THE NINETY SIXTH ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES
"Fly Away Home"
INTRODUCTION
Edison Jayasinghe knew he had a lot to beat as the Capitol applauded Orestilla's masterpiece heartily. The ninety-fifth games had been thrilling and multilayered without being confusing or overdone, even if they were a little slow toward the end. It was now Edison's turn to steer the games ship, and there were no doubts Panem was in for a very different experience this year. Edison was everything Orestilla was not—he liked fast-paced, quick games with bloody fights and daring climaxes. His favorite games to date were the ninetieth games and the seventy-fifth games, which had lasted one day and four days respectively. Despite his many differences, Edison adopted many of Orestilla's elements in his first shot at impressing the Capitol into voting for him. Orestilla had brought back an old games' arena; Edison didn't plan on doing that, but he did plan on bringing back a prime element of the third Quell. In these games, only half of the tributes would start around the cornucopia, while the other half would begin scattered around the arena. Many doubted he would be able to mash the smash hit of the third Quell, but that didn't mean he couldn't try. The Capitol was wrapped in full-on games fever, with past games airing round the clock on Capitol TV, and memorabilia of victors was at an all-time high in both productions and sales. President Stinn Hawke remained atop the throne of the presidency. In February, many of the Capitol's long-range wireless communication devices started picking up strange messages coming from the east, far beyond Panem's borders. The Capitol was so wrapped up in the Orestilla-Edison competition that little attention was paid to this. It would take several years before anyone started paying attention to the previously-unknown country established in Eastern Europe.
The career pack was another strong group this year. Starting next year, however, the strength of the career packs would begin to drop off; kids that would have normally competed to earn their spot in the pack were starting to wait until the fourth Quell, leaving only the weaker, less motivated candidates for the spots. District 1 provided yet another stereotypical pair. Both could fight well with a broad range of weaponry. The ball was tall and thin, and he came from a musical family, while the girl was shorter and interested in ballet. District 2 provided the strongest pair, as usual. The boy, Pluto, was the last of the Talbot siblings, and he was tiny, measuring just under five feet tall. The girl was a cold-blooded killer directly descended from a Dark Days war hero. District 4 put on a varied showing. The boy was weaker and not very impressive with both looks and skills. The girl was the star of the show this year; she was spirited, speedy, and fiercely determined, and she wowed the gamemakers with her weaponry talents and her beauty. The pack earned two elevens, two tens, and two nines.
The outliers weren't very impressive this year. Hollis from 7 was the only early standout; raised by two lumberjack parents, he was handsome and comical and quickly became a Capitol favorite. He formed an anti-career pack with Clermont from 9, Rummy and Alice from 10, and Raina from 11; however, because of their varied starting locations, the full group would never come into contact during the games. There was only one volunteer outside of the careers: Itsuki Tanner from District 7, who volunteered for her younger sister. Here are the tributes:
District 1: Glockenspiel Meyers, 18, (9) 8-1 and Vanilla Tethers, 16, (10) 5-1
District 2: Pluto Talbot, 17, (11) 3-1 and Karma Venn, 18, (10) 4-1
District 3: Credo Frankel, 15, (4) 29-1 and Mystere Sekler, 15, (3) 35-1
District 4: Shrimp Buratta, 17, (9) 8-1 and Carrera Munoz, 16, (11) 3-1
District 5: Rexter Dolan, 16, (5) 24-1 and Jaindo Love, 15, (4) 31-1
District 6: Orliss Reigns, 18, (4) 30-1 and Jeanine Ries, 17, (3) 34-1
District 7: Hollis Ostensible, 18, (8) 10-1 and Itsuki Tanner, 18, (7) 13-1
District 8: Foulard Hoaglin, 12, (3) 38-1 and Ribbon Dupioni, 13, (4) 35-1
District 9: Clermont Lackney, 14, (7) 16-1 and Tindra Line, 16, (5) 25-1
District 10: Rummy Peterson, 18, (7) 14-1 and Alice Jargun, 18, (6) 27-1
District 11: Fern Ascuro, 16, (4) 34-1 and Raina Davis, 18, (4) 30-1
District 12: Abel Cindy, 12, (3) 41-1 and Mae Lesser, 13, (3) 36-1
HGBO Bets: 23% on Pluto, 20% on Carrera, 15% on Karma, 12% on Vanilla, 8% on Glockenspiel, 7% on Shrimp, 3% on Hollis and Itsuki, 1% or less on Credo, Mystere, Rexter, Jaindo, Orliss, Jeanine, Foulard, Ribbon, Clermont, Tindra, Rummy, Alice, Fern, Raina, Abel, and Mae.
THE GAMES
Before the tributes could enter the arena, they were brought together in the harshly-lit white room that meant some devious twist was coming their way. Edison sat cross-legged on a stool at the far end of the room. Twenty-four doors lined the room's perimeter: the doors to the launch rooms. Edison held a black cloth bag that was stuffed with small figurines.
"Gather round." The tributes did as they were told. The careers rushed to the front and the terrified outliers stayed several steps back. "When I call your name, you are to come forward and draw a figurine from this bag. I'm sure you've all seen the third Quarter Quell on your televisions many times. I don't have to explain how this will work."
Edison called Glockenspiel from 1. The tall, thin boy from the luxury district slithered a hand into the dark bag and drew a cold metal figurine shaped like a pillow. Edison pointed to one of the doors, and Glockenspiel entered it.
