Day Five:

Part One:

Absalom Sawyer(18)- D7 Male:

I tore at the piece of beef with my teeth, the dryness doing nothing to help my stomach. Beside me, Frankie groaned. "This tastes disgusting." She complained. I nodded my assent, but it wasn't as though we could do anything. Apparently the stupid animals had some strange grudge against us, because none of them seemed to reside near the place where we'd taken shelter.

We were in one of the strangest places imaginable. We'd been looking for a shelter, when Frankie had spotted this place. It was the cave behind a dried up waterfall. It wasn't the most secure, having only one exit, but it was also one of the most obscured places I'd seen in this arena. The only problem, however, was that this place seemed devoid of animals.

Frankie's head suddenly dipped, and she started. She looked around with wide eyes, but I'd already caught it. "Hey, sleep for a while. You've been awake for a whole day. You took the last two watches, so go to sleep." I told her. She shook her head. "It's daytime, Absalom. What if some psycho attacks us?" She countered. I smiled. "Well, they'll have to get past this. And honestly, unless you can sleep through it, I think the screams of the battle will wake you up." I stated, holding up my massive axe. Frankie looked at the weapon and laughed. "Right, wouldn't wanna get in the way of that." She said.

She bundled up her jacket, and using it as a makeshift pillow, lay on the ground in a somewhat fetal position. She must have been more tired than she's been letting on because she was asleep within moments.

I took some more tie with my beef strip, savoring what could possibly be the last of our food. That honestly worried me. Neither of us were good hunters. I was decent with my axe, but that was on a tree. Frankie had good aim, but she couldn't hit a moving target well enough. The only food we had was what we'd initially gotten at the cornucopia. Frankie had suggested we go back, but I had strongly refused. There was no telling what awaited us there. Even if the careers hadn't stocked up there, we could face dangers. There was a reason the Cornucopia was often the site of the Feasts.

Which left us with two ways of getting food. Either we hunted or we got sponsors. Dane may have been a loved victor, but even he wasn't good enough to get us food on the fifth day. So far into the Games, the sponsors only sent things like weapons and medicine. And that too in dire need. I couldn't expect food, unless the two of us were the most liked people in the Games. And I highly doubted that.

I sighed. We were running low on supplies. Very low. We wouldn't be able to hold off with the two of us. But…

I looked down at Frankie. Without realizing it, she'd reached over and taken my hand. It was a simply gesture of trust, of friendship, but it put a smile on my face. Then, just as quickly as the smile had come, it disappeared. This was the Hunger Games. Over here, nobody was anybody's friend. To survive, you needed to be heartless and emotionless. Things like friendship simply impeded the way.

I exhaled as I looked over at our bags. I knew this wasn't right, and I knew it was despicable. But I couldn't help it. I needed to survive. In these Games, survival mattered the most. I'd formed the alliance with Frankie to survive.

And now, I was going to break it for the same purpose.

I honestly didn't want to do this. This made me feel like a pathetic creature, but on the other hand, I knew we would soon run out completely if we stuck together. Alone, I had supplies to last me at least four days longer.

I gently extricated my hand from Frankie's. She stirred slightly in her sleep but didn't wake. Well, at least she was tired enough not to wake up anytime soon. I stood up and brushed off my jeans. I had to do this. I had to get back to my parents, to my friends.

I hefted my axe, and slowly picked up the Glaive lying next to me. I stuck the knife o the ground next to Frankie in my pocket and walked over to where we'd kept our supplies. Trying my hardest not to make a sound, I picked up the small bag first. I attached it to my belt, and set down my axe. I slowly lifted the other, bigger bag, and picked up my axe again.

As I stood up, something inside the bag clanged, but it didn't rouse Frankie. The girl was a heavy sleeper. I sighed yet again. I looked at Frankie with guilt in my eyes, trying to convey a silent apology, even though I knew she couldn't hear or see me.

