Day Five

Aaron Vargas, District 4.

Lien glares over at me from the other side of the camp. She's still going on and on at me, blaming me for her bruises. Fine, next time I'll just let her walk into the creepy shadows, and then she can suffer the consequences. Something tells me it would have been a hell of a lot worse than her banged up face, but I know she doesn't see it that way. What is with girls and being so shallow all of the time?

I've had more than enough of her anyway. I think I would have been much better off without any allies at all, because they've been next to useless.

I think back to how Kye had turned on me with no warning, no explanation. I had felt bad when I had killed him, because it's not in my nature to break agreements. We had been allies, and while we had all known that it wouldn't last, I still had enough integrity not to break it without any kind of warning.

But Kye had forced my hand. I want to survive, to make it back home to Envee having proved that I'm still capable of fighting. That I'm still good enough to make something of myself. And so he'd had to die.

Still, while I'm fairly certain that he had gone a little bit insane, at least he was another person to keep me company. Now I'm stuck with Lien, who doesn't make conversation, she just complains and gives me filthy glances.

Perhaps it would be easier if I were just to kill her, and be done with it. But I can't deny that killing a little kid is repulsive. I guess some of the tributes that I had killed during the opening battle could easily have been just as young as her, but she looks so innocent and fragile. I mean, I know that she's not, but there's enough of a resemblance between her and Brianna that my whole body protests at the idea of taking her life.

I roll my eyes at myself. I had volunteered for the Hunger Games – I had known that this was coming. But imagining doing something is very different to actually carrying it through.

I shift my position, suddenly feeling restless. I can't be sitting around here, debating the moral implications of the Hunger Games. That's not the way I roll – act first, think later. That's always been my motto, and I'm certainly not planning on changing it now.

"We're going hunting," I say firmly, my eyes flickering over to the forest. Sasha's in there somewhere. I could have taken her out yesterday if it hadn't been for Kye. I don't know what he had been thinking. Now I have to try and find her all over again.

Lien just shakes her head. "We're not going anywhere. I'm still injured."

"It's barely an injury," I tell her, but I don't particularly care if she wants to stay here by herself. In fact, it would be far easier for me it she would just stay here. "Fine, you stay here. I'm leaving," I tell her.

"Good, and don't come whining back to me when you don't find that bitch from District 4," she says, searching through the packs to find something to eat.

"I'm not coming back," I snap suddenly, my anger rising at her words. Who does she think she is that she can talk to me like that? I was a soldier for the Capitol during the rebellion, for Panem's sake, and who is she? A little girl who probably hid away during the rebellion, too much of a coward to fight for what she believes in, not that I know what that is.

I don't know why I even allied with her in the first place – she's a complete waste of space.

"What did you just say?" she demands, rising to her feet with her hands on her hips.

"I said, I'm leaving, and I'm not planning on coming back," I repeat, grabbing a pack and beginning to rifle through our mound of supplies.

"What are you doing?" her voice rises in anger as she speaks, and she lurches towards me with a determined expression on her face. She reaches out and tries to tug the bag out of my hands. I yank it away from her so quickly that she falls to the ground.

What did she think? I was just going to hang around and listen to her whine forever? Yeah, thanks, but no thanks.

She scrambles back upright and tries once more to pull the bag away from me. I hang onto it, and raise my eyebrows at her. She finally relents and stomps her foot in frustration. "But there are still twelve of us left, it's too early to be thinking about breaking up the alliance," she says, eyeing me angrily.

I do understand – originally I had planned to stay part of the alliance until there were just a few of us left, but if I stay here with Lien much longer then I will have to start tearing my hair out and, judging by the exhibitions of Capitolian shallowness that I've seen up until now, I don't think I'll get very many sponsors if I make myself bald.

"This was going to happen eventually," I tell her patiently. Maybe I would feel bad for ditching her if she was just the slightest bit less annoying. But now that I've made up my mind about leaving, I just want to get out of here.

"But, you can't just leave me!" she yells furiously.

I clench my jaw impatiently, "why? Because you need me here to protect you while you sit around and do nothing all day?"

This shuts her up.