Twelve of the figurines were modeled after the golden cornucopia, and the other twelve figurines were unique: a pillow, an eye, a cell phone, a pizza, a water drop, a staircase, a dollar bill, a bridge, a puppy, an apple, a banana, and a fountain.
The twelve tributes that had chosen the figurines modeled after the cornucopia rose into an entirely indoor arena. They were standing in the center of an enormous airport with three floors, and the huge central room rose up through all three of the floors. Around them, the tributes could see restaurants, rest areas, souvenir shops, luggage conveyer belts, and much more. There were no actual planes in the arena; that would have been asking for a Struve-like gambit to get Edison killed. The airport smelled like soap and thick carpet, and there were lots of clocks. This was so that the tributes could always tell the time, with it being so hard to tell day from night in the always-lit arena. Food was plentiful via the various food courts around the airport, and water could be obtained through any of the sinks and drinking fountains. Most of the shops were on the second floor, and they were small and didn't offer much shelter. The first floor was dominated by long hallways, moving sidewalks, and food courts. The third floor was the smallest, and it was made up by seating and rest areas, as well as meditation rooms and rooms meant for prayer. The windows were heavily tempered so that the glass couldn't be broken, and all of the doors were locked, so the tributes were essentially trapped inside of the enormous airport.
The twelve tributes that started at the bloodbath were Vanilla, Pluto, Karma, Credo, Mystere, Jeanine, Hollis, Foulard, Ribbon, Fern, Raina, and Mae. Glockenspiel was in a seating area (pillow), Shrimp was in a meditation room (eye), Carrera was in a telephone station (cell phone), Rexter was in a food court (pizza), Jaindo was in a bathroom (water drop), Orliss was on an escalator (staircase), Itsuki was at a money transfer station (dollar bill), Clermont was on a bridge (bridge), Tindra was at a pet housing station (puppy), Rummy was in another food court (apple), Alice was several hundred feet away, at the other end of the same food court (banana), and Abel was near a fountain (fountain).
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Vanilla from 1 and the pair from 2, Pluto and Karma, sprinted at the head of the onrush. There weren't many weapons at the miniature cornucopia, and they wanted to snatch up everything they needed before it could fall into the hands of the outliers. Pluto grabbed a sword and tackled the nearby boy from 11. Fern was pinned to the ground before he could even think about fighting back, and Karma finished him off, bashing in his skull with her deadly nunchucks.
Fern Ascuro, District 11 Male: 24th, Killed by Pluto and Karma, Bloodbath
Fern's district partner and ally, Raina, froze dead in her tracks. Her mouth stood agape with horror as she watched Karma's nunchucks connect with Fern's head. Karma suddenly leapt in her direction, and Raina was shaken from her terrified daze. She tried to run, but she turned to feel the bite of Vanilla's dagger in her gut. Raina fell with a loud noise, and Karma and Vanilla shared a wink before sprinting in their opposite directions.
Raina Davis, District 11 Female: 23rd, Killed by Vanilla, Bloodbath
Vanilla quickly spotted another victim; the underfed boy from 8, who had ducked under a table to cry as kids were being slaughtered all around him. Vanilla came out of nowhere, and Foulard let out a single scream before he was impaled. He bled out swiftly with two knives in his chest.
Foulard Hoaglin, District 8 Male: 22nd, Killed by Vanilla, Blodbath
The boy from District 7, Hollis, had grabbed a hatchet with the intent of eliminating competition early. Vanilla turned away from Foulard's dead body and immediately felt the bite of the blade in her chest. She fell onto her front, gasping, and Hollis swallowed down the small amount of bile that had built up in his throat before running for his life.
Vanilla Tethers, District 1 Female: 21st, Killed by Hollis, Bloodbath
Hollis' mad sprint was intercepted by Karma, who was determined to give him his after he killed Vanilla. Hollis swerved sideways and found his path blocked by Pluto, who was leisurely wiping Fern's blood off of his blade. Pluto let the blade fly somewhat loose and swung it into his side, shocking Hollis enough to make him drop his hatchet. The weapon landed with a clatter, and Karma pulled it away as Pluto continued to beat him senseless with the razor-sharp edge of the sword.
