I didnt think I would be able to get this chapter put today, but here we are, it has been a surprisingly busy week. Just a quick heads up and trigger warning- a little bit in the Locke and Newton POV discusses suicide, so I have put that section in italics and underlined it so you know where to skip if needs be!

Day Six

Florence

Florence awoke suddenly from the light sleep that she had managed to get the night before. When Flynt hadn't found her, she knew what had happened, and she hated herself for ever leaving him. When the faces appeared in the sky that night, seeing Flynt's hadn't been a shock, but that didn't stop the guilt and the pain she felt, that he had died at the hands of her own selfishness. Florence knew that she would never have been able to beat Jordan, even the two of them together, but at least Flynt wouldn't have died alone, at least he would have had someone by his side.
What had shocked Florence, however, was that Lya's face hadn't appeared. She was still out there somewhere, and that little fact gave Florence hope, encouraged her to get up and to fight, not dwelling on what she had lost so far. The arena felt different this morning, and Florence put it down to the fact that it was the first time she had ever faced it alone. Everything seemed so much bigger and more daunting when she knew her friends weren't there. It was warmer today, as well. Florence's favourite time of day was always dawn, the fresh morning breeze always made her feel calm, hopeful that the new day would be somehow better than the last. Today, though, there was no breeze, the air felt stale and suffocating. Part of Florence thought it was just in her head, that the reality that she now had to do everything alone was clouding her perception. The sensible part of her, however, was convincing herself that this was something more, something dangerous, and no matter how much she wanted to run away, she couldn't. Firstly, she had no where else to go, and secondly, if she didn't know the danger, it could find her at any time. At least if she worked out what it was, she had a chance of escaping it and surviving, however slim that chance was.

Florence set about packing up the little supplies she had left. Flynt had been carrying a backpack yesterday, and she hadn't had a chance to find his body before the Capitol took it, meaning half of her supplies had been lost. Walking alone was so much worse. When she had been with ehr alliance, or even just Flynt, she knew that whatever happened someone would have her back, if she let her guard down there would be someone there to remind her that it wasn't the time or place. Now, though, she had to be aware and prepared at every second. There was no slowing down or relaxing, it was a luxury she couldn't afford, one that would cost her her life. The new focus she had made her notice things she hadn't before, for example how the grass was dying in places, thanks to the lack of rainfall, or the fact that the ground wasn't flat at all, but dominated by small hills.
As she reached one of the larger hills, and set about walking up it, the heat became almost unbearable and Florence soon found herself choked by the sweltering air, coughing and panting as she made her way up.

Florence heard the fire before she saw it. She reached the top of the incline and looked out, faced with a wall of fire. "Shit." She screamed, although her words were easily drowned out by the roaring of the flames, as they danced towards the sky, stealing away at the bright blue clarity. Smoke filled the air and Florence stumbled back, choking on the soot that had so quickly consumed her lungs. The girl lost her footing and fell, back down the small hill she had just climbed, landing harshly on her right leg, wincing at the crack she heard.
This wasn't the time to get injured, Florence told herself as she pulled herself back to her feet, cursing as her ankle throbbed when she tried to put weight on it. She was ready to give up, as she slowly set about escaping from the fire. Florence was sure she would never be able to make it back to safety, away from the danger, her ankle clearly sprained and sending talons of pain through her body. For a moment, she paused against a tree, ready to just let the fire engulf her, burn her like they did anything else in their wake. If fighting alone was this hard, she didn't want to anymore. But then, she thought of Flynt and Lilac, how they had lost their lives when they had been so young and full of love, how they had both wanted to fight longer and harder, but were neve given the chance. Flynt had saved her life, and Lilac had died getting supplies for them all. If she gave up now, their deaths would mean nothing, they would have been for nothing. Florence couldn't do that to them, or to herself.

Ezra and Lya

"I won't hold it against you if you leave me here." Lya mumbled, her lips still cracked from the dehydration, her face too bruised and swollen to morph into a smile. She rested her head against Ezra's chest as he carried her, away from their shelter which had now most likely been ripped apart by the fire.

