The Forty Fourth Annual Hunger Games


Introduction

The beauty, splendor, and awe of the previous year proved that Ilius Turum did in fact have the skills to keep improving every year. Ilius, however, was scared of having a flop or not memorable Games, like Deana's or Irmentrude's. He wanted to leave the game with one last memorable arena, and he had the perfect idea. Anyway, Ilius was getting married and his soon-to-be wife was two months pregnant. He didn't want to grow up slaughtering kids while he was raising one, so he played Head Gamemaker one final time. The arena was definitely influenced by his personal life. He advertised the Games and betting like crazy again, and some snippets of the arena the public received were lacy white fabric, a huge white cake, a pastel pink rose, and a tolling bell. President Coriolanus Snow kept a firm grip on the Presidency, and he also avidly was raising his new step daughter, Celandine, also known as Celly. She was 14 and Snow and her mother, Agathia, had just married after dating for seven months. Snow wanted to impress his new step daughter, and when she turned 16 he certainly would. Caesar Flickerman and Claudius Templesmith upped their game as announcers this year, making an every day talk show that lasted twenty minutes chatting about the Games. Games mania was even more rampant in the Capitol, and so was Victor prostitution. Unlucky Victors, mostly Careers and most recently Zion and Syren, had to spend many a night in posh Capitol hotels with the higgest bidder. Speaking of Careers, those this year were a varied bunch. District 1 had produced their usual batch, rather skilled, gorgeous air heads and flirts that probably wouldn't win it all. District 2 had produced the cream of the cream of the crop. The female was an actual genius and she was friendly and pretty and strong, and the male was huge and the best fighter with a sword and hand to hand combat the Academy had seen in...well, forever. He was steely and icy cold and didn't seem to give a crap about the pre-Games festivities. District 4 produced a rather lacking pair; the girl was only 15 and she scored low due to lack of training compared to the others, and the boy broke his leg coming up onto the stage because he was so excited. Games rules state that injuries incurred prior to the beginning of the Games (at the very end of the Reaping) cannot be healed by the Capitol, so the boy's leg was not given any medical treatment; his mentor Flotsam did help him set it, however. It would not heal by the time they entered the arena though, so his score was much lower since he had lots of trouble with fighting with his broken leg and the pain that caused. There were no volunteers besides the Careers this year. The only standout was 17 year old Lothum Chiri of District 9. He scored an 8, outscoring a third of the Careers, and was a track star back home in Nine and was extremely fast, and also had some muscle on him and some smarts in his head. All of the other tributes in this year's Games scored between 6 and 2. Here are the tributes:

District 1: Fiesta Hallard, 18 (8) 11-1 and Cartier Hollis, 18 (9) 10-1

District 2: Megara Osare, 18 (11) 6-1 and Brutus Asesino, 18 (12) 3-1

District 3: Alhambra Curtis, 18 (6) 23-1 and Microh Corde, 16 (5) 33-1

District 4: Anilyne Poole, 15 (7) 16-1 and Tidewater Johnson, 18 (7) 16-1

District 5: Kiara Lorentz, 15 (5) 35-1 and Cobre Thalanson, 16 (6) 24-1

District 6: Rueda Heim, 16 (3) 53-1 and Humo Warran, 18 (4) 41-1

District 7: Gianne Guelph, 15 (5) 36-1 and Ladrido Arbol, 18 (7) 17-1

District 8: Tela Takame, 13 (4) 44-1 and Lawon Tzriena, 14 (2) 63-1

District 9: Errota Chaymber, 16 (3) 54-1 and Lothum Chiri, 17 (8) 13-1

District 10: Krava Zeene, 17 (5) 34-1 and Mattin Reide, 18 (5) 33-1

District 11: Blossom Tamarantz, 13 (4) 43-1 and Zumo Klardi, 17 (6) 22-1

District 12: Cueva Lo, 15 (4) 42-1 and Emerson Gentile, 18 (6) 25-1

HGBA Odds: 44% on Brutus, 34% on Megara, 9% on Cartier, 6% on Fiesta, 3% on Lothum, 2% on Anilyne, 1% or less on Alhambra, Microh, Tidewater, Kiara, Cobre, Rueda, Humo, Gianne, Ladrido, Tela, Lawon, Errota, Krava, Mattin, Blossom, Zumo, Cueva, and Emerson.


The Games

The tributes rose up on their pedestals, and everyone gasped back home. The tributes had arisen in a huge cathedral, and wedding bells were ringing incessantly as the countdown flashed above the silvery Cornucopia. Inside the Cornucopia were daggers, spears, and swords. There was also a smattering of water and normal food, but there were dozens of bottles of champagne, and twelve huge wedding cakes inside the Cornucopia. Outside of the huge cathedral, there was rolling hills for some time, lightly blanketed in trees. Past the ring of trees around the remote cathedral, there were several huge playgrounds and schools and mansions and colleges, showing the progression of life after marriage. Ilius had really pulled out all the stops for his final Games. The two strongest tributes, Megara and Brutus, were dressed as the bride and the groom, while the other tributes were dressed in dress clothes (blouses and skirts for the girls, dress shirts and khakis for the boys). Megara set to work tearing off the train of her dress so she'd be able to move easier, and she slipped off her heels and tossed them off absentmindedly. They flew across the circle and a girl screamed as the heels hit the ground at the foot of her pedestal. She was blown up, and Megara gasped, hoping that they wouldn't blow her up what she'd done. They didn't, only because they wanted Brutus to have some competition.

