Morning 7

Emrys doesn't know what to say to Koda after yesterday. They left the cave in near silence with most of the work completed on the new bombs. Other than to help plan the placement of the explosives, Emrys has said nothing. He doesn't think that there is anything left to say to Koda. Emrys just feels like he has failed his friend. Every moment that they've been together has burned into Emrys' mind with new vigor. All of this has been his fault, even if it kept them both alive. He hadn't wanted to hurt Koda, but it seemed like their best chance.

Koda tinkers with the last of the devices, connecting it to the one beside it. The plates are thin and light enough that the thin branches can hold them up, but Koda thinks they might be too exposed now. He isn't sure if it matters anymore. The bombs have always worked, even when they weren't supposed to. They'll wait for another tribute to come by and Emrys will activate the series just like last time. It's hard to place himself back in his father's workshop today, and Koda can feel the emptiness flooding back into his chest. He is in the arena and that only makes every movement that much harder.

Emrys freezes when he hears the sloshing footsteps coming from behind them. He is about to whisper to Koda to hide when he sees that it's too late. Koda stiffens as the tribute comes into view, a grey pistol held in both hands and aimed directly at them. Emrys pulls a small blade out of his pocket, remembering Koda's aversion to the weapon when he found it in his backpack. It will be nothing against the girl's gun, but Emrys tightens his grip on it regardless.

"Stop," Emrys shouts. "Don't come any closer."

Madina hopes that the tributes are not able to see the shaking in her hands as she aims the gun towards them. When she notes the second boy, she curses inwardly but does not let her expression change. She didn't hear any conversation and she thought Emrys was alone. Now, she realizes her mistake. There is only one bullet left after yesterday, and Madina isn't confident in her aim from this far away. She wonders briefly if it is too late to run, but then she sees what the second boy is holding.

"Where did you put them?" Madina yells back. She remembers him now, the District 3 tribute named Koda who blew a hole in the floor of the training gymnasium. She can't be certain that he is holding anything dangerous, but something about the way his hands delicately graze the silver plate makes her believe she is correct. They are setting up some kind of trap and are probably the ones responsible for the explosions she'd heard days ago.

"Why would I tell you?" Emrys responds. He definitely didn't imagine the brief look of fear that crossed her eyes. He swallows his own fear, not understanding why she hasn't shot them yet but also not complaining. Koda trembles beside him and Emrys brings his free hand to rest on Koda's back. Emrys is just as terrified but he stands his ground. He will find a way out for both of them.

"Maybe I won't shoot if you tell me," Madina says, taking a bold step forward. She needs to get closer if she has any chance of actually hitting either of them. Her mind settles her aim on Emrys, seeing that he looks much more ready for a fight. It's too late to back down when she has come so far already. Who knows when she will get another chance, she hasn't seen either of these two in the week they've been here. First, though, she needs to know if there are more bombs in the arena. She hasn't come all this way to walk into a stupid booby trap.

"Don't come any closer," Emrys says, fear quickening his heart rate until it's almost deafening in his ears. His mind scrambles for something to say, to give her some doubt about taking them on right now. Neither he nor Koda are ready for a fight, and certainly not for a gun fight. "It won't end well."

Madina's eye flicker across the ground between them, searching for what he could be referring to. It crosses her mind that the entire clearing could be rigged and her footsteps stop immediately. She keeps both of them in peripheral vision and her gun pointed in their direction. Madina doesn't see any other metal in the area but that doesn't mean it isn't there. She swallows hard but her throat has gone dry. She doesn't know what to do.

Her eyes return to the two boys and she sees more of the metal plates suspended in the tree beside them. There must be at least half a dozen of them, each perfectly perched on the branches. An idea flashes through her mind but she isn't sure that she can trust it. Madina doesn't know the first thing about explosives. "So what, if I step on them they'll blow me to pieces?"

"If you're lucky," Emrys says, watching her carefully. He wonders if they should run and trust that her aim won't be very good, but there's still a chance that she will at least injure one of them. Emrys knows that he could probably outrun Koda, maybe even trip him over to distract Madina while he gets away. It's a cowardly plan but it feels like the only option. The problem is that Emrys isn't willing to leave Koda behind. He needs to get them both out and that realization both impresses and infuriates him.

Madina adjusts her aim just a hair, directing the gun quickly into the tree near the plate that she can see most clearly. She shoots, but nothing happens. It's so quiet that she can almost hear the bullet pierce the bark behind them. She is out of bullets and nothing happened. Madina curses herself and searches her mind for a solution, still holding the gun so that they won't know what has happened. After a moment, Madina looks down and a new plan quickly forms. In one fast motion, Madina grabs a chunk of ice the side of a candle and hurls it as hard as she can at the plates.

