Bennett "Benny" Ramirez-18 (District 7 Male)
Part of me can't help but wonder if I'm going to get stuck in this tube. I mean, I know the odds of that happening aren't very good. But I've got a knack for getting stuck in things I'm not supposed to be able to get stuck in. So, it's hard not to be just a little worried.
Also, it's the only thing keeping me from covering the inside of the tube with my breakfast. I probably should have taken Arkadia's advice and not eaten so much this morning. But I just couldn't help myself.
It all looked and smelled so good, and it tasted even better. And since I have no way of knowing when, or even if, I'm going to eat again, I had to take advantage of the chance to stuff my face while I still could. And now I'm paying for it. Dearly.
And the worst part is, I'm ok with that. I'd much rather focus on my stomach than the hell that's waiting for me at the top of this tube.
"Stop it," I mumble, my voice low and shaking with fear, my eyes wet with tears as I look up and see the faint outline of light sneaking through the top of my plate.
"Everything is going to be ok," I say, closing my eyes tight and taking a couple of deep, calming breaths as I gently slide out of the darkness and into the cool, welcoming embrace of the arena. "I just have to find Asuka and get out of here, and everything will be alright.
"We'll get as far away from the fighting as we can. And then we'll come up with a plan.
"I can do this ... I can do this ... I can do this," I mumble, my eyes glued shut as I stand there in the middle of my plate and fight back the urge to cry.
"Congratulations, tributes, and welcome to the arena. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor. ...
"….Thirty….
….Twenty-Nine….
….Twenty-Eight….
….Twenty-Seven….
….Twenty-Six…."
"Ok, you can do this, Benny," I whisper, my heart jumping up into my throat as I slowly open my eyes and take in the sights and sounds of the arena that might end up being my tomb.
The first thing I notice is how beautiful it is. Clean, cobblestone streets stretch out from a shop-lined central square with a massive mulberry tree surrounded by little stands and tables in the middle.
It sort of reminds me of the market back home in Seven.
"….Twenty-Five….
….Twenty-Four….
….Twenty-Three….
….Twenty-Two….
….Twenty-One…."
"Ok, I have to focus. Priority one, find Asuka. Where is he?!" I wonder, my eyes darting from one side of the square to the other, my panic level rising by the second as I complete three full scans without seeing him.
"Oh, god, where is he?
"Ok, I can't see him, so I have to move on to part two of the plan. Get supplies. Where's the cornucopia?!"
"….Twenty….
….Nineteen….
….Eighteen….
….Seventeen….
….Sixteen…."
"There's no cornucopia. Why isn't there a cornucopia?! How are we supposed to get suppli? ..." I don't give myself a chance to finish asking that question. Because within maybe half a second of starting, the answer smacks me square in the face. There are bags of supplies strewn all over the square.
So, that takes care of supplies. Now all I have to do is get some and find Asuka before one of us gets hurt. That should be simple enough. Right?
"….Fifteen….
….Fourteen….
….Thirteen….
….Twelve….
….Eleven…."
Oh, god, I've never been so scared of anything in my entire life. What if I can't find him? What if he gets killed before I can get to him? What if I get killed before I can get to him? I think ... I think I'm going to throw up.
"….Ten….
….Nine….
….Eight….
….Seven….
….Six…."
No, I can't do that. Not right now. I've got to keep it together. I've got five seconds to get it together, and then I'll be fighting for my life. I'll be fighting for Asuka's life. And I can't do that if I'm puking everywhere.
"….Five…."
I can puke once we're safe.
"….Four…."
Right now. ...
"….Three…."
I have a job to do. ...
"….Two…."
SURVIVE.
"….One…."
Leandra Chandri-18 (District 6 Female)
"I have to find Dana," I growl, my heart racing a million miles a second as I leap off my plate and sprint as hard as I can right into the middle of the action.
"Where the hell is she?!" I scream, my body running on instinct and adrenaline as I skid to a stop in front of a small table, sling a dark-blue backpack full of supplies over my shoulder, and scoop up the spear lying next to it before continuing my search.
"Where the hell is she?!" I panic, my eyes darting frantically around the square for any sign of her. "Please don't be dead, Dana."
"LEANDRA! WE'RE OVER HERE!" yells someone, their voice low and almost impossible to hear over the pounding of my heart and the screams of the other tributes echoing throughout the square.
"Who's ... OZ!" I scream, my eyes locking with those of my terrified ally as he pushes Sentri down behind one of the stands on the fringes of the square before sprinting over to me.
