The Fifty Sixth Annual Hunger Games


Introduction

After the disatrous cannibalism of the year prior, Creon Baxter feared for his job as Head Gamemaker. However, President Snow had reveled in the pure show of vulgarity that had finally subdued the Districts, and thus he did not punish Creon for letting such a thing happen under his watch. Many Capitolites and the Districts were shocked to see Creon remain in his position, but this just reinforced that President Snow was willing to go to serious lengths to remind the Districts of their places in the system of Panem. Creon was eager to prove himself, as he felt his beautiful savannah arena had been overshadowed by Titus's cannibalism. This year, he aimed for a very simple and conventional arena that would please everyone in an attempt to regain public favor. President Coriolanus Snow of course was still in power, and the Districts had finally fallen back into his complete control, with the citizens having finally realized that even whispers of rebellion would lead to their deaths. Rebellious tensions still festered in the Districts, but for this year not much would come from them. Caesar Flickerman and Claudius Templesmith were again the hosts and commentators for the Hunger Games, as much of a staple as ever. One change, however, was that their Games shows would not be live, instead having a delay of one minute to real time in order to edit out any unsavory details such as the cannibalism from the year prior. The Careers this year were some of the most lackluster in recent memory, with none scoring above a 10. District 1 produced two rather beautiful tributes. The girl was an irresistible flirt, yet she lacked much talent with weaponry or strategy, narrowly avoiding getting an 8 which would have marked her as a very weak Career due to her talent with acrobatics. Her District partner was buff and had a chiseled, handsome face, and he could throw spears exceptionally well, but he lacked real charisma and was incredibly boring in the interviews. District 2 produced two of the stronger Careers of the year; the girl was a slim, dark haired beauty who was able to interest the Capitol but had nothing new to offer with her standard declarations of strength and skill with a sword. The boy preferred maces, and while he received a high score for his talents and pure strength, he was a few rocks short of a mountain, to use an old District 2 saying. In District 4, there was a tragedy. Interest in volunteering for the Games had been waning in the District, as they had failed to bring back a Victor in 12 years while the other Career Districts had retrieved several a piece in that time frame. No girl volunteered for 17-year-old Shelbie Maritt, and she was left as the first Reaped girl from District 4 since the 39th Games. Meanwhile, a male Career came from 4; he was slimly muscled, a very strong runner and swimmer who was skilled with tridents like many of his forebearers. The outer Districts did not really capitalize on this lacking Career year, as most of them were weaker or boring as well. Only 3 tributes scored above a 6; Brake from 6 and Tavon from 11 both scored 7s for their physical strength and aptitute with hand to hand combat. While Brake managed to make the audience laugh with some bad puns, Tavon was an entirely unremarkable personality.. Blight from 7 was also very dry, infamously responding to Caesar at the interviews with only one or two words for every single question. However, he was by far the strongest Outlier, scoring an 8 due to his skill with woodworking and hatchets, and the Capitol was intrigued by the air of mystery about him. The rest of the tributes were rather unmemorable besides Bessy from 10, who had a mental breakdown on the interview stage and had to be dragged off by Peacekeepers as she kicked and screamed. The Capitol was very bored of these Games already, and they hoped that in the arena this bland crop of tributes would provide more action. The other tributes scored between a 6 and a 3, and there were no volunteers besides the Careers. Here are the tributes:

District 1: Diva Hartlyn, 18 (9) 9-1 and Parfum Esparnet, 18 (9) 8-1

District 2: Romula Andretti, 18 (9) 7-1 and Quarry Lopez, 18 (10) 4-1

District 3: Siri Zhu, 16 (5) 34-1 and Immanuel Coulter, 17 (6) 23-1

District 4: Shelbie Maritt, 17 (6) 21-1 and Zane Anchell, 18 (10) 5-1

District 5: Elenna Sephony, 18 (4) 43-1 and Kaiden Lumsall, 15 (5) 35-1

District 6: Imelda Trance, 16 (4) 46-1 and Brake Peterson, 18 (7) 18-1

District 7: Jolena Kisper, 14 (5) 35-1 and Blight Jonson, 17 (8) 11-1

District 8: Feena Riley, 13 (4) 48-1 and Velcro Juliper, 16 (5) 39-1

District 9: Saffron Felix, 15 (5) 34-1 and Malachi Gray, 17 (6) 26-1

District 10: Bessy Stekel, 14 (3) 53-1 and Royce Tambardi, 12 (5) 32-1

District 11: Astelle Tillon, 16 (5) 32-1 and Tavon Bradley, 18 (7) 17-1

District 12: Nicoleta Phearsen, 16 (3) 58-1 and Mikko Laurence, 14 (4) 46-1

HGBA Odds: 22% on Quarry, 19% on Zane, 16% on Romula, 13% on Parfum, 11% on Diva, 10% on Blight, 3% on Tavon, 2% on Brake, 1% or less on Siri, Immanuel, Shelbie, Electra, Kaiden, Imelda, Jolena, Feena, Velcro, Saffron, Malachi, Bessy, Royce, Astelle, Nicoleta, and Mikko.


The Games

When the pedestals stopped rising, the 24 tributes found themselves in the clearing of a massive redwood forest, wearing shorts, t-shirts, and hiking boots. Around them, thousands of the tall trees scraped the sky, their signature red trunks crowding the area beyond the pedestals. The weather was sunny and balmy, although in the redwood forest much of the light was blocked out by the expansive canopies of the ancient trees. Throughout the arena, it was mostly flat land with just hundreds of these redwoods with brush such as bushes and smaller trees interspersed throughout. Two notable exceptions were the swift-flowing river with drinkable water that wound through the eastern and southern parts of the arena, alongside the abandoned shack at the very northern point of the arena. The mutts this year were rather tame; the woods were full of deer, groosling, rabbits, squirrells, and some pesky mockingjays. There was also a small wolf pack that prowled the western sector of the arena, but they were nowhere near the most dangerous mutts that had been seen in the Games before and could be easily fended off by most tributes. In the center of the arena, the golden Cornucopia sat in a grassy field, filled with all types of supplies. There were all types of weapons, although axes and hatchets were the most prolific, as well as decent amounts of food and water. There were also other survival supplies like tents, sleeping bags, and firestarting kits. However, seeing the plentiful forest around them, several tributes were tempted to abandon the Bloodbath rush all together despite the bounty of supplies. Due to this and the weaker skills of the Career pack, only 9 tributes would perish in these opening minutes.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

After the gong rang, the girls from 7, 10, and 12 ran into the forest directly while the other 21 tributes sprinted forward to collect supplies from the Cornucopia clearing. Zane and Parfum led the rush to the supplies due to being the fastest runners for the Careers; Zane scooped up a trident waiting for him at the mouth of the Horn. While his allies and the other tributes scrambled to arm themselves or get other supplies, Zane attacked a nearby boy. He stabbed him several times in the back until he stopped struggling underneath the prongs of his weapon.

