Bloodbath: Mistakes
Effie Trinket
She clutched Lidda's hand tightly despite her constantly trying to yank herself free. Rocko, ironically, was more permissive.
The tributes, their escorts and their mentors were lined up similar to how they had been upon arriving in the Capitol, but this time there were no crowds cheering for them. Shipping the tributes off was never seen by the press; it made it more exciting for the TV-viewing audience to watch the tributes be lowered into the Arena, not knowing how they had gotten there or where they had come from. The other escorts and mentors lingered near their tributes as the groups were loaded up in different train cars by order of their District, as before, but only Effie and Lidda were crying. The others all had on grim expressions, but by now nearly everyone had used up their tears.
The escorts saw the tributes to their trains, but the mentors got on while they stayed behind.
"Goodbye, both of you," Effie sobbed, hugging each of them. Rocko did not return it, but Lidda did, saying:
"I don't want to die. I don't want to die!" she felt too defeated to shout it out, so it was reduced to a nearly a whisper.
"I'll be sure to send you both home, one way or the other," she replied, trying to wrap both of them in her arms.
"Would you care to let us go?" Rocko pleaded. "We have a destiny to fulfill." Effie let them go and nodded, waving goodbye as the tributes got on the train.
She had been like this every year since Katniss, but this time things were different. The others had been too distant to get herself attached to. But Lidda and Rocko, despite their problems, seemed perfect to her. Like the children she was almost able to have.
Katniss glanced at her and nodded. "Goodbye, Effie," she said as Lidda and Rocko disappeared into the train, the last of the tributes finally inside. "Don't lose hope for either of them. And if it seems like I messed up at being a mentor, then I promise I'll do better next year. None of us are giving up."
"You did fine, it was them that caused trouble," Haymitch replied. "They were tough to work with. But Rocko was a good guy. And Lidda really knocked the Capitol off their seats!"
"Yes. But don't forget to do your part, Effie," Katniss reminded her. She nodded, knowing that she was referring to sponsors. The train then set off, leaving her with the other escorts, most of which meandered around or went off to other streets to hail taxis and go home.
Effie got in one, too, but instead of going home she asked her driver to take her to the Gambler's Parlor House, as it was called; a luxurious building where escorts, rich Capitolites, and later mentors would gather to place their bets, collect their winnings, and send sponsor gifts.
I have work to do. I know that escorts aren't usually the sponsor-collectors, but that can change, can't it?
Thaleia Starling
After giving her farewells to Finnick and Annie, she and Clyde were injected with trackers and loaded up into the rear hangar of a hovercraft, climbing a ladder that extended from the train cars to get to the Arena from an automatic opening in the roof. The windows automatically closed themselves shortly after the Arena's roof opened to hide as little of what lay in store for them as possible up until the right moment.
"What did you see?" Clyde asked her as they were both escorted to platforms where they would be lowered down into the Arena. All the tributes were wearing white tunics, most likely in accordance with some theme, as well as sandals. And if that wasn't the case, Thaleia presumed it was because the Capitol wanted them to get wounded easily; on the legs the tunic only went down to just above the knee and didn't go past the elbow on the arms. The garment was securely held by a makeshift belt consisting of some tightly wound material about just barely thicker than a shoelace.
"Clouds, and a blue sky. That's about it!" she remarked, attempting a smile. Clyde didn't seem to react, at least externally.
"This might mean we have a semi-normal Arena probably a natural one," he concluded. "But in a few seconds we should see what we're up against. We can at least rule out a steel labyrinth, which they've done several times before."
Thaleia couldn't help but think that was very comforting. She had actually been hoping for something like that; it would have let her hide easily, and of course there probably wouldn't be any water if that were the case. But since she didn't have a choice in the matter she decided it would be best just to grin and bear it. Maybe the girl from 8 would even do that in a literal sense.
Bring it on! She thought. Just make it something where I can go off with Steele and Amruen. Maybe for the rest of the Games.
"Remember, if something happens and you need help, just come back to us," Clyde instructed her. "I can take care of anyone or anything that you need me to, as long as I'm in good condition."
. . . . .
