Nate Orison, District Thirteen Citizen
In the middle of work alarms suddenly began blazing.
We had been helping create ammo to mobilise District Thirteen soldiers for the war effort, especially now that they were closing in on the Capitol. But as soon as the first sirens were heard I knew something was wrong. I, along with the other factory workers, looked around the metallic labyrinth confusedly. Usually sirens would blaze if there was a fire, or if something important had been stolen, but there was something different that filled the air and made me look uneasy. I made eye contact with a worker across from me, who frowned.
As instructed when the alarm blazed we moved single file. It was almost eery how District Thirteen citizens could robotically move and work in one unit, but this collectivist lifestyle had been imposed on us from a young age, and was very effective in making District Thirteen evolve from a single District to a nation that posed a threat to the Capitol itself.
"Please remain calm," the President's voice boomed across the factory. "This District is currently under attack. Get out of the factory as quickly as possible and make your way to your homes whilst the army defends our territories. You are advised to not go outside, to kill when necessary and to find sufficient cover for any bomb attacks. This is not a drill. Please make your way to your communal homes."
Panic swelled up inside me, and I felt everybody went tense around me. We obediently made our way out of the factory and I could already tell we were almost becoming a warzone. Because of District Thirteen's nuclear weapons, we assumed mutually assured destruction would lead us to needing very little defence. All of our army were bravely fighting miles away from the Capitol. Though soldiers were running around holding heavy weapons, I knew our defences were light. We formed a line and a soldier at the front handed each citizen something.
I found out what it was when I reached the front.
"Defend yourself and your family when necessary," he explained. "If possible, defend District Thirteen."
"Always," my palm enclosed around it and I stepped forward, the old lady behind me given similar instructions as I rushed to my designated house. My younger siblings had probably been at their designated education camps, my family working in their respective factories. I rushed around the block.
When I opened the rusty gate and rushed to the front door of the house I immediately ducked as soon as the swooping sound of planes hit my ears.
The noise was defeaning.
I wasn't expecting the attack to come swiftly, but the Capitol knew we had a nuclear arsenal; for them to ambush us so quickly was unexpected, but they struck at the achilles heel when the time was ripe. I felt heat behind me as explosions plundered houses. The streets were suddenly destroyed in the blink of an eye. The force threw me to the ground, and I heard the sound of screaming citizens and children. By the time I shakily stood to my feet, the smell of burned flesh slipped into my nostrils.
I turned around just as a Panemian plane above had been shot, it fell down and - judging by the noise - crushed a house beneath. I tried to remain stoic but couldn't help but be captivated by fear and sadness. While we were discouraged from creating social bonds in case that interfere with our work, we were a tight knit community. All the people in my nation who had aided me and who had worked with me were now dying. Perhaps my family were now dead too.
When I opened the door I almost halted at the figure who stood at my stairway. Judging by the visor, I immediately knew it was a Panemian Peacekeeper. How had he gotten in? And judging by his posture, what was he looking for? I raised the gun I had been given and shot him before he could even turn around, watching with horror as he toppled down the stairs.
I had never killed anybody before.
The sounds of gunshots now filled the streets, followed by screams, followed by explosions, followed by even louder screams. The windows in my household suddenly shattered from the force of an explosion. Judging by the light that flickered, outside had looked like hell on earth in the space of hours. I struggled to process what had happened; in my mind I knew what was going on, but it still felt unreal. We had a plan. With Romantia supplying us weapons, we even possibly had a victory. The Capitol would be destroyed, rightful District unity would be restored.
"All citizens ar-" The radio from my kitchen crackled. I was surprised the house was still standing. Where were my family? Tears streamed by my face as I curled up under a table like a meek tortoise, hoping it could provide a level of cover. I could block out the sight of my unusually empty, cold house, but I couldn't blank out the sound of explosions and screams. "you are requi-" the ground shook, peppering dust from the ceiling onto the floor. "Thank you for your co-op-"
The radio cut off, but this time it wasn't by static. There was the sound of bleeping. It was loud and I could hear it being emitted from the streets outside, only disrupted by the sound of gunfire. This time there was no human noise. I opened my eyes, briefly glancing at the corpse of a soldier lying in my hallway. Blood was still pouring out of him. I think he was shallowly breathing, potentially barely alive.
"This is an emergency situation, our brave soldiers have been defeated," a well spoken woman announced to the District solemnly. It rang through my house. It was through the streets. It rang through my head. "District Thirteen has been attacked."
I contemplating coming out from under the table. Where were my family? They were instructed to come home...
