THE THIRTEENTH ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES
"Tar and Sugar"
INTRODUCTION
President Lizeth Dyson was well-liked by much of the nation she lead at the time the thirteenth annual Hunger Games rolled around. She had done many of the things she promised to do if she won. For instance, she had increased the minimum wage in the Capitol by fifty cents and allowed various sectors of the Capitol to vote on a group of representatives, who would represent them in elections on new rules to affect them in the future. It was the most that Panem would resemble a democracy for many, many years. And Lizeth was praised for her ability to see beyond her personal needs and do what truly was best for the country. She was, without a shadow of a doubt, the most liked president in the history of the nation. The nation couldn't help but adore her sense of humor as well as her slew of positive character traits that previous presidents lacked. She had even promised to resign after ten years and give someone else a turn to lead the nation. She allowed the previous Head Gamemaker, Theresia Cloud, to remain in her position and lead the games once more. Theresia met up with her trusted team of gamemakers whom had made the games a hit the year prior and sketched out an arena for the games to play out inside of.
The career pack the year of the thirteenth Hunger Games was exceptionally strong, and consisted of all six tributes from Districts 1, 2, and 4. The District 1 male was your typical all-in-it-for-the-fame career, and the ten he scored in training spoke for itself; he was proficient if not impeccable with most any weapon you handed to him. The District 1 female much more focused on a few select weapons; mainly the knife, bow, and club. But, her impressive score of 9 really went to show how well her strategy worked. The District 2 male, more skilled with the 'brute force' weapons that tapped into physical strength—such as the club, mace, and baton—attracted the attention of many sponsors via his looks and his skill in weaponry. The District 2 female was noticeably the weakest member of the career pack, but the others let her into the alliance always to make their alliance look bigger, which in turn would make it look more powerful. The District 4 male was, as is common for District 4 tributes, most skilled with the harpoon and trident, scoring an impressive 9 in training via a combination of his cleverness and his talent with his two signature weapons. His district partner scored an impressive ten via showing the gamemakers her skills with the throwing knives as well as the axe. The highest training score outside of the career districts was earned by the District 7 boy, who used his edgy demeanor and skills with an axe and hatchet to score an impressive ten, something never before achieved outside of the career districts. There was a single volunteer outside of the careers. It was the boy from District 11 who volunteered to save his disabled twelve-year-old brother. The training scores were remarkably high, with four tens being scored, more than any of the twelve games prior. Here are the tributes:
District 1: Platinum Farver, 18, (10) 9-1 and Jewel Amaral, 17, (9) 13-1
District 2: Monroe Thomson, 17, (10) 10-1 and Laurette Jaramillo, 18, (8) 12-1
District 3: Sparyk Petaev, 16, (4) 27-1 and Vanna Chirban, 17, (5) 24-1
District 4: Sawyer Furey, 18, (9) 11-1 and Hilda Cowen, 18, (10) 9-1
District 5: Koltyne Morrison, 15, (3) 43-1 and Vida Demeke, 18, (6) 23-1
District 6: Enid Gagnon, 16, (5) 29-1 and Renata Qualls, 18, (4) 28-1
District 7: Carlos Nettles, 17, (10) 10-1 and Merideth Becnel, 14, (6) 19-1
District 8: Woof Dozier, 15, (4) 42-1 and Deloise Thorton, 18, (5) 29-1
District 9: Barrie Matson, 17, (4) 29-1 and Odelia True, 12, (2) 97-1
District 10: Hedwig Hedges, 13, (3) 74-1 and Minerva Halsey, 14, (3) 59-1
District 11: Glennis Garvey, 18, (7) 18-1 and Valerie Jaeger, 17, (4) 36-1
District 12: Wilber Varela, 16, (4) 38-1 and Elsa Giardano, 16, (5) 33-1
THE GAMES
This arena had two different forms. On odd-numbered days, such as Day 1, Day 3, Day 5, Day 7, and so on, the arena would teem with life, a cool and agreeable temperature. It would be a marvelous forest, filled with plants and animals so beautiful the tributes couldn't help but admire them. Swift rivers filled with crystal clear water would scissor across the landscape, and the birds would sing their melodies across the azure blue sky dotted with clouds. However, on even numbered days, such as Day 2, Day 4, Day 6, Day 8, and so on, the arena would be the polar opposite. It would be a desolate landscape, with the yellow grass so crumbly it cracked under the tribute's feet. The sky would be thick and polluted with hazy gray smoke, and the skeletal trees would be completely dead, like the hands of skeletons reaching up out of the ground. The roar of thunder and the flash of lightning would fill the arena. The temperature would skyrocket to one-hundred degrees, and the crystal clear rivers would turn to greenish-brown sludge that was completely poisonous. But, at midnight, the arena would switch directly back to the prosperous, healthy forest that it had been the day before, leaving no trace of the forsaken wasteland it had been the moment prior. It was a crowning moment in Panem's technological advancement, and was achieved using newly-invented nanotechnology that would break down the landscape into individual atoms and then rearrange them into the new arena.
