THE EIGHTIETH ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES
"Poisonous Paradise"
INTRODUCTION
The seventy-ninth annual Hunger Games was not games to forget—with a fantastic arena and a crop of strong tributes, it would go down in history as one of the most popular games of its time. Many were curious as to how Head Gamemaker Violet Turpin would follow up her masterpiece, and she released a small trailer clip to keep the eager Capitolites satisfied. The clip, which lasted about ten seconds, opened with a chorus of birdsong. The camera swept over a colorful field of wildflowers, and then a bloodcurdling hiss pierced the quiet and the clip cut to black. From the minute the clip was released, Capitol news reporters, journalists, and filmmakers began releasing their interpretations of the clip. Additionally, a number of websites claimed to hold leaked information about the mutts, supplies, and careers, allegedly taken from "reliable" sources they were conveniently reluctant to name. What followed was one of the most embarrassing security breaches in Panemian history. Young gamemaker Carisa Mayberry, in an attempt to impress a boy she met online, revealed top-secret information concerning numerous elements of the arena. The boy went on to shout the news to every news outlet that would listen, and in no time at all the knowledge that the arena would be a meadow infested with venomous snakes was public information. It was far too late for Violet and her team to change the arena. It was all they could do to try and jail Carisa for her actions. To ensure this would never happen again, Violet and her team passed what would later be known as Turpin's law. Turpin's law stated that the punishment for interfering with or revealing any Capitol project without authorization would result in life imprisonment for a Capitolite and death for a district citizen. This law would remain in effect for almost two centuries before it was repealed. President Obsidian ruled the roost for another year, quieting rebellion with her mysteriously sporadic peacekeepers. While Kasey's underdog victory had been refreshing for the districts, the sheer complexity of the arena was enough to keep them intimidated into silence. This marked the first entirely peaceful year since the year of the seventy-fourth Hunger Games six years prior.
The career districts were each excited to send a pair of their best students. District 1's tributes were as beautiful as always. The boy was muscular, tall, and built to use the brute force weapons like clubs and maces. Meanwhile, the girl was blonde and seductive and extremely stereotypical, and she was famous as the daughter of two famous District 1 jewel cutters. The boy from District 2 was the star of the show this year—he was muscular, charming, charismatic, and he scored an impressive ten and 3-1 odds. His female counterpart was much shier and more reserved, and her laid-back nature played well with the Capitol. District 4 provided the cream of the crop this year. The male was a stunning, dark-skinned brute with your standard issue cold career heart, while the female was short and swift and one of the fastest tributes the games had ever seen. The scores of the pack were impressive: four tens and two nines.
There was a somewhat bland crop of outliers, and many of them were much more forgettable than some other years. Shocker from 5 was almost seven feet tall, charismatic, and handsome, and he stole the show with his swordplay and survival skills. He quickly became a Capitol favorite. None of the other outliers scored higher than a seven. Annabelle from 7 managed a seven despite only being twelve years old, and she was cute, mysterious, and playful enough to steal the hearts of the audience. The rest of the outliers scored between six and two in their private sessions. Very few of the other tributes stood out, and even Shocker and Annabelle were mostly memorable for their scores. There were no volunteers besides the careers. Here are the tributes:
District 1: Zion Gusten, 18, (10) 5-1 and Ivelisse Lodes, 17, (9) 7-1
District 2: Tarquinius Orfe, 18, (10) 3-1 and Cyndala Parish, 16, (9) 8-1
District 3: Silicon Carver, 12, (2) 73-1 and Tallie Chett, 15, (5) 26-1
District 4: Coast Giddens, 17, (10) 4-1 and Danube Luongo, 18, (10) 3-1
District 5: Shocker Ingrams, 17, (10) 4-1 and Kaelyn Lane, 16, (4) 31-1
District 6: Buster Sharrer, 14, (3) 60-1 and Rueda Gershwin, 17, (5) 24-1
District 7: Maple Pedroia, 18, (7) 14-1 and Annabelle Haslit, 12, (7) 18-1
District 8: Velcro Godwin, 18, (5) 24-1 and Lissa Wolfe, 16, (6) 20-1
District 9: Dillon Baron, 16, (5) 25-1 and Blanche Clagett, 16, (7) 16-1
District 10: Leo Warland, 18, (7) 14-1 and Bunny Shildneck, 18, (4) 29-1
District 11: Ambrose Cutter, 14, (2) 69-1 and Elle Jalbert, 13, (3) 49-1
District 12: Verney Trainer, 15, (3) 45-1 and Brigitta Funnel, 16, (4) 34-1
HGBO Bets: 25% on Danube, 19% on Tarquinius, 17% on Coast, 16% on Zion, 10% on Shocker, 8% on Cyndala, 7% on Ivelisse, 3% on Annabelle, 2% on Maple, Blanche, and Leo, 1% or less on Silicon, Tallie, Kaelyn, Buster, Rueda, Velcro, Lissa, Dillon, Bunny, Ambrose, Elle, Verney, and Brigitta.
