The air has become ice.
I shiver and wrap my arms around my chest as Acton and I stop with the light from the cavern's oculus turning a twilight shade of orange. We're out of food, almost out of water, and running low on spirit. Finally, even our warmth is fleeing. We're desperate, cold, and left in the dark as to our next moves.
"Of course they have to freeze the place," Acton grumbles as he and I slip into a small, dark, empty square abode on the outskirts of the stone-cut town. Even my whispers echo in this place, making me constantly look over my shoulder to check for pursuers.
"Guess it's almost over," I say somberly, laying my pack down and letting my spear lean against the wall. "Don't even know why I'm carrying the pack still."
Acton throws his own pack against the wall and lays his sword down. "Just leave it here when we go tomorrow," he says with a yawn. "There can't be more than a handful of us left. I doubt the Capitol wants this to go on forever."
"Can't have that happen," I grumble.
The light fades in the cavern as tiny yellow glowing points flicker on around the perimeter of the cave. I lie down and use my pack as an impromptu blanket, shivering under the cold air. Acton's not far away. I want to get closer to him, but I know we're both tired and frayed to the point of paranoia. I'm too nervous to ask him for his body heat.
We're quiet as we try and get some sleep, but suddenly he says, "What're you gonna do if you go home?"
I turn my head. What am I going to do when I go home? Why's he asking that? It's not like we can both go home…and that's if either of us survive the end of this thing with whatever the gamesmakers have planned for a finale. I haven't thought that far ahead.
"I dunno," I mutter quietly. "Live? What d'you wanna do?"
Acton laughs once, more of a bark than a real chuckle. "I'd like to see the sun again. Maybe a tree, y'know? I figure that wouldn't be too much to ask for."
I don't say anything. Lily, Durum, Thorne – they all died down deep in this maze, surrounded by rock and darkness and a desolate landscape. There's no life down here besides that which aims to kill each other. Tributes, killer mutts – that's it. It's a game at its most basic form. We're just little pawns with no choice but to fight or die down here, and if our last moments are of lonely terror, well, that's too bad for us.
How sympathetic of the gamesmakers.
I roll over and turn away from Acton. I don't want to think of these things. I don't want to imagine never seeing the sun again like Lily. I don't want to dream of never running through the long prairie grass on a spring day. I don't want to die in a prison of cold stone.
That's all that surrounds me as I fall into sleep.
I wake to a rough hand over my mouth.
Panic floods my mind and adrenaline rushes through my veins. I squirm and try to get away, but when I open my eyes and look up, Acton's holding me close to him, his face full of tension. He holds a finger to his lips, shakes his head towards the rough rocky door of our hut, and motions for me to be still. I don't need any more notice to tell me what's going on. Someone, or something, is hunting us.
Acton grabs a fist-sized stone nearby and slinks into the darkest corner of our hut he can find. I huddle against the wall, too terrified to make a sound. Whatever's outside is too loud to be a tribute.
Something taps against the rock-cut street with a loud clack. I suck in my breath and edge towards the door nervously, peeking just past the wall and keeping my head down to get a glimpse of whatever's outside.
It's too dark in the cavern night to see much, but I can tell there's something decidedly inhuman out there – or least no longer human. Long, curved, deadly talons click against the cold stone. What little line glows in the cavern reflects menacingly off glistening ashen skin.
It's the hunter mutt from earlier, the one that stalked Thorne and I in the tunnels. Persistent bugger.
Acton peeks out the door, careful to hide in the shadows. I can't see his face, but I'm thankful he doesn't make a sound. I don't have a doubt that thing outside – whatever it is – could kill us in an instant.
Without warning, Acton throws the rock he was holding into the alley.
The stone hits the street with a loud clack! The effect's instantaneous: The hunter snarls a wheezing hiss, its clawed feet pounding against the street as it runs off towards the noise. I glance out again. The coast is clear.
"Leave the pack. Take the spear," Acton whispers to me as he picks up his sword. "Let's go. It'll figure it out in a sec."
I hold my breath as I step out into the narrow street. I can't see much out here in the shadows and the dim glow of the cavern lights, but something, something big, roots around in a pile of rocks at a turn at the far end of the alley.
"Other way, Summer," Acton whispers as he grabs my arm. "Don't let it see you. C'mon."
He doesn't have to tell me. I hurry down the other side of the street, careful to keep my footsteps as quiet as possible. My feet hurt from so many days of running, walking, and creeping down the stone tunnels and avenues, but I force myself on. My fist tightens like a vise around my spear's shaft. This weapon's my life now, the only thing keeping me from a nasty death if we run into danger.
Acton and I climb a rock staircase to the second level of buildings just in time. I glance down at the alley below just as the mutt lets out an angry cry. The sound of tearing accompanies something flying out of a hut into the street, and when I squint, I can just make out a shredded section of my pack.
"Let's go, now, please," I say, grabbing Acton and hurrying off down another row of low-hanging buildings.
"It's a freakin' horror story down here," Acton grumbles quietly.
We hurry towards the center of the cavern, scampering over narrow bridges and running past buildings. Howls and cries from the mutt follow us. It's either heard us or picked up our scent, and if we don't throw it off our trail soon, we'll be in trouble.
Trouble arrives around the next bend.
I dash around the side of a building just as a hurricane slams into me. I'm thrown off my feet and towards the ground, my head spinning, my chest shrieking in pain where it was hit. Acton jumps over me, his sword drawn, already rushing into battle. When I shake off my dizziness and look up, however, I see it's not the mutt that's knocked me down.
It's Ladon.
