A/N- Well, so here we are once more... And now I present the second instalment of the Final Showdown! Enjoy...
Inva Reinhardt, District 3 POV
Ray stumbles forwards, knocked off balance from my push. He tries to catch his fall by slamming a foot down on the ground, but his injured leg proves too weak to hold his weight, so he keeps on falling. I stand, fists clenched so tightly that my knuckles are close to tearing through their skin, and I watch the consequences of my action. My rash, desperate and testing action.
I've never killed anyone before; haven't even come close in these Games. During my time in the arena I have kept myself hidden, concealed from the sight of anyone else, besides Victoria who was my ally for a short time. That was my plan all along, to keep to the shadows and because of my lack of fighting experience, I knew the only way to stay alive was to avoid any confrontations that could potentially lead to my death. Of course I knew that if this plan succeeded, then I would have to confront someone in the end, but I figured that the longer I left it, the better off I would be. And now this plan has turned out to be successful and I've been cast out from behind the scenes and pushed into the limelight. I don't want to kill anyone, but it doesn't take a genius to know that I don't really have a choice.
I hold my breath, preparing myself for that moment where I will become a murderer. When that permanent status will be burned into me for the rest of my life. But it doesn't happen that easily.
It takes me a few seconds, seconds I can't really spare, to realise that Ray is still on the platform and not falling to his death. Instead, he is on his knees, crouched only inches from the teetering edge. It dawns on me; I didn't push him hard enough. My move failed.
"It'll take a lot more," he spits, "than a poke to get rid of me, stupid girl."
Stupid, I think, I am far from that adjective. I might have underestimated the situation, but I am not stupid. I raise my leg. "Will this do?" And I smash the base of my boot into his chest.
"Arhh!" Ray yells as the boot slams into him, the force eliminating his balance and sending him toppling backwards.
The bottom of my foot stings from the kick, the nerves inside are twitching like the noses of hungry rabbits. As I go to lower my leg, I feel something grip my ankle. Something that feels like…a hand.
I scream as Ray pulls me off my feet, my lower back falling heavily to the floor and sending a wave of pain up my spine. As Ray falls backwards, off the edge of the platform, I am dragged along the metal floor with him. The hem of my shirt bunches up as I'm pulled along, and the feeling of metal against my bare skin is tight and cold.
The edge draws nearer. And nearer. And—
-the floor disappears from underneath my body as I slide off the edge.
I'm falling. Nothing is supporting me, I'm falling and I can't stop. Blurred visions of grey flicker past my eyes and I'm not sure if I'm even facing up or looking down. Everywhere is grey- I can't tell the sky apart from the ground. If there even is a ground…
Something skims past my face and without thinking, I grab it with both hands. I immediately stop falling and hang uselessly in the air instead.
"Oi, get off!" I hear an angry yell from above and then I look at what I'm holding onto: Ray's leg.
"I said GET OFF!" He shouts, promptly jerking his leg to shake me off. I respond by digging my fingers in harder as I cling on for my life.
Ray jerks his leg again, but when I becomes clear that I'm not going to let go easily, he switches his attack and kicks his injured leg towards my face. The thick sole of his boot connects with the side of my skull and I cry out in pain, my temples throbbing. Yet I keep my grip tight on his leg. No way am I falling to my death now. He goes for me again, but this time I move my head in time and he kicks at empty air instead. He curses loudly.
I glance upwards and see that Ray is clutching onto the end of the platform. But just a short distance from his strained fingers, I spot my chance. A crack in the platform, just the perfect size to put a knife in and pull myself up. Or, failing that, using a strong stick instead.
So this time as Ray swings his leg at me, I remove one hand from his other leg. It seems like a reckless act, but when I see no other ways out, I know it is my only chance. The leg comes swinging forcefully towards me. Quick as a predator, I snap out my arm and open my fingers. As soon as the stick that juts out his leg is within reach, I grab it and yank it out sharply. There's a bellowing cry of agony from Ray as the stick is torn from his leg, releasing a powerful surge of blood that pours out like one of the Capitol water fountains. I waste no time.
