THE EIGHTY SEVENTH ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES
"Arabian Nights"
INTRODUCTION
President Stinn Hawke remained the crown jewel of Panem's dictatorship. Floggings and executions in the outlying districts were more rampant than ever before, and taxes were as bloated as Stinn's ministers. Terror tainted the hearts of Panem's citizens like the dead Snow had tainted his enemies' food with poison, festering in the Capitol and infecting the districts in slow succession like a deadly virus. His inhumane methods of keeping the districts in line kept rebellion at a bare minimum this year; the largest riot occurred outside of a meat packaging factory in District 10 and claimed a measly two lives. Members of the Tails political party shrunk into the shadows and followed the president's orders without question. It was the best thing for them and their families, even if it meant withstanding the torture of keeping their political opinions bottled inside of themselves like volcanoes. After a satisfying Hunger Games the year prior, Maddox Courval returned to the post of head gamemaker. After years of waiting in the wings and watching his sworn enemies steering the games ship, Maddox was more than prepared to craft another deadly arena and pour out the horrors of his imagination into the nightmares of district children. Titanius Lafayette ran the pre-games festivities; he was charismatic and likeable and helped to put the cherry on top of the deadly cake of the Hunger Games.
The careers were an okay bunch this year, and they seemed reliable if not exactly groundbreaking. The tributes from 1 were good family friends, and neighbors in one of the jewel-cutting villages on the outskirts of the district. The male was older, your typical all-in-it-for-the-honor career, and he made the Capitol swoon with his spear talents and his muscle. The girl, his junior by one year, was more laid back and unconventional and very pretty, and she preferred knives. District 2 stole the show this year, providing the two strongest tributes in these games. The male was a dark-haired, brutishly attractive boy who was rippling with muscle, while the girl was solitary and more quiet but charismatic enough to earn her share of sponsors. District 4 defied all of their stereotypes this year. The boy was of heavy Asian heritage, a new look for 4 and a contrast to their usual crop of red-haired, freckled kids, whereas the girl was short and had a low-pitched voice that was somewhat masculine. The scores were decent: one eleven, two tens, and three nines.
The outliers this year weren't stellar, but there were still a few standouts. The anti-career pack consisted of Fox from 7, Daniette from 8, and Sage and Zinnia from 11. Fox had been working in the lumberyards of 7 since age twelve to support his large family, so he had lots of smarts and specialized in axes and hatchets. Daniette was more quiet and reserved but still managed an impressive seven with her looks mostly. She could also use the various knives well. The pair from 11, Zinnia and Sage, had similar appearances and senses of humor, and they were both mounds of muscle who would certainly make these games just a bit more interesting. The only other standouts this year were Hector and Calculata from 3. They fell into a heated love affair after being reaped, and were inseparable. There were no volunteers outside of the careers. Here are the tributes:
District 1: Anklet Rinker, 17, (9) 7-1 and Organdy Karat, 16, (9) 6-1
District 2: Fitore Thernstrom, 18, (11) 3-1 and Anastasia Roppling, 18, (10) 4-1
District 3: Hector Coon, 16, (7) 15-1 and Calculata Barns, 16, (4) 32-1
District 4: Delta Channel, 17, (9) 8-1 and Melarri Luongo, 18, (10) 4-1
District 5: Looper Wattson, 12, (2) 72-1 and Tasha Spark, 13, (5) 27-1
District 6: Charle Harwell, 18, (5) 24-1 and Irene Kemper, 12, (3) 58-1
District 7: Fox Rennolls, 16, (8) 12-1 and Janka Helix, 16, (6) 18-1
District 8: Stitch McKerler, 17, (4) 31-1 and Daniette Lorian, 18, (7) 12-1
District 9: Jaime Cassel, 18, (7) 16-1 and Arza Ansbach, 17, (4) 28-1
District 10: Freddie LaFonte, 12, (4) 37-1 and Kitty Landers, 13, (5) 34-1
District 11: Sage Agora, 18, (8) 9-1 and Zinnia Coso, 16, (7) 16-1
District 12: Henri Geissler, 14, (6) 23-1 and Sorcha Callaghan, 12, (2) 69-1
HGBO Bets: 27% on Fitore, 16% on Anastasia, 14% on Melarri, 9% on Anklet, 7% on Organdy, 6% on Delta, 5% on Sage, 4% on Fox, 3% on Daniette and Zinnia, 2% on Hector, Janka, and Jaime, 1% or less on Calculata, Looper, Tasha, Charle, Irene, Stitch, Arza, Freddie, Kitty, Henri, and Sorcha.
