The Forty Seventh Annual Hunger Games
Introduction
With Zealand Cruxe acting as the Head Gamemaker for the first time not actually competing for the full-time job with Cyndala, he did not relent at all. He was just a fervent, bombastic, and hard working as before, determined to mark his legacy upon the ledgers of Panemian history. He would work his magic like he had in the Forty Sixth despite having less time to work since he'd had to help Celly plan, plot, and construct the labyrinth of an arena that she'd spun for her birthday for half of the year. He did many sneak peeks. The stalls from the year prior, where he showed off items from the Games, were brought back into use. Capitolites walking past on the street were invited to hold things like little bags of peanuts, an empty, waxy coffee cup, and a luggage tag, as well as a rapier that would be found in the Cornucopia. Only time would tell if Zealand could pull off a huge smash hit of a Games like the year prior, or if, Snow forsaken, the genius of a man would somehow fail. President Coriolanus Snow became more paranoid after he found out that Celly knew he'd been cheating on Agathia with one of his underlings, a woman named Helini Busterd. Helini mysteriously showed up dead a mile from her tent when she went camping with some of her coworkers in the beautiful desert on Five's outer stretches. The paranoia, however, did not make him nervous or twitchy; it just made him crueler and more vicious. Caesar Flickerman and Claudius Templesmith returned as the announcers and masters of ceremonies for these Games, as they would for many years to come. They were a little tired out, as they had had to run their Hunger Games show all through what was usually their off season due to Celly's Games, and they'd been working tirelessly for a year straight now. However, they were masters of emotion and manipulation and charisma, and no one noticed anything off about them. The Careers were a pretty varied bunch this year compared to others in a number of ways. The tributes from 1 were polar opposites; the girl had heavy Egyptian ancestry, and she was strong and levelheaded and was unknown to many members of her District. Meanwhile, the boy was a blond haired, blue eyed beauty who modeled and was pretty popular around the District, being related to a Capitol official. He was rather weak for a Career however. However, the pair from 2 was similar in many respects. They were both tall, strong, and dark skinned, and they happened to be pretty good friends from the Academy. They both fancied swordfighting; Jacqui liked rapiers, while Calandrus preferred broadswords. One of the only differences between them was that Jacqui was more solitary, while Calandrus was more gregarious and had the mindset of a leader. The pair from 4 was a little strange. The girl, antisocial and quiet, hadn't planned on volunteering, but after the chosen volunteer dropped out and there was no one left to replace her, her parents and friends and superiors bullied her into volunteering. Meanwhile, the boy was a master with tridents and loved to surf, and was pretty sociable. Among the Outliers, there weren't many standouts. One boy, who worked as a ranch hand back in 10, named Stinn Hawke, managed to score an 8 for his strength and skill with basic brute weapons like maces. One notable fact about the group was that there were no 12 year olds, a single 13 year old, and a handful of 14 year olds, less younger tributes than usual. Everyone else besides Stinn seemed to almost fade into the background, and even then he was only memorable because of his score. There were no volunteers besides the Careers. The other scores ranged from 6 to 3. Here are the tributes:
District 1: Nefertiti Kouri, 18 (11) 5-1 and Luxor Carafe, 18 (8) 11-1
District 2: Jacqui Davis, 17 (10) 8-1 and Calandrus Tusem, 18 (11) 4-1
District 3: Cordaire Audrin, 14 (3) 52-1 and Taure Sooks, 16 (5) 31-1
District 4: Pila Emore, 18 (9) 9-1 and Sunken Maston, 18 (10) 7-1
District 5: Marie Mjolnir, 16 (4) 43-1 and Charle Ginson, 16 (5) 33-1
District 6: Chevelle Perois, 15 (6) 24-1 and Tank Bouston, 18 (6) 21-1
District 7: Siti Destell, 17 (6) 22-1 and Carvis Berkeley, 13 (4) 42-1
District 8: Kansa Chins, 14 (3) 57-1 and Baize DeGaulle, 15 (6) 29-1
District 9: Thyme Morisette, 16 (4) 41-1 and Erik Izazaga, 15 (5) 34-1
District 10: Bess Throckmorton, 15 (5) 32-1 and Stinn Hawke, 18 (8) 14-1
District 11: Kinsey Laora, 14 (4) 45-1 and Radish Jermone, 15 (4) 44-1
District 12: Svetlana Ansbach, 17 (4) 44-1 and Duston Spiere, 16 (3) 51-1
HGBA Odds: 22% on Calandrus, 20% on Nefertiti, 16% on Sunken, 15% on Jacqui, 12% on Pila, 8% on Luxor, 2% on Stinn, 1% or less on Cordaire, Taure, Marie, Charle, Chevelle, Tank, Siti, Carvis, Kansa, Baize, Thyme, Erik, Bess, Kinsey, Radish, Svetlana, and Duston.