The boy from District 4's a mess. A bloody cut runs down the side of his abdomen, and there's a thin, jagged hole in his right shoulder. Even in the darkness I can see that his left eye's not entirely right, surrounded by an ugly shade of blue.
Still, he's no less a talented fighter despite his injuries.
Ladon snarls and catches Acton's sword arm, throwing my ally aside and swiping at him with the sword I recognize as Raidne's from the river battle. I guess he's the last one left of his alliance.
I cry out and raise my spear to fight, but just before I lunge at him, a throught strikes me. Ladon's still here, but no one else is. Is this it? Is this the end, thrown upon us in surprise and darkness?
Oh boy.
I thrust my spear at Ladon's head, but he dodges and rolls backwards, nearly tumbling off of the nearby natural bridge that runs over a narrow alley. He steps up and finds his footing, kicking out my knee and avoiding a counter swing by Acton. I cry and fall to the ground, only keeping him away thanks to the reach of my weapon.
"Summer!" Acton shouts, grabbing me and pulling me away from Ladon as he swings his sword into the rock and just misses my head. "Let's go, let's get out of here!"
"Uh-uh!" Ladon yells as loud as he can, cutting off our escape route with a quick side-step. We're pinned against the building, and the boy from District 4's too quick to evade even with his injuries. "You're not getting away! Not from me, you little punks!"
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Acton says as he holds his sword out. "Haven't you heard what's prowling around?"
"I don't care about beasties! I'm gonna kill something! I got nothin' left," Ladon raves, his voice cracking, his words full of unrestrained savagery. "I'm not runnin' anymore! I've run enough! Everyone else's dead, but I can still fight. I'm not dyin' down here!"
I'm not going to stand around and chat. I lunge at his legs with my spear, but he's quick to kick out my weapon and swipe at my neck. It's another close call as I jump back. I'm being reckless, dangerous.
Ladon swings his sword without restraint. He's a brute, a crazed animal. I don't know if it was the fight on the riverbank and watching his trainee allies die that pushed him over the brink, but his eyes are full of wild abandon. He's little more than a cornered dog at this point. The only thing separating him from the mutts is his tongue.
I juke away from Ladon's probing sword and jab at his side. My spear just misses driving into his abs and kidneys, but it's enough time for him to knock aside Acton's sword with his own weapon and punch me square in the face with his free hand.
I gasp at the pain and go down. My foot slips off the bridge and I tumble backwards, narrowly catching myself before I fall down into the street.
Clang!
As I struggle to get to my feet, Ladon lurches at Acton and launches a rapid assault on my ally. He's quick, with strikes almost too fast for the eye. Acton stumbles back, and just as I get on my feet and grab my spear, his heel stumbles over a rock.
"Acton!" I shout.
Ladon doesn't miss the opportunity. He swats away Acton's sword, shoves my ally back, and drives his weapon deep into Acton's chest.
"Acton!"
Time freezes. Acton's face contorts into a surprised look of shock. His eyes wander up to Ladon's face as the boy from District 4 drives him back into the nearest building wall. Ladon's not even thinking now, acting purely on savage brutality, ramming his sword up to the hilt into Acton's chest.
It's a mistake I won't let him live with.
I scream and launch at Ladon. As the boy from 4 tries to quickly pull his sword out of Acton's chest, I plow my spearhead into the small of his back. Ladon arches his spine and cries out in pain, his arms flailing as he writhes in agony. I won't repeat his error. I wrench out my spear quickly, grabbing the shaft up near the weapon's blade, and drive the spearhead into the soft spot below Ladon's ear.
His death's much quicker than he deserved.
I let Ladon slump off of my spear as I hurry down to Acton. My ally's bleeding heavily, with a dark pool already bubbling up around his body. He looks up, gasps, and grabs my hand with his. His grip's weak, and when he speaks, I can't make out his whispering words.
"I'm not gonna leave you," I choke out, summoning up all the courage I have left. "You're okay. I'm here."
Acton shakes his head and points over my shoulder. I bend down closer, and I can just hear when he says, "Go."
"No! I'm not leaving you to die!"
"-mer!" he pleads, his eyes watering up. "Run."
It takes me only a moment to understand. A low, moaning howl echoes around the street, and the sound of thundering, clattering footsteps grows. The hunter's coming to finish him off.
No. I can't let him die like that.
"Run," Acton pants. "Please."
I choke back a sob and let his hand fall to the ground. Without thinking, I lean in, grab his head with both my hands, and kiss his forehead.
"Thank you," I whisper. "For sticking with me. For everything."
I let him go as a shadow grows in the alley. I'm out of time.
I run off towards the central spire, but I stop and turn around one more time. Acton's propped himself up against the wall, holding his head up with the last of his strength. He watches me go as I run. The fading light of his eyes in the darkness is the last thing I see before I dash back into the shadow.
Acton. I'm sorry.
I stop when I hear the mutt howling behind me. I close my eyes, biting my lip until I can taste blood. I know what's happened. I know it's over.
Over. Wait. Isn't it? Ladon…Acton…have I won? Is it over?
I look around the cavern, cautious, tentative, waiting for a signal, for something. Tell me what to do!
As if on cue, a bright pillar of fire bursts out of the ceiling as if it's come down from the heavens. It reaches down towards the ground, but I can see it's not coming for me. It's not a hovercraft coming to take me away – no, it sinks into the stadium in the center of the town. It's not a symbol of victory. It's a beacon.
It's beckoning me, calling me forth. That stadium, that arena inside this great arena, that's where my final fight will be. There's one more obstacle left before I can breathe.
My heart sinks when realization hits me. Judging by Ladon's injuries, I know what awaits me. I know who else that beacon is summoning…and if Ladon couldn't kill him, I won't stand a chance.
