THE THIRTY SEVENTH ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES
"A Kraken Time"


INTRODUCTION

President Coriolanus Snow, now returning for his thirteenth year as president of Panem, strived off of fear. As long as fear was by his side, he could never fail. The emotion of fear emerges from a natural desire for survival. Humans, by nature, feel safer and more secure in numbers. When we are alone, we are much easier to scare. The power-hungry snake that he was, Snow devised a devious plan to draw line after line between people and to induce as strong a sense of separation and division as possible. He started out by punishing District 12, which had been the first district to lose both of its tributes in the thirty-sixth Hunger Games. Snow sent hoards of peacekeepers to wreak havoc on the district. On that note, Snow proposed his plan to the nation. In the thirty-seventh Hunger Games, the first district to lose both of its tributes would be punished severely by the Capitol. The next district to lose both of its tributes would receive a slightly more mild punishment, and so on. The victor's district would be showered with fame, wealth, and fortune. This would, Coriolanus hoped, draw lines between the districts and embarrass the outliers. Snow's plan worked. The weak and the powerful turned away from each other, as did the poor and the rich. With each person in the districts so cold to anyone different from them, no rebellion happened for the entire year. Riots and rebellions only work when there are loads of people fighting for a shared cause. Rebellion only works if its members hold a sense of unity.

The careers this year were a great batch of kids, but not outstanding. Snow didn't want an overly powerful career pack that overshadowed the rest of the tributes. District 1 offered up the youngest pair. Their male was your typical arrogant career. He loved the audience's attention, and he attracted many of the sponsors with his confidence. He preferred the sword as his trademark weapon. District 1's female was determined not to follow in the footsteps of Adelaide, the District 1 female of the year prior. In the Capitol, this girl even made a point of not caring at all about her appearance. She outscored her district partner, showcasing her talents with the bow and arrow. The tributes from District 2 really were the stars of the show. They were the twin children of District 2's head academy trainer. The male was a tall and bulky boy who was a fantastic hand-to-hand warrior. The female preferred to put on a bloody show with her kills, centralizing her plan of attack around the whip. District 4 produced a pair whose members were rather laid back and unconventional. The District 4 male was a chill dude. He was funny and acted like a friend with the master of ceremonies during his interview. He preferred the trident, using it to score a cool ten in his private session. The District 4 female was funny and a little bit childish, but in a cute way. Despite being only fifteen, she managed an impressive eight in her private session by displaying her impeccable aim and her keen ear and eye. The careers scored slightly lower than average with three tens, one nine, and two eights.

Outside of the careers, per Snow's request, the training scores were remarkably high. Three non-careers managed to score double digits. Candela Hattersley of District 6 was able to prove that use of a pickaxe could translate rather well into use of an actual axe, the weapon that he used to slice and bludgeon his way to a ten. The other ten was scored by Adara Robelo-Gomes, who excelled in use of the scythe. Adara was really a comedian, and she quickly became a Capitol favorite. A single nine was scored besides the careers. It was earned by Corrine, District 8's bubbly and lively female. She employed a "hit and go" strategy, fighting and then retreating, rinse and repeat. Two tributes scored eights outside of the careers. Willow from 7 was a tall and stocky boy who was true to his long heritage of lumberjacks and excelled with the hatchet. An eight was also scored by Hannah from 10, who was familiar with the crowbar from working with the object on the ranches back in her home district. The rest of the tributes scored between seven and two in their private sessions. There were no volunteers outside of the careers. Here are the tributes:

