Day 7:
I'm gonna fight 'em all
A seven nation army couldn't hold me back
They're gonna rip it off
Taking their time right behind my back
And I'm talking to myself at night because I can't forget
Back and forth through my mind behind a cigarette
And the message coming from my eyes says leave it alone
"How long have I been asleep?"
"About half a day," Troy mutters in a groggy voice. "I don't think it's the next day yet."
"Sorry for waking you up."
"It's fine, it's whatever." Troy yawns. "So what happened?"
"I don't know."
"You just passed out!"
I look at my dirty hands. They're covered in sweat, ash, rocks and...blood. Blood. Why is there blood? Who's blood is this? Oh my God. Did I do this? I...no, no, no, no, no! No! I...all that talk of me being better than...And just like that, I've stooped down to their level.
"I'm a horrible person."
"What makes you say that?"
"I killed someone!" I shove my hands into Troy's face, nearly grabbing at his cheeks. "Look at me! Look what I did!"
"I don't...I don't see..."
He sees nothing. Maybe I'm wrong. Yes, that's it, I'm wrong. Perhaps this is all a bad dream. I'm still asleep. If I wake up, it will all pass over...
Oh, who am I kidding. I'm no better than Opal, or Cindra, or everyone else in here. Troy gives me a look of pity as I wrap my arms around my legs. I don't deserve it. He's the real good guy here, not me. The one who wants to help, not to harm.
I killed someone and I actually felt justified when I did it. That's the worst part of all.
I ignore the beeping in the distance. Troy leaves for a few minutes, then returns with some sponsor gifts. "Mind if I open these?"
"Sure. Do whatever."
The first gift is a small sandwich cookie that has a light brown spread inside. Troy leaves it next to me, so I can eat it when I get hungry. The next is a giant metal shield, so heavy even Troy has a bit of trouble lifting it. The scene is a bit comical, but I don't have it in me to laugh right now.
"VR, it's okay. You need to kind of situation we're in...I mean, yeah, maybe it's not okay...um..."
"Troy."
"Yeah?"
"Do you think you could just...be quiet for a little bit. I'm not in a good mood right now."
Troy just nods and we lean up against it each other. He says nothing, but I can still hear him trying to clean the shield of who knows what. I don't see the blood on my hands anymore, or maybe there was never any blood to begin with. Great. Now I'm going crazy.
"Do you think I could change your bandages?"
"Knock yourself out."
Thanks to the heat, the bandages are clinging to my stomach and it doesn't feel nice at all. Troy pulls them off and I bite into the cookie to keep myself from screaming in pain, just in case. It's actually pretty good, with this stuff that tastes a bit like caramel, but probably isn't. I don't know.
"Was there a note?"
Troy hands me the paper scrap. I can tell from the way he blushes that he's already read it. Not like that even matters anyways. Unless Cheyenne is telling me to kill him in my sleep. It's pretty small, so clearly Cheyenne doesn't have a lot to say.
It doesn't get any better from here.
I don't even have to ask to know what it means. Truth is, you don't win the Games by staying out of danger. You don't win by being a good person. Killing is part of the game and that's what makes it so terrifying to tributes. Knowing that if you aren't able to kill someone else first, they will hurt you.
Maybe that's why some of the tributes are the way they are. After all, murder is wrong, isn't it? And I don't want to die. None of us do. But now we're being told to make a choice between murder or death. Which one are we going to choose? Are we going to let someone take us down, or fight back for a chance to live another day?
And there's still eight of us left. No way I can escape through unharmed. I'll have to get my hands dirty again...get them bloody...
"ATTENTION TRIBUTES!"
"What's going on?" Troy blurts out, looking around for the speakers, or wherever the announcement came from. My stomach does it thing where it writhes in pain. Something is happening...I just know it. And I don't like it.
"CONGRATULATIONS TO MAKING IT TO THE FINAL EIGHT! AS A REWARD FOR YOUR EFFORTS, WE INVITE YOU ALL TO A FEAST! IN A FEW SHORT MOMENTS, YOU WILL BE SHOWN THE WAY. ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY. IF YOU DO NOT SHOW UP TO THE FEASTING GROUNDS WITHIN ONE HOUR, A STRICT PUNISHMENT WILL BE APPLIED. MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOUR."
"Help me up." Suddenly, I feel a sudden urge to get out of here. "We need to go."
