Social distancing is great for writing. Hope everyone is staying well out there!
Alexei Tepes
District 7 Male
18 Years Old
After I swallow those pills given to me, we head back down to the genetics lab where the rest of our stuff was. The two of us are quiet the whole way down, but I'm sure we're both thinking about the thing: there are only two others alive now.
The genetics lab is more like a computer lab than anything else, with large flatscreens lining the walls toward the front of the room. I guess editing genes here is as easy as writing an email.
"Alexei, we need to talk."
And there it is.
"Sure. What's on your mind?" I reply, already knowing the answer.
"Do you think we should split up now?" she asks timidly.
I pause before responding. "If you want to."
"It's not that I want to, but I'd hate for it to be the two of us left at the end. I don't want to attack you… I don't think I could anyway."
"There are still two highly competitive tributes out there," I say. "If the original goal of being allies was to improve our chances of winning, don't you think we're still better off together?"
"Alexei, I know you can win," she replies. "But me? I was always the weakest link in our group. Everyone knew that. If I was on my own, there's no way I would've made it this far."
"Not true," I counter. "We have different strengths. You think straight. You're quick on your feet. You work well with others. These things make a difference."
"Thanks. That means a lot," she says.
"So what if we stay together until there's only three of us left?" I suggest.
"Fine with me."
It's likely this won't turn out well for us, and I'm sure she knows that. But for better or worse, we're doing it anyway. Could I kill her, if it came down to it? I was sure I could, back when this whole thing started. But now, I honestly have no idea.
Lynn Stackker
District 6 Female
16 Years Old
The next day, we decided it would be better to walk around instead of sitting here, waiting for someone to come find us. Practically speaking, it shouldn't matter much, but it feels disconcerting to not be moving at this stage of the Games.
We've replenished our food and water supply from the feast. I also have Two's spear in my hand and the gifted dagger on my waist in its scabbard. We're now walking around the research levels, Alexei and I keeping a few yards between us as our mentors recommended. This part of the facility sits below the living quarters and is like a giant cylinder separated into several "slices" going around, with each slice being dedicated to a particular function (labs, storage, security, etc.). The large corridor we're in goes all the way around the cylinder, such that it cuts through each slice. The circular pathway itself has boxes, crates, and barrels scattered around like the people here were moving out.
One of the two others alive is a Career, so we have to assume she's the greater threat. And we shouldn't get overconfident since Two was half-dead by the time we found him. In a way, I feel bad for them, the ones who died at least. Can you imagine training so many years for this? To dedicate your life to the Games just to fall as another victim? One or Twelve, dead is dead.
As I dwell on these things, a hissing sound comes from above us, before a giant glass wall descends from the ceiling, spanning the entire width of the corridor. In my shock, I simply stand there as it separates the two of us.
"Alexei!" I yell in desperation, reaching my hand onto the cool glass as if it'll make it disappear.
He's saying something back, but it's too muffled. That's when a short blonde steps out from behind some boxes on Alexei's side – the girl from One. She looks overeager and a little disheveled, like she's been waiting for this. Did we walk into an ambush?
Alexei turns around and they go at it, he with his scythe and she with her sword, which has a carbon-black, synthetic-looking blade, yet it gives off a metallic ring as it clashes with Alexei's weapon, loud enough for me to hear. That's about all I can do – simply bear witness to what's happening on the other side of the glass, utterly useless.
The girl fights very aggressively, keeping Alexei on the defensive. Soon enough, the difference in skill begins to show – she's trained, he isn't, and his strength and composure can only take him so far. One finds an opening and cuts him at the waist, then again a few seconds later on his left arm, and again… Eventually, she manages to drive the sword straight through him, and the cannon sounds immediately.
The girl pushes Alexei's body off her sword, while staring straight at me. I'm shaking now, and tears are starting to well up in my eyes. Seeing my last ally get killed in front of me, and thinking about what'll happen now – that fear, it's like I'm back at the reaping again.