Kaiden Lumsall, District 5 Male; 24th, Killed by Zane, Bloodbath

Meanwhile, Parfum and Diva had both grabbed spears, Romula snatched up a sword, and Quarry picked out the biggest club he could find in the Cornucopia. They set to work attacking the other tributes. Quarry grinned in glee as he picked out a tiny girl and bashed out her brains with his mace with two hard swings to her skull.

Feena Riley, District 3 Female; 23rd, Killed by Quarry, Bloodbath

The pack knew that they were not the strongest alliance, especially being down a member due to the Reaped girl from District 4, so they had planned to team up on the three strongest tributes during the Bloodbath, focusing on the two strongest; the more charismatic Brake, and the mysterious Blight. Brake had grabbed a sleeping bag and a machete when Parfum and Zane cornered him on the side of the Cornucopia, brandishing their weapons at him. Brake tried to disarm them, but Parfum was easily able to dodge his attacks and jab his spear into Brake's throat, killing off one of the top Outliers rather quickly.

Brake Peterson, District 6 Male; 22nd, Killed by Parfum, Bloodbath

Quarry had been assigned to just thin the herd as much as he could while the others stalked their targets, and he did not hold back. After bashing apart Feena, he quickly sprinted after another weaker girl who was screaming her head off as she tried to escape with a giant orange tent over her shoulder. She threw it down in order to run away faster, but Quarry tripped her and slammed his mace on her neck and back until he broke her spine and killed her.

Saffron Felix, District 9 Female; 21st, Killed by Quarry, Bloodbath

Freed up after taking out Brake, Parfum and Zane split up and started chasing easier targets. Zane spotted a girl sneaking up on Parfum with a dagger, aiming to stab him in the back as he rummaged for a second spear in the Cornucopia. Zane heaved his trident, throwing it several yards through the air. It slammed into the girl's chest, and she fell to her knees with a gurgle as the life quickly seeped out of her. Parfum shot Zane a thankful thumbs up before running into the melee.

Imelda Trance, District 6 Female; 20th, Killed by Zane, Bloodbath

This whole time, Romula and Diva had been trying their hardest to catch Blight and take him down, as was their mission. He had sprinted to the head of the rush for the supplies, quickly grabbing a toolkit most of the other tributes had neglected as well as two throwing hatchets. He had been weaving through the Cornucopia clearing, trying to evade the Career girls so he could run off into the woods, but they closed in on him. Romula tried to slice at him with her sword, but she narrowly missed. Blight retaliated by raking the sharp edge of his hatchet across her left arm, making her screech. Blight disappeared into the redwoods as Romula held her injured arm.

A boy trying to escape the Bloodbath slammed into Romula, too frenzied in the chaos of the opening minutes to see where he was going. He stumbled backwards, and the injured Career girl angrily struck out with her sword, severing his neck halfway with a strong blow. The boy crumpled and swiftly bled out as Romula jogged to the Cornucopia to bandage her wound.

Royce Tambardi, District 10 Male; 19th, Killed by Romula, Bloodbath

Quarry had tracked down his third victim, a tall, chubby girl from District 5 whose parents had always doted on her. She was hiding within the Horn, sobbing in fear and trying to hide with a spear grasped tight in her sweaty palms. Quarry easily knocked her weapon from her hands with a jeer, and she wept for mercy. Quarry didn't even pause to listen to her cries, slamming his mace onto her head and knocking her unconscious. A second blow cracked her skull and killed her.

Elenna Sephony, District 5 Female; 18th, Killed by Quarry, Bloodbath

Parfum managed to stick out the blunt end of his spear and trip a lanky boy from the grain District who was near escaping the Bloodbath with a pack of food and a short sword. Malachi leaped to his feet as Parfum barely missed stabbing him in the heart with his spear. The two dueled for twenty seconds, with Malachi surprising everyone by being able to knock Parfum's spear from his hands and slash open his right shoulder with his sword. Roaring in anger at being embarrassed by an Outlier, Parfum used his other shoulder to tackle Malachi. The boy fell to the ground and his sword flew through the air, and Parfum used his hands to throttle the boy until he fell still underneath him.

Malachi Gray, District 9 Male; 17th, Killed by Parfum, Bloodbath

Diva managed to make her first kill as the final kill of the Bloodbath. The malnourished boy from District 12 was the last one in the Cornucopia clearing, and he made a mad dash for the woodline, dropping all of his supplies as the pack hollered at him. However, they all dropped back and let Diva pursue him. As he was about to run into the woods, she tossed her spear. It didn't hit anything vital, but it slammed into his shoulder and went all the way through, pinning him to the ground just outside the ring of pedestals. Diva was able to run to him, pull free her spear, and stab him in the heart before he could escape, making the final kill.

Mikko Laurence, District 12 Male; 16th, Killed by Diva, Bloodbath

After Mikko fell still, the five Careers collected at the Cornucopia to size up their losses. Romula and Parfum bandaged up their wounds, both annoyed to have gotten scraped up during the Bloodbath. The Careers were especially upset with how Blight had escaped. However, they all agreed that they were tired, and they also were worried that such a simple arena might harbor horrors they did not want to face right away. Thus, the pack decided to stay the Cornucopia for the night. They spent the evening organizing their supplies and patrolling the clearing to make sure there were no stragglers hanging around to steal supplies while they slept. By nightfall, the Careers had each gotten into their own tent or sleeping bag and were pretty comfortable at the Horn despite their lack of hunting.

The large group of surviving Outliers quickly spread through the arena as the first day wore away. The pair from 3, Siri and Immanuel, had allied before the Games began and met up just past the woodline on the eastern edge of the arena. Siri had grabbed a large spool of wire, while Immanuel had gotten a pack that contained a metal canteen, two packs of crackers, and a pillow. They used the wire to set up snares for the rabbits and squirrells after settling in a thick grove of bushes before taking turns sleeping with the pillow while the other kept guard. Shelbie had freaked when she saw her calm, nice District partner Zane slaughter a kid feet from her at the opening minutes, and had fled in terror, only stopping to grab a dagger off of the ground. She marched north and started to scale one of the large redwood trees, using her dagger for leverage to get herself up high enough to reach the faraway branches. She almost fell when she was thirty feet up which would have meant certain death, but Shelbie managed to survive the climb and settle down in a safe space in the tree where she dozed off to sleep. Jolena had left the bloodbath with nothing, too scared of the battle to risk it. She was from the lumber District, so she was at home in this arena, collecting edible berries and climbing one of the trees deftly to sleep. Blight similarly was very at home here. He had a plan for these Games with his toolkit and hatchets, and when he spotted the wolf pack prowling the western sector of the arena, he headed there. He started chopping down one of the massive redwoods; it was loud and would take much time, but he knew most of the tributes would avoid this area due to the wolves and he would be safe. By nightfall, he managed to cut down one of the trees; it fell with a tremendous crash, and he fell asleep on the ground next to it. Velcro had left the bloodbath with a small dark green tent as well as two awls. He struggled to set up the tent, doing so on the banks of the southern river. He managed to get it right before nightfall and dozed off inside. Bessy had gone wild when the gong rang, screaming and staggering off into the woods. Having a panic attack, she had laid just outside of the edge of the woods for several long minutes before managing to crawl away to the west. She curled up inside a blackberry bush, eating the fruit she recognized as she sobbed for her mother. Astelle from 11 had gotten away from the bloodbath with a jug of water, a machete, and a pack of granola bars. Feeling set up, she found a camp on the eastern banks of the river and slept in a smaller tree that leaned over the water. Tavon had escaped the bloodbath with a sickle and an empty water bottle. He settled on the far side of the southern river after wading across a shallow section, falling asleep swiftly. Nicoleta from 12 had run away immediately when the gong rang; she had been allied with Elenna from 5, but instead of running in with her ally she had turned tail and fled in pure terror. She headed north, and she was the first to discover the abandoned shack. Inside, she found a creaky cot and not much else besides an empty fireplace. Sighing, she slept on the cot for the night, planning to look for food and water the next morning.

