Piper Cullen, 17: District 7 Female
No shirt, no blouse
Just us, you find out
Nothin' that I really wanna tell you about, no
60… 59… 58… 57… 56…
Taking a look at the arena around me, I'm grateful that it's something I'm familiar with. We have a few redwood forests in parts of District 7, but I've only visited them a few times. However, it's nice to be in familiar surroundings. If I can make it out of the bloodbath alive, I'll have a huge advantage in this arena.
55… 54… 53… 52… 51…
To my right is Azo, the girl from District 8, but to my left is Alto from 2. I search the perimeter for Alice, but I can't see her. She would be my only source of protection. That is, if she actually has any intentions of doing so, which I doubt. I'm practically going at this alone, and the Career to the left of me is my first challenge.
50… 49… 48… 47… 46…
If I can get to the Cornucopia quickly, I can avoid any confrontation. I'll get in, get what I need, and get out. I might even be able to ditch Alice in the process, which would probably actually help me more than hurt me in the long run.
45… 44… 43… 42… 41…
Going at this alone might not be a bad idea. Alice will probably try to kill me the first chance she gets, so it would be best if I put as much distance as I can between myself and her. And if she doesn't kill me, Alice's defiance will probably get us both killed.
40… 39… 38… 37… 36…
I scan the Cornucopia for supplies, hoping to find something of use that I can grab quickly. My eyes land on a stuffed backpack leaning against the Cornucopia's side wall. It's pretty close to the mouth, but if I can get to it quick enough, I'll be fine.
35… 34… 33… 32… 31…
Alto Keenwood, 17: District 2 Male
Standing on the cliff face
Highest fall you'll ever grace
It scares me half to death
30… 29… 28… 27… 26…
I was really hoping for a better pedestal position. Being between the boys from 5 and 10 would've been ideal so I could kill them both quick, but I guess I'll have to make do with the girl from 7 and the boy from 11. They might put up a fight, but they'll still both be easy kills.
25… 24… 23... 22… 21…
The closest Career to me is Cyrus who is old two pedestals away from me. He's eyeing the mouth of the Cornucopia, probably looking for a weapon. Luckily for me, knives are plentiful, so there's no need to look. I'll probably run past at least ten on the way to the Cornucopia.
20.. 19… 18… 17… 16…
The adrenaline is coursing through my veins as the clock counts down. I've stepped close to the edge of my pedestal, ready to launch off. I take another look around at the pathetic scared faces of the outer district tributes. They know they stand no chance against me and the other Careers.
15… 14… 13… 12… 11…
Most of the other tributes also look ready to run, focusing on different spots around the Cornucopia. Most of them aren't going to go for the mouth, but there will be a few who are dumb enough to try to get the good stuff inside the Cornucopia. Those kids will be the first to be cut down.
10… 9… 8… 7… 6…
I shift my focus back to the Cornucopia. Waiting eagerly for the countdown to reach zero so I can finally get my first actual kill. This is what I've been training my whole life for, and it's finally about to happen.
5… 4… 3… 2… 1
Jason Lager, 18: District 4 Male
Stay on my craft
And stick around for those pounds
But I do that to pass the torch
And put on for my town
As soon as the gong rings, I leap off of my pedestal, making a dash right for the mouth of the Cornucopia. I notice some of the other tributes pulling ahead of me, but I'm not worried about them. They'll be taken care of in due time. I stop right in front of mouth of the silver horn, pulling out a spear that's been stuck into the ground. I turn around quickly, noticing the girl from District 5 about to run past. I thrush my spear in her general direction. She tries to stop, but her momentum keeps carrying her forward. She runs herself right onto my spear, the blade impaling her in the chest. Her eyes go wide before she drops to the ground, dead. I yank the spear out of her corpse, blood from her wound staining the grass around her body a deep red.
I round the Cornucopia's wall just in time to see Alto tackle the boy from 3 to the grass. He lets out a yelp as his head hits the ground. He tries to turn on his stomach and scramble away, but Alto has him pinned down. He takes out a knife that he must've put in his back pocket on the way to the Cornucopia. The boy from 3 notices the knife and starts panicking even more. He tries to swing at Alto's face, but he can't connect. Alto takes a slash at the boy's neck, spraying blood all over his and the boy's faces. I watch as the life drains out of the boy's eyes. Alto looks up, his eyes meeting mine.
"You got someone?" he asks, pointing to my spear. I look down at it, remembering the blood on the blade.
"Yeah, the girl from 5," I say. "Where are the others?"
"Don't know," Alto says. "I kinda focused on this kid."
Alto looks down at the boy from 3's dead body still pinned under him. He finally gets up and leaves the 3 boy's corpse. He runs off, most likely in search of other tributes to kill. I keep making my way around the Cornucopia. I want to lay my eyes on each of the other Careers. There are some dangerous outer district tributes this year, so I want to keep tabs on everyone.
