Genevieve Altruzara,16, District 8 female
"Genevieve? Genevieve?" I hear faint echoes, I open my eyes for a moment but everything Is so blurry, I can see a figure leaning over me though, is that Acer?
"A...cer." I struggle to get out, I can feel a sharp pain coursing through my body, especially my abdomen, it literally hurts to breathe.
"Genevieve? Genevieve you're going to be ok, alright!?" He stammers.
I try to recall the events of what happened. Cortez, I remember trying to help him, I tried to take down a skeleton for him but he targeted the same skeleton as me and he accidentally struck me instead. I remember hearing Christmas shout but nothing afterwards.
I slowly reach my hand up to the blurry figure's face and it's warm.
"Acer…" I groan.
"Y-yeah it me Genevieve, your wound is pretty deep, but I promise I won't let anything happen to you!" he says so fast I almost can't process it.
"Christmas…where's Christmas?" I practically whisper but Acer doesn't answer.
"W-where is he Acer?"I repeat but he once again doesn't answer.
"Answer me…" my voice cracks and I can feel my eyes water, I already feel this isn't going to be good but I just want to know…
"Genevieve…I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." he mumbles and tears roll down my eyes as I picture Christmas, always doing that shy but bright smile.
"What happened…what happened to him?" I sniff.
"He…he fought Cortez. Cortez tried to explain to him that it was an accident, but he had no choice to defend himself…I'm, I'm so sorry Genevieve." He explains and his already blurry figure becomes even more blurry as my eyes are filled with tears. Cortez, we spoke to him a few times during training and he seemed like a great guy. I know he's not at fault here, he attacked me by accident, he had to defend himself against Christmas but still, I'm just so hurt…
"Genevieve, I managed to find us a room, thankfully it can lock too, I have a map here as well and we're not far from the medical bay, I can head there and stock up on some supplies cause what I have here, it won't suffice…" he informs me.
"...You should go then…" I tell him.
"But will you be ok though Genevieve? I'll try not to take long." He assures me.
"I, i'll be ok Acer…" I sniff and I can see him nod.
"I'll lock the door behind me, I have the key." He states.
"Just be safe Acer…please." I mumble.
"I will…" I hear him say before hearing the door lightly open and close with a lock turning after.
Christmas…he told me just the night before that he finally found someone worth fighting for, who was that someone though…was it me? I'll never know for sure but he…he gave his life trying to protect me. I just wish I can see him again…just one more time and I drift off into unconsciousness thinking of him.
I hear an ominous voice chuckling however and I slowly open my eyes to see a dark figure standing over me, everything Is so blurry however and I can barley see who or what it is, it's just a shroud of darkness.
"The smell of death bought me to you, you still seem to be clinging to life however, it just refuses to separate itself from your body." He or whatever it is does a raspy chuckle.
Is this a tribute? No it can't be, none of the tributes sound like this.
"Who are you?" I weakly mumble.
"I am the cross between life and death , and very soon you'll be at the point of no return!" his raspy voice scratches my ears.
"W-what do you mean?" I weakly ask, but I already know the answer to this.
"Even you know the answer, it'll take a miracle for you to survive this. Most people would've died by now, but you're still holding on somehow. There must be someone very important to you." His raspy voice hovers over me and I nearly tear up thinking about my little brother, how i'll likely never see him again.
"It is only the dead that interests me though so I'm afraid that for now, our time has come to an end, sleep well…it may be your last." he states and it seems like he vanishes almost instaneously. Who was he? And what does he mean he's the cross between life and death? Am I just imagining all of this? I drift off into unconsciousness before I can figure it out.
Acer Deluca,17, District 3 male
The floor lets off a creak every time I step on it as I struggle to look at the map I found in the bag I grabbed from the cornucopia. These corridors are just so dark and narrow, and there's windows spread out across the halls but they're all covered in gloomy fog and I can't even see out of them. I exit the cabin bay, but the cabin bay itself is apparently split into three different areas across the ship. low class, middle class and V.I.P. which apparently requires a "special" key, no idea where that is nor do I care. I got Genevieve to safety in one of the low class cabins and other than a run down bed and a set of keys to the room, there really wasn't much else there. Her wound though, Cortez is a strong guy so his sword went right through her and It's not looking good. If push comes to shove I still have that…
The lights in the hall flicker for a moment as I turn the corner and I see what looks like a shadowy figure down the hall but it's only for a split second as the lights flicker again and when the dim light returns, it's gone. What the hell was that? I clutch my rusty spear tightly and I can see the entrance to the medical bay further down the dim lit hall and hesitantly make my way down there making sure to look in all of my directions but the lights flicker again and I hear a creak behind me which causes me to jump and spin around but nothing is there!