On the morning of Day 2, all of the tributes who had managed to get much sleep were awoken by shrill screams and a cannon. Bessy from 10 had been talking in her sleep all night as her head was filled with bad, anxious dreams. When she woke up with a bloodcurdling scream after a particularly nasty nightmare of being gutted by the Careers, the wolf pack came to inspect the noise. The girl had nothing to defend herself with, and she kicked and screamed as the wolves pounced on her. Most tributes would've been able to fend the mutts off if they were smart about it, but Bessy was weak and half-crazed already. She was able to push them off of her for about a minute, but soon enough the gnashing jaws of the wolf mutts were able to tear her apart and make her their first casualty.

Bessy Stekel, District 10 Female; 15th, Killed by wolf mutts, Day 2

The Careers awoke to Bessy's cannon and then began to discuss their plan of attack for the day. They were very hesitant to go hunting, worried that they would get ambushed or would not be up to snuff. The 1s especially expressed interest in staying at the Cornucopia another day. However, the 2s and Zane were more eager to go hunting, and they brought Parfum along with them, leaving Diva to guard the Horn by herself as they trekked into the redwoods to hunt down any Outliers they could find. They decided to head south once they found the tracks of Siri and Immanuel near the edge of the forest. Romula was their best tracker, but she eventually lost the trail, leading the Careers to comb the southern sector of the arena blindly for tributes.

Many of the Outliers did not do much for the second day, refusing to move far from their spots. Siri and Immanuel heard the far off whoops of the Careers hunting while checking their outermost snares; they destroyed most of their traps and climbed a smaller tree clustered among the giant redwoods in order to hide. This proved effective, as the Careers found the ruins of their snares but did not discover the pair from 3 on their hunt. Shelbie woke up from a bad dream and almost fell stories to the ground from her redwood tree. She screamed, but she was lucky enough that no one was near enough to her to investigate. Shaking in fear, she was too scared to climb down the tree and stayed in it despite becoming hungry and thirsty. Jolena did not have a similar problem, collecting a vast array of berries and nuts from the familiar arena and storing them in the knothole of a tree she was sleeping in in the western sector of the arena. Blight continued with his strange plan of cutting down the trees, cutting down two more massive redwoods by the time the day ended. The Capitol was extremely perplexed yet intrigued by Blight's handiwork, and thus the Gamemakers had wolves ward off anyone who came too close to him for now so that they could see what the mysterious man was building. Astelle felt very comfortable in her tree leaning over the eastern river, especially after she discovered some mockingjay eggs in a nest in her tree and ate them. The mother mockingjay came back and began to sing the screams of those that had died in the bloodbath, spooking Astelle so she moved to another tree with her supplies down the river. Tavon felt very comfortable on the southern edge of the arena, although he did hear the far off chatter of the Careers and kept heading south, away from the river, in order to avoid a confrontation. However, he soon spotted a faint shimmer in the air and realized that he was near the force field, so he doubled back and crouched by the river, luckily going unnoticed by the Careers who did not cross the southern stretch of water. Nicoleta abandoned her shack early in the morning and began foraging for berries. She gathered several clumps of edible berries she recognized from training, but she also grabbed some berries that made one drowsy. Nicoleta passed out for the rest of the day as she ate them sitting inside of the shack around noon; thankfully its shelter kept her safe for the day.

One tribute, however, did not get lucky enough to avoid confrontation for the day. The Careers were pretty thorough in their search for tributes in the southern sector of the arena, and they soon stumbled across an empty dark green tent which belonged to Velcro. The boy had gone out to look for food and water, leaving his tent and one of his awls behind so he could move easier. Romula quickly took up his tracks, and the Careers found him within an hour, digging for edible roots near the river. The boy from 8 screamed and began to run away, the Careers chasing him across the southern part of the arena in glee. When they finally closed in on him, the others fell back, letting Romula have the kill as she had been the one to track him. She shoved him to the ground, making him scream in terror before she slashed open his throat with her sword, too excited with the kill to stretch it out and torture him. She slashed again, and Velcro gurgled up blood before going slack.

Velcro Juliper, District 8 Male; 14th, Killed by Romula, Day 2

After killing Velcro, the Career pack prowled the southern part of the arena lazily, feeling that they had gotten their work done for the day. They returned to the Cornucopia earlier than most packs and spent a lot of time relaxing and chatting. There were no major rivalries in the pack and no fight over leadership, as they all worked together to make decisions. While this group seemed to get along much better than the often fractured packs of the previous several Games, much of the Capitol was annoyed with their relative lack of action and drama. They hoped that something would stir the pot amongst their ranks to add chaos to the Games soon as things so far were still rather boring.

Noticing that interest was starting to wane already in the Capitol with these Games, Creon Baxter was desperate for his second Games to not be a failure, knowing there were many eager to take his spot if this Games was a flop. While Blight was producing intrigue as he proceeded to cut down a fourth giant redwood as Day 3 dawned, the rest of the tributes were all staying apart from each other and providing little action. Even the Careers were slow to get hunting, enjoying a hearty soup that Parfum cooked up for the group that he had learned to make from his grandmother. Creon quickly made storm clouds swarm the arena to torment the tributes, with the skies turning dark gray and lightning beginning to lash the ground. He made sure that the forest would not catch on fire, however, since it was still early in the Games and he wanted the arena to remain intact.

The Careers huddled inside the Horn when the thunderstorms began, but Creon made the lightning strike the ground feet from the Cornucopia's mouth as a warning that if they did not get hunting, they would get hurt. The Careers took the message, with Parfum staying back to guard their supplies while the other four tributes trekked north. Meanwhile, the rest of the tributes were scared out of their minds as the sudden, violent thunderstorm assaulted the arena. Most took cover in trees or under brush in hopes to stay pretty dry, abandoning any foraging they were doing. Blight didn't seem to mind the rains unlike the others, finishing cutting down the fourth redwood tree in the harsh weather. He then start splitting the giant trees into pieces with the tools from his toolkit he had taken from the Cornucopia.

