Recommended Listening: Help! by The Beatles
Osso Torya, District 1
I'm quietly dividing up today's breakfast when the others awaken. Feli sits up in her sleeping bag, utterly confused, while Magya hurries over towards me, knowing something's up.
"Um..." Feli finally starts. "Where is everyone else?"
"Feli, go out and fetch some water," I respond, not turning to face her.
"But—"
"Now!"
Feli zooms out of the sleeping bag, scurries to pick up the empty canteens remaining, and hurries off to the river.
Magya stays by me a moment, scrutinising the meat I've laid out. It's easy to tell it's from fresh game instead of the masses of dried fish we had the last time she was awake.
"What happened, Osso?" she finally says worriedly, trying to meet my gaze if I would let her.
I finish what I'm doing silently before turning to face her.
"The answer is simple. I have been abandoned."
Magya looks at the ground before scooting so our shoulders touch. It's the closest to comforting I think she's going to get in this situation.
And I think she knows it, too.
Sheen Sehre, District 2
I think this is it. I've been holding on for... feels like days... but judging from the rise of the sun, a few hours. But I don't think I can keep this up. My abdomen's all but gone—or it feels that way... I can't crane my neck to see—and I just can't...
I definitely can't move. I have been. For a minute. I couldn't get to my feet, but I managed to sort of drag myself. I didn't progress a metre.
So I just have to stay here... staring at the horizon... wondering...
I never thought it would end like this. I'm a Career. We're not supposed to die at the hand of a normal tribute.
Feli... What's going to happen to you...? Osso's nice, but he's not... not going to protect you... Not like I would... I don't even know if he'll keep you alive after this. I'm the only reason he would have picked you up in the first place. With me gone... there's no reason...
So this is it... I just bleed out... leave Feli to die... because I didn't know what was going on... because I was too far gone... because I couldn't find her fast enough...
This w-wasn't... supposed to happen...
Drawing in a jagged breath, I look down across the shore, as I've been since I collapsed. But it's a little different. Someone's coming.
Feli?
...So I've lost enough blood to hallucinate. Took long enough. I don't even know how I could still have blood left at this point...
The image of Feli hovers by the water, kneeling down before catching the yellowed traces of blood sweeping past. She starts to come upstream, trembling as she hopes whatever is polluting the river isn't going to hurt her.
It's okay... Nothing's here. The other tributes left a long while back. The sun wasn't up yet then. They won't come. Just stay happy. I... want my last thought of you to be happy...
She continues up the bank a little bit before feeling something and looking up. She sees me. With a startled cry, she drops the canteens and comes running towards me.
"Sheen!" The mirage is a total hallucination now. She stumbles just in front of me but picks herself up. She tries to tell me something but is crying too hard to get it out. Clasping her hands around my wrists, she brings my arm up and tries to drag me. I'm far too heavy for her. I don't budge a centimetre.
...Could a mirage... move me? I can feel her hands... Feli... Is this... real?
Feli drops my arm, quavering too hard to keep her grip.
Feli... No... It'll be too hard for you already... You shouldn't have to see... me like this...
She collapses sobbing, almost falling right on top of me.
"Shee... ee..." She can't finish my name. She just stays there, weeping and helpless.
I still can't move. I still can't say anything. I can't do anything to help her. I can barely breathe... Is the light... getting dimmer...?
Feli pulls herself together just long enough to touch her lips to mine. I can barely feel it.
It's not... going to work, Feli... I'm sorry... This isn't a fairy tale... I wish it was...
She collapses again, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and gasping heavily for breath right by my ear. And Feli, of all people, doesn't notice at all my blood seeping into her clothing.
"D-don't... d-d..." I wonder if she can breathe any better than I can right now. "D-don't... pl-lease... D-don't l-leave m-me..."
With a choking sound, she goes back to sobbing over me.
Feli... I'm so sorry... You shouldn't have to... I should be able... to protect you from things like this... I want to... I'd be fine with dying... if it only meant... you didn't have to get hurt, too...
I love you, Feli... I just... wish I didn't have to die...
...for you to...
...love me...
...ba...
...ck...
...
Magya Garrison, District 2
It's taking Feli an awfully long time to get our water. Is she all right?
As if in reply, a cannon sounds.
I freeze, but Osso nudges my shoulder.
"I don't believe that was her."
I exhale, nodding although I don't know why I agree. Osso just seems to know things we others don't sometimes. I'll believe him.
But the minutes drag on, and there's no sign of Feli. I'm just about to go check on her when something comes crashing through the bushes.
It's her, stumbling, blood-soaked, barely breathing through the exertion and her crying.
"Feli!" I hurry over, catching her before she collapses. I can tell immediately the blood isn't from her. She's barely strong enough to walk back without injury. "What's wrong? Feli?"
She just latches onto me sobbing. Understandably, she can't even attempt to talk for the longest time.
"Feli? What happened?" I ask softer, wrapping an arm around her.
"Sh... Sh..." She can't get any further.
"She?" I ponder aloud.
"Sheen," Osso answers so quietly I can barely hear him.
"Feli? Feli. It's okay. Calm down. Feli?" She won't respond. She just keeps bawling her eyes out, somehow getting louder despite getting no air in. "Feli, it's okay...!" Still no better.
With shaking hands, I rub the back of her neck a little. I then withdraw a knife and sever her spinal cord.
The cannon booms as immediately as she stops crying. She drops to the sand, staring up in lifeless agony.
She... hurt so much... She never should have survived this long... I should have killed her the second I saw her... THis is what happens in this place! THings don't get better! I don't know why I would believe that it would! I know it doesn't! That's why I came here! So I can kill them before it gets this much worse!
And what have I been doing? Sitting around, chatting with Osso? That's not why I came! I'm here to help people! I'm here to stop this! And I've done nothing!
I storm towards the jungle.
"Magya?"
"I'm going hunting!" I shout, crashing through the undergrowth. I am going hunting, and I'm not coming back until everyone else is dead.