Frankie had been a good ally, and if I was completely honest with myself, Frankie had been a good friend too. I let a smile cross my face when I remembered how I'd helped her with the snakes. I couldn't have asked for a better ally. But now, five days into the Games, I couldn't afford to make friends. Friends would not only lessen y supplies, but also my chances of survival. Of meeting my family.

I started heading out of the cave, but froze. If I took everything with me, that left Frankie virtually with nothing. Even if someone found this place and attacked her, she'd be defenseless. She could find some food, I wasn't worried about that. But without anything to protect herself with, she could become a prey. I slowly walked over to where she lay and knelt down. As quietly as I could, I unhooked the knife from my belt and placed it on the ground beside her. I gave her a final sad smile, before getting up.

Then, without looking back, I headed out of the cave, my alliance now broken.

Regina Anna Pasternack(18)-D1 Female:

I hugged my knees closer to my chest, feeling cold, despite the sun glowering overhead. Why was it so cold in here? I was only in the ruins of some kind of warehouse. It was littered with all sorts of ancient looking tools, and the walls were made of broken wood. I'd run here after I abandoned Nova.

My tears welled up. I didn't mean to abandon her. She'd been a good ally. But I had to. I couldn't put my life in danger for her. No, I had to return to Maeve and my family. What would they think if I had rushed in without thinking to save a girl I hadn't even known four days?

I didn't regret my decision. It made me feel very sad and strange inside, but I admitted this to myself. What I'd done was correct. I'd only wanted to save my life. And Nova's face hadn't appeared in the sky, so she must've still been alive. I had left her, yes, but it was only to save myself, and because I didn't want to do. I knew if she had been in my position, she would've done the same.

Anyone in these games would have. Everyone wanted to survive. Everyone had something to get back to. I wanted to get back to Maeve and raise a family. The two of us loved each other very dearly. I could see her smile in front of my face, her hair falling to her shoulders. And then there was my brother. Jakob and his band. Their music hurt my ears, to be honest, and I had told him so many times. He'd always seemed a little offended, but would always play something sweet for me. I loved listening to him play for me.

I sighed. I needed to win these Games to get back to them. I knew I had the brains. Sure, wasn't as powerful or strong as some of the other tributes, but I had a determination. I wasn't going to be put down. I was going to get through these games by myself. Everyone back home would always look down at me because of my frail form. I wasn't weak, but they never understood. I wasn't a training-addict like the other girls. I was simply myself. All I wanted was to live a simple life with my family, raise one myself with Maeve. That's all I wanted.

I was freezing. Tears had started to sting my eyes. I needed to start a fire. I'd been sitting in the same position for almost three hours now, and my whole body was stiff. As I got up to find something to start a fire with, I could feel my stomach drop.

I leaned against a wall, clutching it. I hadn't realized just how hungry I was. I stumbled over to my bags. I'd managed to keep all the bags with me while running away. Nova had entrusted them to me. Which was a good thing, because it had a few supplies.

I rummaged in the bag, my stomach growling. Hunger gnawed at my stomach. I'd always lived a sheltered life, and I'd never experienced hunger. My fingers curled around a packet and I pulled it out. My disappointment shot up. Inside were only three slices of apples. I looked through the bag a bit more, but there was nothing. The other bag didn't offer anything either. I groaned and sat back.

Had Nova been here, she would've been able to find food in a flash…

No. I shook my head. I didn't want to depend on anyone else for survival. I could do this. I needed to first fill my stomach and get rid of my weakness. I could hunt. Sure, I hadn't ever before, and I didn't plan on killing anything either. I mean, where was the hygiene? I couldn't simply shoot something and cook it over a fire and start eating, that was like a caveman! I needed my cleanliness and schedule. I groaned again. I'd have had lunch by now. I slumped back, disappointed that I couldn't stick to my daily routine because of these Games.

I needed to ration these apple slices. After slowly chewing on one of them, I took a meager bite of another and stuffed it back in the packet. I set the packet back in the bag and pulled out something I'd seen earlier.

A matchbox.