District 1: Mink Stallion, 15, (8) 8-1 and Alicia Lace, 16, (9) 6-1

District 2: Octoberius Wisp, 16, (10) 4-1 and Octoberia Wisp, 16, (10) 4-1

District 3: Gadge Corielli, 17, (6) 17-1 and Racheal Montrone, 18, (5) 18-1

District 4: Hudson Morello, 17, (10) 4-1 and Lucy Said, 15, (8) 8-1

District 5: Axton Fukimura, 13, (3) 60-1 and Lexie Brandin, 15, (4) 40-1

District 6: Candela Hattersley, 18, (10) 5-1 and Felicity Thatcher, 18, (6) 16-1

District 7: Willow Cardi, 14, (8) 10-1 and Adara Robelo-Gomes, 17, (10) 5-1

District 8: Karksi Pasta, 12, (2) 82-1 and Corinne Conquest, 16, (9) 9-1

District 9: Odell Tyree, 18, (7) 14-1 and Allyson Rucker, 17, (7) 15-1

District 10: Anthony Covings, 15, (6) 18-1 and Hannah Sinclaire, 18, (8) 10-1

District 11: Saigon Fowl, 18, (7) 14-1 and Katniss Jett, 18, (7) 14-1

District 12: Dale Pennypacker, 17, (5) 15-1 and Olive Renee, 14, (3) 55-1


THE GAMES

The thirty-sixth games had been one of the most thrilling of Yarrow's career. A popular feature of the arena had been the structure of the cornucopia. Each tribute had to run down their own "spindle" to reach the horn. His next arena would take this into account. The arena for the thirty-seventh Hunger Games was an archipelago of five islands. The largest island stood in the center of the arena. It housed the cornucopia. "Cornucopia Island" as it was called, had a large, circular lake inside of it. The cornucopia was suspended over the lake by stilts. The cornucopia was, once again, set up like a bicycle wheel. Each pedestal was at the end of a spindle. Every tribute had to run down their spindle to reach the cornucopia. On the east side of Cornucopia Island was a luxury resort. To the south was the second largest island, known melodramatically as the Isle of Death. Everything on the island was poisonous. The water would cause severe stomach cramps if drunk. The luscious fruit was acidic and tingled at the touch. Even the flowers that dotted the island would inflame the respiratory tubes if their pollen was inhaled too directly. To the north was an island known as Watchtower Island. It had, true to its name, a large watchtower that dominated the landscape. To the east was a nameless island of dense fog and mist. A bloodthirsty kraken circled the island, waiting to devour its prey. To the west was a strange and mysterious island known as The Amiss. A thick fog hung over the island. Anything that entered the fog never emerged again.

Cool ocean mist greeted the tributes as they rose up into the arena atop their pedestals. The scenery was varied enough that many a tribute figured that they could survive off of the land if they were wise. This year, District 4 would certainly have the advantage. Those tributes that couldn't swim well would be constrained to Cornucopia Island, where they would swiftly be eliminated by the dominant careers. When the gong sounded, a sizable number of tributes fled from the get-go. They were Karksi from 8, Allyson from 9, and Olive from 12.

Octoberia sprinted at the head of the onrush, her strawberry-blonde hair rippling behind her as she affixed her gaze to a katana that leaned against a crate in front of the cornucopia. The District 2 girl nimbly swept up the weapon. She turned sharply on her heel and skewered the long blade through the torso of a nearby girl. The girl flailed around wordlessly before going limp. She slid off of Octoberia's katana as she died. The career girl wiped off her bloodstained sword in the grass as she reveled in her first kill.

Felicity Thatcher, District 6 Female: 24th, Killed by Octoberia, Bloodbath

Hudson was quick to realize that there were no tridents at the cornucopia. The gamemakers had begun to grow bored of District 4 tributes always choosing the trident as their weapon. Figuring that the two weapons couldn't be that different, Hudson picked up a spear that leaned against the cornucopia. Hudson flung the spear into the nearest boy. The weapon buried itself into the side of his torso. He collapsed, wheezing, before Octoberius came around to finish him off, spearing his serrated dagger through his lower abdomen.

Axton Fukimura, Disrtict 5 Male: 23rd, Killed by Hudson and Octoberius, Bloodbath

Having securely wrenched his dagger out of Axton's limp form, Octoberius whirled around and shoved the serrated knife into the neck of a girl who was trying to off him with a knife of her own. The girl screamed in terror and agony as Octoberius' dagger cut into her neck. Blood burbled forth as she fell to the earth with a loud noise, never to rise again.

Katniss Jett, District 11 Female: 22nd, Killed by Octoberius, Bloodbath

Alicia smirked when she caught a glimpse of a sleek bow that sat in the grass fifty yards from her pedestal. Alicia picked up the bow and its accompanying quiver of sharp arrows. They fell snugly into her grasp. The District 1 girl nocked a single arrow and pulled back her bowstring, aiming for a boy that had embarrassed her during training. Alicia's arrow buried itself into the side of the boy's abdomen. He crumpled to the grass, dying the earth around him a dark, muddy red.