While he did this, tragedy struck a tribute in the northern section of the forest. Shelbie was clinging hard to her tree, but a particularly loud boom of thunder made her lose her grip on her tree branch. She screamed loudly as she tumbled thirty feet to the ground, pinwheeling wildly and unable to stop herself from hitting the forest floor. Both of her legs broke upon impact and she couldn't move, although she was still alive. Her loud screams and sobs attracted the Careers, who found the Reaped girl from 4 laying on the forest floor.

Zane did the honors, comforting the sweet girl from his District and ending her swiftly, taking a dagger from one of the Careers and stabbing her in the throat so that she died in seconds, feeling almost no pain. Shelbie stirred for only moments before she fell still, her cannon booming as Zane closed her eyes respectfully.

Shelbie Maritt, District 4 Female; 13th, Killed by Zane, Day 3

While this was a merciful death for the girl, the Capitol was getting annoyed that these Careers were refusing to create bloody deaths, as their kills thus far had been quick and kind since the bloodbath. The Careers were tempted to return back to the Cornucopia, as they were drenched and uncomfortable, but notes from their Mentors when they were sent rain jackets convinced them to keep hunting. They trekked far north until they were near the force field. The rains were beginning to slow, and the Careers thought that they were going to find no one else when they spotted the old, dilapidated shack nestled amongst the undergrowth.

The Careers surrounded it expertly, with Diva and Zane going by the two broken windows in case a tribute tried to escape through them while Quarry and Romula rammed open the door. Inside, they found Nicoleta sprawled out and snoring softly, still pretty sleepy from the berries she had consumed the day prior. However, she woke up when the door, which she had locked, was slammed open. She screamed, leaping to her feet and diving out of Diva's window. The girl from 1 raked her spear across Nicoleta's side, leaving a deep, bloody gash, but the hysteric girl kept running, sprinting into the forest as the Careers gave chase.

The trees were too close together for Diva or Zane to throw their weapons at her, so their only choice was to catch her. The four Careers spread out and ran after the sound of her gasping sobs, winding through the sopping wet forest in search for her. Quarry spotted splashes of blood along the leaves of a nearby bush, and followed this blood trail to where Nicoleta was stumbling along slowly now, disoriented from blood loss. Quarry grinned when he spotted her, rushing towards her. He knew that he needed to make this death long and bloody, so he tackled her and used his mace to break both of her knee caps while she screamed loudly. The other Careers eventually found them, taunting Nicoleta as Quarry then broke both of her arms before finally slamming his club into her chest until she was dead.

Nicoleta Phearsen, District 12 Female; 12th, Killed by Quarry, Day 3

Pleased with this show of blood, the Capitol was interested in these Games once again, and the rainstorm quickly faded as swiftly as it had appeared. The hunting group returned to the Horn, where Parfum had cooked up another soup for all of them, and they enjoyed it heartily. Meanwhile, most of the tributes attempted to find a dry place to sleep for the night and gather some food before they went to bed. Siri and Immanuel worked on trying to set up a bigger snare with their wire that could catch a tribute, as they now realized with only 11 tributes left, they would need to take the initiative soon. Jolena tried to climb one of the massive redwoods but fell from almost ten feet up; she sprained her ankle but was otherwise alright, although she would now struggle to run or climb anything. Blight continued chooping up the giant redwoods and began to build what looked like the base of a house; the Capitol was even more interested to see what the boy would build. His Mentor Grover was able to send him anything he needed, from nails to a saw to a new hammer when his broke. Astelle moved away from the river in the east, as it had overflowed its banks after the rainstorm, moving south and settling in a small clearing full of flowery bushes. Tavon found he was trapped in the small area of land on the far side of the southern part of the river, as the water had become very deep after the rainstorm. He could not swim, and thus he was stuck on the other side of the river with little access to food and unable to even try to hunt the other tributes.

Not much occured on Day 4, as the tributes mostly rested after the chaos of the thunderstorm. The Careers once again combed the northern section of the arena, looking in the areas they had skipped over in case there were any other tributes in the north. However, their search came up empty, and they returned to the Cornucopia for lunch and stayed there the rest of the day. Siri and Immanuel made great progress on their human-sized snare, almost finishing it by nighttime. Jolena nursed her sprained ankle and collected nuts and berries, placing them in several hiding spots throughout the western part of the arena and avoiding the wolves. Blight continued to build what seemed to be a small fortress of sorts; the redwood walls were swiftly being built up, and he built a ladder so he could climb to the top of the walls and look over in order to see what was approaching his tiny fortress. Astelle began to rove in a wide range throughout the eastern and southern sectors of the arena, collecting edible berries and searching for weaker tributes so she could make her mark and receive sponsors. Tavon attempted to cross the swollen river once the water level began to lower, yet he got swept downstream very far before he was able to claw his way onto the other bank. Absolutely drained, he fell asleep in the mud with only his sickle left with him, the rest of his supplies taken away by the river.

Day 5 was also pretty slow, with no deaths occuring yet in the day. The Careers hunted throughout the eastern part of the arena, finding no one as Astelle was collecting roots in the south instead of the east that day and no one else was living in that area. Frustrated by their struggles to find tributes, the pack as a whole become angry but they did not lash out at each other, knowing they needed to work together as a team if they wanted to make it to the end. While the pack returned to their camp and continued to bond over ghost stories and Parfum's soup, most of the other tributes didn't do much. Siri and Immanuel finished their human sized snare and started collecting food to place near it in order to attract other tributes. Astelle worked on collecting roots, berries, and nuts, keeping herself very well fed as she roved throughout the southern area of the arena after seeing the Careers go off into the western sector of the arena.

Tavon woke up around midday, having been passed out for many hours due to almost drowning in the river the day prior. When he woke up, he began to stumble around the arena for food, famished. He soon spotted a collection of berries and ran to them without thinking; before he knew it, the snare that had been built by Siri and Immanuel snapped him up and had him hanging upside down from a bendy sapling. He yelled in frustration, and the 3s came running, shocked to see a boy already caught in their trap. They took away his sickle, realizing it was their only real weapon and they'd have to use it against the 11 boy to kill him. Immanuel agreed to do the honors as Siri was too scared, walking over to where Tavon was riggling and slicing down at his neck.

Tavon managed to swing himself out of the way, with the sickle instead biting deep into his right shoulder. With a howl of pain, Tavon managed to twirl again and use his legs to kick over Immanuel. The 3 boy stumbled, the air knocked out of him, but he soon regained his footing and charged at Tavon, angry. He chopped at Tavon again, but Tavon managed to move himself again, this time lifting his legs. The sickle's blade bit across his ankles, but it also cut through the wire holding him. He landed on the ground, and while Immanuel tried to leap onto him to hold him down, Tavon was still far stronger and taller despite his injuries. Towering over the wiry technology boy, Tavon shoved him to the ground. Siri tried to bash his head in with a rock, shaking in terror, but Tavon just pushed her over too before sprinting away, unwilling to go into a fight with the pair from 3 in his injured state. He limped back to the river, trying to wash his ankle and shoulder wounds in the water, while Immanuel and Siri angrily rebuilt their human snare, upset that their plan had backfired on them.