Ezra couldn't bear to think about the place that they had left behind. It was stupid how much a few sticks and leaves had begun to feel like home. But it was his sanctuary, a place where he helped tributes get back on their feet, and escape from the pain and death that the arena tried to subject him to. It had reminded him of District Six, provided relief and an outlet where Ezra could let his guard down and heal others, the thing he had dedicated his life to for all those years.

"No. We escape this together." Ezra breathed, taking mouthfuls of the fresh ai, savouring it, knowing soon the smoke would be upon them. Each step was agony, his lungs burning both from the run and the lack of oxygen. If it was anyone else, Ezra probably would have dropped them by now, but this was Lya, the girl he had started it all alongside. Nope, that was a total lie. He would never have left anyone behind, even if it had cost him his life. Ezra had lost patients in the past, but he had never let them die without trying everything in his power to save them, that was not about to change now, especially as Ezra didn't know how many patients he had left to treat.

Lya could feel herself slipping in and out of consciousness, her eyes flickering shut for a second each time, before Ezra's foot made contact with the ground and her head hit against his chest, jolting her back awake. She felt so useless being carried like this, she should be on the ground next to him, helping him along and encouraging him. Instead, she was just a dead weight, and would probably be the cause of both of their deaths. She clung to Ezra's shirt, holding it in her fists, trying her hardest to regain some strength and prove to him that she could walk. "Ezra, please." She whispered, as she heard the man scream out in pain as the first tongue of fire made contact with his skin, burning through his clothes with ease, blistering the surface instantly. "Just set me down, I can walk." She lied, knowing she could probably only make it a few steps before she collapsed. Ezra probably knew that too, he was a doctor after all, and Lya could tell she wasn't exactly the most promising patient he'd ever had. "I'm not your responsibility." She tried to escape from his grasp, but even moving against his chest was painful, and took up all the energy she had built up during the night. Eventually, Lya gave up, relaxing once more against him.

The fire was almost upon them now, and Ezra used the little strength he had left to pick up the speed, even if it was only slightly. He pictured his wife screaming at the TV scream, cursing him and telling him to save himself. He knew that if he died here, he would be letting her down, but if he abandoned Lya, he would be letting himself down, something he wasn't sure he could live with. "No." It was the only words Ezra could mutter as another wave of heat washed over him, causing his breath to catch in his throat, his lungs working twice as hard to keep up with the way he panted as he ran, completely destroyed everytime time he inhaled the smoke. Ezra was always a very hopeful person, but for the first time in his life he was losing his optimism. No matter how bad things got in his life, how dire his patients' condition looked or how low his wages were, Ezra always held the power to see through it, see the time when things could get better. Now, all he could see was smoke. There was no way out of this one.

"Ezra?" The man had become sure he would never hear anyone speak again. Lya showed no signs of talking and the last thing he needed was to talk to himself. The voice snapped him out of his pessimistic trance, and he looked up, to see a figure a few meters in front, the smoke concealing their identity. He kept running, almost bumping in to the girl. "Oh my God, Lya?" Florence screamed, noticing the broken body that the man was carrying. "Is she…?" She couldn't bear to finish the sentence, afraid that knowing Lya was dead would make her give up.

"No, she turned up yesterday, badly injured, and then she was burnt in the fire, Florence, I'm not sure how much longer I can go on." Ezra explained, as they fell into step, their feet pounding on the ground in sync. "Your dad may have saved her life." He continued, receiving a confused look from Florence. "I'll explain when we're safe." Ezra finished, smiling. Safe. the optimism was coming back, he could see a future in which they made it safely somewhere, one where they survived.

The trees began to thin out, and Ezra could have almost cried in happiness as he saw the Cornucopia in the distance. He knew the fight wasn't over yet, whoever was already there probably wouldn't be too happy to see them, but for now, the threat was gone, he could patch himself and Lya up, and whatever problems came next they could all face together.

Alfred and Salome

"We need to move faster, come on!" Salome shouted, turning back to catch a glimpse of Alfred, who was still a few feet behind, no matter how long she waited for him. The fire had crept up on the pair while they slept. They would have been okay if they hadn't spent the night in a tree, tied to the branches but by the time they had got down safely, the flames were almost upon them. "It's not far now." Salome reached out, taking Alfred's hand in her own, practically dragging him along.