THE GAMES
The first thing the tributes would notice when they entered the arena was the oppressive heat. The arena was set far away from Panem, in a place once known as Iran, a desert land where temperatures could peak in the one-hundred tens. The pedestal ring formed a tight circle around the cornucopia, which was fashioned from adobe and housed machetes, spears, and broadswords. Around them, the marketplace of an ancient Arabian city sprawled out in all directions. The marketplace was filled with little wooden stalls selling everything from fruit to dolls to saddles. Beyond the marketplace, there were lines of long, low apartment buildings. The roads of the city were dusty but functional—four broad pathways shot out from the central cornucopia, moving ramrod straight in the four cardinal directions. At the end of each road, there was a large palace. These four palaces were connected with tall brick walls that encircled the city. Beyond the wall there were only slum houses and windswept desert. Peppered throughout the city were small groves of dates, sweet brown fruit that would make up most of the tributes' food supply. A long, broad river wound its way through the city, and it had dozens of tributaries that would gradually dry up as these games progressed. Throughout the games, sandstorms would bring black clouds of sand over the walls of the city, enough to suffocate any tribute whose mouth and nose weren't covered. Vicious camel mutts roamed the city, with saliva that was poisonous in the smallest doses and razor sharp teeth. There were also sand foxes, antelope, and deadly cobra mutts that inhabited cool, dark spaces like the insides of buildings.
The tributes were initially worried when they felt the hot desert air on their backs, but despite the heat of this arena dehydration would not be much of a problem this year. There was lots of water at the cornucopia and around the arena, and there were lots of shady places under which to take shelter from the scorching desert sun. A few of the taller tributes like Charle from 6 were able to see the four palaces looming overhead in the four cardinal directions. All the others could see was a relatively flat expanse of stalls, houses, temples, and apartment buildings stretching into oblivion in all directions.
When the gong rang, three tributes turned to flee: Janka from 7, Arza from 8, and Henri from 12. The other twenty-one tributes burst forward, fighting their way through the mass of little wooden stalls to reach the cornucopia.
Fitore reached the horn first, and his lips curved into a smile when he saw the blade he'd requested from the gamemakers hanging right where he'd asked. He locked his fingers around the blade and turned to face the onslaught of outliers. Fitore pounced toward the nearest girl, but she jumped away before the 2 boy could touch her with his deadly weapon. Less than five seconds later, another tribute came near Fitore, this time a boy. Fitore skewered his sword through his chest like a spear, twirling it left and right to inflict as much damage as possible as his victim moaned sickeningly.
Freddie LaFonte, District 10 Male: 24th, Killed by Fitore, Bloodbath
The first girl Fitore had attacked thought she was safe, but she was wrong. She ran straight into the dark-skinned Melarri from 4, who held a spear in each hand. The girl tried to escape, but she was dumfounded with terror, feet frozen to the ground as though embedded into the stone. Melarri landed her spear in the tribute's neck, and she died swiftly.
Irene Kemper, District 6 Female: 23rd, Killed by Melarri, Bloodbath
Anastasia had been nervously twirling her spear for about ten seconds when she spotted her first victim. About twenty meters away, a boy had tripped over a pack containing loaves of bread and knocked his head on the ground. The boy rubbed his head, blinking back the spots in his vision, and he saw Anastasia towering over him. The shocked outlier let out a scream, but escape was hopeless, and she was doomed to die at the point of the pretty 2 girl's weapon.
Jaime Cassel, District 9 Male: 22nd, Killed by Anastasia, Bloodbath
The anti-careers made their first strike. They were all armed: Fox with a spear, Daniette with machetes, and Sage and Zinnia with swords. Fox tackled the miniscule girl from 12 and shoved the point of his spear into her chest. She collapsed against a nearby stall, coughing up blood, and Fox swallowed up the bile that had risen in his throat before leaving.
Sorcha Callaghan, District 12 Female: 21st, Killed by Fox, Bloodbath
Organdy, gripping two machetes, intercepted an older boy from the textile district who was sprinting around the cornucopia field, trying to find a way to escape without being seen. The boy let out a scream as Organdy came out of nowhere, and his stiff form toppled like a domino at the slightest push from the butt of the career's blade. Organdy used her foot to kick up a cloud of sand that blocked her victim's vision; he was blind and helpless as Organdy cut open his torso with two heavy chops.
Stitch McKerler, District 8 Male: 20th, Killed by Organdy, Bloodbath
Fitore had been stalking the anti-careers around the cornucopia field for nearly a minute when he charged into battle. The huge boy leapt out from behind the pile of crates he had been to hide himself, and the anti-careers scattered with the strongest tribute in these games in their midst. Sage roared with agony as Fitore sawed the blade of his sword back and forth into his side. His ally Zinnia had frozen to her spot, transfixed with horror at the sight of her dying friend. Fox and Daniette tugged Zinnia away.
Sage Agora, District 11 Male: 19th, Killed by Fitore, Bloodbath
Melarri took down a tiny girl from one of the higher-numbered districts, a dangerous smile on her face as she buried the first of her spears into her back. The girl let out a scream and desperately clung onto a nearby girl with whom she had never spoken in her life, carrying her down with her in her descent. The two girls collapsed in a heap, and Melarri skewered her initial victim to death in a matter of moments, blood flooding into her lungs once her abdomen was pierced deep enough. The other girl managed to squirm to safety, but Melarri called for reinforcements, and Anastasia had arrived in seconds to end the escapee with her machetes.