I grab Ray's belt, silently praying that it's on securely, and I use it to haul myself up. Ray yells every word under the sun at me, but doesn't dare move for the fear of losing his grip on the platform. This is great for me as it makes it easier to climb up to his shoulders, where the hole in the platform is very close. Raising my hand, I slam the stick in and it stays stuck. Perfect. Gripping it tightly, I pull myself upwards, off Ray, and onto the platform, where I slide on my stomach to get away from the edge.
Once a safe distance from the edge, I stop crawling and begin to pant from both physical and mental exhaustion.
After a series of raspy breaths, I crawl back over to the edge. Time to end this. Time for Ray to die. But as I approach the edge, there's no sign of Ray. He's gone. I frown, where is he?
Cautiously, I peer over the edge; perhaps he fell after I got up? Maybe his canon hasn't gone off because he's still falling or the Gamemakers are holding it off?
"Looking for something?"
My heart beat quickens and I turn around slowly, to prolong the dreaded moment, until I'm facing Ray. He stands upright, despite his leg still losing blood, and he grins darkly down at me.
He speaks in a low, menacing tone that makes me feel a hundred times smaller. "This is the part where I push you to your death." He pauses. "Any questions?"
Raymond Periwinkle, District 5 POV
The girl stares up at me, her blue-grey eyes look into mine and I see a mixture of lost feelings and speechless emotions reflecting in her irises. Purple bruises swell on both of her cheeks where I left painful punches, and a raw mark is printed on the side of her head where I had kicked her in my attempts to knock her off my leg as we dangled from the edge of the platform. As well as these injuries, around her eyes are hollow grey circles where exhaustion has made a physical appearance and malnutrition has set in her small and frail body that I could snap like a pencil. Her curled dark hair looks bedraggled, torn into by claws of the wind and stained at the roots with her own blood from where I had smashed her head into the ground. But despite all of this, she still has a fierce and determined look about her.
"Yeah, I have a question." She says bitterly. "Were you always this pig-headed?" And saying that, she flicks out her leg and kicks the foot of my wounded leg. Taken by surprise, my leg wobbles and my balance fails me as I stumble sideways. The girl swipes again at my other foot and that does it. I crash to the ground like a ton of bricks.
The shiny metal surface of the ground comes up to meet my face, but I catch my fall with my hands just in time to stop my face from smacking down. My nose already feels broken, or at least fractured; a memoir from the girl. The crooked bone on my face no doubt distorts my complexion and stains my skin with smeared blood, but it isn't a concern right now for me. I've just got to make this one last kill and then the Capitol can fix my nose.
Seething, I lift my head and look around for the girl. I spot her quickly, scurrying away from me, still on her hands and knees as she tries to get back to her feet whilst also gaining some distance between us. I spit and a tiny spot of blood comes up with my saliva. Then I get back to my feet and face the girl.
"There's nowhere to run, little girl!" I speak in a booming voice that echoes in the dull air. "It's all one big circle and if you run too far, you'll step right off the edge and fall to your death!"
She says nothing, but is back to her feet now. She keeps on running further from me, but closer to the edge.
"Keep running if you wish!" I shout after her. "But either way you're going off that edge. Whether you decide to jump or I push you, that's your choice."
I begin to walk towards her, taking each stride at a time. As I walk, my leg aches from loss of blood, but I manage to walk with only a small limp. I stick out my chest; I can still have some pride despite my injuries.
On my way across the platform, I pass the boy who I stabbed earlier. He still lies on the floor, his hair fallen half across his face and beneath, his skin is ghostly pale. A hand rests on his stomach, where my scimitar pierced his torso, and dark blood seeps through the gaps between his fingers. As I walk past him, I can't help but grin at his useless state. He was stupid, a fool to think that he even had a chance against me. But that's what anger does to people, it makes them think like a fool. And I know just how to manipulate that. He was just another of many who have fallen for the same trick.
I shake my head at him and walk on, though out of the corner of my eye I swear I see his eyelids flicker. I frown, but toss the thought aside. He can't be still alive and even if he is, he'll be dead in a few minutes, or even seconds, anyway. If his eyelids did flicker, then it must have been his nerves twitching before they die with the rest of him. That happens, doesn't it?
I look forwards again and see that the girl has stopped running. She must have reached the edge. A dead end. Literally.
"You can't run from me for much longer!" I shout to her, closing the gap between us. Hearing me, she turns around and faces me, her back to the edge. "You might as well give in now!"