"I don't think I can do it." Alfred stopped, unfazed now by the fire, more concerned by the way his lungs burnt as he breathed, or his legs felt they were being stabbed by a thousand tiny needles. He cursed himself, hating that he hadn't spent more time training for the Games. All he was doing now was holding Salome back, being a burden. His mind raced as he considered the options- he could just give up now and let Salome run off without him and find his own way back, or he could pick himself up and run with her, having more protection, and be with someone who actually knew a bit about what direction they were heading. As Alfred decided quickly to stay with Salome, he wished that his legs would just work as fast as his mind could. As they ran back through the forest that Alfred had spent hours searching the days before, the burning and the pain subsided, and he allowed himself to believe that things were looking up. It couldn't be far now…

Salome ran on, now only a few paces in front of Alfred, still checking every few minutes to make sure he was still behind. It felt like they had been running for hours, and making no progress, and every time Salome thought they were close to the clearing, she would look out to see trees stretching out further and further in front, an endless sea of green. If she had more energy, she would scream at the Capitol for doing this to them. That could wait, though, for now she had to concentrate on the more important matter at hand- not dying.
"Think of the sleep you'll have tonight." Salome turned around quickly, smiling at Alfred. It was a mistake. The quick turn mixed with the lack of food and the smoke filling her lungs made the girl's head spin. She reached out, trying to grabbed on to a tree, but she missed, instead the side of her head making contact with the trunk before her body collapsed to the ground.

Alfred could easily have burst into tears. This wasn't fair, not after everything he had been through. He deserved to catch a break, to have one thing go his way. The boy knew he was sounding like a moaning toddler, and that there were more important matters at hand than the terrible hand the world had dealt him. He crouched down next to Salome's crumpled body, listening and watching for any signs of breathing. As harsh as it was, Alfred knew there was no point struggling to carry her body if she was already dead.
Okay good. He could see the steady rise and fall of her chest. He reached forwards, shaking the girl's body lightly, hope coursing through his body as the stirred slightly, moaning. Her state of awareness didn't last long, and soon enough, her eyes were closed and still once more and Alfred was back to square one.

"Here goes nothing." He spoke to no one, the sound of his own voice calming him for a minute. Alfred scooped up the girl clumsily into his arms, nearly falling forward at the shock of the new weight on his front. After regaining his footing, and setting off running again, he sigh in relief almost laughing out, as he realised that the girl was a lot lighter than he had thought.

Whether Alfred was carrying Salome because he actually wanted to save her or because he was worried about what would become of him if Locke found out she had died on his watch. That was a question Alfred was willing to answer only once he managed to regain his breath…..

Locke and Newton

When Clem had died, no, when he had been murdered, something in Locke had died too. The fire, the drive, the want for revenge and blood. Newton hadn't stopped shaking and crying in the hours since, and Locke felt so guilty for destroying the boy's innocence and life. All that, and Salome still wasn't back to him. And now, as the man watched the sky turn red, the forest swallowed by an abundance of flames, he couldn't help but see his daughter ripped apart by the fire, all alone and scared.

Locke played with the corner of the letter. It had fallen out of Clem's jacket after he was lifted away by the Capitol, addressed to a man named Alder. It was obviously important, Clem had chosen it as his tribute token, and so Locke had taken on the responsibility of making sure it was delivered safely. It was the least he could do.

Newton massaged his wrists where the rope had been. Locke had untied him in the middle of the night, told him to go. But Newton had nowhere. He needed Alfred back, and the one place he knew he would come was the Cornucopia. So he would sit and wait and pray that Locke didn't change his mind about letting him go.

"Wow." He breathed out, not having intended to speak, as he looked up as the fire jumped up above the trees, attacking the sky. Newton was afraid for himself, he knew all about fire. They were in the middle of a clearing, the second the fire reached the edge of the forest it would die out, the grass acting as a fire break. And, if for some reason it didn't, they had the water to jump into. And besides, this fire was probably started by the Capitol and the last thing they would want was the whole arena to burn down. He was more frightened for Alfred, probably out there alone, he needed his friend to get back safe. Salome, too, was a worry. If she died out there, what would become of Alfred and Newton? He knew that Locke was trying to change, and be… good, but if he found out his daughter had died, and Alfred hadn't saved her, Newton knew for sure that his changed nature would quickly disappear.

