Bloodbath

District 7 – Aniya Johnson(16)

"GO ANIYA" Screams Cain to my face. Oh my God, it's actually started. I'm on this platform and the games have begun. Cain is screaming at me to turn and run, but how am I supposed to do that? The bridges over to the castle side of the arena are barely a metre wide, and if I fall, well I'm doomed. I look back at Cain.

"I can't! Just go, I'll figure it out." I tell him. Cain shakes his head and turns around to start towards the Cornucopia. I watch him carefully walk the distance of the bridge towards the other side of the river. Because the Districts are, from what I can tell, lined up in order, Cain will come out right in to the middle of the Cornucopia area. I can't watch it, so I turn around to head for the other side. Heights aren't my thing really, I'm not scared of them, but I sure as hell don't like them. I can see a few of the other Districts movements, especially those around me. The 6's have both run towards the Cornucopia, there is some sort of tussle with the 8's and the 5's have split up. Almost like a trapeze artist I make my way along the rail less bridge towards the gigantic castle in front of me. As I get the hang of it I start a bit faster. If there was anyone waiting for me at the end, they could easily push me off or herd me back to the Cornucopia, so I have to move faster.

The last few steps are the worst. I haven't had time to soak in what is happening around me and I have to decide quickly what to do. The two loner girls from 2 and 4 are running through the first set of walls and have split off in different directions and the only other people that have managed to cross are the 12's.

"KELLI! ASH! OVER HERE! WAIT FOR ME!" I scream towards them before I start to run.

I run quicker than I ever have. Probably too quick, because the next thing I know I feel myself stumbling forward. I've tripped. There is nothing I can do, because as I tumble I feel where I am going, rapidly sliding down the steep bank of the river, hurtling towards its' rapid waters. Like a piñata I tear down the steep bank and I pray that I don't fall in to the water. And then it all goes black.

District 8 – Lia Davidson(13)

This is the worst possible situation that could happen to me. Harold and I perched 20 metres above a raging river. I'm faced towards the bridge heading to the castle, but Harold, he is faced towards me with a smile on his face.

Out of all the things to happen. He is going to kill me, he is going to pick me up above his head and throw me. I'll be dead before I even rise for a breath. My only chance is to reach the metre wide bridge, I know that I'm a lot steadier on my feet and Harold would have a hard time keeping his balance.

Then it starts. Harold takes 2 steps towards me and lurches at me in a jump. I step to the side to try to dodge. It wasn't enough, he clips my foot and I lose my balance and slip towards the edge of the platform teetering uncomfortably close to the edge. Harold has recovered as well and he is back on his feet; but so am I, and I landed closer to the bridge of death. I reach the bridge, it's a 50 metre run, but I think I'm quicker than him. If I don't look down I won't notice the perilous fall. I hear footsteps, large footsteps, so I turn my head around. Harold is lunging across the bridge, surprisingly balanced, and he is gaining on me. So much so that he is close enough to jump on top of me.

Then it hits me. I stop to a dead halt and lie flat on the ground. Caught off guard, Harold doesn't have time to react to what has happened and he keeps barging along. His speed is against him as he trips over my flat body and falls. He falls to the side and slips off the edge of the bridge, never to be seen again.

Stunned by what happened I walk with large lifeless eyes towards the edge of my bridge at the castle. At the end of the bridge I have company waiting. Sam and Ivy run towards me, grab my hand and we sprint towards the castle.

District 11 – Dorian Sprout(16)

"Kaila, listen to me. I'll come back with supplies and then we can go. We will be alright. I know you are scared I won't come back. If you see anything happen to me just run ok?"

The shy girl is crying. It's day 1, hour 1, minute 1 and she is crying. I kind of regret telling everyone I would look after her. Sometimes you just have to look after yourself. But you can't leave a girl like that out here on her own. She looks up at me.

"Please don't go Dorian. We can just turn around now and run off the other way. At least then we know we will make it through."