Minutes passed, and the 24 were finally lowered down, facing the Cornucopia and arranged in a semi-circle. To Rex's left was Dorea, and to her left Tiberius, and so forth. The Cornucopia itself consisted of various pillars surrounding a long and wide stone table, on which lay various supplies. There were 12 pillars, possibly representing each District, and each one had an additional pillar stacked on top of it, wedged in place somehow and forced to lean inwardly so that all the pillars touched together at a certain point. At the spot where all the tips had gathered lay one last column that jutted outward rather than straight up, curved slightly. Thaleia could see instantly that the pillars had been made to lean in such a way that they looked a Cornucopia horn. But given the extreme height and the balance of the pillars, hiding out in the horn was most likely an impossibility this year.
After taking this in, Thaleia nearly gasped when she saw what was behind the Cornucopia; a stretch of ocean water almost as far as she could see, with the outlines of another landmass faintly outlined in the distance. She immediately jerked her head around, hoping that the Gamemakers had not decided on an archipelago this year.
They had not. Directly behind her lay a series of sand dunes, and mountains far beyond them in the distance. To her left and right were forests, but apparently consisting of different types of trees she didn't know the name of. She decided that she would go with the one that was west of the Cornucopia, given the position of the sun.
All I have to do is stick with Clyde, get some stuff, find Steele and Amruen, and turn right back around and head out with them.
. . . . .
A giant number 10 flashed on the top of the Cornucopia, which became a 9, counting down. Various tributes tried to search for a coherent thought in their mind before the chaos began.
8. I'll kill her first, if I can. And then her. The boy between them is not important.
7. There had better be some poisons in that pile!
6. Don't wave at me, stay focused on what's in front of you!
5. Given my positon, I think I can get something useful without even being considered. The Careers are on the opposite end, so I think we outliers have a bit of an advantage. How uncharacteristic of the Gamemakers!
4. Don't go out there. That's what they want you to do.
3. I can run faster than him. I'll get my weapon first, and I can see a lot of them.
2. Oh, boy…what have they put us into?
1. We can do this. We all have a chance. Yours is just a bit lower than theirs. But it's still a chance.
And then all hell broke loose.
Tiberius Townsend
A harsh buzz sounded, and a faint click could be heard, signifying the deactivation of the mines. Most of the others dashed out, attempting to match his speed to the stone table that held the keys to victory and defeat.
Most of them couldn't make it to the Cornucopia before he did. He could faintly make out Clyde on his left, his hands shaking as he reached over for something, probably a trident. Various bags, crates and sacks were strewn all over the table at some were tucked underneath its edges, nestled against its base. But Tiberius had his eyes trained for only one thing:
Where is it, where is it? They wouldn't dare leave me unarmed! Where…ah, I see.
The naginata lay on the center of the table, concealed in a pile of weapons. Tiberius placed his hands carefully on the table and climbed on it, landing on his feet with a quick jump. He picked up the naginata and turned to look over his slight vantage point to see who was coming.
There you are. And you, too? I thought you were too good for the Cornucopia. Steele and Noiz were just seconds away from the Cornucopia, almost matched in speed. Tiberius jabbed his weapon and Noiz when she got in range, hoping to hit her. The only problem was she saw it coming and immediately strafed to her right with a jump.
So you have good reflexes. All right. But what about you, Steele?
She ducked as he tried to jab at her, quickly grabbing a sword from the table. Tiberius tackled as she took her weapon, leaping off the table and forgetting all about it for the moment. With him on top of her, he tried to see if he could strangle her, but she immediately kicked him in the stomach and pointed her sword at him. Tiberius scrambled to his feet, still clutching his naginata. He jabbed at Steele, trying to stab her on her left side. For the most part she blocked his blows, until a distraction made her pause for just a moment.
Mohan Sim
He screamed and kicked when the huge guy from 1 grabbed him, looking desperately out at his allies to see where they were. Thomas and Denelle were on the opposite end of the Cornucopia, getting food, water and other supplies and tossing them to Pulse, who was hanging back outside the pillars for some reason. He could see her District partner still standing at his spot, not having moved since they had all been allowed to. Copper was busy scanning the table for something—medicine, perhaps? But wasn't he more important? Only Elodie seemed to hear him and gave him a quick glance, narrowing her eyes.