Tela Takame, District 8 Female; 24th, Blown up/Killed by Megara, Bloodbath

5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Many tributes turned tail to flee. As the Careers surged forward, or hobbled in Tidewater's case, tributes scattered and pushed past each other to get out of the cathedral. Brutus would not have it. Lothum sprinted the fastest and grabbed a pack and a dagger and was gone like the wind, but Brutus didn't care. He'd get the boy later. He picked up a sword and then charged at the escaping tributes while the other Careers cleaned up those desperate enough to run at the Cornucopia in what seemed to be a lush and favorable arena for hiding Outliers.

Mattin from 10 grabbed a huge sword and swung it at the occupied Tidewater, who was trying to hold the younger girl from 11 down on the ground. The boy's head flew off and splattered on the ground at Anilyne's feet. She threw up in her mouth and spat out the bile before turning to Mattin and shoving her spear through his chest. The boy gurgled and fell on top of Tidewater, and they bled out together as Blossom scrambled to her feet and tried to escape.

Tidewater Johnston, District 4 Male; 23rd, Killed by Mattin, Bloodbath

Mattin Reide, District 10 Male; 22nd, Killed by Anilyne, Bloodbath

Blossom ran right into Fiesta, who, smiling dangerously, shoved her dagger into the girl's stomach and wiggled it around, slicing open several organs. Blossom fumbled around wordlessly on Fiesta's dagger and then slid off, swiftly dying.

Blossom Tamarantz, District 11 Female; 21st, Killed by Fiesta, Bloodbath

Meanwhile, Brutus was outside of the cathedral. He caught up to one of the running Outliers. Those that had chosen not to go to the Bloodbath saw him following them, and they scattered, several whimpering or screaming. Brutus cut down a girl in a splatter of blood.

Errota Chaymber, District 9 Female; 20th, Killed by Brutus, Bloodbath

Brutus made the next kill swiftly as well, kicking a stunned Lawon to the ground and slicing off his head.

Lawon Tzriena, District 8 Male; 19th, Killed by Brutus, Bloodbath

Inside the cathedral, Megara whirled around and chased down Emerson from 12, who was sprinting away with a hunk of wedding cake stuffed in an empty pack. She kicked him in the small of his back and he tumbled to the ground, the pack flying open and cake splattering everywhere. Megara hefted her blade into the air and swung it downwards at Emerson's neck, slicing it open and killing him.

Emerson Gentile, District 12 Male; 18th, Killed by Megara, Bloodbath

Outside the doors, Emerson's District partner kicked and screamed as Brutus held her above the ground by her dark brown ponytail. He chopped his blade into her stomach twice, and she fell limp. He threw her to the ground and searched for his next victim.

Cueva Lo, District 12 Female; 17th, Killed by Brutus, Bloodbath

Megara turned around to see a girl flying at her, trying to escape the cathedral. Megara sliced at her with her sword, and the girl whimpered as her intestines poked out of her cut open stomach. Megara quickly walked away from her ghastly looking corpse.

Rueda Heim, District 6 Female; 16th, Killed by Megara, Bloodbath

Brutus saw a girl and a boy running over one of the nearby hills for their lives, freaking out and running like mad. He chased after them, and the boy tripped. He screamed as Brutus slammed his fist into the boy's chest to keep him on the ground. Brutus then unceremoniously slashed open the boy's throat before straightening up and looking right at the boy's ally, who was frozen in her spot ten yards away.

Cobre Thalanson, District 5 Male; 15th, Killed by Brutus, Bloodbath

Brutus made the eleventh and final kill of the Bloodbath, throwing his sword like a spear at the girl that suddenly started and tried to escape. It sliced into her back, and Brutus jogged to her side and pulled it out. He watched her bleed out as the other tributes scattered, sprinting into the forest, and he grinned. There would be a time to get all of them in the coming days, a time to slaughter them all.

Krava Zeene, District 10 Female; 14th, Killed by Brutus, Bloodbath

The Careers regrouped at the Cornucopia. Only Anilyne was effected by Tidewater's premature death; to the rest, he'd just been dead weight with his broken leg. Megara and Brutus changed out of their bloodstained bride and groom outfits, into jeans and t-shirts provided by sponsors happy with the slaughter they'd caused. They settled down to rest, and once everyone was asleep, Brutus stood and grabbed Anilyne by her ponytail. She whimpered, but he held his hand over her mouth and instructed her to follow him out of the cathedral. He bound her hands and then dragged her deep into the woods.

Meanwhile, the surviving Outliers were shocked by the slaughter they'd left behind them. Alhambra settled down in a science lab inside one of the schools, having gone the farthest out into the rings of trees and buildings excepting one other tribute. Microh was too tired to continue once he reached the forest, so he rested in the roots of a tree. Kiara found a jungle gym and climbed up to the highest point, a huge metal cupola over a platform where several slides shot off of. This was where she roosted and set up her camp. Humo wanted supplies, so he made the risky move of waiting behind the cathedral, covering himself in grass and mud to camouflage. The pair from 7, Gianne and Ladrido, stayed together even though they'd never spoken a word of an alliance before the Games. They climbed the tallest tree they could find in the forest and rested there for the night. Lothum kept running and running until he saw a faint shimmer in the air. He stopped two feet short of hitting the forcefield and being flung backwards and electrocuted to death. He stepped away from the force field and sprinted back to the nearest building, a small suburban house, where he buried himself under a pile of blankets in a pantry that contained a couple of rusty cans filled with disgusting but edible fruit. Zumo had been wounded by Cartier during the Bloodbath, and he could barely make it into the forest. He collapsed near some bushes and prayed that no one would find him while he rested long enough to be able to walk and find a better hiding spot.