"Bet you're glad I kidnapped you now." Locke laughed as he sat down next to Newton, their backs resting against the cold steel of the Cornucopia. "Too soon?" He replied, after receiving a stern glare from the younger boy. "I know you're worried about your friend, I'm worried about my daughter, but they are both strong, they'll be okay." Locke reached his hand out to place on Newton's shoulder, looking shocked and hurt as he flinched away.

Newton stood up, unable to be near Locke, every time he looked at him he saw what he had done, the way he had murdered someone in cold blood to save himself. It made him feel sick, the person Locke had forced him to become.

"Help us!" Figures burst through the tree line, and Newton's heart stopped, thankful for the distraction, yet worried who it would be and what state they would be in. Locke was up on his feet, running alongside Newton as they approached the trio. Florence looked the strongest out of them, practically dragging along an exhausted and burnt Ezra who was cradling Lya, in the worst state of all. Ezra practically threw Lya on Locke, before collapsing himself, Newton springing forward to break his fall.

Florence stood beside him, steadying Ezra, and smiling at Newton. "There's more behind us, you need to go help then, I don't know who they are." Florence explained. Newton nodded pushing his fears away before entering the forest, instantly lit up with flames.

"Hello?" He called out, regretting it instantly as smoke filled his lungs.

"Newton?" Alfred's voice cleared the fogged in the boy's head, and he stumbled forward, desperately searching for his friend. "Help us, Salome passed out, I can't carry her." Newton followed the sound, just able to make out the figure of Alfred, Salome slung over his shoulder. He paused for a second, impressed by Alfred's strength, something he never would have expected, before springing into action, and taking Salome from his arms.

Newton struggled forwards, cradling the girl close to his chest, the flames licking at his ankles and Alfred limped on a few paces in front of them. It was looking okay. They were going to make it out with no problems. Until suddenly, the wind was knocked out of Newton as he fell to the floor, throwing Salome a few meters in front so he didn't land on her. Alfred turned back, rushing as fast as he could to them. He passed Salome, reaching down to hold Newton's hand, and pull him to his feet. But he couldn't. Newton was stuck, pinned beneath a burning tree, the flames working their way across his body, as he screamed out in pain. "Oh God, Alfred is it bad?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"No." Alfred lied, jumping backwards as flames leapt towards him. "We can get you out of this. I just need to get help." He walked around frantically trying to find some way to save Newton. "I'll be back." Alfred picked up Salome, heading once more towards the exit.

Newton knew he was never coming back. The flames had almost over taken the entire forest, it would be impossible for Alfred to reach him again. It was strange how calm Newton felt. He assumed that in the moments before death he would fight, do everything he could to defy it. But no, he felt weirdly content, ready. Newton felt he deserved this for everything he had done. He had lived his life fearing these games, and just when he thought he was out of the woods, he was pulled back, the year after his 18th. At least now that would be over now. Now, he wouldn't have to worry at all.
The first thing Newton had thought about after his name was reaped was suicide, just killing himself so he wouldn't have to face the horrors of the Games. After all, he would die either way, at least with suicide he would have died uncorrupted by this place, he would have died without two murders on his hands. It was almost as if he was vomiting suicide now. He knew if he really put his mind to it he could escape from the tree that was crushing him, probably with all his ribs and his ankle broken, but he could live. What struck Newton clearly now was the fact that he didn't want to live.

"Newton? I can't see you." The fear was so clear in Alfred's voice, and Newton admired the drive and passion his friend had, willing to risk his life.

"Hey, Alfred." Newton shouted, for the first time in his life completely unafraid. "Win for me, yeah? And for God's sake kiss Florence."