Kitty Landers, District 10 Female: 18th, Killed by Melarri, Bloodbath
Tasha Spark, District 5 Female: 17th, Killed by Anastasia, Bloodbath
Organdy made the last kill. She was inside of the cornucopia, and she spotted a pair of eyes glowing at her from the darkness like cats'; one of the younger boys was hiding inside of the horn, hoping to stay low and come out once it was all over. He had no such luck. The boy leapt to his feet and made a desperate dash for the exit, but all six careers were closing in on him and it was hopeless to even try to escape. The boy just fell to his knees, screaming and sobbing with despair. Organdy sawed her machetes into his chest, and the cannon shots fired the moment his screams faded away fully.
Looper Wattson, District 5 Male: 16th, Killed by Organdy, Bloodbath
The rest of Day 1 was deathless. The careers paraded around the cornucopia. All six of their members had survived the bloodbath, and keeping order was difficult in a group so large, so they broke out into multiple heated arguments and didn't leave to hunt until after noon. Fitore was the leader, with Anastasia as his right-hand man. Anklet and Organdy from 1 banded together, as did Delta and Melarri from 4. The tributes from these districts felt more comfortable in smaller divisions, as it was intimidating to be in the midst of a cluster of six tributes without a close friend or two. The pair from 1 sorted the weapons and the pair from 4 laid out the food rations. Meanwhile, Fitore went hunting and Anastasia stayed back to boss the others around. The pack left quickly after Fitore returned, leaving only Melarri to guard the supplies while they were away.
The outliers sprinted in all directions. Hector and Calculata held hands as they raced away from the cornucopia, each carrying a pack filled with useful supplies. The Capitol had been fawning over their romance ever since the reaping, and they were expecting a kiss, but the duo decided to wait a few days to introduce the romance element despite how much they wanted to dive right in. Hector and Calculata eventually arrived at a small golden temple, and they blockaded the exit with furniture before passing out. Charle had a throwing knife, and adrenaline allowed him to sprint a stellar distance before the first day was over. He entered the humungous palace at the north end of the arena and climbed onto a hidden balcony that looked over the slum houses and windswept desert beyond the walls of the city. The anti-careers arrived at a crystal-clear fountain that smelled sweet. They guzzled the water greedily for several minutes before filling their thermoses and moving onward. Fox, Daniette, and Zinnia ducked under a collapsed stall nearby; though it was more than a little uncomfortable, it hid them all from view as the night trickled onward. Janka climbed into a pen filled with camels, knowing she would be hidden in the middle of their group. She didn't think the camels were dangerous, but after a few hours they started acting suspiciously. They stared at her with a gaze that was a bit too human and moved too suddenly for the 7 girl to be at ease. Arza sprinted onward until she reached the outer wall of the city, which was shady and pleasantly cool. She was one of the tributes who had avoided the bloodbath, and she was too exhausted to find water; she vowed to hydrate herself the following morning. Henri settled down in a crematorium with a solid stone roof that kept out the sun. He kept away from the central furnace to avoid accidents, and the outlier boy lay down on a long cot and smeared some ashes onto himself to blend in better. Sadly, he didn't know what he was smearing all over himself. When the blazing desert sun set, temperatures in the arena dropped into the fifties and sixties, allowing the tributes to sleep at least somewhat comfortably through the night.
As early as Day 2, the careers admitted that their current strategy of hunting was extremely inefficient. This arena had so many complexities and hidden areas that it was just stupid to hunt in such a huge group of six. The pack decided to split into two groups: Organdy and Fitore hunted in the north, whereas Anklet, Anastasia, and Melarri hunted in the south. The arena had radial symmetry, so each group had an equal amount of area to cover. Delta stayed behind to guard the cornucopia. He figured there was no way a desert arena like this one wouldn't incorporate a sandstorm or two, and he wanted to be prepared. The 4 boy took a leaf out of last year's pack's book and layered thick sheets of clear plastic in front of the horn. He poked a few holes to breathe and left a few flaps for exit and entry, but he was at the ready with duct tape in case even these needed to be covered.
Anklet, Anastasia, and Melarri had been on the prowl for less than ten minutes when they arrived at a sparkling fountain. The trio was about to move onward when Anastasia stopped the others, pointing out gleaming watery footprints leading away from the fountain. In fact, there were three sets of footprints, all leading toward the nearby ruins of a collapsed stall. The careers and anti-careers just couldn't seem to stay away from each other this time around.
