THE THIRTY SECOND ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES
"Little Boy"
INTRODUCTION
The retirement of Estella Whited was something that the entire nation saw coming. She was growing overwhelmed with the duties of being head gamemaker, and she wasn't exactly at ease with the fact that every year came with the possibility of her execution. At the time, she was one of the most coveted head gamemakers in history; many were sad to see her go. Immediately, the entire nation turned their eyes toward the vacated position of head gamemaker. Nearly five thousand Capitolites auditioned for the role. After sifting through them all, President Coriolanus Snow, now in his eighth year as president of Panem, selected a fifty year-old man named Augustine Hummel for the role. Although much of the Capitol missed Estella, they had a hopeful outlook towards Augustine's enthusiasm in leading the Hunger Games. Could his first games be a one to remember? Time would tell.
This year's career alliance consisted of seven members, more than their usual six. District 1, overall, provided the strongest batch. Their male, a steadfast classic who could work magic with the knife and sword, was the nephew of Victor Gold Carson, one of District 1's best victors. He also excelled with the crook and flail, a rather unique set of weapons that made him stand out in the eyes of many a Capitol citizen. District 1's female was a knockout gorgeous girl, the typical showing of the luxury district. She was one of the finest products of the thirty-second Hunger Games, perhaps second in strength only to her district partner. She was a very enthusiastic girl with a sense of humor. She preferred the bow or whip, although she could really fight with anything. District 2's tributes were, strangely, weaker than they usually were. The male, your typical all-in-it-for-the-honor career, managed to snag an impressive nine in training by displaying his talents with the halberd and knife. His district partner, a dangerously mysterious girl, scored a cool nine via her skills with the crossbow and whip. District 3 produced one career: Wyatt Kerdler. Wyatt scored a ten in training, the highest score outside of Districts 1, 2, and 4. Wyatt was unlike many other District 3 tributes in that he was able to climb the hierarchy of tributes not by his wits or his smarts, but by his sheer strength. His sheer visceral power made the outliers quiver with fear. He could fight with many weapons, most primarily the brute force weapons like the baton. He also could work magic with the sword. District 4 saw two nines. One was earned by their male, Urchin, who was among the five tallest tributes in the history of the games at the time. He, along with his district partner, preferred the trident. He also excelled with the spear and bow. His district partner fought mainly with the trident but was also a wizard with the axe and hatchet.
Outside of the career districts, the training scores were rather average. Besides Wyatt's ten, the highest non-career scores were earned by Flynn Hennings and Fleur Ivelisse, the two District 7 tributes who both excelled in use of the axe. Three tributes earned sevens: Leslie from 5, Jarrett from 9, and Porschia from 10. Two tributes stood out besides the careers. Firstly, there was Fleur from 7. In her interview, she did not talk to the master of ceremonies but instead elegantly and gracefully danced away her three minutes in a complex ballet routine for the whole nation to see. Once told her three minutes were up, Fleur remarked to the audience that it had been her lifelong dream to perform dance on an elite stage, and she couldn't resist the opportunity to do it on the most watched television program in Panem. The other standout was Marigold Renezella-Mcarthur, the District 11 girl who was the only volunteer outside of the careers. She volunteered for her wife, and in her interview she tearingly promised her love that she would be home soon. Here are the tributes:
District 1: Thebes N'Kundu, 17, (10) 4-1 and Fragrance Dunnet, 17, (10) 5-1
District 2: Alabaster Peragrine, 18, (9) 6-1 and Tigris Chapple, 16, (9) 7-1
District 3: Wyatt Kerdler, 17, (10) 7-1 and Exie Crothers, 15, (5) 25-1
District 4: Urchin Moncrieffe, 16, (9) 7-1 and Patricia Fitzhugh, 16, (9) 7-1
District 5: Scorpio Ellwood, 18, (6) 18-1 and Leslie Graham, 16, (7) 16-1
District 6: Perseus Commess, 17, (6) 20-1 and Lizbeth Scribano, 14, (6) 30-1
District 7: Flynn Hennings, 18, (8) 12-1 and Fleur Ivelisse, 18, (8) 12-1
District 8: Irving Schultz, 16, (5) 24-1 and Enedina Louvelle, 16, (4) 27-1
