AN: Here's the next chapter of the Games, covering day 2, along with another POV from Miracle.
Dillan Brackendown / 13 / District Five Male
"Uh oh," whispers Claire as the two tributes from Eight step onto the rooftop, stopping around ten yards away from her and Dillan.
"Hello, I guess," Dillan greets them, his voice faltering. At least it isn't the Careers, and at least they haven't attacked him or Claire yet.
"Are you gonna… kill us?" Claire asks timidly.
The pair from Eight look at each other with uncertainty before the boy speaks up.
"Not planning on it at the moment."
"So what happens now?" Dillan inquires.
"I think we all came up here for the same reason," says the girl, "To get away from the Careers."
"Right. We should probably block the door then," responds Dillan.
"Check to see if we can lock it from this side," the boy from Eight says to his district partner. He then proceeds to take off his belt.
"We can," she confirms.
"Good, but it's not enough. We should tie our belts around the handles. All four of them."
The pair from Five comply and hand over their belts to the boy.
"Finally, let's bring some of that useless furniture over. If they somehow get through the door, it'll at least slow 'em down."
After about ten minutes, the group have a fair amount of patio chairs, sofas, and tables stacked up in front of the double doors. Dillan isn't sure what the boy means by slowing the Careers down, as if there were any alternative escape route up here. Any attempt to even reach over the rooftop ledge is met with a chastising shock from the force field. Indeed, the only way down is the way they came.
The four of them step back to look over their work – a cluster of assorted furniture haphazardly stacked in front of the doors, the handles of which are tied together by their belts. Will all of it be enough to stop a group of trained killers from getting to them? They can only hope so.
"We're gonna look around for other entrances," announces the boy from Eight as he and his district partner walk away.
"I don't like this," Dillan says to Claire as soon as they're out of earshot. "The gamemakers won't let us stay up here forever. And when the Careers get through eventually, where are we gonna go?"
Claire shrugs. "I don't know. But I don't think we had any other choice but to come up here."
"And that's not all. You know, I saw that girl kill someone during the Bloodbath…"
"She was probably just defending herself."
"Still, shouldn't we be worried? They're eventually going to try and kill us."
"Then why haven't they?" Claire argues. "It's not like they really needed us to move the furniture."
"I—I'm not sure… maybe they're just waiting for the right moment?"
"Fine, we'll keep an eye out, but it's not like we can just leave anyway."
The pair from Eight return soon enough, reporting that the now-blocked double doors are the only means of getting onto the rooftop.
"We're trapped then," says Dillan.
The boy from Eight nods. "Seems like it. We'll have to do what we can to defend this position."
"You two have any weapons with you?" asks his district partner
The pair from Five look at each other before shaking their heads.
"We kinda just ran once the countdown ended," explains Claire. "Didn't want anything to slow us down."
"Well, we have just a knife with us, along plenty of wooden furniture here. Enough to make ouselves some weapons."
"Wait, do you guys hear that?" says Dillan abruptly, the group quickly becoming silent.
There's an irregular hum coming from somewhere, barely masked by the sound of the wind. Now that everyone's quiet, he can hear it better.
Human voices, coming from the double doors.
Sett Nielus / 18 / District Two Male
"Finally, no more stairs," says Sett as the group reaches a set of metal doors. "There better be someone up here after all that."
Terrance tries the handle, which doesn't budge.
"Shit."
"Maybe this is the end of the arena," Kian suggests.
"I doubt it," Sett responds. "You don't think the Capitol would set up some extravagant rooftop area so they can get their nice aerial shots in?"
"So what do we do now?"
Sett steps forward and rams his shoulder into one of the doors, which does utterly nothing besides eliciting a snicker from Ryba.
"Were you expecting that to work? They're steel doors."
"Alright then, do you have any ideas how to get past them?"
"Look, assuming anyone's up there, they won't be able to stay forever," Terrance chips in. "The gamemakers will only tolerate so much stalemate before they… intervene."
"And what makes you think they'll intervene for us?" argues Sett. "It's our job to keep the Games going and prevent stalemates."
"Guys… Look at this."
The rest of the group direct their attention to Odile and her source of intrigue: a drone of sorts, with a package attached, hovering above the stairs towards them.
"Must be a sponsor gift," she remarks.
The drone drops a wrapped box by their feet before flying back down the stairwell.
Sett looks toward Terrance as if urging him to open the package.
The group watches silently as he unwraps it.
"Try this," Terrance reads from a slip of paper. "Just line it up along the crease, near the latch."
"An explosive charge," remarks Ryba, carefully examining the contents.
"So there's something, or someone, on the other side after all," says Kian.
"Or at least that's what the mentors think," replies Odile.
Terrance takes the detonator and string of explosives towards the doors. "Only one way to tell."
Peeling off a sticker on one side of the explosive reveals an adhesive edge, which he uses to stick the material onto the crack between the doors, right where the handles meet.
"We should probably step back."
Without delay, the group descends half a story, at which point the doors are no longer visible.
"Everyone, get your weapons ready," orders Terrance as he readies the detonator.
There's a click, followed by a delay, and then a piercing boom.