"In order to keep a stronghold on our territory, we will be releasing nuclear weapons on the Capitol," at first I was relieved by the news. "They may potentially retaliate." When I heard the Peacekeeper lying in front of me release I groan, I didn't think twice. I aimed my gun at his head and fired, spraying his brain on the floor where my little sister usually played. There was finally silence, though I was worried I had attracted other Capitolian soldiers. I knew they had been out there, and I knew they had outnumbered what few soldiers we had.
"Weapons being released in five..."
I heard the back entranced to my house being slammed open. I grabbed my gun tightly as the sound of gun shots were repeatedly fired - and not just mechanical guns, the advanced Capitolian plasma ones.
They were coming.
"Four..."
Would it really matter if their city was left in ashes?
"Three."
I heard the sounds of children screaming outside. Gunshots, then silence returned as footsteps stormed through my family's sitting room.
"Two..."
When I saw a figure across the room, I immediately aimed at them and fired. I didn't even hear the announcement of weapons release through the sound of a gunshot.
Pullox Shimmers, District 1, 18
I had never recalled being so furious in my life.
I grabbed a vase, launching it into a wall and stomping on the shards as humiliation slowly evolved into anger. But taking my defeat out on an inanimate object did little to relieve me of all these negative emotions. From a technical standpoint, I was still the winner of the feast per se. I had left with my suitcase and with Mirane's bullets. I was alive. But I had everything so intricately planned out, I could've added two new names to my growing list of victims. But then Lexie burst in with her fancy-schmancy powers and ruined everything for me.
At least Honora was dead. That was my number one threat down. But it seemed like a stronger threat emerged from her place. Lexie may have been unable to outsmart me, but had my suitcase not been in reach, had she not been more diligent when she was tying me up, I would certainly be dead. My face could have been the first to light up the night sky. When I thought about that prospect, it was worrying. Alexandria Tarsus was certainly a tribute I did not want to mess with. I opened my suitcase, which was heavy with chemicals, wiring and gadgets.
I needed a new plan. A bigger plan than ever. If I wanted to defeat Lexie (and if I wanted to survive I had to defeat Lexie) I needed to think of something big and undefeatable. I scratched my chin as I thought of a potential trap I could lure Lexie into. I had an idea, but this ruin of a Palace couldn't accommodate it. I had to traipse across the Palace's grounds and find shelter in one of the separate buildings, the ones which had been unscathed by the raging storm days ago.
I smiled. I couldn't be too certain I had victory when I was up against a girl who could manipulate metal with a flick of a hand, but I always found a way out. Who didn't like a challenge? The Games would've been awfully boring had Honora died and left a legion of braindead, weak tributes in her wake. This challenge had prompted me to make things bigger and better. To give the games more... spice.
It was the best way to make the Games bigger and better, and if I put in that bit more effort into my plans, it would certainly pay off in a big way.
I opened my suitcase and went through my wish list, the Gamemakers had given me everything I could've hoped for to formulate the perfect trap. Cameras, walkie talkies, wiring, enough dangerous and wonderful chemicals to kill the arena twenty times over. That, alongside with the machinery and sharp goods I had salvaged from the robots, would definitely be enough to create something wonderful.
It didn't hurt that I had plenty of bullets, too.
I smirked, closing the suitcase and locking it. Once I stood up, I skipped merrily down the halls, swinging my party bag of deadly goodies around chirpily as I imagined the fun and games I would have. Any resentment I once had over my humiliating defeat at the feast was soon evaporated now I looked on the bright side.
I had thought Honora was my biggest competitor in the Games. I once thought that once Honora was dead, which was my main aim, I would have no competition left. For once, I was very glad to be wrong.
Trojan Reid, District 3, 15
I got into the courtyard too late. I didn't know just how late I was, but I could see the feast was over and done with. Certain statues were smashed and blood was splattered against cobble. The items on the altar, in the centre, had all gone. The gazebo which took up the middle of the courtyard had two of its four railings completely torn off. There had been a single cannon earlier. I had hoped that was Sebastian's and that I would make it to the feast on time, but judging by the sheer destruction that surrounded me, I immediately knew the death had happened here.
And when I glanced to an ocean of blood beneath a red painted flagpole, I felt I knew exactly where the spot of the death had been. It was pretty macabre. I wondered how somebody had lifted a tribute and impaled them like that. Whoever they were, they must have been pretty strong. I wanted to avoid them, but then again, to be in the final five you must have needed some kind of talent, right?
Somehow, I didn't feel deflated. I didn't know exactly how I felt about missing the feast. It was supposed to give some tributes a boost to survive to the end, but when I saw the blood around me I considered the fact that it had been specifically designed as a honeytrap for me and Sebastian. I made my way towards the gazebo, my thoughts suddenly confirmed when I saw the shattered glass and the purple puddle on the floor. Bad memory after bad memory struck me, all related to that one stupid substance.
