Day Nine: We All Fall Down
District One:
Rouge's POV:
Fire.
The first thing I smell is smoke, and immediately my eyes burst open. Everything is on fire. Buildings, boxes, carts… Almost everything. I hear several explosions, and know that this is a Gamemaker's trick. They're trying to smoke out the rats.
I quickly shake Alex awake, and both of us are immediately on our toes. We look around for some exit, but everything seems to be blocked by fire.
"What do we do!" I yell.
"I'm thinking!" Alex hisses at me.
I frantically look around, and feel fear beginning to settle in my body. I keep my face completely emotionless, but on the inside my heart is pounding right into my ears. My rip on my bow is so tight I can swear it is about to break. Slowly, the fire begins to approach. It approaches faster, and faster.
That's when I see it.
"Over there!" I scream. Alex's head snaps towards the direction I'm pointing, and we both see it. There is an extremely thin ledge, which hopefully can give us a high enough boost so that we reach the roof of the brick building. Thank the lord we aren't surrounded by wooden building, otherwise we would be done for. Both of us sprint over to it, and Alex is the first to try. He steps onto the ledge, and reaches as high up as he can.
No good.
"Let me try and give you a boost!" Alex yells. I see fear glinting in his eyes, and I know exactly why. The fire is slowly approaching us. So slowly, that it is obviously being controlled.
I jump on to the ledge, and swing my leg around one of his legs. I push as hard as I can on his shoulders, and boost myself as high up as I can with my arms. He grabs hold of my waist, and pushes me up even higher. I reach out with my arms, and grab hold of the roof. I heave myself on top of it, and lay down on the tiled roof gasping.
"Help me up!" I hear Alex scream. "Hurry!"
I peer over the ledge, and see him frantically waving at me. The fire is creeping up on him, and I feel a giant stone lodge itself in my stomach. Should I just… leave him? There can only be one of us that wins. If I keep him alive, we will eventually have to kill each other, and more than likely I will be the one that dies. Alex is stronger, more strategic, and far more ruthless than me. I may be faster, a quicker thinker, and more clever, but there is no telling who would win. Why not just let my biggest competition die now?
"Rouge!" he screams.
I feel my eyes beginning to well up with tears as I stand up.
I have no choice.
I dig the toe of my boots into the ledge, and start to lower myself. I link my hands with his, and slowly begin to pull myself up. We both reach the roof, and we collapse next to each other. We both begin laughing, and we smile at each other.
"For a second there, I thought you were going to leave me!" Alex exclaimed.
"For a second there, I thought so too," I confessed. Alex's eyes immediately dimmed, but he just nodded his head.
"I would have been thinking the same thing if I were in your position." Alex confesses as well.
I grab hold of his hand, and stare right into his bright green eyes. "Allies to the end?"
Alex nods slowly, and smiles. "You bet your life on it! You won't get rid of me that easily."
I can't help but laugh at that, and we both get up. We begin looking for the next place to go, but I soon realize it isn't just where we were. Everything is on fire. I walk to one side of the roof, and immediately hit the floor. I stare out into the main square, and just gawk at the sight before me. I pull Alex so he drops down as well, and we both just stare in shock.
Claire is standing there with the entire mutt's in the game. I'm not just talking the people from here. Oh no, I'm talking about mutts I've seen on the mountain. I also see a little girl that I swear I had seen before. Trisha? Maybe her name was Trisha… I also see Krindle, and I can't help but cry out in shock. He looks just like a mutt. There isn't an ounce of humanity left in him. Not an ounce.
The thing that scares me the most is Claire. Claire doesn't look human anymore as well. Her skin is almost black, and her eyes flash red just like the fire that dances throughout the city. Her hair is a wild mane, and her smile reminds me that of a wild hyena. All of the mutt's are holding torches, and I realize this was her plan! She was planning on drawing the tributes out. She was planning on killing us one by one. The Gamemaker's may now be controlling the fire and the explosions, but she started all of this!
I see the Gem of Hearts flash around her neck, and I growl at it all. Time for that bitch to pay for the lives she has taken. I string my bow in a matter of seconds, and shoot. My arrow goes flying through the air, and misses its mark. It hits her square in the chest, and she growls as she pulls it out. She glances around, trying to see where it came from. I quickly restring my bow, and shoot again.
The arrow penetrates the Gem of Hearts, and I see it shine even brighter. I can see the cracks appearing throughout the surface, and soon the red light it gives out begin to leave it. It falls off her neck in pieces, and I hear her scream in anguish.
"No…no… NO!" she wails. She grabs at it, and tries to stick the pieces back together. I glance at the mutts, expecting them to revert back to normal.
They don't change one bit.
All of them spin around, and leap at Claire. Her screams fill the air like a melody at a funeral, and I feel as though I can hear her skin being torn to shreds. A cannon announces her death, and I shudder at the sound of it. Both Alex and I stand up, and glare at the mutts. They are all smiling, some covered in blood, and they begin to walk into alleyways and into different buildings.
"You've got pretty good aim," Alex admires.
"You never really forget how to shoot a bow. Plus, I've had around two weeks or so to refresh my memory and improve. If I was really any good, I would have only had to take her down with one arrow…" I murmured.
