Logan Quinn POV
The mutts seemed content to graze in one area. They were making us uneasy after they cracked Olivier's rib, so we moved on. I was glad they were in the Arena, though. They'd trample down our trail.
There were twelve of us left. We were halfway through. Half of the Careers were left, too. Assuming they were all together still, there was a chance we could fend them off. I didn't know if Olivier and Tariq were really ready to kill, but I knew I was. I could do the dirty work if they had my back.
I heard cow bells in the distance as we walked. None of us really knew where we were going. We were just hoping that the grass would eventually end and maybe there would be something else, like a shelter or a lake. The grass around us thinned slightly so we could see small patches of bare dirt. It was almost weird seeing the ground again. I was used to the grassy carpet of the Arena. Then lightning hit me.
As quick as thought, something huge and black grabbed me before I even saw it burst from the ground. I had an instant to see it was a spider before it pulled me into the dirt and the top of its lair slammed down. I thrashed and kicked at it, but its fangs crunched into me on both sides and it was like my brain shut down. I dimly heard Tariq yelling my name as everything faded. I could have fought anything in the Arena. I couldn't fight that thing.
Tariq Bluegrass POV
I ran at the hole and hooked my fingers under the lid, trying to pry it up. Olivier dragged me back by the armpits and we both fell on our backsides.
"We have to help him!" I yelled. His cannon interrupted me.
"He's dead," Olivier said. We sat where we'd fallen, too scared to move. We clung to each other without shame.
"What was that thing?" I asked. "It looked like a spider."
"How did it know he was there? It went straight at him," Olivier said.
"Maybe it felt his footsteps," I said. Olivier got up and tiptoed back farther away from the spot. I craned my neck to look closer without moving.
"There's a little mound there. That's how we can tell where the are, if there are any more," I said.
"Oh god, I hope there's no more," Olivier said. He was shaking, and I was too. I knew neither of us had either really processed what had just happened yet. I got and stood next to him. I looked around to make sure the coast was clear. When I did, I wet my pants. Now that I knew what I was looking for, I saw them. There were dozens of mounds dotting the ground, as far as I could see. And we were right in the middle.
Alice Grace Silvin POV
There was a parachute in the sky. It floated down right next to me, and I picked it up.
"It's for you," Cierra said. She pointed at the 8 marked on the box. Oh boy, a present? It was warm in my hands as I twisted it open. There was a little basket inside full of chicken nuggets and french fries, two of my favorite things from the Capitol. There was a little bottle of milk, too.
"Wow, look at this! Thanks!" I said to the sky. Cierra said they were for me, but I gave her three nuggets and some fries. There was still plenty for me, and they were delicious. It was much better than hay. I nibbled the breading off some and ate the others whole.
I didn't notice that I kept itching at the back of my head until Cierra mentioned it.
"Something bite you?" she asked.
"I don't know. It's just itchy," I said. She moved around behind me.
"Let me look, just in case," she said. She ruffled through my hair and it felt just like when my mother did it at home. It tickled a little, too.
"Oh, ick!" Cierra said. I started to turn my head to ask what it was, and I felt a tiny pinch. Cierra looked at something between her thumb and finger. I wrinkled my nose.
"Ew, what that on my head?" I asked. Cierra was holding a disgusting little bug about the size of her thumbnail. It skin was grey and its body was pill-shaped. It had ten tiny legs by its brown head. She dropped it and crushed it under her foot.
"Did it leave a mark?" I asked. My hands itched to explore the spot it came from. Cierra checked.
"Just a tiny little red spot," she said. "It doesn't look bad." It was a good thing I was done eating, because that would have ruined my appetite. I tucked the basket back in the box and noticed something in the bottom.
"Hey, there's something else," I said. I picked out a needle like the ones the Peacekeepers used to draw blood.
"I'm not sick," I said in puzzlement. I read the words printed on its side.
Not medicine. Defend yourself if necessary. Tillo. There was a skull and crossbones under it.
"You better be careful with that," Cierra said. It made me uneasy just thinking about pricking myself. I wrapped it in some bandages Cierra brought from the Bloodbath and put it in my pocket. I couldn't use that against the Jabberwock. It was way too small.
13th place: Logan Quinn- Eaten by spider mutt
I wanted someone in the alliance to die abruptly, and the dynamics worked best with Logan. I knew Logan would go far, since he had the skills. If he hadn't gotten eaten by a mutt, he probably would have been at least in the top five, since he probably would have ended up killing Tariq and Olivier eventually. I had my eye on Logan since Jayman has horrible luck with Tributes. When I saw that Troy was his too, I knew only one could win anyway, so it was okay to kill Logan. Thanks Jayman for Logan. He was strong in a reasonable and fitting way and he was the most suited for the Games outside of the Careers. Troy's still going strong, and he's definitely the strongest one yet.
Alice shared her food because it was in character, but she still gets credited for a meal's worth of calories.