"You can either accept that I'm leaving, and just let me get on with it. Or you can keep complaining, and then I'll be forced to kill you." I watch her, feeling a slightly vindictive pleasure as she goes completely white. She bites her lip, lowering her eyes to the ground.

"Don't you care that I won't last a day without you?" she asks, in a voice I haven't heard her use once since we got into the arena. I've spent enough time around her to know what she's really like, and it certainly isn't this simpering little girl whose role she's trying her hardest to adopt now.

"Don't bother," I tell her, "I can see right through you. You're nowhere near as innocent as you might want the others to believe. So just drop the act, because you haven't really bothered with it up until now, and you're fooling no one."

I can see the fight go out of her eyes, and I sigh in relief. As much as I might not want to admit it to myself, I don't really want to be the one who ends up killing her. Even though she does annoy the shit out of me. I really have to get over the fact that she has a slight look of Brianna about her, because if it comes down to just us two in the end, then I need to be able to kill her.

Oh well, I doubt that she'll really last all that much longer.

I quickly smother the feeling of guilt that rises in my stomach as this realisation hits me. I shake my head, and quickly shove more supplies into my pack. I have to take as much as I can carry, I can hardly rely on the sponsors to send me everything I might need.

I avoid her eyes as I collect my weapons together and then I let my eyes flit around the camp for one last time.

"So you're really just leaving?" she asks, her sharp voice cutting through the silence.

I nod tersely, "I think we both know this alliance has been over for a while."

She snorts suddenly, and I glance over at her in confusion. "It sounds as though you're breaking up with me."

I bark a quick laugh, but then I press my lips together tightly.

She sighs, "I would wish you good luck, but I doubt that it would sound very sincere."

"Fair enough," I answer, "I would say this has been fun, but I don't think there's any way in hell I could make that sound sincere. Just do yourself a favour, and stay out of those shadows." I have no idea why I said that.

She watches me in confusion, "I guess at least now I'm free to do what I want without fear of bruises."

I roll my eyes, "goodbye, Lien."

She nods once in my direction, and then turns away from me dismissively. Why does she have to be so difficult? She doesn't do herself any favours by acting that way.

I shoulder the pack, wincing slightly at the weight, but I've carried heavier things in my time, and I trudge slowly away from the campsite.

I've been walking for several hours, my feet are beginning to ache and my stomach feels annoyingly hollow. I'm just coming to the decision that I'll have to stop at some point soon when I suddenly hear a sound.

I stiffen, coming instantly to a standstill, my eyes darting around the trees as though I'll be able to discern the source of the sound. It's some screaming, I think, but there's no movement in the forest around me. I reach for my spear, wrapping my fingers tightly around the wooden shaft.

It makes me feel safer, knowing that I can yank this out of my belt and hurl it straight through any tribute who emerges from the trees.

It comes again – it sounds like someone screaming at the top of their lungs. I listen closely for a moment, before taking off through the trees, following the source of the noise.

Harrow Followill, District 12.

Everything turns to chaos.

One moment I'm fleeing through the trees, sprinting after Rivka and Olive, just relieved that they're ahead of me, that they're going to get away from this thing.

The next moment I tangle my feet through a vines lying haphazardly across the forest floor. They send me sprawling, face first, into the dirt. I instantly try to stand back up, because I can still hear that thing lumbering through the trees behind me.

I force myself back up, ignoring the pain that burns in my legs as I strain my muscles and I scan the forest ahead of me, hoping for any sight of the others.

Just as I'm starting to worry, because there's no sign of them anywhere in front of me, a loud noise bursts through the forest and I jump violently as a stream of fire suddenly appears, forcing me to throw myself off to the side. I land with a thud that knocks all of the air out of my lungs and I lie for a moment, flat on the ground as the creature shambles past me.

I shake my head, trying to clear my mind. But then I hear a scream – it sounds vaguely like my name, and I stiffen as I recognise the voice. It's Rivka, screaming at the top of her lungs by the sound of it. That can only mean one thing – she's in trouble, and I have to save her.

Then she shrieks again, and I finally spur myself to get up off the floor, and go and find her. I glance around at the scorched forest in confusion, needing the scream to sound again so that I can follow it. I try to call out, to get her to answer me, but I start choking on the smoky air the moment that I open my mouth to make a sound.