"What if we don't make it in time?"
"That's why we're leaving now."
We quickly cram everything into our bags, no time for neat packing. I grab my bow and stuff all the arrows into the quiver, which is starting to overflow. Troy straps the shield onto his arm, since it's too heavy for me anyways. But I think he deserves it. Troy's a good kid. He should get the chance to protect himself.
A holographic trail of light blue lines appears and floats in the air, showing us where we want to go. I glance briefly at Troy. "Hey, if I don't make it out of there alive, I want you to win."
"Same goes. I hope you'll do the same for me."
And we walk towards the Feast without saying a word.
It probably won't take us an hour to get there. At least I hope not. But we are doing pretty well. My legs ache, but that doesn't matter. I've been through worse. I can handle some sore legs for a little while. I do hope the other tributes will have gone through than just sore legs.
Troy lingers a bit behind, thanks to the shield. Damn, I haven't even known him for a full week but...we've just been through a lot together. It it came down to me against him, I'm not sure I can do any of it. Would I have the guts to kill him? Would I let him kill me? Or would I-
I push that thought away. I don't want to think about it.
"Troy. I see it now."
"You do?" Troy stutters a little.
The Feast isn't really much of a feast. It's just a long silver table surrounded by a circle of large rocks. I crouch low behind one of the rocks and I can feel Troy's hot breath in my ear as he grab onto my shoulder. The table is covered with all sorts of food. A lot of it is all wrapped up, so I can't really tell what's inside. But does it matter?
Yes, actually. It does. If it's all dried goods like those tasteless meat packs we've been eating, then clearly the Game might drag on a little longer. If it's all fresh perishables, then the Gamemakers want us to end this thing soon. I'm not sure what option I prefer. I do want out of this hell, but I don't want to face the ugly truth.
I know I should. I will need to eventually. I just don't want to.
"We should move quickly," Troy whispers. "In and out before anyone spots us."
"Hold on a second."
Sitka creeps into view, staying as low as she can. I see a small gold pendant hanging off her neck and I can't help but feel bad for her. She's clearly not been doing well ever since I saw her yesterday, the poor girl. The pendant cracks open and she glances down at it sadly before resuming onward.
Once she hits the table, she begins grabbing as much as she can, constantly looking over her shoulder. She probably knows that she's not alone. But I'm not going to shoot her. I'll let her go. Is this the right move? I don't know. But it's the move I'll make.
Troy begins to stand up. "Maybe we can help her?"
I see a boot sticking out from behind another rock as Sitka prepares to leave. The boot disappears as I grab Troy and pull him back down. "Troy, don't!"
Quincy and Anthony both come barreling into Sitka, who freezes up as soon as she spots them. Anthony straight up tackles her to the ground while Quincy unsheathes a thin dagger. I know exactly where this is going. I spring up from my hiding spot and grab Troy's hand.
"NOW!"
We both run into the carnage to the opposite end of the table. Anthony shoves his spear into Sitka's head while Quincy pounces on top of her with the dagger and I don't bother looking to see what happens next. Someone screams. I look up, and Tyrone is pointing his blow gun at me. I duck down behind Troy, who blocks the darts with his shield.
Someone grabs my quiver. It's Quincy. I catch a glimpse of Sitka's bloody body lying behind me as Quincy drags me back, holding their dagger up to my throat. I lob a huge wad of spit into their face and start swinging my legs wildly. I hear them grunt in pain as I kick them in the knee. Their grip loosens, nails digging into my face, and my quiver starts to slip down my arm. I grab an arrow free and swing it around, stabbing them with it in the shin.
Quincy drops the dagger and that's all I need to shake them off me and burst free as they grab their shin. There's no blood; I wasn't stabbing hard enough to produce any. I just wanted them to let me go. And I don't spare them a second look, running towards Troy who's currently in a standoff with Tyrone. He needs me, I have to help him.
"Move!" Someone shoves me to the side and I nearly slam my head against the table on the way down.
Whyllis.
Quincy reaches for their dagger, but they'll be too late no matter what. Whyllis plunges the spear into their exposed side and yanks it out with no effort. I crawl under the table, towards Troy and Tyrone's feet. A third set of feet appears behind Tyrone and it makes me freeze in my tracks.