Hollis Ostensible, District 7 Male: 20th, Killed by Pluto, Bloodbath
Those were the only deaths to occur on the first day. Pluto and Karma camped out at the cornucopia; they got along well, and they armed themselves to the teeth, planning to go hunting the following morning. Glockenspiel from 1 left the seating area where he'd started the games and searched for a weapon. He raided twin daggers from a small restaurant and began feverishly searching the second floor for tributes. Credo and Mystere from 3 had managed to escape the bloodbath unscathed. They quickly spotted a conveyer belt carrying bags of luggage; they'd never been to an airport before, and it fascinated them. The duo climbed onto the belt and giggled childishly as they were carried over the obstacle course-like conveyer belt. Shrimp from 4 stayed in the meditation room, momentarily forgetting about his status as a career tribute. He sprayed a few different scents around the room and turned the lights off, breathing steadily in and out. Carrera from 4, the deadliest tribute, was hunting wildly on the third floor. Her sponsors sent her a whip, the single most expensive sponsor gift ever sent in Hunger Games history, and they were confident Carrera would put it to good use. Rexter from 5 explored the food court where his pedestal was located, stuffing himself with various salads, fruits, and other foods. When he started to get sleepy, he ducked down into a small pizza place and ate a slice before passing out. Jaindo from 5 locked herself in the restroom and pulled herself into one of the stalls. She was absolutely terrified, and she climbed onto the closed toilet seat, crying softly to herself. She was much worse off than her district partner Rexter. Orliss from 6 rode the escalators up and down a few times before falling asleep underneath one. It was surprisingly dark and cool under there, and the whirring sound of the moving escalator put him to sleep in no time. Jeanine from 6 and Itsuki from 7 bumped into each other around noon, and they decided to ally instead of killing each other. They returned to the money exchange center where Itsuki had begun the games, and they spent the day toying with the various foreign money that lined the cash registers. Ribbon from 8 sifted through the various bags of luggage and found a flute, the instrument she played back home in District 8. She locked herself into a small room and began playing a complicated classical piece that charmed the audience, earning her a lemon-flavored cookie. Clermont from 9 stayed still on the bridge on the second floor. He was deathly terrified of heights, and he was too scared to move an inch; all he could do was stay on the bridge, shaking like a child after reading a scary story. The gamemakers would surely move him soon if he refused to do so on his own accord. Tindra from 9 was intrigued by the room where she'd started the games; various cute puppies and kittens were held in cages or on leashes, tied to the walls. Tindra opened one of the puppy cages and screamed as the three puppies inside rushed out, baring their razor-sharp fangs. The puppy mutts (which were borrowed from the fifty-first games) quickly lost her, and they started their prowl through the airport, on the hunt for human blood. Rummy and Alice from 10 had landed in the same food court, and they worked together to gather as much food together in one place before gobbling it down. They were both extremely poor, and they were making up for the first eighteen years of their lives, really. Abel from 12 guzzled a large amount of water from the fountain and then washed himself, to the delight of many of his female sponsors in the Capitol. Later that day, he laid down behind a nearby vending machine and tried to sleep. Mae from 12 moved to a women's restroom after escaping the bloodbath. One of the toilets had overflowed, and the water rushed down the bathroom stairs like a rapids. Disgusted, she climbed the stairs and curled up in a small area of unflooded tile, staring blankly at the tiled wall. Things were pretty peaceful in the arena as Panem went to sleep for the night.
In the morning, the first mutts, the unleashed puppies, split apart to search for victims. Despite the sharpness of their teeth and claws, their sense of smell wasn't as keen as normal dogs, so they had difficulty tracking the tributes. Finally, the first of the puppy mutts spotted a boy's slowly rising and falling chest. After hours of tossing and turning, Clermont had fallen asleep on the bridge he was too terrified to leave.
Clermont woke with a start when the sharp chorus of teeth wrapped around his ankle. He let out a shrill scream. His screams were heard by the nearest tributes, Rummy and Alice, who shared a terrified look behind the counter of the small restaurant where they were hiding. Clermont had nothing but his fists to fend off the mutt, and the weaker boy was pretty much hopeless. His flailing fists landed only one heavy blow on the mutt's head, and the puppy whimpered once before pouncing with more ferocity than ever. Clermont fell flat to the tile, terrified, and the puppy sank its teeth into his chest, splattering blood across its pristine white fur.
Clermont Lackney, District 9 Male: 19th, Killed by puppy mutt, Day 2
The second puppy mutt, after several hours of searching, stepped into a pool of cold, smelly water. It whimpered in confusion and turned its head upward, and it saw the rapids of water cascading down the stairs leading up to the bathroom where Mae was hiding. When the puppy mutt grew near, the gamemakers caused the door to slip silently open, and the little canine sprinted inside, eager to feast on the sleeping girl's blood.
The third and final puppy cocked its head when it saw Jaindo moving quietly through the long hallways of the airport. She'd left the bathroom early that morning and was now wandering somewhat aimlessly through the entirely indoor arena, antsy beyond belief. When she sat down in one of the seating areas, the puppy mutt leapt out of nowhere, tackling Jaindo just before she could sit down.
Only one cannon shot fired, however. So which tribute had died, Mae or Jaindo? Mae woke to the splashing of the puppy mutt and leapt into action. Despite her low training score, she was a surprisingly quick thinker. With a grunt, she tore the metal faucet off of the nearest sink and held it out in front of her, trembling. She lashed out when the puppy charged, smashing it in the skull. The mutt whimpered, hiding its razor sharp teeth, and Mae shoved it down the stairs with as much force as she could muster. It drowned and bled out over the course of several hours, and Mae curled up in the corner of the bathroom, spooked.
The cameras then showed Jaindo's dead body, torn in half and gnawed at in multiple places. The puppy had absolutely gone to town on her corpse; with nothing but the clothes on her back, she'd been completely defenseless. At least Mae had had the metal faucets to help defend herself against the vicious mutt.
