Day 1:
Whistling tunes, we hide in the dunes by the seaside
Whistling tunes, we're kissing baboons in the jungle
It's a knockout
If looks could kill, they probably will
In games without frontiers
War without tears
It's hot.
I consider taking off my jacket, before I feel a strange sensation of sweat running down the insides of my arms. Ugh, gross. I decided to keep my jacket on because no matter how hot I am, I don't want anyone to see my sweaty underarms and they stains they've surely created in this shirt.
I'm so thirsty, but I don't dare drink anything yet. It's fine. I can go a bit longer without a sip of water. I need to ration it out anyways. Who knows how long these Games will take? Plus, someone might send me some water...hopefully...
I kick at a loose rock lying on the ground, sending it straight into the nearest pool of lava. Tears blur my eyes and they sting. Who the fuck am I kidding? Who actually wants to sponsor me? Who wants to support me and the coward I am?
"Give it up, VR! Nobody actually cares enough about you to save you! They'd all rather focus on someone else instead!"
Right. I'm dead girl walking. I have limited supplies, no weapons, unless you count the two useless lighters. I'm all alone with nobody to support me. I'm not the kind of tribute you cheer for, but one you pity instead. I did nothing to help Jane or stop Whyllis, or even managed to get that stupid bow.
Why do I fail so miserably at everything?
I just keep walking on, because there's really nowhere I really need to be at this point. Maybe I'll find something useful along the way. Like another rock. Yeah, like I actually have the strength to throw it at someone's head.
Do I have it in me? To do what Whyllis did, cut down everyone else without even thinking about my actions. Not in a clean and quick way either; Jane's fate was anything but that. Drawing it out, for the suspense, the drama, the action. I've got to kill someone, and I've got to make it interesting. Don't I want people to watch me?
Except I don't think I can do it.
I wanted to vomit, watching all the carnage around me. It's amazing I even had the guts to stay for as long as I did, instead of fleeing away when the first blood was spilled. How depressing.
Anyways, the scenery's all the same. Luckily, the lava pools are all in different shapes or sizes, so I can tell that at the very least, I'm not walking in circles. How amusing that would be. My throat hurts and sweat is constantly dripping down the side of my face. Ugh. I just want a drink of water, but I can't. Not yet.
There's a faint beeping over my head, and I catch a glimpse of a silver parachute. It slowly floats down, carrying what looks like a sword with it. There's a tag hanging off the handle. I quickly grab it, where a bright orange 10 can be seen, with a note tucked underneath. Is this for me?
VR,
A sponsor sent in the funds for a machete for you. Use it wisely and protect yourself. Continue playing the game. Do what you must.
Love,
Rhiannon.
"Thanks Rhiannon," I say, pocketing the note. This is useful indeed. It's not a bow, but a weapon is a weapon. I approach the nearest pool of lava, tossing the tag and the parachute inside. I don't want to leave anything that can be traced to me. Not like there's much to trace, though. I can't even see my own footsteps.
Continue playing the game.
Do what you must.
That suddenly gives me a pretty stupid idea...
I use the machete to try and break some of the rocks dine into a finer dust, which I then smear all over my face and in my hair. There's really no reason for me to be doing this; the orange of my jacket gives me away. But I glance at my reflection and there's something strange about the girl who stares back at me. She's a little harder to pick out over the redness of the arena. She looks insane. Unhinged. It's kind of scary.
Hmmm...
The lava pool suddenly flares up, sending a large wave of fire into the air. had I been standing only a few feet closer, I'd be dead. Probably a hint from the Gamemakers that standing around get ms nowhere. They're not wrong. I should be looking for the other tributes.
The machete handle feels weird. I've never held one before. They're actually pretty common in 10, where everyone who works in a slaughterhouse has one. I don't like slaughterhouses. I could never bear to be inside one, even for just a single minute.
"A weapon is a weapon, VR," I remind myself.
After a few more minutes of walking, I become aware of a strange shape in the distance. it's obviously moving, veering from side to side in some strange dance. The bright pink jacket tells me everything I need to know. Another tribute. An armed one at that. They're carrying a bow with them, and something else in their free hand while a quiver of arrows rest on their shoulders.