I make my way to the back of the Cornucopia, running past multiple fights and struggles. I see Annese wrestling with the girl from 11, but it looks like she's holding her own. When I get to the back of the Cornucopia, I see Cyrus fighting with the girl from 7. She swings her axe at his head, but Cyrus blocks it with his sword. He kicks the girl in the stomach, causing her to keel over. Cyrus knees her in the face, causing her to stumble backwards. She clutches her nose, blood seeping through her fingers. Cyrus takes advantage of her vulnerability, swinging his sword and slashing through her abdomen. The girl from 7 drops to the floor, blood spilling out of the large, gaping wound left by Cyrus' sword.
Cannoli Cartwright, 13: District 9 Male
Fine, electrify mine
Electrify my golden tooth
Can't look at those eyes
Without sparking some
I run past the dead bodies of tributes with a backpack slung on my shoulder, making my way to Eris, who is standing just behind the perimeter of pedestals. She's waiting for me with a blank expression on her face, seemingly unphased by the chaos transpiring just yards away. When I finally get to Eris, I grab onto her arm, trying to take her along with me. She doesn't budge.
"C'mon, let's go!" I say. Eris completely ignores the urgency in my voice. She just stares at me, expression still blank.
"What are you waiting for?" I ask.
"I only see one bag," Eris says.
"So what? This is all I could get," I say. "We have to go now!"
"Go get another bag," she says.
"What? Are you fucking crazy?" I ask. "I'm not going back."
"Go get another bag," she repeats.
"No," I say.
"I'll go with you," Eris says.
"Fine," I relent. "Let's just get in and get out before we get killed."
I turn back around and start running back to the Cornucopia. I check back to see if Eris is following me. She is trailing close behind when she suddenly stops in her tracks.
"Eris, what are you do— "
I'm cut off by a sharp pain in my stomach. I look down to see what is causing the pain, eyes meeting a trident stuck into my midsection. I look up, staring into the eyes of the District 4 girl, who has a blank expression just like Eris. I drop down to my knees as the girl from 4 pulls her trident away, then fall flat on my back. The pain is like nothing I've felt before. I turn over onto my stomach in an attempt to stop the bleeding, but the damage has been done. I feel lightheaded and my vision is going spotty. Use the last of my energy to look up and watch Eris making her escape. She's about three quarters of the way to the pedestals, but I see the boy from District 2 chasing her down. He reaches out and grabs her hood, violently pulling her back and down to the ground. The last thing I see before my vision goes black is the District 2 boy plunging his knife into Eris' chest.
Kaven Brock, 15: District 10 Male
Nah, I didn't understand a thing you said
If I didn't know better I'd guess I'd already be dead
Mindless zombies walkin' around with a limp and a hunch
Sayin' stuff like, you only live once
I've gotten a pretty decent haul from the Cornucopia, securing a backpack and a knife. I'm ready to go, but I have to find my allies. I circle the Cornucopia from a distance, scanning for any sign of Callum, Kaliah, or Avena. I don't see any of them as I make my way around the metallic horn until a flash of orange catches my eye. I slow down to get a better view of what's going on, and I see the girl from 6 on top of Kaliah.
"Kaliah!" I yell as I sprint to where she and the girl from District 6 are fighting. When I reach them, I try to pull the girl off of Kaliah, but she must have heard me coming. She turns around and lands a punch right on my jaw. Everything momentarily goes black.
I open my eyes to Callum and Avena hovering over me. I quickly sit back up, causing Avena and Callum to jump back. They help me back to my feet.
"Kaven, are you okay?" Avena asks.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I say. "But what about Kaliah?"
"She's still fighting with the girl from 6," Callum says. "But she told us to check on you."
I look back over to where Kaliah and the District 6 girl are scrapping. To my surprise, Kaliah has the upper hand. She lands a blow right on the side of the girl's face, sending a tooth flying out of her mouth. Kaliah goes for another punch, but as she raises her hand, I catch a glimpse of something shiny in the District 6 girl's hand. Before I even know what it is, the girl takes a jab at Kaliah's neck. Her hand drops back down, then she falls down on her side. That's when I notice the handle of a dagger sticking out of her neck.
"Kaliah!" I scream out again, try to run to her, but Callum holds me back.
"Let me go!" I yell, trying to pull away.
"I'm not letting you die too, Kaven," Callum grunts. The girl from 6 pulls the dagger out of Kaliah's neck. Blood squirts out of the hole left by the blade. The girl gets up off the ground and runs away to the District 11 pair that's waiting behind the pedestals. I watch helplessly as they disappear into the forest.
"You should've let me fight her," I say. "I have a knife. I could've killed her."
"Kaven, we have to go," Callum says.
"I could've saved Kaliah," I snap back.
"Kaven, we need to— "
Avena stops midsentence and looks at us with a face of shock. She clutches her side. Looking down, I see a bloodstain spreading across the right side of her torso.
Tomaz Wellflower, 12: District 5 Male
Hold the phone
The lonely stoner, Mr. Solo Dolo
He's on the move can't seem to shake the shade
Within his dreams he sees the life he made, made
Tyler and I are running away from the Cornucopia with a great amount of supplies and weapons. We have two backpacks, a hatchet, and a set of throwing knives between us. Isaak and Azo are waiting for us in front of the tree line. Isaak was able to pick up a sword and Azo has another backpack. Their forms get closer and closer as we get further away from the Cornucopia. We're only a couple yards away from the pedestals when all of a sudden—
"Tomaz, watch out!" Isaak yells. I turn around only to be knocked to the ground by the boy from District 2. He stands over me with a huge grin on his face.