Dale Pennypacker, District 12 Male: 21st, Killed by Alicia, Bloodbath

With four tributes already dead, things were beginning to organize within the ranks of the careers. Three of the careers (Mink, Alicia, and Lucy) got to the work of bumping off the three outliers that were inside of the cornucopia at the time (Candela from 6, Odell from 9, and Saigon from 11). The three careers trapped the three boys inside of the cornucopia with nothing to do but fight it out or wait for their deaths. Mink got to work dueling with Saigon, whom he deemed a weak and blunt opponent. Mink unsheathed his sword as Saigon picked up a whip that sat on a countertop beside him. Suddenly, Saigon slammed down the whip upon Mink's torso. Mink reeled. Lucy and Alicia were onto Saigon like a hound, Lucy carving out his chest with one of her throwing knives and Alicia lodging one of her arrows between two of his ribs. Saigon fell, knocking his head against a countertop as he did. His moans of pain slowly faded away, stopping completely only after his form went limp. District 11 had become the first district to lose both of its tributes.

Saigon Fowl, District 11 Male: 20th, Killed by Lucy and Alicia, Bloodbath

Alicia didn't have time to tear her arrow out of Saigon's corpse, for Candela was already charging toward her and Lucy, a spear in hand. Alicia lifted her foot into the air and slammed it into Candela's torso, knocking him to the ground. In the midst of the situation, Odell tried to flee. He escaped the cornucopia safely. It was not five seconds before he was spotted by Octoberia, who cut him to ribbons with her katana.

Odell Tyree, District 9 Male: 19th, Killed by Octoberia, Bloodbath

Candela on the ground, he was easy prey for the two career girls. Lucy hurled one of her throwing knives into Candela's chest. Just for good measure, Alicia got in on the action, firing an arrow into the groaning boy's forehead to polish him off.

Candela Hattersley, District 6 Male: 18th, Killed by Lucy and Alicia, Bloodbath

Lucy and Alicia looked upon Mink with earnest. Mink was on the ground, squealing and thrashing with agony from Saigon's whip, its sharp teeth still buried into his back. The two girls tore the whip out of his back and ran away, promising to tend to his wounds the instant that the bloodbath was over. Of course, it was only a matter of time before an outlier spotted Mink. It was Hannah from 10 who went in for the kill, plunging a knife that sat in a cluster of pink blossoms near him into his chest.

Mink Stallion, District 1 Male: 17th, Killed by Saigon and Hannah, Bloodbath

Octoberius clutched his dagger in hand so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Octoberius spun in a circle with the intention of getting a panoramic view of the chaotic scene. He reckoned that the easiest prey would be a nearby girl who was rummaging through a crate just outside of the cornucopia's yawning mouth. The girl was too shocked to scream as Octoberius' dagger dug into her back. The career boy wiggled the blade around, cutting open several organs and bursting several critical arteries. She fell limp onto the crate, splattering its contents with her thick blood.

Lexie Brandin, District 5 Female: 16th, Killed by Octoberius, Bloodbath

Adara from 7 locked her dexterous fingers around a hatchet that she found inside of a crate. She looked up and watched as Octoberius buried his dagger into Lexie's back. Adara got to her feet and started toward Octoberius, who was engrossed in pillaging the girl of her supplies. Octoberius flailed around wordlessly as the blade of Adara's hatchet sank into his back. He fell, his head knocking against the side of the cornucopia and resting there. Now only four careers remained.

Octoberius Wisp, District 2 Male: 15th, Killed by Adara, Bloodbath

Alicia made the bloodbath's final kill. She had long since given up trying to retrieve her arrows from the bodies of her victims. Hence, Alicia ran back into the cornucopia to refill on the sharp projectiles. While inside of the cornucopia, she heard rustling behind her. She whipped her head around and saw a dark-haired girl lifting a whip into the air, ready to slam it down upon Alicia. Alicia fumbled for the nearest weapon—a shogei—and hurled the weapon toward the girl. The girl dropped her whip as the sharp edge of the shogei sliced open her stomach. She fell, wheezing, as the careers gathered around to watch her die. Abruptly, her cries of pain were silenced and eleven cannon shots boomed across the arena.

Racheal Montrone, District 3 Female: 14th, Killed by Alicia, Bloodbath

Eleven death bloodbaths were quickly becoming the norm. Bloodbaths with twelve or thirteen deaths were largely a figment of the older generation. Now that the gamemakers' arenas were more enticing and the outliers were more prepared to fend off the advances of the careers, it was standard to have only ten or eleven bloodbath deaths. The thirty-seventh games' bloodbath had eleven deaths, a number that pleased Yarrow.

