Thirty – The Snare
The Sickle – Division Three (10.3)
For the mid-to-late afternoon, the rain suddenly stops pouring and the sun returns to its skin burning potential. We had nothing else to do until then so we uncovered around four more explosives which I then deactivate. We stopped the work when we were getting too tired and perspiring profusely.
"So what do we do with these now?" asks Ryno. "You said you could change them into bombs?"
"Yeah, but these detonate by an electrical charge." I explain. "I have to figure out a way to create a current or devise another way that the explosive material could be detonated."
"Yes, I definitely understood all of that." Ryno says unconvincingly. "Should I go get more water now that it isn't raining? I'll find the trenches with clean water."
This is an opportunity for Ryno to prove a lot of worth with himself, but I honestly don't feel okay with Ryno going out alone. I'm worried about him, especially if he has to travel far to find an available aqueduct.
"I think we have enough water for tonight." I say. "We could both go together tomorrow for water."
"Oh, alright."
I reattach the covers of two explosives by securing it with some of my rope, and I bring them with us back to our little settlement near the centre of the building. We both sit and eat more of our dried fruit and reorganise all the food that we have left. I still have my beef strips, and apple that must have been genetically modified because it still has not gone bad, and many packs of crackers, but not much otherwise.
"We might have to hunt for food soon." says Ryno. "I hate this arena with the fact that there isn't a lot of food. At least the water's generous."
I'm about to agree when a small parachute floats in from one of the smaller windows and lands a distance from us with a thump. A sponsor gift! It's the first I've seen in these Games so it surprises me. They must be starting to come in. Day Six, so audience entertainment must be at it's highest now. People are hooked.
Ryno and I immediately drop our fruit packets and shuffle to the parachute.
"For you or for me?" asks Ryno.
"Let's find out." I answer.
Ryno finds the item inside the parachute and I can see him holding a small glass vial filled with green liquid.
"Is that it?" I ask, curious. "What is it? It doesn't look like sleep syrup."
Ryno turns to me with an expression that looks annoyed. "I think it's to relieve gas."
"I know it's for you to take it, but is this really meant for me or for you?" I remark.
"Very funny." says Ryno. "So do I just drink the thing?"
"Leave a bit for me." I request. "I want to know how it tastes."
Ryno holds the bottle out to various holes around the room.
"Thank you, Marian. Thank you, sponsors." says Ryno. "This is much appreciated."
"Same here!" I joke. Showmanship right now has never been more important.
Ryno uncaps the vial. "Cheers!" And he takes a big gulp from the bottle, finishing it off.
He shivers. "Blargh." he comments. "Tastes minty."
Fingers crossed it works.
We both prepare for the night and wait out for the anthem to find out today's fatality. On a strategic level, whoever dies doesn't affect me as much. I have left the Careers, and I'm not close with anybody who is left except Ryno, and I'm pretty sure he's alive and well.
The anthem begins.
"Ugh, I hate this song." says Ryno.
And the face that appears is the young boy from District 11. I never knew him that well, but Ryno seems to have.
"Aw no, Manu." he groans.
"Manu?"
"He's really nice and so pure." says Ryno. I remember the boy snapping his fingers and looking so innocent in training. "These sort of people keep dying and it sucks."
"I agree." I add. "It's terrible."
We vent our frustrations until the anthem ends and our voices would be broadcast to the Capitol.
I wonder how the boy died. Ryno seems to have no idea because he hasn't seen a single tribute since the Careers and I entered his building. The possibilities are massive here. The Careers attacked him? Starvation? Drank poisoned water? Got crushed from an exploded building? Some mutt that has been introduced? Other than the bloodbath, I notice he is the first death which I don't know the cause of at all.
I see Ryno visibly upset and contemplating, and I can tell it's not just about Manu, the boy from District 11, but the Games as a whole.
"I hate it." He slams the windows shut. We're more alike than I thought. We despise the Capitol and their antics, but he's much more expressive. "I seem to be the only person who shares my sentiment back in District 9. Everybody else just seems to accept this madness."
I want to quieten him down because the audience can hear, but he is in a mood right now.
And it sounds like his district is not as rebellious as ours. I think they have less room to be rebellious. Ryno is outspoken, which I admire because I would be too afraid of anything.
I leave him to calm down and head into the sleeping bag first. He follows shortly after, seeming to be in a better mood.
"Are you alright?" I ask.
"Fine and dandy." he says.