"Let's just say I'm glad you're my ally," he says, and raises his hand for a high five. I reach out to give him one, when I hear it. Suddenly, the roof explodes, and both of us go flying. I see him flying towards the main square, while I fly into one of the many alley ways. When I land on the hard ground, I feel the air knocked out of me. I slowly stand up, and shake my head. Looks like the Gamemakers decided to separate any and all allies. This might even be our last day. As I walk into a random alley way, a song begins to play through my head.
Ring around the rosy…
District Ten:
Dana's POV:
"Holy mother of cattle," I murmured. I literally dove towards a crate, and curled myself into a ball. Those human mutts were coming down this alley. Except they didn't seem to be human like anymore. They were just freaky!
I heard them slowly getting closer, and I panicked. Yes, Miss Calculation panicked. You try being calm when mutts covered in blood are slowly marching towards you. I sprung up from my position, and sprinted the way I had come from. I heard the mutts yell with excitement in their voices, and they began to pick up the pace.
I sprinted through alleys, and tried to weave in and out of certain places. I kept looking back, hoping to have lost them, only to find them still chasing me. Eventually, they began to block off potential paths, and I was soon only given a few different options. Being from District Ten, I knew this method quite quickly. My blood turned to ice, and I knew I was being corralled just like a cow.
I continued to run away from the mutts, not stopping for a second. Eventually, I was cornered on all sides, and my only choice was to run into a small building. I burst through the main door, and slammed it shut behind me. I shoved several chairs against it, and took in my surroundings. I was in a bomb shop of some kind… I continued to look around, and suddenly I heard a giant crash. I spun around, and saw a tribute hurdling through one of the windows. So that's why the mutts led me here. The Gamemakers were making tributes battle… Battle to our deaths.
The girl stood up shakily, and stared at me with horror in her eyes.
"Looks like it's time to kill again," I said as carefree as I possibly could. I knew I was coming off as a bitch, but frankly it was easier to act this way when I killed someone. If I killed them when I wasn't myself, it was easy to deceive myself into thinking their death wasn't technically my fault.
"We'll see about that!" the girl growled.
"I haven't seen you around before… What's your name?" the girl asked me.
We began slowly circling each other. She had one of her axes in her hands shakily, and I had three throwing knives ready to fly right at her.
"Danaus… But you can call me Dana. How about you?" I questioned.
"Azalea," she huffed.
We both nodded, and both of us made the first move. One of my throwing knives left my hands, and went flying right at her heart. At the same time, she chucked one of the axes at me, and both of us dodged the flying weapons. I quickly rolled back up into a standing position, and lunged for the axe. I circled my hands around the handle, and spun around. I lifted it up, and met the axe that she was bringing down towards my head.
Both of the axes were locked in a duel, and both of us were trying to out power the other one. I eventually ducked, and let her axe go flying towards where my head had been seconds ago. I took those two seconds of her confusion to swing my axe right into her side, and she let out a howl of pain.
I clumsily took it out of her side, and tried to swing it towards her again. This time, hit her axe against mine with such momentum that my axe went flying from my hands. I jumped backwards, pulled three knives out, and flicked each one in quick succession at her. She knocked two of them out of the way with her axe, but the third went right into her left arm. She gripped the handle with her right hand, and yanked it out. I smiled, and just nodded at her. Time to let the poison do the trick.
Azalea soon realized that Conny's knife was coated with poison, and she let out a howl of frustration. She leapt across the room at me, and I flicked two more knives at her. Each one implanted itself into her stomach, but that still didn't stop her. I let out a squeal as her hands locked around my throat, and both of us went tumbling to the ground.
She shook my neck repeatedly, and thrust my head into the wooden floor. I tried to get out of her grasp, but she had a very strong grip. Black began to cloud my vision, and I began to see small grey stars. I tried as hard as I could, but nothing seemed to be able to get her off of me. As a last ditch effort, I managed to move my head far enough to my right to sink my teeth into her forearm. She let out a scream, and lessened the pressure around my neck enough so that I could get in a small breath of fresh air. This was enough to give me back my strength, and I quickly kicked her off of me. She went flying into a table, and groaned in pain. I swiftly grabbed one of her throwing axes, and threw it without a second thought at her. I aimed for her head, but missed slightly and it instead sunk itself into her chest. She let out a few sputtered breaths, before her eyes went blank. No cannon went off, and I stared at her dead corpse. What was she?
District Five:
Paloma's POV:
Flames seemed to engulf everything in my sight.
I turned corner after corner, and held the sleeve of my outfit to my mouth. I let out another body wracking cough, and continued to struggle through the smoke. Earlier today, I woke up to see every single mutt and Claire storming out of the Castle. I saw them began to light the town on fire, but I continued to stay in my little hiding place. A hiding place that didn't last very long. Soon, I realized the tributes had even light the vines on fire, and my clothes were beginning to singe. I raced out of my hiding spot, and sadly the mutts saw me.
I raced into the city, and had been wandering ever since. Walls of fire were all that greeted me, and I felt as if I was in a Labyrinth. I could hear the laughter and screams of the human mutts as they hunted tributes. I could even swear I heard Neal yell once, but it could have been just a nightmare. I continued to struggle through the smoke, until I came to a wonderful paradise. It seemed to be a waterway for the sewers, but nothing around it was on fire. I dove into it, and realized it was freezing and knee deep. However, no smoke was clouding the air, and I breathed in as much air as I possibly could. I glanced around the stream, and measured myself to the stone walls surrounding me. It would take at least a half a minute to heave myself out of here, and it would be quite the workout. The two sewer grates were imbedded into the stone walls, and were on opposite ends of the stream.
