THE SIXTY NINTH ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES
"Dust Devil"


INTRODUCTION

Coriolanus Snow, President of Panem, was furious over the outcome of his mighty Hunger Games the year prior. It would have been a huge hit if not for a certain 6 boy. Indeed, Titus ruined the games for a lot of people; many Capitolites had run out of the theaters they were viewing the games in holding their mouths with their hands. Psychopathic antics weren't new to the Hunger Games and to Panem, but it was hard to deny that Titus had taken this a smidge too far. It was President Snow's own wife, the young and beautiful Magnolia Asher, who made the suggestion to ensure that no tribute would "pull a Titus" ever again. Whenever a death occurred, a hovercraft would descend and use its powerful electrical pulses to remove the tribute's body from the arena. It was a genius idea, but there were several loopholes. Wouldn't it be distracting to have the hovercraft constantly snatching up dead bodies during the bloodbath? What if a tribute shot down the hovercraft itself? A conference consisting of President Snow and his wife, about half of the gamemaker team, and several of the career victors came to the conclusion that the hovercraft would wait until the end of the bloodbath to remove all of the cooling corpses, similar to the way the cannon shots waited until the bloodbath ended to fire The hovercraft that they used was the result of months of hard work from hundreds of District 6's strongest men and women. Made of a metal that was virtually indestructible even by explosives, a force field was wrapped around it like a second skin. Anything thrown at the craft would hit the force field and bounce back, returning to its place of origin and leaving the flying vehicle unscathed. Head Gamemaker Falcon Thorne returned for another year in the position. President Snow was looking for more intimidating games than ever before, but Falcon was young and imaginative and didn't slow down for a second. Coriolanus didn't punish him for the whole Titus escapade of the year prior, as he had done a rather good job of concealing the information from the general public. But he did receive a sinister warning from the president of Panem; if a slip-up like that happened again, it wouldn't just be Falcon's job that would be in danger.

After the five-member pack of the year prior, the careers reverted to their typical six-member model, and each of the three career districts provided a strong boy and girl to compete in the games. District 1's tributes were both tall and slim, and they were both very attractive. The boy was the youngest at only sixteen, but he had the natural ability to make any audience fall in love with his wit and charm. He was a fierce warrior whenever spears were available, and he would be dangerous. The girl was the daughter of District 1 royalty, but she was more hard-working than the rest of her family. She was stunningly beautiful and a master archer, though her limited skill set held her back from scoring the ten that career tributes often lusted after. District 2 provided the strongest batch, and they both scored tens. The boy stood at a whopping six foot eight, and with a handsome young face and an extremely muscular frame he earned plenty of sponsors before the games began. While not exactly cocky, he did like to toot his own horn whenever other tributes were around. The female had eyes that were so dark grey they were almost black, and she was shadowy and cold both in appearance and demeanor. Her eyes were like ice, and she was a ruthless killer. District 4 put on a varied showing. The boy was the weakest this year, only earning an eight, but he had the classic surfer look that Capitolites craved, and he was very chill and easy-going and unconventional. The girl was small and slim and extremely fast, making her nearly impossible to catch. Despite her meager form, she managed an astounding ten, as she was quite pretty and could work magic with weapons like spears and bows. The training scores of the pack were average: three tens, two nines, and one eight.

The outliers were more memorable than the year prior; there were many memorable personalities and strong tributes. Bethany from 9 was the strongest outlier, earning an eight. She'd been working fifteen hour shifts every day in a field in the south of the district, yet she barely earned enough to keep herself, her mother, and her five siblings alive. She wowed the sponsors with her sickle and scythe skills, and was extremely dexterous. Three sevens were earned: Ryder from 6, Oakley from 7, and Luna from 10. One of these tributes, Ryder, had been an orphan since age thirteen; he'd spent the past seven years learning how to survive on the streets of District 6, and survival was instinct for him. The rest of the tributes scored between six and three in their private sessions. Wildflower from 11 was another memorable outlier. She was the only twelve-year-old tribute in the games, and her last wish before entering the arena was for meals to be given to the homeless of her district. This request was denied, but the girl tugged at the heartstrings of many nonetheless. This year had another legacy tribute: Matisa from 8, who was the cousin of Victor Cecelia Rieffel. She only scored a four, but she was still one to be remembered. The only volunteers this year were the six careers. Here are the tributes:

District 1: Cosmo Linscott, 16, (9) 7-1 and Cendrillon Reyes, 18, (9) 6-1

District 2: Draco Silveraja, 18, (10) 3-1 and Nyx Blackmore, 17, (10) 4-1

District 3: Rodney Brown, 15, (4) 34-1 and Dervilia Cotton, 17, (5) 24-1

District 4: Angler Lavin, 18, (8) 9-1 and Kodaline Fayette, 18, (10) 4-1

District 5: Spring Pariseau, 18, (6) 19-1 and Alaska Pipes, 14, (3) 48-1

District 6: Ryder Martinez, 17, (7) 13-1 and Kathlin Haslett, 17, (5) 25-1

District 7: Oakley James, 18, (7) 13-1 and Florida Rowena, 16, (5) 27-1

District 8: Roark Taylor, 16, (4) 33-1 and Matisa Rieffel, 16, (4) 34-1

District 9: Wilder Thornton, 13, (3) 51-1 and Bethany Salter, 18, (8) 11-1

District 10: Alexander Westlake, 16, (3) 46-1 and Luna Chan, 18, (7) 16-1

District 11: Klaus Sanderson, 17, (6) 22-1 and Wildflower Maisel, 12, (3) 56-1

District 12: Dennis Abelton, 18, (5) 23-1 and Moriah Systema, 15, (4) 35-1

HGBO Bets: 11% on Draco, 10% on Nyx, 8% on Kodaline, 7% on Cosmo and Cendrillon, 6% on Angler, 5% on Bethany, 4% on Ryder, Oakley, and Luna, 3% on Spring and Klaus, 2% on Dervilia, Kathlin, Florida, and Dennis, 1% or less on Rodney, Alaska, Roark, Matisa, Wilder, Alexander, Wildflower, and Moriah.