We are still on our platform suspended over the river. Everyone else has run of to their respective choices. We can't waste anymore time here or otherwise it'll be to late to even scavenge the edges of the Cornucopia.

"I'm going Kaila, and I have to go now. Wait for me here, and if anything happens, just turn around and run for it. Find the smallies group. Ok?" I tell her.

"Ok Dorian. But make sure you come back."

With Kaila's permission I run off to the Cornucopia. The fear of dropping off does not make me hesitate because the longer I stay the more risky this move becomes. Ideally I would have liked to have been the first one there, grab a backpack a knife and then knick off.

When I reach the end of the bridge I look around for supplies. Nothing. All that's left is in the Cornucopia. I see the 9's are here as well, the 3's, the volunteer group, the boy from 10, the girl from 5 and the 6's.

Suddenly the 6's are racing towards me. And they are armed too. The girl brandishes a sadistic smile and a knife while the boy has a sword. Crap. I have nothing.

Trying to think of what to do I see a knife about 15 metres to my left. Hurriedly I race towards it and pick it up. By now the pair are on me. I aim a punch for the boy and hit him square in the eye. He falls, but his partner is quick. She stabs me in the thigh. I know I'm a goner when I see the bright forceful red blood which means an artery is hit.

"Goodbye Red Head." The girl says with a smile. As I am crouched on the ground I check to see if Kaila is running yet. She hasn't. Damn.

The knife the 6 girl holds is now at my throat. And with a single slice, my games are over.

District 3 – Arica Riverbee(16)

I see the 6's take out the innocent boy from 11. Sure I know I will have to kill. But they killed him in cold blood. He hadn't even been near the Cornucopia 5 seconds before they were on to him. He never stood a chance. At least it was quick. Alex and I have been avoiding the best of the confrontation so far. The big group is still separated and the 9's and the boy from 10 are capitalizing on that.

Now that I have seen what the 6's can do though, we have to get them before they get us and I know that they will get us because they have been eyeing us off for a while.

My gut is correct, because with blood trickling down her hands, she signals her partner towards us and they start to run. Alex and I are more prepared, and more skilled than the pair; but they are bloodthirsty. When they are 20 metres away I grab a knife I scouted from the edges of the Cornucopia. This knife doesn't have the same feel as a throwing knife. Not perfectly balanced. It has a heavy base and a lighter blade and will therefore travel differently. I adjust my aim and acceleration accordingly and release. Target down. The boy Wing is hit on the foot where I was aiming and staggers. I thought this would slow his partner but it doesn't and before I have time to react she is on me. Even though she is tiny she launches herself right up to my face with her full body weight behind it. I'm on the ground and Alex is trying to remove the crazy girl from my face. She hisses around and scratches his face where he starts to bleed. Then it gets crazy. Wing is back up and now wielding the knife I threw. He is approaching the in pain Alex from behind and lifts up his knife for the finishing blow when out of nowhere Solaria crashes in to him, throwing him to the ground while the knife is knocked aside. Alex, now recovered, realizes how close he came to death, turns around and stabs the boy in the heart with his own knife.

This seems to jolt the girl awake and she slightly releases her grip on me. Which is enough. My spare knife up my sleeve rolls down in to my palm and I shove it through her ribs. Instantly she stops struggling and collapses.

"Thanks Solaria. You saved our bums." Alex says.

"No worries. Now if we have everything we need, can we please go? The volunteer group just saw what we did and I think they are more focused on us than everyone else."

We get up and run back over the river towards the castle.

District 9 - Indigo Lexington(15)

Crap. The 3's took off. That leaves Isabelle and I as well as the boy from 10 who is still scouting of supplies. We've spent too much time here. We have to go now! The volunteer group is now together and looking around for victims. They catch my eye. Frantically I look around for Isabelle, to see where her freckly face is. Shit! Isabelle is sneaking towards the Cornucopia eyeing off a backpack near the entrance. She is bold. Around 20 metres away the volunteer group discuss their tactics. Isabelle draws ever nearer to the backpack and now has her arm around its' straps. Carefully she raises it, keeping one eye on the group and the other on her movements. The bag now rests on her back and she turns around.