District 9: Jarrett Spelt, 17, (7) 16-1 and Wendi Wilhite, 17, (6) 19-1
District 10: Nottuesday Curtain, 18, (6) 18-1 and Porschia Holiday, 13, (7) 40-1
District 11: Yarrow Blake, 15, (5) 25-1 and Marigold Renzella-Mcarthur, 17, (6) 17-1
District 12: Cobalt Bough, 16, (6) 16-1 and Almandine Campbell, 16, (6) 16-1
THE GAMES
The arena that Augustine designed for the thirty-second annual Hunger Games was a warzone. It was set up like a city, but not in the classical sense. Trees towered high above the tributes, scattered around the city. Vines climbed freely up the sides of the buildings. Flowers took root in the sidewalks' cracks. It was as if nature and man had been smashed together and were being presented in one picturesque landscape. It seemed as though the city had undergone a terrible attack. Some of the buildings had collapsed. Hundreds of holes from grenade blasts dotted the arena. And, at the far end of the arena stood a huge crater where some kind of powerful explosive had been dropped. All of the buildings within half a mile of the impact had toppled away from it like dominoes. The cornucopia, masterfully crafted from ivory, stood in the very center of the arena, in the city square. Its weapons were metallically sleek and sharp. Among these weapons, provided in the most plentiful numbers, were swords, knives, throwing knives, tridents, whips, and many others.
The warzone arena was enough to instill a strange queer sensation into any person. The twenty-four tributes were no exception as they rose up into the arena with earnest. When the gong rang, not a single tributes ran away from the cornucopia. All twenty-four tributes surged forth and began sweeping up the supplies that were strewn in and around the ivory cornucopia.
Thebes sprinted at the head of the onrush, bolstered not only by adrenaline but also by the sight of the crook and flail that he had requested from the gamemakers. He leaned over and swept up the weapons in one graceful movement. Thebes took a few moments to pick out his prey. Then, he pounced upon a nearby girl who was zigzagging to avoid attacks as she stormed toward the cornucopia. Thebes brought down his flail and smashed it into the girl's back. She screamed as she fell to the ground. Thebes beat her to death with the curved end of his flail amidst her choked pleads.
Almandine Campbell, District 12 Female: 24th, Killed by Thebes, Bloodbath
Fragrance, another fast runner, locked her firm grasp around a throwing axe that lay in the grass fifty yards from her pedestal. Fragrance spotted two boys fighting over a backpack nearby. Fragrance went in for the kill upon the taller of the two boys, hacking mercilessly at his head and neck as he wept.
Nottuesday Curtain, District 10 Male: 23rd, Killed by Fragrance, Bloodbath
After securely wrenching her axe out of Nottuesday's blood-lathered form, Fragrance diverted her attention to the other boy. He was completely paralyzed with terror, trembling weakly in Fragrance's wake. Frangrance leapt toward the boy and swung her axe into the side of his torso, marking Fragrance's second bloodbath kill.
Yarrow Blake, District 11 Male: 22nd, Killed by Fragrance, Bloodbath
Alabaster, having nocked an arrow into a sleek, metallic crossbow he found in a cluster of blossoms twelve yards from his pedestal, aimed for a nearby girl that looked to be an easy target. Alabaster pulled the trigger. The crossbow's dart flew through the air and buried itself into the side of the girl's head. The dart wormed its way through the girl's skull and pierced her brain as Alabaster grinned in celebration of his first kill.
Porschia Holiday, District 10 Female: 21st, Killed by Alabaster, Bloodbath
Wyatt, eager to prove himself to his fellow careers, swept up a sword that leaned against a metal crate inside of the cornucopia. Wyatt exited the cornucopia and lunged toward a red-headed boy who was trying to escape the cornucopia with a package of dried pineapple. Wyatt roared as he threw himself toward the boy. Under Wyatt's weight, the small boy's thrashing didn't help him to escape. Wyatt hacked relentlessly at his abdomen; he was in ribbons by the time that he was done.
Irving Schultz, District 8 Male: 20th, Killed by Wyatt, Bloodbath
Thebes fluidly attacked his next victim: a girl who was on her knees and taking inventory of the contents of an orange backpack. Thebes cried out as he threw himself toward her. Thebes slammed forth his flail, and it cracked like a whip when it landed straight on her back. She collapsed in agony, weeping as Wyatt finished him off with his sword.
