The fifth day
-Kaiser Picasso, 18, District 10-
"Do you consider yourself an artist Kaiser?" Inari is on her knees facing the window, which is now almost impossible to see out of and freezing to the touch.
"No, I don't really." What do I consider myself to be? A criminal, I guess. Someone that's going to spend his life in prison and just kind of rot away there. Could have been plenty of things, but it was all for naught at this point. Kaiser, now is really not the time for existential dread. Existential dread is better than a big fucking crush I guess.
"I think anyone can be an artist." The soft but warm sound of her voice brings me temporarily out of my thoughts. "You just have to see the world as your canvas."
"I see babes as canvases." Wow, my brain decided it was a peachy idea to just go ahead and say that out loud. Maybe existential dread is better after all.
"That's the spirit!" she said. "I always saw the horses I trained as blank canvases too. Like, you can create a piece of art out of a living creature. I liked doing that job back on the farm, I really did."
What innocence. I could go the whistling route, but this time I think I'll let her take the benefit of the doubt. Her innocence is so… Endearing. Complete opposite from the people I've hung around my whole life, but especially in prison. There you'll find the most jaded people on earth. For some, it makes them wise. For some, just absolutely fucking insane. Guess that's what this world makes of people. I don't blame them really. If it weren't for the hope of getting home to my Mom and living a half normal life, I probably would have jumped off of the deep end somewhere in there too.
When I come back into touch with reality, Inari has made some form of design on the condensation of the window. It isn't particularly groundbreaking, but the focus on her face makes it seem like she was painting a portrait of the President of Panem. She hums quietly to herself as she works, tongue sticking out just the smallest bit.
Aw. Who can watch that and not smile?
Someone who will have to watch her die to live. That's who.
"What do you think Kaiser?" she asks, moving out of the way so I can see. It looks like… Um… Like a couple of finger strokes on a window of condensation. Just as she raises her eyebrows at me, the last of the marks clouds back over.
"Well, it's gone now," I say.
"But it was still worth the effort of creating it." Her optimism makes me smile a little bit. I've learned a ton about her after being shut into a small train car with her. I'm sure she's learned far more that she ever wanted to about me.
"How's your back feeling?" she asks after a brief silence.
"Huh?" Honestly, when I sit still like this, I can forget about the wound. She's done a great job taking care of it. Unfortunately, the bliss of forgetting about it while sitting still is broken when I instinctively turn to look at something, or stretch my back the wrong way. "Oh, it's alright."
"We should check the wound later today," she says. It's one of the routines we've settled into. That, and running safety drills just in case something would happen. God forbid.
Suddenly, the train lurches to the side with a large clamor, sending both of us toppling towards the window. With a loud screech of metal, the train lurches to a stop, the lights flickering and then shutting off completely. Then, in the blink of an eye, it's like nothing happened. The train is back to rolling at the steady pace, bumping the tracks as it goes, scenery flying by outside.
Inari is close to my side, a vice grip around my arm, and I can feel her quivering a little bit by my side. The feeling of her soft, tiny body against mine is enough to counter the screaming pain of my wound, that throbs, not appreciating being thrown around like that.
"What was that?" she asks quietly. When I look into her face, I see a terrified person that is desperately trying to be brave. I know the look because I was once there myself. I eventually learned how to pretend. I wish she never would have to learn it.
"Just a little… Inconvenience," I say, trying to calm her down. In reality, I have no idea what the fuck just happened, and if something like it is going to happen again soon…. Surely they aren't going to crash this thing and kill all of us, right…? It's only the fifth day.
"Little!?" I can feel her taking fast, shaky breaths beside me. Shit, I'm losing her! I don't know what to do for her…
"Yeah, just a little. Nobody was hurt right?" I run my fingers through her hair, trying not to get them caught in any tangles (which is hard when she haven't had access to a comb in days).
"No…" she says quietly, taking another shaking breath.