THE GAMES

There was a certain level of artistic dedication that went into designing the Hunger Games arenas, and even the simplest of arenas never failed to fascinate many. The arena of the sixty-ninth games was one of these deceptively simple arenas. The tributes would find themselves surrounded by mile after mile of rolling sand dunes, constantly being beat down upon by the hot desert sun. The cornucopia was made out of dusty stone, and the inside of the horn was one of the only shady places in the arena. Its weapons largely consisted of knives and spears. Patches of cacti were everywhere, and a tribute could never walk for more than a few seconds without coming across one. The spines of the cacti were designed by some of the Capitol's top biologists to cling onto anything they touched and relentlessly grab on. The cactus flowers were the only source of food in the arena; the pink blossoms had oval-shaped, tightly packed petals, and they were surprisingly high in water content. There were only two kinds of mutts in the arena: snakes and scorpions. The snake mutts could be as small as one foot or as long as ten feet, and their undulating coils left trails in the sand like tire marks on a lawn. The snakes' venom was extremely poisonous, and it was enough to kill any tribute in minutes. Meanwhile, the scorpion mutts were just as terrifying. As long as a human arm, the scorpions were glossy black and had arched tails topped with vicious stingers. Both their stingers and pedipalps could inject poison into the scorpions' prey. The only way to get water in the arena was to dig down. If a tribute dug a hole deep enough, they would find water flooding into the hole they had dug. Temperatures in the arena could easily be triple digits during the daytime, but at night it could cool to fifty to sixty degrees Fahrenheit. The tributes would do most of their work in the cool of the night, but this was also when most of the snakes and scorpions were out hunting, so unexpected surprises weren't off of the table.

The cameras that were recording the scene perfectly captured the terrified looks on the tributes' faces as they saw the rolling desert sands for the first time. The year prior, the tributes from cold districts had an advantage. This year, however, the tributes from hotter districts, like District 2, District 5, and District 10, would almost certainly have at least slightly higher odds than those from the other districts. Though, as was often true in the Hunger Games, only time would tell.

When the gong rang, a single tribute fled: Alexander from 10. As Alexander sprinted into the desert, the other twenty-three tributes surged forward, gathering around the horn for the bloodbath.

Draco lead the charge this year, winning the footrace to the cornucopia by leaps and bounds. There weren't any swords nearby, so he swept up two twin knives and prepared to do some cold-hearted killing. A nearby boy screamed as Draco sawed the first of his knives into his forehead, and the second into his abdomen as he fell.

Rodney Brown, District 3 Male: 24th, Killed by Draco, Bloodbath

Nyx reached the horn a few seconds later and took a bow from an ornate countertop inside its shade. She began firing as soon as she left the shade of the cornucopia. One of her arrows landed into the neck of one girl, and she staggered to the ground, moaning with agony, her reflection bright in the eyes of her killer.

Florida Rowena, District 7 Female: 23rd, Killed by Nyx, Bloodbath

Kodaline gritted her teeth as she dueled with a strong boy from an outlying district. They each had spears, and they were both very good, but the boy's meager three days of practice couldn't compare to the career girl's years of training. Kodaline thrust her spear into his neck after about a minute; he fell, sinking into the sand, his blood shining in the light of hot sun.

Klaus Sanderson, District 11 Male: 22nd, Killed by Kodaline, Bloodbath

After wrenching his knives out of the limp body of his first victim, Draco pounced toward a nearby girl who was struggling to escape the cornucopia with a heavy backpack and jug of clear water. The girl dropped her supplies as Draco plunged his knives into her neck, piercing her windpipe and chipping a few of the bones in her neck. Cackling, the 2 boy sped off to look for even more prey.

Matisa Rieffel, District 8 Female: 21st, Killed by Draco, Bloodbath

Cosmo took a spear, and he heard soft crying from nearby. A girl had collapsed inside of the cornucopia, crying into her arms. Cosmo tackled the girl, quickly dispatching her with a few thrusting motions of his spear. She was dead in seconds without flinching a millimeter.

Moriah Systema, District 12 Female: 20th, Killed by Cosmo, Bloodbath

Cendrillon, the extremely wealthy 1 girl, swept up a belt of throwing knives. A few moments later, she deftly hurled two of the knives at a nearby outlier. She collapsed to the sand, gasping and shaking, and she landed at the feet of another career, Kodaline. Kodaline thrust her spear into her torso, instantly shutting down several of her organs, and there was no way she could survive from there on out.

Dervilia Cotton, District 3 Female: 19th, Killed by Cendrillon and Kodaline, Bloodbath

As Dervilia fell, Nyx attacked her next outlier. She'd been stalking a small boy around the cornucopia for minutes like a hunter stalks an animal in the woods. The boy knelt down to tear open one of his packs, and Nyx pounced, firing a volley of two arrows. The boy let out a gasp, the last sound he would ever make, as the arrows wormed their way into his head and skewered his brain.

