"Day" 8, part 2
Mercury, 17, D3
The sun was high in the sky and, despite her now unreliable internal clock, Mercury was certain it should have been sunset. If only because she had a shrewd idea of how fast Mesmer's medicine was and because the "sun" hadn't moved in hours.
Maybe the Capitol wanted their finale well lit.
The magician had an extraordinary constitution, he should still be stiff and slow, instead he was just coming down from the fruit tree, doubtless not wanting to ask her for more food.
"No Careers," he announced, taking a massive bite out of an odd-shaped orange-ish fruit.
"Want to stretch your legs and go looking for them?" Mercury said, not being against the idea herself.
Mesmer waived his juicy prize before him. "After I finish this."
He swallowed and turned his piercing gaze towards her. "Do you think your friends will still want you when they realize what you've become? That there is no going back?"
As usual, Mesmer's words were spoken in the tone of a curious child. Mercury willed herself not to react, but he made it so hard. She pushed back the wave of guilt and doubt threatening to make her panic. Anger clenched her fists and Mercury took a deep breath. Mesmer was a relentless predator, sniffing its prey for weaknesses.
"You are very fortunate to have found unconditional love in Zephyranth, Mesmer," Mercury said, her tone sharper than she would've liked.
The magician's smile faltered. He lowered his eyes and bit into his fruit. Mercury blinked in shock. Had she hit a nerve? Was he insecure about his girlfriend? Or was he just faking vulnerability so he could strike harder later? Mercury shivered as a raindrop fell on her neck. The 'sun' was still very visible, but the threat in the dark clouds could not be mistaken for a passing drizzle.
Their verbal sparring had gone on long enough. "Are you fit to go?" She asked, a part of her wishing he wasn't.
Mesmer threw away the big pit he'd been gnawing at and hastily washed his hands in the stream before stretching.
He winked at her before throwing head back. He landed on his feet after a perfect backflip. A knife was still quivering in the two-inch space between Mercury's feet.
Pale and shivering, Mercury realized she couldn't breathe. Trust Mesmer to make everything into a frigging show. He could've killed her. She could be dead.
"Hand-eye coordination, check," Mesmer said smugly, retrieving the knife.
"Let's go somewhere dry," Mercury finally managed, her heart painfully pounding against her ribcage. Run, Mercury, don't stay with him! He's deadly, he'll kill you! "The ground around the stream seems prone to flooding."
The drizzle turned quickly into heavy rain and, even yards away from the streams, they were soon trudging through mud.
"We'll be knee deep in mud soon. We need to go higher, right now," Mesmer ordered, his skinny arms hugging his soaked body, an edge of hysteria in his voice.
Mercury raised an eyebrow at his uncharacteristic display of emotions. A ghost of a smile slowly graced her lips. So he couldn't swim. Fascinating. Now he needed her alive to get him to safety. She felt some of her tension evaporate, but only some.
She sent a pleading glance to the camera among the leaves. What do I do, Aster? What am I supposed to do?
"The base of the waterfall is half a mile away," she said after a while. "You won't find higher ground other than there."
"You know the way," Mesmer said, gallantly letting her pass, "I humbly suggest you keep the ax in one of your hands. The bags will be tough to open wet as they are."
"True. Thank you, Sweetheart," Mercury answered, overtaking him with her prettiest smile. She hadn't thought about it, she wasn't a Career but she bloody well knew how water affected cloth or leather, why hadn't she thought about it?
Stop thinking! She ordered herself. She growing frantic, it would kill her.
"I want a kiss for every Career I kill," Mesmer said with a flirtatious smile, pointing at his cheek.
Mercury snorted. She enjoyed their banter, it kept her alert and focused. She could not mope about previous events if she had to school her expression and swiftly find counters to his wounding inquiries.
Do you think your friends will still want you?
Mercury scowled. Her real friends could be counted on two digits and Mercury had chosen them decent enough they wouldn't let her down in her greatest moment of need, even if she had changed too much. Would Aster hate her? He hated himself surely enough. He told me to win! She shouted back at the negative voices.