Exie Crothers, District 3 Female: 19th, Killed by Thebes and Wyatt, Bloodbath
Thebes whirled himself around and found himself face-to-face with dainty girl from District 8. She let out a high-pitched squeal as Thebes locked her neck into the curved end of his crook. She clawed at the weapon, but it was futile. Ironically, this only made her use up oxygen faster, and she died from asphyxia as Thebes stood by and watched smugly.
Enedina Louvelle, District 8 Female: 18th, Killed by Thebes, Bloodbath
Urchin, having picked up a trident, shoved the three-pronged spear into the chest of the nearest girl. Her form went limp almost immediately after the prong of the weapon lodged themselves between her ribs and smashed into her lungs. Her limp form slid off of Urchin's trident slowly.
Lizbeth Scribano, District 6 Female: 17th, Killed by Urchin, Bloodbath
When Tigris caught a glimpse of a girl trying to escape the cornucopia with a basket containing loaves of bread, she was on her like a hound. Tigris, eager to make her first kill, threw on the set of wolverine claws that she had picked up at the cornucopia. The outlier girl squealed as the chorus of sharp claws raked against her leg. She dropped the basket of bread and crumpled to the grass, where she wept as Tigris slashed away at her face.
Wendi Wilhite, District 9 Female: 16th, Killed by Tigris, Bloodbath
Fleur made the final kill. The girl, graceful and agile in her movements, swept up an axe that she found just in front of the yawning mouth of the ivory cornucopia. Fleur swung the axe into the chest of a nearby boy. The boy let out a choked gasp as he fell, never to rise again, heaving himself dry as Fleur continued to deteriorate his back with her axe.
Perseus Commess, District 6 Male: 15th, Killed by Fleur, Bloodbath
After killing Perseus, Fleur fled the cornucopia. All of the careers, with Fleur as their only remaining target, chased after her. Being a dancer, Fleur was swift and agile; she could outrun and out zigzag the tributes. She ran in such a strange pattern through the city that the careers easily lost her. Eventually, nearly an hour of running later, Fleur leaned against a building and slid down it. Her spoils from the bloodbath consisted of her axe, a canteen of water, a sickle, and a trident. She tried everything out. She could use the axe and sickle with ease, but just couldn't grasp the concept of the trident. She ventured into the library, which she decided to make her home from the night. She ended up sleeping in the librarian's office, under the desk. When she couldn't sleep, she grabbed one of the books off of a countertop and began reading. The first page hooked her in, and she kept reading for hours. The careers, infuriated at how agile Fleur had outslithered them, returned back to the cornucopia, burning crimson. There, they went through to organize the supplies. They had left Wyatt behind to guard the supplies while they were out pursuing Fleur, and when the careers returned they were delighted to find that Wyatt had gotten in a start on organizing the supplies. After rehydrating and scavenging the cornucopia for their weapons of favor, they went out hunting. Thebes kept his crook and flail; Fragrance took an axe; Alabaster kept his crossbow; Tigris kept her wolverine claws; Wyatt kept his sword; Urchin kept his trident; Patricia took a harpoon. Their efforts to hunt that night were fruitless, for the arena had many places to hide. The gamemakers would have to rely on muttations and such to force the tributes together in the days to come.
Flynn from 7, having escaped the cornucopia with a whip and a package of jerky, made his camp for the night inside of a movie theater. He spent most of the day gorging himself on the popcorn and snacks in the theater. He heard sound coming from one of the theaters and entered it. Moving to the back seat and keeping his whip in hand just in case, he watched the comedies that were playing. Marigold from 11, having escaped the cornucopia virtually unscathed, was instantly attracted to the greenhouse on the outskirts of the city. Whatever horrible explosives had been detonated in the area had shattered the glass of the greenhouse, and so really it was just rows of flowers surrounded by shards of glass. Marigold picked out the edible flowers and ate them, being knowledgeable of flower edibility from living in the district of agriculture. Scorpio from 5 went into a quaint little music store. Not daring to turn on the lights, he used his flashlight to guide himself through the store. He made his camp for the night in one of the sound-proof practice room, the door of which he locked. In the morning, Scorpio's wandering gaze sat on a little silver flute, the instrument that he played for fun back home in District 5. To remind himself of home, Scorpio played his favorite songs on the delicate and dainty musical instrument. Leslie from 5 settled down into an apartment and consumed a package of grapes that sat, fresh and mouth-wateringly delicious, in the fridge. She followed the instructions on a package of ramen noodles and made them in the microwave. She ate iced cream with whipped cream, both of which luxuries she could never afford back home. Jarrett from 9, a naturally-blonde boy that was very tall for his age, eventually made himself a home by sleeping on one of the beds in a mattress shop. Cobalt from 12 made his camp for the night in the kitchen of a fast-food restaurant, where he gorged himself on the shakes, chicken nuggets, and French fries that he found.