"Koda, run!" Emrys realizes what she is doing before it happens and his hand briefly pulls at Koda's uniform as he runs in the opposite direction. The slick fabric slides from his grasp and he shouts again at Koda, slipping through the cold water as he tries to put as much distance between them and the bombs as possible. She is trying to set off the bombs, and Emrys remembers with a shiver how sensitive they can be. Emrys looks over his shoulder to see how far they've managed to get when he realizes that Koda hasn't moved.

"Koda!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Emrys screams as the bombs go off like fireworks. He runs back to his ally as the smoke begins to billow and flames lick at the broken tree branches. He reaches Koda in seconds, but the smell is the first thing he notices. Emrys retches as he sees looks at the scene, the scorched branches littering the ground along with more blood than he has ever seen in his life. It clings to the tree trunk and muddies the water, and it takes everything for Emrys not to throw up. Koda's gone. He's gone, oh god, why didn't he move?

Emrys searches around him for the girl, but there is no sign of her. His fingers ache and he realizes that he is still holding the knife from earlier. Emrys stumbles the first few steps before he begins to run again. He wants, no he needs to find her. This is her fault. Koda's dead because she killed him. Emrys needs to find her. "You're a coward! You killed him!"

He shouts as he runs, but he sees no sign of her. His lungs burn and his mouth feels so dry that even he can't understand the words he is yelling anymore. Emrys collapses to his knees, allowing the chilly water to seep into his boots. He stabs an ice chunk that floats by and it breaks in two, but it doesn't change anything. Tears drip from his chin, and he lets out a pained cry. Koda can't be gone, he just can't be.

Milan isn't sure what he should be doing. Everything feels wrong as soon as he starts it, but he can't seem to sit still either. As soon as he woke up, he tried to leave the cave to go hunting for more food. He only made it a few yards before his entire body began to tremble from fear and walking became impossible. Then he tried to collect the fallen branches near the cave's mouth. Milan stacked them in the back of the cave, but he began to worry that an animal could hide in the crevices. He stamped it down into little more than twigs, kicking the entire pile back out into the arena. Finally, Milan curled up in the back of the cave, but too quickly began shivering as he pictured the others storming his hideout. No, none of it feels right.

He cannot shake the feeling that there is someone, something watching him. Milan realizes how stupid it sounds, but with no one to talk him out of it there is no option other than to let the idea fester. He crawls out of the cave again, the sun feeling like a spotlight burning into his skin, but there is nothing there. He scans the trees just beyond the rocks and watches as ripples of slush spin the broken twigs like clock hands. It's not that Milan hopes there will be someone waiting for him, it's simply that he wants to believe his own ears aren't betraying him.

"Just come out," Milan whispers, but his voice is too light for the wind to carry away. His hands still painfully clutch the handle of his only weapon and blisters have formed on the edge of his index fingers. Milan doesn't dare let the knife slip for even a moment. He fears he will never find it again if it's out of his grasp.

"I'm trying," he breathes, hearing the cracks in his voice with every word. Milan looks up at the sky for a just a second, quickly returning his gaze to the surrounding trees. Nothing has changed but that won't be permanent. Someone will come for him ad Milan isn't sure that he will be prepared. He isn't ready to give into the other tributes. He isn't ready to let them win no matter how afraid he is. Milan sinks against the cave wall, exhausted but unwilling to peel his eyes away from his surroundings. "I'm trying."

Zaid's legs threaten to give out under him, but he doesn't stop running until his knees buckle and he falls forwards. Cool water stings his face and Zaid reaches up to clear his eyes, seeing blood on his hand when it falls away. His breathing is heavy and he knows that he cannot keep going forever. He can't be sure that Laurent and Valya aren't following him still, but at this point he almost doesn't care.

Zaid was wrong to have ever invited Laurent into the alliance. Airla was right during training when she accused him of just stuffing the strongest people in one place whilst hoping for the best. It was the only strategy he could think of- get all the people who could kill him on his side, then he'll have no one left to fear. Zaid hates to admit to himself that even back in the Capitol he was scared. He wanted to look tough and capable like Airla or Mercury, but he isn't them. Zaid doesn't belong in the arena and he has no hope of ever getting out again. If he was afraid back then, right now he is straight up terrified.

He slides himself through the water and mud, not caring as it rushes up his sleeves and into his boots. His entire body aches and his breathing still hasn't returned to normal. Zaid curls himself up against a tree trunk, cradling his bruised face in both hands. At least he got one thing right about Laurent, he is strong and Zaid can feel every blow even now. A whimper escapes his lips as he wipes at his nose, sharp pain radiating from what is probably a break. Something drips down his face, but Zaid can't be sure if it's snot or blood at this point.