Brutus trekked through the woods, a now unconscious Anilyne draped over his shoulder. He'd hit her unconscious once they entered the woods and she tried to escape from his grasp. This was his Games to lose; he was going to have some fun, and he had one objective on mind: kill the most tributes ever in the history of the Games, period. He lay in wait by Anilyne until she woke up around daybreak. She saw him polishing his sword, and she began to scream incessantly. Exactly what he wanted. She screamed and thrashed in her bindings, unable to scream coherent words, too frightened. Only fifteen, she was not truly ready for these Games and she was having a nervous breakdown, fidgeting and shaking and going insane as Brutus circled her calmly, sometimes stepping towards her quickly, which would send her screaming louder and higher. She began to weep and stop yelling as the day fully flooded the arena, and Brutus slapped her with the pommel of his sword to get her screaming again. He waited patiently, drawing doodles in the dirt with the tip of his sword.

Meanwhile, back at the cathedral, the other three Careers woke up to find their weakest and strongest members absent from their sleeping posts. Megara was quickly on alert, thinking something or someone had killed Anilyne and Brutus and they'd missed the cannons; if something could take out Brutus, she thought, then it could take all of them out in one fell swoop. But she didn't find anything of course, and Cartier and Fiesta prepared a hearty breakfast of wedding cake, granola bars, and milk sent by sponsors advertising their new organic milk product. As Megara left without a word to go inspect the sounds of screaming that now met her ears as she inspected the exterior of the cathedral, Cartier spit out his sip of milk, proclaiming how terrible it was. He lost all his sponsors at that moment. Megara narrowly missed stepping on the camouflaged Humo when she was looking out back for the screamer. The boy from 6 lay under a pile of sod and mud by the cathedral's cellar door that led to nowhere; at the bottom of the stairs, everything was bricked up, and the Careers had checked there. After Megara was gone, Humo slid into the cellar steps and eased the rusty metal door closed, sealing himself into the dark, musty abyss, curling up in a ball as he tried not to cry from the terror of it all.

Megara marched through the woods at a feverish pace, not feeling good about this. Her brain told her it was just some stupid little Outlier to finish off, but her instincts told her something more was at stake, that she should be careful. She plowed ahead anyway; she'd always been a more analytical, emotionless girl when it came to decision making, and more often than not she followed her brain, not her gut. Big mistake.

She jogged into the clearing, and quickly saw Anilyne screeching and lashed to the tree, covered in bruises and cuts, bloody and weeping. Brutus stood in front of her, slamming the pommel of his sword into her nose this time, the cartilage crunching beneath the rounded metal butt of the sword. Megara threw up in her mouth as blood spewed from Anilyne's shattered nose, but Brutus didn't blink an eye, grinning viciously and looking right at the camera in the branch of the tree Anilyne was tied too, looking right at everyone watching with his monsterous face coated in blood. As Megara drew her sword, quiet as a whisper, from its leather sheath, Brutus heard, and sensed her behind him, but he waited for her to make the first move.

The moment Megara pounced, ready to dice into Brutus's skull and finish the monster, he sidestepped. Megara barreled forward and her sword slammed into the stomach of Anilyne, who groaned loudly and stopped struggling, near death. Megara, frozen in horror from killing her ally that she'd been trying to save, couldn't move or think well. Suddenly she was slammed back against Anilyne; despite their age difference, they were about the same height, their heads lining up. Anilyne's screams were silenced underneath Megara, and Megara faced her fate silently, squeezing her eyes shut as Brutus slammed his sword through her forehead. It slid all the way through Megara's brain, killing her immediately, and sliced halfway into Anilyne's brain. This, along with her other grievous wounds, led her to die moments after Megara's cannon boomed. Brutus drew his sword from their corpses, grinning. Seven kills already, only on the second day.

Megara Osare, District 2 Female; 13th, Killed by Brutus, Day 2

Anilyne Poole, District 4 Female; 12th, Killed by Brutus and Megara, Day 2

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Brutus rested comfortably in a grove laden with edible berries and soft mosses, feasting on the berries and sponsor gifts of champagne, steak, and mashed potatoes sent to him by happy sponsors, delighted by his show of skill. This was his Games to lose for sure now; the One male Cartier was closest to him in skill, but Cartier had only gotten a 9, while Brutus sported a proud 12. It would take the biggest upset in Hunger Games history to dethrone the apparent Victor now, after he so effortlessly killed Megara and Anilyne. He'd already given the public enough bloodshed for the day, so he relaxed. Cartier and Fiesta, worried when Brutus, Megara, and Anilyne all did not return after a couple of hours after the cannons, decided to stay in the cathedral to wait for them instead of hunting, although it was secretly out of fear that they stayed inside. That night, when the faces of their two comrades filled the sky, they knew the odds had just turned against them, for Brutus Asesino was now on the loose, ruthless and ready to become Victor. They knew about his goal to make the most kills, and his goal to kill one tribute from each District, to make exactly 12 kills, a feat never done before. They were doomed from the start, and they would happily let him clear out the rest of the field and tire himself out. Unbeknownest to them, Brutus had so many sponsor gifts that he was in better shape than they were; he was even supplied with a full body set of armor. The Outliers didn't move much, surprised when Megara and Anilyne were in the sky, but also worried, too; what could take out two Careers on only the second day? The only reasonable answer was another Career, and when a Career went rogue early, that meant quicker and bloodier deaths for the hiding Outliers most times.