The Games
The tributes, dressed as stewards and stewardesses, ascended from the catacombs underneath the arena into another sprawling indoor arena that also had a mix of outdoor to it as well. The golden Cornucopia seemed very out of place, sitting in a large cleared space in the middle of an airport security area. The arena this year was an airport, and the Cornucopia had been set right smack dab in the middle of the place where passengers and their carryons have to go through scanners to make sure that they aren't carrying any dangerous or illegal substances onto the plane. The area right outside of the pedestals would be hard to traverse, as the huge, winding lines fenced off by stretchy black rope and the various scanning machines would hinder the tributes. If you went north from the Cornucopia, you would find yourself in the check in area, where large pieces of luggage are signed in to get put into the belly of the plane, etc.; it was basically the entrance area, with all of the airliner desks. If you went south, east, or west, you would be running into a certain concourse; the south was Concourse A, the east was Concourse B, and the west was Concourse C. There were a dozen large boarding areas with a hundred odd seats at each, and dozens of little shops and food stores peppered the concourses. There were also several exits on all sides that would lead out onto the runway, and there were also ways to make it into the planes, the place where the bigger luggage is checked, and more. It was an interesting arena that would definitely make for a nice show. At the Cornucopia, there were spears, rapiers, throwing knives, and maces, along with minimal amounts of other supplies. It was rather barren, and a good number of tributes would leave or only go in a little bit, but as the way out was tough to traverse, it would be easier for the Careers to take a big Bloodbath this year. And they would; an impressive 11 tributes would die in the opening minutes this year, as opposed to the small number from the two previous Games.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
The Careers rushed forward; the only one to match their pace was little Kinsey Laora of District 11, who ran like she had never run before off of the adrenaline. She grabbed a throwing knife near the mouth of the Horn and dodged a swing of Jacqui's rapier, scampering around the back of the Horn to look for more supplies. Jacqui was delighted to find a rapier; Calandrus took a rapier as well, while Nefertiti and Luxor took throwing knives and Pila and Sunken took spears.
Jacqui danced forward, brandishing her rapier with great skill. She did so quickly, barreling into a girl who was heaving a pack over her shoulder. The girl screamed as Jacqui's blade sang through the air and sliced deep into her forehead, killing her instantly.
Thyme Morisette, District 9 Female; 24th, Killed by Jacqui, Bloodbath
Moments later, Calandrus bashed a boy in the head with his clenched fist, disorienting him, before digging his rapier into the tribute's chest. The boy wailed and fell to his knees as Calandrus drew his blood soaked sword from the boy's chest. His screams quieted down soon as he bled out.
Radish Jermone, District 11 Male; 23rd, Killed by Calandrus, Bloodbath
As Kinsey ran around the backside of the Horn, eyes searching for anything of use before she would run off to find a place to hide, she felt a rough hand around her right wrist. She screamed as Stinn picked her up and slammed her violently against the side of the Cornucopia thrice to the sound of her skull cracking. He did so until her heart stopped beating.
Kinsey Laora, District 11 Female; 22nd, Killed by Stinn, Bloodbath
Moments earlier, Nefertiti had zeroed in on a running girl. She arched back her arm and threw, and watched with a satisfied smirk as her knife dug into the nape of the girl's neck. She fell to the ground and spasmed for a couple of moments before she died.
Cordaire Audrin, District 3 Female; 21st, Killed by Nefertiti, Bloodbath
Bess from 10, a richer merchant girl who was blind, wore a contraption on her head to help her see; the Capitol allowed her to keep it out of pity. Bess and the boy from 12 were wrestling over a pack, and she managed to kick it out of his arms, but not before he ripped off her seeing device and smashed it to pieces. Bess keened and stumbled away, unable to see anything without her machine, the pack abandoned. The 12 boy smirked, stooping to grab the pack she'd dropped, but then he felt Sunken's spear in his back, and he whimpered and fell to the ground, bleeding out quickly as Sunken stabbed him a couple more times.