Jaindo Love, District 5 Female: 18th, Killed by puppy mutt, Day 2
Around then, what could be considered early evening arrived, though it was hard to define day and night in the entirely-indoor arena. All five of the remaining careers were hunting: Shrimp on the third floor, Carrera and Glockenspiel on the second, and Pluto and Karma on the first. Credo and Mystere kept riding the conveyer belts back and forth around the arena; they were laughing hysterically and having the times of their lives. Rexter was still in the original food court, and he was stuffing his mouth full of orange rice and fried eggs. Orliss rode the escalator up one floor and then explored the arena; he was curious to see what the airport arena actually held. He was an adventurer at heart, and he couldn't resist digging into the secrets of his deadly prison. Jeanine and Itsuki continued searching the cash registers in the currency transfer station where they were housed. Itsuki opened a closet in a shadowy corner and found a dart gun with six darts inside. She and Jeanine practiced with the weapon for a few hours before going hunting, determined to thin the crowd of remaining tributes. Ribbon kept playing her flute, rushing through the trilling high notes and beautiful, vibrato-y low notes with an almost unhuman ease. Glockenspiel was nearby, and he heard Ribbon's flute music multiple times, but he couldn't seem to find the source of the noises no matter how much he searched. Tindra hid inside of an elevator after narrowly escaping death by puppies and closed the door. She was a very religious girl, and she knelt inside of the elevator, praying. Rummy and Alice continued gorging themselves on everything the food court offered; by that point, they had started holding hands and sharing glasses of fruit juice. Abel found a hidden space under the fountain filled with pipes and the noise of dripping water hitting metal. It was warm and terrible smelly, but it hid Abel well. Mae cowered in the women's restroom. When she couldn't bear to look at the dead puppy mutt any longer, she shoved it out of the bathroom and slammed the door closed. The gamemakers were more than happy to collect the unsightly remains.
Late that evening, Glockenspiel finally pinpointed the source of the flute music. Just as Ribbon finished a luscious baroque piece filled with rapid note changes, she heard the noise of a heavy fist pounding on the door. Ribbon was trapped. The chairs she'd piled in front of the door did little to keep out the boy from District 1. The door flew open, the tower of chairs collapsing, and Ribbon screamed, rushing into the back corner of the room and holding her flute outward like a weapon. In a squeaky voice, she warned him not to come any closer.
Jeanine and Itsuki were still hunting, and they heard the noise of the Glockenspiel-Ribbon commotion from a safe distance away. Itsuki hushed Jeanine, and they crept closer to Ribbon's screams, hardly daring to breathe. They watched with grimaced faces as Glockenspiel buried his twin kitchen knives into Ribbon's chest. The flute hit the floor with a clatter and broke down its length, dying with the girl who had made it her own.
Ribbon Dupioni, District 8 Female: 17th, Killed by Glockenspiel, Day 2
Jeanine and Itsuki were debating whether they should kill Glockenspiel or run for their lives, but then he turned around and they had no choice. Itsuki hurriedly raised the weapon and launched one of the darts in his direction. Glockenspiel hadn't seen the deadly weapon in her hand, and he had no idea how she had managed to hit him from so far away. He pulled the dart out of his neck and wobbled back and forth several times before collapsing in a heap. Itsuki rushed forward and hurriedly retrieved her dart before sprinting away, a frowning Jeanine at her side.
Glockenspiel Meyers, District 1 Male: 16th, Killed by Itsuki, Day 2
The rest of Day 2 featured only one exciting moment. Mae finally built up the courage to leave the restroom. She splashed her way down the stairs and explored the nearest hallway, a wide concourse with clear windows through which the fading sunlight streamed. Pluto and Karma from 2 were nearby, and they spotted her moving quietly through the spacious concourse about half an hour before sunset. Pluto leapt out of the shadows, chuckling, and Mae let out a loud scream when the sword grazed her shoulder. She ran for the hills, with the 2s trailing close behind her. Karma's nunchucks touched her multiple times, and they just made her run faster.
Tindra was praying inside of her elevator when she heard Mae's screams. She popped open the elevator door and frantically motioned for Mae to come inside. The 12 girl rushed into the elevator, and Tindra hurriedly sent them to the third floor before Pluto and Karma could board. They didn't want to risk leaving the elevator; the two girls locked the elevator doors and collapsed in a far corner, chatting quietly.
The first half of Day 3 was pretty uneventful. Pluto and Karma rattled at the locked doors of the elevator where Tindra and Mae were hiding, but the doors wouldn't budge an inch. Finally, on the morning of Day 3, they sprinted away to search for tributes that were better worth their time. Shrimp, who was on the second floor, was on the prowl, knives in both of his hands that he'd raided from a fruit stand near the meditation room where he'd started the games. Carrera was hunting wildly still; her fingers locked tightly around her whip, she was as bloodthirsty as ever, and she left the first floor, moving all the way down to ground level to hunt for the outliers that were poorly hiding into the expansive airport arena. Credo and Mystere kept riding the luggage conveyer belts in loops around the airport. Credo found a jug of water in one of the luggage cases, and he shared it with Mystere. Rexter kept stuffing himself full of all the food he could find at the food court. Alice and Rummy were doing the same thing at the other food court, ravenously filling their stomachs with everything they could find. Orliss continued exploring the arena, his adventurous mind tingling. Jeanine and Itsuki were hunting wildly still. Now, Jeanine was holding the dart gun and the darts; Itsuki was slightly traumatized after her killing of Glockenspiel, and she needed some time to just walk and think. Abel stayed put in the empty space underneath the fountain, leaving at sporadic intervals to sip water from the fountain and gather food from the various restaurants and food courts. Tindra and Mae cowered inside of the elevator, shivering. It turned out that both girls were religious, and they spent the first half of the day discussing their largely parallel faiths.
Orliss' explorations brought him to the front doors of the airport. The expansive lobby smelled like soap, and it had a thickly carpeted floor. The front wall had no windows in it, so Orliss had no idea what was going on outside. And something was. Thousands of bird mutts, every color of the rainbow represented, were crowded behind the door, ready to fly inside the airport and terrorize the tributes at Edison's command.