Over the past few days, I feel like I have learned so much about Ryno without me even asking. I'm glad. Even with all his unpleasantness, I have become so comfortable with him. I'm glad to have met a better side of him that I have gotten close to.
"No more stinking us up?"
"No." He promises. "I'm better now."
"Good, because it's my turn." I joke.
"Oh, no!" yells Ryno.
Of course I won't do it. I'm still too shy and nice for that, mostly shy. "Hey, now you know how I feel!" I say.
Ryno laughs. "Damn, Henry. You know, I've always liked you, man."
"What?"
"You're nice." he says. "You're super caring. And you're funny. It's amazing. You're an amazing person."
I feel guilty that I didn't feel the same about him at first. And I feel guilty that I haven't told him everything about my time in the Games yet. I have the urge to tell him about the Careers now. I've always had it, but I feel like now is the right time for him to know, because he might not trust me as much if it's too late.
But he hates the Careers with a passion. He thinks that I hate them too and I have not been in contact with them. He might react badly. He might kick me out.
But we are close allies now. I need to be honest to feel completely comfortable with him.
"Thank you." I say. I reach for the night-vision glasses to prepare myself to grab my supplies and leave if he reacts unfavourably in any way. "Ryno, I have something to say. Please don't be mad at me."
Ryno scoffs. "What's there to be mad about? If you say you don't like me, I'll be hurt, but that's fine."
"No, I like you. You're amazing." I say. "But I haven't been completely honest with you."
"Oh?"
I take a deep breath and brace myself. "I was actually part of the Career pack before I met you."
"You what?" he asks.
"They forced me to be with them!" I exclaim. "But I've made the effort to leave them, I swear."
"Henry, what the fuck?" shouts Ryno. My heart rate goes up. Oh no. He is not okay. "The Careers? Are you a traitor? I trusted you, man! And now I'm going to have to kill you-"
I slide out of the sleeping bag before he could grab me, and I sprint off to the front door with my supplies.
I can hear Ryno's laugh. Wait, he's laughing?
"Wait, where are you going? No, no, I didn't mean it. Come back here."
Fuck, damn it. I fell for his tricks again. I should have known.
I cautiously walk back. He hasn't even moved from the sleeping bag.
"So you aren't angry at me?" I ask.
"You think I'd be angry at you for being honest?" questions Ryno. He puts the glasses on. "I just wanted to hear you shit your pants again. Come back here and explain everything. I don't ever think you'd be with the Careers on your own accord."
I slide back in the sleeping bag and tell him everything, from how they found me on the second day, how we killed the girl from District 12, the stash of supplies I've helped them find, and how I escaped from them. I add more details from the cornucopia, how I saw Abel and Guano get killed and why I have the rip in my shirt.
"Crap, so they were using you for your smarts, but you were even smarter." figures Ryno. "Oh my, you're a genius! You've outwitted the Careers and their traps. Respect! And escaping from them when you were the only one who knew how to get to the supplies is just the icing on the cake. They don't have much anymore!"
"Let's hope they don't figure it out." I say.
"You were right to leave and not to trust them. They would have killed you. And you're with me now which I'm so grateful for. You stole their stuff, which is hilarious! And I can't believe you were the one who caused the boy from District 2 to die! What was his name, Vagina?"
"Actually, it was the boy from District 5 who killed him, remember?" I correct him. "He kept both of them in the building which collapsed."
"He was with us too." says Ryno. "His death wasn't in vain."
"It wasn't." I agree. "Thank you for not being actually mad."
"You kidding?" he says. "I needed to know this stuff. You actually had a really busy Games. And to think I couldn't love you any more."
I smile. Ryno and I are on a whole other level of trust right now. I have said everything I needed to tell him. We have become so strong. Stronger than most same-district alliances, even. I would have never predicted us.
"I think the two of us can make it to the end." says Ryno. "You think we can be the last two?"
"Yes." I say honestly. I actually believe it. "We're so strong." But my mood drops. "But we can't both win."
"I'd get you to win." says Ryno. "You'd deserve it. District 3 hasn't won in years. Your district needs you."
"I don't think it'll be that easy." I say. "You deserve it, too. You haven't won in how many years?"
"Seventeen."
"Seventeen years." I repeat. "Every district has won after District 9's last victor."
"But your family needs you too, more than mine." says Ryno. With that, I let out a few tears, the first since Radia died. "Oh, are you crying?"