Duston Spiere, District 12 Male; 20th, Killed by Sunken, Bloodbath
Meanwhile, Jacqui had been circling the frightened girl from 5, taunting her, and Calandrus joined in on the fun. Suddenly they both pounced, Jacqui's blade skewering her head while Calandrus's went straight through her chest. The District partners grinned a little as they drew their blades out in harmony, and the girl slumped to the floor, already dead.
Marie Mjolnir, District 5 Female; 19th, Killed by Jacqui and Calandrus, Bloodbath
Pila stalked the diminutive boy from 9 and finally made her act, chucking her spear from ten feet away. It sliced into his left shoulder, the entire spearhead and part of the shaft poking out of the other side. The boy's mangled scream filled the air, and Pila seemed reluctant to retrieve her spear and finish the job. Sunken sprinted over, jabbing his spear into the boy's neck as he looked up quizzically at his mortified District partner.
Erik Izazaga, District 9 Male; 18th, Killed by Pila and Sunken, Bloodbath
Nefertiti managed to land another kill, throwing two knives simultaneously at the lithe boy from 3 when he loped past her towards a pile of wires sitting five feet from the left side of the Horn. He groaned as one knife hit his stomach, and the other collided with his throat a second later. He staggered to the ground and bled out.
Taure Sooks, District 3 Male; 17th, Killed by Nefertiti, Bloodbath
Calandrus made his third kill, kicking the 12 girl in the back of the knees. She whimpered as she fell to the ground, and Calandrus heaved his sword through the air, severing her head from her body in an easy, simple hack.
Svetlana Ansbach, District 12 Female; 16th, Killed by Calandrus, Bloodbath
Luxor had been stalking Stinn throughout the entirety of the Bloodbath, determined to show everyone that he was stronger than the simple Outlier "trash" that he'd deemed Stinn to be when he was asked about their similar scores at the interviews. He'd traded in his throwing knives for a rapier, and he leaped upon the boy suddenly, biting his lip as he slashed open the boy's back. Stinn yelped and turned, mace in hand, and slammed it into Luxor's right shoulder. Luxor screamed and, using his dominant left hand, managed to shove his rapier in the space between Stinn's eyes. He fell off of Luxor's sword, dead, as the heavily wounded boy staggered to the Cornucopia, trying not to cry as blood flowed freely from his shoulder wound.
Stinn Hawke, District 10 Male; 15th, Killed by Luxor, Bloodbath
The final kill was made as the Careers were sweeping the Bloodbath field. They found Bess, huddled on the ground, sobbing quietly, too scared without her seeing device to keep going. She seemed like just another corpse until a particularly large sob made her body quiver, and Nefertiti spotted the movement as she stalked around. The 1 girl grabbed a spear from the nearby Pila's unwilling hands and brought it down into the 10 girl, ending her.
Bess Throckmorton, District 10 Female; 14th, Killed by Nefertiti, Bloodbath
As the Careers were setting up their camp at the Cornucopia, Sunken perked up, swearing he heard something. No one paid him much attention; Calandrus, the leader, was directing everyone, while Jacqui tended to a whining, wounded Luxor, Nefertiti was sorting their rations, and Pila was sitting in the back of the Horn, pretending to be sorting through rations as well but not really; she seemed distant and unsure of her decision to go into the Games. Finally, after hearing the far off, very quiet sobs for three hours, Sunken set off in that direction alone. No one stopped him, and within ten minutes, he found a smaller girl huddled on the ground. Her left arm was broken from Stinn's mace, and she was entangled in several of the black ropes. Sunken heaved his spear into her back twice, finishing her off.
Kansa Chins, District 8 Female; 13th, Killed by Sunken, Night 1
As the Careers went about their business, the scant surviving Outliers spread throughout the arena. Charle, who had gotten a throwing knife, made his way down Concourse B, and he soon found a small clothing boutique. Opening the backroom, he found stacks of mannequins. He buried himself among them, strangely enough not that creeped out by the situation. Chevelle, Tank, and Siti had all allied, and they quickly made their way down Concourse C, several tools and a rapier on hand. They found a small exit and loped down the runway, seemingly determined to break into one of the planes. They seemed to have formed a coherent plan that the cameras had failed to grasp when they had all been focused on the Bloodbath. Tank, a hovercraft pilot back at home, had the help of Chevelle, a mechanic's apprentice. It seemed that they were trying to hijack the plane in some shape or form, but Siti's part in all of this seemed to be unknown at the moment. Carvis ran down Concourse A, shivering and scared for his life. He'd avoided the Bloodbath entirely. He feasted on pretzels from one of the stands before hunkering down inside of it, trying to fall asleep. The screams from the Bloodbath haunted him too much. Baize ran out towards the front of the airport, not even going into the Bloodbath for a moment, and he ran behind the large desk for Carmelius Airlines. He fiddled with some buttons and got the conveyor belt that carried luggage into the back area to be scanned and sorted turned on. He hopped onto it as the entire system of hundreds of belts and scanners turned on, and Baize smiled in satisfaction; almost no one would be able to catch him now if he learned the terrain down there well.