On the third Day, Brutus arose and quickly jogged through the woods, already bloodthirsty enough again to torture. His thirst was insatiable and he would not rest until he met his goal for the day, killing off two more Outliers. Everyone else remained in hiding, even Fiesta and Cartier, as Brutus hunted. At this point their only hope was mutts or a natural event caused by the Gamemakers; none of them could take him. If they all rushed at him as one banded unit of ten tributes they might be able to subdue him, but they weren't going to unite like that. Nothing had ever happened like that before in the history of the Games, really, excepting some of the larger Anti-Career packs, but even then. Little did they know that unlike many bloodthirsty, half-insane tributes, the Capitol actually adored him, and not just because of the slaughter he caused but because of his persona and his charismatic and cunning personality. The other tributes were in hot water indeed.

By noon he heard a small scuffle in the branches of a nearby tree, which soared above the rest. He strapped his sword to his waist in its sheath, and he started to scale the massive tree. The unassuming pair from Seven, Gianne and Ladrido, were curled up in one of the higher branches, still sleeping soundly, feeling safe in their high perch. Brutus nearly fell a couple of times, and the branches hardly supported his weight as he approached the Sevens' resting place, but he kept going, not caring. If he fell, the sponsors would send him enough medicine to fix himself. When Brutus was a mere five feet below them, his foot hit a thin branch sprouting from one of the thicker boughs. It snapped loudly, tumbling a good six stories down to the forest floor, waking up Gianne and Ladrido. Gianne peered over the edge of the branch, groggily, rubbing her eyes, only to feel a sword suddenly slide through her throat; Brutus was next to her now, having scaled up and around the tree and having sneaked up on her. Gianne gurgled, blood pouring out of her sliced throat, after Brutus drew his bloody blade out. She slumped against the trunk of the tree, smearing her blood across the wood as she bled out. Her cannon fully awoke Ladrido, who saw Brutus towering over him with a manic smile on his face.

Gianne Guelph, District 7 Female; 11th, Killed by Brutus, Day 3

Ladrido stumbled to his feet, grabbing the hatchet he'd managed to scavenge from the Bloodbath. Brutus slowly inched closer to him, and Ladrido took a couple of steps back. A couple of steps back into empty air, that is, as the branch ended close to where Ladrido had stood up. Ladrido screamed as he plummeted, smacking into branches and trying to grab onto them but failing, falling more than six stories below and battered by tree branches the whole way down. He finally collided with the forest floor, going unconscious, blood leaking from his broken nose and the corner of his mouth. Brutus climbed down the tree, cleaning his sword before moving on. He had never planned on killing the male from 7. He was only killing one tribute from each District, after all. The others would have to take care of themselves like Ladrido had, accidentally committing suicide. He wasn't dead yet, not close, but he was bleeding out.

After Brutus returned to his clearing to rest and feast on more sponsor gifts, it began to drizzle. The day trickled past without movement from any of the other tributes; the Outliers were staying put, not risking going out to hunt or look for food and water even though their stomachs ached for it. They drank the water thirstily as it rained down on them, and Alhambra and Lothum collected it in empty milk cartons and empty tin cans respectively. Even Fiesta and Cartier stayed put, their resolve being whittled away bit by bit as they tried to avoid this topic: how and when would they face Brutus?

As the sun began to set, Ladrido finally bled out, succumbing to the various wounds he'd received during his long fall.

Ladrido Arbol, District 7 Male; 10th, Killed by falling out of a tree, Day 3

After the faces of the dead and the anthem ceased, Brutus went hunting. The showing of the dead happened every day at midnight, so it was now technically Day 4, and Brutus wanted to make a frightening night kill. After searching the woods for a while, he emerged into an area he'd yet to discover, the schools and houses and playgrounds. He just laughed and turned on his heel and jogged back into the woods; even more fun places to clear out whimpering Outliers who'd wet themselves in fear.

Back in the forest, as Brutus was walking about an hour before dawn, he tripped over a sodden lump. He staggered and nearly fell, catching himself with his hand. As he straightened, he flicked on his flashlight. The powerful yellow-white beam illuminated a slowly waking Microh, who had gotten an infection already in a large cut on his hand earned in the Bloodbath, inflicted by Fiesta. He'd just been sleeping on the forest floor, hoping to not be found. Brutus pulled out a dagger and leaned down next to Microh, grabbing his hand as he began to squirm, truly waking up. He sliced open the inflamed, infected cut, and Microh screamed so loud it woke up most of the other tributes that were still asleep. Microh kicked Brutus in the groin, but it was protected by Brutus's body armor and he didn't even flinch. Microh squirmed out of Brutus's loose grip and tumbled to his feet, trying to run away. Brutus jogged after him leisurely, then sprinting when Microh sped up. Brutus always had loved the chase. When Microh was getting a little too far away for comfort, and the sun was breaking the horizon, Brutus chucked a big gray rock at him. It nailed him in the back of the head, and he fell to the ground, yelping in pain. Brutus strode over and sliced deep into Microh's chest, killing him.