The thirteenth annual Hunger Games began with an exhilarating and eventful start; the bloodbath of the games would claim the lives of fourteen tributes, two of which were careers. It was one of the most kills in a bloodbath ever, and made the Capitol course with excitement.
The gong played its familiar note through the distance as the tributes raced towards the cornucopia, throwing open crates and tearing open backpacks in an attempt to gather up as many supplies as they could. The field in front of the cornucopia was mainly filled with survival materials such as food and water, and more obscure but still useful things like rope. The inside of the cornucopia, on the other hand, was where the real fun was; it was filled with every type of weapon one could imagine, and the careers stormed towards the bounty of dangerous weapons, pulling out their favorites and going in for the kill.
The first death occurred when Monroe spotted a boy trying to worm his way past him towards a backpack that was right behind him. Monroe whipped his head around and planted his sickle into the boy's right side, sending a spray of blood exploding from the wound as he fell to the ground with a hollow thump. The force of the slash had cut open or destroyed most of his essential organs, and he died soon after.
Enid Gangon, District 6 Male: 24th, Killed by Monroe, Bloodbath
But, Monroe would not be content with just one kill. Wielding his bloodstained sickle in his right hand, he raced towards a girl who was in a prone position, down on her knees and taking inventory of the contents of an orange backpack. The girl had no idea that Monroe was right behind her, and he brought down the sickle, letting it sink into the girl's back. Her screams filled the arena for about a minute before she died from blood loss.
Deloise Thorton, District 8 Female: 23rd, Killed by Monroe, Bloodbath
On the other side of the cornucopia, one of Monroe's allies, Jewel, had received a bow and arrow from the cornucopia and closed one eye as she pulled back the bowstring and aimed it at the back of a boy who was running away into the forest carrying a small suitcase with him. The arrow found its home in the boy's back, and his death was quick when the sharp tip of the arrow pierced his heart.
Sparyk Pataev, District 3 Male: 22nd, Killed by Jewel, Bloodbath
Laurette was thirsty to prove herself to the audience and to the other members of her alliance, and so when she saw another girl's shadow dancing at her feet she grabbed a spiked mace off of a nearby table and smacked it into the girl's head, sending her unconscious almost instantly. It only took a few more blows from the mace before the helpless girl passed away.
Elsa Giardano, District 12 Female: 21st, Killed by Laurette, Bloodbath
Platinum's supposed impeccable skill with throwing knives was displayed to the audience when he picked up a heavy belt off of the ground filled with the things and wrapped it around his waist, securing the velcro and pulling it to be snug around his body. Taking one out of the belt and scanning the field for a target, he set his eyes on a girl who was an almost laughably easy target. He brought the knife back to his nose and thrust the blade forward, letting it fly thirty yards through the air before sinking into the girl's back.
