Chapter Four: Day Two, Part Two

74th Hunger Games Arena

Late in the afternoon, Foxface, Prim, and I walked with no direction along a river we found an hour ago. I wanted us to go further out and then camp to plan our next move. Two Tributes, the District 8 Female and the District 10 Male, had been killed earlier and I knew all those who were left. The Career Pack with Cato, Clove, Marvel, Glimmer, the District 3 Male, and the District 4 Female. Thresh and Rue. And us.

Eleven.

I had a plan but it was very risky and I wasn't sure-

"How long are you going to make us walk?" Foxface asked.

"I could have sworn you didn't talk nearly as much as you did before this all started." I muttered. But not quietly enough as she fixed me with her blank expression. I was starting to get better at reading her because I knew she was annoyed with me.

More than before.

"Look at Prim. She's tired too."

I glanced at Prim, who turned away quickly, but not quick enough to see she was right. And we had been walking for half the day.

"Fine. We can sit here for a few minutes. Then we'll walk for another hour. And then we'll camp. Okay?"

"Finally…" Annoyance.

"Okay…" Quiet.

I sighed.

We stopped and sat down along the river. Thankfully, there was a large rock wall behind us, tall enough to prevent anyone from sneaking up on us from behind or hitting us from above. And we had a full view of the treeline across the river so we were safe for now.

I looked at my two companions. Both were clearly tired from all the walking. Prim laid her head against my shoulder while Foxface rested her head on her opened hand with her elbow on her knee. I knew I was pushing them but I needed us safe from the Career Pack until I could figure out how we were going to kill them.

As harsh as it sounded, I knew Prim was next to useless. All I remember from the films were her beginning, how she became a medic, and died in an explosion… Her being a medic alone was enough for me to know she wouldn't take a life.

As for Foxface… I didn't feel comfortable giving her a weapon even if I had another. All we had was my sickle and Prim's knife. I would have given the knife to her but I wasn't even sure about how good in a fight she would be. I regretted not grabbing another weapon but time wasn't on my side with Prim being alone and empty handed… And I sure as hell was not going to risk her running to the center with me.

I sighed again.

"You sigh a lot…" Prim said quietly.

"You brood a lot too." Foxface added blandly.

"I don't brood." Foxface responded with an even more blank expression and Prim giggled. I tried to keep the smile off my face but failed. Then Prim spoke again quietly.

"I miss my mom and my sister…"

"I know… You'll see them again though."

"But-"

"No." I said firmly. I turned to look at Prim and she did the same. "You will see them again. Okay?"

Silence.

"Okay… John?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you miss your family?"

I froze.

I froze because I hadn't thought about my family since I came to this world. I didn't want to think about them… I didn't want to know what they would think of me now…

"They're… not around anymore." I said quietly. Prim and Foxface both turned to me with questioning looks. I answered before either of them could speak. "Dead. A long time ago. So it doesn't matter now."

"I'm sorry…" Prim whispered.

"Yeah…"

Uncomfortable silence.

"I only have my mom…" Foxface said quietly. She wasn't facing either of us. She was just looking down at the flowing river. "My dad died a long time ago too."

Uncomfortable silence again.

"I'm sorry…" This time I said it.

"I'm sorry too…" Prim said quietly.

Foxface gave us both a small sad smile. Probably the first smile we saw from her. I-

"Hey?"

Quickly, I stood and gripped my sickle. Gently, I pushed Prim behind me and I noticed Foxface slowly got behind me too. Because to the side of us, standing on the same side of the river, were other Tributes. Unfortunately, not Thresh and Rue.

The District 3 Male and the District 4 Female.

The District 3 Male had brown hair and brown eyes. He wore an orange outfit with red trim. He held a spear. Cleaned. The District 4 Female had light brown skin, black hair in two pigtails, and brown eyes. She wore a black outfit with red trim. She held a serrated sword. Also cleaned.

For a few seconds, neither of us spoke. Until the District 4 Female stepped forward. I narrowed my eyes and held my sickle out. She didn't take another step.

"Uh… I'm Marina. And he's Demetri. We-"

"Where are they?" I asked firmly.

She faltered for a second. But we already caught it.

"Who-"

"The Career Pack. Both of you are with them. Both your weapons are cleaned. But you killed the District 10 Female yesterday. Helped kill the District 3 Female too."

"I didn't-"

"I saw you do both."

Demetri took a step forward but I raised my sickle even higher. He stopped.

"Look, we're not with them anymore. We left them after they talked about what we would do when we killed you three and the other two. We want to join you because we know you won't kill us in our sleep. They already killed two others this morning. We'll be even with them if we join each other…" He sent a glance at Prim when he said the last part.

But there was one problem.

I knew they were lying. They had split up to find us. But close enough for shouting distance if they ran into trouble.

The Career Pack was close.

"You understand, right?" Demetri asked.

His grip tightened on his spear.

"Yeah, right?" Marina asked.

Her grip tightened around the handle of her serrated sword.

Tense silence.

"Yeah… Yeah, I understand."

I sighed.

Before I threw my sickle. It hit its target. Directly in the District 4 Female's throat. I ran forward and tried to dodge the spear. But I failed. The District 3 Male knocked me down and slammed the spear down on my throat. He tried to force it down. While I tried to force it back up. I heard someone give their last breath, footsteps, and the disturbing sound of a blade being pulled away from flesh… Then I watched as someone knocked the District 3 Male away from me.

Foxface.

I closed my eyes and waited… But nothing happened. I opened them to see her hold my sickle out to me. I understood. I took the sickle and stood. I turned to the District 3 Male on his back. Away from any weapons. And his wide eyes focused on me. I walked over to him and sat on his stomach before I raised the sickle.

"W-wait! P-please-!"

But I had already brought the blade down. Again. Again. And again. His pleas grew weaker. My arm grew heavier. And the blood didn't stop shooting out onto me. When I finally stopped, I knew I was drenched in blood.

His blood.

I turned back to see Foxface holding Prim against her. Hiding her from what I had done. But her eyes. She understood... Then we heard another sound and both our heads snapped to the other side of the river. Where Thresh and Rue stood. Wide eyed. And in shock. I said the only thing that came to mind.

"Yeah?"

Fuck around and find out. Next chapter: Friends and enemies, the simple truth, and a deadly encounter.