On the morning of Day 2, the Careers prepared to go hunting. Nefertiti, Jacqui, Calandrus, and Sunken were all ready to get going rather early, having gotten and cleaned their weapons and any other objects they were bringing with them for the hunt. Pila didn't want to go and volunteered to stay back at the Cornucopia to play guard and tend to their other member, the dramatic Luxor, who couldn't handle the stinging his treated shoulder wound was giving him. He refused to go hunting, and the four Careers stalked off, all a little miffed, as an unresponsive Pila watched over a constantly complaining Luxor.
The portion of the Pack that was hunting decided to head down Concourse B. Three hours into their hunt, Calandrus shuffled into the store where Charle was hidden. He had heard the Careers approaching, and he'd deftly and quietly hidden himself among the piles of mannequins. Calandrus inspected the store carefully, his rapier at the ready. He clicked open the door to the backroom and scanned the room full of mannequins for only a moment before closing it. Charle breathed a sigh of relief as the Careers moved on, and they would be unsuccessful on their hunt that day, finding Concourse B empty of tributes.
They tried again on Day 3. Pila stayed with the refusing-to-do-any-labor Luxor, and both were swiftly falling out of favor with the Capitol audiences. The other four cracked plenty of jokes about the oddities of the Pack as they chose to explore Concourse A for that day. Within an hour, they happened upon a itty bitty shop that sold, among other foodstuffs, steaming hot pretzels. Several of the pretzels were missing, and this caught Jacqui's eyes. She jogged over to the stand and discovered a frightened little Carvis hiding there. He soiled his pants upon seeing the frightening Career, and he didn't make a sound as Jacqui shoved her sword into his chest. She called out to her friends, and they made it over in time to see Carvis squeeze out his last breaths.
Carvis Berkeley, District 7 Male; 12th, Killed by Jacqui, Day 3
They repeated the same cycle again on Day 4; the four hunters forayed into the front entrance area, while Pila and Luxor stayed at the Cornucopia insistently. Charle remained among his mannequins, only traveling out to grab some food or water on rare occasions. He was getting bored and was talking to the mannequins and joking with them to bide his time. Tank and Chevelle worked tirelessly to get the giant plane working again, and Siti left with a hidden purpose to wander the fringes of the arena, looking for something. She didn't find it and returned to the plane within a couple of hours. Baize remained hidden in his network of belts and scanners, hopping among the minefield of luggage that covered them. He was not discovered by the Careers.
The quartet of those actually wanting to kill other tributes returned at nightfall to see Pila and Luxor bickering. Both of them had packed bags and were ready to desert. Luxor felt "mistreated" by his allies due to his injury even though his shoulder was almost fully healed, and Pila didn't fit in with the Careers, having realized this wasn't morally good and that she couldn't bear to kill anyone. They were fighting over who got to go down which Concourse. They both fell silent when they spotted the other four approaching, Calandrus at the front with his arms crossed.
"Traitors," Calandrus hissed. "Weaklings." Jacqui nodded fervently, while Sunken and Nefertiti exchanged perplexed gazes.
"Where are you guys go-" Sunken began, ready to smooth things over, but Calandrus was already leaping forward, his sword a silvery blur as it sliced open the throats of both Luxor and Pila in a single swipe. They both fell to their knees, gurgling.
"Dishonorable," Calandrus spat, his eyes glinting with a little bit of a crazy light. "Dishonorable, the lot of you." Jacqui nodded slowly, unsurely, and she glanced back at the mortified faces of Nefertiti and Sunken.
"Did you...did you just..." Nefertiti trailed off as two cannons boomed close together.
"You know I did," Calandrus barked, grinning rabidly. "My Pack must be strong."