Orliss didn't have time to breathe. The front doors flew open and the thousands upon thousands of avian monsters flew into the arena. Their chirps and crows blended together into a dissonant howl that could be heard throughout the entire arena. Orliss hadn't taken one step away from the swarm before he was engulfed. They landed all over his body, clawing at his flesh and roosting in rows on his arms and face. Orliss tried to swat them away, and he sent one of them out of combat with a well-placed fist blow, but he was ultimately helpless as they tore him to shreds.
Orliss Reigns, District 6 Male: 15th, Killed by bird mutts, Day 3
Pluto and Karma had returned to the cornucopia a few minutes prior; no tributes dared to come near their well-guarded cornucopia fortress, with the strongest district partnership in these games standing guard in front of its gaping mouth. Karma curled up for a short nap, but Pluto shook her awake when he heard the faint rumble of the mutts. The birds were drawing nearer, tearing down one of the airplane's broad concourses in their path toward the cornucopia. Pluto peeked out into the hallway, saw the oncoming swarm, and ran for his life. Karma followed, sprinting at top speed.
Shrimp was hunting at the time, and his face dropped when he saw the swarm of mutts flying in his direction, screeching like a demented symphony. He could only run for a few minutes before the mutts caught up to him, and he turned around to face his avian attackers with uncertainty. He sent two of them to the floor with two heavy chops of his uneven knives, and the next wave of oncoming birds was easy for Shrimp to take down. However, each wave seemed to me larger than the last, and Shrimp was swiftly overwhelmed.
Abel was resting in the empty space underneath the fountain. He heard the birds and checked the door to make sure it was locked before hiding in one of the dark corners. He wasn't sure what kinds of mutts were outside of the compartment, but the noises they were making didn't sound good. Abel was safe for the time being.
Shrimp yelped as one of them landed on his shoulder, digging its talons deep into his flesh. He reached up to swat it away, and five of the birds landed on his raised left arm. Tweeting profusely, eight more landed on his chest in the next ten seconds, and Shrimp realized with a sinking stomach that he was actually dying. He swatted and ran and flailed his limbs like there was no tomorrow (which there wasn't), but the bird mutts tore away his life force and shredded him to pieces in due time.
Shrimp Buratta, District 4 Male: 14th, Killed by bird mutts, Day 3
Rexter was napping the afternoon away in the food court, and he realized what was going on almost too late to be saved. He hurriedly grabbed a frying pan from the nearest kitchen and brandished it at arm's length. With one heavy swing of the frying pan, he knocked five birds out of the air. It was a surprisingly efficient weapon, and nearly thirty of the birds were writhing on the ground before Rexter had no choice but to run. Several of them were roosting on his back at the time, three to be exact, and he hoped he could knock them off by running fast enough. He was coming nearer and nearer to the elevator where Tindra and Mae were hiding, and they let him in when they heard his screams. There was only one bird mutt on Rexter's back, and Tindra slapped it off of him, crushing it to death on the ground. Rexter, Tindra, and Mae did not speak. They only rocked lightly back and forth, shaking with terror as the birds batted against the locked doors of the elevator.
When Credo and Mystere saw the enormous flock of birds coming, they quickly zipped themselves into two different luggage containers. They could actually feel the batting wings of the bird mutts through the thick material of the luggage containers. But the birds couldn't break through, and they were safe as long as they didn't spread out their arms or legs and unzip the containers.
Rummy and Alice knew that they were doomed as soon as they heard the deafening squawk of the oncoming birds. Knowing their moments were numbered, they hurriedly split off and ran to their favorite restaurants. Rummy ran to an Asian place and started stuffing his mouth full of peas, carrots, and orange rice, and Alice started shoving slices of pizza into her mouth. They were enjoying their last moments as well as they could, even though that was difficult with the sound of the birds growing steadily louder. They were both chewing and burping when the food court flooded with bird mutts, and they were literally shredded by the birds' sharp talons.
Rummy Peterson, District 10 Male: 13th, Killed by bird mutts, Day 3
Alice Jargun, District 10 Female: 12th, Killed by bird mutts, Day 3
Carrera had the most success fighting off the mutts. She was beyond eager to put her whip to use, and she grinned wildly as the cluster of birds grew nearer. With the first deafening crack of her whip, she killed three and sent four flying in the opposite direction. One landed on her shoulder, and she twisted sideways, pushing it off with the side of her head while she used her whip to knock five more bird mutts out of the air. She was taking them down at a remarkable rate, and Carrera grinned wider and wider as the black blood of the thousand odd corpses crept over the carpeted floor. She had to kill a third of the birds before the remaining members took the hint and flew away.
Jeanine and Itsuki didn't want to risk using any of their darts. Their only other option was to run as fast as their legs could carry them. Jeanine was weighed down slightly by the dart gun, but she was still a fast runner, and Itsuki slowed down slightly to match her pace so that they didn't lose each other. About five minutes later, they arrived at a small day care center near the edge of the airport. The girls sprinted inside, leaping over toy blocks and trucks in their mad scramble toward safety. Itsuki stepped into an open storage closet, and she slammed the door closed as soon as Jeanine was safely inside. They hoped the door would hold against the force of so many flapping wings.