With the bloodbath at its conclusion, the tributes that could swim were pleased and a little relieved to discover that the ocean was as warm as bath water. With Watchtower Island to the north, the unnamed island to the east, the Isle of Death to the south, and The Amiss to the west, the tributes had lots of options to choose from. A sizable number of tributes stayed on Cornucopia Island. These were the outliers that couldn't swim or were too terrified to enter the water that seemed almost deceptively clear. Karksi from 8 travelled to the luxury resort that sat on the island. He swung open the front door and found himself in front of a receptionists' desk. He travelled to one of the hotel rooms in the resort and spread himself out on one of the beds. None of the sinks in the hotel worked, so water would be Karksi's number one priority very soon. Olive from 12 stayed on Cornucopia Island but didn't go to the resort for fear of proximity to other tributes. Instead, Olive travelled westward to where a grove of coconut trees sat. Olive sat down on the coast and began forming a plan. She spent the rest of the day setting up a little water purification device that involved water being evaporated from a cup, condensing on a plastic sheet, and then dripping into another cup once all of the nasties had been killed by the sun's ever-present heat. It wasn't the most efficient thing in the world, but it served Olive's watery needs for the day.

Watchtower Island was the most popular destination for the tributes that survived the bloodbath. One would have thought that the Isle of Death would be a more popular choice, but several of the tributes thought it was too perfect to not be deadly. Of the four tributes that travelled to Watchtower Island, only two actually entered the watchtower. Adara from 7 swam through the warm water to reach the Watchtower, a journey that was difficult because of how much her axe weighed her down. She climbed about halfway up the tower before collapsing in a dark corner from fatigue. Allyson from 9 walked all of the way to the very top of the watchtower and plopped down beside the telescope. She gazed down at the arena: the Isle of Death past the cornucopia, The Amiss to her left, and Te Duem to her right. It was a marvelous view. Suddenly, Allyson spotted a large mass moving under the water near Te Duem. She yelped and dropped the telescope. District 10's Anthony feared that he would be found easily if he hid inside of the watchtower with no cover. Therefore, he stayed outside of the tower and buried himself under a network of thick coconut leaves. It was steaming hot but at least it was better than a career's knife. Anthony's district partner, Hannah, also travelled to watchtower island but trekked around behind the watchtower for her nightly camp. Nobody would have any reason in the world to travel back there, she thought with reassurance.

Allies Willow and Corinne travelled to the unmarked, unnamed island after the bloodbath, clueless to the kraken that circled the island in pursuit of its prey. Willow and Corinne shared their spoils from the bloodbath. Willow had been snatching weapons whereas Corinne had been grabbing survival supplies whenever possible. The two had gotten to Te Duem via a sandbar that had been exposed during low tide. They refused to eat any of their food, saving it for when they really needed it. They dismissed the rumbles that they heard all throughout the night as rumbles of their hungry stomachs. Gadge from 3 was the only tribute to head to The Amiss. None of the other tributes went there because they recognized that fog. It had been used two times before in the games: once in the Fourth Games and once in the Thirty-Third Games. He entered the cloud of dark fog and never emerged again. To this very day, nobody is sure how the fog worked. After Gadge's death, the cloud of fog began puffing in and out, as if it was cackling with triumph.

Gadge Corielli, District 3 Male: 13th, Killed by The Amiss, Day 1

After Gadge's death, Day 1 passed without any deaths. The careers split up to hunt, sending one of their members to each one of the five islands, excluding The Amiss. This year's tributes were a batch of good hiders.

On Day 2, the tributes' main priority seemed to be fastening rafts to carry them between the islands. Swimming between the islands was growing to be a painfully laborious task. Karksi was the first tribute to start making a raft. He had spent the entirety of Day 1 on Cornucopia Island because he didn't trust the ocean's water to be empty of dangers. He was wise, in a way, as the ocean had many poisonous creatures waiting for their prey. It really did show that Karksi was from 8; he wowed the audience with the way he looped reed around reed and tied knots with all the elegance of a skilled weaver. By noon he had fashioned a raft large enough to fit on. He placed it in the water and apprehensively stepped into it. It held his weight, but he had to leave some of his supplies behind. He took only the bare necessities with him. That included a canteen of water (he didn't want to drink the ocean's), a knife, and a package of headache pills. He had no way of steering his raft, and his fate was left up to the wind and the ocean's currents.

