Connor Merlyn, District Five Tribute (18)

Ceto was really gone. I couldn't believe it. I mean, I wasn't sure she was gone, since the first night's faces hadn't showed up in the sky yet, but I couldn't imagine anything else, the way she was bleeding and screaming. But speaking of bleeding...

I didn't think Ceto's knife had gotten all the way into my throat, since I could breathe, and I wasn't dead. But it was still bleeding little by little. Not really little, just not as much as it could have been. That was another reason I thought Ceto was dead. I was leaving drops of blood behind me, even though I was trying not to. If Ceto was alive she would have found me by now.

I went past a few buildings before I found one with a bar with a snake wound around it. That mneant it was some kind of hospital. I ran inside, hoping no other wounded tributes were already in there. If they were, I didn't want to fight, I was just afraid THEY might.

There wasn't much in the little hospital. It was only one story- more of what I think would be called a "clinic". The tiles on the floor had cracks and some were missing entirely. There was mold on the walls- I wondered if the Gamemakers had to patiently grow mold in a lab just so they could smear it all over the brand-new Arena they wanted to look old.

I found a cracked wooden chest and started rifling through for supplies. I took out a roll of gauze and kept digging until I found some antiseptic wipes. It probably wouldn't be a good idea for me to not clean my wound in an arena like this. I leaned against the chest as I opened them, since I wasn't WEAK exactly but I was definitely feeling the blood loss.

The light changed around me as someone opened the door wider. I turned around and saw Nero, Nailah and Allure in the doorway.

"Imagine that. Who'd have thought a wounded tribute would go to the nearest clinic?" Nero asked. He and Nailah were both aiming throwing knives. I wondered which would hit me first.

Morty Sonym, District Twelve male (17)

Seven dead kids and none of them were me. I hadn't even run away at the Bloodbath. For a good minute I just stood on my platform waiting. Then I started walking off at a normal pace, thinking maybe the Careers were worried it was a trick and would come when I moved. But no, they just ignored me. Every step I waited for an arrow in the back but it never came.

Where should I even go? Everything looked the same- just rows and rows of drab, mostly crumbling buildings. It kind of looked like Twelve. It kind of looked like my house after the fire, which didn't help my already terrible outlook on life. I kept walking, hoping that if I stayed visible long enough then one of the Careeres would have to notice me eventually.

That one looks alright. I picked out a tall building that looked like it might carry a lot of stuff. It would probably attract other tributes and hopefully Careers. I opened the door, which fell of the hinges when I did, and started walking up the delapidated staircase I found in one corner. Maybe I'll get lucky and they'll break...

I wasn't sure what the building was meant to be back when it was new. Probably an office space, I guess. I went out into the third floor and all I found was a bunch of empty rooms. It was sad how a building like this would have been a big blessing to Twelve. A ton of people could have lived in there instead of freezing to death on the streets. Instead the Capitol used it for an arena they'd abandon after the games were over. I couldn't imagine they'd even want visitors here like most arenas had. It was probably too dangerous to have Capitolites in such a run-down building. THEIR lives had value, after all.

I was six stories up when I stopped to look out a window. I could see probably all the way across the arena from that height- it was hard to be sure but I could see where the buildings suddenly stopped, which probably marked the force field. It was kind of pretty in a weird way, seeing a city from above, even if it was a dirty falling-apart city.

I leaned closer to the cracked glass to get a better look. As soon as I did it shattered. Before I could think to pull back I tumbled over the edge and fell. Most people would have been scared, I suppose. I was distracted by how silly it was that as soon as I stopped looking for death I found it. I was also distracted by how weirdly freeing it felt, being weightless that last few seconds.

Kjole Schmiecel, District Eight female (16)

The other Careers and I sat around our fire while we ate dinner. Allure, Nero and Nailah had come back for dinner, and after that they'd go out hunting again and leave me and Dionysus to guard our stuff. They offered to switch off but I could tell they didn't really mean it. Nero and Allure at least definitely wanted to be out there killing people. Nailah was more casual about it but at this point Dionysus and I had kind of a weird reject Career friendship going on and someone as socially awkward as Nailah wouldn't want to try to fit in after the fact. So Dionysus and I volunteered to hold down the home front today. There would be plenty more days to hunt.

