Harvey Willis
The Capitol played right into my hands. That crocodile animal ate the Careers one by one, leaving the Arena ripe for the picking. It ate some of the rest of us along the way, like the pair from Eleven, and none of the rest of us wanted to kill anyone. I didn't want to, either, but I had to stay alive.
It was always true, but it was more apparent this time that all the killing was done by the Gamemakers. Those of us that weren't eaten by animals were killed by the Arena. On two occasions I passed by Tributes nearly dead from dehydration and dysentery. I had the same symptoms, but I'd managed to stay healthier by drinking water constantly in an attempt to put it in faster than it came out. It was shaping up to be one of the longer Games, since we wer fading away, not flaring out. Whoever won- me, of course- was going to be the most endurant.
Sometimes it was a little funny. If the other Tributes weren't so stupid, they could give me a run for my money. To stay away from the crocodile, you just had to stay in the trees unless you were getting water. Food wasn't worth risking your life over. I stopped feeling hungry after the first three days. I didn't even have to use my snares. The other Tributes were snaring themselves.
When another cannon went off, I was only one Tribute away from victory. I decided to take matters into my own hands and go hunting. I was careful, though. I still stayed in the trees, safely away from the crocodile. I had a feeling whoever was left might wander toward the Cornucopia. There might still be something useful there, and at least there was dry land.
If whoever was left was coming, I reached the Cornucopia first. I waited inside and planned what I could do when he or she got there. I might not have time to rig up a trap. I knew I could win a fight, but that might be ugly. If we tumbled into the water, the crocodile might interrupt and snatch my victory away from me.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw my opponent. It was just the preppy boy from Three. I never would have thought he'd last this long. There were no weapons in the Cornucopia, so we'd have to fight barehanded. The easiest way to win would be to drown him, but that turned even my stomach. It seemed so depraved to hold a boy under the water until he stopped moving. If I got nervous for a minute, he might turn the tables on me.
I scanned the Cornucopia in case I missed any weapons, but all I saw was the dirt under my feet. That might be all I needed, though. Stuck among the dirt and mud were rocks, one of which was the size of a hammer head. I picked it up as the boy got closer to the point where he'd see me.
I wound up and threw the rock at the boy. What with the element of surprise, he didn't even see it coming. It hit him right in the head and he fell facedown into the water. Watching him die was easier than holding him there. He was such a stupid boy. He drowned in two feet of water.