The other confrontation of the day happened as the sun began to set. Both 7s had been living in the more dangerous part of the western arena, with Jolena hoarding large stockpiles of food while Blight constructed his redwood fortress. As night began to settle on the arena, Jolena stumbled into the clearing where Blight was doing his work. Blight immediately threw down his hammer and grabbed his throwing hatchets, pointing them at the slim girl. Jolena held her hands up defenselessly, begging her District partner to spare her, saying she had amassed a lot of food and could give him some. Blight knew edible plants of the forest too, but he also had little time to forage due to his ambitious building plans, so he agreed. He made Jolena keep her hands up, telling her he would not hesitate to kill her if she tried to flee as she led him to two of her stockpiles. Blight put it all into a leather bag Grover was able to send him.

Before leaving, Jolena asked Blight what the heck he was doing with the massive construction project. Blight wasn't one for many words, but he told his diminuitive District partner that he knew he had to put his woodworking skills on showcase in this arena to defend himself. Blight then made Jolena try one of each berry and nut that she had gathered for him to make sure none were poisonous before telling her to tell any other tributes she came across about his fortress. Then, he shooed her away, and the girl happily ran away, thankful that her District partner had spared her. Meanwhile, Blight was happy to have more food, and he also was pleased that word might spread about his fortress when Jolena eventually would be attacked by another tribute.

The next morning, the Careers knew that they had to get hunting and find tributes. With their searches turning up empty, they knew some tributes must have evaded them in the other areas of the arena, but they also knew some had to be hiding in the more treacherous western area of the arena. Zane had scraped his leg during their search the day prior, so he stayed back at the Cornucopia to heal while the rest of the pack ventured west. As they began to search, Quarry suggested splitting into pairs in order to hunt. While the 1s seemed hesitant, Romula thought this would help them hunt down tributes, and thus the 1s could not back down or else they'd seem like cowards. Quarry and Romula searched together while Parfum and Diva teamed up, scouring the western sector of the arena for victims.

The 2s didn't discover anything, as Jolena spotted them coming and was able to scramble up a tall redwood and hide it out until they moved past her area. They eventually met up with the wolf pack, and they engaged in a bloody fight. They slaughtered a couple of the mutts before retreating to the Cornucopia, feeling their killing of the mutts was satisfactory enough. They bandaged up their minor wounds and rested, waiting for their allies to return. The 1s did not have such an uneventful afternoon, however. As they walked deep into the forest, they heard sounds of chopping and hammering, and they quickly sped up in order to inspect these unusual sounds. Soon enough, Blight came into sight, working on the walls of his fortress, and the pair from 1 were dumbfounded by finding a makeshift building in the middle of the woods.

Blight spotted the pair suddenly, and he blanched at the sight of two Careers by his hideout, as it was not completely finished yet. However, as they shook themselves from their stupor and began to charge at him, Blight took a deep breath and flung one of his hatchets hard at the oncoming Careers. The hatchet buried itself in Diva's skull instantly, the weapon hitting its mark. Parfum wailed at seeing his good friend crumple to the ground, and he charged Blight's fortress with new rage as Diva's cannon swiftly fired, the hatchet having split deep into her brain.

Diva Hartlyn, District 1 Female; 11th, Killed by Blight, Day 6

Blight didn't dare throw his other hatchet, as he knew if he missed he'd be relatively defenseless. He began to throw rocks he had collected at Parfum in order to dissuade him, but the boy from 1 managed to dodge them all as he charged the fortress in a rage. There was a small opening in the front which Blight could block with some planks of wood, but at the moment it was open as he had been collecting supplies around the area. Parfum ducked through this opening swiftly, now inside Blight's fortress, and the boy from 7 glowered as Parfum taunted him, calling him names. The 1 boy had been kind, if bland, in the Career pack, but Diva's death broke him and the angry murderer arose. Blight knew he couldn't take the trained boy in a fight with such anger on his side, so from the top of his wall he flung his hatchet in a last ditch attempt to save himself and protect his fortress.

Parfum attempted to roll out of the way, but the hatchet dug into his stomach instead of his skull. Screaming in agony, Parfum fell to his knees as he felt the steel bite deep into his gut. Blight leaped down the side of the fortress wall agilely, picking up one of the rocks he had been using to throw at Parfum. The boy from 1 screamed as Blight tried to bring it down on his skull, only denting it. Realizing that the Career boy was on death's doorstep and that bashing his head in with a rock would make his death messy and full of suffering, Blight wrenched his hatchet free from Parfum's stomach. The boy from 1 wept pitifully as Blight brought it down hard on his head, splitting it open and killing his second Career.

Parfum Esparnet, District 1 Male; 10th, Killed by Blight, Day 6

Blight quickly collected Parfum and Diva's spears as well as his hatchets from their bodies in order to build up his armory before dragging Parfum's bloodied corpse out of his fortress so the hovercraft's claw would not destroy his building when it retrieved his corpse. Sighing, Blight set about strengthening his structure. He gathered more food, particularly berries that would provide water for him in a way, before climbing back in and blocking up the hole in which Parfum had entered. Blight was now walled inside his fortress, ready to defend it with his life. Sponsors rained down water bottles, new tools, a plush sleeping bag, and a large meal of elk ribs for the boy who had made quite a show slaughtering the Careers as Blight lounged in happiness in his fortress.

As night fell, the three remaining Careers soon realized that the cannons they had heard earlier were probably their allies when they did not return, and their suspicions were confirmed when they saw their faces in the sky that evening. Frightened by what might be lurking out in the western part of the arena besides wolves, the group agreed to hunt in other areas of the arena in hopes that whatever had murdered Diva and Parfum would be taken out before they'd have to face it. Meanwhile, the Outliers were thrilled to see Parfum and Diva in the sky, and they didn't really change their patterns throughout the day. Siri and Immanuel rebuilt their human sized snare and caught a couple rabbits which they ate raw in their smaller snares, still remaining loyal with only 9 tributes left in the arena. Jolena continued her relentless foraging, rebuilding the stockpiles of food she'd given away to Blight to barter her safety the day prior. Astelle returned to the eastern area of the arena where she finally set up a more permanent camp, finding a depression in the ground and surrounding it with brush she collected. She slept there and collected her store of roots, nuts, and berries there as well.