Microh Corde, District 3 Male; 9th, Killed by Brutus, Day 4

That left the Top 8: Fiesta Hallard from District 1, Cartier Hollis from District 1, Brutus Asesino from District 2, Alhambra Curtis from District 3, Kiara Lorentz from District 5, Humo Warran from District 6, Lothum Chiri from District 9, and Zumo Klardi from District 11.

It wasn't long before Brutus tracked down his next victim, about an hour after noon. Zumo was severely injured, much worse than Microh had been. He was so weak he could barely even lift a finger. Brutus took his sweet time as Zumo screamed, unable to escape as Brutus carved out his eyeballs and his tongue and left him to bleed out after slashing open his calves and forearms several times. Zumo thrashed weakly, and two or so hours later he was dead.

Zumo Klardi, District 11 Male; 8th, Killed by Brutus, Day 4

It poured hard for the rest of the Day, and Brutus received a note from his Mentor, Gnaeus, telling him to slow down and take his time; he had it in the bag, he just couldn't finish the Games in two or three days, he had to keep the entertainment going for a little while longer. Brutus was uneasy. Zumo was his 10th official direct kill. He'd broken the record. He just needed to kill the elusive Six boy and one of the Ones, and his goal was completed. He didn't want to kill anyone else. When Brutus Asesino made a goal, he stuck to it and did not deviate. Period.

"Let's make a deal," Brutus announced to the cameras. "You or the Ones kill the girls from 3 & 5 and the boy from 9 and one of the Ones. I'll take the 6 boy and the other One and make their deaths extra messy after all of those are gone. Deal or no deal?"

In his next sponsor gift, a basket of sweet, sugary breads and muffins, the note from Gnaeus read They said Deal. But you have to somehow take care of both Ones. - GD

Brutus laid back in his beautiful, berry coated meadow, and waited for his Final Four to be delivered to him, content with having to coerce one of the Ones into killing each other. He sharpened his sword and practice sparred with trees and other things around him. He really did want to go explore the houses and stuff...he stood up and trekked off to the north, towards the outer ring of buildings. It was an exploration mission, not a killing mission. He even left his sword back at camp, going in with only a dagger, one of his worst weapons. He'd be able to best the Outliers with it, however.

Everyone else had been lying low so far. Cartier and Fiesta were prompted by their Mentors, Zion and Mascara, to get hunting, that they wouldn't have to worry about Asesino for a while. They got out of their stupor on the morning of Day 5 and decided to go hunting, ready to kill. Alhambra had been roving around the schools for the past several days, collecting supplies and trying to build an electrical trap. But she didn't have enough supplies, and no one was willing to sponsor her much more than a screw or a battery. Kiara still hid in her jungle gym, sometimes hanging upside down or the like when she was bored. She was a gymnast back home and was very flexible, gorgeous, and speedy, but not the smartest or most likable. She was hiding out in the open. So she wasn't hiding. It was just the fact that Brutus and the other Careers had never really hunted in the outer ring of buildings and such that had made her survive this long. Humo still hid in wait in his cellar, crying often to himself, sipping water from the rains that leaked into the cellar, eating the four rats that had lived there before him. Lothum had barely budged from his small suburban home on the edge of the arena, and on Day 5 the Gamemakers prompted him with a pair of mutts they'd yet to use, a ferocious, zombified, newly married couple with ghostly white skin and dark black eyes, reminiscent of the Knights from Januaria's Games. Sadly for the Gamemakers, Brutus was acting as the mass murderer in these terrifying mutts steads. Lothum outran them since he was very fast and intelligent, but that would not be his last encounter with them.

As night fell on Day 5, Fiesta and Cartier had failed to discover any of the tributes, who were all hiding in the outer rings of buildings, or right under their noses back in the cellar of the cathedral. Brutus, meanwhile, explored a sector of the buildings where no one was hiding, marveling at the complex beauty of the arena around him; every little detail was fine tuned and realistic. Fiesta and Cartier's expedition had failed since they were moving slowly, afraid of running into Brutus, and they had yet to leave the seemingly safe inner ring of the forest, which provided more resources but a little less cover than the outer ring.

Day 6, however, Fiesta received a hamburger from an eager sponsor as well as a vague note hinting for them to head north. Luckily, Cartier was able to decode the riddle on the note, and they did head north. Around noon they discovered the buildings and the like, and they happened to exit the forest right near the jungle gym where Kiara had been spending her time in the Games at. The girl was hungry and uncomfortable, so she was hanging upside down from the monkey bars, trying to clear her head and not thinking straight. Fiesta rushed at her, and Kiara screamed, trying to get out of the way, but she couldn't move fast enough. Fiesta's spear sank deep into the stomach of Kiara, the tip poking out of her back. Fiesta drew out her weapon, and stabbed the girl twice in the head until her cannon boomed before running back to Cartier. The Ones resumed their search as the hovercraft retrieved Kiara's corpse. Now only six tributes were left.

Kiara Lorentz, District 5 Female; 7th, Killed by Fiesta, Day 6

On Day 7, the Newlywed mutts were released into the arena. There were only two of them, but they did not move in a group. The bride sped to the west, the groom to the east, and then quickly found respective targets as they wove through the buildings.

