Author's Note: We're down to the final eight, everyone. Wahaha. I'll be putting up another "Who should win" poll once the next tribute(s) die(s).

Recommended Listening: Chain Reaction by Journey

Lude Ermany, District 2

This gator is really hard to cut up. The skin is so rough I've cut up my fingers and my jacket sleeves—resulting in me taking off my jacket—in just dragging the thing around. The hide's too thick for any of the weapons at my disposal to break through—except my morningstar. Of course, if I keep pummeling the mutt with that, I'm not going to get any edible meat out of it.

This is one heck of a struggle for breakfast.

But, it's not as if the sponsors have suddenly returned. So struggle I will.

I cast another look at the mass of unavailable meat before turning to check my weapon stash again. There's not much; some of the things Corianne and I gathered at the Cornucopia are still here, but most of the blades have been lost. No one knows what happened to Corianne and her halberd. No one cared to wrench Vivi's sickle from her neck after the cannon boomed. Alf never used a weapon. And Japan's blades I chose to leave with him.

But anyway.

The cold handles try to stick to my fingers as I sift through what's left. Some brass knuckles, useless for my situation. Some small daggers, bent out of shape from my previous attempts to use them. A regular mace, which won't do any more good than my morningstar.

I come across a tight coil of metallic wire and pick it up to see if it's sharp enough when I suddenly spot something. A little cricket with an exoskeleton of bright blue and orange splotches is perched by my foot, looking up at me curiously. I look back at it for a second, and then smash it with my boot. Don't want any bugs around to get into the alligator meat before I do.

I withdraw my boot, noting the colourful smudge of bug before I turn back to the wire.

And see another cricket.

I stomp on it, too, with no notable results. A bit perplexed now, I sweep the area in front of me, but don't see any more. I glance back at the wire, but, on a whim, turn to see if there are any crickets behind me.

—There are. Hordes of them. Settled on the ground, on every level on the tall savannah grass, blanketing a good half of the crater in orange and blue.

I set the wire down on top of my crumpled pile of jacket slowly. None of them move. They just keep a steady gaze on me.

These guys are all muttations, I'm sure of it. But what am I going to do about it? I don't have any bombs or anything that could take all of them out. The few weapons I have would barely take down two at a time. So…

I don't take my gaze off the crowd for a second.

But one of them still manages to spring onto my arm.

Even though nothing happens, I still jump back and wave my arm frantically. The cricket doesn't come off. And very suddenly, I'm aware of an increase in heat where the bug keeps latched onto me. It's not much, but it's enough to get me to try and pry the thing away with my fingers. I still can't get it off.

And abruptly, the heat increases. I swear I can see smoke rising off my skin as the cricket stands still, emanating more heat than I'd think a nuclear bomb of its size could manage.

With a grunt, I finally manage to rip it away with my half-seared fingertips. I smash it against the ground panting. With a quick check, I determine there to be an at-least-second-degree burn on my arm where it had landed and something more akin to sunburn on my fingers.

There's an odd second of numbness before the pain kicks in.

I grit my teeth, determined not to sound in pain, when I suddenly realise it.

Hundreds of these crickets are staring me down.

I slowly move and get a grip on my jacket—

And the crickets are upon me.

Switz Wingly, District 7

Something pokes gently into my side. I roll over in response. Come on, Mom, it's not a school day…

"Switz…?"

I'm poked again before I suddenly realise where I am. Snapping to wakefulness as quickly as possible, I sit up hurriedly enough to make myself a little bit dizzy.

"Ah, you're awake!" I register my sister's voice, but my eyes aren't awake enough to see her. I blink a few times and register nothing but Liet and the mountainside beside me.

"Wait…" I try to remember what exactly happened before I fell asleep, but… "Liet? What happened last night?"

"Um…" My sister wrings her hands. "We took a break here, and you fell asleep."

"Wha... Well, why didn't you wake me? We can't just stay on the side of the mountain! Anyone could…" My voice is getting too loud for something said to my sister, so I quiet down. "…Anyone could find us here, you know."

"I-I know… You just… You looked so tired, and… I-I didn't want to wake you up."

I sigh. "Liet, that's a dangerous thing to do, okay?" I stretch a little. "Did you get enough sleep?"

"Hm? Oh! Yeah. I tried to stay up for watch, but…" She looks at her shoes in a downcast manner.

"No, that's fine," I reassure quickly. "We didn't get attacked, so… No harm, no foul, right?" She nods uncertainly. "Yeah. Just be sure to wake me up next time, okay?" I ruffle her hair.

Well, there shouldn't be a "next time". I shouldn't have fallen asleep. Shouldn't have stopped in the first place.

"Come on. Let's go find some shelter." I shuffle around so Liet can take her usual piggyback position, but she hesitates. "What's wrong?" I turn around quickly. "Is your leg hurting? Because I think we have some more band—"

"No, no, I'm fine." She clambers on, and I stand up, starting across the mountain.

The first crater we run into is the swamp. Not going there again, that's for sure. I keep walking.

A few tiring minutes later, we come across another crater filled with deciduous trees, and I survey the area quickly before deciding to go in. I clamp my hands onto the crater edge and pull. But it takes me a good minute to finally heave the two of us over.

Sheesh, am I really that weak? I know I didn't have any breakfast, but for cripes' sake, I slept through the whole night and then some. I should be plenty refreshed enough.

But I'm not feeling any better. Not only am I still worn, I've also gotten a pretty nasty headache—from sleeping on rocks all night, no doubt.

No time to complain, though. I have to secure us some shelter ASAP.

Finally having gotten into the forest crater, I sweep my hands across each other and start across the compacted dirt. There's not much to go through for the first metre, but then the trees start to spring up. I weave through them, careful not to bump Liet against anything. About three more metres in, the trees become draped with hanging moss, and I have to continuously pull clumps aside just to see what's in front of me. It's gotten hard enough just trying to peer through the mostly-obstructed shafts of sunlight.

"—not that good."

I freeze.

"What's wrong, Switz?"

I shush my sister and listen again. Sure enough, voices are coming from deeper in the crater. Other tributes are here. And if other tributes are here, this isn't safe.

I turn around and march back out of the forest. The sunlight hits me again, making my headache throb, but I don't stop for a second until I've heaved us back out of the crater.

Liet doesn't comment; she must have heard the voices, too.

I look around the mountainside. The only other crater I can see is some sort of desert, but it'll have to do. There seem to be enough cacti to cast a protective shadow.

So, taking a deep breath, I set off for there.