Jay Terrin's POV (D12M, 15)
I have to cover my eyes as I come up onto my podium, the sudden light temporarily blinding me. As I open my eyes fully again, I take in my surroundings with a confused glance.
It's mostly normal, there are hills on one side of the Cornucopia and a lush forest on the other. Grass covers the area as far as I can see.
The weird thing? The grass and leaves of the trees are... pink, instead of green.
When I stare really hard at it, I realize the Cornucopia itself has a slight pink tint. It's like rose gold, I muse.
When the countdown starts, I'm brought back to reality. Oh god, oh god, oh god, I'm literally about to die. PLEASE let me at least survive the Bloodbath...
60...59...58...57..56...55...
I feel something tickle my nose, and I let out a light sneeze. Rubbing my nose, I look around in confusion.
Oh.
Oh God.
Pollen.
I can not believe I didn't think there could potentially be pollen in the Arena— one of my worst allergies. Some bees are buzzing around the flowers surrounding me, and pollen fills the air. My chest starts to get heavy and it's suddenly gotten harder to breathe...
54...53...52...51...
I try and suppress another sneeze, but it comes out as a closed-mouth sneeze that makes my throat sore anyways.
50...49...48...47...46...45...
Before I realize what's going on, I let out a violent sneeze and fall back to the edge of my podium. Trembling, I stand back up.
44...43...42...41...40...39...
As I sneeze again, I barely have time to register what's happening to me.
I'm...
Falling backwards.
Oh god. Oh god, I'm falling backwards. OH MY GOD, I'M FALLING BACKWARDS. NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, I CAN'T DIE LIKE THIS!
And then, in that split second, I realize it was never meant to be. Jay Terrin, the Victor of the 150th Hunger Games? Laughable. I never even had a sliver of a chance. But even still, I never expected this to be my downfall.
I let out a terrified scream with tears filling my eyes as I fall back-first to the grass. As I look at the heads snapping towards me, I have one last thought.
No, I won't be remembered as the Victor. I'll be remembered as the boy who sneezed and fell into the mines before the Games even started.
38.
Asher Havenrock's POV (D8M, 17)
BOOM.
I watch in horror as the boy next to me falls off of his podium and screams, being obliterated into bits. I let out my own shrieks as I realized I'm covered in his blood.
"GET IT OFF! HOLY SHIT, GET IT OFF!" I scream, desperately trying to wipe the blood off of my clothes. The boy from Nine, who was on the other side of the kid who fell, screams as well, looking like he's about to burst into tears.
Most of the Careers just scoff and look away. The Twelve year olds are visibly shaking and Aster has started sobbing in fear.
37...36...35...34...33...32...31...
With only half a minute left, I stop my futile attempt at cleaning my clothes and start trying to pull myself together.
Beau Peterson's POV (D1M, 18)
"Jesus Christ," I mumble. "That's rough." I shoot the destroyed boy from Twelve a disgusted glance.
The girl next to me, the girl from Nine, shoots me a scorching glare. I just take on a slight frown and turn my gaze to the Cornucopia.
30...29...28...27...26...25...
I scan the tributes nearest to me. I spot the boy from Three two podiums away from me and the girl from Twelve next to him. Her gaze betrays nothing, but I notice she's making an effort to look away from her District partner's body.
24...23...22...21...20...
I crack my knuckles, eyeing the supplies that's visible to me in the Cornucopia.
It's time to show the other Careers what I can really do.
Sparks Ashlock's POV (D3F, 17)
For the last twenty seconds of the countdown, I clench my fists and crouch down. When it hits ten, I let my legs fold out a bit more, stretching one out behind me and place one hand gingerly over the very edge of my podium. I have to be careful; I don't want to end up like the boy from Twelve.
Just as the countdown is about to reach 0, I launch off of my platform. As the gong goes, chaos ensues.
I only focus on myself, sprinting through the bloodbath to reach the Cornucopia. I don't bother taking time to look around before I head straight to the heart of it all and grab two knives.
Whipping around, I come face-to-face with the pair from Ten. They're both brandishing spears they had taken while I was distracted.
As we're preparing to strike at each other, a Career comes bursting in, looking furious. He leaps at the nearest tribute— which seems to be the boy from Ten. He tries strangling him, but both tributes put up a valiant fight, each stabbing at him with their spears.
Finally giving up with multiple wounds, the Career turns tail and flees.
I know I only have a few more seconds before the other Careers arrive, so I stab one of the tributes from Ten in the arm and book it. I'm not deaf to their shriek of pain but I suck in a sharp breath and start sprinting, trying to ignore the awful sound.
I run as fast as I can away from the bloodbath, and I'm graced with luck as I escape without being interrupted. I take a glance behind my shoulder and see a body being thrown to the ground.
I don't look back after that.