So it was some honeytrap. They wanted to lure us to the very substance that almost destroyed me and certainly destroyed Sebastian.
I don't know how I thought about leaving Sebastian there to die. At first I felt no remorse... And there was definitely no regret still. But that didn't mean I liked what had happened, or liked what I had to do. I did wish things could have gone differently. I stared at the violet puddle on the floor, rubbing my hands against each other in an attempt to create heat.
Whatever. It was done.
Despite the logic being twisted, the fact Sebastian had survived made abandoning him feel worse. If he had died, he would have felt nothing, and I wouldn't have to worry about his emotions. But he was out there breathing somewhere, and he had now thought of me as a bad person. He was weak and vulnerable and probably suffering. How weak had the Games made me, to care about the opinion of an emotional fool?
And yet I did.
"I knew you'd be here," a voice snarled behind me. "You'd be where the blood and gore was, wouldn't you?"
Speak of the devil. Despite being surprised, I turned around and glanced at Seb indifferently. He had looked as maddened as ever. His skin had completely yellowed, and he was breathing so heavily and furiously that his chest rose and fell. He staggered towards the gazebo, leading me to grab onto the hilt of my dagger just in case he would try to attack me - I wouldn't blame him for trying to attack me, but he was weaker than ever. If I had to kill, I would.
I wondered if I could kill him even if he didn't try to attack me. I would if I had to, but this wasn't the final two so I technically didn't have to. So for now, I couldn't do that, no matter how much I wanted to.
"I did what I had to," I said, more to myself than to him.
He stopped in front of me, looking me in the eyes. He was taller than me, and he had more musculature, so despite the fact he could probably barely stand I felt intimidated. I think he tried backing me into the gazebo, but I stood my ground and glared up at him.
"You taught me people couldn't be trusted. And you were right," he shook his head, like he was more disappointed with me than angry.
He was about to say something else before something caught his attention from the corner of his eye. I immediately knew it was the contents of the vial, lying there on the floor. He made a noise between a whimper and an exclamation of joy, immediately dropping to his knees. Like the pathetic addict he was, he crawled up to it. I could see him debating whether to succumb or not, but I already knew what his decision would be. I watched with disgust as he began licking the substance up from the dirty floor like some kind of thirsty animal.
There was barely any of the stuff. He was literally taking in dregs, and was moaning in ecstasy just at the taste of it. This wasn't the Sebastian I once knew. He still had that naivety, but Sebastian wouldn't want to be a slave to a substance. I didn't plan to initially kill Seb unless I had to, and the feeling seemed to be neutral considering Seb hadn't tried to attack me. But I realised now that it was what I had to do. It was more for my sake than for his - the longer Seb was alive, the more he was suffering.
I removed my dagger and closed my eyes. This was going to be hard, but I had always pushed my emotions aside to do what was necessary. It had been programmed in me since infancy. So I stepped forward, raising the dagger and swinging it down to put Seb out of his misery.
But it didn't work. Seb turned around and grabbed the dagger, glaring up at me. Purple liquid had drizzled down his lips and stained his shirt. And I'd never seen him look so vengeful before.
"Why has everybody in this fucking game tried to turn on me?" Blood squirted from his hand, but that hadn't seemed to bother him. He'd barely even sampled the vial, he must have managed to lick up the equivalent of a teaspoon, but it had already had its effect. He no longer seemed weak. In fact, he was probably now stronger than me, and his reflexes had certainly heightened. He stood up slowly, not breaking eye contact. "Carlie tried it when I trusted her. And then I trust you and you betray me not once, but twice. Why is that, Trojan?"
"I did it for your own good," I said defiantly. That earned a punch. It felt as if I had been hit by a truck, and I was initially worried that my jaw had been dislocated as I was thrown backwards. I still held onto my dagger and scrambled to my feet.
"When Carlie betrayed me, you told me that I should've killed her. I realise now that you were right."
I rolled to the side when he stomped towards me, splintering the ground beneath. I swept my feet, hooking under him and leaving him sprawled across the floor to. He yelped and got to his feet in sync with me. Both of us panted, eyeing each other down and waiting for the other to make a move. Eventually, as I expected, Seb broke and charged at me. He was quick thanks to the vial, but I was the one with the more rational mind and the more refined skill.
Seb slammed into the altar, his new strength splitting it in two as he broke through it. Before he got up I kicked down into his back so he was forced into the ground again. Seb didn't seem perturbed, and rose almost as quickly as he had fell. I tried slashing his face, but he ducked and sent another punch at me as he ascended.