Luxor Carafe, District 1 Male; 11th, Killed by Calandrus, Day 4
Pila Emore, District 4 Female; 10th, Killed by Calandrus, Day 4
There was nothing to say. Calandrus was the steady leader of the Pack almost out of default due to his leading personality and exponential skills. He would kill any of them if they defied him at this moment; revenge and the like could come later. They couldn't splinter the Pack even further and give the Outliers an even better chance of beating them for the crown now. So the three kept their mouths shut and let Calandrus believe that he'd done the right thing while Capitol crowds jeered him and all of the Districts besides Two joked about his hypocrisy and they started betting on who'd be the one to kill him. Nefertiti was the most exasperated by what Calandrus had done; it had been her plan to drag Luxor to the end to distract the others from her high score and abilities, and now that would be null. She also didn't trust Calandrus at all; none of them did. All three were awake when Calandrus was on guard duty shift during the night.
On Day 5, the Careers packed up and headed down Concourse C, the last area inside the airport they'd yet to traverse. Jacqui stayed back to guard the supplies as the other three explored the area all day long to no avail, as no tributes were hidden in that section. Charle remained hidden in his pile of mannequins in Concourse B, chatting to them like they were real people now; he seemed to be losing it a little. Baize had a lot of fun riding up and down and all around the tons of luggage conveyors that crisscrossed the huge backroom. He swung from scanners and danced on top of suitcases. Siti set out once again, combing the edges of the arena, while Tank and Chevelle continued to try and get the huge plane working. They were rather close. Siti seemed happy once she found something, a little warp in the barely-visible force field. No one was paying attention to her at that moment, not even the Gamemakers. They didn't understand why Siti seemed so jubilant as she ran back to the plane. When the 6s asked her why she was so jovial, she just smiled and winked, and they grinned back knowingly.
The next morning, the morning of Day 6, the tributes seemed to be falling into their day-to-day rhythm. The Careers, with Sunken keeping watch over the golden Horn, decided to head back to Concourse A to search. They would find no one once again. Charle's sanity was quickly crumbling. He had stockpiled food and water in his little back room to keep him alive, and he'd then locked the door and thrown the key into the mess of mannequins. He wasn't a mentally or emotionally strong person, and the pressures were making him believe that the mannequins were real humans. Baize was having fun in his nest of conveyor belts and scanners. Chevelle and Tank finally finished their task of getting the plane up and running, but the Gamemakers were not concerned; if they tried to fly out of the arena, they'd hit the force field and the entire plane and its inhabitants would be smashed to smithereens. Siti seemed a little nervous, and the three had a short conversation that made the screens.
"Are you sure you want to do it?" Chevelle had asked Siti cautiously in her tinny voice. "We don't have to."
Siti's smile wavered, and she just nodded, unable to speak for a moment. When her words were regained, she sputtered, "I need to. For my pa."
If the Gamemakers had been paying attention, they would've researched Siti's pa and found that he'd been killed by Peacekeepers for saying a single foul word about a Snow policy at the tavern he and his brothers ran. They would've realized that Siti was willing to do anything to get back at the Capitol, even if it meant her death.
Early on the morning of Day 7, Siti slunk out of the plane after hugging both Chevelle and Tank, a few simple tools stowed in her pockets. She found the warp in the force field and she took a deep breath before plunging herself into it.
Siti worked at the tavern as a barmaid, yes, but she was hoping to become something better when she grew older, and Seven needed more mechanics and inventors to help improve their production of lumber and paper products, etc. She had gorged upon everything she could get about machinery and the like, and she just so happened to get her hands on a book about force fields from the ruins of an ancient library on the outskirts of the District. Siti knew about the warps, where one could enter and exit into a small chamber that could control the force field. No one was supposed to know about it, not even Capitolites; the books were from Pre-Panem and had mostly been destroyed. Yet the Gamemakers had followed the book's model, as it was the only rudimentary guide about force fields ever written that still existed in some shape or form, and their arenas used them.
Siti ripped off the cover of the little machine inside the little alcove and ripped out three key wires before the Gamemakers managed to send an electrical pulse coursing through them to electrocute her to death. Siti was smiling, however, as she was zapped to death. Her friends were free with the force field broken for the moment, and she was screaming, "CURSE THE CAPITOL! REBEL!" A message similar to that of Kihgi Agora's from the Fortieth.
Siti Destell, District 7 Female; 9th, Electrocuted, Day 7
That left the Top 8: Nefertiti Kouri from District 1, Jacqui Davis from District 2, Calandrus Tusem from District 2, Sunken Maston from District 4, Charle Ginson from District 5, Chevelle Perois from District 6, Tank Bouston from District 6, and Baize DeGaulle from District 8.
