Chapter 9 Day 1 part II

Alec stood up to assess the terrain. There were several bodies everywhere; Meliorn was clearly finishing someone off in the distance. Kaelie was deeper inside the cornucopia. She was raiding everything from the inside and tossing all kinds of things out.

Alec took time to observe everything around them. Lydia was checking everybody's pulse. She side glanced at him from time to time, but she was focused on her task. The sun was high in the sky, but its orange glow made it look more like sunset. The area around was dead black grass. The cornucopia was placed in a clearing and a ring of small white eerie trees was circling them. As he had assessed, they were too thin to climb. Their crowns were high and he couldn't see further than a few meters past them. The forest drowned into blackness after a certain point. There were no clouds and when you listened you didn't hear any birds nor the sound of wind. The temperature wasn't hot or cold. There wasn't any smell of water anywhere, just dead leaves and maybe pine.

He picked up the backpack with water and tossed it over his shoulder. He stepped over a few corpses. He crouched to check out what he had noticed on the ground earlier. Apples, rotten apples, dozens of them were spread out around the area. When he picked one up he noticed faces had been carved into them. They all had the same twisted smile and empty rotten eyes. He smelled them. The smell alone indicated it was ill advised to eat them. He threw the apple further away where it bounced a few times before digging itself into the grass. The earth beneath his fingers felt warm. Slightly pulsating even. It wasn't moist, which meant that the source of water in this arena wasn't going to be in the ground.

"11," When Alec stood up, Lydia had come to him and she just said the number. He hadn't asked but she answered his unspoken question anyway. 11 of the 24 were dead.

Kaelie was swearing while still rummaging through the cornucopia. Meliorn seemed to be wanting to move corpses. But it seemed harder than he had expected. Maybe he needed a helping hand.

"I got the water Kaelie," Alec shouted. "If that's what you are looking for."

He heard swearing. She got out. She had blood stains all over herself as well. They all had. He managed to catch the feather staff she threw at him. It was made of sturdy wood. He checked the weight. The blades were light enough that he didn't have to compensate with a different stance or change his equilibrium. He tested it out with a sharp trust. The blades slid out quite fast, albeit a bit slower than what he was used to. He tilted the staff. The retraction time was fast enough. It was a good weapon. Better than the knives he had found.

"I'm not sure how good you are with these." Kaelie extended another feather-staff to Lydia. Lydia would of course hide that she wasn't the most proficient in it so she accepted the offered weapon.

"I can alter it if you want ?" He proposed. It wasn't a question of pride. They both knew Lydia wasn't showing weakness by giving the weapon to him. It was logical that he was the one jamming the mechanism since he had been proficient in feather staves. He knew how to break it without rendering it useless. She offered it to him. He retracted the blades, studying how they were built in. He had to say that aesthetically it looked a lot more like a pitchfork. He tilted the staff and used his foot to jam the mechanism against a box. The blades would never slide out again. He tossed it back to Lydia. She seemed satisfied with it.

"Have you made an inventory of the weapons we have ?" She asked Kaelie.

"Yes and no, we still need to open the crates to check out what's in there. So far I have found: shovels, kitchen knives, throwing knives, chocolate, a gasmask, and a bunch of those dolls." To illustrate she reached for something on the ground closer to the wall of the cornucopia.

It was unsettling. The doll's face was shattered and it was missing an eye. The curly hair was sticky with dried blood and its dress was covered in mud. Its frozen smile was empty and carried no meaning. He kept down a shiver. There was no point in being scared of a simple toy.

"I propose we move the dead away first," Meliorn was slightly out of breath. His hands weren't as stained as Alec's but it had been clear he had been in close combat during the bloodbath. He had one braid in his hair that kept it from falling in front of his eyes. "Then we can further the inventory of what we have here."

They agreed it was a good idea. Suddenly the canons echoed through the arena. It startled them all. Lydia counted them in the corner of her mouth. It was loud. Alec wondered if the sound would haunt him later. When it finally stopped, they were all looking a bit lost and thoughtful.