Olive's water purification system of evaporating the water and leaving it to condense was beginning to fail. The light of the relentless sun was beginning to melt her thin plastic sheet, and because of all of the work that she was doing her body demanded much more water than her little machine could purify. Soon, she took inspiration from her predecessors and asked the sponsors for a spile, adding on that she'd be sure to make a kill or two just to thank them. She had no such luck with the sponsors, so she started making one herself. It was difficult, as the wood of the island's trees was brittle and hard to form into a definite shape. Olive succeeded within a few hours, though, nailing the spile into a tree. She tried in vain to make a raft out of reeds, but failed. Perhaps it was her fate to stay on the Cornucopia Island for as long as she may have lasted.

Over on Watchtower Island, Allyson was beginning to grow rather paranoid. She kept checking the telescope for any other tributes out of paranoia. Whenever she heard a noise she would leap under the nearest desk and unsheathe her weapon in case it was another tribute or heaven forbid another career. It was not very long until her darkest terrors came true. Adara from 7 had spent Day 2's early hours trekking up the watchtower with hopes of reaching the top. When Adara did, she spun open the door just in time to see Allyson's ankle disappear behind a shelf that was filled with maps. Adara wasn't sure if what she had seen was a figment of her imagination or not, so she went around the corner to investigate. Allyson pounced out of her hiding place and leapt toward Adara. Adara pulled her hatchet out its sheath and slammed it forth in self-defense. The blade of the hatchet buried itself into Allyson's neck. Her cries of fear were immediately replaced by a quiet gurgle as blood pooled up in her mouth. Adara was the king of the watchtower now.

Allyson Rucker, District 9 Female: 12th, Killed by Adara, Day 2

In the kraken's island to the east, the rumbles of the bloodthirsty kraken began to grow louder. They were still not loud enough to create too much suspicion among the alliance of Willow and Corinne. They dismissed them as tremors of the earth. Willow even remarked that earth tremors were common in oceans because the earth moved under the weight of the heavy water. This wasn't actually true and Willow knew it, but it reassured him and Corinnne. They were set on supplies and didn't really need to go anywhere or do anything. They spent most of the day just talking.

Hannah and Anthony, both from 10, had an encounter around six in the evening on Day 2. Hannah had her knife and Anthony had his crossbow. They were both on Watchtower Island. Anthony had ventured out of his hiding place in pursuit of food. He walked behind the Watchtower and found himself face-to-face with Hannah, who was gorging herself on a bin of shrimp that she had caught from the ocean. Anthony prepared his crossbow and was about to shoot until he saw a sparkle of gold from Hannah's wrist. She was wearing a golden bracelet with a cross charm. Anthony lowered his crossbow and revealed his own bracelet. The two tributes sat down near each other and spent several hours discussing their similar faiths. They were unspoken allies at that point.

In the careers, there was a lot of movement but little action. The careers were relieved that they didn't have a repeat Adelaide this year. Even though they saw that Alicia's priorities weren't skewered like Adelaide's of the year prior, the other still held a grudge against District 1 females. They excluded Alicia from things that involved dexterity, perhaps feeling that she would be too worried about this or that to actually get things done. This infuriated Alicia, and she had a heated fight with the others that night after realizing that they had been giving her much less food than they had been splitting among themselves. Alicia refused to talk to any of the others that night and ate her food in silence.

Later, Willow and Corinne woke up to a loud sound. The kraken was roaring and moaning with bloodthirstiness. These sounds were far too loud to be dismissed as tummy problems now. The two tributes emerged from their hiding places. And then, they saw the kraken. Actually, they only saw one tentacle at first. A long and slender blue tentacle shot out from the water and flew toward Corinne. Corinne leapt over it, and the tentacle shot under her. A second tentacle arose from the water. The two tributes shook with panic as they ran away from the monster's tentacles. With hopes of protection, the two allies ran around to the opposite side of a large hill. Then, the creature began rising from the water. Its body was slender and blue. It opened its mouth to reveal row upon row of bloodthirsty fangs. The kraken roared and lunged toward the two allies. A long showdown it would be.

The creature used its tentacles to its advantage, swinging them around and trying to knock away either Willow or Corinne. Willow was the first one to have a close call with death. He was running parallel to the kraken, wielding his axe. Suddenly, the monster shot out a single tentacle and grabbed Willow. Willow screamed as he was lifted into the air. Corinne heard Willow's screams and ran to his side, stabbing her knife into the kraken's tentacle where it was clutching Willow. The monster hissed with anger before dropping Willow and going after Corinne. Willow crumpled to the sand like a torn paper doll and tried to catch up on his labored breathing.

