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.

49. Chapter 49- The Victor

Thank you so much to everyone who has read this far; your reviews mean so much to me. The story is far from over still, so enjoy each instalment as it comes.

Chapter 49- Silver Bellcreek

The wolf mutts herd me away from Violet as she screams my name. Helpless, I start to sob and I whip out my penultimate arrow. There's too many of them, there's no use firing. Better to save my arrows. Violet screams again.

"Violet! Violet!" I shriek. She doesn't answer this time. "Violet!"

Without warning the wolves disperse and I find myself in the clearing by the Cornucopia. Back to where these Games began. The moon shines off the gold horn and lights the clearing up. Everything is black and white.

Directly across from me I see more wolves bring my opponent to the clearing- Buck. No one else comes. So it's going to be Buck and me.

Violet screams again in the distance; a cannon fires. I can't bring myself to believe she's dead. Surely someone else is still in the arena besides Buck and me. The District 4 boy maybe?

Buck makes no moves. We just look at each other. Is this it? Is this the final night?

Then a wolf mutt trots out of the woods with something in its jaws. Then another. The first drops its prize on the ground and sits back on its haunches, beginning to howl at the moon. The second mutt follows.

At first I don't understand what I'm seeing, what the mutt has dropped.

Then I understand.

Violet's eyes stare out of her severed head. Her mouth is open in a silent scream. Beside it lies the diamond necklace I gave her. It sparkles in the moonlight.

I scream and I don't stop screaming until I'm out of breath. I cover my mouth and bite down on my fingers. Violet…

Buck charges and I'm temporarily distracted from the hideous sight on the ground. I nock my arrow and I pull back the string, following Buck's movements.

I strike him in the chest.

He keeps moving towards me and before I can nock my last arrow he catches me in the leg with the scythe he now carries. I scream and stab him in the arm with my arrow. He bellows back at me and punches me across the side of my head. I'm seeing stars and everything loops. Instead of everything being single I see everything double. The wolves howl their eerie cacophony. Buck approaches me again, scythe in hand.

This isn't the end, I won't let it be.

Dizzy, I tumble onto the ground with my arrow and bow in my hand. Buck raises his scythe above me and prepares to bring it down on my neck.

He never makes it. My vision clears enough and I see only one Buck. I fire. My last arrow buries itself in his temple. His scythe drops beside him, tipping over onto the ground where the moon reflects off of it too. Buck falls to his knees, shaking, blood pouring from his temple and his chest. Then his cannon fires and he topples onto the ground, motionless.

Immediate fanfare. The sky lights up with fireworks as the announcer calls cheerfully, "Congratulations to Silver Bellcreek- the winner of the First Hunger Games!"