"Yeah, I'm sorry. I just-" I wipe my eyes. "This talk of us winning and my family-"
The thought of Ryno and I bringing pride to our districts and to our families. Seeing my mother, Denary, and Algo again, faces all happy. I'm closer to that than ever before. Sadly, it can't be both of us experiencing that.
"Hey, I know you like hugs." says Ryno, and he encases me with his whole body, and he puts an arm around me.
I feel something, more than just comfort.
"Thanks, I just wish both of us could win, man." I say, and we both doze off. I just hope none of us have to make the choice if we get there, but I do hope we get there. I have lost Radia and Magnus. I don't want to lose Ryno, too.
Day Seven. We wake up to almost a week in the arena. We feel the effects. My bones are more protruded. Ryno has lost some muscle. I'm feeling weaker and weaker by the day. Ryno loses his mind sometimes. My pack feels so much more heavier. Ryno needs to poop.
Wait, Ryno needs to poop?
"I think what I drank last night was a laxative instead." Ryno says, wide-eyed.
I freeze. "Umm..."
"Shit! Shit, shit, shit." Ryno thrashes himself out of the sleeping bag. "Literal shit shit shit." He staggers off to the nearest window and vaults himself outside. I hear his foot slam on the window and his resultant scream of pain.
I follow slowly in concern, and I hear him from behind the back of the building. I should not get into the gross details of it but it includes him moaning in discomfort.
"Are you okay?" I ask.
"No, I think I drank too much of the thing." says Ryno. "It hurts so bad. I'm so sorry. You should go. I'm so embarrassed."
I cover my nose. "You know they won't show this." I assure him.
"I know but," grunts Ryno. "Shit, I can't even make a joke right now. But you've heard me... and I'm actually poop shy."
I feel terribly sorry. Not only is he in great pain right now, but he is humiliated by me. I need to make him feel better but I don't know how.
"I think you will be less embarrassed if I tell you that I did what you're doing now back in another building." I say, struggling to find what "Now I think, maybe we should call this the Poop Games instead-"
"Later." he grunts.
"You're right." I go back inside.
I nibble on some crackers and Ryno eventually returns with a slow limp, jacket in hand. "Don't ask about the jacket."
I nod. "Are you okay? You're missing your smile."
Ryno grins weakly. "I'm okay. I just hit my toe as I was jumping."
But I know he is very tired and sluggish. So much energy was taken from him just this morning. Ryno slumps down. I feed immediately feed him more food and water than usual. He refuses some of it.
"But you're dehydrated and you lost so much energy." I explain. "You also need the energy for when we look for water later in the day. We're running out."
"Alright. Thanks, dude." he says weakly. I check his forehead.
"You're hot."
"Thanks, man." he responds.
"No, I think you might be gaining a fever." I say.
"Outside of my stomach and my toe, I feel fine, though." he claims. "I think it's just because it's hot."
"Just being cautious." I say. "Don't want you to deteriorate."
While he rests, I collect the wire and I reorganise our three packs with his suggestion to distribute the tools, food, and water evenly in case we lose one of the packs. We'd still have enough of the essentials. I also pack all five of the inactive explosives in separate packs, in case I can reactivate them to suit our purpose.
I notice my breath isn't smelling too well. I hate talking without having my teeth cleaned, so I get some makeshift floss by splitting some of the string thin enough with the knife. It works, and I use some of the fibres to clean the surface of my teeth as well. Ryno requests some of the floss as well.
"So, Henry boy." he says, seeming a bit better, which I'm relieved for. "Do you have a girlfriend?"
"No, nothing." I answer. "I can't even make that many friends, let alone a girlfriend."
"So you're telling me nobody has ever asked you out or anything?" asks Ryno. "Impossible!"
"No, I understand them." I say. "The closest I've come to a girlfriend was my district partner, but she was taken."
"Oof."
"Even then, we were just really close friends." I continue. "I've never felt that way about anybody for some reason."
"Too busy to be thinking about love?" grins Ryno.
I shake my head. "I'm just weird. Even my sister has a boyfriend. How about you?" I elbow him. "You got a girlfriend?"
"No. Me neither." he says. I'm surprised. He could rival a lot of boys in looks.
"Is it because of your nasty farts?" I ask.
He pushes me. "No, I actually do feel the same way, about not really feeling that way." he admits. "I mean, I feel it, but not enough. Maybe if we had less stresses in our life about work and the Games."
"I see." I say. "Have you ever been asked out yourself?"