I heave up the machete in what I hope is a very threatening position. I need to be ready to attack should they get any closer. I know for a fact that I will never forgive myself for what I might have to do, but I don't wanna die. Not yet, not now. Rhiannon and the sponsors have shown me that I'm worth something after all. I can't let them down.
The tribute collapses to the ground in a pillow of red smoke. Then I hear the cannon fire.
They're dead.
Suddenly, I'm running over to the tribute and checking their body, which lies face first in the ground. I gently lift their face up. It's Ellie. I feel a pang in my heart. This somehow, is so much different from watching everyone else in the Cornucopia get mowed down by others. I actually talked to Ellie, had a connection with her. It's almost like watching an old friend die.
Flipping her over, I see the faint red smile in her neck, as well as the slash of red running in a slanted line across her stomach, probably thanks to Cindra. Somehow, she escaped her alive, but there's no way she could survive her injuries.
"Sorry..." I muter quietly to the girl who can't hear me. "Sorry. Ellie. That this had to happen to you..."
There's no reply. Haunting.
"I hope you're happy now, wherever you are. Also, hope you don't mind..."
I loosen the bow from her fingers, as well as a canteen of water. Neat. Then, I flip her back onto her face and pull the quiver free from her body. I slip it over my own shoulder. After some careful thinking, I finally cut her jacket free. It might come in handy later.
"You don't mind if I take it, do you? No! Thanks Ellie."
The rest of the day is spent slicing up Ellie's jacket into thin pink strips of cloth I can use as replacement bandages, as well as repacking my supplies. I slip my machete into my bag along with the second water canteen, opting to keep the bow and quiver lying out instead. Just when I thought I'd never get my hands on it.
The sky is a much darker shade of orange now; it must be getting close to nighttime. It feels weird, because I'm used to the sky being almost black, and seeing them on over my head. Instead, I see a little blue projection appear, showing off the faces of the tributes that have lost their lives today. I just watch, blinking back tears.
Delta. Karen. Abril. Damask. Ellie. Magaz. Teff. Basil. Jane. Leo.
Then it's over, as if it never even happened.
I remember watching the 19th Hunger Games at home with my parents. It felt like a TV show of some sorts, because I had no connection to any of the tributes. Of course I was rooting for District 10, but I had never known them personally. When they showed the faces, it was sad but I never thought much of it. To me, it was just a game. Yet, I always wondered how the tributes could turn on each other so easily.
Now, I still don't know how the tributes could turn on each other so easily.
It's still a game, but it feels much more real.
15th place: Ellie Corzin, District 8. Bled out from injuries caused by Cindra.
Ellie got a bit of a shitty hand in the arena. She survived her run-in with Cindra, got some supplies out of the whole thing, but unfortunately, her injuries were just too much for her body to take. I never expected her to grow on me so much. She and VR really bonded over how similar they were; they just kinda had an instant click. Too bad VR is pretty stupid at making allies. Thank you so much for Ellie, James!
Current Alliances:
Careers: Bartleby, Troy, Cindra, Anthony, Quincy
Mad Scientists: Gayle, Flynn
Cute and Traumatized Beans: Sitka, Maryann
The Three Bs (Brute, Bitter, Bloodthirsty): Tyrone, Whyllis
The Sole Anti-Career: Opal
Still Very Much Alone: Ethan
What Is This, Lord Of The Flies!? VR
Kills:
Cindra 3 (Ellie, Magaz, Leo)
Anthony: 1 (Basil)
Quincy: 1 (Teff)
Karen: 1 (Abril)
Tyrone: 1 (Delta)
Magaz: 1 (Karen)
Whyllis: 2 (Damask, Jane)
The Bloodbath may be over, but the arena is still very deadly. Also, the sponsor gifts are officially pouring in! Thanks to everyone who sent them in! Your sponsors have been officially renewed for this chapter!
And another one bites the dust! Did the death in this chapter surprise you? Is VR making the right call in trying to camouflage herself, or is it just a waste of time? Was it smart of her to pillage Ellie of all her supplies? What will happen in Day 2?
See you all in the next chapter!
-Vr
