Callie Regan, 14, District 12

I add more twigs to the fire, keeping my eyes peeled for the forest line for any tributes that might burst out of the trees, drawn in by the site of smoke. No one seems to though. Maybe the woods are too thick for them to see it.

The traps I managed to make have rewarded me with two large fish. One I ate last night but the other I will slowly nibble on throughout the day. I don't feel the need to preserve them to last a few days since the river seems to abound with fish. I pull off the creature from the fire, letting it cool down in the morning air well I collect some water. When I return I notice some alive, something other than fish for once. A chipmunk rests on a nearby rock, fluffing its tail.

I have the thought to try and catch it but I know it is too swift for me to even come close.

"Hey, chipmunk," I say as I sit on a rock next to my fish.

The chipmunk perks up at my voice, looking at me with black eyes. I hear a rustling and look behind me to see two more perched on the branches of a bush. A whole family of chipmunks I guess. Maybe I will have the chance to catch at least one.

I turn back around to find four more on rocks near the fish. Yes. With them so closely packed together like this, so close, I know I could catch at least one if I tried for it. I feel the muscles in my body tense in anticipation. I do a count in my head and then lunge forward.

As predicted the chipmunks are much faster. They leap from their rocks, heading for safety but one bumps into a neighbouring chipmunk, causing it to move slower. Before the chipmunk has recovered, I am on it, grasping its fragile body.

"Yes!" I say a little too loud but I don't care, I caught more food. I reach to snap the critters neck when it bites me, sinking its teeth into my finger. I yelp in pain, dropping the chipmunk.

"Shit, no," I say as I get up to chase it but stop before I even take my first step. There are hundreds of chipmunks. Every rock, branch, patch of ground is covered with their fluffy brown bodies. I can hardly make out the cave I called home with it being surrounded by the creatures. I know, immediately, these are no normal chipmunks, they are mutations. A sick and twisted animal created by the gamemakers. The games have been moving too slowly, they want more action and this is how they will get it.

I take a step bunk and all the chipmunks move forward a few inches, not letting the distance between us shrink or grow. I take another step back and the horde moves forward again. They are anticipating my running, wanting a chase before they attack. They have quick reflexes, yes, but could I outrun them? Trees they would be on me in no time but here with flat rocky terrain? I might stand a chance.

I turn my body in the direction I want to run and kick bolt away, hearing the horde of chipmunks following behind.

Jacqueline Barnes, 18, District 2

I stand along the bank of the river, the rest collecting water or breaking into some of the food rations. We needed to move though. That girl from 7 has vanished since we found her the first night and with how much of a footprint she left in the woods, my only guess is she has been staying close to the water bank and rocks to avoid making too much of a trail for us to follow.

You would think a tribute who spent most of their lives in the woods would be easier at hiding their tracks.

"We need to keep moving," I say, "pack it up."

I could tell they were itching to get another kill in, getting too anxious and that impatience would be pointed towards me. Homer was too obedient to go against me, Columbia too innocent, but Lavish would take my spot in a second if given even half the chance. I should just kill her now and get it over with but then the others might see me as unpredictable and paranoia would take effect. For now, I'd have to deal with Lavish.

We only get a few feet down the bank when Columbia stops us.

"You hear that?" He says.

For a moment, we all listen. I can only hear the sound of water washing over rocks and the occasional bird but then almost on cue, the birds fall silent and there is the sound of a tribute in pain. It grows louder and louder. I look in the direction. There is a small hill, just over it is the sounds of the tribute.

"Who gets it?" Lavish grins, a little too excited.

Homer asks for the spear. He has followed everything I have said without question so I don't feel me neglecting this request is the best, especially if Lavish does end up trying to make a move against me. I pass him the weapon and he grips the handle, getting into position.

For a moment, there is nothing, as if everything has been placed in slow motion. But then the tribute bolts over the hill. Blood pouring down her body from fresh wounds. She sees us, knows we are here but continues running in our direction. Whatever she flees from is more threatening than the pack of careers. I am about to tell Homer to stop, to save the spear for whatever chases her but it is too late.