Lothum was too frightened after his first run in with the mutts to stay in one place for too long. As he wandered the halls of one of the high schools, drinking from a beaker he'd filled with water from the rainfall a couple of days earlier. He heard the slap of bare feet against the tile floors, and he quickly paled, pulling out the dagger he'd gotten from the Bloodbath and sprinting down the halls. Most of the classroom doors were locked, and as the footsteps got closer he began to frantically tug at locked handles. As he turned around right when he found an unlocked door, he saw the spectral bride stomping down the halls, singing in a high pitched voice, her wickedly long, dark black nails clacking against her thigh. Lothum, scared for his life, runs into the room and tries to slam the door shut behind him, but the bride blurs down the hall and sticks her hand in the door. Her pale fingers break, and she screams, but she forces the door open as Lothum scrambles backwards and backs himself into a corner. The bride bleeds black blood as she stalks over to Lothum. He surges forward, stabbing her in the stomach. Black blood bubbles forth, and she screams, locking her unbroken hand around his neck. He gurgles as her long nails slide into his neck, and his blood, bright red, dribbles down his neck and onto the floor. He can't fight her any longer as the mutt destroys his throat until he can't breath and he's lost too much blood, sliding to the floor as the bride draws back, cackling in glee and sucking the blood from her pale-as-snow fingers.

Lothum Chiri, District 9 Male; 6th, Killed by Newlywed Bride mutt, Day 7

As Lothum's cannon fires, the Ones are also on the run. The Groom mutt, his pale white dead skin standing out against his faded black tuxedo, barrels along through the grassy mud patches between the buildings and jungle gyms. Cartier keeps a level head, but Fiesta starts to get spooked a little too much. Cartier stops, pulling out his sword and facing the mutt. He slashes forward with the blade, hacking off the left hand on the mutt with vigor. The mutt squeals and sidesteps, running past Cartier and towards Fiesta, who has freaked out and climbed onto a playground, climbing hastily and perching on top of one of the metallic cupolas. She scrambles to get her spear into stabbing position, but her shaking hands fumble too much and she drops the weapon. Cartier runs towards his ally, but is too late. The Groom surges up the cupola, grabbing Fiesta's leg and swinging her into the air like a rag doll. Fiesta screams as her head slams down against the ground after her aerial free fall. She tries to stand but is too hurt and dizzy to do so, and the Groom leaps down from the metal cupola and lands on Fiesta, tearing at her neck and her face and her chest with his hands, which are covered in sharp golden and silvery rings. Fiesta yells and gurgles, and Cartier cleaves his sword into the back of the Groom several times until black blood is spurting everywhere and the Groom has stopped moving. Fiesta's skin is raw and entirely red and her bloody eyes are unfocused. She slips away ten minutes later as Cartier holds her, a little distraught at the death of his District partner, not just because he was a little attached to her, but also because now he would have to face the venomous Brutus Asesino alone.

Fiesta Hallard, District 1 Female; 5th, Killed by Newlywed Groom mutt, Day 7

Cartier jumped to his feet, wiping away the sweat and blood from his face. He left behind Fiesta's corpse with one intent; to end these Games as soon as possible. He headed towards one of the nearby schools to begin his search, but he wouldn't have to search for long. The Bride mutt was still alive and on the loose, cackling as she went, her mouth, hands, and white wedding down stained with big splotches of Lothum's blood. Alhambra from 3, chucking beakers at the strange humanoid mutt that shatter across her soft, white skin, sprints out of the front door of the school. As Alhambra sends another beaker-bomb the Bride's way, this one full of some fizzling chemicals that explode upon contact with the Bride's face, Cartier picks up Fiesta's spear from the ground. The Bride screams, the voice high pitched and whiny as her face dissolves. Then her mouth and tongue dissolve too, and black blood pumps forth onto the ground. The Newlyweds are now both out for the count.

Alhambra, the last female in the Games, doesn't see the spear until it's lodged in her stomach. She's been running zig zag down the sidewalk leading out of the school just in case the Bride might be throwing projectiles her way, but it's not enough movement to save her from Cartier's thrown spear. She gurgles, blood gushing out of her mouth as she doubles over, just driving the weapon farther into her body. She falls limp against the pavement, blood rapidly pooling around her. Cartier jogs over, biting his lip as he draws his spear out of the girl. She gives a small yelp as he does so, curling up into a tiny, blood soaked ball, trying to push the pain out, trying to keep the blood and her organs in. She lets out her final rattling breath, and she's dead, her cannon shattering the air.

Alhambra Curtis, District 3 Female; 4th, Killed by Cartier, Day 7

Only minutes after Alhambra dies, a torrent of black raven mutts shoots out of the bell tower of the cathedral, ready to pester the two tributes who haven't faced any mutts yet. Humo stays safely cocooned in his cellar, although a good six dozen shiny black raven mutts coat it like a living, feathery blanket, cawing loudly and pecking relentlessly at the cool metal. Meanwhile, a good eight dozen ravens descend on oblivious Brutus Asesino, who's dining on some sponsored turkey sandwiches. Right before the birds dive bomb him, he makes a comment about how good the turkey is, earning himself even more cred in the Capitol with the company who "produces" the turkey, even though the work's all done in 10. Then the cloud of birds is on him as he yells indignantly, tearing at his hair and his clothes. He takes out his sword and swings it in a wide berth around him, slicing through several of the birds, all of which flock so close to him that he can't see anything but glossy black feathers and snapping, bloody beaks. He's had a fire going, and he cuts a gap through the cloud of birds with his sword. He bends down and picks up a handful of coals, ignoring the searing pain as he chucks them at the birds, blowing on them to make them flare up. They thin enough for him to pick up a big, half burnt branch from the fire. Fire ripples across its half dissolved surface, and he swats it at the birds, setting some of them on fire and fending off the others long enough that the Gamemakers let up. When the birds are all either dead or gone, he sighs and sits down on a stump, and moments later a gift of creamy medicine drops from the sky. He lathers it all over the dozens of cuts peppered about his head, hands, forearms, back of his neck, and legs, sighing in relief.

