Chapter 20: The Final Conflict

When we woke up, the day was silent and gray with a layer of clouds covering up the sun. I had been restless all night with anxiety stealing my sleep and night sounds waking me up endlessly. Andrew and Lemongrass admitted to suffering similar experiences.

As we sat up blinking the sleep out of our eyes, Lemongrass started.

''Do you guys hear that?,'' she asked, cocking her head sideways. Andrew and I went still and listened. Way in the distance, I could just pick up what sounded like someone's voice…

''It's Kitty! I mean, Jeff!,'' exclaimed Lemongrass. ''He's calling for help!''

Without hesitation, we grabbed our weapons and ran after Lemongrass who had taken the lead. We jumped over logs and rocks, giving little consideration to stealth as a light drizzle of rain began.

As we neared Jeff, Lemongrass motioned us to halt. The cries for help were loud now and full of desperation. We crouched down and slowly crept up on Jeff, not wanting to take any chances. As we slowly pulled aside the branches of a bush to look down, we couldn't help gasping. Below us, tethered to a rock in a clearing, was a jabberjay, crying out for help in Jeff's voice. We stood frozen in astonishment.

Suddenly an axe whizzed past our ears and sunk deeply into a tree beyond us. We spun around and Lemongrass screamed as someone barreled into her and knocked her to the ground. For a second they struggled violently and I realized that the attacker was Sanara! Instinctively, I lunged forward and knocked Sanara off, rolling on the ground and falling away from her. For a split second we stood there, staring at each other. Then we both looked away as Jeff burst through the bushes with Amber hot on his heels. Andrew drew his sword and came to Jeff's aid, facing Amber with determination.

I hesitated for a second too long and was tackled by Sanara who gave shout of anger. The breath was knocked out of me as we hit the ground, but I was able to just barely dodge a fist aimed at my face. Sanara and I were about the same size, so I managed to raise my knees and knock her off. She grabbed my shoulders though and we rolled over together. I landed on top and raised my fist, my teeth clenched and a cut near my ear stinging. I couldn't do it though. I froze there, the sounds of fighting ringing in my ears.

Sanara didn't wait. She swung her fists and landed them squarely under my jaw. I reeled in pain and could taste the tang of blood in my mouth. She shoved me over and landed a knee on my stomach before punching me on the side of my face. My lungs screamed in need of more air. I gasped and cried out again as another punch hit my cheek bone.

Then, all at once, the weight was gone and I wheezed a breath. My muscles screamed as I rolled over to see Sanara and Lemongrass rolling through the leaves. When they stopped, Sanara was on top and gripped both sides of Lemongrass' jaw. Knowing what was about to happen, I screamed out, unable to move fast enough. Sanara jerked her hands and snapped Lemongrass' neck in one clean move, but not before there was a flash of silver and a gush of blood from Sanara's neck. Sanara swayed for a moment, her eyes going dull, before she thudded onto Lemongrass' limp body. The sound of two canon shots went off simultaneously.

I scrambled back in shock, my whole body trembling and my mouth hanging open. I couldn't say a word, couldn't scream, couldn't shout.

Then the sounds of the other's fight flooded back into my senses.

Andrew! I though in panic.

I jumped to my feet and spun around to see him lunge at Amber with his sword, and her dodge to the side. He expertly sliced it back and nicked her arm and she cried out with pain and anger. She had a knife in both hands and used them to deflect Andrew's next fast and powerful blow. He took advantage of the deflection, however, and used it to perform a quick undercut, but Amber hopped back and had to do so again to miss Andrew's diagonal cut. Then he pulled back and lunged again. However, Amber saw it coming and dodged to deliver a kick to his stomach.

Andrew stumbled back with his form doubled over and Jeff took his place, wielding a long dagger. Amber and Jeff faced each other until Jeff made the first move and sliced at Amber's abdomen. She sidestepped and hit Jeff's dagger with both of her own, causing him to drop it. In reaction he summersaulted and kicked out his leg to trip her. She hadn't expected that and fell hard. When she tried to get up again she only got halfway before Jeff had grabbed her wrists and held them tight. For a second they stood there, eyes smoldering. Then Amber moved like a viper and kneed him in the groin. Jeff yelled out and let go, and Amber bolted in and stabbed him twice. Jeff collapsed to the ground.