From the bloodbath to the end of Day 1, absolute peace reigned supreme in the arena. Food was plentiful, as was clean water. However, on the morning of Day 2, all of the refrigerators and freezers in the arena abruptly stopped working. Within days, the food would begin to rot, and the tributes would have to leave their little nooks in order to find food. Day 2 saw a single death. The careers woke up bright and early, and when they did Thebes announced to his allies that it was his eighteenth birthday. Although it was impossible for him to prove this fact, it would later be proven that it was indeed his birthday. The reaping, June 23rd, he was seventeen, as was he during the tribute parade, also June 23rd, training, June 24th to 26th, the interviews, June 27th, and Day 1 of the games, June 28th. He did indeed turn eighteen on that day, and, in steadfast tradition of a cake being eaten to celebrate someone's birthday, a sponsor parachute containing a lovely chocolate cake floated lazily into Thebes' fingers. Perhaps engaging in a little bit of fun, the careers lit the candles and sang "Happy Birthday", a traditional birthday song, to Thebes. After he blew out the candles, all of the careers gorged themselves on the cake.
They went out hunting, and within hours they found Marigold hiding under one of the shelves in the broken greenhouse. Marigold sprung to her senses and grabbed her sickle. She jumped to her feet and ran away in an attempt to fend off her pursuers. She was a fast runner, but the careers were faster. Thebes did the honors after trapping her against a wall, beating her in the face and upper abdomen with his flail and then smashing her in the head with his crook. The careers all smugly marched off, leaving Marigold to die. Marigold was in agony. Many sponsors were touched by the reason that Marigold had volunteered; within minutes a package of medicine floated down and landed next to her. Marigold couldn't reach the medicine in her state. She somberly murmured her goodbyes, then slipped away from the world and left her wife of seven months a widow.
Marigold Renzella-Mcarthur, District 11 Female: 14th, Killed by Thebes, Day 2
The morning of Day 3, the gamemakers went with the tradition of unleashing muttations upon the tributes just to see what they were capable of. The first round of muttations were cats. They were of different breeds and sizes, but they all had the same demeanor. They were vicious monsters with fangs that jutted out several inches. The gamemakers unleashed these mutts after the careers, Fleur, and Cobalt.
The monsters were fast, but the tributes were faster. The careers were being pursued by the largest batch of nearly ten cats. Meanwhile, Fleur screamed as one of the cats bit onto her pant leg. Shaking with fear, Fleur gritted her teeth and ripped off her pant leg. Then, she ran. After a few minutes, she turned around and batted the leading cat out of the way with her throwing axe. Cobalt, wielding a knife, managed to shove his blade through one of the cat's eyes.
The careers, meanwhile, were attempting to take down the cats that were chasing them. Tigris raked her wolverine claws across one cat's back. The cat hissed with fury, fur rippling like liquid. It pounced upon Tigris. Her allies rushed to her aid. Fragrance managed to knock the cat away with her axe, killing it. Throughout all of this, the cats had been given time to catch up to them. They were able to fend them off. The same could be said about Fleur, though to a lesser extent. Her act consisted mostly of running and occasionally turning around to kill one of the creatures. Cobalt, though skilled with the sword, was quickly overwhelmed by the flow of cat muttations. One creature pounced upon him and sank its fangs into his leg. That was when Cobalt swung his sword, and, in one clean sweep, killing at least half of the remaining cats. He was still being chased after by two of them, which he killed by throwing rocks at them. Panicked, Cobalt reached down and ripped the cat's fangs out of his leg. It had bitten down so savagely that its teeth were a good two inches into his leg. Cobalt smashed the cat against a rock a few times to kill it and then ripped the fangs out of his leg. Blood spouted from the wound. The few sponsors that he had couldn't build up enough money to get him medicine, and so Cobalt was only able to lay there, trying to quiet his moans of agony as he slowly died from the venom that was coursing through his weak body. Now, only half of the tributes remained.
