THE NINETY FOURTH ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES
"Over the Hedge"


INTRODUCTION

With the newly-developed cure being carried by the truckload to every one of the twelve districts, things were starting to get back to normal in Panem. For several years, the Capitol had been forced to sacrifice many aspects of its lavish lifestyle due to lack of imported goods. Now that all twelve districts were back at work doing their part as the marble columns holding up the great temple of Panem, the Capitol was in a rush. Fashion designers who had gone for years without new cloth had it now, tech designers who had gone years without materials had them now, and whole sections of the Capitol where the lights hadn't worked in ages were finally glowing again with the colorful, rotating lights that nobody had seen in over half a decade. District 3 had lost the most citizens to the plague, at least an eighth of its population, most of them factory workers and young children. Districts 6 and 8 also faced heavy losses. Still, Panem was on the path toward recovery, and the light of hope that had once seemed all but dead was now burning with fervor. Maddox Courval returned to the head gamemaker post. It had taken him several years, but it seemed like he'd finally hit his stride, and he told the Capitol via his social media that they could be expecting another one-hundred percent natural arena this year. By this point, the Tails political party was all but extinct, all of its members having been killed or forced into hiding by Stinn Hawke's theocratic regime. However, talk of campaigning for more Tails representation in the government was rising in the streets of the Capitol. This was largely ignored for the time being, however, especially when games time rolled around and Stinn was too busy overseeing the ninety-fourth Hunger Games to pay much attention to minor political opposition.

The careers were reliable, if not exactly groundbreaking, and they all scored nines or tens. District 1 provided a muscular miner boy and a jewel cutter girl, and they were both striking attractive and skilled with weaponry. District 2 offered the strongest pair, however. The boy was yet another Talbot sibling, and he liked swords, while the girl was younger and liked axes. Both were more laid-back and unconventional than usual when they weren't training, but the Capitol loved them. District 4 put on the most interesting showing; the boy was a feisty, charismatic eighteen-year-old with the stereotypical surfer look. The girl was the most popular tribute in these games, stealing the show with her beauty, charisma, and bow smarts. She was sure to be a deadly opponent. The pack earned four tens and two nines.

The outliers were much blander and more forgettable than usual, but there were a few standouts and they were good ones. Steer Drudgers from District 10 was tall, wiry, and extremely sculpted. Years of work in the barns and meadows of District 10 had trained him to lift enormous amounts of weight, and he knew how to use a wide variety of weapons. He was the second most popular tribute out of the twenty-four, after Riletta from 4. The other strongest tribute was Ryder from 6. Though it was largely overshadowed by Steer's impressive ten, Ryder earned an eight due to his impressive survival skills and his talents with brute force weapons like maces. The rest of the tributes scored between seven and two in their private sessions. This was another year without an anti-career pack, as there weren't enough tributes strong enough to be willing to paint targets onto their backs with shiny red paint. There was one volunteer outside of the careers: Ree Lilard, the tall and thin girl from District 7. She'd volunteered to save the life of her best friend, and she used her sob story to its fullest potential during her time in the Capitol to attract as many sponsors as possible. Here are the tributes:

District 1: Dazzle Brooks, 16, (10) 5-1 and Splendor Renault, 17, (9) 7-1

District 2: Uranus Talbot, 18, (10) 4-1 and Ofelia Tessard, 16, (10) 5-1

District 3: Padlet Scoop, 12, (2) 47-1 and Cabyl Harden, 13, (4) 28-1

District 4: Sunken Roslin, 18, (9) 6-1 and Riletta Juven, 18, (10) 4-1

District 5: Parker Larren, 14, (3) 35-1 and Kiara Blake, 15, (4) 27-1

District 6: Ryder Townes, 18, (8) 10-1 and Mazda Cornering, 17, (7) 15-1

District 7: Zeller Florian, 17, (5) 24-1 and Ree Lilard, 17, (6) 18-1

District 8: Rylan Landers, 18, (4) 26-1 and Magenta Seam, 18, (5) 23-1

District 9: Quico Setsle, 16, (4) 29-1 and Orsola Patten, 13, (3) 36-1

District 10: Steer Drudgers, 18, (10) 6-1 and Bea Niche, 18, (5) 25-1

District 11: Haymish Kynko, 13, (4) 36-1 and Violet Timble, 16, (3) 34-1

District 12: Celio Artelli, 16, (7) 13-1 and Mae Londor, 12, (3) 39-1

HGBO Bets: 22% on Riletta, 18% on Steer, 16% on Ofelia, 12% on Uranus, 10% on Dazzle, 6% on Sunken, 5% on Splendor, 4% on Ryder, 2% on Ree, 1% or less on Padlet, Cabyl, Parker, Kiara, Mazda, Zeller, Rylan, Magenta, Quico, Orsola, Bea, Haymish, Violet, Celio, and Mae.