"11," Lydia continued. "It's all the people here."

An eerie silence fell between them. Alec looked around the battlefield. They really had to move the corpses away.

Aline and Sebastian were still nowhere to be seen.

Kaelie opened one of the last crates. "Pumpkins again ?" she sighed in frustration. "What is it with all the pumpkins ?" she kicked the box and sat down on a recently opened box, moping.

They had made an inventory. Water was the resource they had the least of. Weapons were resumed to three feather staves and knives. The shovels and the dolls were the strangest thing they had made an inventory of. There were small tool boxes with wires and pliers. They had divided the bottles and gourds of water equally. Everyone was responsible for their own supply. Alec had washed his hands using mostly cloths. He still reeked of blood but at least he had lowered the chances of possible infection.

"Maybe they want us to boil them and make soup ?" Meliorn quipped. He and Lydia had arranged that the corpses could be picked up by the hovercrafts at the rim of the trees. They hadn't been collected yet.

"With what water ?" She visibly didn't have the patience for jokes. Alec looked at Lydia who shrugged. They pried open another box. Three big pumpkins with faces carved in them were staring back at them. That made 8 of them.

"Yours ?" Meliorn answered. Kaelie rolled her eyes. She didn't want to reply and keep their petty squabble going. She was exasperated enough as it was.

"I think there is more to it." Lydia took one of the pumpkins, they were quite heavy. She put it on a crate. When she smashed it with her staff they all knew she had been right. The smell of bread and soup filled the air around them. The food was stored in the pumpkins.

Instantly they all gathered to break open the pumpkins. They had enough food to sustain themselves for a few days, some had all kinds of things in there, mostly sweets. The darker pumpkins had water and the red ones had more tools. They got two medical boxes. One medical box contained material for stitches and syringes with a clear blue liquid inside that smelled of painkillers. Of course they divided everything equally again.

Alec gave the empty backpack to Lydia who didn't seem to mind that it could slow her down. All but Meliorn kept their robes on. They had planned to scout the area facing away from the cornucopia's mouth. There was no way to establish a north or a south. The sun hadn't moved in hours and since most vegetation was artificially generated, it wasn't an option to rely on the growth of moss either.

It didn't take long before they found a track. The bushes had been trampled. Meliorn was analysing it. It had been made by two tributes, one had probably fallen but they had both stuck together. It was quite impressive to see how quickly Meliorn had found the trail and was able to follow it. Tracking had never been Alec's best skill when he was on his own. Jace and he were good but Meliorn's technique was different and efficient. He was skilled. Alec rubbed his hand over the charred skin on his ribs. It still hurt.

"It's going to be dark soon." Lydia was keeping an eye on the perimeter. She also sounded wary as she said it. Alec looked around them in response.

"How can you tell ?" Asked Kaelie. She sounded bored but she was keeping her eyes on the other side.

"The sun has moved. Just a little bit and," Lydia seemed to tense up, "The temperature has dropped."

"They headed that way," Meliorn looked up from the traces as he spoke. He was pointing in a straightforward direction. "And you're right. The earth has become colder as well. It seems like the days will be quite short in this arena."

"Let's follow the track then, or we could hunt by night ? There are always tributes who start fires and become this giant beacon of light." Kaelie proposed. But Alec interjected immediately.

"We should set up camp first, we don't know what we could encounter during the night. Although I believe only a few hours have passed, a reconnaissance of the terrain is preferable. Hunting at night is only useful if we're able to set traps to lure them in." Alec tried to stay unfazed at the fact that everyone was looking at him. He wasn't used to having everyone's attention. Bizarrely, it didn't make him blush.

"Good point, let's go," Meliorn smiled.

