1/14/17
Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or anything else I may mention
Hi again! Well, after nearly half a year of not updating, I feel like I owe you guys more than just a little apology. I think a lot of it is that I've been busy, and if I'm perfectly honest I've been putting off working on the sequel. After you've been working on a trilogy for almost three years, it can be really difficult to come to terms with the fact that you're about to start working on the last book. Obviously I'm going to try to write more Hunger Games fanfiction after I'm done with The Manipulation Games, but there's something about this series that's really grown on me (even though most of it is very poorly written).
Anyways, thank you everyone who has followed or favorited! It means a lot to know there are people enjoying my poor excuse for writing.
Enjoy the chapter!
….
The Manipulation Games: No One Left
Chapter Thirty-Six: Explosion
…
As it turns out, Katniss Everdeen makes for roughly worse company than the rotting flesh of a squirrel corpse. We've barely spoken a word to each other since leaving, only when requesting a turn with the wire. Not that I have a problem with that or anything. As obnoxious as she is, I'm glad that I don't have to listen to her whine about Peeta or some crap. But I'll be darned if I'm not bored out of my mind right now.
I continue unwinding the wire as loud clicking from the 11 'o clock sector fills the air. I turn around to face Katniss, who has managed to fall a good distance behind me. "Better hurry. I want to put a lot of distance between me and that wire before the lightning hits- just in case Volts miscalculated or something."
In reality, I'm just worried I'll run out of time to get our trackers out. If necessary I can always cut my arm open on the hovercraft and toss it out the window or something, but I want it out now. The longer this Capitol abomination tech stays in my skin, the longer I start to feel like their property, which I am so not.
"I'll take the coil for a while," Katniss says as she catches up.
Yeah, great idea. Let the girl who's taking forever lead the way!
I reluctantly pass the wire. "Here."
Before I can even think about taking my hands off of it, the wire flies towards us, curling around our wrists and scratching my face. The end of it hits the ground, much shorter than it should be.
Our wire has been cut.
Now or never, now or never, now or never…
I snatch the metal cylinder from Katniss and hit her over the head. In an instant, she's down. Pushing the wire out of my way, I pin her down and roughly grasp her wrist with one hand. With my free hand, I grab Cashmere's knife and start digging into her skin. She starts squirming, preventing me from making very precise cuts. The knife twirls and twists until I'm finally greeted with the sight of the blood soaked tracker. I pry it out with the knife and toss it to the side, stabbing the knife back into my belt. I wipe the blood from her arm and smother it over her face.
"Stay down," I hiss, praying to God that she listens for once.
The sight of Brutus and Enobaria catches my eye. They must have been the ones who cut the wire. Just like they broke the victor alliance! My heart twists and fills with rage. Being responsible for the death of the only family I had left wasn't enough for them, was it? We trusted them, we were their friends, and now they're repaying us by killing our only chance at freedom from the prison that is the Hunger Games. But I won't let them. Not this time!
"Hey, traitors!" I yell, jumping up. "Why not kill me like you did Shey, huh?"
Before I can hear their responses, I take off and run away from Katniss, towards the tree. Towards Finnick. He'll help me, won't he? There's no way I can take the two of them, not with them working together. It doesn't matter that Katniss and Peeta are the Capitol's new power couple, to the victors it will always be Brutus and Enobaria. And there's a reason so many people were betting money on one of them winning. While they're still deadly while apart, together they're an unstoppable force- one I've just put myself at the mercy of.
Fortunately, I'm faster. Maybe it's just because I'm younger, or because they've decided I'm not worth it, but whatever the reason I manage to lose them after a few minutes of running. I lean up against a tree and try to catch my breath. My head starts feeling heavy, like it's about lean over and snap off my neck. I've been running too much. Sweat's dripping down my face and running into my mouth, like a waterfall or something.
At least, I thought it was sweat.
The familiar, metallic taste floods my mouth and confirms my suspicions. Blood.
Panic fills me. Memories of the last time I drank blood race through my brain. I push them away frantically, trying to figure out where the blood is even coming from. I life a hand to my cheek, and I immediately know the answer. The wire must've cut my face when it hit me. That's the only logical, reasonable explanation, no matter how much logic and reason it lacks. I swallow the lump in my throat, and now that the adrenaline has worn off I start to feel the stinging pain that a cut brings. Super. Wonderful. Fan-flipping-tastic.
My muscles tremble, reminding me of how tired I am. All I want right now is to go home and fall asleep in my own bed, waking up and realizing that my entire existence has just been a dream. I want to wake up to a world where the Hunger Games never existed, a world where my life is normal. My dad once told me that the thing Marissa Cresta feared the most was a life without adventure. Oh what I would give for her nightmare to become my reality.
My pity party is interrupted by a blood curling scream, shortly followed by the boom of a canon. I take off in the direction of the scream, mentally cursing myself for leaving the Mockingjay alone.
Another canon booms minutes before I reach the dead bodies of Brutus and Chaff. I grind my teeth as I assess the situation. Chaff has multiple stab wounds, likely caused by Brutus's spear. It seems likely that he bled it out. On the other hand, Brutus looks like he had a quick death by being impaled by his own spear. Chaff must have taken it from him while they were fighting, stuck it through his heart, and crawled away to bleed to death. But if Brutus is here, where's Enobaria?
"Katniss!" I hear Peeta yell weakly. I spin around and see him lying on the ground, next to a fallen tree. "Katniss!"
He thinks I'm going to kill him, doesn't he?
"Peeta!" Katniss yells.
Wait, that voice… it's close. Really close.
I look up and see Finnick and Enobaria standing on top of the hill. I can't see Katniss or Beetee, but they must be up there too. Finnick moves closer to Katniss, and then I can't see him anymore either. But I still have my eyes on Enobaria, the only real enemy in the arena. Not that we were supposed to have enemies this time. We were all supposed to scatter from the bloodbath before the so-called "Career alliance" could kill us, and then they were supposed to pretend to attempt hunting us down while in reality simply leaving us alone. It was a simple task, and judging from the multitude of faces in the sky each night I'd say they messed up big time.
Peeta screams for Katniss again, and again, and again. I try to ignore it as I dig Cashmere's knife into my arm, desperately searching for the tracker. I find it, and I'm about to pull it out when I hear a crash.
Enobaria stumbles backwards, falling down the hill. I look up and notice thousands of tiny bits of matter raining down on me. The artificial sky has been replaced by real stars, and a hovercraft lingers in the air waiting to take us to District 13.
We did it. We're free.
(Or at least, that's what I think until a gentle shock from my tracker tosses me into unconsciousness)
…..
Next up is the epilogue and the sequel!
Quote of the day!
"When the sand runs out, the Baudelaire fortune will be mine!"
*sand in hourglass runs out*
"…You'll need to turn it over a few times."
-A Series of Unfortunate Events, Count Olaf
May the odds be ever in your favor,
~Spectrobes Princess