Cobalt Baugh, District 12 Male: 13th, Killed by Cat Muttations, Day 3
Meanwhile, Fleur was able to bat aside the last cat muttation with her leg. The mutt flew through the air and smacked into a tree, where the girl was able to slaughter it with a rock. The careers were largely able to fend off the cats. They killed off all ten of them and then high-fived each other in celebration. Little did they know that mere seconds later a whole new wave of mutts would come. Running out from every corner were more cats. Seventeen of them in total. Cursing, the careers grabbed their weapons and charged.
At first, the careers seemed to be triumphing over the cats. They could kill them with ease, but soon the sheer number of them popping out from behind every corner began to overwhelm the careers. Urchin, confident, charged straight toward the largest cat in the pack. Urchin thrust forth his trident. The three-pronged spear killed the cat, but he was so distracted that he didn't even notice one of the cats coming up behind him. The cat sank its fangs into the back of his leg. Urchin's ally and suspected love interest, Patricia, ran over in an attempt to rip the fangs out of Urchin's already swelling leg. While she was leaning over, a cat leapt up and clawed at her back. Patricia screamed as she fell directly into the hoard of cats. They mauled apart her body to a pulp. They were satisfied, at least for now. The cats leapt away, returning to whatever terrible places they had been before.
Patricia Fitzhugh, District 4 Female: 12th, Killed by Cat Muttations, Day 3
Urchin Moncrieffe, District 4 Male: 11th, Killed by Cat Muttations, Day 3
The careers immediately flocked toward Patricia and Urchin, checking to see if they were alive. They were not. The careers said quick, rushed goodbyes and then shoved their remains into a corner of the clearing before they started to smell. Sponsor parachutes filed with medicine rained down upon them. Most of them were for Thebes, not only because he had the most sponsors but because he had the most injuries. His most severe was a huge gash that ran from his lower lip all the way down to his breast bone. For several hours, the careers did not share a word as they nursed themselves back to health. Fleur was extremely traumatized by her encounter with the cats. After picking up her bloodstained weapons, she ran all the way back to her hiding place in the library, not to emerge for nearly thirty hours.
Day 4 was empty of conflict among the tributes; it passed without any deaths. Augustine decided to hold off on the killing after three days of consecutive death. Fleur never once emerged from her hiding place. The only careers that were able to go out hunting were Wyatt and Fragrance. They had the least wounds and were more or less clean of severe, life-limiting injuries. Augustine wanted to prove his ruthlessness. Upon earning the job of head gamemaker, he had received a talk from President Coriolanus Snow that emphasized to him the importance of the Hunger Games not only to entertain the Capitol but also to prove its visceral power. The next muttations would emerge soon. They would see.
Day 5 passed similarly deathless. Fleur emerged from her hiding place once just to refill her water canteen. Then, the night of Day 5, the gamemakers unleashed the next chorus of mutts. These mutts were huge mice with razor-sharp teeth and fangs. The only tribute that they pursued was Leslie, District 5's female. Leslie received the mouse mutt. She screamed as she ran away from the creature. She was running away from it when she bumped into Frangrance, who had heard her screams and had come to kill her. Leslie and Fragrance fell to the ground. They both yelped when the mouse pounced upon them. It went for Leslie first, mauling apart her body. Her remains were rather unsightly; after the encounter the gamemakers cleaned them up quickly.
Leslie Graham, District 5 Female: 10th, Killed by Mouse Muttation, Day 5
Fragrance instantly sprang to her feet and barreled back toward the cornucopia. Fragrance was a fast runner, and she screamed for her allies' aid as she bowled into the clearing with the rat right at her six. The careers grabbed their weapons. The duel between the careers and the mouse was long. In the end, the careers triumphed. It was actually Thebes and Wyatt who finished off the creature. Thebes smacked the creature in the back with his crook. The mouse turned toward him. When it did, Wyatt threw himself under it and shoved his sword into the tender flesh of the mouse's stomach. The mouse screeched with anger as it flung Wyatt out of the way with its paw. The mouse's wounds were more severe than Wyatt's and the mouse died quickly.