And then it happens. Isabelle steps on a stick, which cracks beneath her boots. As if a group of hyenas, the volunteer pack turns around as one unit and see her standing there. Frozen.

I can't look. But I know it's over when they turn back around and start moving towards me. So I sprint to the closest bridge looking to get out of here. Only 4 of them are after me. But I'm still greatly outnumbered.

I reach the bridge and run along in haste. But it's not enough; they're catching me, and quick. So I pick up the pace. Unfortunately I lose my balance halfway along and I slip. I struggle to cling to anything I can but eventually I find a grip. My fingers clutch the edge of the bridge as my body dangles off the edge. 1 by 1, the volunteer pack arrive. The big boy from two kneels down and looks over the edge in to my eyes.

"Poor boy." He says. Then he peels one of my fingers off the side of the bridge.

"Just didn't get away quick enough." Then he removes my entire left hand.

"Goodbye." He steps on my right hand, my grip releases and I fall. Fall in to the river. I'm dead before I rise for breath.

District 4 - Nickel Parks(18)

Idiots. As everyone runs after the boy from 9, from the corner of my eye I can see Richy from 10 take his opportunity by scavenging the best of the supplies that we left unsupervised. What a smart cookie. I turn around and run back towards the Cornucopia to confront him.

He sees me running back towards him and picks up a spear in defense. I have a spear in my hands as well, and I'm sure I know how to use mine better than he knows how to use his.

"Scavenging through our supplies are we?" I ask with a smile on my face.

"I'm done. Just let me go and we can both be on our way. You don't really want to kill me. And I certainly won't be able to kill you." Richy argues.

"You're very pragmatic Richy, I'll give you that. And you're right about one thing. I don't want to kill you. So you have 5 seconds. I'm going to turn around and when I turn back. You will be gone." I turn my back on Richy to give him the opportunity. But just as I suspected, Richy thrusts his spear towards my back, trying to end me before I turn around. Luckily I am prepared for his cowardly attempt and I turn around, deflect his blow, which glances to the left of my body. His spear is released from his arms and he staggers forward on to the ground.

"Richy! I gave you the opportunity. Why!? I don't want to kill you. But you give me no choice." His eyes roll back and his body collapses in a heap once I've finished.

I gulp. My breath is heavy and fast. I didn't enjoy that. I never thought that killing would be this hard. When I signed up for this I didn't realize the repercussions. My dad was right.

I trudge back to the group who are at the bridge of District 10. Lanius looks smug.

"We just let that rat from 9 fall to an early grave." He goes to hi-5 Cain, but Cain refuses. He is far from impressed.

"Get the stick out of your ass Cain. You have to learn to have what it takes. Because if you don't I will be the one to show you just what is necessary." Lanius retorts.

I interject.

"Guys, we just started. Let's gather our thoughts and stock up on supplies."

Out of nowhere Saphira chimes in.

"Look! Over there." She points to the mid-river platform over at 11, where the tiny 12 year old Kaila is crying. But then she spots us pointing and turns to run away.

"I'll get her." Saphira comments and raises the bow and arrow she brought with her from the Cornucopia.

"NO! WAIT!" I shout at her. But it's too late. Saphiras' arrow flies through the air and as if without any resistance, finds her targets fleeing back. Her body stops mid flight and falls in a heap. Saphira turns around to glare at me.

"She was just a kid!" I say meekly, tears welling up in my eyes. She responds.

"We're all just kids Nickel. Think about that."

Bloodbath complete! 8 tributes down. 16 left. Thanks to all who submitted bloodbaths, I hope I wrote them to your liking. Thanks also to everyone who reviews. I appreciate it, even if I don't have time to respond. Let me know what you think of this chapter!

Don't forget about the poll up on my profile! Sorry if you already voted for tributes who didn't make it.

Isteed.