Chapter 9 Day 3
He padded the ground to see if there was a way for him to sleep better. But whichever angle or position he tried, it was useless. His sides and stomach hurt. So did his fresh marks. The stinging feeling still seeped into his mind like a calming fog. He could feel himself at peace thanks to their pain inducing sensations. They were bigger, messier, trying to carve into the skin of his back might not have been the best chosen placement. When he turned on his side he noticed Lydia looking at him. She was observing him. They were facing each other. Her hair was messy and she had dirt all over her face.
Even if the rain had managed to give them a new source of water and the possibilities for them to wash themselves a little bit, she looked beaten down. As they all were. At least the fresh cuts of the spider bites had been cleaned and they had stopped itching. The comfort of the city of glass was starting to be a distant memory. The food that wasn't always sweets, all sorts of beverages that hydrated the body and clean clothes were becoming things akin to fantasies and old dreams. When he closed his eyes briefly his mind wandered toward silken sheets and yellow lights; warmth and languid caresses.
"Why do you do it ?" he opened his eyes again at Lydia's question, letting his recollection of things he had repressed – because he couldn't let himself – fade away. Her eyes looked tired but the glim of curiosity in them wasn't something that would ever die out.
"I don't know," he answered, "it seems like the right thing to do."
She frowned, he turned on his back. The pain almost made him wince but he wouldn't give it away. There was no way to look at the sky from where they had set up camp. There was only the dead silent forest. Nobody had yet to die today.
"I don't think we should forget who we are." He turned his face toward her. "This way I stay focused. I remember who I am every time I do it." There was certain relief to it as well. But that he didn't voice. He studied her face, trying to find out if he was making any sense to her. If there was anyone who was going to understand him it was her, his companion from district 2. To her he could open up. "It's also a way to remember who they are." 'They' was implicit, 'they' had many names and faces. 'They' stretched out to beyond the arena. 'They' was more than just friends. "It's also a way to neither forget nor forgive."
It took time for the information to sink in. But gradually he noticed Lydia nodding. She reached out to him. His hand met hers. He would normally never have touched anyone. Not in this way. Not in the circumstances they were in; on a battlefield amidst bloodshed and tears. He interlaced their fingers. His heart felt heavy and clouded. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to think or follow anymore. He felt lost and abandoned in this arena. He knew which direction he wanted to go, he knew what he wanted to achieve. But this was nothing he had prepared for; nothing he could have possibly prepared for. Right now, he needed this, the touch of their hands. It wasn't intimate, it wasn't what Alicante might think it could be. It was an understanding, a mutual benefit. She was his grounding point and hopefully he was somehow hers. And just like that, he felt a little bit less lost, a little bit less alone. He closed his eyes.
He understood he had slept when in the dregs of unfinished dreams of blood and screams he could hear the rustle of fabric. His eyes shot awake. Meliorn had stood up. Alec who had all his senses on alert sat up, his hand ready to strike with his feather-staff. Lydia was still sleeping. Aline was unmoving, still watching the other side.
"What is it ?" Alec asked. Meliorn had the night vision goggles pressed against his eyes. Without breaking his line of sight he gestured Alec to come over.
This didn't mean anything good. He wondered if he should wake Lydia from her sleep. But since Meliorn wasn't raising the alarm yet, rhere was probably a reason : the threat was maybe not big enough yet. Aline turned around to see him walk over to Meliorn. Alec repeated his previously asked question.
"There is something between the trees, take a look." He gave the goggles to Alec.
He scouted the area between the trees, there was nothing unusual, he was about to give the goggles away until he saw movement. Instantly, he focused his vision on it. He almost dropped his goggles when an elongated white face peered from behind a tree. Its jaw fell open like it was dislocated, where its eyes were supposed to be there were just empty eye sockets, it had no nose. It looked straight at them as if it could clearly see where the group was.
"It's been following us for a while. I've sometimes had the feeling of being observed. I think that thing is the reason why," said Meliorn. Alec could sense the tension in his voice. He had felt it too, the unseen eyes watching him from afar.
"It never approached us though," Alec commented. The creature hid itself again behind the tree. Alec changed his stance, ready to take action. He felt alarmed.
"Did it hide ?" Alec nodded. "It sometimes does that." Alec tried to track it with the goggles but nothing was giving it away.
"What even is this thing ?" He gave the goggles back to Meliorn who shrugged. The tribute from 1 tried to track the thing but visibly couldn't find it anymore either. He looked back at Alec. He was tired. His face had fewer cuts and bruises from the spider attack. His braid was filthy and he had long since given up on trying to redo it. There was even a hint of beard growth that Alec would see on himself on the fifth day if he was left unshaven.
"I don't know, another mutation perhaps? I don't understand its functionality yet-"
Aline stood up as she interrupted them. Her knife was firmly in her hand. "We need to go. It's approaching again."
Nobody questioned her word. As fast as he could Alec woke Lydia. She seemed to take longer than anticipated so Alec packed her backpack. They didn't have a lot of things to pack anyway. Their resources were getting low. Alec started to hear it once they were set and ready, the humming of the lullaby.