Wyatt's allies ran to help him. Sponsor parachutes rained down from sponsors who like the boy's bloodthirstiness. It took the others several hours to get the boy back to a condition in which he could stand or speak. He thanked his fellow careers. Then, proving his determination, he went out hunting along with his allies mere minutes later.
Days 6, 7, 8, and 9 passed, completely deathless. After Day 8, the tributes all began to grow very anxious inside. They knew that the gamemakers tended to throw a wrench into the works whenever a long time passes without any deaths. In this time, the careers heavily fortified themselves with a plan. They made up a plan for who would attack when and where if any more mutts came, and also exactly what to expect if the mutts contained any sort of pattern. They did not, but it made the careers feel more secure nevertheless.
On Day 10, the careers struck lucky. Thebes and Fragrance were combing through the city's school when they strolled into a science classroom and found little Jarrett from 9 inside, doing a little science experiment in one of the corners to occupy himself. Thebes was the first to make a move, lunging forth and attacking Jarret. The panicked District 9 boy picked up a chair and tried to smack the careers out of the way. Strangely, his efforts succeeded. He smacked Thebes in the head. Thebes yelped as the steel leg of the chair smashed into his head, knocking him to the ground. Fragrance pounced upon Jarrett, who needed some time to get situated after attacking Thebes. Fragrance slashed her sword across Jarrett's chest. Jarrett screamed as he fell to the linoleum floor, his blood splattering the ground an evil red.
Jarrett Spelt, District 9 Male: 9th, Killed by Thebes and Fragrance, Day 10
That left the final eight: Thebes N'Kundu and Fragrance Mullins from District 1, Alabaster Peragrine and Tigris Chapple from District 2, Wyatt Kerdler from District 3, Scorpio Ellwood from District 5, and Flynn Hennings and Fleur Ivelisse from District 7.
Peace reigned supreme in the arena on Day 11, with little to no movement. Progress had slowed to a crawl, and nothing of note occurred. On Day 12, the duo of Thebes and Fragrance were out hunting again, this time in a grocery store. The grocery store was the largest building in the city; the District 1 duo had to scavenge in and out of everywhere in order to cover it all. It was Fragrance who ended up discovering him: Scorpio, crouched down under a shelf, munching contentedly on a loaf of nutty, dark-colored bread. Cackling, Fragrance called for Thebes. The two careers cornered the poor boy. Defenseless, he could do nothing as the two careers killed him and reduced the tribute count to seven.
Scorpio Ellwood, District 5 Male: 8th, Killed by Thebes and Fragrance, Day 12
On Day 13, the gamemakers decided to, for the first time in several days, throw a wrench into the works. They unleashed a hoard of muttations after the career pack, which was absurdly large and contained five living members. At this point in the competition, usually two or even just one career remained. Five careers was certainly too much.
The snakes started as tiny little garden snakes that crawled out from the various crevasses in the ground of the arena. They were harmless, of course, but wherever the careers went, the snakes followed. The emerging snakes began to grow gradually larger, and eventually they were nearly three feet long each. Day turned into night. When it did, a huge python emerged from the ground. It was nearly twenty feet long. It slithered across the ground and hissed with bloodlust, perhaps smelling the blood of the careers. The snake's hissing jolted them awake. They leapt to their feet and grabbed their weapons. And so it was that the fight between the careers and the python began.
Thebes, the bravest of the careers, was the first to charge forth. He ran forward with an attempt to catch the snake's neck in his flail. The curved end of the flail wrapped around the python's neck and held it firmly in place. Hissing with fury, the python lifted its mighty tail and smacked Thebes away. The District 1 male flied away before smacking soundlessly into the earth. Nearly a hundred yards away, Thebes landed on the ground with a crack. He was instantly knocked unconscious. His death took several minutes, but, inevitably, one by one, his bodily functions ceased. Thebes N'Kundu, the strongest tribute in the thirty-second annual Hunger Games, died right there on the ground.
Thebes N'Kundu, District 1 Male: 7th, Killed by Python Muttation, Day 13
Back at the cornucopia, the duel continued. The python hissed menacingly whenever one of the careers attacked it. The closest that any tribute ever got to killing it was Alabster, who managed to thrust his spear into the monster's chest. The creature's tail reached for Alabster. The terrified District 2 boy ran out of the way as fast as he could. He could not outrun the monster, for merely ten seconds later the creature spread its jaws and chomped down on the boy. No trace of Alabaster Peragrine's existence remained except for a bulge in the snake's neck that travelled downward and towards its stomach.
