Chapter Six: Day Three, Part Two

74th Hunger Games Arena

I was starting to realize how much I hated silence.

Especially now as the Career Pack with Cato, Clove, Marvel, and Glimmer stood across from us with Thresh, Rue, Marissa, Prim, and I in the forest. They all held their weapons. Thresh, Marissa, and I held ours. Rue held her slingshot but that wasn't going to do anything and I told Prim to keep her knife hiddened. We all stayed silent for a full minute.

No one wanted to be the first to speak.

But I got tired of the suspense.

"Hello." I greeted them politely. I didn't need to turn my head fully to know Thresh, Rue, Marissa, and Prim were looking at me like I lost my mind.

"Hello?" Cato chuckled mockingly while his allies laughed. He was the second tallest of the boys with slightly spiky blonde hair and blue eyes. He carried a bar mace but I saw the serrated sword on his back. "You're polite for someone to kill Demetri the way you did."

I said nothing.

"Used another boy as a human shield too." Clove added with a smirk. She was the shortest of the two girls with black hair in a ponytail with braids, brown eyes, and freckles. She carried throwing knives with two in her hands already. She then laughed. "Even if I had killed him already."

I still said nothing.

"I say we kill him and be done with it." Marvel said blandly. He was the tallest of the boys with brown hair and green eyes. He carried a javelin. "We already know he's protecting the blonde girl."

My grip on my serrated sword tightened.

"He's mad now… Told you not to mention the girl." Glimmer smirked teasingly. She was the tallest of the girls with long blonde hair in fish braids and green eyes. She carried a bow and arrow. "I say he should join us. He's a lot more interesting than you Marvel. What do you say, John Doe?"

Finally, I spoke.

"You know, up until now… When there was only us left… I tried rationalizing to myself that maybe we could all find a way out of this… That no one else had to die. But then you had to mention the girl."

"And now?" Cato asked. His expression was filled with false boredom.

"I could kill a few more."

But before I could take a step forward, the tallest boy here walked from our side to theirs. I could see the mocking smiles the Career Pack sent toward me. I could see the resignation in the tallest boy's eyes.

"Five against what… Two?" Cato asked mockingly. Clove and Glimmer laughed. Even Marvel smiled. But I wasn't looking at them.

I was looking at Thresh.

"Tell me why."

"I know what they're like. But you? You scare me more. Rue and the blonde girl you're protecting can run and hide. That way it'll be you two. Then everyone for themself again." Thresh said firmly.

"You fucking coward." I spat angrily.

"Oooh man… He's really mad now. What about you, Foxface? You really want to die for him?" Glimmer asked.

I glanced at Marissa who shared a look with me. Her same bland expression. But I had been with her for three days. I knew how to read her better. And I knew the look she was giving me. She had already made up her mind.

Just as I did.

"Rue? Prim?"

I glanced at them both. Their wide eyes on me. And I spoke the last word before the fighting would begin.

"Run."

And they did. Before I felt a throwing knife hit me directly in the shoulder. I raised my sword to block a strike from Cato. But he kicked me in the stomach and I fell back. Quickly, I glanced to see Marissa block a strike from Marvel. But he did the same. Even with Thresh, Clove, and Glimmer content to stand back and watch, I knew we were outmatched.

"Marissa!" She turned to face me with fearful wide eyes. "Run!"

And she did. And I followed behind her. With the Career Pack right behind us. I heard a quiet whistle and ducked as an arrow flew directly over my head. Another flew past Marissa right after. Then a throwing knife. But we kept going.

And we kept hearing their laughter follow.

Before I could even think of anything, I ran into Marissa. We both fell and rolled over a rocky surface together until we both stopped with Marissa on top of me. Directly next to a cliff with a flowing river down below. We heard footsteps and even more laughter. I got up and grabbed my serrated sword. But Marissa was now empty handed as Clove picked up her spear.

"Aww, look at the two little lovebirds." Clove smirked mockingly.

"Cowards. Five against two? You wouldn't last against us evenly." I said angrily.

"Is that so?" Cato asked curiously. "Okay. Marvel? Glimmer? Kill them both."

I stook a step back and Marissa did too but we both stopped before the end of the cliff. Out feet right next to the edge. I looked back to see her looking at me. This was the third time I saw panic on her face. The first when I held the sickle against her throat. The second when I killed Demetri and Marina. And now here. Our possible death.

No.

I would not die here.

I would not let them kill Rue.

I would not let them kill Prim.

I would not let them kill Marissa.

And I would not let them kill me.

Clove threw the spear in front of us. Quickly, Marissa picked it back up. We had a decent amount of room on the rocky surface. Enough to fight. But not enough to run back into the forest. It was a fight to the death. If we failed, we died. If we won, we'd either fight Thresh or Cato and Clove or all three. There was no escape. So I said what she needed to hear.

"Fight."

I ran toward and tried to cut Marvel's throat. He blocked it with the javelin. He tried to kick me like before. But I used one hand to stop him and threw him closer to the edge of the cliff. I saw Marissa dodge a swing from Glimmer now using a sword. She then killed Glimmer closer to the edge too. We shared one look.

And we made up our minds.

Marissa tackled Glimmer off of the cliff.

And I did the same with Marvel.

All four of us fell down toward the flowing river.

To our salvation.

Or to our deaths.

Some might not like the semi-betrayal twist but it makes sense. John made the mistake of believing he knew all of them like they were still characters from a movie or book. But they are real people. It's exactly as Foxface/Marissa said, he scared them all with how violent he got killing Demetri but they don't know him the way they do. Marissa and Prim trust him. Thresh, and by extension Rue, don't. Because John is not Katniss. Which is something that will be very important for the next two chapters. Warning because the next two chapters will be heartbreaking. Next chapter: Lost, found, and missing.