"Leave the fire on," he gritted through his teeth, trying not to shout to Meliorn who had been trying to put out the fire. "It will bait it out."
Aline opened their escape route, then Lydia and Meliorn, Alec knew it was a risk to be last but he took the opportunity to keep his group safe with both hands. He wanted to observe the thing. Once they were deep enough in the forest he dared to glance behind them. 'Shush', he halted all of them. Morbid curiosity drove them all to look back. It was dangerous. It meant that if anything tried to attack them from the front they wouldn't see it coming. But Alec knew he wouldn't be able to look away even if he wanted to. He was using a tree as protection, to be out of sight, while the others crouched.
She looked monstrous, colossal, taller than Alec, taller than anyone he had ever met. Her head was hidden by some kind of mask that looked like the remains of a bear skull. It looked like the jaws of it swallowed her head and hid her eyes. Her trousers were blue and her sash was a patchwork of different kinds of faded fabrics and washed off colours. Her shirt, which had once been white, showed her shoulders and bare arms. She was bare footed. Dried blood was everywhere on her. But the axe was what caught his attention. It was as big as his feather-staff and its shape was made for killing, not for taking down trees. Even the ones attached to her sash, the smaller ones, weren't made for lumber at all. She was distracted by the fire and paced around like a predator looking for its prey. She used her axe to break down most of the encampment they had set up. Her grunts were half animalistic, half humane. She put out the fire with her bare feet. It didn't seem to hurt her. She was definitely not human. It was now dark again. Right when the last speck of wood gave away its light, she started to hum again.
"We need to go," Lydia whispered. She tugged on Alec's sleeve. He didn't know if it had been a good or a bad idea to finally grasp the opportunity to take a look at their chaser. One by one they disengaged from the scene.
They didn't use torches and Aline only minimally used the witchlight to guide them. They didn't run as much as they tried to walk fast. The humming mutt didn't seem to follow them and went in the opposite direction. They distanced themselves the best they could. It was almost gone until the silence was broken by the sound of crushed leaves and broken twigs. They all shifted into combat stances. Since there was no lullaby yet it could be anything, even something they hadn't encountered yet.
"She's over there !" Aline broke into a run. They all did. Between the trees someone was running. It wasn't a mutt, nor a thing, it was a tribute. The girl from district 6.
"Corner her," Alec shouted. They spread out. There was no way he could touch her with his feather-staff so he fastened his weapon to his back. He took a throwing dagger in his hand. The tribute was also incredibly fast. Faster than what she had shown in the training room. Wait. Was she laughing ? She absolutely was. And she was guiding the mutation right. to. them. Shit. Alec made a double take. He had to think fast.
"Take the right side, I'm going to distract it." He bolted toward the other tribute, trusting the others would do as he said. The girl still had her robe on. The rustling of his run would certainly attract attention and it didn't take long before he heard the lullaby come close again. He could see the girl from between the trees. He threw his dagger. It missed. He threw another. It only grazed her. And she laughed. She laughed as if it was the most hilarious thing ever. The humming came closer and closer. He could hear the heavy footsteps of its owner break into a run. He decided to take a leap. He was running next to the tribute. She had stopped laughing and he could hear the physical exertion from her mouth. He couldn't lose another dagger. He had to stop her from running. He shoved her against the tree. She screamed at the impact. Her eyes and blonde curls looked nothing like they had been in the interviews. Hopefully her stumble would distract the mutation.
He bolted the other way. Of course he hoped that the mutation wouldn't follow. Of course he couldn't have nice things when he heard the thing start to pursue him and not the fallen tribute. He snarled under his breath. He couldn't see the others. Hopefully they got away. He was faster, he had to be faster. He mustered all he had, all he could have. When he saw Lydia appear from nowhere and grab him to the ground, he let himself be guided under a bush. They used their robes as camouflage. Lydia's colours had already blended with the bush when the mutation came closer. His heart was pumping in his ears. He felt like he was going to throw up. He couldn't, he shouldn't, he tried to keep his hyperventilation down. He dug himself into the ground. His fresh marks stung and seeped into his bones. He became quiet almost instantly.
When the mutation passed he could observe her feet. The toes and calves were dirty and lacerated. It smelled of dried blood and rotten grass. He didn't have a clear look from where she went next. She didn't stop humming nor running. He had to admit, this mutation ? It mostly looked human but it didn't have the stamina of nor the reaction of a human. It was mostly a beast. He stayed there, unmoving, until the lullaby wasn't heard anymore.
"You missed," Lydia was looking at him. They were still on the ground. It took him a few seconds to understand what she was referring to. "Not once, but twice."
His mouth gaped open in surprise at her audacity. She probably did it to lighten up the mood. But it didn't make him feel any less offended. On the contrary. "Shut up," he muttered. He hated his lack of skills to be voiced out loud. Yes, he wasn't as good as he could be. Daggers were made for hand-to-hand combat, long distance combat was always reserved for bows. Shooting arrows wasn't nearly the same as throwing knives.
He helped her from underneath the bushes. Some twigs were stuck in her hair. "It's cruel for the gamemakers to not give you what you're most proficient in." He shrugged, trying to sound as detached as he could when he agreed. "It is what it is." He still felt as if she had bruised his pride.
