Derino
18-D2M- Alex Trake-13-Mercy killing by D2F- Antonia Bismarck
17-D12M- Brenton Aldair-13-Cobra Mutt
16-D6F- Kaelia Blitzen-12-Mummy Mutt
15-D9F- Alden Devaire-13-Jackel Mutt
14-D4M- Lachlan Melbourne-13-Sphinx Mutt
13-D3M- Bryn Snowdon-13-Killed by D12F- Brooke Kolstad
12-D6M- Aldrin Derino-13-Killed by the trap set by D3F- Quanta Bomm
11-D5M- Luell Berring-13-Killed by the trap set by D3F- Quanta Bomm
10-D4F- Iona Harrowell-13-Killed by the trap set by D3F- Quanta Bomm
09-D2F- Antonia Bismarck-13-Killed by the trap set by D3F- Quanta Bomm
Kill Total
4- Mutt
4- Quanta
1- Brooke
2- Lachlan
2- Antonia
1- Iona
1- Aldrin
1- Fern(Suicide)