Chapter 37: Alder

The Ones Who Aren't Pieces of the Games

That fog took down three Careers, but they're not dead. Why? It makes no sense. They should die! But it's the Game Makers Game, and sadly, no matter how hard I try, I'm just a piece of it. I crouch down at the edge of the empty, poison lake, hidden by the thin layer of trees and bushes, watching Techno and Bala wake up.

What are they going to do now? Continue hunting. It doesn't seem like it, they're trying hard to hide. They don't want any confrontation.

There's a sudden break of a branch, or a twig, or something. I whip myself around, but no one's there. My leg is still injured but doing a lot better with the help of Clover's stitches. Even so, it is hard to move around. I make my way around the lake, but seem unable to find anyone.

Just as I'm about to go up to a tree and rest against it, someone drops down from the tree. I almost let out a yelp of surprise. The figure stands and reveals herself as Moray.

"Hey," she smiles.

"Hi," I say back, I had almost forgotten that we had made a previous alliance.

"Don't do that ok," I tell her, "You almost made me pee my pants."

She lets out a quiet laugh and smiles.

"Seriously though," I say "That's a really good hiding spot."

"Thanks," she says, "I've been up there for a while so I'm kind of sore…I saw you spying on the Careers, what are they up to?"

"Don't you know about the fog?" I ask.

"I saw it fall, but there wasn't any cannon shot," She informs me of what she knows, "What did it do exactly?"

"Don't know," I admit, "It seemed to have paralyzed them or put them in some sort of coma."

"That's weird," she says, "Did any of them get away from it in time?"

"Bala and Techno," I tell her.

"So we won't really have anything to worry about," Moray observes.

I nod and look back at the central valley. The fog is still there, but is slowly thinning out. This could be our chance to knock off some Careers.

"Come on," I tell her, but she's confused and falters. But I'm already sliding down the rocky walls of the plateau.

"Wait," she calls out to me in a hushed tone, "Come back. What are you doing?"

"I'm going to get rid of two Careers," I say to her as I continue to make my way towards them. They don't seem to see us through the fog.

"But we had an agreement," She calls out to me.

That's when I stop, right in between the two strips of forest, surely everyone can see me.

"Don't you remember," she asks, "Up in that tree."

I remain silent. I do remember. We had agreed to not become pieces of this Game, But the chance to take these two out is so tempting. It'll make me that much closer to getting back to Douglas and Cassandra. But once I start, will I ever be able to stop?

Moray takes a few steps towards me, but takes them very gingerly. What has she seen that makes her stay sane? I can already feel my sanity slipping away into the Games, making me become a killing monster. Clover and the Careers have all become puppets to the Capitol.

What is it that keeps Moray so grounded? I slowly let go of my dagger and it falls to the ground. I'm going to need to keep this alliance. Moray seems to be the only one who can keep me sane. Even thinking of Cassandra, sweet, innocent Cassandra, makes my mind corrupt and evil.

Moray picks up the dagger and gives me a hug. I'm frozen in the realization of what the Capitol is making me become. It's so scary that I begin to shake and shutter. As she embraces me in her arms, I can barely feel my own arms complete the hug.

"We have to go," Moray whispers.

"Not yet," I say, "Just a bit longer."

There's the sudden snap of a twig behind us. We quickly break the hug and I grab my dagger, if only I still had my axe. I turn around and Moray and I slowly back away from that particular strip of forest. I know its Bala and Techno. Surge wouldn't attack us two on one, he's too smart to try that kind of stunt. After a while of slowly backing away, we turn and run.

We near in on the poisoned lake plateau and Moray is confused when I don't slow down to climb it.

"Where are going?" she asks.

"We can't stop here," I tell her, "Then they'll know. We've all been sticking close to the central valley. Let's go further out. There's more out there I just know it."

"But we don't know what could be out there," Moray says, "It could be a death sentence, going out there."

"But they've already figured this whole area of the arena out. We need to go somewhere they don't know about," I say, "If you don't want to come that's fine, I'll go it alone."

I know Moray doesn't want to break the alliance. One more death and then we'll be at the final eight. That's when we see Bala and Techno emerge from their strip of forest and start heading towards us.

"Trust me," I say and I reach out a hand.

She takes it and we continue running into the unknown edges of the arena. As we run, I find that there's more out there than I thought. It just keeps going and going.

As we run, I take a look behind me, Bala and Techno gave up on their chase. We begin to slow down and rest. The sun has just begun to set.

And now there a new alliance. The arena will laso expand and reveal some other tricky secrects and there will be a sort of weird huge plot twist soon! So here's the death list in order of when they died:

Rose Redbird-18-District 12-Choked to death by Willow-Bloodbath

Thalia Skyware-17-District 11- Knife lodged in throat by Crescent-Bloodbath

Bull Shooter- 12-District 10- Killed by Jacob's sword-Bloodbath

Willow Spring-17-District 7- Decapitated by Jacob with his sword-Bloodbath

Graphite Ramirez-14 -District 12- Killed by Glamour with her mace-Bloodbath

Aadrash Mohina- 14- District 9- Killed by Arma with his flail/flanged mace-Bloodbath

Glamour Devine-18-District 1- Drank from the poisoned lake-Day 1

Oralae Cledgrep-13-District 10- Beat to death by Clover with Moray's bludgeon-Day 1

Aura Woodlock-16-District 3- During Strong Winds a tree was uprooted and crushed her-Day 2

Reinzac Chako-17-District 6- Got an Axe to the head by suprise by Clover-Day 3

Everlee Madett-16-District 6- stabbed by Clover after long battle-Day 3

Edeline Crow- 14-District 5- Tortured and killed by Arma and Crescent- Day 4

Baxter Orkendale-13-District 8- drank from poisoned lake-Day 4

Wolfbane Stride-15- District 11- trapped and shot by Kraken- Day 5

Kraken Lazarus- 16- District 9- killed by Surge- Day 5

Here are those who are still alive and who they've allianed themselves with:

The Careers: Jacob Diamond-17-District 1/ Arma Treno-16-District 2/Crescent Lyagh-18-District 2/Techno Electrique-13-District 3/ Bala Shark-18-District 4/

Other Alliances: (Moray Eel-15-District 4/Alder Black-17-District 7)

Loners: Surge Cooper-17-District 5*
- - - - - -Clover Wool- 15-District 8