Chevelle and Tank had already been taxiing the plane around the runways, making it seem as if they were just practicing driving it when in reality they were preparing to take flight. When they heard the cannon and saw the sky ripple and fold away to reveal a different sky, they took off almost immediately, whooping as they soared towards freedom.
Everything was mayhem. Dozens of hovercraft from the nearest Capitol base took flight to intercept the plane, which was clunky and slow moving. But luckily, Tank managed to pilot the craft out of the arena before a breaking down Zealand and his frazzled team could close the force field and repair it. They aired clips showing the plane crashing into the force field and two cannons boomed in the arena. Meanwhile, Chevelle and Tank coasted along. This would not be for long. Soon after they escaped the arena, Tank spotted the squadron of incoming hovercrafts coming in. They fired rapidly, and despite the 6s best efforts, their plane went down after several minutes in an explosion of gunfire. The crash was destructive to the surrounding wilderness and triggered a forest fire that would damage 7 for months. Chevelle and Tank were both killed instantly upon impact.
Chevelle Perois, District 6 Female; 8th/7th, Plane Crash, Day 7
Tank Bouston, District 6 Male; 8th/7th, Plane Crash, Day 7
A screaming Snow stomped into the Gamemaking Center minutes after the 6s crashed a mile and a half outside of the arena. The force field was back up and the six remaining tributes had no clue of what had happened, but the President was furious. Frothing and leading a squadron of stern Peacekeepers, the entire surveillance team of a half dozen Gamemakers were killed on spot. Three dozen more would be fired after the Games, and a shell shocked Zealand Cruxe made no sounds as Snow ordered him to resign after this Games reached its conclusion. Zealand was speechless and resisted the urge to sob as Snow told Cyndala that she would be taking over next year. The woman tried not the squeal; after all, her second cousin Timaeus had just gotten shot in the head by a Peacekeeper. But she had been demoted to assistant flora director, a dull job for an indoor arena especially. Now she would get to exercise her skills as a true Gamemaker.
Zealand was furious after the urge to cry faded, and he ordered for all of the lights to explode in the arena. The tributes all jumped a little, except Calandrus, who could not be scared easily, as every light fixture exploded in a shower of sparks and glass and metal. Baize screamed as a falling piece of glass cut across his right forearm, and Nefertiti's hair was singed by a cloud of sparks. They found themselves in utter darkness. Baize turned on the emergency lights which lit the room a dull yellow, while the Careers found strong flashlights. Charle began to weep and the darkness was his last straw. Only a week in, the poor boy broke, muttering incoherently as he clung onto the nearest mannequin, whom he'd named Margela.
The darkness inhibited further action for the next two days, as Zealand would not let the sun rise either. The Careers were skeptical about hunting in the gloom, worried that unknown horrors might await them that they wouldn't be able to easily fend off. And this close to the end, they weren't willing to risk it. Charle babbled crazily in his little room, slowly starving as his food was depleted, but he'd lost the key and didn't care anymore anyway. Baize just let the luggage tracks take him where they may. He had had a fear of the dark when he was a little boy, and now it was coming back full force.
On Day 10, the place remained plunged in darkness. Charle was woken up from a fitful, hazy slumber full of nightmares by the grasping hands of Margela and the other mannequins. The Capitol was becoming tired of his inactivity and his unsettling insanity, and they were ready to doom him. Charle thrashed and screamed, begging Margela and her friends to stop as they crowded around him, half suffocating him. He kicked and screeched and pleaded, but the faceless Margela the mannequin wrapped her smooth, inhuman hand around the 5 boy's neck and snapped it deftly.
Charle Ginson, District 5 Male; 6th, Killed by "Margela" (mannequin mutt), Day 10
The mannequins streamed out of the back room after splintering the door, abandoning Charle's slumped corpse. They crashed through the store and out into the Concourse, running out towards the safety area where the Careers and the Cornucopia could be found. Jacqui was the first to hear them. It was around noon. Calandrus was sharpening his blade, zoned out. Nefertiti and Sunken were chatting quietly in the back of the Horn. That left Jacqui to stand guard, even though it was against one weak little Outlier boy. She heard the scuff of the mannequins' plasticky feet and shone her flashlight beam on the nearest one, yelping as it reached out for her. She yelled for help as she swept up her blade and hacked into its chest. The blade skidded off of the plastic, leaving a shallow furrow. Jacqui stepped backwards, and all four allies sprinted out and around the back of the Horn as the mannequins pursued.