Only seconds later, did someone else come splashing into the small sewer stream? I glanced at Rouge, and continued to cough. She looked at me as well, and both of us just tried to recover from the amount of smoke we had inhaled. I looked up, only to realize all the smoke was gone.
Damn Gamemakers. They didn't want either of us weak for our "big fight" that they were most likely anticipating.
I heard the string of a bow being pulled into place, and I quickly whipped open Shadow's backpack. I grabbed one of her throwing knives, and chucked it at Rouge. It wasn't even close to hitting her, but it surprised her enough so that she took a step back and stopped notching her bow. I grabbed two more throwing knives, and flicked them at her as hard as I could. This time they were closer, but still no cigar.
Rouge finally got an arrow shot, and it hit me right in the shoulder. I let out a growl of indignation, and sprinted towards her. I whipped out a knife, and threw it as hard as I could at her. It hit her right in her thigh, and she let out a moan of pain.
This gave me enough time to throw a punch at her, but she quickly ducked, and swat at me with her bow. It wasn't very painful, but it did catch me off balance. I fell over, and got up as quickly as I could. She greeted me by hitting me on the top of my head as hard as she possibly could with the butt of her bow.
I stumbled again, but this time I reached out and yanked my knife out of her thigh. She let out a hiss, and fired another arrow at me. It hit me square in the chest, but it seemed to miss any important organs because I didn't feel as if I was dying. Soon, it became a game of dodge. I chucked my knives at her, and she would step out of the way. She slung her bow over her shoulder, and would pick up the knives I had thrown. She would then throw them back, and I would dodge those ones.
I only realized two late that she had backed me up against the gate that led to the real sewer. I tried to flip us around so that she was against the sewer drain, but she obviously saw through my ploy. Since I couldn't move backwards, it wasn't long before she imbedded a knife into my lower abdomen. I fell to the ground in pain, and swiftly kicked me in the face.
My head went spiraling towards the sewer grate, and a last ditch effort popped into my head. I shoved my head through the sewer grate, and tried to fit the rest of my body through it. The bars of the sewer were as big as jail cell bars, and my head was fairly small. It was the rest of my body that was bigger. When I realized my body wouldn't fit, I tried to get my head back through the way I shoved it in.
I was stuck.
I kicked and struggled, and in seconds I felt Rouge sitting on my back. She reached through the grate, and shoved my head down towards the stream. Eventually, she had enough strength to force me face into the cold stone, and then my entire head was under the water. I kicked, and struggled, but I knew I was weak and bleeding. Eventually, I began to swallow in water, and I knew I was done for. My vision began to cloud up, and I knew for a fact I was dying. I could hear my heart beat slowly becoming quieter and sluggish.
All I could think about was my brother. Could he kill the District One girl? Would it be easy for him to possibly win, or did he have no chance? I wondered what my friends back home were thinking of me. Did the Capital just see me as a weakling? In the few seconds before I died, I realized I didn't care. I fought as hard as I could, but Rouge was smarter than I was. I was probably a far better fighter, but backing me against the sewer grate was genius. Finally, all that was left was a white that enveloped me. I drifted off to wherever one's soul goes, and couldn't help but smile at it all. I spent my entire life fighting, and now it was time to rest for all eternity…
District Five:
Paloma's Replacement Tribute:
Dario's POV:
I was lowered swiftly into the arena, and I felt my feet sink into cold water. I glanced around, and saw my beloved sister with her body floating limply in this sewer stream. I let out a strangled cry, and ran over to her. I felt tears enter my eyes, and I tried as hard as I could to get her out of the sewer grate.
"I'm sorry," I heard someone shout.
I turned around to see a girl with her bow pointed straight at me. "Why? Why did you kill my little sister!" I yelled out irrationally. I know exactly why she killed her. Survival of the fittest.
"I have my brother to fight for as well… I'm sorry it had to end this way, but I have to get my brother back home. He wouldn't be in this situation if it wasn't for me!" the girl cried out.
"Will you… will you at least help me get her out of here?" I whispered. The girl's could eyes flashed, and seemed to be warm and uncertain for a second. "Please… Wouldn't you want someone to do this for your sibling?"
The girl nodded slowly, and she walked over to me warily. I wasn't going to try anything. With both of our strength, we yanked her out, and I let out a howl of pain. Her face was completely bloody, and I tried to wash it out in the water. The girl took out the arrows in Paloma's body, and also yanked out a few knives. She stuck the arrows in her quiver, and the knives in her belt.
She helped me wash the blood off of my sister, and we heaved her up onto the stone. We then heaved ourselves up onto it as well, and both of us stared at Paloma. I stoked her soaked hair, and closed her eyes.
I heard the notch of a bow again, and I glanced up at the blonde girl.
"I'm sorry, again," the girl whispered. She let the arrow fly, and it went straight through my throat. I fell over, and soon I joined my sister in death, just how I wanted it. She was my world, and now we were going to experience the afterlife together as well…
District Ten:
Natalie's POV:
I tried to clear my mind. Right now, the arena was a living hell. Everything seemed to be on fire, and muttations were everywhere. It wasn't just the human ones anymore! So far, I had seen two hulking yeti things walking around, and there were rats the size of a car wandering through certain alleyways.
