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Finnsgirl, gellineeaton10, Manaliac, RoseAllyWhitPotter17, and Guest: Thanks for the Reviews!
10
The Tributes stand on their pedestals, some looking at their compatiton, but most stare down the Cornucopia..The camera zooms in on Koren who's stationed between the District 5 male and District 8 female
9
Calluna is visibly shaking from where she's crouched ready to run. But if it's from nervousness or the Arena terrain it's unclear.
8
Finnick locates Annie from where she stands across the Cornucopia. After that he stares straight ahead, his face void of all emotion.
7,6,5,4,3,2...
The buzzer sounds and the 74th Annual Hunger Games have officially begun.
Koren and Finnick sprint towards the Cornucopia, their forms becoming a blur of movement among the other Tributes. Annie and Calluna head for the trees, a tactic I had used myself. Drax and Teak arrive first, the both of them grabbing swords. Now armed they start mowing down other Tributes as they try to snatch their own supplies and weapons. Drax first stabs a District 6 Tribute before slashing at another from 10. Patcholi arrives at the Cornucopia next and takes up a pair of long daggers. She cuts the throat of the District 8 female.
As Finnick and Koren arrive Koren uses his size to knock Lobo down as she reaches for a spear. Her cry of anger and frustration calls the other Career's attention from where they had run after a fleeing injured Tribute from 5. Using his speed Finnick grabbed two backpacks laden with supplies as well as a large sledge hammer. Taking their pilfered prizes the two of them rushed into the forest.
The Bloodbath ends with ten dead Tributes with Districts 5, 10, and 6 having lost both Tributes. As the sun sets in the Arena the cameras zoom out to give the audience their first glimpse of the terrain that would serve as this years challenge.
At first all I see is a screen of white. But then as the camera continues to pan I realize it's snow. The Arena has been transformed into a snow covered mountain. At the base there is dense woods, along one side is a seemingly bottomless gaping crag. Further up the mountain many caves and overhangs could provide shelter but the lack of trees made one exposed.
The next day it was revealed that the Career's had killed the remaining District 8 Tribute in the night. He must have discovered matches in the pack he scored and had used it to build a fire, not realizing the Games didn't end after the sun went down. The light had acted as a beacon calling his killers in.
Koren and Finnick hadn't been able to reach Annie and Calluna before sunset so the pair of them had built a small shelter from pine branches to huddle in for the night. Early the next morning though they found the girls and shared the supplies they had gained.
Over the next ten days more Tributes fell, and not just from killing each other. The female Tribute from 9, unwilling to start a fire or venture far from the cave she hid herself in ate snow to supplement water from the lake at the base of the mountain. The choice caused her stomach to freeze, killing her. Frostbite resulting in gangrene killed the male Tributes from 11 and 7. Hypothermia caught the District 3 Tributes after they fell through the ice while attempting to fish.
Koren, Calluna, Annie and Finnick had been doing well of staying out of danger, but now that the numbers were thinning the Careers were actively searching their group out.
They were attacked while foraging for food. Due to being unfamiliar with similar conditions Finnick and Annie looked to the District 12 Tributes for survival knowledge. Calluna was showing Finnick how to identify oak trees and gather acorns. A short distance away Koren and Annie were collecting rose hips.
Likely thinking the group was too distracted the Careers tried to overpower Koren and Annie first. But Calluna spotted them and shouted a warning. Koren swung the hammer Finnick had given him just missing Drax. Calluna's knife left a large gash in Teak's arm when he got too close.
Realizing they held little advantage Patcholi called for them to fall back. But Lobo was out for blood. She chased Annie through the trees all the while shouting all the ways she would kill her. Frantic Annie hid herself in a large hallow log. But Lobo found her and dragged her out by her hair.
"You're a disgrace to your District." Lobo sneered shaking Annie's head roughly.
"Finnick!" Annie wailed.