"Are you ok?!" he asks, his voice low and panicked as he grabs me by the arm and all but drags me over to where Sentri is hiding. "Have you seen any of the others?!"
"No," I admit, my voice cold and tinged with terror as I continue to scan the square in vain for any sign of Dana. "I was hoping you had."
"Shit. ... Ok, we have to find the others, and we need to do it fast. We're exposed out here. And it's only a matter of time before the chaos stops and the killing starts."
"We have to find Dana, Oz," I scream, my fear and angst bubbling over into full-blown panic.
"And we will, but we have to be smart. We can't just run off without a ... plan," he whispers, his words slowly trailing off into oblivion.
"What is it," I ask, my panic level rising as I spin around just in time to see the sick, twisted smile on Shimmer's face as he brutally jams his spear through the back of Hector's neck. The point ripping through his throat like a hot knife through butter and exploding out the other side covered in hot, sticky blood.
And then, without missing a beat, he rips it out of Hector's throat and buries it in the middle of poor little Maira's stomach.
I think I'm going to be sick.
"LEANDRA!"
"DANA!" I scream, my panic easing ever so slightly at the sound of her voice before immediately ratcheting back up to eleven when I see her and Cypher hobbling towards us covered in blood.
"OH, MY GOD, DANA!" I scream, my fear getting the better of me as I drop my spear and sprint over to her as fast as I can. Oz hot on my heels after stopping to scoop up my discarded weapon.
"Dana, are you alright?" I ask, my hands running all over her body in search of the wound. "Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine. It's not my blood," she gasps. Her breaths coming in short, ragged little bursts as Cypher's legs finally give out, and he collapses to the ground in a heap. "It's his."
"What the hell happened to him?" asks Oz, his voice strained but calm despite the danger.
"Bellatrix," she sobs, her composure shattering into million tiny pieces at the name. "The three of us were trying to get away with some supplies we grabbed when she found us.
"We tried to run, but she had knives. She threw one at Sedge, and he dropped like a rock. He was screaming for help, begging for us to save him, but I was too afraid to go back and get him. So, I just stood there and watched as she walked up and ripped the knife out of his back before yanking him up by the hair and cutting his throat. Then she threw the knife again.
"At first, I thought she missed, then I heard Cypher start to scream. I didn't know what to do, so I grabbed him, and we just started running. I had to get him out of there. I had to find you."
"You did fine," I say, a sense of relief washing over me as I pull her in for a tight, reassuring hug. "You found me, and you saved his life."
"None of us is safe yet," mumbles Oz. "Not while we're sitting out here in the open like idiots. Let's go!"
"Fine," I say, my eyes wet with tears as I pull away from Dana and pass her my bag of supplies. "Take this. Oz, you cover us. I'll get Cypher."
"No," he gasps, his voice low and filled with pain as he pushes himself up onto a knee. "You guys have to leave me."
"We're not leaving you, Cypher," cries Dana, her voice shaking with pain and fear.
"You ... you have to. I'm not ... going ... I'm not going to make it anyway. And I don't want to slow you down."
"What kind of talk is that?" I ask, my hand cupping his chin and pulling his head up to meet my gaze. "You've made it this ... far ... oh, shit."
"Yeah," he groans, his eyes and mine locked on the blood-soaked knife jetting out from his side. "Neat, isn't it?"
"That's not the word I'd use," I mumble, my eyes drifting off the knife and back up to his face as the color continues to slowly drain out of his body.
"Yeah, well, it's not lodged in your lung, is it?" he whispers, his hands shaking as he reaches down and grabs the knife by the hilt before quickly jerking it out of his side with a pained groan.
"Here, take this, and get the hell out of here," he says, his voice getting softer with every word as he struggles to keep his eyes open.
"Ok," I whisper, my eyes locked on his as the last vestiges of life seep out of his broken little body before standing up and slipping the blood-stained knife into the folds of my tunic and motioning for Dana and Oz to follow as I sprint back to Sentri's hiding place.
Pallas Eve Arguatha-18 (District 8 Female)
"Shit, this is a dead-end," I mumble, my breath catching in my throat as I stand there on the little dock and stare down at the water in front of me; a state of panic washing over me as I realize just how royally I screwed up by taking us this way.
"What do you mean it's a dead-end?" asks Liz, her voice hard and angry as she drops down to one knee and sucks in as much air as she can before continuing. "You said this was the right way!"
"I said I thought it was the right way," I bite, my voice low and thick with panic as I stand there and scan the area for an exit that just isn't there. Not unless we want to abandon our supplies and swim for it.