Anthony hefts his bloody spear, Cindra close behind. She just narrows her eyes. Tyrone fires a dart, which lands in the top of Anthony's chest. He snarls, but Tyrone clocks him in the head with the blowgun. Cindra jumps backward as Anthony collapses and Tyrone picks up his discarded spear. I hurry out front under the table and run, Troy follows behind me.
"Cindra!" Troy screams. I freeze and turn around. Troy raises the shield to block Cindra's sword as he tries to stab her underneath. I load my bow and fire. The arrow whizzes past Cindra completely, but she turns to avoid it, just in time to see Tyrone come running towards her.
Whyllis points their spear at me and Troy. Around us, three bodies litter the ground. I don't know what's happened to them. All I know is that they're all dead.
For just a single moment, I catch a look of pure fear in Whyllis's eyes, before it fades as it soon as it showed and they growl at me. I point my next arrow at them. I don't know what's happened to our truce; maybe it doesn't exist anymore. But at this point, anyone who isn't Troy is an enemy.
I made that truce with Whyllis, a long time ago. And this is not Whyllis. This is not the Whyllis I know.
"Whyllis?"
"What the hell do you want!?"
"Nothing! But I thought-"
"VR...VR! Help!"
"Troy!"
Cindra's entire hand and sword is covered with blood; Tyrone twitches at her feet. I fire at her and the arrows grazes her ear as she charges at us. Troy holds up the shield to stop her. It's not going to work. It won't protect him. We have Whyllis on one side and Cindra on the other. We can't win.
"Watch your head!" I yell at Troy, pulling him out of the way. Cindra shoves her sword into his thigh, then pulls at the blade as hard as she can, running it down his leg. Troy hits the ground, hard.
No!
I want to reach out for him and bring him to safety, to grab Cindra and yank her away, do something! Suddenly, I feel a large metal pole against my neck and Whyllis tosses me to the side. The rocks cut into my skin. my face feels like it is on fire.
"You don't want me to try and kill you!? Then don't be stupid and get yourself killed! Get out of here!"
"What!?"
"I said get out of here! Fuck off! Scram!"
I haul myself to my feet and run. Run as far away as I can. I hear a faint scream. I don't know who it was. But I'm running. I'm running like it's the first day of the Games and everyone morphed into a monster before my very eyes. Compared to now, that was nothing.
This was worse.
A cannon fires out and I stop to catch my breath and count them. One, Sitka. Two and Three, Quincy and Anthony. Four, Tyrone. Five, Troy. Six...
Six cannons. One for either Cindra or Whyllis. One of them bested the other. But I don't know. I don't know.
Oh God. Oh shit. Oh shit, shit, shit shit! There's only two tributes left. And I'm one of them. Oh fuck! Fuck! Fucking fuck fuck!
The Games will be over soon. And I never thought I'd be around to witness it.
There's a loud crack echoing across the arena; it reminds me of thunder. I just shake my head and look up to the sky. "Gamemakers, please. Please let me have today. Let me have today to mourn Troy and get my shit together for tomorrow. Tomorrow, it will be all over. I promise you. I promise. But not today, please. I still have unfinished business to do."
The sky is silent, before the sky briefly flashes pink with another clap of thunder. That must be the Gamemakers's way of letting me know my wish is granted. The pink sky turns into tiny glowing specks that slowly being to form the number one. One more day until this is all over.
"Thank you," I whisper quietly. "Thank you so much."
I settle into an alcove for the night, watching the arena dim. It's item for the faces in the sky. Troy's face is the first to appear and I blink back tears. Because now, I know who my final opponent is.
"I'm sorry, Troy. I'm so sorry. I wish I could've done more to save you."
Troy lingers for a bit, before he's replaced with the face of Anthony instead. Then Quincy, Tyrone, Sitka and...Whyllis. I knew it. I knew they were gone. They scowl over me one last time and they too are gone. Another tribute I've let down. Another tribute I failed to save.
"Goodbye." My voice is hoarse and raspy. "Goodbye, guys. Thanks for everything."
It's only been what, a week? And during that week I've let so many people die because of my own actions. Jane, Flynn, Gayle, Bartleby, Ethan, Maryann, Opal, Sitka, Troy, Whyllis. All because what, I was to afraid to face my opponents on my own? I didn't know how to act in a time of crisis? I was naive and blind, giving people the trust they needed to hurt me? I should be dead, but I was saved over and over. And every time I was allowed to live, there was someone else to die in my place.