THE GAMES
True to the news Carisa Mayberry so inappropriately leaked, this year's arena was a breathtakingly beautiful meadow. The cornucopia was nestled between two short hills in the dead center of the arena, and it was made of sparkly metal that glistened and gleamed in the sunlight. The meadow rolled on for miles in all directions, and it was scattered with an assortment of flowers more colorful than a crowd of Capitol citizens. Here and there stood small rock formations, the largest of which was a tall cliff to the north with lots of fissures and crevices in which the tributes could hide. Just south of the cornucopia, there was a stunning blue lake that was the color of polished turquoise. A thick forest surrounded the meadow to prevent tributes from reaching the force field—the trees grew closer and closer together until they were so close-knit a human body couldn't fit through. There was one big killjoy, though. The snakes. There were thousands of these snakes in the arena. They were each about three feet long, emerald green, and with patterned scales that looked like the designs on Persian carpets. Their cherry-colored tongues gave them impeccable smell, and their fangs injected enough venom to kill in hours. The snakes lived in small burrows around the arena, though they could also be found in dark, damp spaces like caves and the damp soil at the bottoms of lakes (they could hold their breaths for days at a time). In addition to the serpents there were a number of other harmless mutts, such as butterflies, songbirds, mice, and deer. Because of the elaboration of the seventy-ninth's arena, funds were lacking, so Violet had no choice but to make this year's arena much more vanilla. She still thought she could pull off an interesting games, however. She just had to play her cards right.
The sparkling gem of the sun shone on the various supplies surrounding the shimmering metallic cornucopia. It was an agreeable temperature—roughly seventy degrees Fahrenheit—and the tributes were relieved. After so many games with harsh natural conditions, they were grateful that the risk of natural deaths would not be quite so high this time around.
When the gong rang, two tributes fled: Tallie from 3 and Lissa from 8. As the two girls fled into the meadow, the other twenty-two surged forward. The bloodbath this year would claim a huge twelve lives.
Danube sprinted at the head of the onrush, powering far ahead of the other careers due to her speed. She picked up a bow, nocked an arrow, and started firing. A nearby boy gasped as an arrow landed in his chest, and he fell to his elbows, coughing up blood. Danube ran to his side to retrieve her arrow as the bloodbath began in earnest.
Verney Trainer, District 12 Male: 24th, Killed by Danube, Bloodbath
In distress, Verney's district partner raced to his side and tried to staunch the flow of blood from his wound, but the girl quickly realized that he was beyond saving. She got to her feet and immediately felt the bite of Tarquinius' broadsword in her gut. The 2 boy grinned as he sawed the blade back and forth, and the 12 girl fell on top of her district partner moments later.
Brigitta Funnel, District 12 Female: 23rd, Killed by Tarquinius, Bloodbath
Ivelisse grabbed an outlier boy by the back of his neck. He tried to run, but Ivelisse shoved him to the ground and pinned him down with her ankles. Ivelisse shouted for nearby Cyndala to hand her a weapon, and Cyndala handed her a miniature hatchet, which she planted into the boy's chest.
Velcro Godwin, District 8 Male: 22nd, Killed by Ivelisse, Bloodbath
Zion swept up a spear and attacked his first victim. A shorter girl was standing just beside the cornucopia, struggling to shove loaves of bread into a bright purple pack, and Zion thrust his spear into her chest. The girl stumbled backward, moaning with pain, and she quickly found herself cornered against the cornucopia by two careers: Zion and Coast. Both boys had spears, and they went to town on the girl, peppering her torso with holes until she was unrecognizable.
Rueda Gershwin, District 6 Female: 21st, Killed by Zion and Coast, Bloodbath
Danube made her next kill. She squinted her eyes to keep out the sunshine as she scouted the cornucopia field, and she spotted a boy half-limping, hands clapped to his side. He was bleeding out from a wound Danube had inflicted seconds prior. Danube fired two arrows into his heart with perfect precision. The boy was moments away from death, and he barely felt it.
Leo Warland, District 10 Male: 20th, Killed by Danube, Bloodbath
Shocker from 5, armed with two hunting knives, pulled a tiny twelve-year-old boy off of the ground and threw him aside like nothing. The boy crumpled into a heap upon landing, and Shocker buried the first of his hunting knives into his back. He howled and tried to crawl away, but he kept slipping in the pool of his own blood and he bled out quickly.
Silicon Carver, District 3 Male: 19th, Killed by Shocker, Bloodbath
Zion tossed his spear once again, aiming at an emaciated girl from one of the poorest districts of Panem. She was too shocked to sidestep before the point of the spear punctured her neck, killing instantly.