Her feet seemed to be sucked in by the ground every time she took a step. That half mile was looking longer and longer as minutes went by.
"Mesmer, don't run. You'll twist your ankle."
"Fertile ground doesn't get muddy like that!" Mesmer shouted. "Mud doesn't stick like that! It's a trap, our feet will be trapped and water will rise." He was gesturing frantically, and barely slowed.
Mesmer came from Eleven, orchards. He had to be right.
"As long as we have shoes, we can kick them off," Mercury said. "Take big strides and use the branches to help you up. Even if the rain gets worse, we have almost a quarter hour before the water reaches your knees."
Alive, Mesmer may kill her, but dead, the Careers would kill her.
The rain was getting worse.
A little under twenty four hours. Right.
"Unless the streams all overflow," Mesmer snapped.
"Mesmer, I can swim for both of us, relax. Running on this ground is insane. Use your ears, we're close."
"Just don't want to catch a cold so close to the end. Now you've used up all my sponsors, I'm on my own."
Mercury huffed, inwardly relieved the boy was somewhat controlling his fear. "The fact you're alive to complain should fill you with immense gratefulness."
"I'm so sorry, you're absolutely right, Mercury. You're so selfless!"
Mesmer's performance of grateful and awed was top notch. Mercury itched to slap him again. She restrained herself, bile burning her throat. She was using him. Of course Mesmer would dutifully remind her, like he dutifully reminded her of anything unsavory he could think about.
"What if the Careers have separated? Do I still get half a cookie if I only get one?" Mesmer said, turning hope-filled eyes towards her.
Mercury frowned. She hadn't thought about that. Not that she could force Mesmer to do anything.
"Depends. They'll all be at the waterfall anyway."
She had to use her own knife to dig into the trees and push herself forward now. The water was reaching their knees and the mud was growing stickier by the minute.
"There is soon going to be stuff in the water. Living stuff," Mesmer predicted through clenched teeth.
"Throw your shoes away as soon as we're near the waterfall. It's safer to climb barefoot," Mercury said, fear beginning to grip at her stomach.
A hundred yards to go.
"Is that Yolo with Aurora?" Mercury whispered, pointing at the two moving shadows reaching the first platform, twenty yards above the water level. How did Yolo and Aurora end up in an alliance?
"They're busy climbing, move," Mesmer hissed from behind her.
"Drop the bag. We won't spend another night here. Drop everything but the weapons, remove your shoes and get on my back. I can't see the ground anymore and the trees stop here."
A huge wave came crashing upon them as soon as Mercury had started swimming, doubling the amount of water in the valley. She could swim laps without trouble in the Web's pool. Here, she struggled with all her might to stay afloat.
It's the last day! Mercury chanted in her mind, forcing herself to hold on. The thought made her smile.
Inch by inch, they gained ground, having been thrown almost in the right direction. At least Mesmer had the good sense to keep his arms away from her neck. The water tasted salty on her lips. Salt water was good; it was easier to swim in. Mesmer mimicked the way her legs moved, for the first time very silent.
She was almost behind the waterfall when Mesmer's hold on her tightened painfully.
"Hurry! Something is moving towards us and it isn't human," Mesmer cried, his voice trembling.
A spike of adrenaline shot through Mercury. Her arms were lighter, her legs renewed. Swimming faster than she had ever attempted, she cut through the last yards of stormy water, her heart hammering painfully in her chest and her lungs begging for air. Tears of pain and fear ran down her cheeks as they reached the rocky wall behind the waterfall, soaked and chilled to the bone.
Mercury threw her useless belt off. The water had washed the last of the nightlock away. Mesmer had kept only his pants, wide-eyed terror still obvious on his face. He was so skinny... Mercury couldn't help a pang of compassion which swiftly turned into rage.
She'd never thought herself a rebel, but now, she hated the Capitol. She hated them all.
On the side opposite to where Mercury had glimpsed the other two tributes, they began to climb.