"No, you said you knew it was the right way. There's a difference between I think and I know, Pallas!" she screams, her face red with anger.
"Both of you stop. This isn't helping," cries Luciana, her face drenched with sweat as she leans against the wall of one of the buildings and tries to catch her breath.
"Neither is your girlfriend's garbage sense of direction, Luciana.
"Fuck it, we'll have to double back."
"We can't," I say, my composure cracking by the second as I continue to stand there and search for a miracle. "The bloodbath is still going on."
"We don't have a choice, Pallas. Unless you know how to walk on water and can teach us how to do it in the next ten seconds, the only way to go forward is to go back."
"FUCK!" I hate it when she's right.
"Fine, let's go. If we're lucky, maybe the Careers will still be too busy fighting for control of the square to pay attention to us."
"Oh, they are," says a sick, sadistic voice a few feet behind us. "Unfortunately for you, I'm not."
"Shirley?" yelps Luciana, her voice low and filled with terror as she and Liz slowly back away from him. "What are you doing here?"
"Thanking my lucky stars that the three of you were stupid enough to turn right instead of left back there at the fork.
"Because if you'd gone left, you'd be god knows where by now, and I'd be shit out of luck.
"Now, let's make this easy, shall we?" he asks, a sick, disgusting smile on his lips as he squares up and takes another defiant step towards us. "Put the stuff on the ground and get in the water. I'll give you a ten-second head start before I come after you."
"We're not giving you our supplies, Shirley," I say, my voice strong and defiant as I mimic his stance before taking a small, hesitant little step towards him. "We need them to survive."
"You should have thought about that before you ran down a dead-end street without any weapons," he sneers, his broken, stomach-turning yellow smile on full display as he takes another step towards us. His bruised hands clenched tight into jaw-shattering fists.
"Now, I'm not going to ask you again. Put the supplies on the ground and get in the water.
"Or, I can take them off your cold, dead bodies. Your choice."
"We're not giving you our supplies," I say, my defiant response drawing an approving nod from both of my allies as Shirley stands there and rolls his eyes in amusement.
"Fine then. Have it your way," he whispers, a soft, almost happy little smile on his lips as he takes a deep breath before cocking his fist back and lunging at us like a lunatic.
His first swing misses wildly, but his second connects with Luciana's jaw, snapping her head back into the wall with a sickening crack and sending her crashing to the ground in a heap.
"Luciana?!" I scream, my voice cracking under the pressure as I duck under his next wild swing before darting out of his reach and tossing my supplies at Liz.
"Hold still, you dumb bitch," he snarls, his swings getting wilder by the second as I continue to dance around him until he finally gets lucky and grazes the side of my head. Sending me flying back onto the hard, unforgiving wood of the dock with a pained groan.
"Two down, one to go," he huffs, his stamina all but gone as he starts towards Liz before changing his mind mid-stride.
"You know what, forget you. I've already got what I need," he says, turning his back on Liz and starting back towards Luciana and me. A mistake that gives Liz the opening she needs to run up behind him and smack him in the back of the head with a rock. Sending him crashing to the ground with a disgusting thud and a moan.
"Come on, Pallas, we have to go!"
"We can't leave Luciana," I scream, my eyes welling up with tears as I force myself to roll over onto my knees and crawl to her. "She'll die if we leave her here."
"And we'll die if we stay. Pallas, she's out cold. There's nothing we can do for her now."
"We — can't — leave — her — Liz!" I sob, my hands trembling as I grab her by the collar and try to shake her back to life. "Wake up, Luciana!"
"We don't have a choice," she screams, her voice cracking in fear as Shirley lets out a pained groan before moving his hand to the back of his head and rubbing it gently.
"What did you hit me with, you stupid bitch?"
"COME ON, PALLAS! HE'S COMING AROUND! WE HAVE TO GO, NOW!"
"I'm sorry, Luciana," I whisper, my tear-clouded eyes staring down at her soft, beautiful face for the last time before Liz yanks me up off my knees and drags me away from her prone, unconscious body with a final, terrified scream.
"COME ON!"
Shirley Gutters-16 (District 5 Male)
"The dumb bitch is gonna pay for that," I groan, my head throbbing in step with the beat of my heart as I roll over on my back and close my eyes until the world stop spinning. "They both will."
I'm not sure how long I lay there. It could have been a few seconds, or it could have been a few minutes. Either way, the result is the same. I lay there with my eyes closed and my head throbbing until the pain starts to fade away, and I can open my eyes without getting sick.
And that's when I realize that I'm not alone.
There, lying a few feet away from me in a heap, surrounded by the supplies she dropped when I knocked her stupid ass out, is Luciana.