Seeing the knife Lobo intended to kill her with Annie tried to twist away but all she managed to do was cause herself to stumble, Lobo landing on top of her. Snarling Lobo raised her weapon, but then her own throat was suddenly pierced from behind. Standing over top of her Finnick withdrew his spear. Pushing the dead Tribute off of her, he helped Annie to stand.
The girl from District 4 was shaking worse than a leaf in a hailstorm. Her face was covered in Lobo's blood, the red also staining her grey uniform.
For two days after Annie didn't speak a single word. Finnick and Calluna tried to engage her in conversation but it was like she could neither hear nor see them. On the third day Annie ask Finnick if they were still going to go to the pier for his birthday. When he tried to explain the pier was swept away last summer during a hurricane Annie started to loudly sing a song about mysterious fathoms bellow the ocean.
The next morning Finnick and the others awoke to find Annie missing. For hours they searched, trudging through the snow. Near midday they finally found her standing on the edge of the giant canyon.
"Annie?" Finnick called. "What are you doing?"
"Your a killer Finn." Annie said in a far off voice. "I am too. Or they want me to be. Kill or be killed right?"
"You don't have to kill anyone. We'll protect you." Calluna promised, swaying on her feet slightly. It was as if she wasn't sure if she should attempt to approach or stay put.
"Don't make promises you can't keep." Annie sing-songed still looking out over the ravine.
"We're not." Finnick tried to assure taking a step closer and reaching out a hand.
"I won't let them make me. They can't. And you think I'm weak." Annie accused turning to glare at Finnick. "I'll show you I'm not." She turned back to the vista before her.
"Annie no!" Finnick screamed rushing to the edge trying to catch her.
But it was too late. Annie flung herself out into the open air, her arms spread wide like she was about to take flight. Instead she quickly began to fall, plummeting into the gorge below.
I stood transfixed eyes glued to the screen. The silence was deafening until the boom of the cannon broke out, causing me to jump. A hand found it's way to my trembling lips as tears began to fall.
In the Arena Finnick falls to his knees and lets out a soul-searing cry of disparagement and sorrow. Behind him, rooted to were they stood Koren and Calluna stared in disbelief. Turning to each other the Dustrict 12 Tributes looked at one another a long moment, then stepping forward as one they placed the tips of their three middle fingers to their lips then raised them high above their heads.
A sob escapes me seeing this. I'm transported back to that day, saying goodbye to Rue. The weight of all these Games have taken from me over the years comes crashing down on my shoulders causing me to blindly crumble into the chair behind me.
On screen Finnick has managed to pull himself together enough to stand and he mirrors the gesture Koren and Calluna hold. Years ago after my Games I had done an interview with Caesar about life as a new Victor. In reality it had been propaganda to quell stirings of rebellion. During the discussion I had revealed that the hand sign was not one of defiance, but was a gesture meaning thanks,admiration, it means goodbye to someone you love.
The next day Koren and Calluna watch Finnick like a pair of hawks as if they're waiting for whatever madness that gripped Annie to suddenly appear in him. When Finnick suggests going after the Careers it seems to them that those fears have come true.
The Careers must have sensed some sort of shift because the next few days they laid low, not venturing far from the camp they made half way up the mountain. Because of this The Gamemakers decided it was time to release the Mutts. This year they took the form of bears. Huge, ferocious and bloodthirsty they descended from the highest cave at the mountain's summit.
Koren, Calluna and Finnick had tracked the Careers to their camp and were about to attack when the Mutts beat them to it. Snarling two bear creatures began to tear the camp apart. Teak was the first to die. He was sleeping in a tent that was quickly shredded, his screams doing little besides egging the beast on. Drax tried to fight off the other with his sword but the thin piece of metal was little defense. Patcholi, who had been collecting firewood at the time missed the slaughter, but for the time being she was without a weapon as well as an ally.