THE GAMES

The first things the tributes heard were the rustling of leaves and the festive chirping of birds. They were standing in a clearing roughly a quarter mile in diameter. The grass underfoot was a vibrant lime-green color. Puffy white clouds dotted a robin's egg blue sky, and the sun sparkled overhead like a gem. The tributes' pedestals formed a tight circle around the cornucopia, which was fashioned out of the classic gold material and held a wide variety of weapons this year. That was all the tributes could see at first. A ten foot-tall hedge circled the cornucopia field, far too thick to pass through. In order to escape the cornucopia, the outliers would have to physically climb the leafy hedge toward safety. Outside, the arena was split into two sections: a vineyard and an apple orchard. The vineyard occupied the entire east half of the arena beyond the central cornucopia field. Neat rows of thick, rope-like grape vines stretched on for miles. Starvation would not be an issue in these games. Gravel pathways and picturesque fences wound through the vineyard. The apple orchard at the other end of the arena was similarly neat and organized. Getting the apples would pose a problem for a few of the shorter tributes, as the height of the apple trees kept them tantalizingly out of reach. Long, thin channels of water wound through both the vineyard and the orchard, able to keep the tributes well-hydrated for weeks. Tracker Jackers and mockingjays were also abundant, though the wasps' poison wasn't strong enough to kill this time around. The only deadly mutts were the large, living hedge sculptures scattered around the arena. They seemed inanimate and harmless, but they would gradually come to life and torment the tributes as Maddox saw fit. The bloodbath this year would claim ten lives.

Riletta sprinted at the head of the onrush, powering ahead of the others due to her speed. She quickly swept up a bow and began firing. Zeller from 7 was running nearby, and the arrow struck home; he moaned and gurgled in pain as he staggered to the ground, swiftly bleeding out from the arrow buried into his neck.

Zeller Florian, District 7 Male: 24th, Killed by Riletta, Bloodbath

Dazzle took a pair of twin daggers and tackled a small girl from an outlying district. Violet screeched and tried to fight back, but she was overpowered by a wide margin, and there was no escaping for her. Dazzle flung the first of his knives into her chest, and Violet bled out in moments after Dazzle slashed open her neck.

Violet Timble, District 11 Female: 23rd, Killed by Dazzle, Bloodbath

Steer from District 10 had grabbed a crowbar from the mass of supplies, and he grabbed the small girl from District 8, Magenta, whose pedestal had been situated next to his. Steer threw her to the ground like nothing, and tears streamed down her face as Steer brought down his crowbar repeatedly, smacking her in the head until she died from head trauma.

Magenta Seam, District 8 Female: 22nd, Killed by Steer, Bloodbath

Magenta's ally, Cabyl, let out a high-pitched scream of terror and ran for her life. Sunken from 4 had a spear, and he hopped onto the girl's trail with his weapon outstretched. The spear landed in her back with one slight toss, cutting several centimeters into her skin with the sharp point. Sunken ran forward to tear his spear out, then he flipped her over and repeatedly stabbed her in the chest until she stopped breathing.

Cabyl Harden, District 3 Female: 21st, Killed by Sunken, Bloodbath

Ofelia swept up the hatchet placed fifty meters away from her pedestal and swung it in the direction of the nearest tribute. The metal blade went crunch upon impact with his chest, and his lungs started flooding with blood in a matter of moments.

Celio Artelli, District 12 Male: 20th, Killed by Ofelia, Bloodbath

Riletta tackled Celio's district partner, Mae, and hurled her against the exterior wall of the cornucopia. She begged to be released, screaming and flailing her limbs in protest, but Riletta fired an arrow into her gut, subduing her.

Mae Londor, District 12 Female: 19th, Killed by Riletta, Bloodbath

Uranus Talbot grabbed a sword and sprinted in the direction of Quico, the tall, muscular field hand boy from the grain district. His eyes opened wide when he saw the point of Uranus' sword protruding from his front like a horn, and he was gone just like that. Uranus flipped him around and cut open his torso with two heavy chops before sprinting away.

Quico Setsle, District 9 Male: 18th, Killed by Uranus, Bloodbath

Splendor was the last career without a kill, but as she eyed the cornucopia field, a spear in each hand, she spotted her first victim. About ten meters away, a small boy was down on his hands and knees, slowly bleeding out from an arrow wound inflicted by Riletta. Splendor thrust both of her spears into his back in rapid succession. Parker was gone in moments.

Parker Larren, District 5 Male: 17th, Killed by Riletta and Splendor, Bloodbath

Sunken had been somewhat inactive for most of the bloodbath. Instead of charging through the crowds, knocking outliers like flies, he'd been standing in front of the cornucopia, keeping the outliers away from the most valuable supplies. The miniscule boy from 3 tried to work his way past Sunken to reach a packet of wire situated ten meters behind his left shoulder. Sunken turned deftly and flung his spear into his neck, and he bled out swiftly.

Padlet Scoop, District 3 Male: 16th, Killed by Sunken, Bloodbath

Ofelia made the final kill. Toward the beginning of the bloodbath, she'd landed her hatchet in the chest of Bea from District 10. A twitching Bea had dragged herself into the darkness of the cornucopia, tears streaming down her face. Ofelia was hastily rummaging through the horn's supplies when she saw a pair of sad eyes staring at her through the darkness. Ofelia landed the blade of her hatchet in her head without a moment's hesitation. Bea had been moments away from death already, and the rancher girl barely felt it.

Bea Niche, District 10 Female: 15th, Killed by Ofelia, Bloodbath

The career team quickly got to work. This was yet another where their pack was completely intact. Keeping order around the cornucopia was difficult with six members, but the leader, Riletta, ultimately had no trouble keeping the others in line. Dazzle and Splendor, the stunning pair from 1, largely remained out of her sight, sorting rations and weapons in the back of the horn. They found that this year's weapons were more varied than usual, with an even blend of blades, projectiles, and more. Uranus and Ofelia got to work climbing the tall hedge. It took backbreaking effort to tug themselves to the top of the wall; no wonder so many trapped tributes had been killed during the bloodbath. They ended up using each other for added stability as they gained height, and the 2s quickly nailed their technique. Sunken and Riletta had a different plan for getting past the stupid hedge, a plan that said quite a bit about their personalities. Riletta pulled some matches out of the horn and watched as the hedge went up in smoke. The flames put out themselves in a matter of minutes, leaving a large gap filled with smoke. Riletta had the smuggest smirk in Panem on her face as she sprinted out through the hole she and Sunken had created, her fingers locked firmly around her bow.

