Christobal Chanel- District Eight male (16)
Denton shrieked when I grabbed his hand and yanked him toward the alley between a liquor store and a pharmacy. He scrabbled at my grip and tried to break free as I pulled him, feeling guilty but knowing it was to keep him alive. When he kept struggling I desperately picked him up and threw him over my shoulder. I ran, bent over and stumbling, toward the safety of the alley, looking back once and seeing Toddward quickly catching up to us. Just before he reached me I pitched forward when I felt a punch to my back that knocked the wind out of me. It was only as I was getting my hands and knees under me to rise that I put the pieces together. The deafening noise I somehow hadn't processed when it happened. The blow that knocked the wind out of me. Denton's silence. Toddward's screamed expletive as I was falling. Todd reached me and yanked me to my feet. We ran into the alley, neither of us able to look back.
Denton Paine- District Twelve male (12)
Christobal's hand was clamped on my arm like a horrible clammy snake. I hated being touched. Hated hated hated it! And he was pulling and shoving me and everything was screaming and fighting and then a horrible explosion of sound that tore a scream out of me. I shrieked and thrashed at Christobal as he ran with me held over his shoulder. All at once everything was quiet.
Malcolm Royden- District One male (18)
The gun was heavier than I expected. It lay in my hand with portentous purpose and an almost living presence. I lifted it and aimed at Toddward as he fled. I pulled the trigger and the gun seemed to explode in my hand. It jerked upwards so violently it sent pain shooting through my wrist and I was actually stunned for a second, my ears ringing and my entire body jarred. I saw I'd missed Todd entirely and aimed again. Again the bullet flew wild, taking out the window of one of the shops. I shot again while the recoil was still settling and again hit nothing but air. I tried to line up a shot but it was nothing like firing a bow. I aimed center mass on Todd and took the shot. As the sound boomed in my ears I saw Christobal fall forward as blood exploded out of Denton's upper back. I shoved the gun into my belt even though I still had two bullets left. It was clear I wasn't going to do any better at this point than I would with my hands.
Talise Cicero- District Four female (16)
My platform was positioned right at the mouth of the Cornucopia wagon so I could see inside. One side of the wagon was covered in pistols and hunting rifles hung from the wagon fabric on hooks. The other side was piled high with boxes of ammunition. That told me a few things. One, there were no weapons in there but guns. Two, I would have to get into the wagon, grab a gun, line up a shot, figure out any safety catches or firing doohickeys, and probably be out of the fight after maybe two shots as I dealt with recoil that could break my nose. Or I could go it barehanded. But not quite barehanded, since I had a leather belt looped through my pants.
Irina Sokolova- District One female (18)
I sprinted in toward the Cornucopia and reached an angle where I could look inside. Nothing but guns upon guns greeted me. Juniper was already in there and as soon as he saw me he raised his rifle and pulled the trigger. A cloud of powder flew everywhere as he fell back on his butt at the recoil. The bullet went I don't know where as the gunshot deafened me. I doubled back and waved at my allies.
"Just run for it!" I screamed. Our Bloodbath plans were out the window. We'd planned so intricately how we were going to get supplies but there was nothing for us in the Cornucopia except a bullet in the face at such close range even a beginner couldn't miss.
Zara Tovar- District Twelve female (15)
It seemed like all my life people hadn't noticed me. My family had been destitute but no one had ever even seen us, much less helped us. I had no sponsors in the Capitol and most of Nubu's time had been taken up with caring for Denton, even though he'd tried to help me. The only one who noticed me was Tabitha. Tabitha and Talise. Fate, which so often seemed to overlook me, had placed me on the platform right next to hers. It was either me or Deciduous she could have run after and she chose me. Her belt tightened around my neck, scratchy and painful as she sat on my back and wrenched it tighter. I couldn't do anything to escape her. She was a trained killer and I was a half-starved girl.