Wilder Thornton, District 9 Male: 18th, Killed by Nyx, Bloodbath

Angler had been unable to land a kill yet, but as he surveyed the quickly emptying cornucopia field, knives in hand, he spotted a crawling boy just outside the ring of pedestals, slowly bleeding out from a spear wound inflicted by Cosmo. Eager to show off his might to the audience, Angler sprinted toward him. The boy struggled to drag himself away, but he wasn't nearly fast enough to get out of his sight. Angler thrust his knives into his abdomen, offing him swiftly.

Spring Pariseau, District 5 Male: 17th, Killed by Cosmo and Angler, Bloodbath

Draco made his third kill. Nearby, a boy from the poorest district was starting away from the horn, wiggling over the uneven surface of the hot desert sand. He didn't make a sound as Draco hurled both of his knives. The 2 boy watched with satisfaction as the blades arced through the arrow before burying themselves into the top of the boy's head, killing him in seconds.

Dennis Abelton, District 12 Male: 16th, Killed by Draco, Bloodbath

Kodaline made the last kill. A few minutes earlier, she'd stabbed an orphan boy in the torso with her spear, and he'd wiggled underneath a crate, slowly dying as he was shielded from the sight of the others by the walls of the crate. Kodaline popped the crate off of him, and his small form splayed outward. She finished the job she'd started ten minutes earlier by killing him with her spear. The boy was seconds away from death anyway, and he barely felt it.

Ryder Martinez, District 6 Male: 15th, Killed by Kodaline, Bloodbath

With the bloodbath at its conclusion, the careers moved away from the cornucopia so the hovercraft could retrieve the cooling corpses of the dead. After returning, they all crowded together into the shade of the horn. There wasn't one of them who wasn't dripping with sweat, and being in close quarters made them even hotter despite the shade the roof of the horn provided. One of Nyx's sponsors sent her a battery-run box fan, and she affixed it to the back of the horn to keep herself and the others cool. The District 1 tributes, Cosmo and Cendrillon, sorted the food rations in the back of the horn. Given how scarce food was in the desert, they were careful to keep from losing any, even going so far as to lay blankets down on the ground so the food wouldn't fall down into the sand and be lost. Angler was sorting weapons, almost all of which were spears and knives, though there were a few bows and other weapons. Draco and Nyx, being from District 2 (a hot, desert district) suggested that they dig down to find water. The 2s and Kodaline grabbed shovels and dug into the sand, hoping to strike lucky. True to their wishes, water was flooding into the hole. Nyx returned with as many thermoses and iodine capsules as she could carry. Draco and Kodaline scooped the seemingly unlimited water supply into the thermos and began purifying it. The career pack didn't hunt on the first day, as they were all exhausted from the bloodbath and didn't want to risk heat stroke until they were properly hydrated once more.

Meanwhile, the outliers wobbled over the sand, scattering around the hot desert arena. The temperature was one-hundred six degrees, unbearably scalding for many. Alaska had managed to grab a thermos full of water, a peach, and a knife from the cornucopia. She sprinted east for a few hours before collapsing in a dusty square populated by scruffy bushes. She knew the water would be best left for later when she needed it more, and she stared at it tantalizingly for the entire evening. Kathlin fled from the bloodbath carrying two throwing knives and a loaf of bread. At noon, she found herself in the shade of a large boulder. The shaded area was cool, even cold, and the girl munched on a bit of her bread before falling asleep. Oakley collapsed with exhausted in a patch of very fine, power-like sand. He consulted his handbook on edible plants and learned that the cactus flowers were edible. They tasted a little bitter, but they were food nonetheless. Roark fled from the cornucopia carrying only a few meager supplies. Using his only knife, he killed off two snake mutts that wandered into his home near a tall sand dune. Impressed at how perfectly he'd slayed the snakes, sponsors sent Roark a day's supply of water. Bethany, the strongest outlier, wasn't as well-armed as she'd been hoping she would be after the bloodbath. All she'd managed to grab was a sealed bowl of dried beef strips and a very stubby spear. She set up camp in a ditch in the shadow of a tall, skeletal tree, vowing to hunt the next morning. Alexander sprinted east, constantly removing his shoes to shake out the hot sand. As the only tribute who had decided to avoid the bloodbath, he naturally had the disadvantage. He dug down using his hands to find water, and an impressed sponsor sent him a small thermos inside which to collect the liquid before he slept in the shadow of a field of boulders. Luna couldn't believe her luck; she'd managed two spears and a thermos of water from the cornucopia, as well as some twine and a pack of dried fruit. She jogged for the entirety of the day, taking long breaks in cool areas to hydrate, and at nightfall Luna fell into a large, scruffy bush. Wildflower, the only twelve-year-old in these games, walked briskly away from the horn. By the time night fell, her shoes were torn in several places and sand was pouring in like water into the ship of the fifty-first Games. The girl fell far away from the horn, hoping nobody would find her, and she began to fashion a new pair of shoes with a few supplies she'd managed from the horn, as well as some fibers from the more hydrated plants of the arena. There wasn't much conflict in the arena as day turned into night.