Zaid isn't sure when he drifted off to sleep, but the sound of footsteps wakes him quickly. Automatically, he reaches for his weapon and curses when he doesn't feel the handle on his belt. He looks around frantically, trying to discern where the sound is coming from but every movement of his neck sends his head spinning. His boot. Zaid suddenly remembers that he slipped a second weapon in his boot after he saw Airla do the same during the Bloodbath. He slides the weapon out, shaking the water from the blade, and begins to creep out from under the canopy of branches. Zaid is certain that it's Laurent, or maybe Valya who he regretfully remembers striking during the fight. He wants to believe that she wouldn't hurt him, but he can't afford to take that risk. She is just as much Laurent's ally as she is his.

Two pairs of boots cross in front of him and Zaid lunges out from beneath the tree. The knife feels heavy in his hand, but it doesn't matter what he feels anymore. Laurent is going to kill him if Zaid gives him the chance. Striking without warning is his only chance against what could potentially be two enemies.

Airla screams as the tribute jumps out at them. Her knives are in her hands before she can even recall pulling them out and she slices them in a sharp X pattern in front of her. He sinks to his knees in front of her, clutching his chest, and it takes until his eyes look up to meet hers before Airla recognizes him.

Malachi scrambles back several steps but soon also draws out his sword. He returns to Airla's side a second later, shaking but ready to help if she needs him. Malachi gasps when he sees Zaid, his ex-ally is almost unrecognizable. His face is swollen and bruised with blood dripping steadily from his nose. His eyes are puffy and rimmed with red as if Zaid has been crying.

"Zaid," Airla breathes, struggling to stop herself from immediately crouching to his side. She feels sick when she looks at the blood on her knives and the two new injuries across Zaid's chest. He looks up at her, swollen face contorted in pain, and Airla has to cover her mouth to keep from crying out.

"Airla," Zaid chokes out. He looks down at his chest as fresh blood seeps through his shirt. Zaid tenderly touches the skin that peeks out of the rips, but he almost can't believe that they're real. He sinks further to the ground and the cool water that covers it. He doesn't feel any pain until he looks back up to his district partner, then it is so much he feels like he is going to be sick.

"Why would you jump out at us?" Airla says desperately, not realizing how loud her voice is as tears begin to drip down her cheeks. She doesn't even think to wipe them. She can only think about Zaid and how much she wishes she could take back the last few seconds. No matter how much she distrusts him, Airla never wanted to be the one to hurt him. "Zaid. Sit up!"

Airla reaches for him but Malachi's arm stops her. She pulls herself out of his grip and crouches beside Zaid. She slices off the sleeve of her uniform which is tied around her waste and wipes the blood from Zaid's injury. It's only seconds until new blood takes its place, but Airla can see now how deep the injury goes. She wasn't as accurate with her left hand, but the right went at least two inches in and stretches from his abdomen to his shoulder. Airla drops the fabric and puts a hand on her mouth. It feels like too much to speak, but she forces herself. "I'm so sorry."

Zaid's eyes are tightly shut, trying to concentrate on staying somewhat upright. "I didn't want to kill him."

"You didn't kill him," Airla says, tensing as Vervain's name flashes through her mind again. She has been trying to forget the image of Zaid approaching the District 7 tribute, his boot so close to his skull. Zaid never struck him, but Airla doesn't want to think about what might have happened if she didn't intervene.

"I know," Zaid says. "I just thought you should know."

They sit in silence until Zaid begins to lean against her. Airla tries to look through her bag for a first aid kit, but she knows that it will be useless against his wounds. Still, it feels wrong not to at least try. Zaid's whisper makes her flinch. "I'm sorry."

Airla lets out a weak laugh before another sob rocks her body. "I did this. You can't be sorry."

Zaid's lips move slowly but Airla can't make out anything he is trying to say. She looks desperately back at Malachi, who still holds his sword with its tip pointed to the ground. He looks back at her, eyes filling up with tears. Zaid leans more heavily against her and Airla waits to hear his cannon, but it doesn't come. She can't imagine the pain that he is in, but she can't do anything to speed it up. Airla might have been able to strike him when she thought he was an attacker, but she can't even consider lifting her weapon against Zaid. It would be the kind thing to do, but she can't make herself.

"Why is it taking so long?" Airla whispers as she slowly places his head down on the only island of ground not covered in water. She won't leave him until she hears his cannon. She won't abandon Zaid even if there is no doubt in her mind that he is going to die.

"We should-" Malachi begins, but Airla cuts him off.