Beau Peterson's POV (D1M, 18)
I make a beeline for the boy from District Three, who immediately runs for the hills— literally. I'm about to give chase, when I turn around and spot an even easier victim.
The little girl from Seven. I don't even need a weapon.
I suddenly change my course and let someone else go after Three, sprinting towards the girl. Her brother comes running for her and we lock eyes. Horror and rage fills his gaze.
"Aster! ASTER, WATCH OU—"
She turns around a second too late, and I cut him off as I pick the girl off of the ground and take off running as her brother follows me. She screams as I carry her, and I finally decide it's time to end her misery.
Slamming her down on the ground, I reach down to snap her neck as she struggles to get away. I see a flash in the corner of my eye as I see the brother lunging for me. I twist around, and he narrowly misses me. He makes a grab for his sister but he's too late.
I've already darted back to her retreating figure and wrung her neck around before he could even get up. I let her body fall to the ground and run back into the fray without a word.
Rowan Mildberg's POV (D7M, 18)
"ASTER!" I scream at the very top of my lungs. "ASTER!" I let out a grief-wracked sob as I shake her body and hold her close. Her neck is at an unnatural angle and I know she's dead.
"Aster, I vowed to protect you... I couldn't even do that," I choke out. "Please, oh God, Aster, please wake up!"
But I know it's futile and I have to lay her down and close her eyes, running away before anyone can get to me. I leap towards the Cornucopia and snatch up a backpack, not even bothering to put it on my back as I sprint towards the forest without looking back.
"Aster... I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry..."
Briar Reckingstar's POV (D10T, 15)
"ROBIN, DO SOMETHING! THAT BITCH JUST STABBED ME!" I scream, clutching at my arm and trying desperately not to cry at the agonizing pain.
"We need to get out of here, Briar," Robin ushers with a sense of urgency in his voice. He grabs my uninjured arm and drags me away. "Run and do not look back! I'll join you in a second. GO!"
I ignore him and turn around quickly to find a tribute running straight for us.
"Robin, look out!" I screech, readying my spear. I cry out when I bend my arm.
Robin whips around and I identify the tribute as the boy from Nine.
As he leaps at us with a war cry, holding a knife in his hands, we both dodge out of the way. As he stabs wildly at us, I see the tip of his blade graze Robin's stomach. Infuriated, I start stabbing at him mercilessly, and Robin does the same. There's no hope for the boy— our technique has been perfected.
Soon enough, he crumples to the ground, bleeding out of various holes in his body. Yikes.
"Creek... please..." he groans as the light starts to leave his eyes. I slit his throat to end his suffering and he makes a horrible gurgling sound as he choked on his own blood.
"Let's go," Robin says quickly. He picks up the knife and we sprint away from the Cornucopia. Hopefully, the forest will have some supplies for us to take. My arm throbs all the way there.
Hop Lostar's POV (D6M, 17)
As the gong sounds, I race towards the Cornucopia. I'm confident in my abilities of taking someone on barehanded, so I swoop in to snatch up a backpack near the edge.
But another tribute gets to it at the same time. And she has a knife.
What the—?! She's the one to initiate the fight, all but forgetting about the backpack as she leaps at me like a feral animal. She starts stabbing at my vitals, but I dont let myself get pinned, grabbing her wrist holding the knife and twist it as hard as I can.
"OW, BASTARD!" She yells as the knife falls from her hand and she tries to retreat.
Oh no, you don't! I think angrily, diving for her and catching her legs. I pull her to the ground and turn her over.
She struggles against me, but it's obvious who the stronger tribute is. I grab her neck in both of my hands and start to squeeze as hard as I can. She starts digging her nails into anywhere she can reach and I growl at the pain, but don't loosen my grip or let go. Her attacks get weaker and weaker by the moment, and she finally falls limp.
I try to ignore the fact that I'm bleeding and just murdered someone, picking up both her knife and the backpack we were fighting over and throw it over my shoulder, heading for the hills.
Asher Havenrock's POV (D8M, 17)
I make a beeline for the Cornucopia and pray with all my will that Silk has made it out safely. She wouldn't survive thirty seconds in the bloodbath.
I try and grab a backpack but a girl is on me in an instant. She digs her fingernails into my skin and tries to strangle me. I scream as her hands start to wrap around my neck and I flail around, trying to knock her away. As I start getting weaker, I recognize her as the girl from Twelve. Her partner exploded before the bloodbath and got his guts all over me. I almost grimace at the less than pleasant memory.
But no, instead of being distracted by the thought, I continue trying to fight for my life. Finally, when I think it's over, the girl's grip on my neck loosens and her body spasms, her eyes rolling back in her head. She slumps to the ground and I look up with fear in my eyes to see a small figure standing above her body with a bloody knife in its hands.
"S-Silk?!" I exclaim, scrambling to my feet. "Did you just—"
"Please don't say it," Silk says, a strain in her weary voice. Tears roll down her cheeks and I get the memo, picking up the backpack and a bottle of something I don't bother examining.