On the morning of Day 7, Tavon woke up feeling hot and dizzy. He had been weak and tired after his run in with Siri and Immanuel on Day 5, tending the best he could to his wounds with the plants he found in the forest. However, that morning he discovered that the cut on his shoulder had become infected. Tavon begged for help from his Mentor Chaff, but Tavon had done little this Games and had refused to kill the 3s, so he had little sponsors. Chaff sent him a bandage to cover the wound, but Tavon realized that the infection would worsen, so he began to try to find herbs he remembered his village's herbwife using on wounds in order to save himself. However, by nightfall he found none he recognized and he realized his wound could become very fatal soon as he felt weaker and weaker.

The rest of the tributes did little on Day 7, much to the chagrin of Creon Baxter; only Blight seemed willing to put on a show, and he was now holed up in his fortress being lavished with gifts from his bevy of sponsors. Quarry and Zane hunted through the northern forest while Romula guarded the Cornucopia, finding no one in that area of the arena. Siri and Immanuel refused to leave their sector of the eastern forest, patrolling the same traps they'd been checking since the start of the Games and refusing to take the offensive. Jolena continued to collect outlandish amounts of food and eat little of it; it seemed as if she was saving up food for a whole winter, not a mere week or so, depending on how long the Games would run. Astelle continued fortifying her little depression in the ground, disguising it well with more brush and receiving paints from her Mentor Seeder in order to camoflauge herself well so she could hide better.

On the morning of Day 8, Creon Baxter was fed up with how little the tributes were willing to interact. He was tempted to call a Feast, but he also knew the tributes did not need anything direly enough to attend such an event besides Tavon. He then decided to use the wolf mutts to his advantage, determined to push some of the tributes together and cause action. Thus, on the morning of Day 8, Jolena woke up to the sound of loud barking as the wolf mutts approached the tree which she was sleeping in. Fearing for her life, the girl leapt from her perch and began running away from the pack. They hearded her southeast until she was deep into the southern part of the arena before they backed off and returned to their patrol of the west.

Now in an unfamiliar part of the arena, Jolena came upon the crystal clear river and drank greedily, as her only water had come from the juicy berries and rainstorms. After drinking her fill, she began to walk along and collect food, planning to head back to the west later in the day. However, as she was walking, she spotted a squirrel riggling in a snare. Tempted by the idea of fresh meat, the 7 girl leaned down and snapped the animal's neck before taking it out of the snare. As she was about to dash off with the carcass, she felt a shove on her back and she fell to the ground.

Immanuel stood over her, sickle lofted over his head, while Siri watched the confrontation fearfully. Immanuel demanded she give over her squirrel, which Jolena dutifully did as tears collected in her eyes. She begged for mercy, saying she didn't want to die, but Immanuel insisted she hand over any information. She told them about her food stockpiles in the west, and then said that she knew Blight was building a big fortress out west. The two were shocked to hear this, but then suddenly Immanuel thanked Jolena for her information before slashing the sickle across her throat. Siri screamed as the little girl crumpled to the ground and bled out quickly, unable to make a noise as the blood gushed from her throat in a red smile.

Jolena Kisper, District 7 Female; 9th, Killed by Immanuel, Day 8

That left the Top 8: Romula Andretti from District 2, Quarry Lopez from District 2, Siri Zhu from District 3, Immanuel Coulter from District 3, Zane Anchell from District 4, Blight Jonson from District 7, Astelle Tillon from District 11, and Tavon Bradley from District 11.

Siri was very upset with Immanuel after Jolena's cannon rang, asking why he so suddenly had murdered the young girl from 7. Immanuel briskly answered that there were few tributes left, and that it was the Hunger Games after all; she needed to toughen up if she wanted to survive the Games and not become an easy kill. Siri just shook her head and let a few tears fall for Jolena as her heart hurt at the situation she was in and at how cold her once lively friend had become in the arena. However, she didn't say anything more, not wanting to enrage the older, stronger boy who had a bloody sickle in his hand. They began to discuss if there was any truth to Blight having a fortress, suspicious that Jolena had been his ally and was lying to protect him.

While the 3s turned back to their traps, the Careers headed east in search of tributes, leaving Zane to guard the Cornucopia today. The 2s stayed together as they hunted, eagerly searching for anyone to kill as there were only eight tributes left in the arena now, and they were determined to thin the herd. Astelle heard the Careers coming and stayed as still as possible, hoping her camoflauge and the brush she had piled around her would allow her to go unnoticed. She got lucky, as the Careers overlooked her when they heard the noises of some deer running through the woods and went to investigate when they were close to discovering her. Astelle breathed a sigh of relief and continued to improve her camoflauge, having rapidly changed her strategy from nomadic to hiding as the numbers thinned. Meanwhile, Blight continued to relax in his nearly complete redwood fortress, fortifying the walls and building a second ladder. He hid this one in the brush and fallen leaves near the fortress so that he could climb in and out of the fortress undetected while not having to leave an entrance hole where others could come in easily.

Tavon woke up around noon, having slept through most of the day due to being tired from his sickness. His shoulder wounder was now yellowed with pus, and he didn't know what to do. He tried washing it in the river, but it just stung and didn't help abate the pain or inflammation. By evening, Tavon could barely move, his breathing coming in short gasps, and he realized that the infection was nearly done claiming his body. About an hour before midnight, Tavon finally stopped struggling, letting himself relax and letting the infection take him away as he died in a feverish haze.

Tavon Bradley, District 11 Male; 8th, Killed by infection, Day 8

On the morning of Day 9, the Careers knew they needed to get hunting. They hadn't made a kill in almost a week, and they had lost half of their alliance to what was an unknown force to them. Still, Zane and Romula were worried about heading west, not ready to face whatever had killed Parfum and Diva. Quarry insisted that if they wanted to get the Games ending sooner than later, they would have to suck it up and go hunting. This started to cause a lot of tension in the pack, as Zane and Romula became annoyed with Quarry pushing hard for them to head west. Eventually, Quarry settled with going hunting with Zane to the south while Romula guarded the Horn, not ready to fight his allies yet when there was something mysterious to them lurking in the western woods.

In the southern woods, as Siri and Immanuel were checking their traps, the two began to argue as Immanuel wanted to start a fire because he was tired of eating their squirrel meat raw. Siri insisted this would only attract tributes to them, but Immanuel shrugged, saying it was time to face the others since there were so few others left. Upset, Siri started to cry and told Immanuel that if he wanted to die, he could. With that, she jogged deeper into the southern woods, upset that her friendship with her District partner was fractured and that their alliance was breaking.

As Siri was sobbing alone by the river, she heard far off screams, and she recognized the voice as Immanuel's. She bit back a scream, creeping back towards their campsite. Peering through the brush, she watched as Quarry eagerly smashed his mace across her friend's body, breaking his arms and legs before slamming his mace into Immanuel's skull and effectively killing him with that final blow. Siri whined in pain as she heard her ally's cannon fire and watched Quarry grin at his still corpse.

