Bitter Peace by Slayer

Without a reason to fight
A time to kill.

Bloodbath

Adriel Maynard, 17, District Five

My hands are pressed firmly against the glass in front of me, my first instinct upon realizing I am trapped being to break free. I'm not sure if it's several seconds, several minutes, or several hours that my eyes are cloaked with darkness, making me wonder whether they are closed or if it's just too dim to see.

I find it funny how one is able to wonder the most pointless things in the midst of panic.

I'm not sure if it makes me less terrified or more when finally some light allows me to see the tube surrounded by shining metal. I pry my hands away from the glass when the metal turns to grass, and finally to sky. Even though the tube still surrounds me it does nothing to block out the light, or the heat.

Suddenly I have a whole new vision, changing from dying of suffocation in the tube to dying of heat stroke. I pull at the collar of my new outfit as if somehow that will help my lungs take the air in.

The tube falls back down into the ground, leaving me standing on a one-foot platform. I look up, almost surprised to find that I am outside. One quick look around and I realize that the closest thing to this area that I have ever seen is the forest that sits behind our main factory. Even then, I've only seen that by looking out the window above my desk.

This seems so much more real than that.

Probably sixty or seventy feet away from my platform are trees that are at least double that length in height. The ground surrounding the area is greener than anything I have ever seen in my life. The air feels cleaner, and any fear of suffocation is long gone from my mind.

Seconds later the feeling returns as my eyes fall over a large projection of a timer. I search my mind for what Warren told me last night. He said there would be a timer, and not to move until it goes to zero. I nod to myself, silently agreeing to his warning. I never asked what would happen if I disobeyed it, and I'm not itching to find out.

This isn't my game and these aren't my rules. I don't think I have a choice but to do what I'm told.

I watch the timer, not trusting myself to take my eyes off of it for even a second. Warren's words play through my mind on a loop. Get out of there as soon as the timer hits zero. Don't stick around for anything. Worry about finding Jonah and Danican later, when it's safe to.

Movement catches my eye and against my own advice I follow it to see one of the girls sprinting off her platform. My goes dry, not sure what I am about to see but too stunned to look away. I recognize her, it's the girl that cried after the Conference. I don't remember her name.

She hits the ground a second later, her scream barely outlasting the cannon-like explosion that echoes over the area. My hand flies to my lips as her body crumbles, revealing a line of red that spans from her right wrist to her chest. I put my hand instinctually over my own wrist, instantly regretting it as my skin calls out in pain from whatever was implanted there this morning.

I fight the sudden urge to tear the thing out of my wrist.

The message is received clearly. Do not go against what you've been told. That girl is the example of what will happen to anyone that does.

She's dead. The thought hits me like a pile of bricks to the gut. Hearing what is going to happen from Warren is nothing like seeing it for myself. A minute ago, that girl was standing on a platform just like mine. Now she is gone, just like that.

I think I'm going to be sick.

I force my head to turn away from the girl, refocusing on the timer that is being projected over a large pit. I can't quite see what is in the hole, if anything, but surrounding it is a bunch of random things. I see a lot of weapons, some heavy-looking bags, and a lot of things that I can't name. Exactly like Warren said, it's all things that are supposed to help us survive in this place. A lot of the others are going to run in and try to get them.

Should I as well?

I shake my head quickly. No, Warren said not to be tempted. He said that today would be too risky with everyone in the same place. I have no idea who the threats are, no idea who has resolved to the idea of killing so that they can be the one to leave this place. In thirty seconds it is going to be a free for all, and anyone could be the next to go. I'm not going to take the chance of that person being me.

I reposition my feet so that I am ready to sprint in the opposite direction. With fifteen seconds to go, I am unable to pry my eyes away from the timer. It didn't seem real until this moment. Until that girl died, I don't think I actually thought they would go through with this. But it's happening.

And it's starting right now.

A gunshot rings out as the timer hits zero. I don't waste a second, putting all of my trust in Warren that it is alright for me to move now. I run as fast as my legs will carry me in the opposite direction of a lot of the others. Only a few that I can see seem to have the same plan that I do. It's just as well, the more people that fall today the less I have to compete against later.

Hollis Bale, 17, District One

I wait another few seconds after the timer has hit zero and the gunshot goes off before I run. After seeing what happened to the other girl when she ran early I don't want to risk it.