Bunny Shildneck, District 10 Female: 18th, Killed by Zion, Bloodbath
Tarquinius made his second and third kills in rapid succession. A few feet away, two girls were fighting over a bag containing medical supplies. The two girls didn't see Tarquinius was coming until it was too late. The taller girl screamed as the point of the career's broadsword skewered through her abdomen and protruded from her front. The other girl was dumbfounded with shock, frozen to the spot, and Tarquinius easily polished her off.
Blanche Clagett, District 9 Female: 17th, Killed by Tarquinius, Bloodbath
Kaelyn Lane, District 5 Female: 16th, Killed by Tarquinius, Bloodbath
Coast spotted a young boy amidst the chaos and closed one eye, tossing his spear. Coast nodded with satisfaction as the spear arced along its path before landing in his back. The small boy was dead by the time his knees hit the ground, and Coast ran to his side to retrieve his weapon as the boy's blood ran in rivers through the grass.
Ambrose Cutter, District 11 Male: 15th, Killed by Coast, Bloodbath
Cyndala was the last career without a kill, but she was determined to make one before the end of the bloodbath. She saw the perfect opportunity when a boy ran right in front of her, wanting to worm his way past the 2 girl to reach the cornucopia. Cyndala snatched the boy straight off of the ground and thrust a nearby dagger into his chest.
Maple Pedroia, District 7 Male: 14th, Killed by Cyndala, Bloodbath
Danube's arrows were the deadliest weapons in these games, and a dark-haired boy knew there was no escape when the first of the 4 girl's arrows whizzed past his neck, missing by millimeters. The boy tried to run in a zigzag pattern to escape her arrows, but he ran straight into Tarquinius from 2 and fell to the ground. He was trapped between the two strongest tributes in these games. Danube and Tarquinius killed him over the course of about ten minutes, and his screams could be heard by several of the other tributes who had, unlike him, escaped the bloodbath with their lives.
Buster Sharrer, District 6 Male: 13th, Killed by Danube and Tarquinius, Bloodbath
The rest of Day 1 was deathless. The careers, their pack unbroken unlike last year, paraded around the cornucopia. Tarquinius and Danube, the two strongest tributes, acted as overseers to the others, giving orders and only occasionally stopped to lend a hand at the work. After a few minutes Danube left for a short hunt, and she returned minutes later reporting the lands in the immediate vicinity of the cornucopia were empty of prey. Zion and Ivelisse sat in the back of the cornucopia and sorted supplies. For whatever reason, it was a tradition for District 1 tributes to sort supplies together on the first day, and the tributes laughed and told jokes to pass the time. Coast gathered all of the poison he could find—he knew from the leaked information that the arena was packed with snake mutts, and he was planning on fighting fire with fire, or poison with poison, rather. Cyndala sat in a dark corner of the horn sorting rations. She felt lonely and depressed and extremely left out. Being the most forgettable career, she didn't really feel she had a place in the pack. Around noon, the pack left to hunt, leaving only Coast to guard the supplies.
The outliers went their separate ways, wanting to get to safety before the first day ended. Tallie forayed the meadow, munching on flowers that she recognized as edible. The stems and blossoms were a little bitter, but the girl didn't complain. At nightfall she settled near a thin stream, a tributary of one of the larger rivers that spindled off of the sparkling lake, and she quickly fell asleep. Shocker had a mint-green pack that contained food, water, and medical supplies. He jogged toward the large cliff to the north and reached it a few hours before nightfall. The boy crawled into a crevice for shelter, and when a snake mutt wandered inside, Shocker grabbed it with both hands and twisted it back and forth, choking it to death. Annabelle, armed with a bow and three arrows, silently followed a deer mutt for most of the day. When the deer stopped to sip from a crystal-clear stream, Annabelle shot it in the belly, killing it. Using sponsored knife and salt, she sliced up the meat and wrapped it with part of her shirt to preserve it. Lissa jogged south for most of the day, and she stopped, out of breath, between two large boulders. She nestled between them, and she fit very comfortably, the absence of a pillow being her only inconvenience. Dillon almost sprained his ankle on his path away from the horn. Half-limping, he ventured through the meadow with his knife and a handbook on insects. He managed to get his water content by eating butterflies, which his handbook said were edible and very nutritious. Elle was terrified—she had nothing but a coil of wire and she was alone in the middle of the snake-infested meadow. She crawled to a nearby tree and dragged herself onto the lowest bough, crying softly to herself. There was peace in the arena as day turned into night.