They followed the tracks and as expected, the sun went down. The pitch black darkness overcame them and soon they almost couldn't see where they were walking. The white bark of the trees was visible enough for them to not walk into them. The difficulties laid in the roots and the bushes that sometimes made them stumble. Alec told himself that they were probably leaving an undeniable trail but here wasn't anything they could do about it right now in this obscurity. They kept walking. Their eyes had quite adjusted but it was hard to see further than a few meters in front of them. The more they moved, the more the darkness was becoming dense around them. There was still no sound of wildlife. They didn't talk or only minimally. They had all refused to make a torch. Each time Kaelie stumbled she swore. She sounded more scared than angry, but nobody pointed it out.

They walked for minutes, or was it hours ? Alec had lost track of time. He wondered when the first catastrophe would hit. When the gamemakers would start messing around with them. It was quiet, too quiet. The more they moved, the more Alec felt like they were like lost prey. It was unsettling.

"There is a house." They all stopped in their tracks. A bit further in the pitch darkness the trees seemed to part in the distance. Alec had to admit he couldn't quite see it. But Meliorn seemed to be the one with the best vision during the night. With a decisive step he walked straight ahead.

It was indeed a house. And finally, finally there was more light. The moon was crescent shaped but there were no stars. The house was made of wood at the first glance and touch. It had two floors. Lydia proposed to check around if there were more doors than just the one. There were windows, but you couldn't see through them.

A few minutes later she came back saying there was just one entry door. Once inside there was everything that made it look like a living room: Couches, a table, chairs. There was even a fireplace. No kitchen. They didn't let themselves sit down, not yet. Nobody was letting their guard down until they were truly safe. They went upstairs. There were more rooms. No beds, just empty rooms.

"Wait, there is something here." Meliorn called them together.

In one of the furthest rooms there was a chest in the middle of the room. There didn't seem to be anything else but the chest. Meliorn didn't seem to want to approach it.

"It's either a trap or a treasure. Who wants to open it ?" There was no reply from anyone. So Alec stepped forward. He knew it wasn't the smartest idea. He knew that he would either die or be rewarded.

They gathered around. Alec crouched. The pain on his ribs made him grimace, but he ignored it. There was no lock on the chest. He raked his nails under the lid. If he was to die, he preferred it to be quick. Everyone was quiet. He inhaled. He really didn't want to die like this. In one movement he opened the chest.

The blinding white light almost made him recoil. It was suddenly too much at once. He had exclaimed a groan of discontent as spots formed over his eyes. It took some time for him to readjust. But it was familiar.

"A witchlight," said Lydia. Her voice was full of relief.

They could all see each other's faces clearly now. Meliorn and Kaelie visibly didn't know what they were talking about. Alec dug into the chest and took out the glowing smooth grey stone. It was as big as the palm of his hand.

"Light can be found among even the darkest shadows," added Alec. He turned the stone in his hand. Its light beamed from every surface.

"So do we have these as torches ? Is there only one ?" Alec extended the stone to Kaelie so she could take a look at it. She held it to the level of her eyes.

Alec glanced at the chest. "It seems like it." Kaelie gave the witchlight to Meliorn. He didn't seem moved by it. He had perhaps already seen one of these.

"At least we aren't in the dark anymore. Do we set up camp here ? I'm taking the first watch if that's the case."

They all collectively agreed with Lydia. The plan was to spread themselves out over the two rooms upstairs. The downstairs living room looked comfortable but they all didn't want to be there at all. If someone entered discreetly they would be discovered and it wouldn't be hard to kill them all since there was only one way out. If they settled upstairs they would have the upper hand. They could take possible visitors by surprise at any given time. Nobody proposed to light the fireplace either. They didn't want to risk making smoke that would give away their position. As he sat down against the wall, he realised how heavy his legs felt, but also the muscle in his forearm that he had been ignoring was aching. He felt a shiver down his spine, remembering why. The dead eyes. The smell of blood. He shook his head. He had to admit it, he was tired. They decided to sit together to eat before going to sleep. Lydia was taking some of the food from her backpack. Alec still had a piece of bread in one of the side pockets of his trousers. Water wasn't scarce yet. He still had 2 bottles and a half to himself.