Shit. I guess it was too much to hope that Pallas and Liz would drag her to safety while I was out cold. Now I have to do the one thing everyone watching expects me to do that I genuinely don't want to. I have to kill her.
I mean, I don't have to kill her. I could just take the supplies and leave her here. Let one of the other tributes have the glory of the kill while I put as much distance between me and the deed as I can.
That would be the smart thing to do, and even my dumb ass knows it. So why can't I do it?
"SHIT!" I scream, my anger and frustration boiling over in a spectacular show of stupidity as I roll over onto my knees and start pounding my fists into the pavement as hard as I can until my knuckles are raw and bloody. Only then, with the pain surging through my veins, am I finally ready to cross the one line I always thought would be uncrossable for me.
"Alright, how am I gonna do this?" I ask, my eyes immediately zeroing in on the rock Liz used to try to bash my head in before quickly deciding against it.
Bashing her head in would be the quickest and easiest option; there's no doubt about it. But it would also be one of the bloodiest. And I'm not a big fan of blood.
I could try to choke her out. That would definitely help me avoid the blood, but it would also take more time. And that's just not something I have a lot of right now.
So, I need something quicker than strangulation but less bloody than beating her to death with a rock. But what? WHAT?!
And that's when it hits me. I can drown her.
It's not the most elegant or creative of deaths, but it should be relatively quick and painless. And I have everything I need to do it right here. I have her, I have me, and I have the water. All I have to do is man up and do it.
So, that's what I'm gonna do.
I walk over to Luciana and look down at her still unconscious body. I take a deep, calming breath to soothe my ragged nerves. I shake the blood off my hands. And then I reach down and grab her by the hair and drag her over to the edge of the water.
"I'm sorry for this, Luciana. I really am," I mumble, my voice so soft and low that no one but me could possibly hear what I'm saying as I drop down on my knees on the edge of the dock and drag her head over to the water.
And then I push her face in. The icy sting of the water shocks her back to life, and she starts to thrash about like a wild animal, doing everything she can think of to fight for her life. But it's too late, and I'm too strong for her.
After a few seconds, her thrashing starts to die down. A few seconds later, the bubbles start to slow. And then, just a little over two minutes after it started, it's over. Her body goes limp, and the bubbles stop.
And there's one less tribute standing between me and the victory no one sees coming.
Sarah Beth Fullberg-17 (District 10 Female)
I shouldn't be doing this. I should be back in the square, helping my allies secure it. Not sneaking off to look for Shirley.
I'm being stupid and selfish, and I know that. But I also don't have a choice. I have to do this for Viv. It's the only way I can be sure that she'll get the help she needs no matter what happens to me in the arena.
So, here I am. Abandoning my allies when they need me most for the most selfish reasons imaginable. And you know what, I can live with that. Because once I kill Shirley, nothing else will matter.
As long as the President keeps his promise, that is.
"I know I saw him go this way," I mumble, my voice low and annoyed, as I carefully slip away from the chaos still raging in the square behind me and start down the narrow alley I saw Shirley walk down a few minutes earlier. "Where the hell is he?"
It only takes me a few more minutes to find an answer to that question. And, after rounding yet another corner and being on the verge of giving up and turning back, I finally catch sight of my target. And I wish to god that I hadn't.
He's less than fifty feet away from me. He's almost close enough to smell. And he's kneeling by the edge of the water holding another tribute's head under.
He's killing someone, and I don't know what to do. So I don't do anything. I just stand there and stare at the scene in front of me until his victim stops moving, and he lets out a small but audible sigh of relief.
"Oh, shit," I mumble, the reality of what I just watched him do smashing into me like a ton of bricks as I dive back around the corner at the same time he lets the head of the person he just murdered slip from his fingers before leaping back to his feet.
"Who's there?" he shouts, his voice loud and strong with just a hint of unease bubbling just below the surface. "Show yourself!"
"Fuck," I mumble, my heart dropping through my stomach and into my feet as I stand there with my back pressed against the hard, stone wall of the building behind me. My tiny little ax — the only defense I have against this monstrous brute of a man — is clutched tightly to my chest as I strain to hear his footsteps over the pounding of my heart.
"Ok, I can do this. It's just like butchering a cow. All I have to do is close my eyes and swing.
"One good, solid swing is the only thing standing between me and saving Vivian. I can do this ... I can do this ... I can do this."
"I can hear you talking! Come out and face me, COWARD!"
"I can do this ... I can do this ... I can do this."
"I SAID COME OUT!"