Alabster Peragrine, District 2 Male: 6th, Killed by Python Muttation, Day 13
Meanwhile, Fragrance had developed the perfect plan to kill the monster. While the creature was eating Alabster, Fragrance dove toward the snake's back and plunged her knife deep into its back. The monster roared with fury as it whipped itself around. Fragrance beckoned for her ally, Wyatt, and mouthed to him her directions. The python shot toward Fragrance. When it did, Wyatt lifted his great sword and brought it down upon the creature's back. The blade sank deep, and when it did the creature let out a choked gasp as it shrieked in agony. Fragrance, having just done a forward roll on the ground to escape the monster, leapt to her feet and smacked the python in the face with her sword. The monster was in no shape to fight back. Fragrance, Tigris, and Wyatt, the three remaining careers, inflicted several wounds to the monster over the course of the next few hours. This killed the monster. The monster that had swiftly and easily killed two of the careers. Had they not successfully killed the creature, who knows what would have happened if it had escaped!
On Day 14, the gamemakers diverted their attention to the tribute that they had seen the least of: Flynn from 7. The gamemakers caused one of the buildings near him to topple. Flynn ran perpendicular to the direction that the apartment complex was falling. This, as planned by the gamemakers, caused him to be closer to Fleur, his district partner. Flynn and Fleur knew that killing each other now would mean one less contender in the finale. The duel between Flynn and Fleur lasted for a rather long time. Their axes banged and clanged. Sparks flew. The scream of metal against metal had filled the air for far too long when, at long last, Fleur triumphed, lifting her axe into the air and bringing it down upon Flynn's head, slicing in in half all the way down the base of his neck. Fleur watched as Flynn slid to the ground, dead. The number of tributes had been reduced to four.
Flynn Hennings, District 7 Male: 5th, Killed by Fleur, Day 14
Day 15 would prove to be the final day in the arena. It was precisely noon when the gamemakers herded the tributes toward the cornucopia via fireballs. The fireballs were huge, and the tributes had to run as fast as they possibly could to get away from them. Wyatt and Tigris were running side-by-side, with roughly fifty yards between them. Then, Tigris stumbled in a small pothole. She fell forward. When a fireball landed roughly forty yards behind her, a piece of debris smashed into Tigris and killed her instantly.
Tigris Chapple, District 2 Female: 4th, Killed by Fireball Impact Debris, Day 15
After Tigris' death, Wyatt was unsure whether to proceed. During training, Wyatt had excelled in many of the weapons that Tigris was carrying at the time of her death. In a decision that would either make or break his chances of survival, Wyatt raced toward the site of Tigris' death. He scavenged the plot of land around her for her supplies. Wyatt chugged down her water. He pillaged her of her weapons. And then he was off, racing toward the cornucopia and toward his fate.
Fragrance and Fleur both burst into the clearing at the exact same moment. Fleur knew that she couldn't last ten seconds against Fragrance, and so Fleur tried to hide herself from Fragrance's sight. Unsurprisingly, she was completely unsuccessful. Fragrance raced toward Fleur, and Fleur fought for her pre-ordained fate. Fragrance could easily overpower the District 7 girl. The ending blow was delivered when Fragrance brought down an axe that she had swept up a few minutes prior. The axe landed in Fleur's shoulder. Fleur fell to the ground, where she lay and wept and held her pretty self until her death a few minutes later.
Fleur Ivelisse, District 7 Female: 3rd, Killed by Fragrance, Day 15
That left Fragrance Dunnet of District 1 and Wyatt Kerdler of District 3 to vie for the crown. Mere seconds later, Wyatt bowled into the clearing. Fragrance smirked delicately. She knew that she could overpower Wyatt any day. Fragrance lofted her axe into the air and smugly smirked as she tossed her axe through the air. Hastily, Wyatt picked up a backpack that sat at his feet. He placed the backpack in front of his body. The axe buried itself into the backpack. Coursing with fury, Fragrance pulled out her sword, her other weapon. Wyatt tore the axe's sharp edge out of the backpack. Wyatt lifted it high into the air. He tossed it through the air.