It was ridiculous!
I tried to remember how many cannons had gone off so far today. I'm pretty sure I only heard three cannons, but I could have missed one or two during the explosions that were randomly happening throughout the arena.
Speaking of explosions, another one went off fairly close to me, and I felt intense heat sear my body. It wasn't extremely painful, but it certainly caught my attention. I held my ground, however, and soon began walking again. My injuries were not extremely heavy, but they would affect me in a fight. Those giant wooden splinters had punctured my thighs, and different parts of my back.
I patched it all up, but it still hurt whenever I moved, which was quite often. However, I was just going to have to get through the pain. I was going to win, no matter what. Not a single person was going to stand in my way.
Soon, I hobbled into a fairly big courtyard of some sort, and I saw another tribute. I let out a gasp, and realized it was Mack's sister.
"Are you… are you a mutt?" the girl asked me.
We looked nearly identical. We had the same golden blonde hair, and the same light skin. We seemed to be near the same height as well, but I soon began to pick apart our differences. For one thing, her eyes were a bright blue, while mine were a dark grey. She was obviously fairly girly, while I was always a tom boy of sorts. We were completely different, yet I knew why Mack often compared me to her.
"No, my name is Natalie. I was Conium's district partner, and ally." I whispered.
Her eyes light up. Dana. That's what Mack always called her. "Yeah… I remember watching you get reaped…"
"Looks like you've survived on your own fairly well," I mention.
"Thanks… I've learned what it's like to murder someone," Dana said coldly.
"So have I," I quipped.
Both of us stared at each other, and we both remembered this was the Hunger Games. It didn't matter if Mack cared for us both. It didn't matter that we looked similar. It didn't matter if we were from the same District. All the mattered was that I survived, and that was exactly what Dana was thinking as well.
We both launched a knife at each other, and both of us dodged the other's knife. Looks like both of our weapons were throwing knives. We really were a lot alike.
"Good luck," I murmured.
"You too," Dana replied.
We both threw one more knife at each other, and rolled out of the way again. We continued this game, and we both realized one hit was fatal. Both of our knives were coated with Mack's poison. If one of us got hit, it would weaken us. It wouldn't kill us, but it would make our movements sluggish and less precise.
I jumped on top of one of the crates, and fire several knives at once at Dana. She dodged all of them, and threw one with an amazing amount of speed. It sunk itself right into my left arm, which was thankfully not my throwing arm. I let out a wail of searing pain, and threw two knives at her. She dodged one, but the other one imbedded itself into her upper abdomen.
I jumped off of my crate, and sent a fist towards her face. She didn't have enough time to dodge, and my fist made contact with her nose. I heard a crack, and I shuddered as I thought about how much that must have hurt. Two seconds later, I knew how much it hurt because Dana sent a punch so hard into my nose that I thought she might have taken it off of my face. Thankfully, it was still attached, but definitely broken. Blood was running down both of our faces, but I had the upper hand.
I took one of my throwing knives, and drove towards her chest. She squirmed away at the last second, so instead it cut straight through her upper shoulder. She screamed in pure agony, and I realized I had just taken out her throwing arm. This kill was mine. I pulled the knife out, and I felt a single tear drop fall off of face and I witnessed it mix in with her blood. I slashed my knife across her chest, and her cannon resounded through the arena. I let out a shudder, and slowly got up. I collapsed back to the ground, and quickly raised my left arm to my mouth.
If a snake bites you, you are supposed to suck the venom out. Maybe this won't work, but it is worth a try.
I suck, and spit. Suck, and spit. Eventually, I feel a little light headed, but my arm feels ten times better. I can still feel the poison lingering, but it would definitely take at least a week to kill me. I have a feeling the games won't even last one more day. I get up, collect both my knives and Dana's knives, and tip toe away. I take once last glance at her body as it is raised into the hovercraft, and I let out one last shudder. I have to win… No matter what the cost…
District One:
Alex's POV:
Another cannon rings throughout the arena, and I simply keep my eyes on the alleyways. After Rouge and I were separated by the explosion, I was blown right into the main square. I have been hiding in the fountain the entire time, keeping my eyes on all entrances to the city square. No tribute is going to be able to sneak up on me. I'm in control, and I'm going to win. It's just a simple fact.
My mind begins to wander, and I begin to worry if one of those cannons was Rouge's. How is she coping? Did she make one of those kills? Is she hiding just like I am, or is she thriving? Well, it would be better off for both of us if she was dead. That way I wouldn't have to kill her. I know that if it comes down to it, I will kill her without a second's hesitation. It's just… I really don't want it to come down to that. I want some other tribute to take her out. Simple.
Suddenly, I am snapped out of my thinking by footsteps. I see Neal sprint into the main square, and he looks around for somewhere to hide. He jumps behind one of the many stands, and as soon as he does two rat mutts charge into the area we are in. They sniff and scratch the ground for a few seconds, and then suddenly bolt off.
Neal shuffles out of his hiding spot, and glances around. I slowly begin to make my way so that I am behind him. Once I do, I slowly walk up to him. Of course, being sneaky is not most Career's specialty. One of my feet hit the ground a little too loudly, and Neal spins around. He sees my giant sword and me only a few feet away from him, and he whips out a knife. We don't talk. We don't even try to talk about peace. He leaps at me the same time I leap towards him.