Most of the tributes have made the same choice as I have, to run into the thick of things to try and get some of the supplies laying around. To me it didn't seem like much of a choice. I don't think Jalissa or Leina know much about surviving in nature, and I definitely don't. If we're going to have a fair shot at this we are going to need some things to help us.

I see Jalissa across from me, heading towards the centre along with the majority. A second of confusion passes over me when I see her stop several feet away, but I ignore it. I've jump over the smaller objects and race against the others towards the more important looking things. I pick up a bag, grunting as I throw the weight over my shoulder. I pick up something small and metal and toss it into my pocket.

As more tributes reach the centre, I decide to back off. There has to be some useful things inside the backpack, at least judging by the weight of the thing. I need to find Leina and Jalissa and get out of here.

I turn around to see a blonde girl and a black haired boy fighting over a large bow. The girl is stronger, but the boy doesn't seem to want to give up, pulling with all his might against her. It happens in a matter of seconds, or it must because I don't even stop running. She reaches down to the ground, yanks an arrow out of a sling, and thrusts it straight into his chest.

I see the boy's mouth open but I don't hear a scream, or maybe it's lost in the chaos surrounding us. With one more yank the girl frees the bow, swoops down to grab the set of arrows and a small bag, and makes her break towards the forest.

The boy crumbles to the ground, his hands frantically pulling at the arrow in his chest. I don't wait around to see what happens, my stomach churning as I run towards the last place I saw Jalissa. She is still standing in the same place, eyes wide and body trembling.

"Jalissa!" I yell, but if she hears me she doesn't show it. I reach her seconds later, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her until her eyes lock with mine. "Let's go! Where's Leina?"

She shakily points one finger towards where I had just come from. It takes me less than a second to find Leina, her neck and the ground under her covered in red. My eyes widen as I realize she isn't moving.

"Come on," I choke, grabbing Jalissa by the arm and pulling her towards the tree line. After a few steps she seems to regain her awareness and begins running alongside me. She stops running as the trees begin to surround us, her breathing heavy. I pull her arm again, not willing to take a break now. Leina's gone, she's dead. I'm not taking the chance that either of us could be next.

We run until the bag swinging on my back becomes too heavy for me to bear. I stop, hearing Jalissa's footsteps cease as well. I crouch down, willing myself to catch my breath. The only thing I can think about right now is water.

Jalissa sits down in front of me but says nothing. When finally my normal breathing starts to come back, I begin looking around. We're sitting on a floor of leaves and grass, with trees taller than anything I have ever seen before standing all around us. It's silent except for the odd whistle of a bird. The air feels so clean that I wonder how I could have ever breathed in anything else.

"So this is the arena," I say, the words coming out as a whisper. It feels right to be quiet here when everything around us is so peaceful.

Jalissa looks up and I realize that I had been so fixated on our surroundings that I hadn't even noticed she'd been crying. She opens her mouth to say something but closes it just as fast, burying her face in her hands.

I put my arm around her shoulders. "Hey, it's okay."

"She's dead," she sobs into her hands.

I swallow thickly. I feel terrible about our third ally as well, but I didn't really know her. I guess Jalissa and her must have been closer than I thought, or maybe Jalissa is more sensitive than I thought. Maybe a combination of both. I feel a bit bad not crying for Leina. It's sad, that much is obvious, but I don't feel any tears coming.

"There's nothing we could have done," I try. "She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Jalissa leans into my side and I put my other arm around her in a hug. "She's too kind to just... to just be gone."

"I know," I say. I'm not sure what else to tell her. Nothing is going to make this any easier for her, that much I can tell. I wish Leina was here with us as well, but she isn't and I guess that's just how it has to be. During training I remember her telling me that her family never really chose a side during the war.

If they had sided with the Capitol she would have had the protection that I have. She would have still been alive and Jalissa wouldn't be so sad.

Carina Ricter, 14, District Eight

Nerves get the best of my adrenaline and as soon as I have my hands on one of the smaller bags from the outer are of the centre I find myself running back out.

It's definitely not that I'm scared, but seeing the bodies lying there was unnerving to say the least. Not that I have never seen a dead person before. Living through a war, especially as a Runner, toughens you right up. It also makes it a lot easier to pretend that they're just asleep. That's what I used to do.

I'm quick, so I'm one of the first people out. I don't see Flint, Kyra, or Harlan, but there's a lot going on so I try not to worry too much. I saw Kyra at the beginning, our platforms were only separated by one person. Harlan was beside her also, but I wasn't able to see Flint from where I was. I guess that means that he was on the other side.