Minerva Halsey, District 10 Female: 20th, Killed by Platinum, Bloodbath
It was then and there that the career alliance lost its first member. After Platinum had successfully killed Minerva, he looked around at his allies to see if any of them saw the moment occur. None had, but that was the least of his concerns. About five yards behind him was Carlos, the District 7 boy who had intrigued the audience by scoring a ten in training. He lifted his metal axe into the air and brought it down upon Platinum's head, splitting it in half and killing him instantly when the sharp edge pierced his brain.
Platinum Farver, District 1 Male: 19th, Killed by Carlos, Bloodbath
Two more kills were made in succession when Hilda picked up a harpoon off of the ground. She hurled it through the air and it sank perfectly into a girl's neck, causing her to choke to death.
Merideth Becnel, District 7 Female: 18th, Killed by Hilda, Bloodbath
Hilda pulled back the harpoon via the long rope it was attached to and hurled it through the air once more. It nicked a boy's shoulder but did no harm to him whatsoever. Cursing under her breath, Hilda pulled back the harpoon and tried again. This time, it missed completely, flying past one tribute with a breadth of about a yard. Coursing with frustration, she tried a third time. It failed again. However, on her fourth attempt, she managed to pry open a hole in the back of one boy's neck. Confidence restored, Hilda pulled back the harpoon and went in for another blow, this time at the back of his neck. But, before she could do so, Monroe came along and slashed him across the chest with his sickle, killing him.
Hedwig Hedges, District 10 Male: 17th, Killed by Hilda and Monroe, Bloodbath
Then came what is perhaps among the strangest and most unusual events in the history of the Hunger Games. Monroe slashed the back of a boy's neck open with his curved sickle, sending him to the ground but not doing too much damage. Then, Hilda saw how vulnerable he was and hurled her harpoon into his chest, causing blood to spout from his torso. Not far behind Hilda was Laurette, whose spiked mace sent the boy unconscious. Finally, Jewel finished the job with her bow, firing an arrow into the poor boy's heart. Four tributes had worked together to kill the helpless boy, something that intrigued the audience. However, in the official Capitol list that organized the tributes by number of kills, Jewel was deemed responsible for his death because she delivered the blow that ended his life.
Barrie Matson, District 9 Male: 16th, Killed by Monroe, Hilda, Laurette, and Jewel, Bloodbath
Exhilarated after making her kill a few seconds earlier, Jewel fired an arrow through the air, landing in the side of a tribute's hip and killing him after a few minutes.
Glennis Garvey, District 11 Male: 15th, Killed by Jewel, Bloodbath
Carlos spotted movement out of the corner of his eye and whipped his head around, setting his eyes on a girl who had cleverly attempted to get by him by staying low to the ground. However, observant Carlos spotted her and rammed his axe into her back, splitting it open and causing her painful death soon after.
Odelia True, District 9 Female: 14th, Killed by Carlos, Bloodbath
Next, the career alliance lost its next member. Sawyer, the only member of the alliance that had failed to make a single kill as of then, tripped in a hole as he was running and fell to the ground. His ankle bone stuck out an awkward angle. It was broken. Renata, an outer district tribute, took advantage of his moment of shock and distraction by smashing him in the head with a heavy rock about twelve times. Had that been the end of the story, he may have survived. But it was not. Vida, the District 5 girl who had grabbed an electric taser from the cornucopia, flicked the switch and placed it on the back of Sawyer's neck, sending an explosion of electricity racing through his body and killing him.
Sawyer Furey, District 4 Male: 13th, Killed by Renata and Vida, Bloodbath
Woof must have wanted that taser really badly. Seeing his strategy later in the games, we now know the reason he took it, but at the time the others must have been confused as to what a boy from District 8 would ever need an electric taser for. Woof snuck up behind Vida, taking infinite care to not make a sound, and ripped the weapon out of her hand. Just for good measure, he placed it on the back of her neck, killing her, and raced away from the cornucopia into the forest.