We collide in mid air, and both of us become sprawled across the ground. I'm the first one up, and I raise my sword high in the air. I bring it down with as much force as I can, but Neal rolls out of the way. He stands up, but not before I slash my sword diagonally across his calf.
He lets out a cry of surprise, but backs away as quickly as possible. He opens a bag, and begins grappling through it rapidly. I charge towards him, but before I make it to him I see him pull something out. He does something to it, and tosses it right at me. It hits me right across the chest, and soon flames implode out of the small cylinder. I am sent flying, and I land against one of the carts. I hit my head hard across one of the heavy wooden wheels, and my vision soon begins to cloud. Neal walks over to me, and just shakes his head.
I can tell he isn't a killer, and I can also tell he isn't the smartest bulb in the box. He should have thrown a few more bombs at me before he decided to come so close. I thrust my sword upwards, and it skewers him right through his left thigh. He lets out a scream of pain, and brings down his knife. It hits me right in the shoulder, and I continue to push my sword through his thigh. He stumbles a little, and several of his bombs fall out of his bag. However, his confusion doesn't last long, and he backs out of reach of my sword.
He walks over to one of the nearby stalls, and begins to push it. I try to get up, but the pain of the bomb keeps me from moving anything but my head and arms. The stall is soon looming over me, and finally tips over. It comes crashing down on my skull, and I'm dead within seconds. Why the hell did I ever volunteer for this? What was I thinking? I could have lived a comfy life back home with Olivia, my girlfriend. We could have started a family, and lived happily ever after! Why did I throw it all away for this?
District One:
Rouge's POV:
I stagger into the town's square right when I hear his cannon. I see the stall on top of my ally, and I can tell it is him because of the double sided sword that lies next to the covered up corpse. Neal is standing over Alex, looking triumphant. Suddenly, all the emotions come tumbling out. My anger at Bree and Neal. My grief over Link and Evalynn. The sudden feeling of loss that I feel now seeing my District Partner dead. It all comes bubbling up to the surface, and I let out an enraged screech. Neal turns around, and his eyes go huge. He should know better than to piss off the last living Career.
I notch my bow, and quickly scan through my arrows. Twelve. I have exactly twelve left. It should only take me one shot to kill this unlucky bastard.
Neal quickly dives behind the fountain. "Come out and fight you coward! You murderer! Come over here and kill the girl that killed your District partner! Yes, that's right! Paloma died by my hands, just like Alex died by yours. Now come out here and avenge her death!" I taunted.
Ever so slowly, Neal stomped out from behind the fountain. There was a fire in his eyes. A fire I had never seen before. Good, now we both wanted revenge. We both were going to give it our all.
"You… you killed Paloma…" Neal hissed.
"Are you deaf, or just stupid! What did I just say!" I screamed.
I had nothing against Paloma. I'm not proud I killed her. In fact, I regret it. All the other people I killed I can justify. I killed Saturn because of all the people he tortured. I killed Bree because she wounded Link so badly. I killed Link because he was suffering. I finished off Evalynn because she was slowly dying. Paloma… Paloma never did a single thing wrong to me. Her death was going to haunt me just as much as Link's would. Neal, however, was not pure. He killed Alex. He deserved to die!
"You're a monster!" Neal yelled.
"Please! I'm just fighting for my life! What are you doing? Oh yeah, running away from everything and everyone!" I screamed back.
He let out a yell of fury, and grappled through his bag for something. He suddenly pulled out, what appeared to be a bomb, light it, and threw it right at me.
Oh crap.
I jump out of the way, and suddenly electricity shoots out from where I had just been standing. He throws more bombs, and each one seems to have a different effect. Some shoot out flames, others ice, and some even poison or electricity. I keep trying to find a moment when I can shoot him, but I never get the chance.
This game continues to happen, and I keep praying he will run out. Sadly, he doesn't seem to, and he has been possessed by the same rage that has taken over my body. The feeling for vengeance is a strong feeling that doesn't' go away very easily.
Suddenly, I hear him let out a yell of fury. I spin around to see him being choked by Olivia, Alex's girlfriend. She is hanging off his back, and has him in a choke hold with one arm. The other arm she has wrapped over his eyes, and has her hand clenched into his hair.
"Throw that bomb!" Olivia screams. I look at my feet, and see one of the bombs.
"It will kill you too!" I scream.
"I don't want to live without him, and I want both of us to go out with a bang! Now, do as I say or I swear you're going to be the next one to die!" Olivia yelled.
I shake my head, and slowly pick up the bomb. I reach for an arrow and my bow as well, but Olivia wildly shakes her head. I pick up the bomb, light it, and toss it as hard as I can near them. It is the least I can do for her and Alex. She wants to die... one less competitor… right?
The bomb explodes, and instead of sending them flying it does something else. The fire spreads to the bag, and catches it on fire as well. All of the bombs begin to go off, and soon there is one giant explosion of colors and substances. I close my eyes, and cover my ears. Soon, it's over, and I look at the remains of both of them. All that is left is two scorched bodies, and I can't even tell which one is which. Perhaps the Capital can fix them… At least, I hope so…
Soon, a little girl is dropped from a hovercraft. She lets out a cry of anguish, and rushes over to the burnt up bodies. She can't be more than ten… I slowly notch my bow, and point it shakily in her direction. I close my eyes, and let my mind control my next action.