Day 2 was similarly deathless. The career pack continued hunting. They were hunting in the meadow, but moving in the direction of the large stone cliff, hoping to reach it by noon the following day. They were set back when Zion started having an awful allergic reaction with the wildflowers in the meadow—ugly red spots were appearing on his face and his nose was stuffy. For the rest of the day Zion complained about everything—the drinking water being too warm, the smell of the flowers being too strong, and much more. Ivelisse, his loyal friend, stuck at his side, but even her patience was wavering as Zion whined louder and louder. While the two District 1 tributes rested, Tarquinius and Danube had a number of friendly duels. They both covered the sharp parts of their weapons with rubber seals to keep from hurting each other. Tarquinius taught himself a few new tricks with his broadsword, while Danube increased her already impeccable aim. All the while, Cyndala sat by, a blank slate look on her face. She was feeling more and more left out by the hour, and she was beginning to regret her decision of volunteering—she wished she'd waited until a year where the other careers would include her more often.
There was very little action among the outliers. Tallie continued picking flowers she recognized as edible, and she impressed the audience by weaving a basket with flower stems so tight that even water couldn't seep through. Tallie then piled a number of plants into the basket, creating a kind of salad, and she went to bed that night with a full stomach. Shocker attracted quite a lot of attention after choking the snake mutt to death, and when he requested the supplies to build a flamethrower they were sponsored to him in minutes. A note warned that, while all of the supplies to build the flamethrower would be given, it would be his job to find fuel. Annabelle rested in the thick of the forest, munching on small pieces of the deer she'd killed the day prior. The meat was tasty stuff, and she was thankful to have a food supply that would easily be able to last her through the first week. Elle was sleeping in the bough of the tree when she slipped and fell ten feet to the ground. Elle groaned and tried to move, but she'd broken both of her legs. She tried to drag herself away with her arms, but the slightest movement brought on unbearable pain.
Lissa was nestled between her two boulders, sleeping contentedly, when a chilling hiss woke her up. Three snake mutts were slithering in her direction, razor-sharp fangs bared. Lissa screamed and leapt to her feet, running east in an attempt to escape. The snake mutts were driving her toward another tribute, Dillon. Once the two tributes met, the snake mutts were recalled into their dark underground burrows.
"Hey. What's up?" Lissa asked, starting closer to Dillon.
Dillon faltered. His heart was beating a million miles an hour, and every cell in his body was screaming for him to run.
He shrugged, trying to remain calm. "Dunno. Is this the part where we kill each other?"
"No," Lissa answered. "All six careers are still alive. We'd best band together. We'd last longer."
And from then on the pair were allies. They shared supplies and stories, and then they started travelling toward the large stone cliff in the distance. At a slow walk, they couldn't reach it in one day, so they stopped at nightfall under a stone overhang and waited for morning to arrive.
A cannon shot fired at eight o'clock the next morning. The portion of the career pack that was hunting (Zion, Ivelisse, Tarquinius, Cyndala, and Danube) made the decision to split up. They were starting to realize how inefficient it was to hunt in the open meadow in one group, especially considering that they had so many members. Tarquinius suggested that, if they all went separate ways, they might be able to cover the entire meadow before Day 3 was over. The five careers split apart and spindled outward from that place, hoping to find prey. Cyndala was traipsing slowly along, holding her dagger, when she spotted a tribute: Tallie from 3, who was piling more stems into her basket. Tallie tried to run, but she was frozen to the spot.
"Don't kill me!" Tallie screamed. "Go away!"
Cyndala burst into tears. Her heart hurt terribly for the poor girl. She could easily have killed little Tallie, but as long as she lived she would always know that she had taken a human life. And as a strict believer in a higher power, she had to believe they would know as well.
"Run," Cyndala whispered. "Quick, before the others…"
But she was cut off as Danube snatched her straight off of the ground. Danube fired two arrows into the chest of the traitor "career" girl. Cyndala wriggled helplessly and tried to free herself, but Danube's grip was strong. When Cyndala's cannon fired, Danube dropped her to the ground, and she collapsed like a torn paper doll. Tallie had already escaped by that point.
Cyndala Parish, District 2 Female: 12th, Killed by Danube, Day 3
The remainder of the third day was largely unexciting. On the outskirts of the forest, Elle groaned softly to herself, wriggling helplessly and willing her wounds to heal. After only one day without water, her mouth and throat felt like they were on fire. Elle screamed for help, but her voice was so weak that a tribute couldn't hear it if they were ten meters away. Lissa and Dillon continued their journey to the cliff. At one point they arrived at the sparkling blue lake, and they refilled their thermoses before continuing their journey. Only two snake mutts attacked them on Day 3, and Dillon easily managed to decapitate them with his knives.
The latter half of Day 3 passed with a singular peak of excitement. Shocker and Annabelle were within only a few meters of each other, and the gamemakers caused a small deer to scamper between them. The two tributes moved toward the mutt, and then the deer ambled away, leaving the two tributes alone and facing each other. Shocker had a sword (his flamethrower was far from complete) and Annabelle had her bow and arrows, so neither tribute was defenseless, but neither was particularly well-prepared either. Over the course of about fifteen minutes the tributes inflicted small cuts and scrapes. Once, Shocker managed to nick Annabelle's shoulder with his sword, but that was the worst injury inflicted. After twenty minutes the tributes gave up and fled in opposite directions to nurse their wounds.