I ran up to Andrew and grabbed his hand as he stood there in a shock similar to mine.

''Let's go!,'' I said, and pulled him after me.

We started running and had a good head start before we heard Amber cry out, ''Oh no you don't!'' We crashed through the foliage. In one hand I held my spear, and in the other, Andrew's hand. Side-by-side we sprinted away until suddenly we heard Amber scream and curse. We looked back to see her dangling upside down from a rope trap in a tree. Her knives lay on the ground, right on the same path we had taken. How did we not get caught? I thought. The trap must've been Jeff's. I bet he trained that jabberjay and set up traps like this all over the area to catch other tributes.

We stopped in our tracks, breathing hard. a canon shot went off and we jumped. We looked at each other and knew if my Jeff.

''I'll get her knives, you go on ahead,'' Andrew urged. ''I'll catch up quick.''

''Okay,'' I nodded, and started to run again. Time seemed to go on endlessly and my vision blurred from exhaustion. My legs seemed about to go out, but still I continued on. I had to get away, I couldn't handle any more death.

Then I came to a hill where the trees filtered out to be less thick. Shafts of morning sunlight had started to break through the clouds, and the drizzle had stopped during the fight. I stopped and put my hands on my knees to catch my breath. I could still taste blood and my jaw hurt badly.

When I finally straightened up, I saw the silhouette of a person at the top of the rise. I squinted and wiped my eyes to try and make out who it was. My breath stopped short when the figured cleared and I could see them clearly. It was too late though. The arrow released and thudded into my stomach in the blink of an eye. I let out a gulp of air and staggered, dropping my spear.

Time slowed as I touched where the arrow went through my shirt and drew my fingers away to find them coated with bright red blood. My knees buckled and I started to fall.

''Shae! Shae!,'' I heard faintly, like a faraway dream.

The blurry body of Andrew rushed past me and up the hill. Hawk paused before darting off. Andrew was gone for a while before coming back. At least, it felt like a while.

All of a sudden he was back at my side and dragging me over to a tree. The world seemed to accelerate back into fast forward motion and suddenly all I knew was the searing, unbearable pain of the arrow. My breathing came uncontrollably, as if my body were trying desperately to stable itself. Every gasp and intake felt like my chest were being splashed by burning oil. I could feel the warm blood soaking my shirt and pants and flowing over my skin. I was all at once hyper-aware of everything: my hand over the arrow shaft and wound; the fresh pool of blood on my tongue; the breeze; the cracked voice of Andrew close to my ear, telling me it would be okay over and over; his hand on mine; his arm around me; his tears on my shoulder; his rapid pulse. I could also feel how hard it was starting to get to keep a hold on my mind.

''Andrew,'' I said softly.

''Shae? Shae!,'' he said desperately. ''Don't go, please. I'm so sorry. I'm so, so, so sorry. I can't lose you, I can't do this.''

''It's… not you fault,'' I managed to say. ''You can do this. You'll - you'll be fine. I couldn't have… have… made it this far - without you,'' I grimaced.

''You don't need to talk, it's okay,'' Andrew said rapidly.

''Tell my family… I - I love them,'' I said, wincing at a fresh wave of pain.

''No, no, no Shae! Don't go, I can't live without you!,'' he said with a sob.

''Andrew,'' I said, trying to steady myself, ''look at me.'' He looked into my eyes and I wiped away a dripping tear on his chin. ''Don't give up because of me.''

We looked at each other for a long time and then her pulled me close. I clenched his hand and concentrated on simply breathing smoothly. Strangely, the pain wasn't so bad anymore. I closed my eyes and let the tension to hold myself up go, and with that, my mind peacefully relaxed.

-Across the forest, a canon boom was heard.-

The End