Homer throws the spear, the weapon flying through the air and finds its way into the girl's chest, sending her flying back.

Boom!

"Woo!"Lavish giggles, "we made it to the halfway mark."

Homer makes his way to go retrieve the weapon when we see them, What the girl was running from. What looks like thousands of chipmunks rushing towards us. The initial shock has me frozen, the site of so many chipmunks, some of their mouths red with fresh blood.

When I come back to reality, Homer is already rushing across the river. I whip around, flying along the rocks, bumping into Lavish and Columbia who still look at the horde of fluffy monsters behind us. My heart pounds, adrenaline surging through me but finding the footing in the rocks slows me down. I was never fast at running but this alone makes it seem like I am moving at a snail's pace.

My suspicions of my own speed are confirmed when Lavish and Columbia bolt past me, leaving me in their dust.

"Wait," the strangled cry escapes my lips as the sound of the chipmunks grows closer.

In front of me, Columbia stumbles on a patch of rocks, leaning to the left, towards Lavish. Lavish slams into him, pushing him away and there is a snapping sound as he tries to re-catch his balance. A scream escapes his lips as he falls to the ground. I know something has broken when he fell. It is the tragedy I need to stay alive.

I move faster, knowing once I past Columbia, the chipmunks will be distracted with him that I'll have the time to escape. I am just passing the injured boy when I feel his hands grasp my ankles. It's enough to send me forward. I crash into the hard rocks, the air being knocked out of me but I can't slow down for that now. I twist onto my back, seeing Columbia is bleeding at his feet.

"Help!" He screams, "please help me!"

I yank my foot but his grip is too strong, he keeps his fingers wrapped around my ankles.

"Let go!" I holler.

"No," he cries, "don't leave me."

A few of the faster chipmunks have reached us. Luckily, Columbia is the closest and they head for him. The first few dig right into his legs and back, ripping at his clothing with their paws, revealing his warm flesh. They begin to tear into him with their teeth.

Columbia screams in pain and begins to thrash around as more pounce on him. One clawing into his face and ripping out his eyeball, another bite at his throat, and a third is reaching into his open mouth to bite at his tongue.

I pull but the boy still has a good grip on me. I take my free foot and slam it onto his hand, still, he holds me. I kick at him again and there is a crunch followed by the pressure of his grip lightening. I pull my leg free, scrambling to my feet.

I make my way along the rocks, hearing the primal cries of the dying boy behind me as the chipmunks tear into his body. Keep running! Keep moving! I feel one latch onto my jacket and I reach back, grabbing it and throwing it off but another lands on my shoulder, wasting no time, it bites into the side of my face.

"Aaa!" I scream as I grab it but then pain shoots up my legs as I feel more biting into me. "Get off me! Let go!"

My feet become tangled and I drop to the ground. I throw the one off my face only for another chipmunk to takes its place and claw at my forehead. I push it off and slide my arm over my face to protect it from further assault but I can't protect my entire body. The pain comes from everywhere, every angle, every inch of my body is in agony.

Boom!

That must be Columbia, he must have finally died. But I can't focus on that now. I know I can't get up so I roll, moving my eight to my side and letting myself slide down the rocks, closer to the water. Every shift is torture, every inch moved is painful. I can feel the wetness of blood, some of the chipmunks are lapping it up with their tongues. But then that wetness turns to water as I find the river. I fight through it all and shove myself into the running liquid, almost instantly the chipmunks flee back to dry land.

A pair of hands grabs me.

"No!" I scream, thinking some other horror is here but it is Homer. He picks me up and I catch a glimpse of my attackers. Only three or so feet away, the thousands of small creatures stand perches on their hind legs, watching me with their black eyes. Some licking the blood off the rocks.

Lavish Kneltwood, 17, District 1

"Leave her," I order.