As the sun rose on Day 2, Alexander woke with a start. Two snake mutts, as golden as the sun that was rising higher and higher into the sky with each moment, were slithering toward him. The boy fell back, intimidated as the sight of their undulating coils. His only possession was the thermos he'd been sponsored the evening prior; he was as good as defenseless. Alexander shakily grabbed up a nearby rock and held it above his head, ready to attack the snake mutts if they came any closer. The first mutt lunged toward him so fast that he barely had time to jump out of the way. Hissing with fury, the other snake joined in, and Alexander's breathing accelerated significantly at the sight of their pupils, slit-shaped and shining with bloodlust. He brought down the rock and almost hit the nearest snake mutt. It was able to slither out of the way, and Alexander grabbed another rock as the snakes drew closer. With one well-placed throw, he was able to pin one of the snakes to the ground, and it let out a hiss and shot poison through the air like water out of a sprinkler. He managed to kill the second snake a few minutes later by rolling one of the boulders on top of it, and it was dead in seconds.

Alexander sat down cross-legged, panting with exhaustion from the encounter. Suddenly, a stroke of genius found him. The snake mutt he'd pinned to the ground with his rock was still hissing and firing poison from its fangs. Alexander swept up his thermos and slurped down the last few drops of water that were inside. He held the thermos under the snake's fangs, watching as the sparkling venom filled the container. When the snake mutt finally ran out of venom, Alexander smashed it to death and closed the thermos. He had a good cup of the snake's venom trapped in his thermos.

Meanwhile, not much of note was transpiring with the career pack. They were getting alone much better than the career pack of the year prior, that was for sure. Draco and Nyx of 2 were the leaders, and despite being district partners they acted somewhat cold toward each other. Perhaps they saw each other as competition, and even the others tried to stay away from them for fear that they might lash out like the 2s of the sixty-eighth games. Kodaline tried to ensure fairness in the pack, rationing out the food equally to herself and all of her allies. Many admired her for her loyalty and value of fair play, but how her unique career personality would change as the tensions rose higher and higher was anyone's guess. Cendrillon, the rich girl from 1, mostly stuck to herself. She didn't want the others to think she was taking sides, as she figured that would be dangerous. Cosmo and Angler had been buddies since the training center; even though their training scores were one point apart, they still got along well. Cosmo was starting to be looked down upon by his allies for hanging out with the boy that had only scored an eight, and without knowing it he was rushing higher and higher on the list of careers to be picked off at the split. True to their promise, the pack went hunting a few minutes after sunrise, being sure to bring lots of water with them. Kodaline stayed behind to guard the horn, and she sorted the supplies and shoveled sand out of the cornucopia as the day wore on.

Alexander was sloshing his thermos of poison nervously between his hands when he heard the footsteps and casual conversation of the careers from nearby. A quick peek told him that the careers were about forty yards in one direction, and he quickly ducked behind a sand dune. The careers, who were engaged in conversation, didn't notice the flash of his tiny frame before it disappeared. Alexander waited with bated breath as the careers settled on the face of the sand dune for their midday meal. As they ate, Alexander moved farther away, hoping to be out of sight by the time they got back up.

He'd been walking for a few minutes when the thought of his poison thermos suddenly occurred to him, and he turned back around. Sure, it would be risky, but how could he pass up the opportunity to attack the career pack, especially in a manner that required zero use of weaponry of any sort of hand-to-hand combat? By the time he reached the dune, the pack was just about ready to get up. Cosmo, Cendrillon, Draco, Nyx, and Angler perked up at Alexander's cries. As they ran over the dune toward his screams, Alexander ran in a circle around it, dropping at the careers' camp. He unscrewed all of their thermoses and poured the snake venom into each of them before running like mad in the opposite direction, praying that it wasn't obvious he had been there.

It took the careers nearly half an hour to accept that whoever had been making the screams was gone. They returned to their camp with low spirits, their prey having escaped from right under their noses. Thirsty from the exercise, each of them unscrewed their thermoses and splashed the cool water into their mouths. The snake poison Alexander had slipped into the water didn't fail to do its job. It was somewhat comedic to watch as the five careers instantaneously fell forward, letting out a few moans before they died within the span of a minute.

Angler Lavin, District 4 Male: 14th, Killed by Alexander, Day 2

Cendrillon Reyes, District 1 Female: 13th, Killed by Alexander, Day 2

Cosmo Linscott, District 1 Male: 12th, Killed by Alexander, Day 2

Draco Silveraja, District 2 Male: 11th, Killed by Alexander, Day 2

Nyx Blackmore, District 2 Female: 10th, Killed by Alexander, Day 2

The rest of Day 2 passed swiftly. The five cannon shot firing in rapid succession terrified most of the tributes into staying still for the remainder of the day. The last time that many tributes had died at once was nearly thirty years ago in the fortieth Hunger Games, when Beetee Latier electrocuted the six careers to death in the span of a few minutes. Alexander was sprinting over the sand when the cannon shots rang in his ears. Knowing the five careers were dead, he turned sharply on his heel and sprinted back toward the camp of the careers. By the time he reached the camp, their bodies had been carried away by the hovercraft, and the supplies were all his. It was far too much to carry, and the items were somewhat overwhelming. Alexander found a tent in a pack that had once belonged to Cosmo. He expanded the tent and moved the supplies inside it. With dozens and weapons are more food and water than he could drink in the longest Hunger Games, Alexander was truly feeling more confident than ever before.

One tribute that was not feeling confident was Kodaline, the 4 girl. The five cannon shots proved to her that there was some dangerous threat capable of killing all five of her allies in an instant, and she was extremely apprehensive about hunting after that, especially given that she was the only remaining career in the arena. Kodaline continued organizing the horn, hydrating often, until night fell. She slept in the back of the cornucopia, and she tied a long rope to her ankle. The other end of the rope was stretched like a tripwire across the cornucopia's entrance. If any intruders hit the tripwire, Kodaline would be awakened to fend them off, or, even better, kill them.