The eight remaining outliers had to choose whether to go to the apple orchard or the vineyard. Kiara from 5 chose the vineyard; she liked the way the vibrant colors let her blend in more easily. She'd grabbed a belt of throwing knives from the horn, which had been placed there for Sunken, but she had nothing in the ways of food or medical supplies. Kiara ended up settling down after half a day of travel, covering herself with grape vines and smearing herself with dirt to blend in. Ryder and Mazda from 6 had allied prior to the games. They were polar opposites in both personality and appearance, but they had a great dynamic and a unique sense of humor and the Capitol loved them. When night fell, they dragged themselves into the lowest bough of a tall apple tree and tried to sleep. Ree, the volunteer girl from 7, thundered away from the cornucopia carrying a knife and a bag of dinner rolls. She quickly found a stream, one of the widest in the arena, and she followed it for about five hours before arriving at its source; a small, clear-as-glass pond with a small island in the center. Ree trudged onto the island and fell asleep almost instantly. Rylan from 8 was lying just outside of the circular hedge, crying softly. His leg had broken from the fall, and even his slightest movements brought on extreme pain. He hoped he would receive help from the Capitol soon. Orsola sprinted to the very edge of the vineyard, where a second hedge separated the arena from the force field. The gamemakers were a little ticked off by her distance from the other tributes, but they let her be for the time being. She buried herself in a pile of vines like a bush and nervously munched on grapes as the first day reached its conclusion. Steer Drudgers from District 10 was on the prowl; he'd fetched a medical kit and a thermos from the bloodbath, alongside his famous crowbar. He was determined to increase his supply stock even more by attracting the sponsors; his heart was set on a bit of armor to protect himself. He knew the only way to get that was to kill mutts and slaughter tributes. Steer was prepared to do so. Haymish from 11 was the last member of the outlier crew. He was one of the few tributes who'd chosen to avoid the bloodbath, and he had nothing but the clothes on his back. He mostly strolled through the orchard without a real strategy in mind, just to move and hope he'd find something useful.

Steer was just about to stop for the night when he spotted Haymish moving quietly through the trees. Steer ducked into the shadows and watched Haymish step out into a pool of moonlight; both his hands were empty, and he looked like a pretty easy target. Now it was Steer's turn to leap out of hiding, and Haymish didn't see him until it was too late. The muscular boy tackled him from behind, knocking him straight to the ground. A well-placed whack from his crowbar was enough to send Haymish writhing, and Steer polished him off with a few more forceful hits. Steer took a quick moment to check him for supplies before sprinting off.

Haymish Kynko, District 11 Male: 14th, Killed by Steer, Day 2

Day 2 had little action in it. Kiara slithered out from underneath her blanket of grape vines, groaning softly. She'd slept terribly, and she was almost glad that morning had arrived; now she could stretch her legs and move around without the risk of being taken off-guard by a mutt or tribute. Kiara mostly moved in circles around the vineyard, not really tracking her movements or planning ahead as much as she was travelling aimlessly.

The careers disembarked from the apple orchard, where they had been hunting on Day 1. It had so many obstacles and dark spaces that hunting was extremely difficult, and they were all looking forward to hunting in the vineyard anyway. Uranus thought he'd seen Steer moving in the direction of the vineyard during the opening bloodbath, and that was enough to persuade the others to travel there. They didn't have any luck on the second day in terms of hunting, but they did come within a mile of Kiara and Orsola at different points throughout the day.

Speaking of Orsola, she was miserable. A bitter-cold fog had settled over the vineyard early that morning, and she was freezing cold. Her sponsors sent her several sheets of a silvery, cloth-like material, and she figured she was meant to make a shelter. She tried in vain to make a tent by arranging a few of the broader vines in a teepee-like shape, but Orsola's efforts were fruitless. That night, she wrapped herself with the blankets and hoped she'd have better luck with sleep.

Mazda and Ryder were finding it surprisingly difficult to keep themselves suspended in the large apple tree they called home. They both fell out in their sleep on Day 2. Ryder went first, and he had the wind knocked straight out of him. Mazda plummeted less than an hour later, and it quickly became apparent it wasn't safe to keep up their current treetop living strategy. They dropped to the ground and moved ever-so-slightly in the direction of the vineyard. The comfort and height of the orchard trees was tempting, but they had to resist. Ryder and Mazda hunkered down in a ditch veiled by thorny bushes and closed their eyes.

Steer was still hunting, and he heard the soft snores of the career pack a few minutes after midnight on the third day. Riletta was at the far-away cornucopia; Dazzle, Uranus, Ofelia, and Sunken were sleeping, while Splendor was tiredly standing guard. Steer had no doubt he could overpower the small and delicate Splendor, but he didn't want to anger the whole pack.

A branch snapped under Steer's foot, and Splendor pounced. Steer knew he had no choice but to fight back. One of Splendor's two spears was immediately knocked out of her hands with the curved end of Steer's crowbar. By this point, the remainder of the pack was awake. Steer smacked Splendor in the chest, knocking the wind straight out of her, and she fell onto her back, screaming at the top of her lungs. Steer finished her off quickly. He only realized then that the other careers had surrounded him; he was in seriously deep shit.