I stride onwards, the distance between us getting ever smaller. The girl's eyes look frantic, darting quickly from side to side, desperately searching for another way out. But this time, there isn't one. There isn't a weapon she can pull from her boot. Nor is there any other mind trick to sway me. Nothing she says or does can save her now.
I stop. Just three metres stand between us. I grin maliciously.
"Ready to die?" I ask.
She shakes her head defiantly. "Never."
"So I'm guessing you won't be trying the suicide option then?" I sneer.
She gulps and I see the muscles in her neck contract. "I wouldn't give you the satisfaction."
"So you'd rather die by my hands?" I challenge her. "If I were you, suicide would sound more appealing. Are you sure you don't want to step off that edge?"
The girl doesn't look back at the edge, she doesn't even flinch. "No."
I shrug. "Fair enough. Let's do this then."
I take a step forwards and instantly the girl darts to the side. She slips past me like a shadow, but with the long length of my arm, I manage to reach her arm and grab her by the wrist before she gets away. She yelps as I tug her back towards me, desperately trying to release the grip on her tiny wrist. Her heels dig into the ground but, as it is metal, the friction is lacking and so I simply drag her along. I laugh as she squirms under my grip, her legs thrashing about and a loud yell escaping from her mouth. Her strength is no match to mine as I pull her towards the edge.
"NO!" The girl shrieks as I push her in front of me. My hand still holds her wrist, but I have it held against her back so that she can see the edge drawing nearer as I push from behind. She starts to struggle, her feet pressing hard against the metal to try and push herself back away from the edge. Her free arm swings wildly, smacking me in the face a couple of times. I just laugh at her attempts.
The tips of her boots now poke over the edge of the platform and she ceases screaming. She falls silent, the shock of seeing the sheer drop terrifying her. Dropping my voice, I press my lips to her ear and whisper, "Say goodbye."
As I pull my head away from hers, I hear a faint goodbye leave her lips. She knows now that she is going to die. She took her time realising.
And not drawing the moment out any longer than it needs to be, I tense my arms and push her. A strangled scream tears through her throat as she falls of the edge, only to be stopped by the grip I still hold on her wrist. I sneer down at her as she dangles loosely from my hand. Her face is flushed completely white as she tries to keep her eyes from looking down at the emptiness below her. Her blue-grey eyes are filled with mortal terror as she stares up at me.
"Three." I begin to count. "Two."
"One."
I let go.
The girl is silent as she falls down, her dark hair like a cape around her face as the air rips through it. I watch her go down, down, until her body is consumed by the grey mist and I can no longer see her. I wait for the canon. It fires soon later. I then straighten up and walk towards the centre of the platform.
"Behold!" I yell, thrusting my arms out. "Your Victor of the five hundredth Hunger Games! Raymond Periwinkle!"
I continue to pace around. "I am grateful to the Capitol and the opportunity they have given me! I cannot wait to come back and share my glory with you all!"
There is no response. The sky remains empty. I stare up at it and frown.
"Hello?!" I shout up to the clouds. "I'm waiting! Your Victor is waiting!"
But still nothing. Where the fuck is the hovercraft? I'm done with this arena, I need to get out to enjoy my victory! WHERE ARE THEY?
Then a noise breaks the echoing silence. At first I think it must be the hovercraft finally arriving to pick me up, but I realise that it's too quiet a sound to be a hovercraft. Much to quiet.
And sounding very much like…a cough.
I turn around, eyes blazing.
"You."
A/N- Ooh...So that was the next part of the showdown, was it dramatic enough? Did it keep your mind turning, confused whether Ray or Inva would die? Well, so it was Inva who fell this time and I know several of you readers thought she'd win, but I felt like mixing things up a little. I didn't want the winner to be clear...
So now this leaves us with Ray...but is he alone? All will be revealed in the final instalment of the showdown where Games conclude. But what will happen? Will Ray emerge victorious?
Thanks to all those who are reading and reviewing, please keep doing so! I can't wait to hear more from you and lets get in those reviews! Please take notice of that lovely little box below and leave a short (or long if you'd like!) comment to keep me inspired to continue to the best of my ability!
Thanks, FireflyLlama xxx