Ring around the rosy, pockets full of posy…
District Ten:
Natalie's POV:
The mutts. After I killed Dana, the mutts began chasing me like no tomorrow. I heard it all. The giant explosion that was even louder than the one's the Gamemakers created. I heard it all, and I heard it all while being chased by two giant yeti type creatures. They were still bounding after me, but within seconds they disappeared.
For a second, I was relieved. Then I saw the human muttations marching towards me, and my relief vanished in seconds. I continued to sprint away, and that's when I saw her. Rouge. She was running away from another group of human mutts as well, and I realized they were forcing us towards the Castle. The place where they wanted the big battle of the final two. Or, actually the final three. I peered past Rouge's racing figure, to see her hand intertwined with that of an eight year old girl. Why was a Career helping some else's replacement tribute? Was she stupid! That very well could get her killed. No, it didn't matter what she did. She was going to die one way or another.
I raced towards them, and soon I was only thirty feet behind them. The mutts were on my heels, and soon we raced across the bridge. We sprinted into the giant courtyard, and I saw several horses and weapons lying around. I thought about reaching for a weapon, but then remembered I had my throwing knives. I wouldn't need anything else.
We ran into the Castle, and Rouge quickly veered off into the throne room. Oh yes, the throne room. Of course that is where the Capital would want us. I race in, and immediately flick one of my knives at them. It sinks right into the little girl's skull, and she slumps to the ground. Her cannon rings out, and Rouge spins around. An expression of pure anger is spread across her face.
"What? She was going to die one way or another," I said coldly. So what if I was becoming more calculating and more wicked. It was the only way I was going to win these games.
"She was ten!" Rouge screamed.
"You're point? Age is but a number in these games," I whispered.
This sent Rouge into a complete and utter frenzy, and she quickly fired an arrow straight towards me. I side stepped out of the way, and threw six of my knives at once at her. Just as I planned, she couldn't dodge them all. She let out a scream in pain as two of the blades ripped into her stomach. I quickly flicked one more at her, but this time she was prepared. She leaned out of the way, and sent another arrow right towards me. The arrow missed, but my attention was distracted for a split second. The second she needed to throw herself out the door we entered. I stood frozen in shock for about two seconds, and then raced after her.
I looked around the Great Hall, but couldn't find her. She had to be hiding. She knew the end was coming. I was going to win, whether she liked it or not. I slowly began peering through different doors, but she was still nowhere to be seen. I began walking up the stairs, when suddenly pain spread throughout my skull. I went tumbling down the stairs, and landed face fist at the bottom of them. I looked up, and saw Rouge glaring crazily at me. She was holding a broken vase, and I realized she must have hit me upside the head with it.
"This means war, you little whore!" I screamed.
Rouge's eyes opened even wider in shock and anger, and she went flying down the stairs. I grabbed one of my knives, and threw it at her. She dodged it easily, and then smirked at me when she slowly began to walk back up the stairs. I grabbed for another knife, when I realized why she was smiling. That was my last knife. I was now weaponless, and she completely faked an attack just so I would use my last weapon.
"Now, let's see who the real killer is," Rouge growled.
District One:
Rouge's POV:
I slung my bow off my shoulder, and strung it with a new arrow. I fired one right at Natalie, and she still seemed to be in shock from being disarmed. She didn't even try to dodge, and it went straight into the middle of her chest. Damn, I always miss the heart…
She lets out a scream, but the pain seems to make her alert again. Both of us are heavily injured. I know for a fact I now have poison in my bloodstream, and from the way her skin is gleaming she most likely has poison in her bloodstream as well.
I fire two more arrows, and this time she dodges both with ease. I yank both of the knives out of my stomach, and quickly slip them into my belt. I continue to fire arrows from my position. Right now, I have high ground. I have the advantage.
I imbed two more arrows into her flesh, one in her thigh and the other one in her stomach. Eventually, I run out of arrows, and I fling my bow to the ground. I don't need that weapon. I have enough anger to fuel me to kill fifty people. How dare she kill that poor ten year old girl! She had to be soulless! I'm supposed to be the last Career, and I couldn't even bring myself to do such a thing!
I throw two of my knives at her, and one hits her right in her arm. Her throwing arm. Sadly, it isn't enough to stop her from using it, but it definitely is going to painful to throw anything at me.
She pull the knife out, and I race towards her. She begins to sprint towards the doors that lead outside, and I throw the last nonpoisonous knife at her. It hits her right in the calf, and she lets out another groan of pain. We rush outside, and she quickly dives for an axe. I pick up a hammer, and I rush towards her. I let out a bloodcurdling scream, and she does the same. We begin to hit each other with these weapons, and I realize we are nothing more than savages. Going from one weapon to the next. Doing anything humanly possible to kill the other.
I break the axe head off of her axe, and she tosses it away. I hit her right in the stomach with my hammer, and all the breath leaves her body. She quickly pulls the hammer away from me, and slams it into my leg. My knee gives out, but I still manage to pull a knife out of my belt. I stab it into her knee, and she falls to the ground beside me. I grab the last poisonous knife, and try to slam it into her chest.