Immanuel Coulter, District 3 Male; 7th, Killed by Quarry, Day 9

Zane heard Siri's pained noises from the brush, and she sprinted off in order to avoid the two Career boys. Despite being a twig of a girl with no physical strength, she was well fed from her snares and was able to keep up a good pace. Zane took to throwing his trident, and the weapon slashed across Siri's side. The 3 girl screamed but kept running, soon losing the Careers as she wound east and disappeared into the maze of giant redwoods. Quarry and Zane gave up the chase, letting the wounded 3 girl slip away. Zane collected his trident and the two returned to the Horn, pleased to have offed another tribute. When they returned to the Horn, they were sent cans of tomato soup as a reward for their kill, and they heated them over the fire and enjoyed them together. However, tensions were now more taut than ever in this pack; while they had been harmonious most of the Games, they made up half of the remaining tributes, and they were all thinking about the endgame now.

The other three tributes did not do much for the rest of Day 9. Blight remained as cooped up as ever in his fortress, only straying out to use his throwing hatchets to hunt down a couple of squirrels that he cooked with a smokeless fire he had learned in training. While the sponsor gifts were no longer a deluge, he was still by far the favorite in the Capitol, and the Gamemakers did not dare give him much trouble yet. Astelle gave up her camoflauged spot in the eastern woods, knowing the Careers would not return for a while. She also knew she needed to start hunting if she wanted to have a chance at Victory, and thus she began combing the woods for any victims.

Near nightfall, Astelle stumbled upon where Siri was crouched on the bank of the eastern river, clutching her shredded right side tight. The 3 girl had washed and washed the wound, but her Mentor Wiress had only been able to send her a small roll of gauze that barely covered the large wound. Deep in pain, Siri was hoping it would not get infected when she heard Astelle approach. Weaponless, Siri tried to run away, but she stumbled to the ground due to the glaring pain in her side. She began to weep as Astelle approached stiffly. The 11 girl didn't want to kill the only other Outlier girl left alive, but she also knew she needed sponsors. Thus, Astelle lofted her machete and brought it down on Siri's neck as the girl screamed. It was an uneven cut, and Astelle wiped a tear from her eye after she had to chop into Siri's neck three more times before her cannon fired.

Siri Zhu, District 3 Female; 6th, Killed by Astelle, Day 9

The tributes woke up on Day 10 knowing that the Games were nearing their close. Blight began to do something that seemed counter-intuitive as the day began; he began unblocking the entrance and then proceeded to widen it so tributes could come inside of his fortress rather easily. Blight then asked his sponsors for a shovel; he got it, and they became even more confused as he began to dig a pit in the center of his fortress. Once he had dug it about two feet deep, he then started peeling the bark from the trees and collecting their sap. Many Capitolites were absolutely confused about what Blight was doing as he spread the sticky sap across the bottom of the pit and across the walls of the fortress, slaving until midnight with this task until his hands were raw. However, they knew the boy was crafty and he had been leading the Games thus far; this move was just another one to add to his mysteriousness that the Capitol drank up fervently. Meanwhile, Astelle moved slowly back south, upset over having to kill Siri the day prior. It had earned her some warm loaves of District 11 bread, but the girl knew she was still at a distinct disadvantage against 3 Careers and the highest scoring Outlier, and she was scared out of her wits. She just wandered the arena, blankly searching for anything to use to her advantage and coming up with nothing.

The Careers were very tense as they woke up, knowing that the last place they had yet to search was the western part of the arena where dangers lurked that had taken the lives of the 1s. Quarry was ready to go there, insistent on finally exploring the area. Romula hesitantly agreed, but Zane seemed unconvinced. He was worried he couldn't take the 2s in a fight and was worried about being ambushed. He said that he thought it was time for the pack to go their separate ways and that he felt like the western part of the woods was just full of mutts and Gamemaker traps that he didn't want to mess with.

Romula opened her mouth to tell Zane she was alright if he wanted to abandon ship, but Quarry quickly whirled and slammed his mace into Zane's chest. The 4 boy gasped for air as he stumbled backwards and fell onto his back, eyes wide open in surprise. Quarry shook his head and said he was tired of dealing with cowards in the Games. Zane tried to grab his trident from where it had fallen from his hands, but Quarry kicked it away before slamming his mace down two more times on Zane's chest as his bones broke and his heart stopped beating.

Zane Anchell, District 4 Male; 5th, Killed by Quarry, Day 10

Romula was scared of Quarry, holding up her sword and telling him that she hoped he would respect District honor and let her live until a final showdown between the two of them. Quarry said he would not hurt Romula, but she decided she could no longer trust him. She gathered some supplies and headed north to the shack she remembered the pack discovering a week ago. There, she settled on the rock hard cot and tried to get some sleep, knowing from the year prior that Creon would want to push them together that next day for a larger final fight. Quarry stayed at the Cornucopia, expecting the Gamemakers to push the last two Outliers out to him on the morning of Day 11. As he waited, he was sent a sponsor meal of steak and mashed potatoes to gorge on in preparation for the final fight. While Blight was still the Capitol favorite thus far, many more traditional Games fans supported Quarry for his brute strength and viciousness and hoped he could take down the cunning boy from 7.

In the depths of the western woods, Blight could still be seen slathering all of the pine sap he could find from the pine trees scattered throughout the redwoods across his fortress. Many people were confused with what he was doing, and he realized that people might think he had gone crazy, so he covered an unused piece of redwood with sap. Then, he drew out the matches he had asked Grover to send him earlier that day as well, and the Capitolites watched aghast as the piece of wood caught flame easily. The pine sap was flammable, highly so, and suddenly it made sense why Blight had cut open an entrance into his fortress, dug a pit, and had covered it in sap. He wanted to trap the rest of the tributes in his fortress and burn them to the ground.

As Blight zipped himself into his comfortable sleeping bag in one corner of the fortress where he had not dug the hole or slathered pine sap, he mouthed four words, the most he had spoken his entire time in the Capitol and in the Games.

"Bring them to me."

Creon was more than happy to; he knew the tributes would need coaxing to enter the fortress, so guiding them to the western sector of the arena would be enough without blatantly handing the Games over to Blight. When Astelle and Romula woke up on opposite ends of the arena on Day 11, the trees around them began to fall, guiding them west. Meanwhile, Quarry woke up to the barking of the remaining wolf mutts surrounding the Horn. He realized angrily that for some reason the wolves wanted to guide him westward as that was the only direction where the mutts were not standing. All three tributes gathered their things and prepared to head west, into the treacherous area of the arena where none of them knew what laid in wait.

Astelle was the closest to Blight's redwood fort at the time, so she was the first to arrive. When she stumbled into the clearing where it sat, her mouth was agape. She saw supplies piled at the mouth of the fort, and she thought it must be some sort of unofficial Feast in order to gather the tributes at their final fight. In fact, Blight had taken all of the supplies he had left and put them there to entice the tributes to come inside. Astelle crouched and found a hunk of cheese that she greedily bit into before she felt hands on her back. She barely had time to scream before Blight leaped out from inside the fortress and pulled her inside. He cut a shallow gash with his hatchets across her stomach so that she was in a lot of pain but would not die quickly. The 11 girl cried out in protest, but Blight kicked her in the wound so her screams became louder. He had known the Careers wouldn't fall for his "fake Feast" bait, so he had needed real, live bait.