I smiled. Well, that was one problem solved. I leaned forward without getting up and grabbed two pieces of wood. Thankfully, the roof of this thing had been ruined, so the smoke wouldn't be a problem. I quickly put them in a rough pile and lit a match. I dropped it onto the pile and watched it catch fire.

Pleased immensely by my job, I held my hands over the fire, welcoming the warmth. The heat warmed my cheeks, and my hands returned to their slight pink color. I smiled, enjoying this moment. However, my smile didn't last long.

Because just then, the door swung open.

I looked up and yelped in surprise, only to see the boy from Seven standing in the doorway, holding out his huge axe.

Raymond Tate(12)- D5 Male:

I cursed under my breath as I looked through my bag of supplies. Nothing. I found nothing. I needed something to eat, and I'd run clear out of supplies. I obviously couldn't wait until someone decided to sponsor me, because even if someone was hopeless enough to sponsor food so deep into the Games, that food wouldn't come to me.

I groaned. Goodness, why in the world was this happening to me? Not just to me, none of us deserved this. I was more than sure that I wasn't the only one with no supplies, running hungry and lost. I needed some food, or I'd die of starvation.

I shakily got to my feet. After my encounter with Siobhan, I'd gotten weaker and weaker. My food supply had dwindled immensely. But the worst thing was my lack of sleep.

I couldn't sleep a wink without having horrifying nightmares about Siobhan. Every time I tried to catch some shuteye, her face would appear, covered in blood, screaming and begging me to save her. Sometimes it would just be me watching as Siobhan died in gruesome ways. Other times it would be her killing me in gruesome ways.

Killing someone was not as bad as I had expected. It was so much worse. It was ore than haunting. It took away your very sanity. I'd held a somewhat fine grip on my sanity by trying to convince myself that it had been necessary for me to kill her. I knew it had been, I needed to live. But that didn't make the feeling of dread go away.

I could still remember the way Siobhan had looked at the sky before she'd shot the first arrow. As much as I liked Dane, I couldn't help but blame him. I knew it was irrational, blaming him for something he totally couldn't help, but had he not killed her brother, I wouldn't have had to go through this. The guy was sweet and naïve, and blaming him just felt wrong, but a part of me did, no matter how much I tried to deny it.

I hadn't realized I'd stopped beside a tree. My hiding places composed simply of trees. Not only would it be hard for anyone big to come after me, but the only ones who could reach me here would be someone I could take. And even if I couldn't, I had my poisons.

I hadn't planned on making poisons my main weapon, but I'd slowly realized how powerful they were. All that training on poisons had paid off. I could now differentiate and identify scores of them. I'd killed Siobhan with a measly stab, only relying on Nightlock. I smiled. Nightlock was probably my favorite. It would kill within a minute, without bringing much torture.

Of course, I couldn't use poison for hunting. I took out one of my knives which didn't have poison coated on them, and hid behind a tree. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. I heard some movement off to my left and my head snapped up. Without hesitating, I threw my knife as hard as I could.

I heard a sickening sound and knew my knife had found its target. I walked over to examine my prey. The white rodent lay dead at my feet. I didn't know much about animals, and I couldn't identify this one. But it seemed to be edible.

I gagged slightly as I drew my knife out, and the thought of eating something so disgusting came to mind. Of course, I would have to light a fire, but I would have to cook it fast, before anyone could notice. Thereafter, I would take y cooked meal and move to another place. So even if someone did notice and come, they wouldn't find me.

I smiled a small smile. I liked my plan. It was risky, yes, but I was in the middle of the Hunger Games. Every breath I took was a risk. I needed to be careful if I wanted to stay alive.

I knew I was at a stark disadvantage. I was a whole lot younger than many other tributes. The only young ones still in the Games were the girl from Seven, the girl from six, and myself. I honestly didn't know how the girl from Six had survived so long, but I suspected it had something to do with that ally of hers, the guy from Eleven.

I wasn't immensely strong, but I was tall. I had a somewhat athletic build, but I relied much more on agility than strength. Strength gave you an advantage over the enemy, because it allowed you to overpower them. However, agility gave you the element of surprise. And with that, you could defeat them. Overpowering wasn't enough. In something like the Games, one needed to demolish his opponent.