"I turned them down." he says. "I don't feel like I can offer everything that they want."
I don't know what advice to give. I'm not knowledgeable in this area surrounding love. I just hear him out.
When we think it's around noon, we eat a few more crackers and leave only one skin of water left. Ryno fortunately feels well enough to go out for water, but not enough to carry the packs. I let him use my jacket to shade himself from the sun.
I haven't been outside in two days, so when we do leave, I have to squint at the brightness. The gravel has already dried up from yesterday's rain. There isn't anybody around, as usual. When we walk to the Southern Straightaway aqueduct in front of us, the water level has risen, but it's completely murky just like the aqueduct in the second row.
"It's poisoned." I tell Ryno. "We have to find another aqueduct."
Luckily we do find an aqueduct at a junction next to us that has clean water. But Ryno immediately uses it to wash his dirty jacket, and the water turns a little less transparent.
"We're supposed to get the water first." I tell him, a bit too late. "Crap."
"It's only a little bit." Ryno says, trying to salvage the water. "We can purify it."
"I'm not drinking that even with iodine." I persist. The aqueduct is a little small, too, so the concentration of his contamination would be a little large.
"You're right." Ryno sighs. He proceeds to wash the jacket in its entirety. "I'm stupid. Let's go look for another one."
We arrive at the Southern Straightaway, empty once again. I feel safe having Ryno by my side now, though.
"Can we go visit the trees?" asks Ryno. "There'll be shade."
I'm a bit reluctant because I haven't yet been to the South Garden, and I haven't seen half of the other tributes, so if they're anywhere, they have to be there. I'm not even afraid of confronting them. I'm more afraid of having less time with only Ryno, if we join up with somebody else.
Also, Ryno isn't at his best, so working his way around the tributes might expend more of his energy than it would to me. But he wants to go there. Unlike the North Garden, there didn't seem to be any aqueducts going south, but with the lack of available aqueducts, there surely has to be one around there as well.
"Fine." I say. "We have to be slow, though." Ryno nods, and we warily walk past the two rows of buildings and through a gateway into the South Garden.
We walk along the outskirts of the Garden, and I guide Ryno not to walk too close to the force field, but he learns to see it by himself soon enough. It's a lot larger than the North Garden, mostly because of the lack of the West and East Walls flanking the North Garden. Only force fields enclose the area. It also means there's no puzzle in this area.
There is a lot of shade, however, and it's as closest to the actual arena we expected as we can get. There's adequate cover. I wouldn't be fazed too much to camp out here like I did in the North Garden. Knowing the Careers don't really touch this land makes it feel a lot safer. I can tell Ryno likes the place, too. He enjoys the smell of the eucalyptus leaves, and got excited by the sight of a rabbit in the distance.
But there's also a lot of evidence we find of tributes that have actually been around here. A berry vine is half-picked. Part of a katniss plant with its pointed leaves has been uprooted for its nutritious tubers. We find tracker jackers again and swerve away.
Finally, we find a source of water, an oxbow lake that is right near the edge of the arena. It doesn't touch the force field as it's not carrying an electric current, but it's very close. The small, narrow lake appears to form most of the lower edge of the arena. Anybody who approaches the bank can be seen by another person at any part of the bank.
For this, we approach the lake warily and quietly. While I fill the bottles, Ryno keeps watch. Fortunately, we don't see anybody. Task complete.
We cut through near the centre of the Garden now, still on our toes.
Ryno suspiciously stops mid-step. "Henry, wait." he whispers.
I stop. Ryno slowly points to the trunk of a tree in our path ahead. "You see it?"
I have to look a lot longer to see what he means, and there, against a tree, is a sufficiently camouflaged structure that could be missed by anybody not looking too closely.
"There somebody in it?" asks Ryno. "We can take it for our shelter."
"Let's avoid it." I say. "I don't want to confront anybody right now."
We make a small detour around the shelter. I look at the ground where we walk, making sure not to leave any tracks. It's easy not to since there's so many leaves and branches that have fallen and the ground is dry and compact.
In front of us is a small collection of twigs near a tree, and they look kind of odd. Walking closer, I realise why. There are vines and strings attached, and a twig is dug down in the ground for the reason that a trap is meant to work.
I stop. "Ryno, look out!"
But it's too late. He fails to stop in time and his foot tangles itself in the vines, activating the trap and sending him in the air and upside-down.
/yax8apob
Next: 31 - The Muttations; The Coalition Division One (11.1)