Horrified by the sight before them Finnick and the others try to slip away. But their movements catch one Mutt's eye and the thing roars mightily before charging. Frantic the trio run through the trees, but the snow, which is deeper after a lengthy snowfall the night before, slows their escape. Thinking quickly Calluna hefts herself up into a tree, skillfully climbing out of reach. Finnick does the same but Koren's large bulky frame makes climbing difficult. He tries to pull himself up but the Mutt's giant paw grabs hold of his leg and yanks him down.
I close my eyes to the bloody sight but the hands I clamp over my ears can't drown out his dying wails or his allies frantic cries.
After the sun sets that night the Tributes lost that day are projected on the screen. Along with Teak, Drax and Koren, the female from seven was killed by a Mutt as well. Highlights show she tried to fight it off with a pair of hand held axes.
"Turn it off." I tell Effie harshly as Caesar's smiling face appears.
With trembling fingers she reaches out and does just that. We sit in stunned, horrified silence for a few moments and yet it feels like hours.
"I don't… I can't do this anymore Effie." I whisper, my voice raspy with emotion. "I can't keep sending these kids to their deaths." I rub my temples, bile rising up in my throat.
"But you must Katniss." She gasps moving to sit directly beside me. "As a Victor you must. It is your duty as it is the Tribute's-"
"The only duty those children have is to live their lives, fully, and for themselves. The don't owe the Capital, me or the Districts anything." I snarl clenching my fists. "And don't give me any Capitalite bullshit, you know as well as I that you feel for these "Tributes". You get to know them, you remember their names. I know you keep a scrapbook with a page for every one that has fallen."
"Katniss, have you been going through my things?!" She tries to sound incensed, that I'm being impolite. She quickly stands as if trying to seem angry but the slight slump of her shoulders reveals her sadness as she paces in front of the couch in the living room of our floor at the Training Center.
Shaking my head I scoff at her trying to hold on to her former Capital ideals, trying to distance herself from the pain and bloodshed.
Just then Haymitch walks in. Or rather stumbles. Alcohol is heavy on his breath as his glazed eyes take in Effie's pacing and my silent fury.
"Finally have one make it to the final four Sweetheart. Congratulations." He slurs before falling face first onto the plush carpeted floor.
The next day in the Arena Finnick and Calluna don't talk much. The tension between them goes unspoken for most of the morning. That is until Finnick turns to Calluna and declares,
"If it comes down to the two of us I want you to kill me.
Shocked Calluna sputters, "Wh-what?"
Continuing on he reasons, "You have a whole big family waiting for you. Me…half of my family I've lost in this Arena." Seeing his ally's confused look he clarifies, "My parents and brother died in a boating accident. Right after I reached the Capital after volunteering."
My eyes widen in shock. I know from experience that coincidental accidents like that are never what they appear. I've been threatened with enough to be able to recognize them. Watching Finnick extract a promise from Calluna to do what she must should the time come, my heart constricts for the pain he must feel, the hopelessness. In that moment I want nothing more than to hold him, kiss his often smart, irritating mouth and shield him from every fear.
For two more days not much happens in the Arena. Patcholi, realizing she is outnumbered and relatively defenseless builds a wall of ice and snow at the entrance of a cave she's sheltering in. Silica from 11 was setting traps around the base of the trees where she has spent her time since first entering the Arena.
She was laying thin sticks over a pit trap when Calluna and Finnick came upon her. Startled, Silica attacked with her curved sycle blade. Though it was two against one the 11 Tribute had skill with her weapon. Slashing at Calluna's stomach, she quickly spun and ducked under Finnick's spear. In her haste to retreat from the frey back to the safety of her makeshidt treetop dwelling, Silica forgot about her newest trap and stumbled onto the fragile covering.
With a loud snap she fell into the hole becoming impaled on the sharpened sticks and rocks at the bottom. The sight is gruesome but she seems to die quickly.
As the cannon sounds Finnick relaxes his rigid stance, loosening his grip on his spear. Turning to Calluna he tries to joke, "Well only one more left. How about we go cut down some Patcholi."