The punch hurt like hell, but I stopped myself from being launched to the ground. All my hope that Sebastian would tire seemed to dissipate as he grew even fiercer, winding me when his gut rammed into my stomach. I tried fighting back, kicking and punching at him, but Sebastian either dodged my blows or seemed unaffected by them. The kindness that he once had was gone when I felt him choke me in a headlock and throw me to the ground.
I lay there, in intense pain, coughing up saliva and spitting it onto the floor. Just when I thought Seb had been merciful, I felt him stomp into my back, pain flaring in my chin as it smacked the harsh ground beneath.
"Are you sorry?" Seb asked me.
"No," I said honestly. I bit back a yelp when he kicked me again, blood leaking from my mouth as my teeth lightly burrowed into my tongue.
"Stand up and face me, you fucking coward," Seb kicked me in the side again and I whimpered. I wasn't a coward. I felt offended that he could even accuse me of that - all too often people confused intelligence with cowardice. Cowards wouldn't do the things I've had to do in my life, cowards have had it so much easier. A new wave of determination hit me, and despite the struggle that ensured, I eventually rose. I breathed heavily, turning to face somebody who I once almost trusted. But Sebastian had reminded me why nobody was to ever be trusted, ever.
At first I thought Sebastian was going to try and talk to me, like our conflict could ever be resolved by words. But he charged at me again. I barely dodged to the side, watching his fist strike metallic railing behind me. He finally yelped in pain as a sickening crunch was heard.
I took the opportunity, though my brain barely had time to process what I was doing. I was the one with the blade. I kicked him in a shin so that he stooped to my level slightly, slashing deeply into Seb's side. He roared in pain and charged towards me again.
Adrenaline surged through me as I kicked off the gazebo railing, using all the strength in my legs to propel my weight into the air. I'd never accomplished such a stunt before, but I was amazed as I flipped over Sebastian. When I landed on my feet, I forced the blade deep into Seb's back. Soon the silver metal disappeared completely through his flesh. I felt stupid, but I couldn't hold back an expression of horror when blood washed over my hands. There was so much of it.
I heard Seb whimper. I wondered if the victor's vial would save him, but he had only taken a minimal amount. The wound showed no sign of sealing over my blade. I'd done messed up things before, but I had never killed someone. And despite the silence of the skies - the lack of cannon fire - I knew that was what I had just done.
"Oh no," Seb gasped, blood somehow leaking from his front too. There was so much. I didn't know people bled that much. "Oh no, no, no..."
"You made me do it," I said, my voice cracking with emotion as I tried to yank the blade out. It was so deeply embedded I barely could without Seb roaring in pain. "If you weren't so fucking greedy! The Gamemakers played with your gluttony! You just could never say no to anything," I think the trauma of killing someone was getting to me. I didn't think it could, but tears had welled in my eyes. "You had a chance. You've always had more chances than I could ever hope for."
He glanced at me accusatorially.
"This isn't on me!" I shouted, overwhelmed by guilt and emotion.
Seb tried speaking despite the blood that gushed out of his mouth.
"I tried," was all he could say. "I thought you were better than this. You warned me... A-And..." I finally dug the knife out of his back. He cried out, stumbling forwards and grabbing onto the gazebo railing. Barely able to stand, he turned to face me. "Y-You stole my life. You steal everything." I watched him sadly as he seemed to grow weaker and weaker, his wound slowly driving him into death. "You surely didn't see what your sin is? What you operate on?"
"No," I lied.
"Envy. You have nothing, you don't even have the affection you wanted as a kid," Seb glanced at me vindictively, shaking and coughing out blood. I was shocked he was able to talk or stand. "So you take it for yourself. I know you never told me it, but it was easy to work out how you lived and operated in District Three. And your parents. You were nothing but a thief..."
He tried talking more, but collapsed to the ground. A puddle of blood still leaked from him, mixing with the purple substance at my feet where it clashed into a strong shade of crimson. Seb stared into the sky as I began to walk away.
"... Nothing but a low-life thief..."
I winced when the cannon fire struck the air.
Day Thirteen, Night
Alexandria Tarsus, District 1, 15
When a second cannon had filled the air I had initially hoped it was Pullox. He really was like smoke - even when you thought you grasped him he slipped out of your hands. He had left a wet trail after being soaked from the fountains, but the trail grew dryer and dryer before I had no way to trace him. He had to count his lucky stars in so many different ways today, if I got hold of him for one second he would certainly be dead. He was smart, but when confronted with a goddess (or somebody with powers that could rival a goddess) that seemed to mean very little. I wouldn't let myself grow arrogant; Pullox was no easy target, but he certainly didn't stand a chance if I kept my wits about me.