It wasn't that hard, the grips were plenty and close enough Mercury's burning muscles didn't abandon her. Mesmer was quicker than her, nimbly making his way to the top.
As soon as you glimpse the Careers, get away from him. Mercury reminded herself, hurrying to keep up. He only has four knives. He won't waste them on you, not if the Careers are in sight.
She should have been terrified, instead her heart was light. One way or another, it would be over soon.
Corsair, 18, D2
That Corsair knew how to climb trees, that big streams were not a good place to go because there were no trees to shield one from sight, seemed to have slipped District Five's mind. His little feints were amusing to watch. Taking a much shorter path, Corsair could hear Victor curse and cough as he came out of the water. Corsair had to kill him before the rain became a problem. The Gamemakers were about to gift them with a flash flood.
Victor was running again. Corsair pursued at his own pace, not disheartened in the least, the pain in his skull down to reasonable levels. His prey was going towards the waterfall, where they all would end up. Corsair exhaled in exasperation: Victor had the worst sense of directions. For the first time, Corsair considered giving up the chase. The boy would drown if he kept at it.
Corsair's lips curled in disgust. He didn't give up. He stayed on the trail, giving himself another ten minutes to find the other tribute.
A few minutes later, he finally heard a splash.
He saw Victor stand up a knife throw away grimacing as he forced his leg out of the mud and took another step forward.
"Hard on the muscles isn't it?" Corsair said condescendingly, himself barely tiring despite the pull he was exerting on his wounded side.
Victor started, breaking into another predictable run. He quickly fell back in the knee-deep muddy water, huffing and snarling with every step.
Weak. Some revealed it later than others but they were all weak.
"Aurora wanted your dress," he called. "Would you care to pass it over?"
"Still clinging to the hope she'll fuck you?" Victor shot back. He had another thousand insults to hurl, certainly, but he stopped when he realized he was within hitting distance of Corsair's morning star.
"Give me the dress, and I'll grant you five minutes. You have my word," Corsair said softly. "You'll even swim more easily," he added with a thin hard smile.
He dispassionately watched Victor tear the dress off and throw it to him in a ball. It was stained with blood, but among the other colors, it didn't look too out of place. Corsair wrapped it around his arm and made a knot.
"That's five minutes minus ten seconds,"he announced when he was done.
His lips twitched as Victor trudged away.
He heard the wave before he saw it.
He was pulled underwater, the current almost overturning him. Pushing on his arms, taking full advantage of his steroid-induced strength, he reached the surface and gulped a mouthful of air. Victor was swimming for the waterfall. Maybe thirty yards away.
Was that Mesmer nearing the waterfall? On District Three?
Corsair memorized the direction they were taking and concentrated on Victor. He'd find the others later.
Victor was a powerful swimmer, better than Corsair who dragged his right leg behind and had twenty pounds of wet wool dragging his arm down.
The Hunger Games had never been meant to be fair.
Corsair realized his throat was raw from the water he'd ingested. Salt. He felt amusement bubble up in him. That changed everything.
He finished counting the five minutes. He didn't give his word lightly.
Finally, he took the cooking knife from his weapon's belt and threw it with all his might. The wound he made was pathetic. Five didn't even cry out. But the small knife had cut just deep enough rivulets of blood began to mix with the water around him.
Corsair had studied all the Games. The audience claimed they wanted originality, but their tastes didn't change. Gamemakers were predictable. Letting Victor go, he swam as fast as he could towards the safe shore surrounding the waterfall.
A dark shape appeared in the water. It ignored Corsair and sped towards Victor.
Sharks, drawn by the scent of blood.
Corsair's lips twitched as Victor's screams cut the air. A cannon blast tore through the storm like thunder, putting an end to the once handsome boy's agony.
He hoped the Annex would grant him the kill point. Brutus had killed seven in his arena. Lyme held the record at nine. Enobaria had reached five. Corsair clenched his teeth, pulling hard on his muscles. He hadn't killed many, but no other pair from Two had sustained a romance like he and Aurora had, ever. The sponsors had fallen over themselves. No tributes had ever received champagne.