Vida Demeke, District 5 Female: 12th, Killed by Woof, Bloodbath
The final kill of the bloodbath occurred thirty-six minutes and eight seconds after the gong first rang, making the bloodbath of the thirteenth games officially the longest bloodbath yet. It occurred when Laurette stumbled upon a tribute crouched up into a ball behind a box in the corncucopia, hoping to wait it out and come out once the bloodbath was all over. But, her plan was foiled when Laurette's spiked mace smashed into her neck, causing her to choke to death about four minutes later.
Vanna Chirban, District 3 Female: 11th, Killed by Laurette, Bloodbath
Fourteen cannons rang through the arena, equating to fourteen deaths in the bloodbath, one of the most on record. The careers got to the job of gathering the corpses and piling them up behind the cornucopia, a messy business given the fact that many of them were covered with sticky blood. But it was accomplished in about an hour.
The careers had set up a little camp in the cornucopia as was custom, an array of sleeping bags on the ground. The night of Day 1, they did what was common for the careers to do. They always had one member awake to be the watch, and after one hour they would rouse the person whose turn it was to go next and it would be their turn. This strategy worked well because there were no attempts at stealing their supplies that night.
Koltyne spend the entire rest of Day 1 alternating between walking and jogging as far away from the cornucopia as possible. When the sun was about to dip below the horizon, he settled down in a small ditch by the edge of one of the arena's swift rivers, and exhaustion got the best of him. He fell asleep.
Renata, on the other hand, had a different strategy than Koltyne. Renata climbed up to the very top of a sturdy tree with a thick layer of leaves that would shield her from the view of any tribute who walked below her.
Valerie and Wilber both hid in caves, of which there were plenty in the arena. They both had flashlights, after all, and they had managed to snatch up jackets from the cornucopia and so were rather cozy through the night.
And then there was Woof. He picked a tree isolated in the middle of a small clearing in the forest and produced the taser he had stolen from Vida in the bloodbath a few hours before. He turned the machine off and banged it with a rock until it broke upon. Woof pulled out the long, copper wire coiled and looped around inside the taser and used an awl fashioned from a stone to pull out the switch. He wrapped the wire from the electric gun around and around his tree of choice, in loops and circles on the ground. Then, he crept inside the tree—it was hollow—and held the switch in hand, eager to test out his new creation.
Carlos, who had made multiple kills and was a favorite in much of the Capitol, decided to settle down in a cove near the edge of the arena. He backed up into a cave filled with about a foot of water, thinking no tribute would think to look inside for him. He fell asleep and slept soundly. That was—until midnight. As mentioned previously, every day the arena would alternate between a prosperous forest and a desolate wasteland.
At midnight on Day 1, the arena morphed and transformed into the cloudy, stinky, desolate wasteland that was the polar opposite of what it had been just moments before. Carlos was lying down in about half a foot of the water. Or, at least, he was a moment ago. Upon the arena's transformation the crystal clear water turned to poisonous brown sludge that ate away at Carlos' body like spray paint on Styrofoam. He woke up with a jolt at the sharp pain and screamed as he body was fully subjugated by the toxin, being dissolved by the poison. Ten seconds later, no trace of Carlos' existence remained.
Carlos Nettles, District 7 Male: 10th, Poisonous Acid, Day 2
The tributes woke up in fits of shock on the morning of Day 2. The once wonderful forest was now a desolate wasteland, and the luscious green trees were now so bare they looked like the hands of skeletons reaching out from the ground. And a cloud as black as the night was creeping in from the east side of the arena. A storm was coming.
Around noon on Day 2, the vicious storm began. It lasted six long hours, and arms of lightning jumped from the sky, letting out deafening booms as the rain fell down in sheets, slicing into the tribute's skin like needles. Those who did not have adequate shelter were in for a nasty surprise, and a few defenseless tributes could do nothing but squeeze their bodies into tiny balls and hope for the best.
But, the storm passed, and around seven o'clock in the evening on Day 2 the storm clouds cleared and revealed the all too familiar, hazy orange sky before. At midnight on Day 2, the arena morphed back into the prosperous forest it had been but a day before, leaving no trace of the abomination it had been a moment prior.