What happened next is perhaps better seen in slow-motion. Wyatt threw the axe at the exact same instant that Fragrance hurled her sword. Wyatt's axe lodged itself into Fragrance's leg just as Fragrance's sword entered Wyatt's. The two careers collapsed, heaving. This was a waiting game. A hovercraft descended, ready to pick up their victor the moment that one of the tributes died. Nearly five minutes passed, deathless. Fragrance put up a good fight. But, in the end, her wound was just a tad more severe than Wyatt's. Fragrance's eyes slowly closed as her cannon shot boomed across the arena.
Fragrance Dunnet, District 1 Female: 2nd, Killed by Wyatt, Day 15
"Wyatt Kerdler of District 3, you are the victor of the thirty-second annual Hunger Games!" Augustine cheered as the hovercraft descended to collect the nation's newest victor.
Too late. Wyatt had already succumbed to the grievous wound that he had sustained. He was dead.
AFTERMATH
Wyatt's dead body was pulled up into the hovercraft via strong electrical pulses. The medics checked his heart rate and temperature. There was no doubt about it. He was dead. They quickly revived him with a defibrillator, but the defibrillator was set for far too high of a level for young Wyatt's body. Wyatt was successfully resurrected, but the strong electrical pulse from the defibrillator would leave him with many problems for the rest of his life. His speech was often muffled. Whenever he spoke, he would repeat what he had just said two or three times quietly to himself. He suffered from tics. The Capitol actually liked Wyatt, as many were happy to see a career not from Districts 1, 2, or 4 emerge victorious.
Wyatt settled into the Victor's Village of District 3, the fifth victor to do so. District 3 had the most victors of any non-career district. They even had more victors than one of the career districts: District 4. They were even rivalling District 1, which also had five victors at the time.
His victory tour was rather ordinary; nothing of note happened during it.
Wyatt would live to the age of sixty, dying a premature death from heart failure around the time of the seventy-fifth annual Hunger Games. In his lifetime, he would not marry nor have children.
NEWS
Wyatt moves into the Victor's Village of District 3, the fifth victor to do so.
Olivia Seager marries her first and only spouse, a man named Julian Lycharme.
Velvet Farrow's second child, Velvet Farrow II, is born.
Odius Ruttler's son, Euphrates, is born.
Ashlyn Breston marries her fiancé of eight years, a man named Axyl Braiden.
Dayta Albrand gives birth to her first daughter, a baby girl named Circuit.
Thor Rosner decides not to marry, as it will cause legal problems. Instead, he opts to live in a loyal, committed relationship with the girl of his dreams, just sans marriage.
Magnet Lisagor and her boyfriend, Cronus, get married in a public wedding.
Maria Dutra, a single mother, adopts her first and only child, a five year-old boy named Finn.
Barley Chisolm marries her fiancé, Sickle Arthurse.
Marlin Coppi marries his high-school sweetheart, a nice girl named Chloe.
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)
14HG: Blaze Skalnik (#4, District 2)
15HG: Dina Wilmarth (#2, District 5)
16HG: Beatrice Toland (#1, District 6)
17HG: Amelia Bankston (#5, District 2)
18HG: Markus Gardd (#2, District 6)
19HG: Odius Ruttler (#6, District 2)
20HG: Seeder Kaiser (#1, District 11)
21HG: Freya Digard (#7, District 2)
22HG: Gold Carson (#4, District 1)
23HG: Ashlyn Breston (#3, District 6)
24HG: Dayta Albrand (#3, District 3)
25HG: Diamond Griego (#5, District 1)
26HG: Thor Rosner (#8, District 2)
27HG: Magnet Lisagor (#4, District 3)
28HG: Maria Dutra (#3, District 4)
29HG: Discordia Komine (#9, District 2)
30HG: Barley Chisolm (#1, District 9)
31HG: Marlin Coppi (#4, District 4)
32HG: Wyatt Kerdler (#5, District 3)
A/N: Phew! That News section was a bit of a doozy. In case you're wondering, I keep a spreadsheet of all of the victors and when the important events of their lives happen. I guess the victors just had a lot going on this year!
Thanks to coolerthancool99 for this chapter's arena idea. The warzone was fun to write!