"We're safe in here, we know how to be safe. And I'll be here if anything happens too."
Inari stares up at me, her face looking completely defeated. She isn't dumb and she knows where we are. But for now, I can still protect her, and I intend to do so as much as I can.
"Here, take part of an apple and sit for a minute." I take out a piece of the fruit for her. She had shown me a really cool way to split it up into pieces with your hands to ration it, but now of course the fruit was brown. Oh well. Still food, and liquid.
Damn, my mouth is so dry. I don't know how much longer we're going to be able to pull through like this.
That's a problem for another time, though.
"Do you think they're mad that nothing's happening?" she asks quietly.
"Surely not," I say. "After all, the boy from Seven was just offed yesterday. Don't worry about it Inari. We're okay here."
"What if they don't want us here?" she asks quietly. "Surely we're not the only ones that chose to hole up in a car."
"I mean… I guess…"
"Maybe we should get moving…" Inari says quietly. "I don't want to as much as you don't, but… What other option do we have?"
I press my lips together. On one hand, she might be right. Plus, it might win us some more distance.
But on the other hand… What if this is all just a trap?
"Let's scout out our surroundings," I say finally.
Inari grabs our backpack without a word, and heads to the door.
"Let me go first." She looks back at me, her face obviously hesitant, but incredibly afraid. I nod decisively and step forward to hit the button. The brass knuckles feel tight around my fingers, ready to spring into action, as I slide open the door. It leads into a short hallway, another door immediately across from it. Inari and I exchange a look and a brief nod. The hallway is well lit and short enough to see that there's nothing there, so we proceed.
My heart pounds as I press the button that causes the door to slide open and brace for impact.
The room… Appears to be untouched. It's dark, so I feel on the wall for a light switch, and sure enough, it's in the same place as it was in the first room.
This room is different, though, because instead of a bunk bed, there's only one. I immediately feel uneasy. There's nowhere to hide in here, it seems…
"Look for a panel," I tell Inari. I just want to know our options. And if another tribute is in here, well… Maybe we'd actually get some water sent to us. Inari starts looking around the room, and so do I. For anything that might possibly be out of place…
Until I hear voices from outside the door.
Voices that sound far too confident to have the strategy of hiding.
My heart stops in my chest.
"Get to safety." I run to the door, trying to shut it, but not before locking eyes with the girl from District One. She shouts something, muffled by the door and muffled by the sound of my blood roaring in my ears.
"There's nowhere to go!" Inari says quietly, her voice laced with panic.
"Keep looking! I'll try to buy you time."
"Kaiser-"
The door jerks and I lurch forward to grab the panel, trying desperately to keep it from moving. "Go!"
Inari lets out a quiet sob but lurches into action, The door jerks against my hands.
"Jammed!" shouts a male voice, and now it's all a battle of strength. But with three against one, I know that I'm not going to last much longer. The panel slips, and I grab back onto it desperately.
"Hurry," I say in a hushed whisper. The panel jerks and I clench my teeth, holding the door closed with all of my strength…
Soon, though, it's all for naught. The door lurches open, and I snap into action. I throw my arm back and land it on the District one girl's temple. She collapses immediately, and I throw another punch on her neck. The spikes dig into her throat, and she gargles and struggles.
"He's a cheater Nez! He's a cheater and a snake!" the sentences rip out of her as I pull back and land another couple of punches on her, punching until she falls unconscious, blood puddling around her.
Nebuchadnezzar is all over the room, searching for Inari, who has disappeared. "Where!?" he said to himself. Neapolitan runs back into the room, his weapon raised. He tripped a little over Zuli's body on the ground, and I took the chance to pull back a fist and land another punch, right in the middle of his face. He yelps in shock, and before I know what's happening, Inari slides off the secret panel in the wall, pulling back her boot and whacking Nebuchadnezzar on the side of the head with it.