But his forced mirth is short lived for as he takes a good look at his ally he realizes the snow around her feet is colored bright red.
"Calluna!" He shouts. Rushing over to her he catches her slight form before she falls to the ground.
"Looks like I won't have to keep that promise." Calluna tried to smile as a drop of blood collected at the corner of her mouth.
"Come on it's not that bad." Finnick tried to assure placing a hand on her stomach. The falsehood of his words was apparent when red started to seep through his fingers.
"You're a terrible liar Finn." She grimaces. "Just swear you'll win, then try and live."
Tears well up in his green eyes as he pledges, "I swear."
Calluna dies in his arms with a shadow of a smile on her lips.
The Gamemakers, likely sensing the showdown about to take place, decide that the playing field must be wiped clean. And they achieve that by causing an avalanche. Patcholi's ice wall protected her as the thousands of pounds of snow rumbled down the mountain. Finnick wasn't so lucky. He, in his grief and rage had been stalking up the mountain ignoring the distant thundering sound of the descending drifts. At the last moment he recognized the danger and was able to wedge himself under a large boulder that formed a small overhang, avoiding certain death.
After the snow had settled Patcholi emerged from her snow cave, slightly worse for wear but alive. Soon after the Game's first Sponsor Gift arrived, a pair of long knives, double edged and ment for one purpose. To help Patcholi win.
Seeing Finnick's chances dwindle I know I must do something. So, donning my father's hunting jacket over a grey A-line dress and knee high black leather boots I head out into the bustling Capital streets.
Finnick is sitting by the lake weaving a net from dried when he receives his gift. Mags and I called in every single favor, and every debt owed to us in order to pay for it. But the look of renewed hope, the spark of determination that re-lights in his eyes as he grasps the Trident make it worth it.
"Patcholi! Patcholi!" Finnick yells, his voice rough as it echoes off the mountain. "Patcholi!"
"Enough! I'm here. What are you trying to do, cause another avalanche?" She barks at him appearing through the trees.
Finnick doesn't answer, he merely tightens his grip on the Trident and bends his knees, readying for his attack.
"Let's get this over with then." Patcholi nods before extending her knives at him.
The District 1 Tribute attacks first swinging out her right arm. Finnick responds by sweeping his own weapon in that direction easily deflecting the attack. She slashes again this time at his middle and is able to draw blood from a small shallow wound.
Throwing his net Finnick is able to disable Patcholi's left arm as it gets tangled around her. Enraged her attacks become more wild though no less deadly. They exchange blow after blow both drawing blood.
Eventually though Patcholi begins to tire, her movements made awkward from being caught in the net. Seeing this Finnick makes his move, slamming the shaft of his Trident into her knees then kicking her in the stomach he sends her to the ground.
Lying breathless in the snow Patcholi looks to her knife, over two yards away from her to where it landed after she lost her grip on the way down. The other is tangled uselessly in her hand. Looking up she mutters, "Congratulations. Give me an honorable death."
Finnick looks down at her, his mouth turned down grimly but otherwise his face is void of emotion. "I hold no joy in this. I feel no victory."
He then brings the Trident down on the base of her neck. She lets out a low gurgling groan then falls silent. Finnick has won the 74th Hunger Games.
Looking around the room I see Glimmer take Gloss' hand and give a slight squeeze. Woof who sits next to him pats his shoulder before rising and striding over to Mags who sits next to me. As the crowd of other Victors offering congratulations grows, I give Mags' arm a gentle pat before excusing myself. We share a meaningful look before I move on.
Across the Oasis, where we Victors always gathered together to watch the final days of the Games on a huge screen brought in especially for the finale, I catch sight of my intended target hunched over an empty high ball glass.
Haymitch looks up at my approach, taking in my determined stance. "Sweetheart." He sighs, "You look like I need a drink."
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Sorry this took so long. Life/ muse issues got in the way. Plus this chapter while exciting to write was depressing.