However, she grabs it by the blade, and tries to pull it away. I lose my grip on the handle, but soon get my other hand on the blade as well. Both of us scream in pain as our struggling digs the blade farther and farther into our hands. The poison is quickly seeping into our bloodstreams, and I can immediately feel the effects. Finally, I have an idea, and I give her exactly what she wants. I let go of the knife with one hand, and with my other I grip the handle again. Instead of pulling, I shove it as hard as I can. This added with her pulling gives the knife a tremendous amount of momentum. The knife slams straight into Natalie's chest, and right into her heart. She lets out a shaky breathe, before she falls to the ground beside me.
Her cannon goes off, and I quickly hobble over to the weapons rack. I grab a crossbow, and put an arrow into the gun like machine. As soon as Natalie's replacement tribute falls from the sky, I send an arrow through her skull. The last cannon of the games rings out, and I let out a joyous scream.
I am the victor of the 225th Hunger Games. I saved my brother's life, and now we both get to go home. I can't help but smile, and think of Link. I won for you too, Link. I won because I loved you. I won so that your memory can be carried on for all of lifetime. No one will ever forget you… Not as long as I'm around…
I see my brother being lowered into the arena. I quickly make sure my wounds aren't too heavy before I run over to my little brother and give him a hug. Of course they would put him into the arena with me! They would want all of Panem to see us reunited! We hug, we cry, and we laugh. All of Panem must be cheering for me! I was one of their favorite tributes! Of course, it was mostly based on my looks, but I bet they loved me because of my spirit as well! I feel so happy, that nothing can bring me down.
Then two things hit me. One, I killed so many people to protect my brother. Two, the trumpets never did sound. They never announced us as victors. Then a voice resonates through my head.
On the two hundred twenty-fifth anniversary of the Hunger Games, as a reminder to the rebels that during the rebellion the Capital always had its back up troop and that there can only be one true victor, every tribute that dies will be replaced by one of their loved ones. Everyone who has ever been close with the tribute is eligible for the Reaping and only those two and younger are exempt
On the two hundred twenty-fifth anniversary of the Hunger Games, as a reminder to the rebels that during the rebellion the Capital always had its back up troop and that there can only be one true victor, every tribute that dies will be replaced by one of their loved ones.
that during the rebellion the Capital always had its back up troop and that there can only be one true victor, every tribute that dies will be replaced by one of their loved ones.
that during the rebellion the Capital always had its back up troop and that there can only be one true victor
and that there can only be one true victor
one true victor
My entire body goes numb. That bitch of a President planned it like this the entire time. What could make a Hunger Games better than having the loved one and the possible future victor fight to the death? Our inspiration to fight was to save our loved ones, and this entire time Raven planned to have us kill our loved ones if we were the last one standing.
I slowly step away from Silk, my dearest brother, and stared at him with empty eyes. He seemed to realize this same thing, and he slowly shook his head. We had always been close. He was the one person in my life I could count on. Him and my sister Silver. I wasn't going to play this game anymore. I was going to rebel, whether they liked it or not.
I sprinted over to a white horse, and quickly shoved myself on top of it. Pain was radiating through my body with every movement, but I couldn't think about that right now. I had to protect my brother. He had to live.
He saw what I was doing, and he got on behind me. I had ridden a horse once when I was little, and now it was time to see if I still knew how. I kicked it as hard as I could in the sides, and it let out a neigh of pain. It bolted away from the Castle, and I steered it out the gate. Suddenly, even more hell broke loose. The Gamemakers knew this was rebellion. They didn't want the Districts to see anymore of this than they had too.
Mutts I had never seen were let loose and were chasing us. The human mutts were like ghosts, and they were trailing right behind us at an inhumane speed. I raced through the town, and every Gamemakers trap went off. Flying darts, boiling lava, and holes of tar. We dodged everything, mostly out of pure luck, and made it across the drawbridge to the huge plains. The ring of fire was still around us, and fireballs were being launched at us. There had to be an exit to this hellhole!
That was my last thought before our luck ran out. A fireball hit the ground right in front of us, and all of us went flying. The horse was instantly dead, and my brother and I were sent gliding through the air like rag dolls.
We landed, and soon my vision was pitch black. I heard a cannon ring out, and a voice announced. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I present you with the victor of the 225th Hunger Games!"
I had no idea if I was still alive, but I prayed that my brother was the victor. All I wanted was for him to win. He was one of the biggest pieces in my world… Right before everything went black, the entire song played through my head.
Ring around the rosy, pockets full of posy.
Ashes, ashes.
We All Fall Down…
And there you have it! The victor of the 225th Hunger Games. Its Rouge, I'll just admit it right now. I hope you guys are happy with the victor, and if not, too bad. Now, two thing I want to clear up. This entire time on the list I had Silver listed as her brother, when that is really her sister. So yeah, I changed it for this chapter, and her brother is, and always has been, Silk. Two, stay tuned because it isn't over yet! After this comes one, possibly two chapters, of the victor's epilogue! You'll see what happens to Rouge after she wins, and how she copes with it all!
Eulogies!
Claire – You were probably the smartest and craziest tribute ever! You were by far the most amazing replacement tribute, and you will be GREATLY missed!
Azalea- Sorry, no being brought back to life again again for you! I loved you a lot, but it was your time to go!