On Day 4, Elle was finally put out of her suffering. At sunrise, a single emerald-colored snake mutt came into sight, and Elle just sighed, grateful that her misery was about to end. There was a short pinch as the mutt bit her ankle, and the ice-cold venom shut down her heart in minutes.
Elle Jalbert, District 11 Female: 11th, Killed by Snake Muttations, Day 4
The career pack returned to the cornucopia and filled Coast in on the fact that they had lost one member. Zion kept whining about everything, and though Ivelisse kept siding with him she was starting to get put up with his annoying person. Tarquinius, the most annoyed of the group, kept shouting for Zion to stop whining, but the 1 boy refused to stay quiet.
Tallie reached a wide stream, one of the rivers that branched off of the sparkling blue lake, and raced along its curved path. She couldn't believe her luck—out of all the tributes that could have found her, it was the one who would refuse to kill her. She was starting to develop a cold, but her mentor Wiress held back the painkillers she so desperately wanted, knowing the money would be better spent later on. Annabelle fled from her duel with Shocker and came to a stop at a riverside. She pulled a few medical supplies out of her pack, cleaned her bandages, and started binding them over her wounds to staunch the blood flow. Day 4 was a rest day for Annabelle. Lissa and Dillon reached the cliff and began their journey upward; the quest was precarious, but both tributes liked the adventure, and a sponsored pillow made their nights much less uncomfortable.
Only one more death occurred before Day 4 was out. Danube was sleepily standing guard at the cornucopia, while the other four career tributes were hunting. Shocker was shuffling through the meadow, absentmindedly fiddling with his mechanical parts, when the cornucopia, a faint sparkling smudge on the horizon, came into sight. His feet were moving toward the cornucopia ten seconds before his brain had time to catch up. There would probably only be one career at the cornucopia, and the confident, reckless boy figured killing them off and taking a few supplies wouldn't be hard.
And it wasn't. Whether by skill or sheer luck, Danube didn't spot Shocker coming until it was too late. Shocker buried the blade of his broadsword into Danube's side, and the 4 girl whipped her head around, screaming. Shocker started to scoop up supplies, but he realized that reinforcements would come quickly, so all he did was sweep up a sky-blue pack and then race away into the meadow.
Danube Luongo, District 4 Female: 10th, Killed by Shocker, Day 4
Days 5 and 6 were deathless. The careers hunted every day, bored and frustrated. Zion continued his whining, and Ivelisse continued to support him, but on Day 5 she finally broke. Ivelisse stamped her foot on the ground and told Zion that he had better keep quiet or he might as well sign his death warrant. Tarquinius was the only tribute who was glad that Danube was dead; now he was the sole leader of the pack, and he liked his newfound position of power. Coast sided with Tarquinius, not wanting to get on the bad side of the strongest tribute left in these games
Tallie continued travelling alongside the curved stream, munching on stems and sipping water whenever she got thirsty. Wiress finally gave into her pleads and sent her a single pill to help her with her cold, and it numbed her discomfort for a few hours but ultimately did nothing to cure her. Shocker settled in a small cave near the forest, letting the sponsor parachutes build up around him as he worked on his flamethrower. When finished, the weapon would only be able to send fire about a foot, and with grass as his only fuel it could only work for a few seconds at a time, but the Capitol still gobbled it up. Annabelle continued healing, feeding herself on cubes of meat from the dead deer and sponsor foods. Lissa and Dillon finally reached the peak of the mountain on Day 6, only to find an enormous pit inhabited by snake mutts. The tributes screamed and raced back down the cliff side; with two-dozen snakes on their sixes, adrenaline was powering them downward. Miraculously, neither tribute was injured. When they reached the base, the tributes leapt into a small cave, and Dillon plugged the entrance with dirt. Lissa and Dillon huddled inside, shivering, waiting for the snakes to leave.
The morning of Day 7, a cloud of black smoke billowed upward from the east end of the arena. The night before, Shocker had stayed up for hours putting the finishing touches onto his flamethrower, but he didn't want to test the weapon until he was caught up on his sleep. The excited boy quickly ate breakfast, scooped up the weapon that was assembled entirely by his hands, and pulled the trigger. The weapon was supposed to work like this: when the trigger was pulled, a wall would snap in half, mixing together two liquids. These would then catch the loaded grass on fire. This chamber would depressurize as the fire used up the oxygen inside, eventually causing a small hole to burst and the flames to shoot out for a few moments.
When Shocker pulled the trigger, the two liquids mixed together as planned, but the chamber depressurized so quickly that the entire area burst open, rather than emptying from a small pinpoint area. Flaming liquid flew in all directions, splashing over Shocker and the grass. Shocker rolled on the ground, trying to beat out the flames, but he was quickly fried to death despite his best efforts. The fire continued after his death, spreading outward and turning the fuzzy green grass to crumbly black waste.