Newton closed his eyes just in time to avoid seeing the flames tear away at his torso, burning through his clothes and into his flesh. He bit his lip, trying not to shout out in pain, more excruciating than anything he had ever felt before, but soon failed, cursing and screaming into the wind. No one would ever hear Newton's last words, or see his last breath, everything he shouted was drowned out by the roaring of the fire. When the Capitol would come to collect his body, they would find that there was nothing less, the young boy just a pile of ash. It was almost like Newton had never existed at all.

Jordan

The fire didn't faze Jordan. He practically had this whole place mapped out now, he knew shortcuts, ways to get to places quicker than the other tributes would think possible. Not that he would need any of them now, though. He was as far away from the fire as he could possibly get, back in his mountains, watching as the tributes scattered like ants, all running towards the Cornucopia. If it wasn't for Salome, Jordan would have no problem going down there and slaughtering them all like cattle, in fact, it would be his pleasure, he could safely say he wanted nothing more. This whole thing had lasted longer than Jordan had though, or hoped, it would and the thrill of the Games and the chase were quickly wearing off. He just wanted to go home now, back to the confusing normality he had constructed for himself back in District Twelve.

For a moment though, Jordan felt content with where he was at, like he could relax and have a nap, or sunbath. A good book really wouldn;t have gone a miss now.

The serenity lasted less than a minute, before the floor Jordan had been standing on disappeared, and he soon found himself tumbling down the mountain face, a feeling he knew all too well thanks to the first day of the Games. Falling was becoming a habit of Jordan's and not one he wanted to stick. He reached out, the skin on his hands and fingertips ripped away as he clawed at the harsh rock.
"Of fucking course they've treated me to an earthquake." Jordan swore, as he finally managed to pull himself to safety in the mouth of a cave. He looked back down at the area, the whole place in ruins. The fire in the forest that had started small had engulfed the whole thing, the icy tundra flooded and melted into nothing, and the desert now just a pit of quicksand, the boy watching on as the few trees and plants sunk into the ground. So the Capitol wanted them all together? Jordan was ready to protest, to get into a cave and just wait out the earthquake, they couldn't force him to go anywhere.
As if laughing at Jordan and telling he was wrong, his surroundings shook again, the cave falling down, the boy and rocks thrown downwards once more. The descent was less steep this time, almost pleasant, and Jordan found himself smiling as he slid down to the grassy clearing. His smile faded when he realised the Capitol had won, succeeded in bringing all the tributes together. It was ironic how that had beaten and bruised him when he had tried to unite the tributes in the first few days of their arrival, how the Capitol had shunned him and destroyed what he had been trying to build, and now they were doing exactly what he had tried. Of course, this time instead of trying to get them to start a rebellion, there was probably something more murderous involved. Jordan couldn't help but think it would have saved the Capitol a lot of time and money if they would have just let him keep up with his uniting… they would never have separated in the Games.

Once again, Jordan was struck with the realisation of how easy it would be to kill all of these tributes and win here and now. But somehow, he didn't. Like every other tribute, Jordan was frozen to the spot, too daunted and confused to move, as from the ground of the desert something arose.

"Tributes." Jordan's body jolted into action, snapped out of his trance by the voice in the sky. "Tomorrow you will all face the Labyrinth, a maze constructed to make you face your deepest fears, fears you probably didn't even know you had." Although Jordan would never see this woman's face, he could tell she was smiling, getting enjoyment out of the way the tributes squirmed under the revelation. "Any who survive, will get to go home."

Tributes Graveyard

8th Place: Newton Bowers (D5M)- What a guy. Newton was such a fun character to write, and I loved watching him come out of his shell. Some of my favourite things to write involved Newton's interactions with people, from his chariot ride with Dina to his first discussion with Alfred and the forming of their alliance, it was great to see him really become an important part of the story, it will be sad to see him go, and really weird to write scenes without him :(

Annnd another day is over, and the big Games twist is about to begin! Sorry this chapter is a little shorter than some of the other recent ones- I couldn't really think of any major plot points, it way mainly about getting all the tributes to one place, and I doubt you wanted to read eight long accounts of people running through the forest...

So next chapter we head back to the Capitol and get to see how Mox is dealing with the news of Clem's death, and how seeing him in the Games affected her, which is something I'm very excited to write!

Hope you are all well and enjoying this story so far,

Until next time,

Alice xxx