Sadly, I found out that the Games' new victim wasn't the person who truly deserved to die when Honora's face was the first to fill the evening sky. She smirked down at me confidently, her past self not knowing what would stretch out before her. I felt a flicker of pride. If there was a hell, I hoped Honora was there, burning in total agony for everything she had done to her victims... For everything she had done to Lia.
Next her face was followed by a gentler face; the District Six boy. While I never suspected him to be a Bloodbath, I was a little shocked that he had made it to fifth place. He got pretty far into the Games, despite not seeming to be a competitor. Still, death was something he didn't deserve. I felt some sadness when his face disappeared, never to be seen again. He was another victim of the Capitol, joining the list of thousands who had died... Lia, Lorelei...
That was why it would end tomorrow.
I hoped Mirane and the Three boy had the strength to keep surviving; if Pullox didn't kill them, or if the Gamemakers didn't, or if they weren't foolish enough to kill each other, they could both escape from their lives. I really wanted them to leave with me - I didn't want a drop more of innocent blood. I would find Pullox as soon as the morning sun rose and I would rip him inside out so the Capitol could see their own brutality. Pullox would be the last person in the Hunger Games to die - not just this year, but in all the years that would follow.
And then I would find the others, I would finally manage to conjure the power to break the arena... Then I could leave. I honestly didn't know what to do from there, but all I knew was that I had to get out of here and take the innocents with me.
I knew rebellion existed. I knew that as the years passed it slowly grew too. Surely I could be an asset? Whatever gift I had, the Capitol could give to other people, but I felt they couldn't harness it like I could. Lia herself, a strong willed girl, grew drained with my powers and barely mastered them to the extent I did. The Gamemakers thought they had given me a grenade, but I alone knew how to make it a missile.
With me and an army behind me, and a strategist, maybe we could finally do the impossible. My father would be disappointed in me. I'd never ever thought of myself as a rebel - in fact, in my vocabulary rebel was once a dirty word. I had never been fond of the Hunger Games, but I wasn't against them until I had been thrown into them. Now all I could think of was the rebellion. When I thought of the Capitol, a once mild distaste had festered into a unquestionable hatred and thirst for revenge. Not only had they shown contempt for Lia's life, but they had shown a lack of consideration for my own.
The Capitol anthem faded and I was left alone, staring into the night as I was perched onto a gargoyle. The grounds were a barely visible outline as a new moon was hidden in the sky. I was on full alert just in case the Gamemakers had tried something smart, but I knew tonight they weren't going to even try; they had given up trying to kill me, though I was willing to bet they were plotting something. But I didn't care about them, only one thing was on my mind:
Pullox was out there somewhere - finding him wouldn't be hard now. Justice would be delivered again tomorrow, and - as the Gamemakers probably intended - the Games would end. They would probably end in a different way to how the Gamemakers had initially thought.
Two weeks ago I was an innocent girl who loved dancing. Skip forward fourteen days and I would become a revolutionary. I would be the one who ended the Games.
So this happened. Have a great new year. 2016 will be a pretty big one in the Toxicverse :p
Eulogy!
Honora: People have jokingly told me to be kind to you in your eulogy, which they needn't tell me. asadderandwiserman once stated that they were the original Honora fan, and while they are kind of right (if you exclude Honora's creator, who has supported her), the original Honora fan was me. While I wasn't going to moderate Honora's personality or pretend she was someone she wasn't, I actually felt bad whenever I read the pages of Honora hate on the review page (trust me - there were pages). She was despised unlike any other villain. Even the rapist Cardinal, or the inherently sick Maximotus hadn't really received the vitriol Honora had faced, which was mildly surprising. But I'd always liked her - I had no idea why. She felt real. She was the most badass character I've ever written, easily taking on two Careers whilst tied up. If she wasn't such a target, and if her pride hadn't gotten the best of her, and if Lexie hadn't mastered her powers to such an insane degree, I honestly think Honora would've stormed to victory. And, for the longest time, I was planning for her to. Killing Honora was the most difficult decision thus far, especially as I liked the girl. She wasn't a good person, but she was a fascinating one, and I definitely don't think her existence was inherently evil. In many ways, Honora could be the most honest or even just tribute. I'm going to miss her a lot...
... And basically try desperately to fit her into a flashback or something. I'll miss her that much. No guarantees though - I still haven't found a way to inject a bit of Monk into your lives yet. Lets see.
~Toxic