Shocker Ingrams, District 5 Male: 9th, Killed by Himself, Day 7
That left the final eight: Zion Gusten and Ivelisse Lodes from District 1, Tarquinius Orfe from District 2, Tallie Chett from District 3, Coast Giddens from District 4, Annabelle Haslit from District 7, Lissa Wolfe from District 8, and Dillon Baron from District 9.
Annabelle was sleeping at the riverside when she awoke to the smell of the foul black smoke. She jumped to her feet and almost screamed—the fire was mere meters away, and it was spreading quickly. Annabelle swept up her supplies, including her bow and arrows, and leapt into the river. She waded outward until she was waist-depth, and then she splashed briskly in the direction of the flowing water, hoping the fire would extinguish itself soon. Lissa and Dillon, after receiving a sponsor note that the snakes were gone and it was safe to leave the cave, had only travelled a few minutes away when they saw the fire barreling in their direction. The allied tributes raced back to the cliff; it was made of stone, and on its slopes they were safe from the fire.
Tallie was sleeping beside the lake when she saw the fire coming, and she was so surprised she rolled into the water. Tallie got back to her feet, sopping wet, and grabbed her only belonging in the world: her basket and the edible plants it contained. She swam to the middle of the lake, holding the basket above the water so it couldn't get wet, and treaded water for several minutes.
It was only a matter of time before the fire reached the cornucopia. Tarquinius was standing guard when he saw the fire coming. It was coming from behind, so he didn't notice the inferno until it was too late. Tarquinius roared for his allies to run for their lives. Ivelisse woke first and helped Zion to his feet, and the two tributes sprinted to safety. The 1s and Tarquinius regrouped at the lake about an eighth of a mile away. But they'd forgotten a tribute. Coast from 4 was sleeping in the back of the cornucopia, and he only woke when the horn started flooding with black smoke. He stumbled toward the entrance, coughing and trying to wipe the tears from his eyes, but it was no use. Inhaling so much smoke in such a short period of time was almost instantly lethal.
Coast Giddens, District 4 Male: 8th, Killed by Shocker, Day 7
The morning of Day 8, after the fire had been burning for nearly twenty-four hours, dark clouds rolled in. With the first clap of thunder, freezing-cold rain was pouring down onto the meadow, forest, and cliff. The brush fire was fully extinguished in moments.
The only three careers left in these games were Zion, Ivelisse, and Tarquinius, and on Day 8 one of these tributes met their end. Zion just kept on complaining, more and more. He complained about the sun being too bright. He complained about the air smelling too much like smoke. By this point, Ivelisse had split apart from Zion and joined Tarquinius' side—both tributes were thoroughly fed up with Zion's whining.
"Shut up!" Tarquinius screamed after one particularly loud tantrum from the 1 boy. "You're in the Hunger Games! Of course we're not going to be sleeping in a five star hotel every night!"
"But the ground is just so…"
But the audience never found out what the ground was, because at that moment Tarquinius whipped out his broadsword and planted it into Zion's head, nearly cleaving his skull completely in half. Zion was killed instantly, and Tarquinius just sighed, relieved that the nightmare was over with.
Zion Gusten, District 1 Male: 7th, Killed by Tarquinius, Day 8
Ivelisse stared at Tarquinius in disbelief. She knew Tarquinius didn't care for Zion's whining, but she didn't think he'd ever dare to kill him for it. Ivelisse turned and ran, tears streaming down her cheeks. Tarquinius halfheartedly threw objects at her back, but he wasn't putting much effort into his tosses. He knew Ivelisse would die quickly without his help, and besides, Tarquinius didn't mind being the only real career left in the games. Now he wouldn't have to share his supplies with any other tributes, for one thing.
After that, Days 9, 10, and 11 were all deathless. Ivelisse, having split apart from Tarquinius, fled westward, sprinting through the meadow until she reached the forest. Whenever snake mutts slithered out of the shadows, Ivelisse ran even faster, and she reached the forest around noon on Day 9. Ivelisse shinnied up a tree and settled in the lowest bough, where she rested for nearly two days, feeding herself on sponsored water and berries. Annabelle was sponsored a machete, and she rested in a small cave. She practiced with her machete by cutting down unsuspecting songbirds that fluttered inside. Lissa and Dillon made another trip up and down the cliff. It wasn't much, but it kept them relevant. Plus, there were fewer snake mutts around the cliff, which was a definite advantage.
Tarquinius, the only remaining member of the career pack, hunted through the meadow and forest. He had only been hunting for a few hours when he saw a small girl mere meters away, Tallie from 3. Tallie tried to run, but something about Tarquinius' eyes entranced her, making it impossible to turn away. "Don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you. I want your help," Tarquinius said. The famous silver tongue of District 2 tributes was being put to use for the first time in years. "I'll give you food and water and everything else. All I need in exchange is for you to help me with my work at the cornucopia."