"Come on, let's get outta here."
Vinnie McGuire's POV (D6F, 15)
"Katydid!" I hear a boy scream. I swoop into the Cornucopia, grab a knife and dart right back out to examine the scene. I can only look for a second, because a Career comes hurtling towards me the next.
Screeching, I run away from them, and I run past the boy who screamed. When I look back, the Career has taken up their time with the boy instead. I quell the urge to vomit at the sight of his body hitting the ground.
Deciding not to take my chances with the Careers, I run away from the Cornucopia, shooting a regretful glance over my shoulder. I don't bother counting the bodies; I'll see their faces in the sky tonight, anyways.
I try and find Kai, and I spot him almost immediately, his bright orange hair standing out from everyone else's. I sprint towards him.
"Kai! Kai, we gotta get outta here!"
Kai's head snaps towards me and he jumps, grief filling his gaze. He gives a brief nod and we run towards the hills together.
"What's wrong?" I ask, though I fear I already know the answer.
"She's gone."
Those two words make my hearts shatter. I grip Kai's hand but don't say anything else as we run.
Cinder will be mourned tonight.
Aaand here it is! The chapter you've all been waiting for! What a way to start the story. I swear I didn't mean to have Twelve immediately die out or all of the POVs go into the Cornucopia, it didn't feel right otherwise. I actually had a really hard time picking who would die and who w! (except Jay, he was planned to go out right then and in that manner before I even started writing the story) I guess you could say these games started out with a BOOM. I'm not funny. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I know I enjoyed writing it! Awww look at little Silk, getting her first kill... Enough rambling, here are the obituaries of our beloved fallen tributes!
Jay Terrin, District 12 Male, 15 (Created by my friend, CitrixeSoda) - Blown up by the mines. Allergies, am I right? - Oh, Jay. I've loved Jay so much before I even knew I was writing a Hunger Games fanfic. He is absolutely one of the best characters in this entire fanfiction— but I'm not actually sad to see him go. I just like laughing at how utterly stupid his death was (sorry not sorry). He will be missed dearly by his sister and his dog.
Aster Mildberg, District 7 Female, 12 - Neck snapped by Beau - Aster was absolutely a Bloodbath fodder from the moment she was made. I wish hers and Rowan's relationship could have gone longer in the Arena, but alas, it was not to be. At least we have our favourite Rowan and Aster clones, Asher and Silk! Speaking of which...
Topaz Bellbrook, District 12 Female, 16 - Stabbed by Silk - Silk's first kill! How cute. This is what she gets for trying to murder my mans Asher :( — anyways on a more serious note, I love Topaz and she was a great tribute. She had potential to go far, but I needed more people to kill off, and unfortunately, she was a victim of my wrath.
Cinder Copperdust, District 5 Female, 15 - Strangled by Hop - I don't know how I feel about Cinder. She was definitely going to go in the bloodbath, and I feel she was just a very... ordinary tribute. She didn't have much character, especially she was one of the neglected ones who didn't even get a full unused Reaping. Her mother, Vinnie and Kai will mourn her. Seeya, Cinder.
Graham Keener, District 9 Male, 16 - Speared by Briar and Robin (Briar made the kill) - Uhh... whoops. Did I forget to mention Graham throughout this ENTIRE thing? Dang, writing a Hunger Games fanfic and including everyone equally is hard! I think he has a few nameless snippets here and there, but he was majorly neglected. Next time I do one of these things, I've gotta spice people like Cinder and Graham up. Sorry dude, you won't get to see Creek ever again. Maybe I'll post those three sentences of your unused Reaping I wrote after the Games are over.
Katydid Findahl, District 11 Female, 14 - Speared by Cervelt - Can I just say how much I love her name? Me and my sister kept making fun of it, saying 'what did Katy find all of?' Her name was a total coincidence, by the way. Well, I probably should have shown her death, especially cause I love her so much, but I suppose my first bloodbath wasn't a HUGE writing success. Anyways, goodbye Katydid, I love you and you will be missed.
Cypress Ammerman, District 11 Male, 18 - Stabbed by River - Well, there goes the Operation Save Jay From Being An Idiot alliance. I just HAD to destroy an alliance in the bloodbath, and this was the perfect opportunity to do it! Yay. Bye, Cypress. He was a nice guy and I liked him, but there wasn't much special about him.
Leaderboard
Beau Peterson - 1 Kill (Aster Mildberg)
Cervelt Barron - 1 Kill (Katydid Findahl)
River Seastone - 1 Kill (Cypress Ammerman)
Hop Lostar - 1 Kill (Cinder Copperdust)
Silk Brightblossom - 1 Kill (Topaz Bellbrook)
Briar Reckingstar - 1 Kill (Graham Keener)