Soon after the birds have dispersed, there's an announcement. Claudius Templesmith shouts, "There will be a Feast at noon tomorrow. There is something there that all of you need." Humo was thirsty and hungry, and he dearly needed to get out of that damn cellar or he'd go even more insane. Brutus didn't necessarily need anything, and neither did Cartier. But their weapons of choice were in their backpacks; they definitely had strange tastes. There was a certain type of sword rarely employed in the Games called a spatha that Brutus got a kick out of using, and Cartier's favorite weapons were shurikens. All of those waited for them at the Feast, and it seemed that Day 8 might be the last of these Games.

Early on the 8th morning, all three boys woke up bright and early. Humo, shaking, opened the doors of his tiny, damp cellar. When the light slanted through and hit his eyes he was blinded, but when he stepped out into the warmer air, feeling lots of open space around him and something other than tough slate beneath his feet, he sighed in relief. He could die happy like this. Not that he was going to die by anyway means-right? Cartier woke up from where he'd been resting in the gymnasium of one of the high schools, doing a few trick shots at the hoops before picking up his sword and spear and heading towards the cathedral. His favorite sport was basketball, and just in case this was his last day he was happy that he'd gotten to enjoy himself a little before his death.

Nothing would make Brutus Asesino happy except Victory, and that's what he would have. Served bloody and cold, of course.

It wasn't even nine in the morning when Cartier reached the cathedral. He pushed through the doors, surveying the room, and his eyes landed on the boy crouching in the Cornucopia, eating some of the leftover cake and sipping champagne straight from the bottle. Cartier took out his sword, and Humo, eyes darting around in fright, picked up a huge glob of cake and chucked it at Cartier. It smacked into the boy's face, and, disconcerted, he stumbled, long enough for Humo to jump to his feet, smash through a cathedral window, and sprint out. The moment his feet collided with the wet ground, however, he saw Brutus emerging from the nearby woods. He tried to move, but Brutus rushed at him, and Humo had sprained his ankle jumping awkwardly out of the window. He hobbled along and, without thinking, tried to go to his cellar to hide. He tried to pry open the doors, but they were sealed shut. The Gamemakers wouldn't let anyone else hide.

Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, and he gasped in pain as Brutus drew his sword out of the boy's back. He slashed open the back of Humo's neck, cutting his head off halfway. Humo collapsed, coughing up mouthfuls of blood all over himself, spasming as he died right on top of the metal doors to the cellar, the place that had been his dank yet sacred sanctuary for the past week.

Humo Warran, District 6 Male; 3rd, Killed by Brutus, Day 8

Brutus smashed apart the rest of the broken window and stepped in easily. It was about nine thirty at this point, as Brutus had given himself a little time to rest outside after polishing off Humo. Cartier whirled around, leaping to his feet, picking up his sword. Brutus surged forward, sweeping his sword around too wide on purpose. Cartier, shocked at Brutus's fatal mistake, darted forward, smashing his blade into Brutus's chest. His chest, which was covered by a thick plate of iron-like metal armor. Cartier's sword cut through his shirt and clanged off, and Cartier looked on in horror as his weapon bounced ten feet away, and Brutus surged forward, slamming his left fist into Cartier's nose as he raised his sword with his right hand. As Cartier quivered on the floor, Brutus looked at his sword and chuckled before dropping it. It hit the floor with a loud clang, and Brutus jabbed forward, slamming his fist into Cartier's unprotected throat. The boy gasped, and Brutus tugged him to his feet, slapping and punching and kicking the hell out of the One boy, who was too dizzy and tired and scared at this point to do more than kick weakly back to try and free himself from Brutus's iron grasp. Finally, Brutus, panting, took Cartier's head in his hands.

"I've always wanted to try this," Brutus giggles quietly, and in one fluid motion he snaps Cartier's neck with his bare hands. He lets go, letting Cartier slump to the floor. The cannon fires, and Brutus grins victoriously as his last opponent's life force leaves him for good.

Cartier Hollis, District 1 Male; 2nd, Killed by Brutus, Day 8

"Brutus Asesino of District 2, you are the Victor of the 44th Hunger Games!" Caesar and Claudius scream into the arena as Brutus chuckles in glee, raising his arms in acceptance of his Victory, the smile on his face truly blissful and sated.

"I did it," he whispers. "I made 12 kills, one from each District. Did you hear that? I KILLED THEM ALL!"

He just smirks as the hovercraft comes down to collect him. He's a Victor among Victors.