Tarquinius turned around and moved toward the cornucopia, and Tallie followed, almost hypnotized. Tarquinius' plan was devious. The 2 boy wanted to destroy the cornucopia, but he knew that it was nearly indestructible by normal means. The only things that could destroy the cornucopia were explosives, and if Tarquinius played his cards right he could use the 3 girl as a miniature bomb. For three days Tarquinius fed the little girl on huge amounts of food and water, and the girl quickly grew to feel comfortable and safe with the 2 boy as company.
On the morning of Day 12, Tarquinius' plan was ready. Early in the morning, when Tallie was sleeping, Tarquinius grabbed a pin and slid it into her neck.
"Oh shit!" Tarquinius screamed. "A snake just bit you! Did you feel its fangs?"
"Yeah!" Tallie yelled, rubbing her neck. "Was it venomous?"
"Definitely," Tarquinius said. "I don't think there's any cure. You have to dig into your neck and carve out the poison before it's too late!"
The naïve, dim-witted little girl was too terrified not to follow the career boy's directions. As Tallie dug into her neck, struggling to dislodge the poison that wasn't there, Tarquinius fled, not wanting to be near when the explosion occurred.
Tallie's knife quickly clanged against her tracker, and the gamemakers couldn't risk the girl dislodging it. The gamemakers blew Tallie sky high. Her body, and the entire cornucopia, was blown to smithereens. Half a mile away, Tarquinius gazed with awe and triumph at the smoking ruins of the cornucopia, grinning madly.
Tallie Chett, District 3 Female: 6th, Killed by Exploding Tracker, Day 12
Minutes later, another cannon shot rolled over the meadow. Annabelle received a note from her mentor Barley telling her that the Capitol was growing bored with her inactivity. The scared girl scooped up her bow and arrows and sprinted toward the rocky cliff to the north, hoping to reach it by dusk. At the same moment, Lissa and Dillon were venturing down the cliff face. Annabelle spotted the two allies too late to escape. Lissa and Dillon chased after her, each tribute holding a knife, and Anabelle screamed for help while she struggled to place more space between herself and the allies.
After about an eighth of a mile, Annabelle turned around and fired an arrow in the direction of the allies. The arrow missed, as did her next two. Now, she held a bow with no arrows. She quickly grew tired, and the stronger, older allies caught up to her quickly. Lissa and Dillon both went in with their knives. Both tributes were thoroughly disgusted, but kept at the job until her cannon fired.
Annabelle Haslit, District 7 Female: 5th, Killed by Lissa and Dillon, Day 12
The twelfth night in the arena was uneventful for the final four. Tarquinius continued hunting, as bloodthirsty as ever. With the cornucopia blown straight off of the map, he had no permanent home; Tarquinius settled wherever his whims carried him for short power naps every few hours, eliminating the need for a single long rest at night. Lissa and Dillon remained loyal allies despite the increasing pressure to split, and they slept on the outskirts of the meadow. One of Lissa's sponsors sent her snake repellant, which she sprayed around their sleeping area to help keep away the venomous mutts. Ivelisse, lying on her back in the meadow, gave a long speech to the audience. She told the Capitol about her years of fatherly abuse and the way she'd been forced to train against her will. It was all lies, and her story was pretty see-through, but inventing the story kept her brain working. It helped distract her from everything else that was going on in the stressful games.
Day 13 proved to be the last day of the eightieth Hunger Games. The first half of the day was uneventful. Tarquinius continued hunting in the meadow, believing that the cliff and the forest would likely be empty of tributes this late in the games. Lissa and Dillon travelled toward the cornucopia, knowing that the gamemakers often drove tributes to the cornucopia (or, at least, what was left of it) when there were only a few tributes left. Lissa and Dillon were about halfway to the cornucopia when they spotted Ivelisse's golden blonde hair a few meters away.
Ivelisse leapt out of her hiding place, holding her miniature hatchets. Lissa and Dillon hesitated for a moment, but they were both resilient tributes, and they quickly got themselves ready for a fight. Lissa lashed out with her knife, and Ivelisse quickly retaliated. While she blocked Lissa's blow, Dillon attempted to make a gash in her side, but the 1 girl scrambled out of the way. Their fight went on for about five minutes with the tributes inflicting small cuts and scrapes. Finally, Ivelisse found the opportunity to thrust her hatchet blade into Dillon' chest. Lissa tried to help him shield away the weapon, but she wasn't fast enough. Dillon let out a groan as the hatchet landed in his chest, and he tumbled to the ground, moaning and gurgling as he coughed up blood.