Splendor Renault, District 1 Female: 13th, Killed by Steer, Day 3

Steer tackled the nearest career, Uranus, and readied his crowbar. He was quickly grabbed from behind by Ofelia, Uranus' district partner, whose eyes were sparkling with rage. At the same moment, Dazzle tried to grab hold of his crowbar, but Steer yanked it back with such powerful force that the lanky boy from 1 was pulled off his feet. Steer ended up escaping when Ofelia tripped on Splendor's corpse, allowing him to pull himself free of her strong grip. Steer staggered backward, and he swung his crowbar with enough force to send both Dazzle and Uranus reeling.

The chase that followed was extremely long and extremely physically demanding for both Steer and the careers. The apple orchard was dark and had lots of places to "disappear". Steer was strong and filled with resolve, but he couldn't run on forever. He ended up turning sharply to the right after cresting a tall hill. His heavy footsteps were drowned out by the frantic sounds of the pack, and he went unnoticed.

"Where the hell did he go?" Sunken shouted. The careers scattered and searched feverishly for Steer, but he'd escaped, almost as though he'd vanished into the night.

The pack knew they couldn't leave, but they weren't stupid enough to restrict their hunting to one small area of the arena where one tribute was hiding, even if it was the strongest tribute in these games besides Riletta. Ofelia and Sunken stayed in the apple orchard to search for Steer, while Dazzle and Uranus returned to the cornucopia to fill in Riletta. The next morning, Dazzle and Uranus explored the vineyard, while Riletta once again stayed at the cornucopia. She was like the hinge that was holding the two halves of the pack together.

Day 4 was deathless. Only half of the tributes were left, and Maddox was predicting a mid-length games this time around. Ofelia and Sunken hunted in the orchard with backbreaking ferocity; they were desperate to corner Steer himself or at least locate him. They wanted some kind of confirmation that they were hunting in the right area, so they looked to the sky and asked the Capitol for information. The note from Ofelia's mentor, Enobaria, was printed on thick white paper.

Sure, he's strong, but he isn't worth your undivided time. Stop being so stubborn. –Enobaria

"We should listen to her," Sunken said. "There are, like, six other outliers still kicking."

"No," Ofelia persisted. "That bastard killed my friend. Our friend. You frolic away if you want, but I'm not leaving."

Sunken gave Ofelia her way after a long verbal argument, and they continued hunting feverishly in the orchard. At the cornucopia, Riletta was also annoying the gamemakers. The burnt hedge had rebuilt itself overnight, and Riletta burned it again, grinning delicately as it went up in smoke. The gamemakers did their own research and didn't find that she was a pyromaniac; the feisty girl just liked the feeling of breaking the rules. She didn't rebel like the men and women who destroyed buildings and poisoned food in the outlying districts, begging for the Capitol to be torn down; she rebelled like the feisty teenage girl she was. She was controversial, but she wasn't a Diamond or a Haymitch or a Struve, so the gamemakers let her be.

Rylan was still lying still, just outside of the central hedge. He wasn't bleeding more than a few minor cuts and scrapes, but he was completely immobile because of his broken leg. He knew he was pretty much doomed, and he could do nothing but cry softly, hoping a miracle would save him or the reaper would put him out of his suffering.

A cannon shot fired on the fifth morning. Rylan's soft sobs had somehow gone unnoticed to Riletta this far. When Riletta did kill him, she didn't even know it. The hedge had once again rebuilt itself overnight, and Riletta set fire to the area of the hedge that Rylan was lying behind. Rylan let out a high-pitched scream when he saw black smoke billowing over the top of the hedge. As more and more of the hedge burned, the air grew thicker with smoke.

Before long, the smoke was pouring into his lungs and his eyes. Rylan coughed and made one last struggle to drag himself to safety. The heat and the smoke slowly killed him over the course of about five minutes. His cannon shot blended in rather well with the crackling and hissing of the flames, and it went unnoticed to the 4 girl.

Rylan Landers, District 8 Male: 12th, Killed by Riletta, Day 5

Ryder and Mazda left the orchard. They filled all of their packs with all of the apples they could carry beforehand. It was enough to keep them well-fed for as long as it took for them to go bad. Unfortunately, they were getting nearer to the duo of Dazzle and Uranus, who were hunting feverishly in the vineyard. The land in their area of the vineyard was hilly and uneven, keeping the duos out of each other's sight. Ryder and Mazda pressed onward, and Ryder literally collapsed with exhaustion around sunset, too exhausted to travel any farther. They were near the force field now, less than two miles away to be exact. The gamemakers were tempted to send a few hedge mutts after them, but decided to wait until they regained their strength.

Orsola continued her timid efforts to build some kind of shelter; the third night had been just as cold as the first two, and she was shivering cold even with her blankets. She finally left the vineyard and moved toward the apple orchard, where it was warmer. In order to do so, she had to get nearer to the cornucopia, which she was deathly afraid of. Orsola managed to slip past without being spotted, but she was terrified nonetheless.

Ree stuck close to the stream she'd been following for several days. She'd eaten all of her dinner rolls, and now she had only her knives. The gamemakers sent the first of the living hedge sculptures after her. It crawled out of the shadows. Ree started to scream, but she slapped her hand over her mouth so that the sound was more like a choked cry. She ran from the mutt for about ten minutes before turning around to face it. It was an easy kill; Ree just had to run across the stream. The mutt followed her, and after that it was too wet and heavy to run. She managed to cut it enough with her knives to keep it from moving again, and then she sprinted farther into the vineyard for distance and safety.