"We're not leaving him," she says sharply. Malachi looks down at the ground but he doesn't look convinced. Airla knows that she is not being strategic, Zaid clearly has other injuries and his first attacker could be on their way as they sit here. She doesn't care. "I'm not leaving him."

Malachi crouches down beside her, his kind eyes locking with hers as he places a hand on her shoulder. He places his sword on the ground between them, its handle set towards her. Zaid whimpers and Airla buries her face in her hands. She knows what Malachi is telling her, but she can't bring herself to do it. "No."

Malachi looks at Zaid's swollen face and takes the sword back, his fingers feeling over every mark on the handle. Before he loses the nerve, he takes the weapon in one hand and shields Airla's eyes with the other. Malachi presses the blade across Zaid's neck as Airla screams, knowing by sound what is happening. She pushes against him for only an instant before sobs overtake her. The cannon sounds within seconds and tears begin to fall down Malachi's cheeks. If he hadn't helped her up and lead her away from the body, Airla isn't sure she would have been able to move ever again.

"You didn't kill him," Malachi whispers as his trembling fingers place his sword back in his belt. He can't even chance a look down knowing that Zaid's blood will be shining back at him. Airla sobs quietly as they walk, but she allows him to lead her away. Malachi tries to swallow the dry feeling in his throat, but it only comes back stronger. He knows that he did the right thing by her, saving her from killing Zaid just as she saved Zaid from killing Vervain. Malachi doesn't say anything as tears drip steadily from his chin. She didn't kill him, he thinks to himself, I did.

Laurent shoves another blanket on top of the other supplies, not even trying to hide the anger in his movements. It's impossible to reward himself for his second kill when the rest of the day turned into such a disaster. Not only did they not find Airla, but they also lost Zaid. Valya says that she wasn't able to follow him for more than a few yards past where they fought. Somehow, both of the District 2 tributes have slipped away from him. That ends now.

"He could just be dead somewhere," Valya says, zipping up her own bag beside him. "There's been two cannons since he left."

"He better not be," Laurent whispers.

"Wouldn't that be easier?" Valya asks. She doesn't have much of a middle ground to stand on anymore now that Zaid is gone. Part of her wishes that she would have disappeared with him. Laurent took a while to catch up to her and Valya thinks she could have made it. Leaving with Zaid, though, offered no promises. She isn't sure what to believe about him attacking her during their fight. It could have been a mistake, but it could have just as easily been intentional. No, she made the right choice. Laurent needs her now, she is all he has. As much as Valya doesn't agree with his methods, Laurent is willing to play the game to win. That's the type of person she needs on her side right now.

"No," Laurent says, his voice a low growl that Valya has to lean in to hear. "He doesn't deserve easy."

Valya considers saying something else, but she knows it would be a mistake. She swallows her fear and fights to keep it from showing on her face. She does not trust him, but Valya will stay with him. There are only seven of them left now. She needs to be patient with him until the time comes. Valya will be his blind follower as long as she needs to be. It's the only choice she has now. As far as she knows, Airla, Malachi, and now Zaid are still alive. To have a chance against them, she needs to keep Laurent alive. As much as she would rather shoot him in his sleep.

"Hurry up," Laurent says, swinging his bag onto his back. "We don't have all fucking day."

Valya nods but says nothing. As per Laurent's instructions, they will not be returning to the Cornucopia anymore at night. They need to spend as much time as possible searching for their ex-allies and, besides, with three of them possibly out there now this place is no longer safe. As they walk away from the Cornucopia, the nerves begin to kick in. Neither of them has spent a night outside of the structure since the very first one. She doesn't know what to expect, but she has to be prepared to face it. Valya has to jog to keep up with Laurent and the gun in her pocket slaps against her hip with every step.

A/N: Hi again! We're really cutting down numbers now, another two down and only seven tributes remaining in the arena. This was a really exciting chapter to write so it's up a bit earlier than expected. I hope you enjoy it just as much. I know that some characters can feel stagnant over a couple chapters but I also don't want constant action especially seeing as a single day lasts two chapters. Even tributes deserve a little break sometimes, but I assure you that I do have plans for everyone.

Who would be your dream final 3? Who would be your realistic final 3? (Remaining- Valya, Airla, Emrys, Malachi, Madina, Milan, Laurent)

I know life is pretty hectic and FF is the last thing from some people's mind right now. That's totally okay and remember that real life issues always come before FF. Take care of yourselves out there and if you're able to donate, attend protests, raise awareness, etc. (anything you can do really) for the Black Lives Matter movement please do that / continue doing that. We need to take care of each other out here and that truly needs to mean everybody.

~Olive