The careers slowly crept toward the stall, and suddenly the anti-careers burst to full height, holding their weapons at arms' length. Fox had a spear, Daniette had two machetes, and Zinnia had a sword, but the careers were much more formidably armed, holding several layers of backup weapons in case their favorites were stolen or destroyed. Fox hissed to the other anti-careers to stay back and play a defensive game, but Zinnia was already charging forward. When someone trespassed on her property, she fought back. Full stop. She was immediately surrounded by the three grinning careers, and she realized her mistake too late to be saved. Melarri skewered her spear through the girl's chest, and she let out a single soft groan before tumbling sideways, kicking up a cloud of sand when she landed on the ground with a loud noise.
Zinnia Coso, District 11 Female: 15th, Killed by Melarri, Day 2
Fox and Daniette, who were hanging back nervously, accepted that it would be useless to run and sprinted forward. They were outnumbered by one, but the careers were jumbled and disoriented after their killing of the dark-skinned 11 girl so the packs were evened out rather fairly. Daniette tacked the lanky Anklet from District 1, and he might have fallen to the ground if he hadn't stumbled backward and caught his fall on one of the stall's wooden planks. Anklet recovered quickly, and Daniette scampered out of the way at the last second when he went in for another blow. His sword missed her neck by inches.
A few meters away, Fox was downtrodden. He had the seemingly impossible task of fending off both Anastasia and Melarri with a single spear. His forehead was dripping with sweat from the heat of the day and the nerves of the fight and the sheer exhaustion he felt. Fox felt a hand swipe across his back, and for a moment panic trilled through him. He risked a glance over his shoulder and saw only Anklet's limp body sliding down his back in its descent. Moments earlier, Daniette had managed to pull Anklet in with surprising ferocity, knocking his weapon out of his hand and wrapping her arm around his neck. The panicking career boy didn't notice the point of her machete coming closer to his face until it was too late.
Anklet Rinker, District 1 Male: 14th, Killed by Daniette, Day 2
At that, Fox gave the order to flee, and Daniette didn't complain. The anti-careers made a mad dash down an alleyway between two clay buildings. Anastasia and Melarri roared and chased after them, but with so many twists and turns it was easy to lose the anti-careers. Fox and Daniette slid into a dark corner and stayed still and silent until the careers gave up searching and stormed angrily away.
Janka was becoming more and more unnerved by the herd of camels surrounding her. The uncannily intelligent glances and movements of the camels terrified her witless. Janka was not stupid. She knew the camels were probably muttations that were programmed to lash out and kill her at the slightest provocation. Once, Janka slowly tiptoed toward the exit, but one of the camel mutts opened its mouth revealing two rows of razor-sharp fangs. Terrified and confused, Janka fell back to the ground of the pen, praying a miracle would come to rescue her.
That night, the faces of Anklet and Zinnia shone in the sky. As soon as Zinnia's face faded, the tributes' eyes opened wide with fear. There was a kind of wind gathering up, far more intelligent and calculating than normal wind. It swirled into corners and pulled up little whirlwinds of sand. The terrified tributes heard the sound the wind made as it howled over the bare desert sand; like the moaning of a mourner, like the most demented violin music imaginable. A sandstorm was on its way, and the gamemakers knew no mercy.
On the morning of the third day, the huge black cloud of sand came rolling over the desert. The cameras showed a panoramic shot of the pulsating cloud racing over the sand, heading toward the walled Arabian city and the tributes inside. When the storm struck, four of the five careers were asleep in the back of the cornucopia, while Organdy was sleepily standing guard. Organdy saw the sandstorm barreling over the city and turned around to alert the other careers, but they were all awake, having been roused from sleep by the bone-chilling howl of the storm. Delta swept up his roll of duct tape, ready to patch up the holes in the horn's plastic cover in case too much sand slipped through. One moment, the careers watched in earnest as the cloud barreled closer and closer; the next, they were being blasted with scorching hot wind, geysers of sand flying through the holes Delta had poked through the plastic. A panicked Delta struggled to find the end of the roll of duct tape. By the time his shaking hands had found the end of the roll, the horn was flooded ankle-deep with sand. Once the holes were patched, the careers sat on crates and packs and stared awkwardly at each other as the storm howled outside. The only career facing trouble was Organdy. When the sandstorm had first blasted over the cornucopia, a good teaspoon of sand had gone into her mouth and down her throat. Organdy was coughing and choking on and off for several hours before her lungs were completely empty of sand, and even then her chest felt as though it was on fire.
Hector and Calculata sat on the hidden balcony of the golden temple, their feet dangling over the edge. Their mentors and sponsors were constantly pressuring them to start the romance, but the duo just didn't think it was wise to start when there were so many tributes left. However, when they saw the cloud of black sand barreling in their direction, Calculata grabbed Hector by the face and kissed him on the lips. Calculata sprinted into the safety of the temple, and it was several seconds before a paralyzed Hector followed.