"I can do this ... I can do this ... I can do this."
"FINE, HAVE IT YOUR WAY. IF YOU WON'T COME OUT WILLING, I'LL MAKE YOU COME OUT!" he screams, his voice hard and angry as he rushes headlong around the corner and gut first into the blade of my ax.
I don't even remember taking the swing. That's how terrified I am right now. One second, I'm looking up into his fat, disgusting face as he cocks a blood-caked fist back to smash in my face. And the next, he's doubled over in pain, spitting blood all over my sandals.
"What the," he stammers, his voice quivering in fear as he looks up at me with terror burning in his dull blue eyes.
And that's when I snap.
I raise my ax high above my head and bring it crashing down into the middle of his face with a primal shriek. Splitting it in two and sending blood, bone, and flesh flying everywhere as I rip it out of his skull before tossing what's left of my breakfast all over his bloody and broken body.
I killed him. I actually killed him.
Vivian is safe. And all I want to do is cry.
Shimmer Calvisi-18 (District 1 Male)
"I think it's time for us to go, Bellatrix!" I say, my tone light and playful despite the situation as I expertly sidestep yet another poorly thrown chakram from Ariadne. "We've worn out our welcome."
"For the last time, Shimmer, we're not leaving," she growls, her voice tinged with annoyance. "I'm not letting those embarrassments to the career alliance take control of the square."
"It's a little late for that, don't you think?" I laugh, the thrill of battle washing over me as I send a javelin screaming through the air and straight into the middle of Alfonso's buckler. " They've already got the square."
"No, they don't," she growls, her voice low and angry as she stares across the square at Helena, her eyes burning with barely contained rage, her lips peeled back in a frightening sneer.
"Yes, they do," yells Cornelia, her voice tinged with exhaustion as she drops down to a knee beside us with her still unbloodied sickle clutched tightly in her soft, trembling little hands.
"I know you don't want to hear that, Bellatrix, but it's the truth. They've outplayed us. It's time to cut our losses and get out of here while we still can."
"I agree," I say, my voice rising half an octave in the middle of the statement as one of Ariadne's chakrams comes dangerously close to nicking me in the ear. "Ariadne's going to get lucky eventually, and I don't want to be here when she does.
"Besides, I've just about out of javelins."
"Then learn to aim better," she bites, her shoulders slumping in defeat as she starts to come to terms with the fact that we really have lost the square.
"My aim is just fine, thank you very much," I laugh, my voice tinged with anger as I glare down at her before popping back up and sending my second to last javelin sailing through the air in the direction of Helena's hiding place. "My problem is I haven't learned how to shit them yet."
"You don't have to get snotty with me, Shimmer," she growls, her voice softening slightly as she stares finally tears her eyes away from Helena and looks down at the short sword lying next to her on the ground.
"He's not being snotty. He's being realistic.
"We've lost this fight, Bellatrix. Staying here and dying isn't going to change that."
"I know that," she pouts, her face twisting into a mask of self-loathing and pity as she continues to stare down at her unbloodied sword. "But I hate losing."
"This isn't a loss," she coos, her words soft and soothing despite the chaos raging around us.
"But it will be if we don't get the hell out of here," I growl, my patience for this particular brand of bullshit finally exhausted.
"Cornelia and I are leaving, Bellatrix.
"You can either come with us. Or you can stay here and die. The choice is yours," I yell, my anger and frustration bubbling over in a spectacular display of strength as I rear back and chuck my last javelin with everything I have. Sending it smashing into Alfonso's buckler with enough force to throw him on his ass.
"So what's it gonna be?!" I growl, my pack full of supplies slug safely across my shoulder, my halberd clutched tightly in my hands.
A/N: And that, my friends, is the bloodbath! I know it wasn't as bloody or action packed as some of my clothes, and we didn't get to see much of the arena in this, but I can assure you that both of those shortcomings will be rectified in the coming chapters. So buckle up, because we're just getting started.
Death Order and Cause
24: Hector Brennan - D5M - Speared through the back of the throat by Shimmer
23: Maira Renault - D12F - Speared through the back and then the eye by Shimmer
22: Sedge Hamilton - D9M - Throat slit by Bellatrix after taking a knife to the back
21: Cypher Diamantis-D3M - Died of blood loss after taking a knife to the lung from Bellatrix
20: Luciana Bay - D10F - Drowned by Shirley
19: Shirley Gutters - D5M - Head split open with an ax by Sarah Beth
Kill Totals
2-Shimmer
2-Bellatrix
1-Sarah Beth
1-Shirley (Deceased)