You never liked us, did you?
All this he saw in just one moment before the boy from 1 cackled and stabbed him in the back with something, dropping him on the sand without a care. The last thing he heard was him stepping around him to go off after the others.
In that last moment, he could see all of them: his grandparents, the orphans, his parents, and the characters from his stories, all smiling for some reason. He could hear his mother calling out his name, but she seemed so distant, so far away.
But not for long.
Cecilia Banggai
Outwardly, nothing changed when she heard the scream and saw the blood. But inwardly, everything did.
In that moment, she ran around to the right, diverting herself from her intended path. She knew exactly what they were trying to do.
You want me to be like him, don't you? She thought towards the Gamemakers, knowing that her mind was the one place that they could never attack her for insulting them. Maybe that boy from 9 had had the right idea.
You want me to be weak, helpless, and then to die at their mercy, so you can get your cheap thrill from whichever way they choose to slaughter me. That's not happening.
Or do you want me to live so you can hold me up as the next intelligent Victor of the Games? I don't want that happening, either. I can't make it through this and you know it!
So instead of pretending like I have a chance, I'll get rid of the people that do. That way there will be no winner, since all your precious favorites will be dead. Starting with you, you big brute. You think you can just slaughter an innocent, defenseless child and get away with it?
The Banggais are tired of being treated like crap. All I want is one chance to fight back.
She immediately got behind Rex and gripped her huge hands around his equally large throat, not budging in the least when he tried to knock her off. She kicked at his back, gripping onto his shoulders and jumping on top of him, forcing him to fall backwards in an attempt to crush her. But he had failed to squash her head, so while she was hurt she was mostly fine. She took her arm out from under him and punched at his head repeatedly, not giving him a chance to stand up. She didn't know if his skull was withstanding the blows or not, but it was all she could do for the moment. He quickly shook her much-weakened body off and turned around, still holding his cutlass. She kicked him in the groin to stun him for a moment before going past him and grabbing a battleaxe from the table.
"This is for everything!" Cecilia cried, swinging her axe at Rex as he attempted to block with his cutlass. Her weapon was much deadlier than his, but he seemed to know how to dodge and attack with what he currently had, perhaps better than she did.
But even if Rex was better with a cutlass than she could ever be with a battleaxe, she still wanted to fight for as long as she could. Anything to finally get the revenge she needed.
Noiz Huxley
Everyone else was busy with something or other. She quickly glanced at Book Guru, realized he had nothing, and cast her eyes on the table.
No time to mourn, just get what you need!
She had already decided that the desert would be her hideout of choice. It was vast, full of dunes to hide in, she had her scarf to block out the sand, and no one else would probably think of going there. All she needed was…right there!
She saw a water canteen, some filled bottles, and a sleeping bag that was rolled up. She immediately grabbed everything one at a time, but when she was about to take her last water bottle, a knife was jabbed into her hand, piercing her middle knuckle. She cried out in pain, and her eyes immediately darted to see that the attacker had been none other than Scanner.
"You're dangerous, but I'll show so mercy. Think before snooping, Noiz," she said simply before rushing off to the other side of the table to grab other supplies.
Dammit, Scanner! How is stabbing my hand a show of mercy?!
But Noiz decided not to think about too much. Maybe that was how Careers just tended to think of things?
Copper Nyrstar
Boy from 1 is fighting girl from 7. Boy from 2 is fighting his own District partner. Girl from 1 is getting random stuff. Good. You haven't registered in their minds yet. They don't suspect you.
And neither did the two from 4, it seemed. Copper had already grabbed all of his poisons that Elodie had neglected for him, handling the syringes herself and taking a short dagger from the table. He had seized a dart gun, already sitting beside a small box of additional ammunition, as well as the Warhammer he had been hoping for.
