Yes, it has finally arrived! The long LONG awaited finale of the 100th Hunger Games! It has taken a long time to decide on the victor, and I hope that you guys don't hate me for my decision.
Chapter 39-Conquer
Apollo Tiell
It's time.
Apollo stared at the screen for a long time, alternating his view between the cameras closing up on the three remaining tributes. He knew that he might as well have given up already, it's not like the finale would matter at this point. Even he had to admit that he screwed up. He could go on blaming everyone for their failures, but inside, he knew it was his own fault. Davus would execute him in seconds, and then go on pretending like nothing had ever happened. This wasn't his first year as Gamemaker, but it was the centennial. This year was meant to be his masterpiece, his perfect horror story! But he went to far, and was now left with the three worst possible tributes. The three younglings, the three underdogs.
The three most likely to start a rebellion.
When Apollo finally stood up, the first thing he did was call for an Avox girl. He did not feel like talking, so he pulled a pen and a small sheet of paper out of his pocket and wrote his command on it. The Avox read the paper with wide eyes and looked up at him, terrified, wondering if he wished to use it for himself or for another. Apollo simply shook his head and gave a small sigh, telling his mute servant that it was the first. The girl left quickly, either to get what he wanted, or to leave altogether. It didn't matter. Both of them would see torture either way.
He looked back at the screen and took a chair, sitting down to begin making his own commands into the computer. He put his finger down on the "sun/moon" section and began dragging the line towards the sun, waking up the tributes surprisingly quickly. When he could see that they were fully awake, he pulled out another sheet of paper from his pocket and began writing. When he was content with what he wrote, he motioned to his second-in-command, who was not standing too far.
"Don't open this until the victor comes to the Capitol for the banquet. Do exactly what it says." He said in a firm, but exhausted voice. The man-Titus Akite nodded and leaved. As he walked away, Apollo could see the Avox girl return with what he requested, wrapped in a package. He knew what was coming, and turned back to face the screen. With shaky hands, he pressed the button to activate two things. The self-destruct button to take effect on the arena when the victor leaves. If Apollo was to die, he did not want others to see his arena and see his failure for generations come.
The other button was the one to activate the final trap of the Games. Or more accurately…
The final fear.
D5-15-Aurora
I wake with a start when the sky suddenly brightens, as does Scott nearby. It has been fairly awkward sleeping next to his automan like this, but he has assured me that it won't kill us. At least, he thinks it won't.
Sitting uo slowly, I wince as I shift my broken leg. Scott hadn't done the best job of patching it up, I'll admit, but he did the best he could, and it saved my life.
"Do you think it will happen soon?" Scott mutters, sitting up. I nod slowly, answering his question. He sighs and stands up, coming towards me and holding out his hand. I grab it and stand up, wincing as my leg straightens. Scott grunts under my weight, and I finally manage to stand.
"Thank you." I say quietly, and he smiles. Neither of us have spoken too much since Mason died, but I am not going to be killing him any time soon. Even if he is the youngest here, he was still able to create the automan that could destroy everything in just a few minutes. I have learned to be careful around this kid.
"Do you think you can get onto the Cornucopia?" Scott asks after a minute.
"I doubt it." I reply, looking down at my leg. "I would need something to boost me up, and I don't want to hurt you."
"That's okay." Scott says softly. "Just move out of the way, and give me a few minutes."
I nod and limp over until I'm standing several feet behind Scott and the automan. He walks forward and twists something around that looks like wires. Scott steps back after that, and for a moment, everything's silent. Then, the machine comes to life and moves forward, until it gets to the edge of the forest. It stops in front of a small tree and begins cutting it down. When the wood falls with a loud thud! Scott runs forward, holding his hands up to block the flying objects. He runs to the back of the machine and quickly shuts it off before it can do any more damage. He gives me a thumbs up from there. With clear effort, he begins pushing the automan back. I limp forward and join him after a moment, pushing with all my might. When we finally get it back to the Cornucopia, he turns the automan and runs back to where the tree fell, and starts grabbing it by the branches. He can barely move it, however, so I limp back to him and help him again. We get it back, and he tells me to help him set it by the Cornucopia.