Dazzle and Uranus spotted Ryder and Mazda from about half a mile away. By that point, the moon had risen fully, casting its milky white light over the vineyard. The career boys sprinted forward, turning slightly at the last moment so that they could attack the outliers from behind. Ryder and Mazda were completely oblivious to the proximity of the careers until they were beyond saving. Ryder and Mazda were huddled together at the base of a tall hill, telling ghost stories to lighten the mood. Mazda was just about to reach the climax of her tale when Ryder let out a high-pitched scream. Mazda froze in horror as Ryder fell to one side, two knives buried into his back. Dazzle tore them out, grinning wildly, and now it was Mazda's turn to scream.

Ryder Townes, District 6 Male: 11th, Killed by Dazzle, Day 5

Mazda turned to run, and she was immediately met by the bite of Uranus' sword in her gut. The sixth Talbot sibling was quickly doused in her blood, and Mazda's screaming fizzled to a kind of ugly groan as more and more of her organs stopped working. Mazda laid on the ground for several minutes, twitching slightly, before Uranus thrust his sword into her back. The blade cut into her flesh with surprising force. Dazzle and Uranus each ate an apple out of her pack before leaving.

Mazda Cornering, District 6 Female: 10th, Killed by Uranus, Day 5

The first half of Day 6 was uneventful. After several chilly days, the tributes noticed dark clouds rolling in. They were expecting a freezing-cold rain, but what they got was a warm summer drizzle that warmed them up comfortably. Riletta stayed at the cornucopia. The rain was primarily meant to keep her from burning down the hedge yet again. Her mentor Talisa was practically begging for her to stop, but Riletta wouldn't listen. Ofelia and Sunken continued their frantic searches back and forth through the orchard, on the hunt for Steer. Ofelia was as determined as ever, but Sunken's resolve had, well, sunken. Ofelia wanted to hunt, hunt, hunt, and Sunken wanted to rest, rest, rest. Dazzle and Uranus returned to the cornucopia for a supply restock. Weirdly, Riletta didn't want to hunt; she'd devoted her life to burning down the hedge. She was going loopy from the adrenaline of the games; she wasn't yet fully batshit crazy, but she was getting closer by the day.

Kiara kept stubbornly put in the vineyard out of terror. Her mentor Surge, who was now sixteen years old, kept sending her notes suggesting she should leave, but she didn't listen. Kiara was too scared to leave the landscape she'd become familiar with over the first six days of the games. Ree drew slightly back from the stream, entering the thick of the orchard and taking some time out of her day to explore. She found a place where five trees stood in a circle, hiding a small circle of space. Ree ducked down into this space and tried to sleep. Steer was on the run, crowbar in hand; with Riletta slowly losing her sanity, he was the most dangerous killer in the arena. He jumped between the vineyard and the apple orchard three or four times a day, but whatever he did, he never stopped moving. The closest he came to Ofelia and Sunken was about one and a half miles, around three in the evening.

Orsola was finally driven away from the force field by a few of the living hedges. She was dangerously close to another tribute: Kiara from 5. Neither of the girls were deadly killers per se, but the gamemakers weren't expecting them to readily ally either. Time would tell how the girls would react when they met. Kiara and Orsola were about a hundred feet away when the gamemakers created a small rustling sound between them. Both girls rushed toward the sound, expecting to see their next meal, but all they saw was each other.

"I'm not winning this thing," Kiara said, her voice shaking. "And no offense, but by the looks of things, neither are you. There are still five careers and that huge boy from District 10. What do you say?"

Orsola froze mid-step, stunned. "W… what's your name again?"

A long and surprisingly light-hearted conversation then ensued. Kiara and Orsola gradually got closer and closer until it was safe for everyone in the audience to call them allies. Alexander sent Orsola a small sleeping bag that was only large enough to fit one person; they decided to take turns sleeping inside of it each night. Orsola slept inside of it that night, and Kiara stayed nearby, shivering in the cold, misty night.

The crown jewel of Day 7 occurred around dawn, when the sky was colored with bands of pink and orange like lines of bright paint. Ofelia and Sunken had woken about half an hour prior, and they got hunting after a quick breakfast. They spotted the enormous Steer Drudgers from about half a mile off, and Ofelia started shaking with thrill. She and Sunken sprinted in Steer's direction, crashing through the brush and making quite a bit of noise. Steer heard them coming and turned sharply around, holding his crowbar above his head. He was expecting two weak outliers, and he was more than a little shocked when the careers stumbled out of the orchard thick, cackling.

Ofelia lunged, and Steer barely had time to leap out of the way. He turned sharply on his heel and tried to land a heavy hit on Ofelia's head, but Sunken grabbed him from behind, yanking him backward. For a split second, Steer loosened his grip on his crowbar, motivating a winded Ofelia enough to make another attempt at his life. Unfortunately for her, Ofelia was bound to close range; she didn't want to risk tossing her hatchet and missing, leaving her defenseless against Steer and his deadly crowbar.

About five minutes later, a cannon shot sounded. Steer hit Sunken in the chin with enough force to send him reeling. Sunken literally flew backward, blood spouting from his chin and neck. He was in so much pain he couldn't see clearly, but his wounds weren't fatal. He would recover in time.

Steer knew time was a luxury he didn't have, and he decided to take a huge risk. He grabbed Ofelia by the arm and twisted with all the force he could muster. Ofelia gasped and cried out. She dropped her hatchet, leaving Steer free to beat her senseless with his curved metal weapon. With her last breaths, Ofelia told him on no uncertain terms where he could stick that weapon.