Around that point, "nighttime" arrived. Pluto and Karma were still on the run. They turned around once and a while to knock away a few of the stray bird mutts, but they were still mostly playing a defensive game rather than an offensive one. Credo and Mystere were zipped tightly inside of their luggage containers. Credo had a jug of clean water, so he was fine as far as dehydration was concerned, but Mystere was miserable. If the birds didn't leave soon, Mystere might have been in trouble. Carrera rested, exhausted after her triumph. She just found a random women's restroom with a good view of the surrounding hallways and shut her eyes, breathing steadily in and out. Rexter, Tindra, and Mae huddled together inside of the elevator, praying. It was terribly hot in there, and it was getting more difficult for them to breathe with each hour. They pried the doors open for about a minute to let in some more oxygen, but they quickly closed them when a lime-green bird tried to fly through. Jeanine and Itsuki stayed still in the supply closet of the daycare, trying to conserve the little oxygen in the small space as the birds batted their wings against the door.
Pluto and Karma were strong, but they couldn't run forever. At eight o'clock that evening, they arrived at a burbling, crystal-clear fountain, and an idea formed in Pluto's head. He whispered his plan to the nearest camera, and his sponsors sent him a pair of hammers. He handed one to Karma, and they spent the next ten minutes busting away the bricks that laid out the boundaries of the fountain. Soon, cold water was splashing out of the fountain, crawling across the floor. Water sprayed through the air in all directions, and the collective birdsong grew much thinner as more and more of them started falling out of the air. With their feathers sopping wet, they were too heavy to fly. It was somewhat comedic to watch them knocked down by the various stray streams of water. Pluto and Karma thundered back toward the cornucopia, fairly confident that their feathery fiends wouldn't pose them any more trouble.
This was bad news for one tribute, however. Abel was in the small room underneath the fountain, and he noticed water spraying in through the corners of the room. He tried the door, but it was trapped shut under the weight of so much water. In moments, Abel was ankle-deep. He screamed and beat at the walls, having a full-out panic attack as the water passed his knees and then his waist. Before long, he had to press his face to the ceiling in order to breathe. His efforts to break out grew more and more timid as his body lost oxygen. He was dead in minutes after the small compartment flooded entirely.
Abel Cindy, District 12 Male: 11th, Killed by Pluto, Day 3
These games were now slowing down for one second: Edison was a man who truly loved short, burst-of-action games; he was planning to end these games within their first week, and his goal was to kill off two to three more tributes each day to keep the level of action consistent throughout.
The bird mutts were removed from the arena late on the third night, and by Day 4 the sounds of squawking and chirping were gone. Itsuki and Jeanine hesitantly left the closet in the daycare center, brushing the dust and spiders off of themselves. Now it was Itsuki's turn to hold the dart gun, and they spent the next several hours generally exploring the airport. Before they left the daycare center, they searched around for supplies. Jeanine found a tub filled with play sand. She reached out to touch the sand and hissed with agony, her skin tingling on contact with the poisonous sand. She put on some plastic gloves from a nearby closet, and Itsuki watched from afar as Jeanine poured the sand into a small plastic baggie. Now each of them had a deadly weapon.
Carrera was hunting feverishly on the first and second floors, and she spotted Jeanine and Itsuki from about two-hundred yards off in the late morning of Day 4. Carrera grinned and wiped the old blood off of her whip before quietly sprinting forward. If she crept around Jeanine and Itsuki, she figured she could sneak up on them and take down one of the girls before she even knew what had hit her. Carrera smiled delicately and crept forward at a slow, quiet pace.
Itsuki and Jeanine settled down about a minute later at a small Italian restaurant. Itsuki grabbed a bowl of pasta with marinara sauce, and Jeanine grabbed a bowl of salad with sweet pink dressing. They sat on the countertop, feet dangling over the edge. Itsuki told a joke, and Jeanine laughed. Jeanine suddenly froze mid-laugh, and Itsuki's mouth fell agape with horror when the saw the end of the whip wrapped tightly around Jeanine's arm. With a heavy tug, Carrera tore the limb off of her body, and Jeanine fell off of the countertop, swiftly bleeding out from the gaping hole in her upper side.
Jeanine Ries, District 6 Female: 10th, Killed by Carrera, Day 4
Itsuki, panicking slightly, pulled out her dart gun and the four darts she had left. She leapt off of the countertop and held the weapon at arm's length, heart hammering as Carrera crept nearer. Carrera knew that Itsuki was doomed, and she was just taking her sweet time putting on a show with her. Itsuki didn't want to risk using her last few darts and missing, leaving her defenseless against the power of Carrera's whip.
Itsuki began creeping toward Jeanine's dead body. When she was finally close enough, she acted so quickly that Carrera didn't have time to react. Itsuki reached down and snatched the corner of the plastic bag that was hanging out of Jeanine's pocket. She opened the bag and threw it in Carrera's face, and Carrera let out a bloodcurdling scream and stumbled backward, gasping and shaking. A large amount of the sand had made its way into her nose, throat, and eyes. Carrera collapsed, the highly acidic material eating away at her face and throat. The strongest tribute in these game perished over the course of six or seven hellish hours. Itsuki was too terrified to stick around for very long.
Carrera Munoz, District 4 Female: 9th, Killed by Itsuki, Day 4
That left the final eight: Pluto Talbot and Karma Venn from District 2, Credo Frankel and Mystere Sekler from District 3, Rexter Dolan from District 5, Itsuki Tanner from District 7, Tindra Line from District 9, and Mae Lesser from District 12.