Rage powered his muscles. He wouldn't be just a name for the thirteens to memorize and then promptly forget. He'd be remembered, whatever the future held.
He pulled himself out of the water and began to climb, making sure his grip was very steady. Even wounded, the climb was child's play, but a big rock thrown from above could still knock him back into the water. He reached a big platform of grass and stone that dug deep into the cliffs, maybe a quarter mile across. The paths above him were too exposed to risk climbing now, and apparently led nowhere.
A figure emerged from the rocks, weapons well in evidence and still sheathed. Soaked and smiling shyly, Aurora was the sexiest sight Corsair had ever beheld.
His bolas were in his hand before he'd taken another step. He was a Career, she was in his way.
"You have my dress," she said, her smile brightening until he could only see her. "You thought about it."
The woman before him stopped a wistful shine to her amber eyes as her gaze fell to his weapons.
Her knives would fly faster than his bolas, but if he was closer, the odds would be in his favor.
You're sure you're not getting closer to kiss her? a mocking voice said, interrupting his dispassionate calculations. He let his hand fall to his side and slowly walked up to her, his eyes drinking in her every feature.
He handed her the soaked dress, instinctively angling his body to his advantage as he spotted three cameras around them. There was nobody but them.
"Let me slip this on. We don't have long," Aurora whispered.
She first slipped out of her shirt. Heat rushed to Corsair's cheeks and he unexpectedly looked away. She laughed softly. "You can look now."
In Capitol finery, she looked like a victor. With the blood covering the dress's cleavage, she was Career. With the dress hugging her every curve, he couldn't look away.
Corsair grinned and offered her his hand. "I apologize, the music is dead."
Aurora laughed, such a rich and oddly brittle sound. She didn't pull back, turn away or speak. He let her come, his heart racing.
Aurora sighed against him as their lips met, her hand strong against his chest. He nipped at her lips, inhaling the scent of her, committing her taste to memory.
And forced himself to push her back. The arena would have no pity. They'd indulged themselves enough. Their story had come at a close.
"You one-upped my old man in less than two weeks. I'm impressed," Aurora said, her eyes moist and her smile so bright he finally knew he'd won the woman and not just the angle.
The last five.
For the first time in years, Corsair had to repress tears of rage. He pressed one last lingering kiss on her palm and released her hand.
"Mercury and Mesmer were climbing together."
"Together we shall kill them," Aurora finished, her beautiful eyes glinting with determination.
His answer came out as a gurgle.
You didn't pay attention!
Why was Cillian shouting at him? Corsair thought dimly. Wasn't his brother far away?
Yolo, 13, D7.
Yolo had dug under a boulder with his spiky new shoes to make a small hole to hide better, instead of staying where Aurora had told him to.
She would never put his life before hers. He was alone again.
He tried not to think too much about it, but he was cold all over. He was scared he would die.
Yolo had taken the darts out of their little bag but the poison was all dry and crusty. It was too late. They wouldn't work now. He'd thrown them away. He peeked between the boulders, hating how it was a lame hiding place. There was nothing better, though.
He held his breath as Corsair appeared, afraid the scary guy'd still hate Aurora, that he'd want to keep hating her to be able to kill her. Afraid he'd spot Yolo, close as Yolo was from the couple.
Yolo's lips bloomed into a wide smile as he saw them kiss. Even the Capitol couldn't destroy some moments of happiness. Yolo tensed as they took a few steps in his direction, now almost close enough to hear his breathing. Aurora had been nice. Surely, surely-
Time slowed.
Yolo's mouth twisted into a grimace of shock and horror as Corsair fell, blood foaming from his mouth, a throwing knife sticking out of his neck.
Yolo ducked behind the boulders, eyes screwed shut, making himself tiny as his body shook.
A primitive blood-curdling scream burst from Aurora's lips, piercing through Yolo like shards of sharp glass. His eyes flew back open as the scream was cut short.