Dillon Baron, District 9 Male: 4th, Killed by Ivelisse, Day 13
An instant later, Ivelisse fell to her knees, dead. While the 1 girl was finishing Dillon off, Lissa had snuck around her, and she planted her knife into her back before she had time to sidestep. Ivelisse was in too much pain to scream. Mouth open wide, she rocked back and forth on her knees until her death.
Ivelisse Lodes, District 1 Female: 3rd, Killed by Lissa, Day 13
Lissa gasped as a bone-chilling hiss rang in her ears: ten snake mutts were right behind her, and each of them was reared up, fangs bared. Lissa dropped everything but her knife and raced in the direction of the cornucopia's ruins. Tarquinius was taking a short rest when the stench of ozone woke him up. Seconds later, a lightning bolt struck down a short distance away. Tarquinius scissored through the meadow, avoiding the lightning bolts that threatened to fry him to a crisp.
The finalists reached the cornucopia at the same moment. The lightning bolts cleared, and the snake mutts slithered in the opposite direction. Tarquinius had been preparing for this moment his entire life. If he won, he would bring District 2 its twentieth victor. Lissa was the true underdog; she'd been brought up in 8 to two factory worker parents, and with all of the outlying districts rooting for her it didn't seem impossible that she could pull out the win.
It was obvious who would win from the start. Lissa was too stunned to fight back for the first few seconds; by the time she got to her senses, Tarquinius had gashed open her torso with his broadsword. Lissa keened in pain, shrieking. She was forced to drop her knife. Holding her organs inside of her body required the effort of both hands. Lissa made a desperate attempt to run, but Tarquinius knocked her to the ground as easily as a domino. The 8 girl bled out in minutes despite her best attempts to cling onto life.
Lissa Wolfe, District 8 Female: 2nd, Killed by Tarquinius, Day 13
"Tarquinius Orfe of District 2, you are the victor of the eightieth annual Hunger Games!" Caesar sang.
Tarquinius grinned madly and raised his bloodstained sword into the air for all to see.
Tarquinius Orfe, District 2 Male: Victor of the Eightieth Hunger Games, Day 13
AFTERMATH
District 2 welcomed their twentieth victor heartily. The celebrations were just as numerous and flamboyant as they were for Lana Voltaire, their tenth victor. It seemed to be a tradition in the career districts to celebrate every ten victors especially extravagantly. Children were given two weeks off of school to celebrate. Hours at the stone quarries were cut down significantly, and parcel day brought an especially large supply of food to the poor of District 2. Tarquinius loved the attention and the celebration, but he found it thoroughly exhausting, and he was glad to move into the peace and quiet of the Victor's Village. President Obsidian, unlike President Snow, was strictly against victor prostitution, and only allowed it with the consent of the victors themselves. Tarquinius was one of the few victors who actually didn't mind it, and he might have even enjoyed it.
Tarquinius moved into the Victor's Village of District 2, the nineteenth victor to do so.
His victory tour was a huge success; he turned out to be a great public speaker, and he knew how to please a crowd.
Tarquinius would live to age eighty, dying from pneumonia the month before the one-hundred forty-second annual Hunger Games. He wouldn't marry or have children, but he would have a number of girlfriends throughout his life; he just didn't see any reason to go through the hassle of marriage.
NEWS
Tarquinius settles comfortably into the Victor's Village of District 2, their nineteenth victor to do so.
LIST OF VICTORS
1HG: Cordin Frey (#1, District 3)
2HG: Sapphire Waber (#1, District 1)
3HG: Molly Toliday (#1, District 4)
4HG: Amelia Spangler (#1, District 2)
5HG: Misty Sablone (#1, District 12)
6HG: Olivia Seager (#2, District 2)
7HG: Flux Stafford (#2, District 3)
8HG: Brandi Coyne (#2, District 1)
9HG: Isaac Crandall (#1, District 5)
10HG: Velvet Farrow (#3, District 1)
11HG: Mags Flanagan (#2, District 4)
12HG: Slate Ogston (#3, District 2)
13HG: Woof Dozier (#1, District 8)
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)
70HG: Annie Cresta (#11, District 4)
71HG: Johanna Mason (#3, District 7)
72HG: Remus Daley (#18, District 2)
73HG: Apollo Reinold (#4, District 6)
74HG: Meredith Powell (#4, District 7)
75HG: Struve Lockman (#19, District 2)
76HG: Porcelain Wing (#13, District 1)
77HG: Router Lowell (#9, District 3)
78HG: Surge Upsdell (#7, District 5)
79HG: Kasey Slosser (#5, District 6)
80HG: Tarquinius Orfe (#20, District 2)
A/N: This one was quick, wasn't it? Where I live it's two degrees below zero and there are like two feet of snow and ice outside and you have to spread out your legs and waddle like a penguin to keep from slipping. We introverts know this as the perfect excuse to stay inside all day. And write!
Please review with any thoughts. I hope you all had fun reading this one :D