Corinne was agile, and with each step that she was able to escape the kraken just got angrier and angrier. Sponsor gifts were pouring in by the dozens, now. Everybody wanted to see how the two tributes could utilize different weapons against their muttation pursuer. Soon, each ally had a bow and arrow. Corinne nocked an arrow and launched it into the kraken's head, smugly watching as it pierced the monster's skin. Out of the wound poured an evil black liquid that held little resemblance to blood. The kraken cried out with fury as it raced toward Corinne. The monster wrapped one of its slender tentacles around her body and lifted her into the air. Corinne screamed. She was so high into the air that Willow could do nothing but watch with horror. The kraken tightened its grip on the terrified girl and lifted her up to its mouth. The beast's breath stank of bad meat. Suddenly, the kraken threw the District 8 girl into its mouth. It gave a hard swallow. Nothing remained of Corinne's existence except for a bulge that was travelling down the kraken's neck and toward its stomach.

Corinne Conquest, District 8 Female: 11th, Killed by Kraken Muttation, Day 3

With Corinne's death, the monster only had one target: Willow. Willow was lying on the sand, coughing up blood and trying desperately to regain his senses after the kraken's first blow. The kraken laughed as it slammed the end of one of its tentacles into Willow, crushing him to death. The kraken leapt onto Te Duem, revealing its entire body. It munched on Willow's body for about a minute. Then, content, the kraken disappeared into the water amidst a cloud of black ink.

Willow Cardi, District 7 Male: 10th, Killed by Kraken Muttation, Day 3

The infuriated roars of the kraken were loud enough to be heard from every nook and cranny of the arena. The sounds coaxed many of the tributes back into their hiding places. Even the careers were reluctant to hunt for fear that the muttation might target them while they were out and about. As a result of this, the rest of Day 3 passed without any conflict among the remaining tributes. Karksi spent the entire day on his raft, never once touching shore. He simply floated across the ocean wherever the wind may have taken him. He finally gave into temptation and drank the ocean water, purifying it with some sponsored iodine first. He was pleased to discover that the water was not poisonous and was not saltwater. Anthony and Hannah spent the whole day on Watchtower Island. They spent most of the morning milling around outside and discussing their parallel faiths. The roars of the kraken scared them into making a little den in the side of a hill to hide in.

Olive from 12 was beginning to face trouble. Her spile was so brittle that it was beginning to crack whenever she tried to smash it into the side of a tree. The sun had cooled down significantly over the past few days and so she couldn't use her evaporation-condensation anymore. Allured by the sight of the crystal-clear lakes on the Isle of Death to the south, Olive got onto her raft and used her arms to paddle toward the island. She set shore onto the island's coast and found the clearest pool. It sparkled like polished glass. Olive dipped a cup into the lake and began greedily gulping down the clear liquid. Within seconds, she began retching. The poison was beginning to work its way into her system. She leaned away from the lake and heaved herself dry. Then, she collapsed to the ground and moaned with pain as the stomach cramps settled in. She had drunk enough water to kill her, but it would be a long and painful death. Her labored, uneven breathing was a sure sign that she was going to die soon as she dragged herself away from the lake into a corpse of bushes and began yelling with agony. The poison had worked her way into the bloodstream. The violent pain reached its peak about fifteen minutes later. The pain declined until about half an hour later, when her form relaxed and a cannon shot boomed across the arena.

Olive Renee, District 12 Female: 9th, Killed by Poisonous Water, Day 3

That left the final eight: Alicia Lace from District 1, Octoberia Wisp from District 2, Hudson Morello and Lucy Said from District 4, Adara Robelo-Gomes from District 7, Karksi Pasta from District 8, and Anthony Covings and Hannah Sinclaire from District 10.

Head Gamemaker Yarrow Dawnbloom was through with drawing out the games longer than they should have been. These games, he promised to himself, he would not dissuade action, only encourage and spark it. This would lead to a very short games.

The morning of Day 4 saw the end of Karksi. He had been sailing on his little raft for nearly three days straight without touching land. The gamemakers were beginning to grow bored of him and so sent a gust of wind his way. Karksi panicked and tried to grab hold of his raft for stability, but it was no use. He tipped over and plummeted into the warm ocean. He spiraled downward before regaining his senses and kicking upward. He tried to reach his raft, but it had already blown away in the wind, merely a speck on the horizon. He just swam there, treading water and trying to form a plan in his mind. Suddenly, a swarm of brightly-colored tropical fish appeared below him. Karksi had watched the games enough to know that bright colors are the gamemakers' way of saying "stay away". Karksi panicked and swam away, but the fish caught up to him. One of the fish, a blue swordfish, speared itself into the side of Karksi's abdomen. He screamed and tried to swat the fish away, but a group of flounder grabbed onto his leg and pulled him downward. To put the icing on the fish muttations' cake, a squid came and wrapped a single slender tentacle around Karksi. The squid squeezed tighter and tighter, flattening Karksi's trachea and imploding his lungs. His limp form sank down to the ocean floor, where it came to stop in a cluster of whimsically purple blossoms.