Cassie Gammon
District 5 Female
15 Years Old
Final four. If you told me roughly two weeks ago that I'd make it this far, I'd laugh. I'm just a regular 15-year-old girl from a regular family. Back home, my biggest worries were BPCs, boys, and long jump PRs. Some kids train their whole lives for this.
And I killed one of them.
It's when I realized you really can't outrun your problems here. You need to face them head-on. I'll never be smart in the way Greg or Fiona are, but I can be resourceful. It's how I used the prototype tracker jacker body I found in that lab – a much more lethal variant than the ones we usually see. Even if it's not alive, you can use it as a type of syringe to inject its venom into someone.
It's also how I fashioned a shield out of a large metal warning sign from one of the testing rooms. The arrow pierced it but thankfully didn't go any further. I was able to take it out afterward, making this fancy crossbow actually useful. I thought about staying in the botanical gardens for longer, but we all know the Gamemakers don't like too much camping, especially at this stage.
I'm so close. There's no room for error now. I have to be ruthless.
That's the mentality I have when I hear some distant commotion coming from down the circular hallway. I follow the sound as it grows louder until I see what's causing it all: there's the girl from Six standing in front of me on one side of a glass barrier, with the guy from Seven and the girl from One on the other. The cannon shot startles me as it looks like One had just killed Seven.
I know what I need to do. Without hesitation, I ready the crossbow, aim, and fire. The girl seems to be frozen in place, so it's a straightforward shot.
The cannon sound goes off again, but One doesn't react. Our eyes meet for a moment and it's clear what we're both thinking.
You're the last person in my way.
Domitian Ellsworth
Head Gamemaker
"Have a seat, Dom. Thank you for meeting me on such short notice," President Greenleaf says, gesturing toward one of the two white canvas chairs in front of her desk.
As if I had a choice. "Not a problem at all, Madame President," I reply.
"I'm sure you'll be very busy in the near future as this thing winds now, so I figured we'd get this out of the way now," she continues. "The numbers indicate that this year has been a resounding success. It seems like you've found the right balance for how the Games should go. Brilliant idea with using the old BEOWULF facility, by the way."
"Thank you, ma'am. The team and I have been working hard for this."
"Of course. You've earned your right to return as Head Gamemaker next year. However, I do have an alternative proposal for you. Would you like to hear it?"
"Certainly, ma'am."
"We need to clean up the nonsense left behind by the previous administration. Mr. Snow, may he rest in peace, did not exactly leave this country in the most stable condition. I'm sure you remember the mess following the 74th? I imagine it could've been worse if the Twelve girl had won. What we need going forward, Dom, is a country governed by logic, pragmatism, and data. From what I know about you, I believe you'd be a great help to me. Join my cabinet – Secretary of the Districts. Weathersby's going back to the private sector, and I need someone who shares my philosophy."
Well, that was a lot at once.
"Madame President, would it be possible to—"
"To contemplate this for a few days, yes, absolutely," she cuts in. "But I have a feeling you don't love the Hunger Games all that much, do you?"
We're heading into dangerous waters now, and I need to be very careful of everything I say. Luckily, she goes on before I have a chance to respond.
"I don't either, to be fully honest. I wouldn't have created it if I were in charge during the Dark Days. But it's far too late for that now. It's something we're stuck with, for better or worse. You might wonder why I'm so obsessed with the metrics surrounding these Games. It's because we can't risk having people lose interest in them. At this point, the economic and even political stability of the Capitol is irreversibly intertwined with the Hunger Games. It's become a painful necessity, something in which we have no choice but to participate."
It now seems like it would be better for me to stay silent.
"I don't enjoy killing kids, Dom, not any more than you do," she says, but with noticeably less energy than before. "But if it's that or risk losing the Capitol… then we must continue to let the blood spill."
AN: And now it's a one-on-one situation going into the final Games chapter. We also got to hear from two of our characters in the Capitol. What are your thoughts?
After the next chapter, I'm planning on doing a quick epilogue-style chapter in which I'll share more of my thoughts on this story and what my plans going forward.
