Peach Unk
It was colder than I would have expected at night. Granja and I were crammed into crevices into the rock to keep out the wind, but it might not have made any difference, since the rock sucked the warmth out of us just like the wind. It wasn't cold enough to kill us, but it was uncomfortable. Sleeping on rocks was also uncomfortable.
The night had been still for hours. Only one cannon had gone off all day, for the girl from Five. I wasn't surprised there were no animals around. It was a pretty desolate Arena. Not as bad as a desert or the snowy one, but still barren. If we didn't have all those cans, we'd have already died.
It was hard to see Granja in the dark, but I could tell she was awake when we heard the noise. At first I thought it was the Careers getting someone else. It sounded like someone in pain. Then I thought it must be a coyote, since it was a sort of rough barking noise. It had a gurgling echo like an earthquake. Then I knew it was a mutt.
Whatever it was, it was moving fast. I heard its echoing cries trailing across the Arena like a racing train. I squished as far back into the rocky cracks as I could, until rocks stabbed into my back. The cries kept moving, and to my relief, they were getting farther away.
I didn't know if Granja and I would discuss what we heard in the morning. I only heard the creature, but it sounded like something we couldn't fight off. There were some things better left unsaid.
Zinnia Fraser
Inky and I slept back-to-back in the tunnel, and I was glad. Then she couldn't see my cry. Nobody could be as brave as I pretended to be. Being one of the last members of an alliance was almost worse than dying. If it wasn't for Rory, I would have died in the Bloodbath trying to help Addie. Then he was gone too, just like Chase. I didn't want to lose Inky next.
It didn't have to be like this. If they'd left me alone, I wouldn't have rebelled. I still would have hated them, but I would have lived my life in Ten and minded my own business. That wasn't enough for them. They had to drag me out into the public eye just to torment me.
Inky and I froze when we heard footsteps. We were well hidden, and it was pitch black in our tunnel and barely lighter outside. Then we heard voices.
"Yep, they're in there. Tracks lead straight to it. Help me move this rock."
A sliver of light penetrated our hideaway. Ink flipped over and grabbed my arm. A flashlight beam illuminated the arm that grabbed my leg and started to yank. I slid an inch before I braced my arms on either side of the tunnel. Ink screamed and sat up, bumping her head on our ceiling. She grabbed me under both arms and tried to hold me in place. I wished she'd stayed quiet, but I realized it made no difference. Karyssa would have seen us running together. They knew we were here, but getting us out wouldn't be easy.
Karyssa Evans
It took me and Valerie both holding one foot and leaning back to pop the girl out of the tunnel like a cork. Valerie was still tender from the Bloodbath, or it would have been easier. We both fell back on our backsides when she finally slid out.
I found out too late she was still holding my spear. As I fell, she stabbed it at my leg. The angle was terrible and she wasn't strong, but it still hurt. I stabbed her back with my new spear, and I knew how to do damage. She was a spitfire, though. She scuttled toward me and I took a step back just in case she got lucky. The other girl tried to sneak out the tunnel behind her and Zinnia swiped her spear at Valerie when she tried to get closer to attack.
Of course it was all just delaying the inevitable. The other girl was dead within the minute, and that's when Zinnia really lost it. I kept stabbing her, but she just wouldn't die. I was trying to make it clean, but it was hard to kill neatly with a spear at close range. Zinnia had been silent until the other girl died, but then she started shrieking like a banshee. She wiggled and flopped like a zombie, and I don't think I killed her so much as she just bled to death. I was glad when it was finally over. Some people can't accept losing.
Inky Balboa
I knew Zinnia was done for when the Career pulled her from my grasp like a shark dragging down a fish. I also knew she'd want me to run. I couldn't do anything against two Careers, and if Zinnia couldn't take care of herself, I wouldn't make a difference. Zinnia covered me while I slid out the tunnel and stood, but Valerie grabbed me by the hem of my pants as I tried to run and flung me to the ground.
It's my fault. I should have touched the rock twenty-five times instead of five. Then they wouldn't have found us, I thought as she stood over me. I hoped the Arena was too dark for the cameras to catch us, even with the Careers' flashlights. I wished I was back home with my family, making candles and reading books. There was so much more to learn in the world. But maybe I didn't want to know after all.
Zinnia Fraser
It didn't even hurt very much. I just wanted Karyssa to be the one that hacked a wailing thirteen-year-old to death and the Capitol to be the one that made her do it.
16th place: Inky Balboa- Stabbed by Valerie
They weren't called the Long Shots for nothing. I always want to make younger Tributes last longer than they should, so I tried to be more realistic this time. Inky was a sweet, intelligent girl, but it would have been difficult for her to ever win. She brought humanity to the Games by tenderly mourning the fallen Tributes as real humans, and she made Panem a better place. Her OCD gave her another dimension and I didn't mention it much after the Games started because she was under so much stress it was mostly buried. Thanks Tracelyn for Inky. She was a lovely young woman.
15th place: Zinnia Fraser- Speared by Karyssa
One of these days the Zinnia type is going to actually win. It's an even longer shot, but anything can happen and I have such a soft spot. Zinnia was a firecracker. Where the older Tributes have had more time to get broken down by life, she was still a spirited little girl who was ready to take on the world. Of course things don't work that way, but she stuck with it till the end. Thanks Only1God for Zinnia. I never have to write down which Tribute is yours. Zinnia would be pleased to know that the Gamemakers are very displeased with her.
Valerie has in fact recovered enough to actively hunt again. It's been three days and Panem technology is better, so she's ready to rip.