The First Annual Hunger Games

by Callidora Medea

Following the Dark Days, the President of Panem announces the beginning of the Hunger Games. District 4 girl, Cass, District 1 girl, Silver, and District 7 girl, Oak, are all thrown into the turmoil that is the first Hunger Games, and must choose their alliances; decisions that can mean life or death in the arena. All intend to win. But there can be only one victor.

30. Chapter 30- The Fire Mutts

Chapter 30.- Oak Peacewood

Beasts. I don't know what they are, except I know they're muttations and they want to kill me. Big and brown, but with long forked tongues and wicked spikes along their backs. Almost like bears, but with snake eyes and tongues. I lean against the tree. Really? It's only the second day and this is happening? I swear the Gamemakers are going to exhaust their store of goodies for us by tomorrow. I'm thinking that I got away by being up in the tree when one of those mutts looks up, straight at me. I stay frozen in fear. Then it spits something that lights the tree on fire, right above me.

I shriek. The fire spreads fast, too fast, and I'm forced to jump down to the ground- right where the mutts are. There's maybe five or six of them in total, and they all look at me with their yellow narrow pupiled eyes. Then they start to charge. I scream and start to run as fast as I can away from them. They, of course, pursue, spitting fire until it seems the whole forest around me is aflame. I dodge burning logs and falling charcoal branches, but they don't seem to affect the mutts. Oh no, they keep charging right through. I see other animals running too, but no other tributes.

I keep running until I come out into a clearing, not by the Cornucopia, but somewhere else. And there, in the clearing, is a mountain of craggy rock. The fire mutts are still on my heels, so I start to climb up, cutting my hand on the jagged rock. The monsters spit fire at the base of the mountain, but the rocks don't catch on fire, and for now I am safe. Like they hear a call, the mutts turn and run away, leaving me sitting on sharp black rocks, my hand bleeding. Within minutes I hear nothing more than the wind whistling through the crevices.

I rip off some of my shirt and wrap it around my hand to catch the blood; no leaving trails here. And up on a mountain I am very visible. I need to find a niche in the rocks, somewhere to hide. And up here it's a pretty good place. All of a sudden I jump. Footsteps. I look around wildly and spy a little cave that I could crawl into. Carefully and quietly I scuttle in and wait to see who's around. A flash of orange hair and I know who it is; it's the girl from 8. She's limping so I know she's hurt. She climbs down the mountain as quietly as she can, and then she's gone. I have to be careful now, now that there's someone nearby. And where is Aldar? Though it may be foolish, I drift off into sleep once more.