Ok I need to hurry up and get out of here! I feel my heart rate increase as I speed walk to the medical bay and when I push through the entrance door, I'm quite shocked to see what's in front of me. The waiting room is a mess, there's barley enough light in here to see but chairs are scattered all over the place, a bunch of papers from the front desk are scattered all over the place and there's even dried blood splattered across the wall. There's an area on the wall where a first aid kit Is supposed to be but there's nothing there, I guess i'm going to have to dwell deeper into this horror fest…
I enter some double doors and I'm now in what I assume is the operating hall. There's hospital beds scattered all over the hall, some of them are stained with blood but I step over them and begin checking the operating rooms one by one but they're jammed shut. That's when I notice one of the rooms further down the hall is slightly creaked open and I hesitantly step my way there. When I enter the room I can see multiple hospital beds but there's privacy curtains covering them and on the side of the wall that's where I see a first aid kit which I immediately rush to and snatch it off the wall. That's when I hear rustling which causes me to freeze in my tracks. I slowly turn around and I can now see a large shadow behind one of the curtains to the hospital beds and I can see something that's shaped like a hook where it's hand should be. The shadow begins moving however and I let out a low gasp before hiding behind one of the curtains to the adjacent room and I hear the curtains open to the room the shadowy figure was behind.
My heart is beating so quickly right now that I'm afraid this figure might hear it, keep calm Acer…just keep calm. I can hear a groan followed by heavy footsteps and I have to hold my breath when I see the large figure's shadow pass by my curtain and I grip my spear tightly, being ready to try and defend myself but I just feel so powerless. I can hear this figure scruffling around and groaning and I suddenly hear "him" cut through a curtain adjacent to me causing me to jump in fear. I then hear him cut through another curtain and I can hear his ragged breathing. OK Acer, calm down, calm down. I'm just going to make a run for it, I'm going to run all way back to Genevieve, gosh I just hope she gets better quickly, I can't do this alone...
Right when I prepare to dash out of the curtain, I see a bloodstained hook suddenly cut through it and I cover my mouth taking several steps back trying to cover my gasps. I freeze in pure fear when I see this figure standing right infront of me. It's skin is gray and wrinkly, it's head only has several patches of gray hair on it and is dressed in a long black trench coat. It's two hands are replaced by two large bloodstained books but the most notable factor is that it's eyes are missing, they're just two empty sockets with looses stitches hanging out of them. It's very appearance alone is almost enough to make me scream aloud but I keep my mouth covered as the figure continues growling in my area and it slowly begins inching its way towards me, almost like it can hear my heart beating. My hand tightens on my spear but I know I won't be able to take this thing on.
Think Acer…Think! Ok, ok.This thing, it's obviously blind but it's sense of sound appears to be heightened. I'm almost positive it can hear my heart, but this might be something I can exploit. I frantically look around and on the dresser I see an empty vial and quickly snatch it up before throwing it across the other room. The thing then let's out a deafening roar and dashes across to the other room with almost inhumane speed, this is my moment to escape though. I quickly but quietly make my way out of this medical bay and rush my way back to Genevieve. I enter the room and shes laying on the bed and seems to be slipping in and out of consciousness.
"Acer…Acer is that you?" she weakly mumbles.
"Yeah Genevieve, It's me, I'm here! I'm just going to clean the wound and change the bandages, ok?" I sit next to her opening my first aid kit.
"Someone…" she weakly mumbles.
"Huh?" I ask.
"Someone was here…in here." She groans.
"What? That's impossible, only I have the key." I state.
"I don't know…he said he was the cross…between life and death…he said I wasn't going to survive this…" she groans and I remain silent for a moment as I look down at my tear shaped necklace. She's starting to hallucinate. Genevieve, if her condition deteriorates further, then I may have no choice
"You are going to survive this Genevieve, i promise you that!" I encourage her but I see tears come down her eyes and she's so weak that she can't even cry.
"I don't want to die…I'm…I'm scared." She weakly admits.
"Genevieve, I wont let anything happen to you…ok? Trust me…please." I vow.
"I…I'll try…" she groans and her head lightly turns to the side as her eyes close.