As soon as I find a tree with low enough branches, I pull myself up and try to look for my allies. The first thing I do, though, is count the bodies. I'm too far to be able to see who any of them are, but I can see that there is four of them. I find some comfort on the fact that all of them look a bit too big to be any of my friends. It's hard to tell for sure, though.

I see someone not too far away from where I am. They're just sitting there and kind of look like they're waiting. I wish I could tell for sure if it's Kyra, but it does look a lot like her. I scamper back down the trunk and make my way towards where I think I saw her.

I do my best to be quiet, but it's difficult with the heavy boots and crunchy leaves. I approach the area and just start walking around, not able to pinpoint the exact spot. What if they moved? I hope not. I remember that was the plan earlier, for the other three to try and get somewhere safe and I would find them as soon as I could.

As I step around a particularly thick tree trunk, I hear a high-pitched shriek. I jump, not seeing Kyra until she is on her feet. Her eyes are wide and red as if she'd been crying. When she sees me she throws her arms around me and I return the hug easily. We stand there for a few seconds before I pull her away, knowing that her scream might have attracted some unwanted attention.

"Have you see Flint or Harlan?" I whisper as we make our way through the area as quickly and quietly as we can.

She shakes her head. I think for a second and then begin to lead her back towards the tree line. I point up the same tree I had been in a few minutes ago. "Let's climb up and see if we can find them."

She nods and opens her mouth to speak, but it's not her voice that I hear. "Carina?"

I look around quickly, and when I don't see anything I look back to Kyra for confirmation that she heard the voice as well. She gives me a strange look, but I know she must have heard it. I take a few steps forward but the voice doesn't come again.

I see one of the bushes move and a second later I see Flint. I run at him, stopping short of pulling him into a hug when I see him. Half of his face is coated in a thin layer of red that seems to be coming from a long mark in his forehead. "What happened to you?"

His brow furrows for a second, then he reaches up and flinches when he touches the mark. "It's not as bad as it probably looks, it was just a branch."

I hear Kyra giggle from behind me and Flint's face reddens. "I was in a bit of a hurry to get away from that."

I press my lips together tightly to keep myself from laughing, but I'm grateful for the little bit of comedic relief after so much seriousness. "It doesn't look bad at all. I'm sure the branch looks a lot worse."

Flint crosses his arms and stares down at the ground, his face getting redder by the second.

"Now we just need Harlan," Kyra whispers from behind me. "Then we can get as far away from here as possible."

"I like that plan," I nod in agreement.

I hear running from around us and panic sets in. I push Kyra back towards the tree, hoping that she gets my silent order to climb. Flint is already rushing back into the bush. I scamper halfway up a nearby tree and am comfortably hidden in a cocoon of leaves by the time I see a blonde-haired girl run past us. She doesn't even look up and she's gone seconds after we spot her.

I breathe a sigh of relief, taking a quick look around the area for Harlan before scrambling back down to the ground. I don't see him but I'm not losing hope. He's got to be alright. Out of all of my allies, I think he's probably the most capable of taking care of himself.

Flint is already back in the open when I reach the ground. I wonder for a second what's taking Kyra so long. She calls down, rather loudly I might add. "Guys, look who I found!"

Harlan climbs down the trunk first and I almost laugh. This was way easier than I thought it would be. Kyra jumps down after him with a big smile on her face. "This guy almost gave me a heart attack. I just see his hand grab my arm from inside the tree. I'll admit though, his hiding spot was way better than mine."

Melita Crescent, 15, District Six

I don't know how long I had been running when I finally stumble over a tree trunk and skid to a stop. I'm out of breath, my lungs having spent most of this time begging me to stop. I heave myself up to lean against a tree trunk, examining my body for any signs of injury.

The only things I notice are the array of scratches that spread from either palm up to the elbow, but I hardly feel the marks. Other than that I see to have fared alright from the fall, which is only a slight relief.

With nothing else left to distract myself with, my thoughts turn back to what I witnessed not far behind me. It was the beginning of the Hunger Games, just as Cavin described it to me last night. The timer went to zero, the gunshot rang out. I ran, not really looking for Sampson at this point. I saw Radimir at some point, but I don't know where or when.

I finally spotted Sampson when I was running back, he was in the thick of things with so many others surrounding him. He looked up and saw me, our eyes locking for a second. He didn't see that boy with the big knife come up behind him. I saw him, but I couldn't do anything or at least that's what I'm telling myself.