Terrance leads the way through the smoke, spear at his right hand. The metal doors are already slightly ajar from the explosion, which had blown the handles right off. However, something seems to be preventing them from opening fully.
"There's a bunch of furniture in the way," mutters Terrance, who begins kicking at the obstacles.
He and Kian slip through the doors first and continue pushing through the blockade. Before long, the Careers are through onto the rooftop.
"I guess the gamemakers stacked all that furniture in front of the door," Terrance calls out to no one in particular. "There's nowhere to go, so you might as well step out now and we'll make it quick."
Sett rolls his eyes. Always ready for the cameras, aren't we, Terrance.
As the group slowly walks forward, Sett surveys their surroundings. The hotel rooftop includes a small swimming pool and hot tub by the far ledge, with a well-stocked bar adjacent to it. There are several cozy-looking sitting areas sprinkled throughout, with lots of the furniture having been used to help barricade the door. Some of the skyscrapers in the vicinity are taller than the hotel, their rooftops crowded with spectators watching them.
We're like animals at a zoo, Sett thinks to himself.
Terrance looks like he's about to continue his monologue when suddenly, the wind picks up and the rooftop area darkens…
Kian Avery / 18 / District One Male
The hovercraft descends seemingly out of nowhere, a forceful gust of wind accompanying it as it stops right above where the tributes were. It looks similar enough to the hovercrafts Kian recalls seeing on TV, albeit somewhat smaller.
"Is this… part of the arena?" a perplexed Odile asks him.
"I don't think so."
A hatch opens on the side of the hovercraft, and a rope ladder is dropped down. A helmeted man from inside gestures wildly towards the tributes, beckoning them to climb aboard.
Bare seconds pass before one of the tributes dashes out from behind the poolside bar, racing towards the ladder. The Career group simply stands there and watches, unsure what to do.
"Calia, wait!" shouts another tribute, who Kian assumes is her district partner.
The girl is already scaling the ladder and shows no sign of slowing down. Meanwhile, two more tributes step out from their hiding spot, apparently debating whether or not they should follow. Kian guesses they're from Five, but he's not certain.
How many people are up here anyway?
Just then, he hears something flying overhead, barely catching a glimpse before the projectile strikes the hovercraft in its side. The resulting explosion throws the girl off the ladder violently and sends debris flying everywhere as the group scrambles for cover. A cannon fires.
Kian loses his balance as a piece of the hovercraft crashes onto the rooftop near him. Though disoriented, he can hear Ryba shouting on the other side of the debris.
"Let's go, Terrance. We're way out of our fucking depth."
They can run away if they like, but Kian Avery's place is on this rooftop.
He looks around and makes out Odile's figure through the smoke, standing by the swimming pool, where the main wreckage of the hovercraft now rests, with scattered flames dancing above the water.
His ears still ringing, Kian manages to get up and look for the bow he dropped. Several of the other tributes are dashing for the exit. Odile throws a knife at one of them – the boy from Eight – though it misses him narrowly and hits one of the younger tributes in the back instead, forcing him to the ground as blood spills from his mouth. A cannon fires as Kian shakily tries to ready an arrow, right before another explosion engulfs the remainder of the hovercraft, knocking Odile down as well. Another cannon fires shortly after, confirming her death.
Kian barely has time to react when he sees the boy from Eight charge towards him, colliding into him before he can nock an arrow. Right then, years of training and preparation fly straight out the window as Kian enters a most primal and instinctual struggle for survival.
He swings wildly at the boy from Eight, who now has Kian pinned and is trying to strangle him. He lands a few solid hits to his head and is eventually able to throw him off to the side. Kian then crawls over to the arrow he had dropped and picks it up. As he stands back up and turns around, he's immediately greeted with a sharp pain in his abdomen. The boy from Eight had just stabbed him with a sharp piece of metal debris. He then yanks the makeshift blade out of him before walking away.
Kian lies there on the concrete, unable to move and slowly bleeding to death. Yet none of it compares to the pain of knowing that he had failed despite all his efforts. He'd been bested by an outer, just like his uncle had. It may not have been during the Bloodbath, but what difference does it make? He will bring shame to the Avery name, and that's final.
These are Kian's last thoughts as his world fades away, to be replaced by total, comfortable darkness.
Devlin Mead / 18 / District Nine Male
It's day two of the Games and here he is with no allies, no weapons, and no kills. But Devlin Mead is alive, and he's itching for a way to get back into the game.
Admittedly, Emilie's death had a greater impact on him than he would've liked. Not only did he fail to take her into the final ten, but he couldn't even bring her out of the Bloodbath alive.
You're an idiot, Devlin, he told himself later that day. For thinking you had that much control over what happens in here.
Indeed, it was the first reminder in a very long time of how little control he has. The gamemakers and sponsors – they're the ones running the show. What would those sponsors think now? Surely they know about the "promise" he made to Emilie and how miserably he failed in following through. He also hadn't managed to kill anyone yet. All he is right now is broken promises and unmet expectations. Devlin needs to do something quick to reassure his audience that he's the real deal after all.