Charle had left the north palace minutes earlier. When he heard the wolf-like howl of the sandstorm, he raced down the nearest road he found, keeping his head down to keep from inhaling the sand. Unfortunately, he was too panicked to pick the right direction to travel. By the time he realized he was moving away from the temple rather than toward it, it was too late. Charle stumbled into the river and screamed at the unfamiliar sensation, and then he collapsed into the nearest building, trembling. Fox and Daniette were well-sheltered from the storm in the dark alleyway. Even though an entire day had passed since their brawl with the careers, the duo refused to leave, suspecting that the careers were still nearby and only being quiet to draw them out of their hiding place. Only a very small quantity of sand entered the alleyway, enough to be managed by scooping it away every few minutes. Henri was safe and sound in the crematorium. Smeared with ashes and lying on the warm cot, Henri watched the storm through a large window, jaw set and lips formed into a solid line.
Janka curled up into a ball on the floor of the camel pen when she heard the rumbling of the storm. Because of its distance, the rumble was very faint, but in minutes it had crescendoed into a full-on bellow like that of a running engine. When sand started to pile up in the pen, Janka leapt to her feet, bumping straight into the nearest camel mutt. She stumbled backward when she felt its teeth sinking into her left forearm, and she was trapped. The camel mutts played a strange game like ball, each camel biting some part of her body and then throwing her to a different mutt in turn. Only after the sandstorm cleared was the hovercraft able to lower to lower the claw and collect her corpse.
Janka Helix, District 7 Female: 13th, Killed by Camel Muttations, Day 3
Another cannon shot fired less than a minute later. Arza had returned to the edge of the city after taking a sip from a nearby stream, a tributary of the broad river that wound through the city. One would have thought the curved wall would magnify the howl of the sandstorm, but it actually did the opposite, blocking out the sound until it was too late. Arza was taken by complete surprise when the dark wall of sand crashed over the top of the wall and fell down like snow. Several grains had already landed in her mouth, and she was choking and coughing. Eyes closed, Arza raced to a nearby date grove with the delusion that the trees would provide at least some amount of shelter from the storm. All of the nearby buildings were locked. Despite her best attempts to scoop the sand away, she was helpless as it piled up around her and flew into her mouth, suffocating her to death within an hour.
Arza Ansbach, District 9 Female: 12th, Killed by Sand Suffocation, Day 3
So far, this games was one of the fastest-paced in ages. After a long, drawn-out games the year prior, Maddox wanted a quick year to bring a little variation to the table. It was a big risk—there was always the chance he could rush the games too quickly and face the severest of consequences—but Maddox was confident he could finish the eighty-seventh Hunger Games within a week while also pacing them well enough to keep the Capitol interested.
On the morning of Day 4, Henri awoke to the faintest din. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and got to his feet, peering out the window of the crematorium to investigate. The undulating crowd was too far away for Henri to see them, but within a few minutes he had picked up on the rattling sound of a tambourine and the drone of a mysterious, almost pastoral woodwind instrument. The parade of dancers was growing closer and closer. When Henri saw the first line of veiled dancers, he sprinted into the back of the crematorium, panicking. He knew it wasn't a good idea to stay in the building where there was no back exit, but he was terrified of leaving and lessening the distance between himself and the dancers. The crowd burst through the flimsy front doors of the crematorium, and Henri made a mad dash for the exit. He was immediately thrown up by the undulating crowd, and as they danced their strange dance he was carried up and down, banging against every object in sight in a strange kind of modulation to the exotic tune. Finally, Henri reached the control panel that operated the central fire; with the flick of a switch, the fire roared to life. It fried a couple of dancers to death but left the crowd largely unscathed. It only took a few more moments for Henri to be trampled under the crowd, too battered and tired to fight back any longer.
Henri Geissler, District 12 Male: 11th, Killed by Dancer Muttations, Day 4
Inside of the palace, Charle woke to the faint rumbling of the mutts. He hadn't picked up on the music yet, only the thudding footsteps of their dancing feet on the sand. Charle poked his head out of the door just as a stray tambourine sailed over his head, and Charle disappeared back into the north palace, trembling. There wasn't any furniture in the entrance hall, so all he could do was bunch up the carpet in front of the door and hope it would hold. While the crowd banged against the makeshift barrier, Charle pulled a few sofas into the room to increase the strength of his blockade.
Anastasia was standing guard in front of the cornucopia when she saw the first few dancers trickling into sight. She quickly roused her allies, and they all rushed to the gaping mouth of the horn to take a look for themselves. They only saw five or six on the dancers, and they were in for a huge shock when they made out the hundreds of rows of mutts pouring out of seemingly nowhere. The five careers grabbed their weapons and shakily stood at the ready. They knew that large crowds were famously difficult to fight off, like the avox mutts of the third Quarter Quell or the student mutts of the fifty-second games. The careers had varying degrees of success in fending off the crowd. Fitore, the strongest of the careers, sent three of the dancers reeling with the first heavy chop of his sword, but he was quickly overwhelmed. One of the dancers grabbed his neck, and Fitore pulled away, but for every dancer he knocked to the ground two or three seemed to appear out of nowhere. Before he knew it, he was being dragged down, and he desperately clung onto the wall of the stone cornucopia. Small stepping stones were built into the side of the horn, and Fitore climbed on top, knocking away the dancers who could climb whenever they got too close for comfort. Anastasia tore up a few carpets from the back of the cornucopia and tossed them onto the undulating swell of dancers. Under each carpet, at least five or six of the human mutts collapsed, disoriented and blinded, and Anastasia was the next tribute to join Fitore on top of the cornucopia. Delta was doomed from the start; the only weapons he had on him were two machetes. The crowd had overwhelmed him in seconds, and the screaming 4 boy was being tossed back and forth like a rag doll. Delta's district partner, Melarri, elbowed and kicked her way through the crowd to reach her district partner and help him, but two of the dancers inadvertently smacked her in the face, knocking her to the ground where her windpipe was crushed almost immediately. Delta went moments afterward, similarly trampled by the swarm of dancers.