Pluto and Karma made a huge discovery later that day. A good portion of the first floor was flooded with water from the destroyed fountain, and Pluto and Karma were splashing ankle-high in some places. They eventually made the decision to move to the second floor; they were making so much sound that any outliers they came near would have more than enough time to escape before they were even spotted. That night, they camped out on the second floor, which was home to most of the shops and stores, including the daycare center recently abandoned by Itsuki and the late Jeanine. It also held the elevator where Rexter, Tindra, and Mae were hiding.
Pluto and Karma stopped in a souvenir shop that sold various pins, hats, and other memorabilia. Pluto absentmindedly popped open the cash register. It was full of old American dollars, and a small metal object: a grenade. The gamemakers had planted several of them into various parts of the arena, not expecting anybody to find them. Pluto hurriedly stuffed the explosive into his pocket when Karma came back from her bathroom break. He didn't think it was a good idea to let anyone else know he was in possession of the most deadly weapon in the entire arena.
Karma woke up screaming the next morning, a sword planted into her chest. Pluto's family was waiting expectantly back home, and he knew that. He didn't see a reason to keep his ally around any longer; the only outlier who was actually a threat was Itsuki, and even she was a relatively easy target, only having scored a seven in her private session.
Karma gurgled and moaned, flipping off the boy she'd thought to be her friend and telling him on no uncertain terms where he could stick that sword. Pluto sprinted away from the memorabilia store, the grenade in his pocket and the sword in his hand, ready to extinguish these games as quickly as possible.
Karma Venn, District 2 Female: 8th, Killed by Pluto, Day 5
Credo and Mystere were being far too inactive for the gamemakers' liking. They had done literally nothing but move in circles around the bumpy conveyer belt's path for the entire five days of the games. The gamemakers caused them to take a different turn this time, leading them toward a dead end where they would fall dozens of feet into a pit of spikes. They had no idea about this, and they kept on having the times of their lives going up and down and around on the conveyer belt. Rexter, Tindra, and Mae refused to kill each other or split apart, even though it was late in the games. The three had developed an extremely close friendship, and their sponsors had sent them a holy book to leaf through and read from to fill the long hours inside the hot elevator.
Itsuki continued hunting. She was the second most popular tribute in the games after Pluto, and she was fairly confident she could make it to the finale and maybe even victory if she played her cards right. Her bag of sand was gone, and now she only had her gun and four darts. Pluto moved extremely quickly for a boy as small as he was: he was the smallest of the Talbot siblings, and he was also the family's last chance at gaining another victory. His older brother and mentor Mars sent him a cloth with which to clean his sword. Around noon on Day 5, he arrived at a closed elevator and banged on the door. The three tributes inside simultaneously started screaming.
Pluto flipped his sword around and banged on the locked doors with the hard butt. The doors just rattled slightly, and the trio whimpered, hurriedly crowding around the exit so that they could run for their lives as soon as Pluto broke the lock. About two minutes later, the locking mechanism shattered, and the doors spread apart. The tributes raced out of the small elevator, and Mae looked down to see the point of Pluto's sword protruding from her gut. She fell against the partly-closed elevator doors and slowly slid to the ground, wheezing and clutching her side. Rexter and Tindra glanced backward and knew with one glance that the girl from 12 was beyond saving.
Mae Lesser, District 12 Female: 7th, Killed by Pluto, Day 5
Surprisingly, Rexter and Tindra both escaped unscathed. Rexter ran to the left, and Tindra ran to the right, and there was a slight moment of indecision where Pluto couldn't decide which one to chase after. By the time he decided to run after Rexter, the boy was already a significant distance away, and he escaped into the depths of the airport without so much as a small scrape from Pluto's deadly weapon. Tindra ran the opposite direction and made as many sudden turns as she could to keep from being found again. Pluto groaned with frustration and slammed the blade of his sword onto the carpeted floor before returning to the horn.
Late that night, the tributes from District 3 met their ends mere seconds apart. Credo and Mystere had finally left the luggage containers, and they sat cross-legged on the conveyer belt, conversing quietly and sipping from Credo's water jug. The end of the conveyer belt came out of nowhere. Credo let out a scream and tried to jump before he could fall off of the edge, but he wasn't fast enough, and he tumbled down into the dark abyss. Mystere fell shortly after and howled with agony when she landed in the spike pit. They tried to climb out, but every slight movement seemed to drive more and more of the metal spikes into every area of their skin. Their torturous deaths lasted well into Day 6, by which time they were too weak from blood loss to lift a finger.
Credo Frankel, District 3 Male: 6th, Killed by spike pit, Day 6
Mystere Sekler, District 3 Female: 5th, Killed by spike pit, Day 6
Most of Day 6 was deathless. It seemed like Edison had had a change of plan; he was now toning down the action ever-so-slightly. This would not be a mega-short games like the third Quarter Quell or the ninetieth games, but it wouldn't be very long either. Pluto continued hunting as ravenously as ever. He jumped between all three floors, searching primarily for Itsuki, and, to a lesser extent, Tindra and Rexter. Pluto's hand grenade thumped in his pocket; he hadn't used it yet, and he wanted to save it for the finale or some other time when it was absolutely necessary.
Itsuki herself was on the second floor, staying rather inactive. Her dart gun only had a few darts left, and she was extremely reluctant to go hunting; she wanted to preserve her few remaining darts for the finale. For shelter, she returned to the daycare center that she and the late Jeanine had once inhabited, and she buried herself under the blankets of one of the cots and tried to sleep.
