Bloodbath
Valour Porter, 17, District 1
This was it. It was finally game time.
As the tube I was in finally reached the top, I allowed my eyes to wander around my arena. It was nothing like any of the past games- it looked like a normal desert but as my eyes found the Cornucopia, I quickly realized it was anything but.
We were in a junkyard.
I didn't have much longer to think or observe as I quickly heard the sound of a gong ring implying the start of the games. My years of practicing this run had me first out of the gate. I had significant lead over everyone, including my fellow Careers, who while fast, were still lagging behind me.
As the first one to the Cornucopia, I had my choice of weapon- picking up a billhook and a machete, I took a look around for easy prey. Eliminating the weak tributes early on was a great move, not only did it help me rack up the kill count, my mentor, Jasper had explained to me how it showed strength and willingness to win in the eyes of the Capitol. Not to mention it also moved me one step closer to the fame and glory I craved so much.
Now, who to kill? Who to make the first victim of the games?
As if my inner questions had been answered outlook, I noticed a flash of blonde hair making it's way away from the Cornucopia. The boy from 9 really thought he was clever evading the Corncopia.
"We'll see how far you make it, blondie," I joked to myself as I balanced the billhook and dashed in his direction.
As a smaller kid, the boy from 9 had the advantage of more energy and speed, but his youth made him in experienced and unable to pace himself and the moment he began to slow down, I was quick to catch up.
"Any last words?" I asked, as I managed to corner him up to one of the massive towers of metallic waste. His blue eyes widened and he shuddered as I pointed the billhook against his neck.
Looking straight into the camera- a small, hovering silver box he spoke.
"I'm really sorry Reyna, tell my sister I love her. Do everything you can to save Khara, Pascal, and Malikah, please."
"Awww, how sweet, you really care about your little friends, don't you?" I couldn't help but taught. In all my years of training I had yet to actually make a kill and I couldn't help but savor the moment. My first step in the direction of victory.
Unable to maintain eye contact, the boy looked away mouthing incomprehensible words to himself. I rolled my eyes, "Don't worry, they'll be joining you soon- I'll make sure of it."
And then in one swift motion, I stabbed the boy in the chest. It was a clean kill, for all the talk, I still wasn't interested in prolonging my kills. The more I made, the faster I made then, the closer I was to achieving my goal.
Davina Gage, 13, District 5
As I heard the sound of the gong, I looked around my surroundings scanning for any of my allies. I was unable to spot Lisle or Kent, whom I presumed were on the other side of the Cornucopia. My eyes fell on Tennor who returned my eye contact and motioned for me to run towards the Cornucopia. I had my eye on a bow and arrow, knowing that having a weapon would increase my chances.
Although my allies and I had discussed getting weapons and then meeting up later, I didn't quite agree with the plan. Fighting against the Careers so early on would be suicide, in my opinion, but in the end we figured it was a risk we would have to take.
As I began running in the direction of the bow and arrows, hoping to avoid the Careers, who seemed busy trying to ward off the rest of us, I found an opening. The scalding heat and blinding sun was making difficult to see and mixed with the dust I had kicked up from running in the sand, I couldn't help but squint as I tried slip into the Cornucopia and pick up the weapon.
"Get the bow and arrows, Davina!" I heard Tennor yell, as he approached me and the Cornucopia, "I'll try to slow the Careers down!"
I didn't know how well Tennor's plan would work, but I could only cross my fingers that the both of us, along with Lisle and Kent (whom I was still yet to spot) could make it.
Before I was able to wrap the quiver of arrows over my back, I heard Tennor scream. Looking over, I watched helplessly as the boy from 4 slaughtered him- bashing his head with his shield before stabbing him with his sword.
"No! Tennor!" I screeched, as I watched his lifeless body fall limp to the floor.
Speechless, I returned my attention to the arrows- I felt the tears welling at my eyes but I knew I had to remain focused. Tennor sacrifice had to mean something. As I was about to pick up the bow, I swiveled around, greeted with an all too familiar voice.
"Not so fast, darling," Atom snarled, his otherwise pleasant features twisting into a wicked smirk. My heart stopped as he lunged for me, sword in hand.
At that very moment, it seemed as if everything was moving in slow motion. I did my best to slide out of the way but I couldn't help but wince in pain as I felt the edge of his sword make contact with my arm. Adrenaline must have been pumping through my veins for the instead of feeling excruciating pain, my entire arm went numb. As much as I needed the arrows, I knew I couldn't fight hand-to-hand with them.
As Atom made another slice in my direction, I jumped backwards, my back hitting the splintered wood of the Cornucopia's shelling. Groaning in pain, I grabbed a small knife which had landed on the floor. I was almost entirely inexperienced with a knife, but I cut vegetables at home- how different could this be?
Apparently, very different.
As Atom closed in on me, I held the knife out as a warning for him to back away, "Please, Atom, I don't want to kill you. We're both from the same district, please just let me go and I'll owe you my life."
My voice came out far shakier than I imagined and I could help but nervously watch as he took another step closer.
"You don't scare me, Gage," he sneered, "What are you going to do? Stab me with that knife? Why don't you quit your wallowing so I can put you out of your misery."
"Atom, no-"
Whatever I had been about to say was lost in my throat as I suddenly felt Atom's sword lodge right below my ribs. Everything began to look blurry and with my last breath, I threw the knife in Atom's direction, who still remained hovering in front of me.