"Genevieve..." I call to her but she doesn't answer. I quickly feel her pulse but her heart is still beating, she just lost consciousness. I do my best to clean her wound and change her bandages and wipe some of the sweat off her forehead with a cloth. Genevieve, just hang in there…
Nyx Nyctores,17, District 1 female
Pain continues radiating through my body as I lay across my sofa gazing at the foggy window. I can see it's raining heavily even through the fog and there's loud thunder that goes off. It's only been a few hours since and those events, they just keep playing back in my head over and over, how overmatched he was, how useless and weak I was, I couldn't even help him…
More tears stream down my face as I think of Nox, how he's gone, how i'll never see him again. I never for a moment imagined this, a world without him, and I'm just so unprepared for it. I can envision Hunter's grin as he stood over Nox and I just can't help but begin sobbing. I'm so weak, I'm so useless and there's really nothing I can do to stop him, i couldnt even put a dent in him. Maybe if I was in my prime, but right now I'm as good as dead weight, no I'm even worse than that, I'm a liability.
I hear light knocking on my cabin door and slowly sit up to look at it. Everything that happened after the bloodbath is mostly a blur to me, but I remember Caspian and Ryena trying to patch me up as best as they can. They put my broken arm in a brace and they helped me through the dim lit halls before we found a "middle class" set of cabin rooms. The bed was comfortable and there were some supplies in here like food, water and a set of keys for the room but still, these nightmares, they will continue to haunt me…
I slowly get up from my bed and drag myself to the door, opening it and seeing Caspian with a sympathetic look on his face.
"Hey…" he greets me, I see how strong he is though, how I wish I can even have a fraction of his strength so I can stand up to Hunter and I can't control the stream of tears that come down my eyes afterwards.
"Here…" Caspian gently hugs me as I continue sobbing.
"I'm going to walk you to the bed, ok? You can take your time though, it's ok." He calmly tells me and I slowly nod before he escorts me back to my bed and takes a seat next to me.
"I just.. I couldn't do anything. Everything I did, everything I tried, it wasn't enough, I could've saved him…" I lament.
"You did everything you could Nyx…" he responds but I shake my head.
"My best wasn't good enough…he, he could still be here if I was just a little stronger…" I sob, i really am so pathetic...
"I've lost someone close to me too Nyx, he died in an accident and for a long time I blamed myself as well, I resented myself for not being able to save him and honesty…a part of me still does. What I learned though is that putting this all on yourself, it's not the way to go Nyx, it'll break you in the end." He calmly explains to me, but I just want Hunter dead…
"Caspian, I know we're going to see him again and I'm not strong enough to do it, but I know you are and that's why I want you to be the one to kill Hunter. I know you can beat him, I know you can so please…" my voice cracks and Caspian has a hesitant look on his face.
"Nyx, I just want you to try and get some rest…" he counters.
"As long as I know you'll try, then I will try and get some rest so please, just do this for me." I practically beg him and he does a hesitant nod.
"I'll do what I can Nyx…" he mumbles.
"Thank you…thank you." I sob.
"Now please Nyx, just try and get some rest alright?" he stands up from the bed and I nod.
"I'll try…" I sniff.
"If you need anything at all, anything. Just knock on my door ok?" he asks and I nod before he leaves. I lay across my bed as I envision Hunter's grin again. Even if it's the last thing I do, Hunter I am going to watch you burn…
Beauregard "Beau" Faran,17, District 7 female
I keep my knees close to my chest, hugging them as I hide out in this dark and dusty gym center I managed to find. There's workout equipment here but the electronic ones doesn't work since the room lacks power. There's some weights here as well as an empty fridge but all I could do is sit here as I think of Azazel, how I wish I could've been nicer to him.
I told him to stay behind, to go on without me because I didn't want him to be involved and apart of me is so upset he didn't listen, but then again, there's a really good chance I would've died had he not came. All he wanted was some acknowledgement, for me to acknowledge him as an ally, a friend. I couldn't even give him that but he still came to my aid and gave his life for me. As long as I'm alive, I'm never going to forgive myself for how I treated him, like he was a pest. I know Blyana is dead and that I should be able to find some peace knowing I "avenged" him but no, I feel no satisfaction, no sense of closure. The cycle of revenge never ends, Blyana is dead but her ally is almost certainly going to be trying to hunt me down. The only serious injury I I sustained was a broken nose that was able to crack back in place but the pain is still immense, the rest of my body was also sore and bruised from my fight. I don't have a weapon, no supplies, food or water and it's tough. I'll prefer to avoid any sort of combat for now, but I know how blood thirsty this fucking capitol is, they'll find a way to create some action even if they have to lure tributes to each other. They'll always get their bloodshed in the end, but when they do act, I'll be ready. I lean my head back against the wall and stare up at the ceiling trying to get some rest, everything Is calm for now, but I know that won't be the case for long, i'll try to get as much sleep as I can…
Paisley Stitchell,15, District 6 female
I keep my arms wrapped around my torso as I slowly tread through the halls, quietly sulking to myself as I remember the horrifying scene of Hayden falling victim to that monster, Hunter. It all happened so quickly so suddenly, I literally blinked my eyes and it was already over. Hayden…I grew so close to him and, I just find it so hard to accept he's really gone, even as I saw the horrifying scene of his lifeless cold corpse after I regained consciousness. This is the new norm, I'm all alone, I'm cold, I'm hungry…I'm terrified. These halls are dark, cold, dim lit with the lights occasionally flickering and I could've sworn I saw a gray like humanoid figure earlier standing in the middle of the hall, but it had no face, the lights flickered again for a moment and it was gone.