I have no choice – I have to start moving, heading in the vague direction from where I heard her scream, and I can only hope that I won't arrive there too late to be able to help her. She's weak anyway and Olive still isn't over what had happened with Yari, and the voices.

I start to run – I need to find them, before someone else does.

Lien Axford, District 9.

I hate Aaron. He's the only one I blame for this – if he had been here then I would have had someone else to protect me, but now I'm on my own and I don't know what to do. I stare in horror for a moment at the thing that has just crept out of the trees, heading straight towards me.

The sight of its long, shell covered body fills me with revulsion - its legs stick out at odd angles as it keeps wriggling its way towards me. It isn't the armour, or the legs, that worry me though, it's the massive stinger at one end of its body.

I'm rooted to the spot for a moment, just taking in the sight of it as it slowly begins to close the gap between us, and then, finally, I come to my senses and I force my legs to move.

I cast one last, regretful look at the campsite – now not only have I lost my alliance, but also my camp in the same day. This day has to be the worst one of my life so far. Up until now I actually had a chance in these Games, but now?

Now I'm forced to sprint across the vast lawn, running desperately towards the barriers of the forest as though the trees might be able to protect me somehow from this grotesque creature. But all can I do is hope that I can run fast enough, for long enough, that it will give up and leave me alone.

As I reach the forest I can still hear it behind me, and I can't help the scream that tears from my lips as I almost trip as my feet get tangled up in the roots.

I shriek again as I hear its body scraping along the forest floor behind me, and I force myself to keep running, desperately moving my feet one in front of the other. I refuse to let this thing kill me. I have to escape.

Sasha Darke, District 4.

Kelby sits crouched on the floor, her arms wrapped her knees, her eyes staring off into the darkness. Flint is perched next to her, her fingers drawing aimless patterns in the dirt. I watch the swirls for a moment, but then my eyes flicker back to Kelby.

She's missing her son, feeling homesick. I suppose I would be the same if I had a child of my own, someone waiting for me back home who was completely dependent on me. Not that I can really see myself as mother material, I would imagine that most children need a parent who would actually have the skills to look after them.

I sigh, folding my arms over my stomach and settling myself back against a tree trunk.

This morning is dragging. Kelby is depressed and I have absolutely no clue what I'm supposed to say to make her feel better. Flint is off in a world of her own, humming to herself. And I'm sitting here, wishing that something would happen.

The next second, I really want to take back my wish. There's a rustle in the bushes behind me, and I spring instantly to my feet, once again hating how vulnerable I feel without a weapon. Behind me I can hear Kelby and Flint rising to their feet, and weapons being slid from belts. My hand moves to my own belt involuntarily. Now would be a really useful time for a sponsor to send me a weapon, I think impatiently, my eyes flickering towards the sky as though, by some miracle, someone out there might just read my thoughts and send me what I need.

Yeah, not a chance.

And I can definitely hear something moving towards us. I just catch sight of a pair of dark eyes and a scream rips out of my throat. I have no idea what it is, but I say for certain that it isn't human.

Someone grabs my arm, and I shriek again, convinced that I'm done for, that this is it. But then I catch sight of the orange hair of Kelby. I feel colour rise to my cheeks in embarrassment, but this is no time to be feeling humiliated.

I almost trip over my own feet as I whirl away from the trees and I sprint away into the trees, hearing Kelby and Flint close on my heels.

And then I hear the growl of something else, and I have to suppress another scream. I force my legs to move faster, force my mind to ignore the pain of running so fast.

Aaron Vargas, District 4.

The screaming has long since stopped, but I'm sure I must be closing in on the tribute by now. This is definitely whereabouts it had sounded and I force myself to keep running, even though my muscles feel like giving up after spending the whole day walking.

Then, just as I'm certain that they must be around here somewhere, someone collides straight into me and I stagger to the ground, the weight of another tribute heavy across my chest. I can hear panting from somewhere above me – it's clear that whoever it is has been running flat out for a while. I'm breathing just the same way.

Whoever it is finally moves off me and I lurch upright, my eyes meeting those of my opponent. Angry blue ones glare back at me and I glare into the face of the boy from District 12. He slides a knife from his belt, a determined look flashing in his eyes, but we both know he has no real chance against me. Or, at least, I know, and he would be wise to think the same thing.