He was reaching for one of them when he saw Lydia reaching for some pieces of candy that had come with the pumpkin. They all had different kinds of colours, there was chocolate as well. As she popped one in her mouth, she was talking to Kaelie about the witchlight and how it was made of Adamas. Alec would have listened if it wasn't for something at the back of his mind that he didn't quite seem to be able to recall.

When he was about to turn himself away, he suddenly saw it. It was neon and blue. As fast as he could he dropped his bottle. They were all startled as he crawled and half fell on his knees to slap the candy from Lydia's hands.

"Lydia, don't !" She looked incredulously at him, as if she was seeing him for the first time. "They are poisonous." He finished. He was glad she hadn't even managed to twist the wrapper open.

"How can you tell ?" she asked. They all had a baffled expression on their face, even Alec. He sat down in front of her. His knees hurt from having dropped so fast on the floor.

"… I wouldn't recommend them…"

"I-I don't know, just a hunch." He let out between his teeth. He tried to close off his face so she wouldn't be able to figure it out. She frowned. He shook his head in an attempt to relax the sudden tension in his jaw. The surge of adrenaline was fading away. "Just don't eat them, not the blue ones, trust me on this."

He looked at her in the eyes. She didn't reply but she slowly nodded and Alec felt like he could breathe again. She was trusting him. It was a mistake because these were the hunger games, but he understood he could find an ally in her for at least the next few hours. Of course he didn't know if it was actually the case, if they were in fact poisonous. Maybe they just tasted awful and they were normal candies. But he couldn't take the risk. There had been enough death today.

He didn't voice it of course, and nobody asked him any further questions. Alec wouldn't have known how to answer those anyway. He sat back down against the wall. Lydia still glanced at him from time to time but nothing more. He finished his piece of bread. He rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes, his feather-staff resting in his lap. He had volunteered to take the second turn for keeping watch. His limbs quickly felt heavy and he drifted off to sleep.

There was a rumbling sound, a noise. He opened his eyes. Everything was trembling all around them. He opened his eyes in panic.

"What the fuck ?" Kaelie swore.

She was already on her feet. Alec did the same. They were all on their feet before the trembling became heavier. It was as if the whole house was shaking. It became more intense. Walls were falling, crumbling. They needed to get out of here. Lydia pushed Meliorn toward the staircase. The house was collapsing upon them. As if his whole body was on fire, Alec's breathing stopped. He secured his weapon on his back with his sash. He avoided a beam that crashed next to him. The floor caved in. The wood cracked. He stopped himself in time to not fall over his feet. He had to run. He had to get out of there. Every step he took made the planks splinter and shatter. The floor gave out. He panicked as his arms shot out toward the remainder of the second floor. His weight knocked the breathing from his lungs, his muscles cried in pain at the effort. He caught himself in time. Everybody was downstairs by then. He let himself land on his feet. The shock of the jump reverberated through his bones. He would feel that in the morning, but it wasn't as painful as a full-on fall on his back could have been. More planks and beams dropped down. The roof was giving out. He didn't think twice to break the window with his elbow. He climbed out right on time with Lydia's help from outside. He fell down on his sides. His friend dragged him away from the collapsing house. The trembling became a roar of breaking wood and the whole house crumpled in on itself as if it had been made of paper.

The dust of it made them cough.

"What the hell was that ?" Lydia didn't often swear, but he completely understood the sentiment.

"Trick of the gamemakers ?" Meliorn coughed. "Nobody injured ?" They all responded negatively. The adrenaline was still high in their veins. They probably couldn't feel any injuries yet. Lydia helped Alec back up. He nodded a 'thanks' to her. She smiled in reply.

"But why now ?"

To answer Kaelie's question, the fog suddenly dissipated as if it had been vacuumed into nothingness. An eerie feeling woke up in Alec's gut. The kind of feeling you get when you know something bad is about to happen. There was a sound. Someone was approaching; from the woods; a figure. Alec put away the witchlight and they were yet again flooded in darkness. The Thing looked taller than most of them. And then he heard it. Humming. The humming of a lullaby.