When we roll the trunk there, he gives me his hand, and tells me to climb up. I comply, and try to help him up once I get there. He tells me that he can't, because he has to manage the automan so that it can start when the other tribute comes. I just sit there, watching each end, my bad leg hanging over the edge. I sit silently for a while, thinking about what has happened recently. I still can't believe that I got this far in the Games. No doubt that they have changed me-and the other tributes. Three of us are, left-me, with my broken leg, Scott with his deadly automan, and the District 9 girl with the prosthetics. I think Mason told me that her name's Sky.
Mason…I wipe my eyes as I say the name to myself. I wish he didn't have to die. I'd much rather be the one who died back there. He didn't deserve that cruel fate. He died trying to protect me, and I almost died too. I could be sitting here, doing nothing, because I have lost my ally, and my love. But I know that that's a stupid idea-not the way that I should be thinking at this point. Scott told me about what happened to Ryder, and everybody knew that Sky was with that District 8 girl. We have all lost someone here, and we have all been changed.
I look up for a moment, wiping my eyes again. When I move my hand away, however, I see a girl running out from the trees, screaming. As I look past her, I can see the snakes.
D9-15-Sky
I want to die. Right here, right now.
The snakes are coming up behind me at an alarming speed, their eyes focused on me, and their fangs bared. I can tell that they are not from Panem, as well as the fact that they are poisonous. I'm so terrified of them, but I can't bear to look at them. I'll see their fangs, and then I'll freeze, and then they'll kill me. And then I can't get back to Hazel, and then everything will be over.
"You can do it!" The District 6 boy calls for me from nearby. I comply and sprint towards him, where I might be able to escape these things.
I sprint forward towards the boy, not even daring to look behind me. Before I can reach him, however, a couple of the snakes pass me and block my path. I scream and pull out my sword, closing my eyes and swiping at the ground. I can hear soft hissing, and I go around in a circle, swiping at the animals. When I open my eyes, I can see that they are all lying dead. I take deep breaths, not letting the others see the shaking in my legs. When I look up and back at the forest, I can see that more are coming. My legs continue to shake, but now I frown and clutch my sword tightly, ready to fight. As they come nearer, I remember a phrase that I heard so long ago.
The only thing to fear is fear itself.
Aurora
When I see that Sky is continuously stabbing the snakes and defeating them, wave after wave, I stand up and take my knife, climb off the Cornucopia and limp over to join her and Scott, who's now swiping at them by his automan. For several minutes we continue to kill the many snakes that emerge from the trees, and each time, they seem to be harder and harder to kill. After a while, when the snakes seem to have stopped coming, I limp over beside Scott, and see what he has to say.
"If more of them come, I'll have to start up the automan again." He says, opening the back. Smoke curls out, and he coughs and looks in to work on it. "You and Sky will have to get onto the Cornucopia."
"What are you going to do?" I ask.
Scott first turns around and waves for Sky to come closer. She complies and comes towards us. As she is coming, he continues to tell me; "When I built this thing, I added parts of the landmines. If I can get it to work, it'll self destruct and destroy anything within a hundred meter radius. It'll be small, but powerful."
I realize what he's telling me and yell. "You'll die!"
"It's okay," Scott says as Sky comes up several meters behind us. "I wasn't meant to win anyway."
I feel a tear come down and lean down to give Scott a hug, and then we push the automan forward with the help of Sky. We get it about a hundred meters away from the Cornucopia when Scott tells us to stop, and tells us to get onto the Cornucopia. We comply, although neither of us is happy about it. We climb up together, although my leg is feeling very painful. When we are both seated on the horn, I look towards the forest and see more snakes coming. These ones seem to be at least five times the size of the previous ones, and Scott is working quickly, hooking up wires in the back. When the snakes are almost upon him, he closes the back and jumps down. Sky and I do so too, covering our ears. The explosion rings past that, however, and when it's over, I can still hear ringing.