Karksi Pasta, District 8 Male: 8th, Killed by Tropical Fish and Squid Muttations, Day 4

The careers hunted feverishly on Day 4, to no avail. Since the bloodbath, the careers hadn't made a single kill. Anthony and Hannah began expanding their hideout, digging it into the hillside and creating a little den inside. It was a tight fit but would serve as a bunker of sorts if a bloodthirsty career came along. Adara had spent most of the games at the top of the watchtower with the door barricaded shut. She stayed in her little bunker for the entirety of Day 4, thinking that she was safe from every harm. She was wrong.

On the morning of Day 5, the kraken emerged again. The beast didn't just circle around Te Duem anymore. It swam around the entire arena. Suddenly, as the careers were up and preparing for their hunting spree, the monster let out a roar and emerged from the water. The careers beelined for their weapons, ready to team up and take down the kraken. The creature shot out a slender tentacle and crushed the cornucopia like nothing. Debris was sent flying, and the careers ducked to avoid the flying bits of cornucopia. The kraken dragged itself onto the land and slithered across the fuzzy grass in pursuit of the careers. The allies ran. For now, at least, the kraken wasn't interested in killing the careers. It was interested in forcing them toward Watchtower Island, where all of the other tributes were. There, a bloody showdown would occur.

Alicia's bow was able to do significate damage against the monster, for it was a projectile weapon. The same could be said about Lucy's throwing knives, although to a lesser extent. Octoberia's katana was useless against the kraken. All three wanted bows, and eager sponsors shipped them to them pronto. It was a few minutes before the careers raced over an exposed sandbar and onto Watchtower Island. In its fury, the kraken reached out a slimy tentacle and wrapped it around the watchtower. The beast ripped the watchtower out of the ground and hurled it into the ocean. Adara was inside, and when the kraken threw the tower she was thrown against the wall behind her. The tower sank into the ocean, where Adara was trapped to drown amidst a severe concussion.

Adara Robelo-Gomes, District 7 Female: 7th, Killed by Kraken Muttation, Day 5

Anthony and Hannah ran out of their hiding places to investigate the commotion. The kraken hissed with triumph at the sight of two more tributes to make its prey. The careers charged for the two District 10 allies, knowing that this nightmare wouldn't end until only one of them remained. The fight was certainly a unique one, as the two groups of tributes needed to battle each other while simultaneously swatting away the kraken. If the kraken made a swipe of a mighty tentacle and it smacked into a tribute, that tribute was dead and nothing could save them. The kraken did exactly that. Each career just needed to be faster than the slowest runner. That slowest runner was Hudson, who tripped on a sharp rock and had to start hobbling away from the monster. The kraken reached out a tentacle and strangled the boy. Then, it lifted him into the air and dropped him into its mouth. Only five tributes remained.

Hudson Morello, District 4 Male: 6th, Killed by Kraken Muttation, Day 5

Anthony and Hannah both had bows, the only weapons really effective against the monster. The kraken reached out a slimy tentacle and wrapped it around screaming Alicia. Before the beast could lift Alicia off of the land, Anthony nocked a bow into his arrow and launched it toward the kraken's tentacle. His aim was perfect. The kraken hissed with fury and dropped Alicia. Alicia fell such a short distance that she didn't experience any sort of injury.

The kraken raced toward Anthony, the tribute who had injured it. The demonic creature hissed as it grabbed Anthony by the torso and smashed him into a tree. He sobbed for a few seconds before dying. His last words were a prayer to God.

Anthony Covings, District 10 Male: 5th, Killed by Kraken Muttation, Day 5

Hannah ran to her dead ally's side. There was no doubt about it. Anthony was dead, and his cannon shot confirmed this. Hannah swore and flung an arrow toward the creature. She missed, and the kraken charged toward her. While it was, it was an easy target for the trio of Alicia, Octoberia, and Lucy. Alicia fit an arrow into her bow and launched the projectile into the side of the kraken's mighty tentacle. The creature turned away from Hannah and ran toward Alicia. The monster was about to smash shaking Alicia when Alicia grabbed Octoberia and pulled her in front of her. It was the ultimate act of selfishness. The kraken grabbed Octoberia and dropped her into its great mouth, chomping her with its plaque-coated teeth. Alicia screamed and ran.