Right now, he's stalking the pair from Twelve as they slowly make their way through the garden outside the hotel. Devlin is looking for an opportunity to strike, or better yet, something that he can use as a weapon. He's able to kill with his bare hands, but it'll be rather difficult against the two of them.
They decide to turn back following a brief encounter with a crowd of Capitolites who are cheering them on just outside the iron fence. Shortly after, there's a loud boom from above, Devlin looking to the sky to see where it came from. Some sort of explosion way up in the tower? It's reasonable to expect at least one tribute died from whatever that was.
More answers soon arrive in the form of debris, bits of tempered glass raining down on the garden, large scraps of metal falling on the streets as the onlookers scurry for cover.
Devlin dashes back into the hotel building. Something must've gone wrong. Surely the Capitol would never allow the Games to harm its own people like that.
Barely a few minutes pass before the famous voice of Claudius Templesmith fills the halls:
"Attention, tributes! There are now more tributes who have fallen than those who remain standing. Congratulations on being able to fight on! From this point forward, whenever one tribute defeats another, he or she will be rewarded with an item intended to swing the odds in their favor. Best of luck!"
Devlin smiles to himself. There's no better time to start killing than now.
Miracle Emerson / Victor of the 87th Hunger Games
"Not bad overall, Miracle. I think you were likable enough," remarks Licinia as she continues to write on her tablet. "However, I'd recommend not going into the… emotional details regarding the Five girl's death next time."
Miracle brushes her hair aside, fighting the wind. "Her name was Cassie," she replies, "And I'm sorry for portraying her like a human being."
"As you wish," responds Licinia after a short delay, as if she'd figured that a proper rebuttal wasn't worth the trouble. "Anyway, the last item on your schedule today is a commercial for a new shampoo brand. The studio's near Starlight Square. I'll send you the script so you can practice on the way."
Miracle rolls her eyes. "They better not keep me there for a hundred takes again."
"We're all trying to make you look as good as possible," says Licinia, annoyed. "Gaius will be here soon."
She walks away without another word, scribbling away on that tablet of hers. Miracle can tell that she hates her, which is just as well. Licinia is a PR and marketing specialist, one who's as devoid of sincerity as they come. Tables and graphs are all that matter to her.
Soon enough, Gaius pulls up in his dark green SUV. Miracle decides that he's the most tolerable of all the Capitolites she's met so far. Despite being a former military man, he seems to care more about her well-being than anyone else.
"Shall we get this over with?" he greets her.
"Please."
As they drive on the highway, Miracle peers through the darkly tinted windows at the other drivers they pass. Given the time of day, many of them must be heading home to their loved ones after work, all while she remains imprisoned in this metropolis, cut off from the few people she cares about. They adore her, but how many of them know anything about her beyond the damn Games? How many know about what she had to endure here?
Miracle then sees herself on a billboard advertising a soft drink, clad in a weighty amount of makeup, airbrushed to a ridiculous degree, as usual. She scoffs as she reflects on how this had been her dream for years – being in the limelight as a Hunger Games victor, getting to wear fancy dresses, and buying whatever she likes. Now, she would like nothing more than to see her mother's smile, hear Maxson's wild laugh, and feel Isabel's embrace as they sit by the lake in the Victors' Village. Instead, she finds herself tied up in political conspiracies that she wants nothing to do with, as both sides try to use her to their advantage.
Her phone rings – an unknown caller. Miracle wonders who it might be, considering how few people are supposed to have her number.
"Hello?"
"Miss Emerson, it's Dom Ellsworth. You've probably heard of me."
"You're a friend of the president, right?"
"Well, friend is a strong term, but yes, more or less. I'm one of her closest advisors, more importantly, and I was hoping you could help me with something."
"I'm listening."
"Just a few minutes ago, there was an… attack on the Games, at the arena in Aventine City. Some tributes were killed in the chaos that followed and many spectators were injured. We suspect this so-called Sparrow individual had something to do with this. Do you happen to know anything?"
Based on her experiences with them so far, it was clear that the Sparrow and his followers were highly organized and capable. Yet attacking the Hunger Games taking place in the Capitol itself… it's insanity.
"No, they didn't tell me anything," answers Miracle. "They only said they'd be in contact when they need me."
"I see. As you know, an attack like this on the Hunger Games is unprecedented. I'm under a lot of pressure from the president to figure out who was behind it. You help me out, and I can help you."
Miracle pauses. Until those she cares about are out of President Greenleaf's reach, there's little she can do but comply with her orders.
"I wish I could, Mr. Ellsworth, but I don't know anything more than you do. I'll work on it though and give you a call as soon as I have something."
"Very well then. But keep in mind, Miss Emerson, that this is a time-sensitive matter."
"I understand. We'll be in touch."
Miracle throws the phone down on the seat beside her. Looks like she'll have to pay another visit to Greg's Games and More.
Requiescat in pace
15th: Calia Crossley (D8F) – killed by arena
14th: Dillan Brackendown (D5M) – killed by Odile Seren (D1F)
13th: Odile Seren (D1F) – killed by arena
12th: Kian Avery (D1M) – killed by Dawson Gregor (D8M)