When everything stops smoking, Sky and I get off of the Cornucopia, and look around to see if anything survived. We can't find anything, although I keep my sword out in case we missed something. However, as I feared, the automan is now a pile of rubble. And Scott is gone too. I cry into the shoulders of Sky, despite the fact that I have to kill her now. I don't really care. I just want this to be over. I'd rather that both of us can't win, but I still wish that it could work. I don't know her, I don't know if I like her. But Mason said that she could be trusted, so I don't try anything.
"I guess we have to kill each other now." Sky says almost too casually when we stop.
"I guess." I say sadly, wiping the tears.
"Make it quick, okay?" She says, pulling her sword out. I look down at my own knife and feel my arm shake. I'm about to raise it higher when Sky suddenly tenses, and crumples to the ground.
Behind her I can see a single snake rising upwards, high enough to bite Sky's back. With one swift motion I cut its neck and it too crumples to the ground, in two pieces. Quickly, I lean over and pick up Sky, who's now coughing and shaking.
"Shoot." She says weakly, trying to smile. I can't even cry, I can't even feel anything.
"I wish we could have known each other longer." Aurora said. "Mason talked about you a lot." I say, starting to shake.
"He did? That's nice…" Sky says even more weakly, coughing now. "You took care of him, right?" She asks.
Flashbacks of my time with Mason come to mind, and I remember his death. I bite my lip and reply quietly.
"Yes." I say. "But I couldn't save him in the end."
"Thank you." She replies, her eyes slowly closing. "It's okay. This is the Hunger Games, after all." A very faint chuckle. "Just please…when you get to District 9….tell my sister…I'm sorry I couldn't see her…"
I nod, not even bothering to wipe the tears that have begun streaming down. Sky smiles and closes her eyes.
After a few seconds, the cannon fires.
Victor-Aurora
It's over.
I put down Sky's body and put my hands to my face, collapsing and crying, feeling my tears travel down my cheeks. Pain is coursing through my body as I think about what I've just done. I've done it. I've won the Hunger Games. It was a shorter Games, but it was filled with too many horrors to count. I'm still on my knees when I feel the ground around me shake. The patch of grass around me rises up like a platform, in the shape of a circle. I don't even try to stand up, I'll probably die right here if I try.
Instead, I raise my hand and look straight up, putting my hand over my head to block the bright sunlight. This is soon blocked by the hovercraft, which has just materialized above me. I brace myself as the current freezes me, picking me up to take me home. As I look down at the huge arena, I resist the urge to fight back the tears, as the other two bodies are picked up. I can't hear anything, and as I look through the window, the entire arena begins to crumble, until the whole thing drops in pieces. It seems to happen in slow motion, and as I squint, I can see a slight splash of water down below.
Were we hovering above the ocean this whole time?
As the doctors pull me away from the window to be treated, I close my eyes and brace myself for the shots. I don't try to struggle, knowing that I'll be going home, back to my family.
The last thing I hear is the cheering of the Capitol and Claudius Templesmith over the hovercraft's speakers.
"Congratulations to the victor of the 100th Hunger Games, Aurora Williams of District 5!"
And so, it is done! I have decided on the victor based on the characters, their talents and motivations to go home, and the creators' participation in the story. If any of you are mad or curious as to why I chose to kill certain people, please PM me, and I'll do the best I can to answer your questions. Keep in mind that this was my first ever Hunger Games fic, and it was quite confusing. The sequel will be much more thought out (I have already decided on all of the abilities). I still have several spots open, and I am not starting the story until all of them are filled. (If you see "reserved" anywhere, ignore it! If not enough of them are filled, I will create a few of my own characters (but they will all be bloodbaths!). One more chapter will be updated for the victor coming home, and then I will get started. Also, I will be putting up an X-Men fic soon! And I'm going to be spending the next month focusing more on Nanowrimo, so the updates might not come too quickly (this and all of my homework and sports things). So…check out wjjmwmsn5, xXWarHeadsXx (who desperately needs tributes), and more!
RIP all the tributes, and big congratulations to our winner, Aurora Williams!
Thank you all so much for reading my story and reviewing, and I hope that you guys come back for the sequel!