Dionysus, of all people, was the one to cook dinner. "I'm a party guy, remember?" he'd said. "I know how to make REAL food, not just the rabbit stuff athletes are supposed to eat." So he was the one to boil the rice and add spices, seemingly on the basis of smelling them and adding whatever smelled good. I wasn't even sure what most of the spices were. They were certainly hotter than what I was used to, and a lot more colorful.

"So I guess this is supposed to be some kind of South American slum?" Nero asked as he looked at his plate of rice and beans.

"That's kinda racist," Nailah ventured. "Not you, just the Capitol thinking everyone down there only ate rice and beans."

"I think they did eat a lot of that, but yeah, they had other stuff too," I agreed. "Like corn and tortillas and probably lots of other stuff I don't know much about."

"I wish they had burritos in there," Dionysus said. "Nothing hits the spot like a frozen burrito the day after a party when you're... tired."

"Well, guess we'll head out," Nero said after everyone was done eating. "Don't get into trouble while we're gone!"

"Don't kill everyone before we get there!" Dionysus shot back.

As soon as they were gone I turned to Dionysus. "Hey, about that trouble... actually I plan to get into some."

"What?" Dionysus asked, looking both confused but kind of impressed. "You're planning some shenanigans? Do tell!"

"So uhhh we're gonna get raided by some really outliers," I started. "And we're gonna get away but unfortunately I'm gonna get kinda cut up. Get it?" I asked.

"Look, I'm not the smart one in this group," Dionysus said.

"Allure has it in for me. Everyone sees that. She's decided I'm the prettiest of her allies, not trying to brag but she clearly decided it. So... I'm gonna make myself not the prettiest." I went to one of our first aid kits and took out a pile of antiseptic wipes. "Just don't freak out, okay? I'm not trying to hurt myself, I'm just trying to stay alive."

"You're gonna cut your own face all up?" Dionysus asked, now just impressed. "That's pretty metal."

"Don't be too hasty. I don't know if I'll be able to once I start," I said. I looked at the little knife in my hand. It was the sharpest-looking one I could find. I held it up and imagine what I was about to do. I thought of my mom and dad watching and how upset they'd be, not that I was ugly or anything but just that it would hurt. It WOULD hurt, probably a lot. I hadn't gotten hurt in the games yet. The worst I'd ever gotten hurt was when I broke two toes once kicking a ball at the same time someone else did. But it didn't really matter, did it? If I won, the Capitol would put me back, and probably even make me "better" than before. And if I lost, I didn't care what I looked like in a coffin.

This is what you get for joining up with the Careers, I told myself. It had seemed like the best idea and it still did. But if you run with the wolves you better be ready to get bit.

"Wish me luck, I guess," I said. I closed my eyes and put the knife to the side of my head, near my eye but not near enough I would stab it if my hand shook. I pressed it in as hard as I dared and felt my skin split a little. I took a deep breath and dragged it.

17th place: Connor Merlyn, shot by Nero (lol his did in fact hit first)
Connor was leaving a blood trail so it made sense the Careers would go for him. Since they're fighting really smart this year they went in a trio and with those odds there wasn't much Connor could do. I'd say Ceto would be happy he's at least dead, but she really wouldn't be since she didn't kill him. Now no one's happy. Thanks Ceto! Thank you to Sparky She-Demon and tbh I think in most stories Connor will last longer than this.

16th place: Morty Sonym- fell out a window
Morty's form said he would be looking for death but keep surviving. While that was funny in a horrible way I decided to just have it be one POV because eventually it would get depressing, no pun intended. So I let Morty rest since he didn't want to win anyways. This seems like a lot of deaths right from the start but that's because I wanted a more manageable number of tributes so I can start giving them more time and detail. Thanks to Willuna for sending someone not meant to win so everyone else has a better chance!