I let my hands slide along the blade at my own belt for a moment, but then I tighten my grip around the spear. I'm too tired for a long fight – I would rather just end this, and have it over with. But he lunges towards me before I've got the chance to raise it over my head in order to throw it at him and I jump backwards, expecting to feel the sting of his knife against my skin.

Instead though, he hacks the blade against the shaft of my spear and I growl in fury as I realise what's he's trying to do. Luckily, he wasn't strong enough to completely slice through it, but the top half of the spear leans forwards precariously.

I feel like screaming; this is the only spear I took with me when I left Lien – I didn't think I'd be able to carry more than one, had thought it would get in the way. I curse my own damn stupidity, and let the spear drop to the ground. It's useless now, broken as it is. I can only hope to distract him for long enough that I can break it in half along the mark left by his knife, and throw the shorter part of it through him.

In the meantime being I yank my knife out of my belt and bring it up to meet his as he takes another swing at me. I block it easily and try to lunge past him. I don't reach him, but it's enough to knock him off balance, which gives me enough time to launch my fist into his stomach.

He releases a cry of pain and presses one hand against his stomach. For a moment I think he's going to drop to the ground but instead he aims a kick at my shin. I try to jerk backwards to avoid it, and just the tip of his boot scrapes against my leg.

"You'll have to try better than that," I pant, slashing towards him once more with my knife.

"I won't let you beat me," he mutters, ducking to avoid the blade and then he launches himself towards me, knocking me off my feet. I struggle underneath his weight, kicking out wildly with my legs until finally they connect with his body and send him sprawling off to the side.

I suck in air, trying to catch my breath as he scrabbles in the dirt for his knife. If only I could get back upright, then I would have the advantage, but the day of walking is beginning to take its toll on me and it takes me a few seconds to pull myself together and then I lurch upright.

He's already waiting for me; he aims a punch towards my chin and I shift my weight backwards so it won't hurt so much, but the sudden ache that erupts in my jaw makes me clench my fists in anger.

"You can't kill me," I hear him murmur under his breath, "I have to help them. I can't die yet."

"Well, whoever they are, they're in trouble. Because you're not getting out of this alive," I snap at him and he looks up at me in surprise. I clearly wasn't meant to overhear. See, this is why allies are a bad idea. They make you weak; you always have to be thinking about someone else.

I twist my knife, trying to cut the arm that holds his own blade but he jerks backwards just in time. Unfortunately for him, this is a manoeuvre I used many times during the days of the rebellion and I quickly dance around while he's distracted and kick the back of his knees.

His eyes widen as his legs crumple beneath him and he slumps to his knees in front of me, breathing harshly and clutching his blade tightly. It doesn't matter though, I'm not going to let him get away. I raise my blade.

Aaron holds his blade against Harrow's neck, his chest heaving and his pulse racing as Harrow struggles desperately against his iron grip, knowing that he has to be there to take care of Rivka and Olive, that Rivka doesn't stand a chance without him.

Lien sprints through the trees, her arms flailing wildly as she tries to knock branches out of her way. She won't let herself stop, not for a single moment, otherwise she knows that she's a goner. But it's closing in on her. Then she trips, and falls head first onto the forest floor.

Sasha, Kelby and Flint watch with horror as a wolf bounds out of the trees towards them; they're backed up against the castle, with nowhere else to run. It snarls, revealing rows of sharp teeth and none of them can tear their eyes away as it begins to prowl closer.

A cannon booms loudly, sending a flock of birds squawking into the sky. Then silence falls across the arena.

Well, I'm 99% sure that I know who that cannon is going to be for.

And I know a lot of people wanted a Sasha/Aaron fight, but I'm not quite ready for that one yet, although I do have a plan for it ;D This chapter was originally just going to be in Aaron's point of view, but then I felt like being cruel, so my plan changed. I hope it made sense!

Also, I have a new poll up, so vote and let me know who your favourites are.

Answer: How's About Telling A Story, by Devendra Banhart

Question: What song are these lyrics from? And I will die alone and be left there, well, I guess I'll just go home, oh God knows where, because death is just so full and mine so small, well, I'm scared of what's behind and what's before.