Ofelia Tessard, District 2 Female: 9th, Killed by Steer, Day 7

That left the final eight: Dazzle Brooks from District 1, Uranus Talbot from District 2, Sunken Roslin and Riletta Juven from District 4, Kiara Blake from District 5, Ree Lilard from District 7, Orsola Patten from District 9, and Steer Drudgers from District 10.

Sunken started screaming at the top of his lungs as soon as he found his breath back. All three of the other careers were nearby. Riletta was relaxing inside of the cornucopia when she heard his screams; faint from such a distance, but unmistakable. She raced in their direction. Dazzle and Uranus were less than three-quarters of a mile away, and they arrived at the scene in minutes. By that point, the elusive Steer had escaped west, having punched the screaming 4 boy in the mouth hard enough to make him black out.

Kiara and Orsola heard Riletta crashing through the brush and had to stop themselves from screaming. Kiara dragged a stunned Orsola into hiding, and they watched, quaking, as Riletta rushed past. They'd seen Dazzle and Uranus less than an hour earlier; they knew that the cornucopia was now unguarded for the time being. Kiara was rushing toward the horn ten seconds before her feet had time to catch up, and Orsola had no choice but to follow. Both girls knew deep down that they had no chance of victory, and they figured the only way to give themselves a chance was to make a huge splash.

By the time they reached the cornucopia, Riletta had already turned around. They were shoving supplies into a magenta backpack when Riletta sprinted out of the shadows, her body a tall, thin silhouette against the rising sun. Orsola screamed at the top of her lungs when Riletta's fist connected with her chest; she stumbled backward, knocking down Kiara in her descent, and the girls collapsed in a heap. Riletta knocked them hard enough to send them both unconscious.

When they came to, they were bound to the ground with thick ropes. Riletta was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly a lit match fell onto Orsola's chest, and her clothes were quickly engulfed. The fire quickly spread to Kiara. Riletta staggered into sight, cackling. A crazy glint stayed in her eyes as she watched the girls burn to death over the course of about a minute. Now nobody had any doubt she'd broken completely.

Orsola Patten, District 9 Female: 8th, Killed by Riletta, Day 7

Kiara Blake, District 5 Female: 7th, Killed by Riletta, Day 7

Day 8 was deathless. The four remaining careers all regrouped at the cornucopia, frustrated at how Steer had evaded them yet again. It was truly started to sink in how strong of competition he was. The four careers compromised two thirds of the remaining tributes, and Steer was the only thing keeping them from turning on each other. Riletta was as crazy as ever, repeatedly lighting the hedge on fire even though it built itself overnight. Dazzle and Uranus were pretty great in terms of physical condition, though they were exhausted, and they needed a day to rest. Sunken was bleeding heavily from his chin, a wound courtesy of Steer's crowbar, and opening his mouth brought on extreme pain. Dazzle had to feed him water through a thin tube until he was healed enough to do it himself.

Ree continued her wanderings around the apple orchard. One of the hedge mutts chased her half a mile closer to the cornucopia, which didn't exactly make her comfortable, but she knew the gamemakers would just shove her back if she moved any farther away. Ree turned sideways and returned to the stream she'd been following for much of the games, where she hydrated and washed herself before falling asleep.

Steer finally took a day off. He'd come to a stop in the far reaches of the leafy vineyard, where the vines were especially thick and covered him like a blanket. He never let his crowbar out of his sight. A sponsor sent him a thin cloth to clean it; while this let him wipe off the still-wet blood of Sunken, it did little to remove the deep stains from the blood of Magenta, Haymish, Splendor, and Ofelia, the four tributes he'd killed.

Day 9 was much of the same. Riletta kept burning down the hedge. Even her loyal district partner, Sunken, was beginning to get more than a little creeped out by her weird behavior. All three of the others were starting to suspect that she was actually going crazy, but they didn't want to jump to any conclusions and get themselves killed. Sunken tried his best to dissuade Riletta from repeatedly burning the hedge, but she didn't let up.

Albeit slowly, Ree and Steer were moving toward each other. After a well-deserved rest, Steer began travelling in the direction of the apple orchard. Ree was moving toward the vineyard, and they were expected to cross late Day 10 or early Day 11 if both of them continued at their current paces.

On Day 10, Maddox decided to unleash mutts onto the career pack. Maddox was a man who liked strong career packs, but a group of four was too much at such a late stage of the games. At the time, Uranus, Sunken, and Riletta were asleep in the cornucopia, while Dazzle was tiredly standing guard. About half a mile away, two of the living hedge sculptures stretched to full height. The gamemakers sent them running in the direction of the cornucopia, and they arrived in a matter of minutes.

Dazzle didn't have time to breathe. The mutts burst straight through the hedge that had recently rebuilt itself, tackling him to the ground from two different directions. Dazzle's head slammed into the wall of the cornucopia, sending him unconscious, and the mutts beat him to death with their leaves and branches with astonishing force. By the time his cannon shot fired, the other careers had stretched to full height to see what was going on.

Dazzle Brooks, District 1 Male: 6th, Killed by hedge sculpture mutts, Day 10

The three remaining careers quickly rushed into formation, surrounding the living hedge sculptures. The mutts covered the entrance of the cornucopia; they would have to fight their way past them to reach the advantageous position. For the time being, however, they were trapped inside of the cornucopia. Sunken lunged, cutting into the leg of one of the sculptures with his spear. The point just went straight through the mass of stems and leaves and poked out of the other side. The only weapon that was of use was Uranus' sword. The others started to fall back as Uranus lunged.