I didn't even want him as an ally, but I should have done something to help. The look in his eyes when he saw me... I don't think I'll ever be able to wipe that from my mind. It's as if just seeing me there was a comfort to him. And then he was killed.

I can't help but feel like a horrible person for giving him that one false second of safety.

I pull myself into a ball and the tears come immediately. It feels good just to sit here and cry, but I know that I have to do something else. Everything inside of me tells me to look for Radimir and apologize, except that one last stubborn part of me that wants to stay mad at him.

I need him. I can't deny that fact. We've always been sort of partners in crime, or I guess more like partners in survival. I haven't had to go it alone since the day I met him, and in all honesty I don't think I'm ready to go back to doing that. I always scraped by, but with Radimir we both did better. It's easier with two of us and I already know I can trust him whereas Sampson I was never too sure about.

I force myself up off of the ground. It's decided, I have to find Radimir. I'll apologize even, I don't care. I just need him with me. I can't do this alone, that much is obvious.

It's nearly night time before I finally resolve to find somewhere to sleep for the night and continue my search tomorrow morning. How big can this place be, really? I mean by the sounds of things we are supposed to be able to find each other without too much effort.

I jump as the air is filled with music. Not just any music, I realize after a second as I recognize the tune from several of District Six's community events. It's the Panem anthem. I've always hated the sound of it, it sounded far too majestic against the dreary District Six background. Out here in the wild, it seems even more out of place.

The seal of the Capitol, another easily recognized symbol that I shiver upon seeing, appears as a glowing emblem in the sky. How is this happening? I can do nothing but stare up at the sky, trying to understand what is going on.

A lump forms in my throat as two words appear under the seal- 'The Fallen'. I remember the strange saying from when Cavin was talking to me about the Hunger Games. It's a strange Capitol way of saying 'the dead', because for some reason they find it disrespectful to just say they are dead. I never understood, but I will say for sure that seeing 'The Fallen' written across the sky looks a lot better than 'The Dead' would.

The Capitol seal fades away and a picture of the girl I recognize as the one who ran too early appears in its place. She remains there for a few moments, her terror-filled eyes staring down at me like she somehow expected me to help her. I want to stop looking but I am unable to tear my eyes away.

Another girl appears in her place right after. I don't recognize her as anything more than a face I likely passed at some point this week. Unlike the first girl, this one actually has a smile on her face and her eyes look happy. It makes me wish to see the other girl's terrified eyes again. For some reason the smile makes me feel worse about the fact that she is up there.

I don't even realize what I am looking at until he almost disappears again. It... It's Radimir. But that's impossible. I saw him, he was alive. He was, well I don't know what he was doing I only saw him for a second but he wasn't dead. There is no way he could be dead. \

But I know even as his image disappears into Sampson's that it must be true. He's dead. The only two people here that ever game me the time of day for the last week are gone. Not only that, but my best friend is dead.

I hardly feel the roots scratch against my legs as I fall to the forest floor. I don't even have to allow the tears to come, they already have by the time I think about it. He's dead. The only person left, here and in all of Panem, that cares about me even a little bit is gone.

Caprice Neviere, District Four

Leina Rallis, District Nine

Radimir Ankratji, District Six

Sampson Ellios, District Eight

Song: Bitter Peace by Slayer.

A/N: Well that's it? Tributes have begun to fall and so have my tears. In all honesty I loved every single one of the tributes in this story and it just had to come down for who I have plots prepared for. I crossed out all the tributes that have important story arcs and these four were who were left. I'm sorry to Snail, Teddy, addicted-to-my-reflection, and W.E.B.P., it's nothing personal I swear.

I hope everyone keeps reading, but obviously I won't take offense if you don't!

I'd really appreciate reviews for this chapter, as it was one of the tougher ones for me with it being the 1st Hunger Games and all. I will leave some questions down below to hopefully help get you started.

Any surprises for survivors or deaths?

What plots do you see unfolding?

What do you think of the chapter more generally (writing/plot wise)?

That's pretty much it for this chapter. I am pretty excited to get going with all of the lovely plots that I have planned out. Hopefully this story is living up to expectations? I know the arena is a disappointment especially if any of you have ever read my stories before (I swear my arenas are usually way better). There will be some more of it to explore later, if that helps?

Okay I'm rambling bye.

PS: If you haven't already, go check out The War Game on JabberJayHeart's profile and submit a tribute to our wonderful collaboration. K thanks!