I sat down hard on a rock, dropping my prey to the floor. When had I become so ruthless? Sure, I'd never been the most social of people, and no one really liked me, but I wasn't a cold blooded killer. And now, in these Games, I was thinking about demolishing my opponents. I hadn't even batter an eye while killing Siobhan. Sure, it haunted me later, but I hadn't hesitated.

I wondered for a moment if any of the other younger ones felt the same way I did. I couldn't be sure, but I had a sneaking suspicion that I was the only person below fifteen here to get a kill. Usually that would grope I sponsors, but everytime I thought about these despicable people, I wanted to puke.

They were beyond horrible. The sent innocent children into these daunting Games to what, become psychotic killers? Just for their entertainment. We didn't deserve this! Just because of something some rebels had done half a century ago, didn't mean we would still have to pay.

Lost in my thought, I hadn't heard the rustling of trees. The thing that broke me out of my stupor was when I heard the sound of feet on grass. I looked up, and my eyes widened.

The irony slapped me in the face.

In front of me stood the boy from Eleven, panting and holding out his spear, using his other arm to shield the girl from Six.

I got to my feet, slightly weak from not having eaten anything. The boy looked exasperated and frustrated. "I don't wanta fight..." I said slowly. He looked at me. "You think I do? We were simply walking, when this black fog started surrounding us. We, trying to escape it, ended up here. And now, I finally see it. That fog wasn't normal. It was the Ganemakers, leading us towards you. And even though I don't want a fight..."

"They do." I finished for him. There was a sadness to his eyes, a look of reluctance. He readied his spear. He looked apologetic, and I'm pretty sure I did too. The girl seemed shocked and frightened into paralysis. She broke out of it and grabbed his hand. "Dwayne, don't..." she pleaded. He shook his head. "I don't want to either." He said, more to me than her. I nodded. "But this is the Hunger Games." I finished for him yet again.

I drew two of my largest knives and poised myself for the fight. I tool a deel breath and charged.

~.~.~.~.

A/N: Did Wizard just do that? Leave you guys with 2 cliffhangers?

Yep. Hehe. ;)

So sorry, but I figured this story was missing the cliffy monster, so I invited him in. This was actually gonna be 4 POVs with Thaddeus' at the end, but I've broken my record and it's like 4 am over here and I needa sleep because I look like a zombie apocalypse. Sorry about that guys..

Another thing I need to apologize for is the less number of deaths. I know I haven't killed many people, but I want to tell their stories first. Eavh tribute has a story, and I'm trying to get them all. I apologize sincerely for this, but please bear with me. I promise mlre action in the next chapter. I promise. :)

Also, what didja think of Absalom leaving Frankie? And what of Regina's thoughts? Whaddya think will happen after those cliffies!? *goes into extreme hysteria mode and freaks people out*

Erm, yeah, sorry. But tell me what you guys thought! I know this was a little short but I hope you enjoyed it! Next chal will be longer, but I reaally hope youbliked this one! Sorry for the late update, 5 exams in 5 days can sap the strength lretty bad. But YOU GUYS ARE SO AWESOME I MEAN THANKS FOR ALL THE SUPPORT AND OMG 396 RRVIEWS LIKE YOU GUYS ARE BEYOND AWESOME THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Death list:

Almiro
Siobhan-18th- killed by Raymond Tate
Lawson
Anna
Kyle
Bellona-22nd-killed by Absalom Sawyer

Eva-16th-killed by Gamemaker trap
Avena
Blake

Colt
Nova

Dwayne
April-23rd-killed by Bellona Irving
Otto-21st-killed by Kyle Daniels
Lisette

Frankie-Leigh

Absalom

Raymond

Nick

Regina Anna

Isaac-24th-killed by Lawson Dean

Gigabyte-20th-killed by Dwayne McCane

Hartley-19th-killed by mutts

Ruben-17th-Killed by Anna Austen

Until next time then...