Melarri Luongo, District 4 Female: 10th, Killed by Dancer Muttations, Day 4
Delta Channel, District 4 Male: 9th, Killed by Dancer Muttations, Day 4
That left the final eight: Organdy Karat from District 1, Fitore Thernstrom and Anastasia Roppling from District 2, Hector Coon and Calculata Barns from District 3, Charle Harwell from District 6, Fox Rennolls from District 7, and Daniette Lorian from District 8.
Organdy, the only career left off of the cornucopia's roof, did a remarkably good job keeping the crowds at bay. She was inspired by the way Anastasia's blankets kicked up so much dust and blinded the mutts; all Organdy did was scoop up handfuls of sand and throw them at the dancers. The dancers weren't very smart, and with sand clogging their vision they were as blind as bats. The dancers stumbled backward, knocking each other over in their descent, and Organdy had more than enough time to climb up onto the horn and to safety.
Fox and Daniette, the anti-careers, woke up just in time. If they'd noticed the dancers moving in their direction five seconds later they would have undoubtedly been killed on the spot. Fox leapt onto the nearest stall, a mass of wooden boards piled high with fruit, and he helped Daniette up. The crowd of dancers crashed into the stall, scattering mangoes and dates in all directions, and the tributes jumped onto the next stall over. It was like the deadliest game of hopscotch imaginable as Fox and Daniette jumped from structure to structure. They all collapsed instantly under their weight and the pressure of the mysterious dancers, and a cloud of dust flared up behind the tributes. It was one of the most cinematic moments in games history. Fortunately, the anti-careers hopped their way to a sturdy stone structure and clambered onto the roof, wriggling free of the dancers that had managed to grab onto their ankles in their ascent.
Hector and Calculata had been drowning in sponsor gifts ever since their first kiss on Day 3. When Calculata pointed out the first line of dancers crashing their way through the city, they kissed for the second time. The crowd of dancers crashed into the temple, causing the metal structure to rumble and quake, but it held strong. On the roof, Hector and Calculata shook with terror and held hands, praying that the mutts couldn't climb. Luck was on their side, and the star-crossed lovers from District 3 were entirely unscathed when the mutts were removed that evening.
That night, Anastasia stayed up long past the other careers fell asleep. She'd promised her family that she would abandon the pack at the final eight, but not before killing off one or both of the other careers. Fitore was sleeping contentedly in the back of the cornucopia, snoring softly, while Organdy was hiding just outside the horn. Coincidentally, Organdy had also been planning on abandoning the pack that night, and when she heard Anastasia's soft movements she decided to wait in the shadows for farther developments. Organdy peered into the cornucopia and watched as Anastasia poured a handful of sand straight into Fitore's throat. At first, the sand did nothing but pool up in his mouth, but then it began siphoning down his throat like an hourglass. He thrashed and shook for nearly a minute before he died from suffocation, and Anastasia wrinkled her nose, disgusted at the mangled corpse of her admittedly handsome district partner.
Fitore Thernstrom, District 2 Male: 8th, Killed by Anastasia, Day 5
Anastasia couldn't believe her plan had succeeded. She threw all of her supplies into her pack and then made a mad dash for the horn's sole exit, where Organdy was pretending to be asleep. Organdy pounced out of the darkness, tackling her fellow malefactor, and Anastasia was too shocked to fight back. She was frozen to the spot as Organdy sliced open her torso, lastly chopping her neck horizontally and filling her lungs with blood. Organdy's lips curved into a smile. She was now the only career left in the eighty-seventh Hunger Games.
Anastasia Roppling, District 2 Female: 7th, Killed by Organdy, Day 5
These games were not slowing down for one second. Moments after Anastasia' cannon shot faded away fully, the bone-chilling howl of the desert wind started up once more. Another sandstorm was on its way, and the tributes were much more prepared this time around. Organdy hunkered down inside of the cornucopia, piling all of the careers' supplies next to her sleeping bag. Every time she napped she was taking a huge risk, but she didn't think any of the outliers would dare come near to the cornucopia with the hot sandstorm winds battering the city. The dead Delta's plastic barrier helped keep out the sandstorm somewhat, but a sizable amount still managed to slip through. Organdy kept herself occupied by sweeping all of the sand into a corner of the cornucopia where it wouldn't get in her way.