I'll get rid of the girl. She'll be a good first kill. She had already proven herself weak by letting the girl from 5 shove her aside while she let the boy from 6 grab a bow, so if she couldn't beat an unarmed girl than surely she would be helpless before him. The darts had come with a bottle of some sort of tranquilizer poison, but Copper had another idea; instead he added some artificial centipede venom to the tip. How nice of the Gamemakers to give all that! And then the boy could be simply whacked with a hammer and fed something else. Maybe just sand and saltwater?
He aimed and fired, only for the boy to get into the way at the last second, the dart jamming into his arm. Copper's eyes widened when he realized that the boy had already grabbed a trident and quickly spotted his attacker. Copper grabbed his Warhammer and readied himself for a fight.
The boy swung at him the side of the prongs of his trident first, only for the attack to be effortlessly blocked by the end of copper's hammer. It had been a bit slow to swing, sure, but it had worked. The boy from 4 tried again, this time attempting to jab him with the pointed prongs, but Copper blocked that with his hammer as well before battering at the trident, nearly knocking it out of the 4 boy's hands and stunning him long enough for him to swing down on his trident, making a huge dent in the metal. He had been aiming for the boy himself, but the Career was just a bit too quick to let himself be crushed that easily.
Copper could see his opponent's knees begin to tremble, and whether that was from the poison or not he wasn't sure. Either way, it was clear that he would be getting much weaker in a few minutes. Copper immediately continued with his onslaught, ignoring the boy's cry of "Thaleia, go with them!" and the sound of sandals dashing on sand behind him. But the boy was still able to block his deadlier blows despite his condition. If he could just hold him off for a bit more…wait, was he really turning around and jumping over the table? What a coward!
"Come on, we weren't through yet!" Copper protested before he was dragged by the collar of his tunic away.
"You've damaged him enough. There are weaker targets working with us," Elodie insisted, her voice lowered to a harsh rasp. Copper took his weapons and reluctantly followed his ally eastward.
Steeleia Sharpe
She winced in pain as Tiberius managed to slice at her left shoulder and stab her in the left leg. They were both right-handed, so each other's right side become a common weak spot. It hurt, but aside from that she was able to hold off Tiberius' jabs and swings, making sure to block with her sword and stay near the pillars, in case she needed to get behind one for brief cover.
"Try as you might, Steele, you have to concede that I'm faster and stronger," he taunted as he jabbed his naginata at her leg again, sending the blade upward when it had missed its mark. All she had had to do was step back slightly.
"I can keep this up for a while. What about you?" he asked quizzically, whacking her on the forehead with the blunt end of weapon. She ignored him, lost in her thoughts.
He can attack fast and strike hard with that thing, but if I just keep blocking and dodging then he'll have to get tired. Then I'll have my opening.
Another part of her thought about the boy from 3, but she dismissed it for now. He was dead, there was nothing she could have done.
As she tried to get on the offensive, Tiberius' face was suddenly struck with a lightweight metal disc. Steele grabbed the object as it bounced off her rival's cheek, realizing it was a shield. She looked to her right to find Amruen staring at her, apparently having been the shield's sender. She almost smiled with delight when she realized how much easier this fight was going to be. Even Tiberius was clearly intimidated.
But before she could start her next attack she was abruptly kicked in the stomach, her shoulders bumping into the table, one of them even being jabbed into the corner. Tiberius went over her, making sure to step on her stomach one last time before bounding off somewhere. Amruen grabbed her hand and helped her to her feet, faintly hearing someone cry, "Taste the backup, bitch!"
"What's going on?!" Steele cried out.
"No time, let's go!" Amruen replied, grabbing her and practically dragging her by her good arm away from the Cornucopia.
Steele couldn't shake the feeling that she had made a mistake, but it was too late to go back and undo it now.
Teddy Graves
When he saw Cecilia fighting off all those Careers, he knew that he had made a mistake by just standing here.
His plan had been to wait to make sure Pulse was safe before venturing off somewhere to hide, but the bloodbath had been too intriguing. Watching everyone scramble to get supplies, most of them ignoring each other while others tried to kill their toughest targets first, was really all quite fascinating. The girl from 12 had waved her hand a bit and shouted at him, but otherwise no one had paid any attention to him, although Pulse had looked back a few times before understanding that he wasn't budging unless he had to.