We don't have time to exchange words, we just have to get away. In the moment that they're both dazed, I usher Inari in front of me and we hurry to the next car.
I feel a roaring pain on the back of my shoulder as an arrow is shot through it, but keep running as my vision turns red. I just have to get her to safety.
The door slams shut.
"Get in the ceiling panel," I tell her quietly.
She looks at me with helpless eyes, but eventually does as I say. I stay by the door, ready to control it if I have to. My side burns with pain.
After what feels like an eternity of waiting, a lone cannon booms, signifying that this fight is officially over. They must have given up…
I breathe a small sigh of relief at that.
I'm sure we'll have to face them again, but for now, we can be lulled yet again into a false sense of security.
~.~.
-Nebuchadnezzar Spiros, 18, District 2-
Neapolitan does nothing but watch as I try to save Zuli's life. My head spins as I try to figure out how to bandage her wounds… I can barely even see straight, sometimes reaching for her bleeding face and getting a handful of her hair. Neapolitan is too focused on his own injury though, groaning as he holds his shirt to his bleeding nose.
A cannon booms, sending my head spinning in a dizzy trance. I take a couple of slow blinks.
That was it. She's gone.
I glance up at Neapolitan, who is now hiding his mangled face with his shirt and is no longer wearing it.
"Is it lunch time yet?" he asks. I look at Zuli's mangled, bloody body again, and a chill runs down my spine. She wasn't necessarily a friend, but she was my ally. It was my responsibility to do what I could to protect her, and I didn't because I was looking for another tribute… Where had she even come from? One moment she wasn't there and the next she was… I have no idea, and now my head's still pounding so thinking about it is absolutely draining me. I reach up to the sore spot on my head and feel dried blood caked there that I didn't even know was bleeding out earlier. Ugh… How dumb to be outsmarted by a District kid.
"How can you want lunch after that, Nasal boy?" I ask, standing up. The whole world spins when I do.
"I lost enough blood that I need a boost," he says.
I look at him, the neutral look in his blue eyes, and Zuli's words hit me like a train.
A cheater and a snake.
Neapolitan isn't who he said he is after all. I trusted him! He was my ally and he just let Zuli suffer! Where even was he when she was being beat after all?! I look at his passive little face, I can see the fucking smug look on his face that signifies just how fucking happy he is that he has one less competitor between him and Victory. He could have helped her and he didn't. He didn't even fucking try! How could he possibly do that?!
"You!" I lunge forward, grabbing the snake by his neck with a yell.
Neapolitan gags and I feel a pain explode between the legs and my knees give out. Neapolitan kicks me in the stomach and slips out of my grip.
I pick my sword up from the ground where it was laying as Neapolitan throws the door open. The sound of wind roaring as the outside is opened makes my ears roar and I feel even more dizzy than before.
But all I see is his smirking face, so when he runs out there, I follow, sword raised. Neapolitan grabs onto the back handle on the train, trying to notch an arrow. I bring my sword down on the bastard, but he's too fast. With a giant leap, he lands on the metal steps leading up to the door that goes into the very frontmost car. Smoke puffs out of the top of the car and a loud whistle combined with the motion bouncing over tracks makes me topple over, tightening my grip on the bar so I don't fall completely off.
Suddenly, I feel a pain explode in my hand, and suddenly, I'm weaponless, my sword having fallen out and left behind on the cold tracks. Through the cold, my chest and heart burn with rage at the goddamn snake trying to set the battlefield straight! I can't let him shoot twice, I focus on his silhouette and make the leap across the connector and grab onto my door. By the time I land, the bastard has slipped into the car. I throw the metal door open and find him loading again.
"Not this time, you bastard!" He shoots again, and I dodge, feeling the adrenaline rush into action as sparring that was once fun becomes so real.
"Sorry Nebuchadnezzar, but Lori and Garrett mustn't know about this little… Excursion."