Sunken faced one and plunged his spear into it. It managed to go through the plastic and disable it. Sunken fended off the mannequins with the only good weapon, a spear, while the other three fruitlessly tried to help. After about fifteen minutes of fighting, Sunken missed and one mannequin surged forward, sidestepping him and diving at the other three. It tackled Calandrus, tugging him off into the blackness, and Nefertiti gave chase.
As Sunken and Jacqui managed to keep the monsters at bay, Nefertiti wrestled the mannequin off of a squirming Calandrus. She punched it so hard her knuckles split, and its plastic head popped off. Calandrus thanked her quietly, thinking it was Jacqui, and mentioned something about District honor. Nefertiti laughed hollowly as she drew out a throwing knife and stabbed it into the boy's chest. He rasped as Nefertiti chuckled.
"Jac...Jacqui?!" Calandrus squeaked helplessly as the blood poured out of him.
"No," Nefertiti hissed, wanting the boy she'd come to hate to know who'd killed her. "Nefertiti."
Calandrus Tusem, District 2 Male; 5th, Killed by Nefertiti, Day 10
Nefertiti jogged back to the other two as the mannequin mutts receded, telling them quietly of how it had been too late to save him. Sunken easily bought the lie that the strongest tribute in the arena had succumbed to the mannequins, as he trusted Nefertiti. He was almost relieved to be rid of him; it would make winning easier. Jacqui cursed under her breath as they walked back to the Cornucopia. Sunken and Nefertiti were good friends, and they would take her out before battling it out in the finale, she knew it. She'd have to fight extra hard to last against them.
Day 11 arrived, and the sun rose and some new lights seemingly sprouted out of the walls, half-lighting the place. The Careers decided to inspect the front entrance area once again. Jacqui was quickly becoming paranoid and spacey, and she lead the hunt while Nefertiti and Sunken hung back a few steps, chatting quietly and laughing. Their friendliness and ignorance of her just made Jacqui more jumpy and uncertain.
Sunken spotted the moving conveyors and became curious. They'd all just assumed that they'd been like that since the Games began and hadn't bothered to inspect. Joking around, the Fish boy jumped onto one of the conveyor belts and laid down. Nefertiti giggled and Jacqui smiled. The conveyor suddenly sped up, and Sunken was hauled into the back room with all the conveyors and scanners, where Baize was hiding. Nefertiti and Jacqui swiftly pursued their ally, and all three spotted Baize nearby at almost exactly the same time.
The shorter, rail thin Eight boy noticed them as well, and the conveyor belts continued to speed up. The four were whipped around the room, all being separated within moments. Nefertiti struggled to keep her balance, and she fell off of one belt and onto another. She bruised her left leg, but otherwise she was fine. She hobbled to her feet. Jacqui had been carried to the opposite side of the room from Nefertiti, and Sunken was somewhere above her. Meanwhile, Baize had slunk inside a large, glossy green luggage case and was hiding from the trio of ferocious Careers.
"Where'd he go?!" Jacqui shouted over the racket of all the scanners and belts.
"He must be hiding in one of the luggage things!" Nefertiti shrilled. "Open every single one."
The noise in the spacious chamber increased even more as the three Careers tore open the crates and suitcases, sifting through piles of belongings, looking for the last Outlier in the Games. Meanwhile, Baize was trying to be quiet, panting inside the cramped piece of luggage. There were no air holes, and he was slowly suffocating inside the little case. He became freaked out, and began to suck in wheezing breaths. It became stuffy inside the luggage, and he couldn't breathe any longer. With a groan, Baize popped open the case, gasping in the cool, musty air outside of the case.
"There!" Jacqui yelled, pointing to the littler boy. He paled and sprinted down one of the conveyors, jumping over or around the various pieces of luggage. Sunken was the closest, and instead of trying to catch up to him, he stopped, arched back his arm, and threw. Sunken watched in satisfaction as his spear sliced into Baize's back.
The Eight boy fell to his knees, wheezing as blood pumped out of him. He sobbed and curled up in a ball, and not soon after a cannon fired.