Hector and Calculata disappeared into the depths of the temple when the sandstorm struck down on the fifth night. While the Capitol adored their little romance, they were also somewhat tired of their inactivity. The gamemakers triggered a small explosion that caused the building to collapse. Hector noticed that the ceiling was caving inward and grabbed Calculata's arm, wordlessly dragging her to the exit and out of the building. The 3s escaped just in time as the temple collapsed inward, and they raced down the street, rattling at doorknobs in a desperate attempt to find any other building that wasn't locked.
A few hours before the sandstorm, Fox and Daniette had settled down to sleep inside one of the dirty stone apartment buildings that circled the cornucopia just beyond the initial mass of crude wooden stalls. The apartment was windowless; each room had a large hole in the wall where sand could enter. The sandstorm winds blew straight into the open window. The anti-careers woke up gasping and choking and then covered their mouths with their shirts, praying that would keep out the sand. They stayed put in the apartment building throughout the entire storm. By the time the scorching winds had settled down, half a foot of sand had built up on the floor.
Charle was curled up in a ball on the floor of the palace, staring blankly at the ceiling as the sandstorm winds howled outside. Suddenly, the ceiling split in two, and sand began pouring inside. The halves were completely separate in half a minute. Torrents of scorching sand poured into the palace. He stumbled through the hallways, gasping and choking, and he finally accepted that the palace wasn't safe anymore. He disassembled his blockade and raced out into the open, charging mindlessly left and right. He ended up stumbling straight into the river, and he fell like a stone to the murky bottom despite his best efforts to clamber back to shore. Charle couldn't swim. He flailed his limbs back and forth, struggling to float to the surface as torrents of bubbles streamed from his mouth. He promptly drowned.
Charle Harwell, District 6 Male: 6th, Killed by Drowning, Day 5
The first half of Day 6 was deathless and empty of action. Hector and Calculata had been stumbling blindly through the sandstorm for nearly five minutes when they had finally realized they would have to tough it out. The couple hunkered down in the narrow gap between two buildings and scooped the sand away whenever it piled up too high. Under the overhanging edges of the roof, they were largely sheltered from the sand, but that didn't stop a few stray grains from entering their lungs. After the sandstorm had cleared fully, Hector and Calculata went door to door to search for prey. They were like the deadliest door-to-door salesmen in history. They only spent a few seconds on each house, searching each one up and down before they left.
Fox and Daniette, the two remaining anti-careers, proceeded similarly, running from door to door and raiding the houses of supplies. They managed to snag a few scant knives, but not much else; all of treasures hidden around the arena had already been pillaged by the other tributes, most of whom were now dead. Around noon, Daniette heard Organdy's light footsteps and pulled Fox into the shadows. They watched in silence as the 1 girl passed them straight by.
Organdy's next prey would not be evading her, however. By that point, it was around six o'clock in the afternoon, and she was preparing to begin the journey back to the horn. She stopped dead in her tracks when she heard it—a human squeak. Calculata slapped her hands over her mouth to keep further noises from escaping, but that one peep was all Organdy needed to locate the hide-out of the star-crossed lovers from 3. Hector and Calculata burst out of the shadows, screaming, and made an attempt to tackle her. The wry career girl lunged to one side, and the duo couldn't stop themselves before they came crashing to a disoriented stop several steps later. Organdy ultimately had no problem running into the fray and dispatching Hector with a quick swipe of her right machete. Hector fell to his knees, and he hardly noticed the blood leaking from his abdomen before everything went black.
Hector Coon, District 3 Male: 5th, Killed by Organdy, Day 6
About five meters away, Calculata was frozen dead in her tracks. She looked as though she'd been hit in the gut with an axe. A small noise escaped from her throat at the sight of her dead lover. She finally snapped out of her trance when Organdy lunged forward with her knives, but Calculata was too dumbfounded to move more than a few steps before the career girl reached her and scored up her back like a bed of soil.
Calculata Barns, District 3 Female: 4th, Killed by Organdy, Day 6
On Day 7, tensions grew in the alliance of Daniette and Fox. They both knew they had two options; stay together as long as possible and only turn on each other once they were the only tributes left, or kill each other now so it wouldn't come down to the two of them. Every night they spent together was a huge risk, and on Day 7 Daniette finally gave into the pressure. It was early morning, and the sun had hardly risen, when Daniette tackled Fox in his sleep. Daniette was strong, but she was easily overpowered by her stronger ally, who threw her off of him like a rag doll. Daniette stumbled backward and crashed into a nearby building. Her mind was cloudy with dilemma. She finally decided she had to finish what she started. She had to kill Fox. Guilt and shame trilled through her gut, but if it was the only way she could ever see her family again she knew it was a necessary evil.