Day 3 was deathless. The outliers were frightened even further upon seeing the faces of Cosmo, Cendrillon, Draco, Nyx, and Angler in the sky; they all assumed there was some horrendous mutt that had killed the five of them, and none of them wanted to be out and about while this imaginary mutt was doing its nasty business again. Oakley had been developing his own unique cuisine over the past few days. He'd started out just picking the cactus flowers and eating them, but by Day 3 be was organizing them into ornate shapes and sprinkling them with seasonings he'd been sponsored. Oakley's aunt was a chef back in District 7, and he figured he might as well take a little time to remind himself of home.

Kathlin had just consumed the last few crumbs of her loaf of bread when she perked up at the sound of snapping pincers. About ten meters to her left, a trifecta of glossy black scorpions was scuttling toward her, and the distance between them was shrinking fast. Kathlin picked up her two throwing knives and fled in the opposite directions. Her running speed only slightly exceeded the speeds of the scorpions, and she couldn't run forever. When she was finally forced to fight, she was given a false first impression. With one blow, she managed to crunch a scorpion mutt in half with one of her knives. She figured the other two mutts would be easy kills as well, but she was wrong. While she was finishing off the first mutt, the other two had closed in on either side of her. Kathlin screamed as one of them dug its sharp stinger into her flesh. Arm throbbing, adrenaline powered her away from the mutts, and she collapsed in a ditch dripping with sweat. The flesh around the sting was turning an ugly green, and it was oozing puss. Kathlin's world was already growing foggy from the poison. She wasn't the strongest girl the games had ever seen, but a certain sponsor must have seen potential in her, because the antidote came drifting down to her in seconds. She downed the antidote, safe from the poison, and she quickly fell asleep.

Mere minutes after midnight on Day 4, Wildflower of 11 woke with a start. Even in the dark, she could see them: the shining eyes of a snake mutt slithering toward her. The girl gasped and grabbed her knife, backing slowly away. She was surprised at how cool the desert was at night, but she was too terrified to appreciate it fully. By that point, Wildflower could hear the hissing of the snake, see it flaring and pulsing with the bloodlust of a predator. She slowly continued to backed away, and the snake trained its eyes on her.

The mutt lunged so quickly that Wildflower didn't have time to react. She held out her twelve-year-old hands in a futile attempt to keep the snake away from her body, but it was hopeless. The mutt sank its teeth into her neck, and she staggered to the ground, slamming her head onto a nearby rock. If the poison was enough to kill all of the careers in mere minutes, Wildflower was a goner. The snake slithered back into the darkness, leaving Wildflower to perish from the grievous wound it had inflicted. She made a desperate attempt to choke out her last words, but they blended together into an unintelligible gargle.

Wildflower Maisel, District 11 Female: 9th, Killed by Snake Muttation, Day 4

That left the final eight at sunrise on the fourth day: Kodaline Fayette from District 4, Alaska Pipes from District 5, Kathlin Haslett from District 6, Oakley James from District 7, Roark Taylor from District 8, Bethany Salter from District 9, and Alexander Westlake and Luna Chan from District 10.

The remainder of the fourth day was relatively uneventful. The snakes and scorpions of the arena seemed to be falling into a stupor, taking a break from their mechanical lives of attacking tributes. Alexander was feeling extremely guilty lying in his cool tent with all of the supplies he could ever need while the other tributes could all be starving to death for all he knew, but he wasn't complaining. He tried to move the shelter around regularly and get out and about as much as possible to keep himself relevant.

An hour or so before noon, Alaska from 5 and Roark from 8 bumped into each other. They had both exhausted their water supplies, and the only weapons they had were small knives. Instead of attacking each other, the two tributes allied. They got along well, and they armed themselves to the teeth in case intruders should arrive. At two in the evening, Roark tripped in a small hole and fell face-first into a large cactus plant. He tried to keep his cries quiet as Alaska plucked the needles from his skin one by painful one. By the time his face was clean, night had fallen. Going without water for yet another night, the allies made camp in a bowl-shaped area formed by four identical sand dunes.

As night fell, the terror most of the tributes felt from the always-dangerous career pack was starting to wear off. They knew from the death recap that Kodaline was the only one of the six careers who remained, and she wasn't likely to be hunting any time soon if it meant leaving the cornucopia open for anyone to take. Four days into the games, Bethany hadn't made much progress. All she had left was the collapsible spear she'd grabbed from the cornucopia in the first fifteen minutes of the games. The girl had figured out long ago that she could find water by digging down, but she had no way to store it and had to scoop it up with her hands. Bethany was jumping around the outskirts of the arena, though she never came too close to the force field for fear of a gamemaker threat. On the other side of the arena, panic was transpiring. Kathlin had assumed that the antidote sponsored to her would completely cure the wound inflicted by the scorpion mutts, but she was wrong. The one she was given was a weaker antidote, and while it could delay Kathlin's death it could not prevent it completely. The ugly purple line of poison was running through her veins, closer and closer to her heart, and Kathlin was panicking, running to and fro trying to do anything impressive that would warrant a sponsor gift. Oakley had furthered his cuisine even more; using a few sponsored herbs, he was weaving and folding the oval-shaped cactus petals into entrancing patterns and designs, enhanced by the sponsored herbs. One sponsor sent him a thermos of water, of which he greedily chugged down a quarter before stopping for the night. Despite this, Oakley was dangerously close to the cornucopia (less than a mile) and cryptic sponsor notes would no doubt begin pouring in.