As I watched Atom's smile morph into an expression pure shock, I crumbled to the ground.
And then everything was black.
Aisling Shepherd, 16, District 10
By choosing to work alone, I had enabled myself to far more flexibility than those trapped in an alliance.
Knowing the Cornucopia was quite literally going to be a 'Bloodbath', I knew I was best off avoiding it. While I was confident in my running skills, running in the opposite direction with my speed put far more distance in between me and the other tributes giving me a far better chance of making it through the games.
It's no secret that not every victor has one by fighting or making kills and I was hoping I could pull out a win similarly. As the sounds of shrill screams and pained groans soon faded into silence, I knew I had made the right choice avoiding the Cornucopia. The only problem now, was that I was left with no supplies. The expansive, dry lands which made up the arena mirrored that of a desert.
While I wasn't exactly familiar with the climate, the burning sun wasn't too much hotter than that of district 10's and in my experience I knew I could go longer without food than most even if I was already craving some D10 Buttermilk Buscuits, so my first priority would be to find water. I assumed the initial Bloodbath couldn't last much longer and the other tributes would begin to pan out so my margin of time for exploration would be short.
Heading in the direction I had been running in, I knew there had to be a source of water somewhere in this arena. The Gamemaker's couldn't create a set of games where all the tributes died from dehydration and from the quick glance I had of the Cornucopia there certainly wasn't enough water there to sustain more than 1 tributes 3 days.
The more I walked, the more I began to wonder if I was walking in circles. Perhaps it was the heat and dehydration was already beginning set in or maybe the Capitol really had gone lazy with their design and created about 100 identical towers of trash.
Walking about a half mile more, I suddenly stopped. One of the towers was completely different- for starters the tower, unlike the others, seemed to be lacking junk, in fact it seemed to full treasures.
Items like empty canteens, hats, backpacks, small food squares, and sunscreen made up this tower- it was far smaller than the others and I began to hypothesize that instead of natural resources this arena had tiny Cornucopias hidden among the much larger junk towers for tributes to find. Unlike the Cornucopia, this tower lacked any signs of weapons or water bottles, but I was more than pleased to have the few supplies it did offer.
I doubted that the Capitol had expected anyone to run into ones of these so early on in the games. The distance I had covered in such a short period of time was quite more than most could be expected to reach.
Nonetheless, I couldn't contain my excitement as I filled a backpack up with these supplies. If I could find water, I would be set!
I had to keep moving.
Another 20 minutes passed with no sign of water and I was truly beginning to worry. I had no idea what clock this arena ran on and if the sun began to set, I knew I would have to find a safe place to spend the night and would have to go without water. I had already counted 4 cannons since the games had begun and I was not planning on being the fifth.
As I looked around, I noticed the piles of junk had taken on a new hue- instead of being shiny and metallic, they had taken on a shade of red- rust red. Rust was almost always caused by water so I knew I had to be getting close to a source of water.
Picking up my pace, my eyes widened when I spotted it- in between an old, broken down train car and a large metallic sign (with illegible markings) lay a small, sparkling pool of water. An oasis.
Rushing up to it, I quickly filled my canteen and sipped from the cool water, a much needed refreshment to combat the blazing heat. As few moments passed and I suddenly felt light-headed, taking a seat, I frowned my eyelids suddenly felt extremely heavy and couldn't manage to keep myself awake. Closing my eyes and I slipped in unconsciousness, I heard a cannon ring, unaware it belonged to me.
a/n: So there's your Bloodbath. I originally had this split into two parts but decided to combine it for cohesiveness which is why this took so long. But I'M SO SO SO SO sorry about the extra long wait. Please not that if your tribute died it's absolutely NOTHING personal. I seriously LOVED, LOVED, LOVED all the ones you guys sent me but alas, it is the Hunger Games so here are my Eulogies:
Winston: Honestly, Winston was one of the few bloodbath tributes I had set from the very beginning, so I don't have much to say. I loved developing you for the short time I had you! You're allies and family will most certainly miss you!
Tennor: Tennor was one of the characters I had so much fun with, especially with his backstory and I hope that someday I can revisit his character in another form, but like Winston, his fate was sealed from the very beginning.
Davina: So I actually had Davina going A LOT further (and by that I mean Final 8) but the more that I plotted with her, the more I found that this would make her death more meaningful. She'll be missed but I think she had a solid ending.
Atom: So Atom, how the mighty fall, eh? His creator actually asked that he die in the bloodbath, so I hope his death was satisfying for you, District7AxeMurderer! He was a such fun character to play around with :D
Aisling: With Aisling she wasn't technically killed in the bloodbath, but I think her death was important in that she showed how deadly this arena really is. As much as I liked Aisling, I didn't see any further development for her and I felt this would be the right decision.
1. What did you think of the deaths? Any surprises?
2. Favorite PoV of the chapter?
3. Who do you think will be next to kick the bucket?
Ya'll are truly the best! - Cass
Placement List:
Winston Grainelle, District 9, Placed 24th- Stabbed by a billhook by Valour Porter
Tennor Blankette, District 8, Placed 23rd- Sword to the chest by Nemo Warnock
Davina Gage, District 5, Placed 22st- Stabbed with a sword by Atom Beaker
Atom Beaker, District 5, Placed 21nd- Hit by knife thrown by Davina Gage
Aisling Shepherd, District 10, Placed 20th- Killed by Toxic Waste in Oasis