Homer doesn't listen and brings the mangled corpse that is Jacqueline to the shore. He rests her on a large boulder.

"She isn't going to make it," I say, "leave her for dead."

Jacqueline had no chance at surviving. Her legs had gotten the worst of it, at some places I can see the bone. Her torso could be patched up but it would leave her too weak to do much for the next couple of weeks. She was no longer a contender in the games no use to us. The bitch deserved it anyway. I wanted Eretria dead as much as her but due to obsessive desire to take on the strongest tribute, it has left us in a wild goose chase.

Homer seems incapable of hearing me so I make it easy for him. I pull out my knife, leaning down to finally finish off Jacqueline but then Homer stops me. I glare in his eyes. "She's dead," I snap, "mind as well hurry it along."

"Not yet," Homer mumbles.

"Then you do it," I hand him the blade.

Jacqueline tries to say something but it is inaudible, obscured by the pool of blood that has formed in her mouth. Why is he taking so long to do it? Just kill the bitch.

I roll my eyes, get to my feet, and walk off, waiting for the cannon that fires. None does though and I am about to go throw my spear when Homer comes back into sight.

"Just leave her," he says.

I grin, looking back at the bloody mangled tribute and prance away into the woods.

Ajax Stanton, 17, District 3 / Shaun Amaranth, 15, District 9

"You made it past half-way," I say as I sit down next to Shaun.

"Who would have thought?" He mumbles.

"Well you were pretty much dead by the second day so I'm sure none of the audiences were thinking you'd make it this far," I say.

He looks back at his leg which is healing well. The bruises that littered his body were almost horrific. The leg that took the knife is shades of purples and greens along with his belly. Even his arm and shoulder have begun to bruise from me constantly having to support him well we walk around.

"Just think," I say, "If you win, the Capitol will fix that up for you and you won't ever have to worry."

"And if you win you get your lungs fixed," Shaun says.

Then it falls silent. The mood darkening because we couldn't both win. One of us had to die, the Capitol wouldn't allow victors to exit the arena. That would send a bad message. Two allies from different districts overcoming the power that is the Capitol? They'd never allow it. We both knew it but for now, we were keeping one another alive and, if I may speak for the both of us, enjoying each others company. I don't know how I would be fairing if I was just wondering around by myself.

"Would be nice to not feel weak all the time," I say.

Eretria Ailen Lysford, 17, District 7

I continue along the river. The chipmunks remained on the otherwise but they moved like sand in the wind. Shifting and overlapping one another as they followed beside me, only the running water cutting us off. I would worry that the gamemakers would dry out the water and allow the chipmunks safe passage to the tributes but they have been giving two deaths today, that is more than enough to know for the next twenty-four hours, we all would be safe.

Still, I remained on the move, even with the sun long set. The careers were after me and I knew I could not remain in one spot for too long. If I did, they would find me like they did last time. Going through the woods just made that easier for them. I was itching to get back to familiar territory, I felt exposed in the open but I feel the chipmunks will scare most tributes back into the woods if they came out into view.

"Emh," the moan comes from in front of me.

I raise my axe up, ready to fight but there are no pursuers. No tributes visible in the night air. Slowly, I creep forward watching for anyone that might make an appearance. I don't even see her until the Capitol Seal lights up in the sky.

Jacqueline lays on the rocks in a scary amount of blood just inches from where I stand. Her bloodshot eyes gazing up at me, her mouth moving but only slobber and blood comes out. I'm looking around, expect the other careers to come rushing out but it becomes clear they have ditched Jacqueline, leaving her for a wild animal or other tribute to make an easy kill. I'm almost tempted to finish her off but stop myself, lowering the axe.

Sorry for being late. So more deaths! Most of the tributes are gathering near the river now so we will likely see some more deaths for the days to come.

What do you think of the chipmunks?

Why do you think Eretria kept Jacqueline alive?

Does Shaun have a chance at winning even with his condition?