He wondered briefly what sociologists had learned about human behavior from watching this. What were they thinking of him, the lone boy that just stood and observed it all, probably doing an even better job of capturing it all in?
Inspiring, Teddy thought of Cecilia, but it's not like it's worth anything. She knows she'll get killed. But maybe that's what she wants.
He wiped his brow as she dug her battleaxe into the shoulder of the boy from 1. Why had they made them start out here, where they were completely exposed by the sun? Did they somehow figure out he was allergic to it? As itchy as he was beginning to feel, he resisted the urge to scratch. What was going on here was worth seeing. Perhaps even worth remembering.
Now even the girl from 1, who had finished putting their supplies in a pile, was joining in, taking a pair of broadswords and making huge gashes in her arms and chest. Cecilia somehow fought them off despite taking so many hits, her eyes darting not just at her opponents but also at the fleeing tributes, most of which scattered northeast or northwest at different angles, although a few groups had gone into the desert. The boy from 2's cried out, "They're fleeing, finish her off!" and then they began to attack more relentlessly, this time not caring what Cecilia did to them. Soon only the boy from 6 and the girl from 5 could be seen, the former drawing a bow and the latter standing at the top of a dune farther back from the Cornucopia.
"This is for my parents!" Cecilia cried as she swiped at the boy from 1's legs. "This is for Robin!" she shrieked as she struck at the boy from 4's now shaking arm, still gripping her weapon despite having to use her arms to block strikes at her chest and throat. The girl from 1 and the boy from 2 seemed to still hold back just a bit, perhaps fearing her power. But finally, Cecilia staggered and collapsed, most likely having bled to death. The boy from 2 used the blunt end of his strange weapon to break her neck, not noticing that the boy from 6 had just fired his arrow low to the ground. He scampered away with what was probably his ally as the arrow embedded itself in the boy from 2's calf. The girl from 1 rushed to treat his wound with a first aid kit she had salvaged.
"They're all gone now," Teddy could hear her say.
"All but one!" the boy from 4 shouted, taking his trident and running after him despite his awkward running form.
And that was when he realized his mistake; he had had a chance. He could have just run away with Pulse and her friends. He hadn't wanted to before, thinking it was cowardly, but now he realized that sometimes cowardice wasn't something to look at in others with bemusement; it was something that helped people survive. And they survived because even though they were afraid, they wanted to live another day, to keep going with their lives even if it seemed like there wasn't much to do in them.
There had been so much more to life than he had wanted to admit, and now he was seeing all of it being taken away from someone, right before his eyes. And he was next.
And so Teddy ran. He immediately turned around and ran away, the eastern forest in the distance. Pulse had gone there. Maybe he could get a second chance.
Tears ran down his cheeks. I'm sorry, Pulse. I should have at least tried, like you are. I should have joined in your alliance. I shouldn't have acted with such indifference when you showed me that you wanted to live! And then when you wanted to take me with you, I didn't let you. Your heart must be aching right now. Mine is, too.
I should have given life more of a chance. I should never have said that people were so forgettable. I only said it because that's how my family saw me. I hope I'm wrong.
Someone will remember me.
Teddy felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck, and then nothing after that.
AN: Well, there was our bloodbath. Is as custom among SYOT writers, I shall do the eulogies.
Also, I really don't want to hear any complaints about how someone you liked died or how someone you hated lived. I have other deaths planned out for later (which might change depending on sponsor gifts), but I postponed them to try and give the characters a bit more development.
Mohan Sim—Your death was quite predictable, but still saddening. You were the perfect combination of innocence and realism, as Nekka had wanted you to be. But sadly, it was not enough to ensure your survival.
Cecilia Banggai—You were perhaps one of the most depressing and difficult to write. You had a lot of grief on you, but where could I go with it? I had considered making you a Johanna, but then I decided against it later on, and I think it was for the best, actually. I hope that your submitter is pleased with the way I sent you off, fighting off four Careers for as long as you could, enraged at the injustice the Capitol and the Games had done to your family. You may have been just the second to die, but your death will certainly have consequences later on.