Uranus made progress at a remarkable rate. He managed to dispatch one of the mutts in a matter of minutes by chopping into its leg and sawing at it repeatedly. The mutt fell with a crash, and Uranus turned, a look of triumph on his face. His thrill soon turned to dread when he felt his feet lifting off of the ground. The other hedge sculpture was eager to thank him for re-shaping its friend. The sculpture threw Uranus about thirty feet in the air, and he fell with a crunch, breaking his neck immediately on contact with the grassy ground.

Uranus Talbot, District 2 Male: 5th, Killed by hedge sculpture mutts, Day 10

Riletta had been mysteriously absent throughout most of the fight, and there was a reason why. She was digging quickly through the supplies in the cornucopia, gathering as many matches as she could. Setting the whole creature on fire was not an easy task, but Riletta had substantial preparation. Sunken just stepped back and watched her do her thing. Both of the mutts were up in flames in a matter of minutes, and Riletta cackled madly, the fire glinting off of her pupils in a demonic fashion. That was Sunken's first real confirmation that his ally had lost her sanity.

The rest of Day 10 was filled with little but a short clash between Ree and Steer. Around three in the evening, Ree kneeled beside a small lake and started splashing the cool water onto her face. Steer, who was nearby, heard the splashing noise and moved toward it to investigate. Steer spotted her from the opposite end of the lake, and he ran around the lake to attack her, holding his crowbar with two hands. Ree screamed and splashed a handful of water in Steer's face before running for her life.

Steer was a fast runner, but Ree was pumped full of adrenaline, and she eventually managed to escape. She had just crested a tall hill, which gave her the height advantage, and she threw herself to one side, rolling downhill perpendicular to the direction Steer was running. She landed in a copse of bushes at the base of the hill and fell dead silent. It was hours before she dared to move an inch.

On Day 11, Riletta was pissing off the gamemakers more than ever. She was the strongest tribute out of the original twenty-four, and Maddox couldn't bear to kill her off given the bloody finale she was sure to put on if she lasted that far. The public was screaming for her to terminate the insane girl. Maddox had a huge decision to make.

So did Sunken. Now that he didn't feel comfortable around Riletta anymore, he packed up as many things as he could carry and sprinted north, abandoning the cornucopia and his insane district partner. He sprinted onward for about half an hour, about two miles, before he dropped near the center of the vineyard. He was exhausted, but he was too nervous to sleep for more than a few hours at a time.

Ree and Steer clashed again on the eleventh day, late at night. Ree had finally moved from the bush, and she was exploring the orchard in search of a tree with branches low enough for her to reach. Steer was less than a hundred feet away, and he was crouched down in the shadowy area between two trees, staying dead quiet as Ree drew closer and closer.

Steer leapt out of the shadows, and a loud banging sound like buckling metal could be heard from a scary distance around. Steer drew away, and the cameras zoomed in on the misshapen lump of Ree's head, which was bleeding heavily from at least five different spots. Ree's knees buckled, and she tumbled to the ground, landing on her elbows. She tried desperately to crawl to safety, but she was hopeless, and Steer sealed her doom with one more well-placed swing of his metal weapon.

Ree Lilard, District 7 Female: 4th, Killed by Steer, Day 11

Steer left the apple orchard on Day 12. He was easily the most popular tribute left in the games. District 10 hadn't officially had a victor since the sixty-ninth games, but Steer was strong and confident and it was far from impossible that he could pull out the win.

In the vineyard Steer was headed for, Sunken was on the prowl. He'd lost one of his duel spears the day prior, and now he only had one weapon to defend himself against Steer and Riletta. He only hunted for about half the day; he'd had a terrible night's sleep the night prior, and he slept like a rock when he finally let himself rest halfway through Day 12.

By Day 12, it became apparent that Maddox had made a decision regarding Riletta. There was literally no denying she had completely lost her sanity. Insane tributes were never allowed to win the games, as was shown by literally every single crazy tribute that had ever entered the games: Larix from the seventeenth games, Fukaya from the twentieth games, Tiberius from the thirty-fifth games, Elastane from the forty-second games, Titus from the sixty-eighth games, Tarinth from the seventy-fifth games, and Orford from the eighty-third games had all been terminated by the gamemakers before they could win. Riletta would not be an exception.

She awoke on the twelfth morning to the smell of smoke. It was faint, but it was definitely there, and it lingered in the air like the smell of a recently extinguished campfire. Riletta got to her feet and exited the cornucopia. She spotted the fireball coming in her direction too late to be saved. She tried to dive to one direction, but she couldn't dodge it fast enough, and it blew her to smithereens instantly. Her corpse was literally scattered into hundreds of pieces that rained down up to a quarter of a mile away. Not even a ten can save you from Maddox Courval's wrath.

Riletta Juven, District 4 Female: 3rd, Killed by fireballs, Day 12

These games continued a strange pattern of the finalists' names starting with the same letter, started by Taj and Trax of the year prior. Sunken and Steer didn't do much as the twelfth day came to a close. Sunken was snoozing quietly in the vineyard at the time, and Riletta's cannon shot startled him awake. He wasn't sure whether the death had been Riletta's or Steer's. Either way, he would have a dangerous final competitor. However, he had many of the richer districts backing him. They sent him a bowl of warm soup to get him through the cold night among other things.