Lester Browning- District Three male (16)
The smell of gunpowder stank in air thick with smoke. I could hardly see the Cornucopia through the haze of kicked-up dirt and sulfuric smoke. I found Tabitha by the sound of her scream. I'd heard it before but it had always been the dramatic and comical scream of a clown only pretending to be scared by a rubber mouse or something silly. I caught sight of Tabitha as she was running past Denton's body, screaming as she passed it. I followed after her and she shrieked again when I grabbed her wrist. I hated myself for the terror on her face for the first instant when she saw me and didn't yet recognize me. We ran together toward the gap between a blacksmith and a wagon repair shop. I looked behind me and saw Skada running toward us and Irina behind her barely past the platforms. I couldn't see the others and could only hope they could see us.
Elle Phant- District Eight female (17)
I finally understood all those history lessons we had about war. They always talked about such chaos you barely even knew where you were. I had no idea where the Careers were or how close any of them were to me. Everything was pounding terror and explosive gunshots that came out of nowhere and bullets whizzing too fast to see and beyond any ability to predict. A smashing pain cut across my leg and I went down face-first into the dirt, my nose smashing against the ground with an impact that left me dazed. I lay half-conscious on the ground and was only aware of someone approaching by the coolness of their shadow blocking the sun over me. I felt metal press against the back of my head.
Alice Mason- District Two female (18)
Malcolm had neatly demonstrated that we were all likely to be terrible shots with his three unsuccessful attempts. I didn't waste my time. I grabbed a rifle and instead of shooting I started running.
Petra Ridley- District Seven female (15)
I ran past the general store, afraid everyone would go for the nearest shelter or the one most likely to carry useful supplies. Instead I slipped into the barbershop without anyone giving chase. I crouched at the lower edge of the open front window and tried to find Max in all the carnage. I finally spotted him running toward the pharmacy two buildings down from me and clamped my hands over my mouth when I saw Alice running after him. She was carrying a rifle but she hadn't aimed it at him. I couldn't understand why.
Max DeLoria- District Six male (17)
Someone was coming up behind me. I couldn't hear it in all the chaos but some preternatural sense told me clearly. I was about to look behind me when a hammersmash of pain erupted in the rear side of my head. Some time later I was on my side on the ground gasping and unable to focus my eyes. I got a blurry impression of Alice standing over me carrying a rifle like a baseball bat, blood smeared on its butt. She brought it up and time seemed to slow as it arced down toward my head. I saw flashes of what could have been in my life and was surprised that none of them contained my family. They were all just me, living the life I wanted and being the person I wanted to be. Lancia was right, I thought. I did deserve more.
Callum Rosencrans- District Eleven male (18)
Stevie and I ran toward each other, oblivious to the fact that our trajectories kept us closer to the Bloodbath than if we'd both run at each other diagonally. We only saw each other and we crashed into each other so violently I had to grab the seam of Stevie's pants to keep her from falling over. We linked hands and ran toward the liquor store and the row of stores behind us that could hide us, gunshots roaring and ricocheting all around us.
Stevie gasped and lurched forward, almost pulling me down with her. I recoiled at the blood streaking her side.
"No! No! No!" I screamed. I yanked her up, her head rolling at the violent motion, and drew her into my arms. I sprinted toward the liquor store with her in my arms like a murdered bride.
Stevie Pagett- District Eleven female (18)
I was flying through the air. I was floating downward. I was lying on a wooden floor. It felt like I was breathing through a long tube. My chest fluttered and something wrong radiated from a spot on my side.
There was a clinking of glass. Callum appeared at my side holding a bottle. He tore open my shirt and I felt a flash of shame at being exposed to the entire nation. Then pain flashed across me like I'd been sprayed with acid. I gasped and weakly pawed at the air as Callum poured stinging liquid all over me. He wadded up my shirt and pressed it to what I was just then registering was a gaping hole below my ribcage. The stickiness of the floor around me slowly came together in my mind as my own blood.