He looked around. Right when he was going to inquire where the others were they emerged from underneath their hiding places. Aline dusted off her robe. Meliorn was next to her.
"We had better get moving, even if we can't hear it anymore. We don't know if it can come back. Did anyone lose anything during our escape ?"
Alec checked, he sipped his water while doing so. He had only three throwing knives left. He had refused to take Kaelie's. That had maybe been a bad decision. At least his feather-staff was still with him. They had gotten away without a scratch. Aline guided them again. Alec alternated with Lydia to see where they were going. The ghostly white face didn't resurface and neither did the lullaby singing monster. They walked in silence, in the dark mostly until they arrived at a clearing. The day was probably starting to be over and the sun would rise up soon. A light breeze made the leaves ruffle. The air was dry.
They decided to take another break at the edge of the clearing. It gave them an escape route into the forest if it was needed. Lydia and Meliorn went away to gather wood. Alec hid the relief of finally sitting down. His headache was back again. The lack of sleep imposed itself on his mind. He fought the need to close his eyes by digging around the earth to make space for where their fire would be. He used a cloth to protect his hands. He didn't want to waste any water to clean his hands. An ugly and disgusting suction sound was heard once the two others were back with the needed wood. They didn't register where it was coming from at first, until something sprouted from out of the ground. The same suction and popping sound was heard again. Aline shone the witchlight onto it. It was a pumpkin. It just had grown out of the ground rapidly and was now shining in an orange light. The sound it emitted was extremely familiar for anyone who had watched the games.
Sponsor gifts.
It took some self-control not to jump on it. Everyone in the group was above that. But the giddiness of everyone lightened up the mood. Even Alec could feel excitement bloom in the pit of his stomach as they all gathered the pumpkins together. Upon the first look it was as if they were carved in with faces but it was actually with numbers 1,2 and 4. The pumpkin from district 2 was the smallest. Alec let Lydia open it.
The iridescent light that shone through the fake vegetable was a dead giveaway on what it contained. With a smile Lydia took out the witchlight. They were able to rely on two light sources now, which would make their passages through the dark less tedious and expanded their field of vision greatly. It was a gift of great use. She gave the small container that accompanied it to Alec. "This might be for you."
He looked at the container in his hands which was as big as his palm, but smaller than the witchlight. Upon opening it the smell was unmistakably an indicator on what kind of medicine it was. "It's for us," He rectified. He scooped up the cream with his finger. The wound salve sizzled on his skin when he rubbed it on the cuts and bites of the spiders above his eyebrows; the one that had hurt the most; It stung and foamed. But when he wiped it off he could feel how it had closed up the wound as if it was now a childhood scar. It was an expensive gift and highly invaluable. With this and the syringes they could now fully heal if one of them got mortally injured. He closed the container.
"It will help you heal the cut on your lip, but someone else needs to apply it. Because you really don't want to swallow this." He had chosen his words carefully and gestured to Aline to show he wanted to share this gift with her. They were allies. This was a perk of being his ally.
The understanding was mutual. "Well, do you like fish ? Because I have these." She held something in her hand. It looked like a roll of something. Alec extended his hand, sealing the deal between them by doing so. She laid out the strangely shaped food in his hands. It smelled indeed like fish. But it was cold. It also had rice around it. He popped the thing into his mouth. It had a strange texture and somewhere his mouth was extremely grateful to have something other than sweets in it. The soup they had drank the first day had been on Alec's mind for a while now. The fish tasted good, if not weird. He wasn't sure if it would fill until he swallowed it down. The best part, Aline showed there was more where that came from.
"What did you get Meliorn ?" Lydia asked as she gave the witchlight to Aline for her to compare them. They were identical in shape and size.
"Well, let's say that Alicante has a sense of humour." Lydia scoffed, so did Aline. Alec frowned. The thing Meliorn was waving around was elegant, graceful and certainly pretty to look at. But completely useless. Meliorn dangled the hand mirror upside down. Meliorn had a sly smile on his lips.
"Is it just an ordinary mirror ?" Alec asked. The craftsmanship looked expensive so there had to be a useful purpose for it. There hadn't been any games ever where a sponsor gift was just there for vanity.
"See for yourself." Meliorn turned it around and for the first time since they entered the arena they all had a look at themselves. Alec wanted it put away instantly. He wasn't sure he wanted to gaze upon himself. "But nobody needs a mirror to know you're pretty handsome, Lightwood."
Alec's eyes shot open at the openly flirty line that had just been delivered. He was only temporarily speechless. Lydia snorted. "Don't be ridiculous," he said dryly. Meliorn was merely diverting his attention to make sure he wasn't the receiver of petty comments. In the end Meliorn was the one who had gotten the mirror, not Alec. He waved off the mirror, embarrassed. At least he didn't blush. He didn't want to touch the thing and absolutely hated to be put on the spot. So to distract the group from making any more comments he decided to be practical: healing, resting and drawing another map. He started talking strategy and ideas. They definitely needed another plan of attack and preferably one that was fail proof before the day was over.