At first, it seemed as though Fox was the clear-cut winner. Fox had a spear whereas Daniette had two machetes, so he both outmuscled and outgunned Daniette by a significant amount. However, Daniette was feisty and spirited and fast, so the anti-careers were evened out at least somewhat fairly. Fox's first blow entailed the point of his spear sinking into Daniette's left wrist. She staggered backward, cursing, but quickly got back onto the front lines. Nearly five minutes later, one of the tributes triumphed. With a crash, Fox sent Daniette reeling backward into one of the small stalls, and with a creaking sound it began to collapse. Fox lunged forward to finish her off, but Daniette scurried out of the way at the last second. The momentum of Fox's impact sent the stall collapsing, and a heavy plank of wood hit him on the head hard enough to knock him out. Holding back tears, Daniette thrust her machetes once into his chest before dashing away.
Fox Rennolls, District 7 Male: 3rd, Killed by Daniette, Day 7
That left two females, a career and an outlier, to vie for victory. Organdy leapt for joy when she heard the cannon shot puncture the sand-clouded air of the seventh day. She knew she would easily be able to triumph over either Fox or Daniette by default. She didn't know which one had died and which one remained, so she had to be prepared to fight either of them. Daniette raced from the site of Fox's corpse with a torrent of emotions crashing down onto her shoulders. She felt beyond terrible about killing not only another human, but her only friend in the world as well. She didn't really have the energy to cry, just silently keep moving with a whimper escaping her lips from time to time.
The Capitol was eager for these fast-paced games to end within the next few hours, so Maddox hesitantly pushed the last two tributes together at six in the evening on Day 7 rather than waiting a few more days. After sprinting periodically for several hours, Daniette had come to a stop in a silver temple with a circle-shaped ceiling that was open to all heaven. The gamemakers allowed her a few hours to rest before sending a torrent of muttations after her. The swarm consisted of three camels, two ibexes, and at least ten small sand-colored cats. The mutts weren't meant to kill, but they did injure her somewhat. One of the ibexes skewered its razor-sharp horn through her wrist, and Daniette stumbled backward, shaking and screaming as blood splashed in torrents from the wound. The procession was slow, but still fast enough to catch up to Daniette if she ever stopped sprinting for more than a few moments. Once, one of the cats nipped her finger, and the 8 girl slapped it away before continuing her run. The deadly parade only drew away once the cornucopia, and Miss Karat, her dangerous final competitor, were in sight.
The finale was literally over in seconds. Terrified, Daniette stumbled toward the cornucopia, and suddenly Organdy had disappeared. Where the 1 girl had once stood there was nothing but empty sand. Organdy was standing on the roof of the cornucopia, biding her time until the outlier was most vulnerable. Suddenly, Organdy threw down two handfuls of sand. They descended like snowflakes, and Daniette flailed her arms around, struggling to clear the cloud while also keeping her eyes closed so none of the hot, sharp grains would land in them. Organdy gracefully leapt down from the top of the horn and thrust her blades into her neck. She hardly knew what had hit her.
Daniette Lorian, District 8 Female: 2nd, Killed by Organdy, Day 7
"Organdy Karat of District 1, you are the victor of the eighty-seventh annual Hunger Games!" Titanius said into the arena.
All of the nearby cameras zoomed in, capturing the confident smile on the new victor's pretty face.
Organdy Karat, District 1 Female: Victor of the Eighty-Seventh Hunger Games, Day 7
AFTERMATH
District 1 happily welcomed their fourteenth victor. They hadn't taken home a victor since Porcelain eleven year prior, a female victor since Iuna nineteen years prior, and a career female victor since Cashmere twenty-three years prior. Organdy would ultimately go down in history as one of the most stereotypical District 1 victors, the ladies that District 1's blonde, curvy students would always be trying to model themselves after. The other districts gave her the nickname "The Obscurer" due to her tactic of obscuring the vision of her targets before killing them, as she had done to Stitch and Daniette. She would dedicate most of her life to make-up, starting several popular social media accounts where she displayed her newest unboxings, techniques, and more. Stinn Hawke would put her looks to use for about ten years following her victory, but since she was a career she didn't really mind.
Her victory tour went well and was one of the better ones, except for her stop in 8, where she was degraded and ignored for having killed both of their tributes.
The payouts on her victory weren't the best, as about 7% bet on her.
Organdy would live to age eighty-one, dying from stroke six months after the one-hundred fifty-second Hunger Games. She would marry and have three daughters.
NEWS
Organdy moves into the Victor's Village of District 1, next door to Iuna.
Dock Elizabeth marries her boyfriend of five years, Maxenn Artrow.
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)
81HG: Talisa Plummer (#12, District 4)
82HG: Poplin Amsden (#3, District 8)
83HG: Pixel Watt (#10, District 3)
84HG: Dock Elizabeth (#13, District 4)
85HG: Sycamora Bromley (#5, District 7)
86HG: Bobbin Chern (#4, District 8)
87HG: Organdy Karat (#14, District 1)