"You're gonna be okay. I'll bandage you up," Callum said. I tried to say something soothing but I couldn't even raise my head. I had a sudden certainty past anything anyone could ever argue.
"I'm going to die," I said.
"No! You're not!" Callum's voice was high and ragged.
I didn't have much time. I searched my fading thoughts for something to leave with Callum.
"I'm glad you're the last thing I'll see," I whispered, each word like climbing a mountain. I wasn't angry that I was dying. Shock and delirium saw to that. It was the romantic ending we'd wanted, really. I died in my lover's arms.
Good news: Guns in the Cornucopia! Bad news: ONLY guns in the Cornucopia. Slow-loading, mostly single-shot guns with crap accuracy under the best circumstances and far less when shot by people who've never even seen a gun.
24th place: Denton Paine, District Twelve male- Shot by Malcolm
Voting-wise Denton actually shouldn't have died first. Once I knew he had received enough votes to die I killed him first to make it quick. Mal wasn't aiming at him but that's what happens with 1800s rifles shot by a newbie. Denton had a net vote of -2 and most of the voters commented that they were voting for him not out of dislike but just to make it quick. I think we all saw it coming so thanks Pi for sending someone you knew was almost certainly going to die in the Bloodbath. FWIW bullets back then were huge and tended to bounce around inside the body so it was a massive trauma that caused almost immediate death.
23rd place: Zara Tover, District Twelve female- Strangled by Talise with her belt
Zara actually got the worst of the voting. She had 4 death votes and nary a single life vote. I was surprised people came from Zara and must offer my apology because the voters generally said they didn't connect with her. That was my fault. I wasn't able to make readers connect with Zara, though I saw the votes rolling in and tried some last-ditch efforts. Sorry, PrinceofCorinth. I thought Zara was a sympathetic girl with a rough past that wasn't maudlin and a quiet resilience.
22nd place: Elle Phant, District Eight female- Shot by Brock
I was really surprised people came after Elle. I was just confused because like... she's not a threat. Just because someone can pick up a mace doesn't mean they're good at it. Now I feel guilty for giving her a mace, which wasn't in her form. Elle was sent by Silver's IRL friend and I feel extra bad since this was her first ever foray into an SYOT. Sorry, RM. Hope you try again. Things will be different in a non-voting Games. Anyway RIP Elle, whose real name may or may not be Elle Phant.
21st place: Max DeLoria, District Six male- Bludgeoned to death by Alice
Max had a complicated development planned so naturally he was voted to die in the Bloodbath and I couldn't do that. I had to condense it all to fit into one tiny death POV so I did my best. Max came from the kind of childhood that makes it almost impossible to grow up well-adjusted but he was on his way with just one tiny statement from Lancia. Sucks he went out so early but at least he didn't die in a car crash like his submitter was afraid of. Thanks to CarlpopaLOL for our ersatz James Dean who was kind of a rebel WITH a cause since his parents actually WERE terrible.
20th place: Stevie Pagett, District Eleven female- Shock and blood loss from Juniper's gunshot
Even a wild shot can hit sometimes. Stevie was only hit in the side but guns back then tended to cause way more damage because the bullets exploded in the body and stuff like that. Callum did his best but poor Stevie was shredded inside and the human body can only take so much trauma. Stevie really got a bum deal. It's nice she got like a week in the Capitol since that was basically the only good week in her life. Thanks Tracey for a really cool backstory that deserves attention and sorry it went to waste so quickly.
Small Bloodbath again but this time it's not my fault at least. The rest of the Tributes were separated by such a small margin it seemed unfair to kill someone over a split hair. Now that all those dead Tributes freed up more votes we should see bigger margins.
IMPORTANT NOTES I FORGOT TO ADD: Go ahead and send in new votes if yours have changed. If they haven't you can just leave them and I'll know they're the same, but probably some changed since 5 people died and all. And if your Tribute died you still get to vote- otherwise the final 2 would be a tie.