On Day 5, Kodaline finally gave into the pressure of her sponsors and went hunting. She'd been putting it off for days because she was leery of leaving the horn unguarded. At the suggestion of a sponsor who was known for liking District 3 tributes, Kodaline assembled a trap that would alert her if any tribute came near the cornucopia. She took a thin bit of almost invisible string and cut it into several pieces. She tied one end of each piece of thread to each of the horn's most valuable supplies, and the other ends were all tied onto the "hub" as she called it. Whenever one of these strings was pulled, the "hub" would activate, alerting her by causing the alarm in her pocket to beep. Confident that the horn was safe, Kodaline trekked north. She was sure to bring lots of water, a wise choice; the desert landscape was unforgiving.

The fifth day was not without conflict, however, and Kodaline wasn't the only one who was hunting. Bethany from 9 awoke to the scuttling of three of the scorpion mutts. Using her spear, Bethany killed all three of the scorpions in seconds. An impressed sponsor sent her a much sleeker and more effective spear. After a few hours of practice, her motivation to hunt was re-kindled. She sharpened the point on a rock to ensure it would be at its best if she ever needed to use it, and then Bethany sprinted in an arbitrary direction with her spear and a few supplies.

Bethany fell at five in the evening in a patch of large bushes. However, she wasn't the only one there. Luna, a forgettable girl who had done nothing of note since the games began, had been crouched in the bushes when she had heard Bethany's footsteps. Panicked, Luna had ducked behind a large rock. At that point, she was still ducking there, sweating from heat and fear and praying that she wouldn't be seen or heard. She had two spears and Bethany only had one, but Bethany had scored higher and Luna hadn't had much practice given how much time she'd spent on more important things such as hydration and feeding herself.

Luna cursed under her breath as dust from the surface of the rock began to build up in her nose. A sneeze was coming on, with nothing she could do to stop it. She clapped her hands over her mouth, but this only amplified the sound, causing it to come out as a long snort. Bethany looked up from her meal and spotted Luna's small form fleeing. She snatched up her spear and chased after her. The chase lasted for nearly an hour. At six, Luna crumpled to the sand with exhaustion. She tried to get back to her feet, but it was like trying to run in a dream; her feet seemed to be made of lead and superglued to the ground. Every slight movement caused her muscles to burn like fire. She turned around with a gasp as Bethany's spear entered her neck, skewered through the flesh and out the other side. Bethany swallowed down the small amount of bile that had built up in her mouth and left the scene quickly so the hovercraft could collect the body of her first victim.

Luna Chan, District 10 Female: 8th, Killed by Bethany, Day 5

The next day, Day 6, was deathless. Several of the tributes' water supplies had run dry, leading them to go to drastic measures to keep themselves hydrated. Kodaline returned to the horn soon after the sun rose. She'd already consumed all the water she'd taken with her to hunt. On the way back to the cornucopia, she spotted Oakley from 7 about fifty yards away. Kodaline chased him for half an hour, but he finally managed to escape, ducking into a small ditch until she passed. Once she was out of sight, Oakley fled farther away from the cornucopia, not wanting to be near when Kodaline decided to hunt once more. Alaska and Roark were keeping a surprisingly low profile. They didn't want to get so little screen time that they were forgettable, and they didn't want to stir the pot so much that they became targets either. They simply moved around the arena, resting in shady areas, feeding themselves on sponsor food and drink. Kathlin had been begging the Capitol for a better antidote for the snake bite she had sustained, but it didn't come. She was so dizzy she could barely stand, and the poison was so bad that she would pass out for hours at a time. Kathlin wiped off her hands and grabbed her only knife, vowing to do whatever it took to get the medicine she needed.

Meanwhile, Alexander was moving farther away from his tent than ever before. He still had a few inches of liquid in his thermos of snake poison, and he didn't intend to let it go to waste. Given his determination and bravery juxtaposed with the fact he'd only scored a three, it became clear to all that he hadn't shown his true potential in his private session.

Alexander returned to his tent at nightfall, and he froze on the spot despite the heat of the desert day. A dust devil—a whirlwind of sand, was forming right next to his tent. It didn't look very large, but it soon could be given how fast it was growing. Alexander ran a few feet forward and grabbed a few supplies, trying to save as much as he could before his camp was bowled over. It was great to have a tribute to root for, but the Capitol didn't like how massive of an advantage Alexander's supply stockpile gave him. Alexander crouched to the ground fifty meters away, watching as his camp was buried under the sand that was torn up by the dust devil. When it finally settled, he ran forth to investigate. He dug through the sand for hours and only found a few buried supplies. The sand was so tightly-packed that it hurt to dig through. It was like searching for buried treasure, except the sand was as chunky and hard as gravel and the stress of the death match that was the games was weighing on him every moment.

Day 7 had some action. Alexander was up bright and early to continue digging for his lost supplies. He pawed through the remnants of the dust devil and only managed to find a small pack of sand-logged food after a few hours. Discouraged, he fell to the sand, regretting how much he'd taken for granted the luxuries of all the supplies he'd had before. On the other side of the arena, a tribute's life was slowly ending. Oakley had gone nearly three days without water, and the thirst was so intense that it took the form of a horrible burning sensation spreading through his mouth and neck. One moment, he was trudging dutifully over the sand, unwilling to give up. The next moment, he tipped over his breaking point and collapsed in a heap, unable to do anything but cry and beg for the water that he knew wouldn't come. His death was slow and painful, and every second of it was recorded by the cameras all around him.