Baize DeGaulle, District 8 Male; 4th, Killed by Sunken, Day 11
"So it's just us now," Sunken called out. As he said those words, all of the conveyor belts fell still. The three had been carried pretty close together. Nefertiti was now the highest up, with Jacqui in the middle, and Sunken on the bottom. Jacqui was the only one without a long distance weapon, and she chewed on her lip as she backed away.
"Are we taking a rest day or two like some Packs do when they-" Jacqui began, but Nefertiti was done with her. The knife was hurled through the air by the One girl before the other two could react, and Jacqui tried to breathe but couldn't. Her clammy fingers scrabbled at the small blade embedded in her throat, and she fell a half story to the cool cement floor from her belt as her cannon fired loudly.
Jacqui Davis, District 2 Female; 3rd, Killed by Nefertiti, Day 11
Nefertiti launched herself down a couple of the belts until she was standing five feet away from Sunken on the same belt. She had a single knife left, and she pocketed it. Sunken's spear was still buried in Baize's slumped corpse.
"I think we should have a fair fight," Nefertiti announced, and, as if almost on cue, two parachutes floated from the sky. The two Careers opened them to reveal matching serrated daggers, both about eight to nine inches long.
Nefertiti stepped forward, hand outstretched to shake. "Good luck, friend," Nefertiti grinned as she extended her hand. When her empty hand was fully extended, Sunken struck, lunging forward and cutting horizontally across Nefertiti's stomach. The One girl gasped, falling to her knees. Sunken moved in for the killing blow, grabbing her hair and pulling her head back to reveal her bare throat.
He screamed as he felt the dagger buried to the hilt in his stomach. Nefertiti panted, blood drizzling from her cut, as she wrenched the weapon around, destroying a number of the Four boy's vital organs. Sunken made a strange groaning sound, and he slumped onto her as his cannon fired.
Sunken Maston, District 4 Male; 2nd, Killed by Nefertiti, Day 11
"Nefertiti Kouri of District 1, you are the Victor of the 47th Hunger Games!" Caesar and Claudius cheered together. Nefertiti laid on the still conveyor, panting like a dog and trying to hold her guts in. As the medics rapidly descended to care for the severely injured girl, however, the cameras zoomed in on the huge, fierce smile that had crept onto the newest Victor's pretty face.
Aftermath
District 1's seventh Victor was an interesting one. The first female from 1 to win in sixteen or so years, she was highly respected by her District. Her Games are better known nowadays for the escapee stunt, but back then Nefertiti was a rather popular Victor in the entire nation. The Capitol coveted her (of course, she of all Victors was sold for her looks and abilities), her District cherished her, and the other Districts respected her on some level for detesting a Career like Calandrus, and fighting until the bitter end. She nor her Games would be one to remember a hundred years later really excepting the momentary escape. But her life was rather eventful. The woman was a strong advocate for women's rights and racial rights, as she had had to deal with some tough things as a girl with Egyptian and Middle Eastern descent in a place like 1 that liked to stick to its stereotypes oftentimes. She was a more reserved woman as she aged, but when she was in her prime, the girl could party, and was good friends with Syren Calanthe.
Nefertiti would live to age 69, dying from unspecified causes soon after the 98th Hunger Games. She would marry but would never have children.
The payouts on her Victory weren't that okay, as about 20% bet on her.
Her Victory Tour was a pretty great one, with good outfits and speeches; Nefertiti knew how to please a crowd.
Fun Fact: Nefertiti is the first Victor to have a last name starting with K.
Victor's News
Nefertiti moves into the Victor's Village of District 1, in the house next to Zion's.
Syren receives an abortion.
Tarquinius finally has a son, who he names Tacin.
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)
45th: Chaff Abwenza, District 11 (4, 2 Male)
46th: Wiress Furuya, District 3 (4, 2 Female)
Aux. 46th: Elaine Canterbury, District 10 (3, 2 Female), Caelinia Thatcher, District 2 (9, 4 Female), and Bettyann Pulliam, District 8 (3, 2 Female)
47th: Nefertiti Kouri, District 1 (7, 4 Female)
A/N: So I said I would update BMO before this. I lied XD
I just have had this arena idea for a while, and thought that this would be the perfect time to use it :D So I couldn't help myself from writing it.
This is a bit shorter than a lot of the more recent ones, because the Bloodbath is bigger and because, come on, not all of them can be 13,000 words xD I hope it was still enjoyable!
What do you think of Nefertiti? Who were you guessing on to win? What did you think of the escape?
Please review! I love to hear all your thoughts!
Until Next Time,
Tracee