Romula and Quarry both arrived around the same time. They eyed each other warily, but both repeated oaths of District 2 loyalty and thus walked towards the fortress together. They spotted the wounded Astelle laying inside, mewling for help and covered in pine sap and dirt from the pit. Romula and Quarry shared a confused look, and Quarry advanced first, lowering himself into the pit. Astelle tried to crawl away, but Quarry advanced on her with his mace lofted. Romula entered behind him, and they waited for something to happen, but all was still. Thinking the area was safe, Quarry turned back to Astelle and bashed her head open against the sticky ground until her cannon fired about twenty seconds later, her screams filling the arena until she fell still.

Astelle Tillon, District 11 Female; 4th, Killed by Quarry, Day 11

"Now we just have to face 7," Romula growled, her grip tightening on her sword.

"Who the hell made this? The Gamemakers?" Quarry asked as he wiped the gore from his mace.

"I did," Blight said, and both Romula and Quarry whirled to where the boy was grinning smugly from the entrance of the fortress with a box of matches in his hands. Both 2s watched with open mouths as Blight drew out the entire pack in his grasp and struck them all at once.

"Burn in helll, you dirty fucking Careers!" Blight howled in glee, this six word sentence breaking his record for most words said at once as he hurled the matches into the fortress before sprinting away. Quarry and Romula both ran for the exit, but it was no use. The matches landed on the walls and in the pit, and the pine sap that everything was soaked in quickly caught fire. In moments, the entire structure was up in flames, and it began to collapse as the 2s were cooked alive inside with no way to escape. Blight watched smugly as their horrid screams slowly stopped and the walls of his masterpiece crumbled to embers until two cannons fired close together, meaning that he was the last one alive.

Romula Andretti, District 2 Female; 3rd, Killed by Blight, Day 11

Quarry Lopez, District 2 Male; 2nd, Killed by Blight, Day 11

"Blight Jonson of District 7, you are the Victor of the Fifty Sixth Hunger Games!" Claudius and Caesar roared into the arena as the trumpets trilled their victory song. Blight just nodded shortly at the announcement like it was the end of another project in the lumberyard, looking wistful at his masterwork being destroyed as he was lifted to safety by the hovercraft.


Aftermath

District 7 was insanely elated to receive Blight as their Victor. They hadn't had a Victor in over two decades since Pomona of the Thirty Second, and she was a crazed hermit in the woods, so they only had two aging Victors to be Mentors. Blight brought back life and hope to the lumber District, with the Capitol favoring the place once again. Blight was massively popular in the Capitol for several years, as he was the only bright spot in an otherwise dull Hunger Games. He put on a grand show with his fortress and burning the Careers alive inside, and it helped him gain favor with the Capitolites. However, Blight never preferred the spotlight, and as time went on he was forgotten as he spoke as little after his Games as he did before them. He was prostituted and cheered over for his great show, but his lack of caring about fame led him to soon lead a quiet life in District 7 where he was able to cope better than many with his PTSD from the Games. Within 2 decades, he was of little note to most of the nation. His finale is still considered one of the greatest of the first century, and his fortress strategy is legendary among Games enthusiasts to this very day. Blight would take over the axe clinics from the aging Ishania and teach the youth of the District his tips and tricks with axes and hatchets alike. He would be a pretty strong Mentor, as he knew just what his tributes wanted, although he never became friends with them and liked to keep his distance. All in all, the mysterious man of few words was able to bring life back to a District that sorely needed it.

Blight would live to the age of 62, dying in an accident at his axe clincs around the 94th Hunger Games. He would marry a woman but would refuse to have any children from fear of them entering the Hunger Games.

The payouts on his Victory were alright, as 10% bet on him.

His Victory Tour was below average; while the Capitol adored him and the Districts appreciated his ingenuity in the arena, he was hated in the Career Districts. He was also a very terrible public speaker, stuttering through his speeches and struggling to speak loud enough and for an extended time period.


Victor's News

Blight moves into the Victor's Village of District 7.

Tex has his second child, a son named Arthur.


List of Victors

District 1 (8 Victors): Guild Tonneroy (6), Salandra Valour (11), Clermont Lackrey (15), Mascara Curler (22), Ivelisse Horner (31), Zion Alvarra (40), Nefertiti Kouri (47), Chaise Schauwen (54)

District 2 (10 Victors): Noor Tuskararus (4), Romulus Armidale (19), Fitore Renoro (21), Florianna Urnston (27), Tarquinius Isselhardt (30), Januaria Shale (36), Gnaeus Deccum (37), Brutus Asesino (44), Lyme Harriott (49), Lucullus Cuerer (55)

District 3 (4 Victors): Chaplin Nastaro (7), Calculata Fenceley (26), Beetee Latier (33), Wiress Furuya (46)

District 4 (6 Victors): Kelan Thather (1), Mags Flanagan (11), Bex Martin (16), Dorsal Rance (24), Flotsam Bresten (34), Syren Calanthe (43)

District 5 (6 Victors): Tugra Ertra (3), Irmentrude Marley (8), Fox Rennolls (29), Porter Tripp (38), Surge Tomlin (42), Shyanna Lowell (51)

District 6 (3 Victors): Greason Trails (10), Mercedes Benson (28), Indigo Arnett (41)

District 7 (4 Victors): Ishania Patel (5), Grover Elms (20), Pomona McCrea (32), Blight Jonson (56)

District 8 (3 Victors): Woof Parsons (23), Organza White (35), Tex Hannon (52)

District 9 (4 Victors): Dillon Tripp (2), Deana Mitchellson (18), Enzo Faithlen (48), Brandy Hooper (53)

District 10 (3 Victors): Barcelona Sepias (13), Jaguar Crusoe (17), Elaine Canterbury (Aux. 46)

District 11 (4 Victors): Vissarion Chamantel (9), Freeha Indepp (14), Seeder Howell (39), Chaff Abwenza (45)

District 12 (2 Victors): Venice Grammar (25), Haymitch Abernathy (50)


A/N: There's Blight's Games! I hope you guys enjoyed seeing how he won and I hope it makes sense how he faded into obscurity by the time the books roll around due to his personality despite his flair in his Games. It was fun to write although it was hard because I was deliberately trying to make the rest of the tributes boring in order to make the Games less likable over time so they wouldn't be the most memorable. Yet I still wound up making this chapter massive LOL oops...

Also I know I've made some inconsistencies with canon, like how Titus was supposed to die from an avalanche when he got killed by a Career here. I haven't read the books in ages so I forget some small details so forgive me if not everything matches perfectly with canon.

That's it really! Hope you guys had fun reading, next chapter is another canon Victor! Hope to hear what y'all thought of this chapter!

Until Next Time,

Tracee