Oakley James, District 7 Male: 7th, Killed by Dehydration, Day 7

Kodaline kept up on her hunt. She hadn't found any prey yet, but she told herself every few minutes that prey could be just over the next sand dune and she'd never know if she gave up right then. It was somewhat depressing to watch as she trudged over the rolling desert, jaw set and lips formed into a solid line, all alone since her five allies had been poisoned to death five days prior. She'd grown attachments to several of the other careers during training, and she would have mourned them if not for the fact that she knew presidents and gamemakers alike hated tributes mourning the losses of other tributes in the games.

Kodaline's determination payed off. Alaska and Roark, allies, had split up hours earlier to search for food. Roark had just discovered a patch of bushes bearing dry, withered red berries when Kodaline jumped out of nowhere. Roark screamed and staggered backward, tumbling down the sand dune he was standing on top of. He rolled down the sandy slope like an unravelling mummy before coming to a stop at its base. His eyes, nose, and mouth were filled with sand. He got to his feet and fled in an arbitrary direction, unable to see but far from having given up trying to escape Kodaline.

Half a mile away, Alaska heard Roark's screams and raced toward them out of instinct. She knew it was stupid and would only add her name to the list of those who perished in the games, but she didn't think she could live with herself knowing she'd let her ally die without doing anything to help. Alaska burst into sight just as Kodaline thrust her spear into a crying Roark's chest. The boy let out a short gurgle, and his cannon shot was loud.

Roark Taylor, District 8 Male: 6th, Killed by Kodaline, Day 7

Kodaline smirked, wiping the blood off of her spear, as Alaska froze in place. Before the outlier girl knew it, the career was tackling her to the ground. Alaska fought back with her fists, but she was too panicked to aim properly and none of her attempted blows even came near the girl's muscular form. Alaska fell still as Kodaline sedated her with two thrusting motions of her spear, and she was dead in a few seconds more.

Alaska Pipes, District 5 Female: 5th, Killed by Kodaline, Day 7

Day 8 was deathless, and the final four milled about. Kodaline retreated to the horn; with the finale so near, she wanted to be as close to the cornucopia as possible when it transpired. She sharpened her spear and did everything else a good career did with spare time. Kathlin had been searching relentlessly for anything that would warrant a sponsor gift, as by the looks of things she was less than a day away from death unless she found the proper antidote for the scorpion sting she's sustained days prior. Bethany started moving toward the horn, but as she did the mutts grew thicker and thicker. Before long, she couldn't walk ten minutes without a swarm of snakes or scorpions trying to kill her. As the strongest outlier, Falcon was struggling to keep her relevant, as he didn't want the others to overshadow her given the potential she had to make a good underdog story. Alexander collected more snake poison in preparation for the finale. When a swarm of the snakes attacked him on the morning of Day 8, he killed three and trapped the fourth. It shot its venom into his thermos, and he killed it once it couldn't produce any more. By the time the day ended, Alexander had filled the thermos nearly halfway full of venom.

The morning of Day 9, it became clear that Kathlin was hopeless. She rolled around in the sand, watching through tear-clouded eyes as the poison surged even farther through her veins. At eight in the morning, the poison reached her heart. Kathlin tensed up; it was like every muscle in her body had turned to steel; then a burning sensation set over her that caused her to scream with agony. Then she suddenly went limp, feeling like she was sinking into the ground and falling asleep. The venom worked its deadly magic all in the course of about a minute, leading to the girl's death and leaving only three tributes in the arena.

Kathlin Haslett, District 6 Female: 4th, Killed by Scorpion Muttation, Day 9

The next death occurred mere minutes later. Kodaline left to go hunting once more; her mentor Cashmere sent her a note that it wouldn't do for her to lie around inside the cornucopia and wait for prey to come to her. Carrying her spear, she travelled south, sticking to high areas whenever she could to have the best view of the surrounding terrain.

She'd only hunted for ten minutes or so when she spotted another tribute on the horizon. Bethany fled in the opposite direction as soon as she caught her first glimpse of Kodaline surging toward her. Bethany stayed low to avoid being seen, and for a bated minute she thought she'd escaped the girl. So suddenly that she didn't have time to breathe, Kodaline leapt out of nowhere, tackling her to the ground. Screaming, Bethany fought against the career girl, and she struggled to wiggle out from underneath her weight. Once, she had her spear inches from her neck, but she pushed it to the side just in the nick of time, and she managed to escape.

Bethany reached into her pack for the serrated knife she'd been sponsored the day prior and held it in front of her, warning Kodaline not to come any closer. Kodaline just laughed and shook her head. She knew the girl had no hope of escaping her, and it amused her immensely to see her opponent feigning absolute confidence. Kodaline was the tribute that'd changed most since the start of the games; at first she'd taken on a motherly and timid persona, but now she was a cold-blooded killer, and not afraid to show it to the audience.

Bethany screamed as Kodaline tackled her once more, knocking her knife out of her hand. All attempts at escape were hopeless, and Bethany could do nothing but scream for help as the girl sawed her spear into her abdomen, killing her swiftly.