Aurora gasped and fell to her knees, a knife in her chest, the other in her lower stomach. She collapsed on the ground, her honey locks blocking Yolo's view.
Yolo instinctively jumped out of his hideout. Run, run, RUN!
That's when Yolo saw him. The green-eyed magician, less than a yard away from Aurora, his hand reaching for one of the knives he'd thrown.
Aurora. She had been Yolo's first kiss.
Gripped by a surge of madness, Yolo leaped feet forward, terror twisting his features as he kicked blindly. Screams burst from his lungs, his eyes blurred.
A movement, a blur, Mesmer's arm with a knife. Yolo ducked out of the way, somehow. He wasn't thinking. He was still screaming. Something snapped, crack! like a big twig. His feet were heavy, slick. Mesmer was underneath him, a shoe-print on his back. Ugly, flesh torn. Blood ran down Mesmer's whole body.
Mesmer tried to roll over. Yolo kept kicking. Kept screaming. Their eyes locked. Mesmer's were green, wide in shock, his breathing coming out in agonised gasps.
Panic overtaking his last conscious thoughts, Yolo kicked the magician's head, feeling skin rip and bones snap.
He stumbled backwards and dashed to Aurora's side, his brain struggling to process what had just happened. Aurora's eyes were still open, but her breathing was shallow and she hadn't moved.
"Aurora? You're safe, it's just you and me," Yolo whispered.
Her hand twitched next to where he was lying. He grasped it gently in his, lifting it to his tear-stained cheeks.
With surprising speed, Aurora's trembling hand jerked out of Yolo's and fastened itself around his neck.
Yolo gasped. He tried to speak her name, but only a gurgle exited his mouth. Aurora, what are you doing?
"I'm still alive," a girl's voice said from behind them, "Yolo didn't mean it was the last two. Don't bother, Aurora."
Aurora's hand dropped back down. She coughed up blood. Yolo backed away, because he then knew with chilling certainty that if she had not been so weak, he would have been a corpse. Aurora was a Career, a Career who'd thought it was the last two and that the Capitol would heal her.
Yolo stood paralyzed in fear. She'd tried to kill him.
"S… Sorry, thank you, Yolo," Aurora gurgled, blood staining her full lips. Her eyes lost their desperate gleam, they were almost warm as they met his.
Her whole body shuddered before going limp.
Yolo's exhaled in anger and pain. His lips were shivering uncontrollably. He felt sick to the core.
"Why did you save the magician?" Yolo said, wishing this nightmare would just end.
There was no answer.
Two cannon shots tore the air, each a knife in Yolo's stomach. At least there would be no anthem now.
He didn't move, waiting for the blow to come.
Nothing.
He stood up and turned.
A pair of pale blue eyes was staring into his.
The girl from District Three was as still as a statue, water dripping from her cropped dark hair.
Living 2/24:
D3, Mercury Kernel, 17
Killed Carnelia (D1 on day 6) and Georgie (D8 on Day7-night)
D7, Yolo Underbush, 13
Killed: Mesmer (D11 on day 8.2)
Other info (tributes to the left listed in order of death):
Tesu (D8) killed Apple (D11) during the bloodbath.
Armagnac (D1) killed Gamina (D7) during day 2
Carnelia (D1) Killed Armagnac (D1 on day 4) and Drake (D6 on day 6)
Paloma (D4) Killed Dash (D12, during bloodbath), Tesu (D8, bloodbath), and Bryony (D12, day 4).
Victor (D5) killed Paloma (D4 on day 7)
Sharks (Capitol) killed Victor (D5) during Day 8 (part 2)
Corsair (D2) killed Orvis (D4, during bloodbath), "Mouse" (D5, during the bloodbath) and Rachel (D10, day 7)
Aurora (D2) killed Algor (D3, during bloodbath), Hawk (D6, during bloodbath) and Chester "Messenger" (D10 during Day 6)
Mesmer (D11) killed Harrow (D9, on day 5), Rosemary (D9, on day 5), Corsair (D2 on day 8.2) and Aurora (D2 on day 8.2).