Day 3 was when Woof struck lucky. He peeked out of the tree he was hiding in via a small hole dug by a parasite. When he saw a girl walking near him, he grasped hold of the switch. Once the girl was standing on top of his wire, he would flick the switch and kill her. It was too easy. She stepped right on the copper wire, and Woof flicked the switch. A faint hum sounded in Woof's ears as the girl's hair stood up on end, her body jerking around and contorting into seemingly impossible poses as the powerful electric current coursed through her body. About twenty seconds later, her cannon rang through the arena and Woof flicked the switch back off. Woof retrieved her body and buried it, knowing that his future victims would be suspicious if they saw a corpse and would move the other way.
Valerie Jaeger, District 11 Female: 9th, Killed by Woof, Day 3
That left the final eight: Jewel Amaral from District 1, Laurette Jaramillo and Monroe Thompson from District 2, Hilda Cowen from District 4, Koltyne Morrison from District 5, Renata Qualls from District 6, Woof Dozier from District 8, and Wilber Varela from District 12.
Day 4 passed, deathless. On Day 5, however, the careers struck lucky. They had split up to comb through different sectors of the arena, and while Laurette was prowling through her assigned portion of the arena she heard the faint sound of a whimper, instantly muffled by a clapping sound. Laurette lunged towards the source of the sound and saw a helpless Wilber hiding behind a tree. His death was quick when Laurette's knife entered his heart.
Wilber Varela, District 12 Male: 8th, Killed by Laurette, Day 5
Days 6 thru 9 passed void of any conflict at all among the seven remaining tributes. However, just after noon on Day 10, Renata spotted Jewel walking by her. Renata knew that eliminating Jewel would be a huge step towards her returning victorious to District 6, and so she pulled out the knife she had retrieved from the cornucopia. Taking infinite care to be completely silent, she snuck up behind Jewel. If she made the slightest sound, her life would be over in two seconds. She raised the knife into the air and brought in down, planting it into Jewel's back. She howled in pain, and Renata darted away in fear that Jewel would call for her allies. Jewel died from loss of blood roughly fourteen minutes later.
Jewel Amaral, District 1 Female: 7th, Killed by Renata, Day 10
Renata ran and ran and ran until she could run no more. Very unfortunately for her, that happened when she was just a few dozen yards from Woof's clever electrical trap. She then resorted to walking, and when she stepped on Woof's wire Woof flicked the switch. Her life was ended twelve seconds later when her heart stopped from the force of the current.
Renata Qualls, District 6 Female: 6th, Killed by Woof, Day 10
On Day 11, the careers resolved to hunting down their next kill together. Monroe, Laurette, and Hilda all ventured away from the cornucopia, wielding their weapons. They made wide sweeps up and down the arena, zigzagging in strange patterns in an attempt to find and rat out the remaining outlier tributes. To their displeasure, they found nobody. Then, they reached the sector of the arena housing Woof's trap. Woof let out a cry, feigning extreme pain. He then began screaming, in an attempt to attract the attention of the three careers. When they were all in position, Woof flicked the switch. When Woof flicked the lever back off a few minutes later, the three bodies fell to the ground with three loud thumps. Woof had eliminated the career alliance.
Hilda Cowen, District 4 Female: 5th, Killed by Woof, Day 11
Laurette Jaramillo, District 2 Female: 4th, Killed by Woof, Day 11
Monroe Thomson, District 2 Male: 3rd, Killed by Woof, Day 11
There were only two tributes left. After eleven long days in the arena, only two tributes remained. They were Woof Dozier of District 8 and Koltyne Morrison of District 5. The gamemakers needed their bloody finale, and they couldn't run the risk of one of them dying before the final battle. So, Head Gamemaker Theresia Cloud sent a message into the arena for Woof and Koltyne to hear.