Bethany Salter, District 9 Female: 3rd, Killed by Kodaline, Day 9

The crowd of twenty-four tributes was officially narrowed down to the final two, and it contained the two most beloved tributes of the year. Kodaline wasn't just an ordinary 4 girl; she'd been displaying her vibrant and spontaneous personality since the start of the games, and she was very tall and slim with blonde hair, the opposite appearance of many District 4 citizens. There was no doubt she would make a great addition to District 4's lineup of victors. Alexander was the true underdog. He'd been living with his poor merchant mother after his father died in a tractor accident three years prior, and he'd killed five out of the six careers despite only scoring a three. If he won, he would be the second outlier in history to kill all six careers, the first being Beetee Latier of the fortieth games.

On Day 10, intense dust devils began in the north and south. Alexander was in the north, and Kodaline was in the south, and the storms drew the tributes together. They spotted each other over one another's horizons at eight in the morning, and the clashed in the middle of the desert, the blazing sun beating down upon them as the epic finale took place.

Being from a career district, Kodaline had the advantage. She used her spear like a third arm, and with her first blow she managed to puncture at least a centimeter into Alexander's arm. The boy reeled, stumbling backward, and he tripped, falling to the sandy ground. Kodaline stood above him, smirking and bringing down her spear. Alexander rolled to once side, leaping around the girl, and reached into his pack.

Kodaline figured Alexander was reaching for a second weapon, and she was surprised when he pulled out this thermos. What she didn't know was that the thermos was filled with several inches of snake venom. Kodaline screamed as the boy splashed her from head to foot; she staggered to the ground, moaning, as whole chunks of her flesh were eaten away by the venom. Alexander watched with earnest as she died, and it was only after her cannon shot sounded that he truly realized he was a victor.

Kodaline Fayette, District 4 Female: 2nd, Killed by Alexander, Day 10

"Alexander Westlake of District 10, you are the victor of the sixty-ninth annual Hunger Games!" Caesar and Claudius chimed.

Alexander just set down his thermos and peered up at the sun, the same sun he would see once he returned home to District 10.

Alexander Westlake, District 10 Male: Victor of the Sixty-Ninth Hunger Games, Day 10


AFTERMATH

Alexander was happy to bring District 10 its second victor. Mrs. Cartmill was getting overwhelmed caring for so many new tributes year after year, and she was glad to have Mr. Westlake to share her duties with. Alexander was one of the craftier victors that District 10 would have, and many admired him for his poison tactics that he used in his games. Having only scored a three, Alexander was the lowest-scoring victor up to that point, tied only with Misty Sablone of the fifth games.

He moved into the Victor's Village of District 10, occupying the second house.

His victory tour was nothing of note, though all three of the career districts showered him with ill-will.

Alexander would live to the age of sixty-nine, dying from cancer four months after the one-hundred twenty-second annual Hunger Games. He would never marry nor have children, and he would take up the vice of alcohol to quiet his demons. Over time, he would develop into a rather poor example of a victor, and he would make good friends with fellow alcoholic victors Penelope, Chaff, and Haymitch. Many suspected him either to be asexual or a hermit, as he would have no known relationships with women or men in his lifetime.


NEWS

Alexander moves into the Victor's Village of District 10, across the street from Margaret's home.

Margaret Cartmill has twin daughters, Hazel and Mavis.

Valerie Easton's fourth and final child, Pickson, is born.

Cashmere Linden gives birth to her first child, a girl she calls Salandra.

Slate Ogston, the victor of the twelfth annual Hunger Games, dies from an asthma attack.


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)
38HG: Porter Tripp (#3, District 5)
39HG: Penelope Turek (#8, District 4)
40HG: Beetee Latier (#6, District 3)
41HG: Radiance Clinton (#6, District 1)
42HG: Technik Hartline (#7, District 3)
43HG: Dylan Levitt (#9, District 4)
44HG: Rye Boyum (#2, District 9)
45HG: Chaff Korsmun (#2, District 11)
46HG: Nolan Wrack (#11, District 2)
47HG: Klink Byrae (#4, District 5)
48HG: Brutus Cordley (#12, District 2)
49HG: Wiress Freid (#8, District 3)
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)
51HG: Lyme Mabbett (#13, District 2)
52HG: Ruby Rayfuse (#7, District 1)
53HG: Lily Eckel (#3, District 11)
54HG: Blight Holzer (#2, District 7)
55HG: Emily Pollick (#5, District 5)
56HG: Sally Vasilia (#6, District 5)
57HG: Mason Kittridge (#14, District 2)
58HG: Margaret Cartmill (#1, District 10)
59HG: Tiger Sterne (#8, District 1)
60HG: Cecelia Rieffel (#2, District 8)
61HG: Valerie Easton (#15, District 2)
62HG: Enobaria Rigatti (#16, District 2)
63HG: Gloss Linden (#9, District 1)
64HG: Cashmere Linden (#10, District 1)
65HG: Finnick Odair (#10, District 4)
66HG: Victor Xhang (#17, District 2)
67HG: Augustus Braun (#11, District 1)
68HG: Iuna Mosier (#12, District 1)
69HG: Alexander Westlake (#2, District 10)


A/N: Wowza, this chapter took a long time! Life got a bit hectic so I didn't have a whole lot of time to write, and there was a part in the middle of the chapter where I just didn't have any motivation to keep writing. But I powered through, and I can now say that the writer-ly inspiration we all know and love is back!

I hope these games were surprising! Especially the quintuple career kill made by Alexander on the second day. It was really fun to type out all those uninterrupted death strips.

Next up is Annie, one of the last canon victors before we dive head-first into uncharted territory. After her there's only Johanna and that District 2 boy who beats his final opponent with a brick (does he count as a canon victor if he's only shown for a few seconds in the film?)