Octoberia Wisp, District 2 Female: 4th, Killed by Alicia and Kraken Muttation, Day 5

With Alicia, Lucy, and Hannah the only remaining tributes, things began to intensify. The three tributes all worked in coordination to take down the monster. Alicia would take the monster's left side, and Hannah would take its right. Lucy, well, she had a plan. She whispered it to the others and scampered off to carry it out. Lucy darted toward the nearest tree and shinnied up it like a squirrel. Then, when the kraken came near, she got to her feet and leapt on top of it.

The kraken roared with anger and shook rapidly, trying to bump off Lucy. Lucy was riding the kraken like a jockey, holding onto its slimy skin with a firm grasp. Up there atop the monster's mighty form, she could do more damage. With the kraken distracted trying to knock off Lucy, the other two girls could take down the monster with ease. Alicia fired an arrow. The arrow's shaft gored its way through the kraken's eye. It hissed, its vision ruined, as Hannah went in for the kill. She fit an arrow into her bow and aimed for an area of the creature's torso that was pulsing in and out like clockwork: its heart.

Hannah's aim was perfect, and the arrow wormed its way into the monster's heart. It hissed as the evil black liquid began oozing from the wound. The creature let out a roar so loud that the very earth seemed to shake as it slowly but surely fell to the ground. After the monster was dead, Lucy crawled off of it. She was battered severely. Suddenly, a torrent of the creature's black blood squirted out and splashed into Alicia. Alicia screamed as the highly acidic substance began corroding her skin away. Lucy and Hannah stood by and watched with horror as Alicia's body was dissolved to the point that nothing remained. They now knew to steer clear of the kraken's blood, however.

Alicia Lace, District 1 Female: 3rd, Killed by acid, Day 5

The gamemakers had reached their final two, and unfortunately they would not get the bloody final fight that they so cherished each year. The two girls were in no shape to make a bloody fight at all. Lucy just picked up her bow, as did Hannah. The two girls aimed their bows at each other and fired. Hannah's arrow missed, whereas Lucy's arrow buried itself into Hannah's forehead. She gasped as the arrow lodged itself between two of the plates of her forehead, leaving Lucy the only remaining tribute.

Hannah Sinclaire, District 10 Female: 2nd, Killed by Lucy, Day 5

"Lucy Said of District 4, you are the victor of thirty-seventh Hunger Games!" Yarrow trumpeted.

Lucy couldn't do much more than smile weakly as a hovercraft descended to whisk her awa.

Lucy Said, District 4 Female: Victor of the Thirty-Seventh Hunger Games, Day 5


AFTERMATH

The Boomerang Era continued. Lucy had brought District 4 its seventh victor, marking them as securely ahead of District 1 in terms of victor count. Neither of the two districts could surpass mighty District 2, of course. The Capitol had mixed feelings about the nation's newest victor. Lucy was the youngest victor in history at the time, only fifteen years and one-hundred six days old at the time of her victory. Many Hunger Games enthusiasts speculate that if the kraken hadn't killed so many tributes Lucy probably wouldn't have won. In the long run, Lucy turned out to be a fine victor. She was a great public speaker. After her victory, Lucy would live out the rest of her life as a professional chess player, becoming one of the finest players of the game in the nation.

Lucy settled into the Victor's Village of District 4, the seventh victor to do so.

Her victory tour went rather badly, particularly in Districts 1 and 2. They heavily booed her, for she was seen as a "wimpy career" that didn't deserve victory by many.

Lucy would live to the age of eighty-one, succumbing to appendicitis around the time of the one-hundred third annual Hunger Games. In her lifetime, she would not marry nor have children.


NEWS

Slate Ogston adopts a son with his wife, a young boy named Nero.

Gold Carson adopts triplet sons: Thebes, Luxor, and Cairo.

Magnet Lisagor's daughter, Sylvia, is born.

Grover Handa divorces his husband in an instance of spousal abuse.


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)
33HG: Molly Soltan (#5, District 4)
34HG: Grover Handa (#1, District 7)
35HG: Troy Stiles (#6, District 4)
36HG: Lana Voltaire (#10, District 2)
37HG: Lucy Said (#7, District 4)