Aftermath

District 2 hadn't won since the 37th Games. Not a huge gap at all, but a little big for the powerhouse of a Career District that 2 was swiftly becoming. Brutus's win bolstered them to 8 Victors, making them lead by 2 over the other Careers Districts, 1 and 4, who both had a good number of Victors as well at 6 a piece. Brutus was true to his name. He was a pure brute, but a lovable, Capitol favorite brute, a brute that became a central symbol of patriotism in the entirety of Panem, a brute that became an ultimate celebrity and the sex symbol of his District. He drank and he partied and he did drugs and he was prostituted, but he didn't care. He'd accomplished his life's goal; the only thing he would ever want to do was to become a Victor among Victors, but that was never going to happen. Even the Capitol isn't cruel enough to send Victors back into the arena even if they want to go back, like Pomona or Brutus himself. He did do drugs but it wasn't to cover up the memories of the Games, no, for him it was to stimulate them and enhance them so he remembered them more vividly than they'd felt when they'd actually transpired.

Brutus would live to the ripe old age of 84, dying five months prior to the 119th Hunger Games from a mixture of old age and the damage done to his body via addictive substances such as alcohol and drugs. He never married or had kids, although there was rumors of a relationship with another 2 Victor named Lyme that have been proven in recent years. They had a child together, named Scipio, who was raised solely as Lyme's child; he also adopted her surname. They seemed to have a violent love affair that never was an engagement or a marriage, but was definitely love according to other 2 Victors from that time period.

The payouts on his Victory weren't the greatest, since 44% bet on him.

His Victory Tour was great in the Career Districts, but in the Outer Districts he seemed overly brutal and violent and was a little offputting to many, although he was dressed very well and the festivities were very great.

Fun Facts: Brutus has the most kills to date of a tribute in ANY Hunger Games with an astounding 12, although others have come close or even tied him in some very, very rare instances, but since Brutus won first he'd considered to have the most. He also killed 6 males and 6 females, and a tribute from every single District, and only one tribute from every single District.


Victor's News

Brutus moves into the Victor's Village of 2, in the house next door to Gnaeus.


List of Victors

1st: Kelan Thather, District 4 (1, 1 Male)

2nd: Dillon Tripp, District 9 (1, 1 Male)

3rd: Tugra Ertra, District 5 (1, 1 Female)

4th: Noor Tuskararus, District 2 (1, 1 Female)

5th: Ishania Patel, District 7 (1, 1 Female)

6th: Guild Tonneroy, District 1 (1, 1 Male)

7th: Chaplin Nastaro, District 3 (1, 1 Male)

8th: Irmentrude Marley, District 5 (2, 2 Female)

9th: Vissarion Chamantel, District 11 (1, 1 Male)

10th: Greason Trails, District 6 (1, 1 Male)

11th: Mags Flanagan, District 4 (2, 1 Female)

12th: Salandra Valour, District 1 (2, 1 Female)

13th: Barcelona Sepias, District 10 (1, 1 Female)

14th: Freeha Indepp, District 11 (2, 1 Female)

15th: Clermont Lackrey, District 1 (3, 2 Male)

16th: Bex Martin, District 4 (3, 2 Female)

17th: Jaguar Crusoe, District 10 (2, 1 Male)

18th: Deana Mitchellson, District 9 (2, 1 Female)

19th: Romulus Armidale, District 2 (2, 1 Male)

20th: Grover Elms, District 7 (2, 1 Male)

21st: Fitore Renoro, District 2 (3, 2 Male)

22nd: Mascara Curler, District 1 (4, 2 Female)

23rd: Woof Parsons, District 8 (1, 1 Male)

24th: Dorsal Rance, District 4 (4, 2 Male)

25th: Venice Grammar, District 12 (1, 1 Female)

26th: Calculata Fenceley, District 3 (2, 1 Female)

27th: Florianna Urnston, District 2 (4, 2 Female)

28th: Mercedes Benson, District 6 (2, 1 Female)

29th: Fox Rennolls, District 5 (3, 1 Male)

30th: Tarquinius Isselhardt, District 2 (5, 3 Male)

31st: Ivelisse Horner, District 1 (5, 3 Female)

32nd: Pomona McCrea, District 7 (3, 2 Female)

33rd: Beetee Latier, District 3 (3, 2 Male)

34th: Flotsam Bresten, District 4 (5, 3 Male)

35th: Organza White, District 8 (2, 1 Female)

36th: Januaria Shale, District 2 (6, 3 Female)

37th: Gnaeus Deccum, District 2 (7, 4 Male)

38th: Porter Tripp, District 5 (4, 3 Female)

39th: Seeder Howell, District 11 (3, 2 Female)

40th: Zion Alvarra, District 1 (6, 3 Male)

41st: Indigo Arnett, District 6 (3, 2 Female)

42nd: Surge Tomlin, District 5 (5, 2 Male)

43rd: Syren Calanthe, District 4 (6, 3 Female)

44th: Brutus Asesino, District 2 (8, 5 Male)


A/N: OH GOSH WHY WHY DO I TAKE SO LONG

this was so so much longer than I planned it's scary, the words just flowed and I think I might legitimately be the reincarnation of Brutus and it's scary I enjoyed writing him so much I should probably go get checked out XD THIS IS OVER 8,000 words, CLOSER TO 9,000 MORE SO THAN 8,000, WHAT DID I DO

This was a fun chapter to write really, and I hope you enjoyed it! Please review if you can!

I was doing so well on the tenses until the Top 8 and then they just got all mucked up, probably because I was rushing just a tad so I could get this out tonight XD Sorry. I'm working on it as much as I can.

Thanks for reading! What did you think about the legendary Brutus Asesino, another canon Victor? We have a whole bunch of them coming up soon! Chaff for the 45th, Wiress for the 46th, Lyme the 49th, and Haymitch the 50th! Whew!

Until Next Time,

Tracee