"I'm finally gonna get back at you, you little shit," he says.
"What the fuck are you talking about?" I say.
"You know what you did in training," he says. "You— "
Thinking quickly, I lift my leg up, kicking the boy from 2 right between the legs. He doubles over in pain, falling to the ground with his hands on his groin area. I use this opening to run to Isaak and Azo with Tyler in tow.
"Let's go," I say as I pass by Isaak and Azo. The follow close behind me and Tyler as we make our way through this forest of giant trees. I don't know how long we're running for, but we don't stop until we feel like we've put enough distance between us and the Cornucopia.
"This seems like a good place to stop," Isaak says. "Let's see what's in these bags."
Azo opens up her bag first. In it is a few granola bars, dried fruit, a knife, and some medical supplies. Tyler goes next. His backpack holds two water bottles, one full and one empty, some purification tablets, a small blanket, and some beef jerky. I open my bag last, revealing some matches, another empty bottle, a knife, and some saltine crackers.
"We've got a decent amount of loot," Azo says. "This should last us a pretty long time."
"Yeah," Tyler says. "We should be good for at least a few days."
"Tomaz," Isaak says. "I hope you know you're lucky that you— "
BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
Welp, that was it. The bloodbath is over. I killed some tributes and stuff like that. I had a lot of fun writing these action scenes and I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter.
Eulogies (if you skipped down to this part, shame on you):
24th: Alice Seville, stabbed with spear by Jason-Alice had a lot of issues. Mainly daddy issues. It was a pleasure to explore her backstory and how it shaped her personality, even if it made her a total bitch. I wish I could've taken her further, but I just didn't know where she would fit in the grand scheme of things. That's just how things happen sometimes. Thank you Audmirable for your submission.
23rd: Elecc Linux, throat slit with knife by Alto-I really enjoyed writing him as well. He was a great look at how someone could be smart in unconventional ways. He was reasonably scared, probably the most scared out of all the tributes. He and Arti also had some great interactions in the pre-Games, which gave me an opportunity to expand on both of their personalities. By Games time, I knew one of them had to go in the bloodbath, and it made the most sense for it to be Elecc. Thank you Nautics for your submission.
22nd: Piper Cullen slashed with sword by Cyrus-Piper was another character whose backstory and personality I had fun exploring. She wanted to protect her dad at all costs, even if he didn't necessarily need it. She was so caught up in trying to get back to her father that she made some questionable choices along the way. But in the end, Piper fell victim to me not being able to find where she fit in the puzzle. Thank you Semperfi91 for your submission.
21st: Cannoli Cartwright stabbed with trident by Cece-Cannoli was an interesting change of pace from the regular SYOT submission. In a world of people trying their hardest to survive, Cannoli was complacent, which irked some of the people around him. Towards the end, he wanted to change that and be of some sort of use. However, his choice of who to be useful to ended up killing him. Thank you IIJamesII for your submission.
20th: Eris Kalking, stabbed with knife by Alto-I honestly don't know where to start with Eris. She was a bitter little girl at the start, and that bitterness never really left her. She seemed so indifferent to everything going on around her, but it was all in an attempt to protect herself. However, she was a little selfish, which is what did her in. She almost successfully manipulated Cannoli into getting her what she wanted, but he failed. By the time she decided to turn back, it was too late. Thank you A Proud Bibliophile for your submission.
19th: Kaliah McFulton, stabbed with dagger by North-This one probably hurt me the most. Kaliah was a joy to write. She was bold and brash while still somehow being a warm and welcoming presence. She played a key role in Kaven's turnaround, showing him how just being a little nice to people goes a long way. Her death and allies' subsequent reactions really made me feel some type of way. Thank you hollowman96 for your submission.
18th: Avena Mayes, gutted with kaginawa by Ancatha-I'm not gonna lie. I never really knew what I was going to do with Avena. In a group of big personalities and backstories, Avena was kind of just... there. She was always sweet and caring, but I just couldn't find where she would fit in the bigger picture, which is the main reason she went out here. Thank you nervenom for your submission.
Questions:
Whose death was the most satisfying?
Whose death was the saddest?
Whose death was the most surprising?
KILL COUNT:
Alto-2
Cyrus-1
Ancatha-1
Jason-1
Cece-1
North-1
Alliances:
Careers-Cyrus, Annese, Alto, Ancatha, Jason, Cece
Team Wholesome-Tomaz, Tyler, Isaak, Azo
Bad Bitch Party +1-North, Niobe, André
Lesson Learned-Kaven, Callum
Loners-Arti, Taj
If your tribute died here, please don't be upset. I have a story to tell here, and they were and still are a part of that story.
The next chapter will be the aftermath of the bloodbath!
Until next time,
Ty