Steer wasn't doing anything exciting either. He camped out at the edge of the orchard, about an eighth of a mile from the place where the trees stopped and the grape vines began. He spent most of the day practicing with his crowbar and pondering things. He wasn't sure whether he was up against Sunken or Riletta, but the loud crashing of the fireball in the direction of the cornucopia seemed to indicate Riletta had died. He wasn't sure, though, and he had to wait until the death recap if he wanted to know for sure. Steer relaxed slightly when Riletta's face flashed in the sky that night.

On Day 13, Maddox sent the first of the fireballs down onto the arena. The fireballs weren't meant to kill, but they did injure both tributes. Sunken leapt to his feet when the smoky smell roused him from sleep, and he had more than enough time to dodge the fireball. It crashed into the ground roughly thirty meters away, and the ground rumbled as the fireball blasted an enormous crater large enough to fit a small car. Sunken ran for his life, avoiding the dodgeball with impressive agility. He was a talented swimmer, which translated well to running. Ten minutes later, a sharp piece of debris landed in the back of his leg. He cursed in agony and looked down to see a piece of stone the size of his hand embedded an inch deep into his leg. The pain was like fire, but Sunken kept running, nearing his final opponent with each step.

The first fireball crashed roughly fifty yards away from the place where Steer was sleeping, curled up between two large bushes. He jumped to his feet at the loud boom, grabbed his crowbar, and ran without looking back. He was an extremely fast runner for a boy from 10, and he spotted Sunken about five minutes later. The boys were on the tops of two hills, and they raced down into the valley between. The finale commenced.

Sunken's first few blows were powerful. A sponsor had sent him a second spear, and he had a dagger in each of his shoes to back him up in case his weapons were lost, broken, or stolen. He landed his spear in the left side of Steer's gut, where he was already impaled by a piece of smoking fireball debris. Steer keened in pain and swung his crowbar, smacking Sunken in the head hard enough to make him let go. Sunken's hands flew to his face, and he quickly realized how badly he was injured. Steer had literally hit him straight in the eyeball, and ugly white goop was pouring from the socket. Slime flowed down his face, and Sunken yanked the pieces free. The entire eyeball fell free of its socket.

Sunken was in too much pain to do anything but run and knock back Steer; he was playing a defensive game, as opposed to the offensive game that the male from 10 was playing. Torrential rainfall started falling onto the arena, dousing the fires started by the fireballs. The finalists were chilled and soaked to the bone, but they diligently kept fighting with every ounce of their resolve and strength.

A cannon shot fired over fifteen minutes later, after Steer had knocked both of Sunken's spears out of his hands. He reached down to grab one of the daggers out of his shoes, and Steer smacked him in the back of the head with all the force he could muster. Sunken screamed, reaching for his head, but he was unconscious in a matter of moments. Steer pulled back his crowbar and brought it down repeatedly. Bits of gore flew through the air. When Sunken's cannon sounded, Steer staggered backward and hurled up the contents of his stomach. He was the only tribute left in the arena.

Sunken Roslin, District 4 Male: 2nd, Killed by Steer, Day 13

"Steer Drudgers of District 10, you are the victor of the ninety-fourth annual Hunger Games!" Titanius shouted.

Steer fell to his knees, heaving and shaking. He stretched to full height when he spotted the hovercraft descending to retrieve him, holding his bleeding stomach and trying to look presentable.

Steer Drudgers, District 10 Male: Victor of the Ninety-Fourth Hunger Games, Day 13


AFTERMATH

District 10 welcomed their third official victor with open arms. They hadn't had an official victor since Alexander twenty-five years earlier, and the parties were endless in the livestock district. They were no longer the district with the least victors, and Steer was a symbol of hope to the youths of District 10; if he could enter the games and make it home safe and sound, maybe they weren't all doomed if they were reaped for the arena. Steer was one of the more quiet and solitary victors, and his eyes always looked like he was in deep thought; the memories of his games had him traumatized, and they flashed before his eyes in his panic attacks like the changing pictures of a film camera. Steer suffered from PTSD and alcoholism like many of the victors before him, and he quickly turned into a rather poor example of a victor. Stinn Hawke would also go on to enroll him in the sex industry, but he would fall out of style rather quickly with the influx of good-looking victors in the following years.

The payouts on his victory were miniscule, as 18% bet on him.

His victory tour was great and one of the better ones actually, but an attempt was made on his life in District 4.

Steer would live to age seventy, dying from cancer two months after the one-hundred forty-sixth annual Hunger Games. He would marry, but he would never have children.


NEWS

Steer moves into the Victor's Village of District 10, next door to Alexander.

Sycamora Bromley has her first child, a boy named Booker.

Haymitch Abernathy, the victor of the second Quarter Quell, dies from alcohol poisoning.


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)
88HG: Sickle Salgato (#3, District 9)
89HG: Admired Thompson (#15, District 1)
90HG: Chipson Harris (#11, District 3)
91HG: Mars Talbot (#21, District 2)
92HG: Arnold Scruggs (#3, District 12), Wystella Knapp (#22, District 2), and Robina Caite (#3, District 10)
93HG: Taj King (#16, District 1)
94HG: Steer Drudgers (#4, District 10)


A/N: Sorry this took like 57042 years. I had some fun with this one, and I thought Steer was a pretty interesting tribute. Keep in mind that, for Districts 2 and 10, their "number" in the victor list will be one more than the number everyone thinks they are, because of Wystella and Robina being the unofficial victors of the ninety-second. So Steer is actually #4 even though everyone thinks he's #3.

And so the plague arc is finally over. Honestly, it's probably my favorite subplot I've ever done for this story. Tracing the path of the epidemic through each year was just so interesting!

(Added in 2022): Just wow.