"Oh yes they will you snake!" I notice that his quiver is empty. The little devil's just trying to earn time now. Time that I'm not going to allow him to have.
I race towards him with another yell of rage. He actually thought he was going to get away with this! The train whistle roars in my ears once again as I slam him against the wall. Neapolitan tries to kick, but this time I'm ready to defend myself against him. I grab his neck and he chokes against my fingers, grabbing desperately at my wrists. I feel the grin pushing at my numb cheeks.
Neapolitan chokes and still struggles against me, but he's going to suffer just as Zuli suffered dammit! He's a liar and a goddamn fucking cheater! He splutters against my hands and it's music to my goddamn ears.
Suddenly, a puff of warmth envelopes my left side, and I notice the door on the corner of the room.
I don't even think about what I'm doing, all I'm thinking about is what this little conniving bastard deserves… He's going to burn in hell!
But just in case there isn't a hell, I'll make sure he burns here instead.
I release Neapolitan, who chokes and splutters as I throw open the door to the furnace where the coal is burning. The fire puffs onto me with a great breath of heat.
The knife presses heavily on my side, begging for a quick death for him.
Quick deaths are for the honorable, however.
Neapolitan fights with all the strength in him when I grab him, but in his dazed state of confusion, there was really no hope for the guy.
"Burn you cheater! BURN!"
With a large heave, I throw his body into the fire, which flares up. The whistle screams once more.
"NO!" he yells, quickly trying to run through the burning coals and embers. I throw the heavy door closed, coughing from the heat and smoke in my face, and panting with adrenaline and the effort of the fight.
Neapolitan screams hoarsely, and I can feel his fists pounding on the door, pushing, trying to get out.
"Liars and cheaters will burn," I say. His screaming is music to my ears, and I can't help the laughter that escapes my lips as I hear the snake start to wail. He was definitely sorry for his sins now, wasn't he?! He was sorry for what he did to Zuli now, wasn't he?! He was sorry for his deception, his gossip, his lies, his manipulation, now he was sorry for it! And now he would never get to see the fruits of his efforts.
His last scream was carried into the wind through the smoke, and then there was only silence. Silence, and ashes. Nothing left of the cheater but ashes.
I chuckle quietly to myself as the cannon booms signifying the end of his manipulation, lies, and unfairness.
Nothing but ashes.
~.~.
A/N: And shit has just hit the FAN! Hope you all enjoyed this intense chapter and know that there is still so much intensity to come! It feels good to write a really intense chapter after so many stagnant months of nothingness. Anyways, let me know what you think!
CQ: How are Garrett and Lori going to feel about this?!
Eulogies:
15th Place: Lazuli "Zuli" Romano, District 1, Killed by Kaiser Picasso, District 10.
Ah, poor Zuli. Some people predicted that she was going to get the brunt of the drama, and sadly she was just at the wrong place at the wrong time, and ended up trusting the wrong people too much. But dammit if she wasn't going to make sure that Neapolitan was exposed for all of his lies after he let her die like that. And well, she succeeded in that for sure. Zuli was a lot of fun to write, she was a really unique take on the typical District 1 girl and I liked writing her interactions with Neapolitan and the rest of the pack as well. Thanks so much for her Paper and best of luck in all future endeavors!
14th Place: Neapolitan Hightower, District 1, Killed by Nebuchadnezzar Spiros, District 2.
Yes, I feel like this will come as a surprise, but my snake is the only one of my characters left that I'm completely sure had no shot at Victory, and I knew that someone had to get thrown into the furnace. His tricks and manipulation really came back to bite him in the ass, even though it was really all just for him to get home. I'm really going to miss writing this guy, he was so much fun and I am honestly sad to write his eulogy, realizing that shit he's actually dead now. And it was quite a way to go. RIP buddy. Sorry it had to be such a tough one for you.
Now that things are picking up, (and Christmas break), the updates should be coming out quickly! See you soon for another!