"Congratulations to the final two tributes of the thirteenth annual Hunger Games!" she proclaimed. "In precisely two hours, a fire will be lit on the outside of the arena that will spread so quickly you will have no chance of escape unless you are at the center of the arena, where you will be safe. Remember, you have two hours. It would be very wise to begin your trek to the cornucopia now, so that when the fire starts you will be safe from it. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor."
The boys knew that this was no joke. It was for real. They packed up everything they had with them and began the long trek back to the cornucopia, alternating between running and walking as they moved towards the center. Woof carried with him his wire/lever as well as the knife he had retrieved from the bloodbath. Koltyne destroyed the stick shelter he had lived in since Day 1 just for the fun of it before running back to the cornucopia with the axe he had received during the bloodbath.
True to Theresia's word, as soon as the two boys entered the small clearing that housed the cornucopia, the perimeter of the arena was set ablaze. The fire spread inward at a speed of almost twenty miles per hour, and within ten minutes the entire forest began was being consumed by a raging inferno. The two boys stood atop the cornucopia, wielding their weapons. First, Woof lunged at Koltyne in an attempt to stab him in the stomach, but Koltyne dodged at the last second and spun his body in a full circle, coming back around and attempting to slash Woof's shoulder with his axe. Woof retaliated by hurling his knife through the air. The knife nicked Koltyne's shoulder. His only weapon flew off of the cornucopia into the fiery ember surrounding it. Eyes widening in fear, Woof thrust out his hands that were now his only way to shield himself from the ruthless edge of Koltyne's axe.
Suddenly, Woof remembered something. Something important.
His hands reached for his pocket.
When Koltyne was about five yards from Woof and ready to strike, Woof pulled the wire out of his pocket and wrapped it around and around Koltyne's neck. The instant he flicked the switch a low-pitched hum filled his ears. Koltyne let out a short shriek that was cut short when his body began thrashing around, thrusting about and contorting into strange positions. It was only a matter of time before Koltyne died from electrocution, and Woof flicked off the switch the moment that the boom of Koltyne's cannon had fully faded away.
Koltyne Morrison, District 5 Male: 2nd, Killed by Woof, Day 11
"Woof Dozier of District 8, you are the victor of the thirteenth annual Hunger Games!" Theresia exclaimed into the arena.
Woof took the wire that he had used to make a whopping six kills throughout the games and tossed it into the roaring inferno before climbing up into the hovercraft, smiling for the audience whose attention he knew was all focused on him.
Woof Dozier, District 8 Male: Victor of the Thirteenth Hunger Games, Day 11
AFTERMATH
A great portion of those in the Capitol adored by Woof, and his strategy of electrocuting his opponents to death intrigued many people in the audience. Woof later disclosed in an interview that his father's career as a sewing machine repairman led him to teach Woof all about electricity, which is why he was so knowledgeable about it in the arena.
Woof's victory tour was rather decent, for those in the outer districts couldn't really get that mad at him given how swift and painless all of his kills were.
He moved into the previously completely vacant Victor's Village of District 8, the very first victor to do so.
Woof would attain to the age of ninety-three, dying from cardiovascular disease around the time of the ninety-first annual Hunger Games. In his lifetime, he would marry once, to a woman with whom he would father three children.
NEWS
Woof moves into the Victor's Village of District 8, the very first victor to ever do so.
LIST OF VICTORS
1HG: Cordin Frey (#1, District 3)
2HG: Sapphire Waber (#1, District 1)
3HG: Molly Toliday (#1, District 4)
4HG: Amelia Spangler (#1, District 2)
5HG: Misty Sablone (#1, District 12)
6HG: Olivia Seager (#2, District 2)
7HG: Flux Stafford (#2, District 3)
8HG: Brandi Coyne (#2, District 1)
9HG: Isaac Crandall (#1, District 5)
10HG: Velvet Farrow (#3, District 1)
11HG: Mags Flanagan (#2, District 4)
12HG: Slate Ogston (#3, District 2)
13HG: Woof Dozier (#1, District 8)