Paloma – Oh my dear Buddah! You were definitely one of my favorites! I loved you oh so very much, and that entire battle I was like "Rouge die… no Paloma… no Rouge…. NO PALOMA!" so yeah, sorry hun!
Dario – Best older brother ever! Super sweet, and I hope you liked your death!
Dana – Okay, maybe you and Claire were tied for best replacement tributes ever. I loved you a ton, but it was your time to go as well.
Alex – I LOVED YOU SO MUCH! You were one of the best male careers from District One EVER and I ADORED you!
Olivia – Holy crap, you were smart, feisty, and risky! Even though you weren't around for very long, I loved you dearly D:
Neal – One of the best heroes ever! Seriously, you were awesome, and I loved how amazingly normal and good you were!
Hali – Sweetest ten year old ever! I loved you so much, and killing you was terrible!
Natalie – best District Ten female ever! Seriously, I loved you so much! It was between you and Rouge for the winner, but she won by a little bit. Sorry, girl, but at least you are free by death…
Ann – You were in the arena for all of two seconds… I appreciated you for dramatic effect!
District 1:
Girl: Rouge Lockett (Victor)
Brother: Silk Lockett (killed by Gamemakers on Day Nine)
Boy: Alex Carter (flattened with giant stand by Neal on Day Nine)
Girlfriend: Olivia Crane (blown up by Rouge on Day Nine)
District 2:
Girl: Isis Robertson (Went insane, jumped of a balcony, and committed suicide on Day Six)
Nanny: Brielle Ibe (stabbed through the skull by Shadow on Day Six)
Boy: Saturn Everett (had arrow shot through skull by Rouge on both Day Three and Day Eight)
Friend: Constantine Blanche (killed by Isis on Day 3 with hidden knife/poison)
District 3:
Girl: Hali Wardle (beheaded by Claire on Day Six)
Brother: Ben Wardle (executed by mutt on Day Six)
Boy: Solder Hemsworth (killed by Alix with golden bat during the bloodbath)
Mother: Agrippa Hemsworth (killed by Isis by snapping neck during bloodbath)
District 4:
Girl: Droplet "Rapids" Waters (was forced to be killed by Bree during the Festival)
Mother: Coral Waters (killed by Neal with a knife in the back during the Festival)
Boy: Charlie Montgomery (stabbed in the back by Abby on Day One/ was shot with an arrow by Rouge on Day Eight)
Fiancée: Claire Estate "Black Widow" (sniped by Rouge on Day Nine)
District 5:
Girl: Paloma Moretti (Drowned by Rouge on Day Nine)
Brother: Dario Moretti (Shot through neck by Rouge on Day Nine)
Boy: Neal Dawson (blown up by Rouge on Day Nine)
Sister: Hali Dawson (killed with throwing knife by Natalie on Day Nine)
District 6:
Girl: Abby Parker (stabbed to death by Hali during the Festival)
Father: Mill Parker (killed with throwing knife by Natalie during the Festival)
Boy: Quince Fisher(tortured to death by Saturn on Day 2)
Sister: Piper Fisher (killed out of mercy by Alix on Day 2)
District 7:
Girl: Bree Sulivan (impaled through the stomach by Rouge on Day Seven)
Friend: Sarah Matthews (sword driven through neck by Alex on Day Seven)
Boy: Link Trat (killed out of mercy by Rouge on Day Seven)
Mother: Evalynn Trat (had knife pulled out of chest by Rouge on Day Eight) Links creator, neb88, decided Rouge deserved the kill. Since he created Link and Evalynn, he got final choice. I would have gone with Charlie personally as well haha
District 8:
Girl: Azalea Cress (Brought back to life)
Mother: Violet Cress (killed by Scarecrow Kid Mutt during bloodbath)
Boy: Jute Farlend (stabbed in the back accidently by Azalea on Day Seven)
Sister: Alice Farlend (captured and dropped from the sky by a giant bird muttation on Day Eight)
District 9:
Girl: Alix van Airengarde (knife driven through skull by Isis during the Festival)
Friend: Anna Raven (killed with a poisonous throwing knife by Dana on Day Eight)
Boy: Vijay Blackman (killed by Dusk on Day 3 with a knife to the throat)
Friend: Jim Leewood (killed by bear mutt on Day 3)
District 10:
Girl: Natalie Swan (killed in final duel by Rouge on Day Nine)
Friend: Ann Kingston (shot with crossbow by Rouge on Day Nine)
Boy: Cornium Maculatam(tortured to death by Jute during the Festival)
Sister: Danaus Maculatam (killed with knife by Natalie on Day Nine)
District 11:
Girl: Melody Trine (tortured to death by Saturn during the bloodbath)
Friend: Taint Humbue (killed by Alix with bat during bloodbath as an act of mercy)
Boy: Jakov Douglas (killed by the human muttations during the bloodbath)
Girlfriend: Shadow (strangled to death by Paloma during Day Six)
District 12:
Girl: Olivia "Olive" Pendragon (poisoned to death by Shadow on Day Four)
Brother: Oliver Pendragon (seduced and killed by Claire during the Festival)
Boy: Dusk Shalt (curb stomped by Shadow during the Festival)
Grandfather: Sonny Shalt (clubbed to death by Paloma during the Festival)