Teddy Graves—You were the hardest to kill off. I deeply enjoyed your cynicism, even though at times I feel like I was not able to write you well enough. I felt that it would be quite in character for you to see no point in trying to survive if you thought of yourself as doomed to die in the Games anyway—and for you to see the problem with your way of thinking. I'm sorry that it had to be you, out of so many to choose from. I wish I could have taken you farther, but I felt like you wouldn't want to go with me. Perhaps you would do well in another SYOT with a different writer, but for now I can guarantee with absolute certainty that you will never, ever be forgotten by me.
Here is the list of sponsor points everybody has.
Platrium—820
Julyette of Wonder—595
Xxbookwormockingjayxx-310
MidnightRaven—250
someoneorother123—220
Atashi Desu—210
luvakatsuki3—123
MeddlingArtist—115
grimreaper1373—100
Lokithisismadness—100
iluvhungergames—70
jakey121—70
Christoph Andretti—70
munamana-60
NorisLilThief—50
Anonymous fanz—50 (possibly 40 on bow and arrows)
Aspect of One—50
earthling44—50
Axe Smelling God—45
ImmyRose-45
Emmeline C. Thornbrooke-40
Vulkodlak-30
Decidedly Destiel-30
NorthEastChild-30
MockingJack-30
Imetc—30 (all could be spent on one tribute)
karmakat49-30
JustAnotherAthenaGirl-30
Jedimindricks—30
There's one more thing I need to mention…this thing is called the HUNGER Games for a reason. So I came up with something to make things a bit more realistic: A hunger system!
For now, you don't have to worry about it. But after 3 days, every tribute's "hunger" stat will go down once per day, unless they have some food. Why else did you think I put food on the sponsor list (it's back on the chapter with Katniss' first POV, BTW)?
For reference, I will be using the Neopets Hunger scale (just go with it if you don't know what Neopets is, I just found this really convenient):
Bloated—Your tribute might throw up if they get one more morsel.
Full—Your tribute does not need to eat for the rest of the day, although 3 meals like a normal person would help.
Fine—Your tribute is fine. Hence the name.
Satiated—Your tribute's hunger is temporarily satisfied, but they should really find more food soon.
Not Hungry—Your tribute isn't hungry, but they soon will be.
Hungry—I think this one is obvious.
Very Hungry—Your tribute would really like some food.
Famished—Your tribute is really hungry and weak.
Starving—Your tribute is incredibly weak and might not do well in fights, if they can even stand and stay awake.
Dying—Your tribute dies today unless you sent them some food as a sponsor gift the day before.
But don't panic about this or worry about wasting too much on food. There was plenty in the Cornucopia and more of it scattered throughout the Arena. Chances are your tribute might find something. Here's how the food will affect them:
Cooked meat: Hunger stat goes up 5 points. You can go from Dying to Not Hungry from it! But of course, there's one tribute that's a vegetarian…
Canned food: Hunger goes up 3 points. Don't worry about your tributes not getting the cans open, I'll see to that.
Dried food: Hunger goes up 2 points.
Energy drinks: Hunger goes up 1 point, plus your tribute gets a little bit faster and tougher. Yes, I know I'm exaggerating the effects of Monster, coffee, etc. They don't call this fanFICTION for nothing!
Water: Stops hunger from going down the next day, and fills it up by two points.
For now, every tribute is currently at "Satiated" because they all had delicious breakfasts right before the bloodbath without me having to waste pages describing it. Everyone's hunger will go down each day, but a number of tributes may already have plenty of food…so while this is something to keep in mind, you shouldn't stress about it.
In addition to listing the hunger levels of every (living) tribute, I'll also list whatever wounds they have (you can have them healed with regular or Capitol medicine and first aid stuff, depending on the severity):
Rex: Bloody shoulder, cut upper legs, bruised neck
Tiberius: Damaged cheek, an arrow wound in his right leg
Steele: Cut left shoulder and left leg, bruised stomach
Noiz: Stabbed right hand
Clyde: Nearly-incapacitated left arm, poisoned
For the trivia question, you must guess correctly who had which thoughts when the countdown was going down. For example, who was thinking at 8, 7, 6, and so forth. It's a different tribute each time. You have to get all of them right for the full 50 points.
