Olivier Fowler, District Eleven male
No one would have seen this coming. No one would have guessed that Vera and I would be the last two in the Games. I still couldn't believe it wasn't Floki. Floki and anyone but me.
When Vera got sight of me the endgame started. The endgame consisted of me running wildly through the house with Vera on my trail. To the kids in the Capitol it probably looked like some sort of messed-up cartoon- me jumping over couches, flying around corners, throwing myself under tables on my stomach and sliding up onto hands and knees to keep scrambling a few feet ahead of Vera.
That last move managed to buy me a few seconds as Vera stood almost befuddled at the unexpected bizarreness. I sprinted down the hall, upsetting a marble bust on a column so it fell down behind me and hopefully Vera had to dodge it. She did have to dodge it- which she did by jumping over it without interruption and chasing me at the exact same speed.
Door! I whipped around the doorway corner and my arms reflexively pinwheeled when I found myself halfway off the top step of a staircase. I slammed the door shut behind me and locked it just as Vera grabbed the other side of the doorknob and yanked.
Barricade! I ran down the steps and scanned the basement room for something to block the door. It looked like some sort of underground party room, like whoever lived here needed to be able to escape from their fabulous living room when there were too many people and sneak to the second fabulous living room they thoughtfully prepared ahead of time. There was a giant carved wood couch that looked probably too heavy for me to lift and even if I could it was way too big to fit up the staircase. Above me, the crunching of wood told me it didn't matter anyway.
Hide! I set down the bookcase I'd been trying to drag toward the staircase and looked around once again, this time for a place to conceal myself. Light poured in from upstairs as the door splintered and Vera's shadow came down the wall toward me.
Run!
It started all over again. Vera barrelled down the stairs and ran after me as I ran across the room and did a weird twirl over the couch in the corner to keep running without losing momentum. I grabbed a magazine off a coffee table and threw it behind me at Vera. She squawked as she batted it down in annoyance. I heard her slip on it as she tried to keep running and knew I had a few more seconds to live.
"Ha!" Vera yelled, just as something hit me on the back of my head like a staggering punch. I pitched forward and barely got my arms up to protect my face before it hit the floor. I flipped over and saw Vera coming toward me. The stone vase she'd thrown at me was still rolling across the ground a few feet from my head.
Vera towered over me, already lifting her sword. I held my empty hands up as I scooted backwards on the floor.
"No, wait!" I yelled. I cringed back and made a vain plea for mercy. I'm just a kid…
I made a fist with my right hand and struck at Vera's leg. As she moved to easily block it I stabbed upwards with my left hand, the one with the kitchen knife hidden up the sleeve. With nowhere else to go at this angle, it hit her right by the crotch.
Instantly it felt like I'd punctured a hose. The knife slipped free when Vera stepped back in shock and blood sprayed all over me. Not just like spraying window cleaner- it was shooting wildly out like a movie showing someone hitting oil. It quickly pooled at Vera's feet and she slipped on it when she tried to get a closer look at the wound. Blood continued to rocket out of her as I dumbly scooted backwards.
What on Earth did I hit? I'd only been hoping to buy myself another couple more seconds of life. Blood was oozing out between Vera's fingers as she tried to hold it all in. I watched dumbstruck as she started to stumble around in her own blood and then fell still almost the same instant as the cannon sounded.
I had no clue what had happened. This magician couldn't share his secrets. This magician didn't even know his secret.
Sometimes you wildly stab someone's leg and CATASTROPHIC FEMORAL ARTERY RUPTURE! Pretty sure it wouldn't be nearly that dramatic in real life but it's cooler this way.