I have to constantly keep aware of all of my surroundings, it's hard enough to see in this area as it is, and not being able to hear anything just puts me at an even bigger disadvantage. That monster Hunter, that monster! How many lives does he have to destroy to satisfy himself, just how many? I wish I was strong enough to take him on but obviously I won't stand any chance…
I'm not sure which part of the ship I'm in right now, but there's a bunch of abandoned markets and stands which leads me to assume that this must be the shopping bay. The signs on the markets and stands are still intact and I can see they range from clothing, to souvenirs, refreshments etc. I'm pretty sure most of them are empty but I still start investigating them anyways , hoping that there's some food or water here somewhere. There's not much to find in these shops other than empty packages and other garbage but I begin searching around the souvenir shop. There's still several small souvenirs here, they're obviously of no use to me but there's one that immediately gets my attention. I see a souvenir of the gray skinned faceless humanoid figure and there's several other souvenirs too like a very creepy looking creature in a coat with hooks for hands and some spider like creature with a baby's face, what is this!? That faceless creature though, I definitely I saw it earlier, there's now no denying that. Is this a fore warning of what's on this ship? I'm about to leave as I can feel my heart rate increasing but notice a lock box under the counter of the cash register and it gets my attention. I grab the lockbox and try opening it but it's locked by a simple lock. I shake the book sized box and I can definitely feel something is inside of there. I'm sure the actual key is hidden somewhere in this arena, but this lock isn't something i should have a lot of trouble with, I picked simple locks like this before.
I remove one of my hairpins from my hair and begin fiddling with the lock until I feel something click and the box opens where I can now see the contents inside of it. There's a book with the title "Book of Desires" along with a pen next to it. I grab the book and flip through the pages but they're all blank, what is this? I look around me to see if anyone or anything is around but I see nothing and duck down behind the counter before opening the book again. Am I supposed to write in this?
I scribble "Hi" in the book and watch in shock as It begins disappearing and is replaced by a new text.
"Hello, what is it that you desire?" the text reads and all I can do is look at the text in disbelief, is this book communicating with me?
"What do I desire?" I write into the book and the text disappears again and is replaced by a new one.
"Yes what is it that you desire? As long as it is within my power, I shall grant you a desire once a day. " The text reads.
This book…it can make my wishes come true? I start thinking of all the possibilities and its almost overwhelming. There's limitations obviously but still, this…this can be my ticket home.
I feel my stomach grumble as I think of my choices and I remember just how hungry I am.
"Food, I desire food," I scribble in the book.
"Your desire shall be granted then." is replaced with mines and I wait…and wait but nothing happens. Is this book a scam?
"I don't see anything." I scribble in the book.
"Are you sure you're looking everywhere?" the book writes back and I start looking around before finally turning around and nearly gasp when I see how much food is behind me. There must be atleast a dozen wrapped up pre-packaged meals here along with non perishable goods such as canned fruits, vegetables, snacks like nuts, cookies and it even includes some canteens of water. This will easily last me for days and I nearly begin crying as I take all of this in.
"Thank you!" I write in the book but it doesn't respond.
It's going to be nearly impossible for me to carry all of this with me and I don't really like the idea of staying here. It's a pretty open area and I can imagine a lot of tributes passing through here. I'll just have to take what I can and hide the rest away so I can access it later. I start thinking of all of the things I can desire. A weapon, the ability to become proficient with one, summoning a powerful ally, or even the ability to hear… even with the unknown limitations, the possibilities were still nigh endless. i pack up what food i can carry and hide the rest away. The book is tucked under my arm and i sling my bag over my shoulder before making my way towards nowhere in particular. Maybe, just maybe I do have a chance afterall…
Here we are guys with night 1 in the arena! can't belive its been like a month since the bloodbath already, anyways this chapter is really just showing the aftermath of the bloodbath and the toll its taking on said affected tributes. Now in terms of pacing i do plan on most of the chapters including alot of action but i do also want these games to last a little longer than the one from last year. I put alot of thought into this arena and there's still so much more i want to show you guys. I do have most of the story planned out and can't wait to see you guy's reaction to how things play out, just remember that ANYONE can win, till next time!