It hurts. It's depressing and embarrassing and...actually...pretty damn funny?
I giggle. That turns into full blown laughter to the point where I'm holding my sides and wiping tears from my eyes. Who know I'd make it to this point simply by being a coward? Who would ever think that was the way to go? I made it to the end and how? I was selfish, stupid, fearful, and running on emotion, not some strategy. I had no strategy. It was all luck. Pure, dumb luck.
"Hey!" I shout between fits of laughter. "Guess what? Anyone in Panem write books? Or tell stories? Write me a book about this! A 15 year-old girl from 10 goes into the Hunger Games and wins by being a sheer...fucking...coward! She's the worst person ever! Because that's all I am!"
There's no response. Hell, I'm surprised Cindra didn't even hear that. If she did, then I really do deserve it at this point.
All I have is tomorrow. Tomorrow, I'll either live or die. It's a hard thing to take in and in my current state of clearly-not-mentally-healthy-but-I'm-not-entirely-sure-if-I'm-going-insane-yet, I don't know how to feel at all. That's a common feeling now, isn't it? I don't know. I never know.
It's scary. It's scarier than I'll ever let on. I don't want to die, period. I'm too emotionally exhausted to process it all. But at the same time, I feel sorta...calm? Tranquil. Like I'm with at peace with it. I knew what the odds were and really, I have no business being here, alive. Perhaps, I deserve to die after everything I've done. Cindra is no saint, but neither am I.
I just hope it will be quick.
8th place: Sitka Rowan, District 8. Stabbed in the head and stomach by Quincy and Anthony.
Sitka was not your average cute little kid. She was actually fairly intelligent and clever. Unfortunately, these skills did not translate themselves well to her alliance, where she came off as bossy. She went through quite a bit in the arena and lost all her allies, but still managed to stand up and survive, up until the Careers got her. Thanks for her, Pi!
7th place: Quincy Burnett, District 4. Speared through the side by Whyllis.
6th place: Anthony Morrison, District 4. Speared and bludgeoned to death by Tyrone.
Writing these two eulogies together because why not. But I find that Q&A helped relieve a lot of the seriousness and tension surrounding the Career pack, with the way they had eyes for nobody but each other. They were super deadly too, a great team, and probably one of the few district pairs that actually worked together lmao. But as we all know, volunteerism with your lover, for a game with only one Victor, is a bad idea. Rest in peace, lovebirds.
5th place: Tyrone Quinifus, District 7. Stabbed in the chest by Cindra.
A super deadly guy along with Whyllis, but way less threatening than Whyllis. I really love it when tributes use more uncommon weapons, such as a blowgun, so writing Tyrone's arena scenes were fun because he always broke up the monotony. But up against a trained Career, I knew he had no chance. Cindra's sword could get to him before his darts could get to her and he goes down here. To his submitter, if you're reading, thanks for Tyrone!
4th place: Troy, Jong, District 2. Side slashed open by Cindra.
Aw man. Troy, Troy, Troy. My God, I loved this guy so much. He was a very unconventional Career, but this is an unconventional SYOT, so he works. I loved writing his relationship with VR, his foil to Ethan, his quiet demeanour and the way he was pretty composed while VR was next to him losing her shit. Against his ferocious district partner, this quiet healer was doomed. Thank you so much for him, Plat! Enjoy your new placement!
3rd place: Whyllis Shears, District 10. Stabbed in the stomach repeatedly by Cindra.
Whyllis was such a dynamic character who really shifted throughout the story as VR's perspective on them shifted as well. I loved exploring the drastic change from VR's unhealthy crush on them, to who they truly were, to what the arena turned them into. Their relationship with VR had its ups, downs, and middles. They were crass, explosive and deadly. All in all, one of my favourite tributes I've ever created, because of how much fun they were to write!
FINAL TWO: CINDRA HEATH VS VERA-RYANNA KINGSLEY.
We're finally down to the last two tributes! Do you think VR stands a chance against Cindra in her current state? Or the victory will be going to District 2?
After this hell of a chapter (longest one yet lmao), I think you all deserve a quick break. So, I'm announcing the date for the finale as APRIL 10th. This is so I have a chance to write it out and move some of my focus to my other SYOTs in the meantime. See you all on the 10th!
-Vr