Tindra and Rexter weren't up to very much. Tindra ran wildly through the arena, terrified out of her mind; now she had nothing but the clothes on her back, not even an ally, and Pluto was still hunting ravenously. Tindra retreated to the safety of a small souvenir shop and crawled inside one of the circular clothing racks. Rexter jogged around the airport for about halfway the day before coming to a stop in one of the food courts. He holed up in a fast food restaurant and munched on French fries and burgers.
Pluto was hunting on the second floor in the late evening of Day 6 when he heard loud chewing noises. Manners had never been a big deal in District 5, where Rexter was from, and this ultimately spelled his doom. Pluto burst over the countertop, brandishing his sword, and Rexter let out a loud scream, spitting out the bunch of French fries he was eating. He made a mad dash for the exit, and the elusive boy managed to escape the confinements of the small restaurant without much trouble.
A long chase then ensued. Both tributes were somewhat equal in speed and size, so it was ultimately a battle of who grew exhausted the fastest. Pluto had striking endurance despite his small size, whereas Rexter grew too tired to run in a matter of minutes. He slowed to a jog, sucking in huge gulps of air, and he fell onto his knees and then his elbows when he felt the sharp point of Pluto's sword in his back. Pluto kicked him over and sliced open the groaning boy's torso with two heavy chops.
Rexter Dolan, District 5 Male: 4th, Killed by Pluto, Day 6
Tindra woke up screaming on the morning of Day 7. Her body was abuzz with a powerful electric current, courtesy of the gamemakers. Screaming with agony, she tried to drag herself away from the pain. She was dragging herself toward the cornucopia, a cruel trick of the gamemakers. Pluto and Itsuki were both in the same boat. Tindra was the first tribute to arrive at the cornucopia, and she dragged herself into the horn of plenty, tears streaming down her face as her body shook and twitched from the current that wasn't quite powerful enough to kill her.
Itsuki arrived at the cornucopia next. Her dart gun was tucked into her pocket, and she was hissing with agony and flailing her limbs like a madman as she pulled and dragged herself slowly toward the cornucopia. Pluto arrived moments afterward, and he hid behind the cornucopia, trying to remain as quiet as possible as his body quaked from the electric shock.
With all three of the remaining tributes in such close quarters, the gamemakers stopped shocking the tributes. Tindra, who was hiding inside of the horn, gasped with relief, and Itsuki heard her. She set all three of her remaining darts into her dart gun, and Itsuki burst into the cornucopia, ready to eliminate the underfed field hand girl.
Just as Itsuki was about to fire her gun, Pluto burst around the side of the cornucopia, shouting, "Surprise!" He closed one eye, pulled the pin of the hand grenade, and tossed it with all the force he could muster. The following explosion shook the entire arena and engulfed the cornucopia in hellish fire and a plume of black dust. Tindra and Itsuki were blown to smithereens in a matter of moments.
Tindra Line, District 9 Female: 3rd, Killed by Pluto, Day 7
Itsuki Tanner, District 7 Female: 2nd, Killed by Pluto, Day 7
"Pluto Talbot of District 2, you are the victor of the ninety-sixth annual Hunger Games!" Titanius and Dexter shouted, Titanius sounding happy and Dexter disappointed—Titanius had liked Pluto, whereas Dexter had favored Itsuki.
Pluto held up his sword for all to see, smiling and trying to ignore the loud ringing in his ears.
Pluto Talbot, District 2 Male: Victor of the Ninety-Sixth Hunger Games, Day 7
AFTERMATH
All of District 2, and especially the Talbot family, welcomed the twenty-third addition to their growing lineup of victors with raucous applause. Out of the eight Talbot siblings, only two had managed to escape the arena with their lives, but District 2 wasn't complaining; they'd garnered two more awesome victors and two more awesome mentors, and celebrations were endless in the masonry district. Pluto loved the glory and attention, and he soaked in his newfound fame for as long as it took for him to fall out of style. The fourth Quarter Quell was just on the horizon, and it was difficult for victors who won right before Quarter Quells to remain relevant for very long. Pluto was one of the few who managed this without difficulty. His popularity made him an ideal candidate for the sex industry, but he didn't really mind.
The payouts on his victory were pretty small, as 23% bet on him.
His victory tour refreshed the career districts and placated rebellion in the outlying districts, and it was pretty ordinary.
Pluto would live to age eighty, succumbing to pneumonia around the time of the one-hundred fifty-ninth Hunger Games. He would marry and have four children.
NEWS
Pluto moves into the Victor's Village of District 2, next door to Tarquinius' home.
Sycamora Bromley has her third child, a girl named Tarine.
Admired Thompson marries his girlfriend of seven years, Glitza Spangel.
Arnold Scruggs has his first child, a boy named Pick.
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)
95HG: Diode Cooper (#8, District 5)
96HG: Pluto Talbot (#23, District 2)
A/N: I had so much fun with this one! I had a pretty specific view of how this chapter would go and I hope I pulled everything off well. I especially liked Itsuki, but then Pluto found that hand grenade and I knew I had to let another Talbot sibling go :D
How'd Edison do as head gamemaker? Better or worse than Orestilla?
I love moving sidewalks WAY too much. Like, they're probably my favorite part of visiting the airport. I'm so childish.
Stay tuned for the next chapter, where Orestilla will get her second and final chance to prove her meddle to the Capitol. See you then :D
