Alaska Dayte's POV – District 4 Female
The second the gong went off, I started to sprint off my plate. Everyone else started to go forward as well at varying speeds. Everyone ran forward in an almost robotic fashion over the rubble on the ground as we started to rush towards our weapons. Most of the others were running towards the deadly weapons at the center, but I was focused on the set of knives at the edge of the cornucopia. I reached an area with a set of knives quickly and grabbed ten of them as fast as I could. Once I grabbed my knives, I looked up to study the chaos around me.
Of all the tributes, Alexandra was the first one to reach the center of the cornucopia. She already had a backpack of supplies over shoulders and she grabbed the bow and arrow set amongst the other deadly weapons. She then started to sprint out of the cornucopia towards the forest just as the other tributes were starting to arrive in the center. Not a single person would be able to catch up to her at the pace she was running at. Typical. She was always the fastest tribute here. It makes sense she would be able to get away from everything so quickly. There would be no point in chasing her at all.
"Careers!" I heard Ariail shout. I turned my head and noticed him approaching the center of the cornucopia. "Grab your weapons and kill as many people as you can!"
Most of the careers were now starting to reach the center of the cornucopia and were getting all their weapons. Now was the time to get out before the bloodbath really began. I needed to slip out of here as they were getting their kills so they wouldn't suspect me as running away. I needed them to think I was still on their side until I actually got out of here!
Therefore, I decided to start looking for an opportune moment to flee. Then, in my peripheral vision, I noticed my chance to escape in the form of one of the tributes fleeing the cornucopia. It was Maddison! Just like Alexandra, she was also heading towards the forest wearing a backpack. In her hands were both a knife and a rope.
I also noticed Cascade eyeing her intently, holding a spear tightly in his hands. I knew immediately what he was thinking: he was debating whether he should go after her or no and try to kill her.
I felt myself tense up slightly at the thought. I may not have gotten to know her too well, but I did happen to like her whenever we did talk. The thought of her dying in the bloodbath was a disturbing one to me…
"I got the District Ten girl! Get someone else!" I shouted to him as I started to rush over towards her. He seemed to nod his head and shrug before he turned his attention towards some other unfortunate tribute.
As I ran after Maddison, I grabbed one of the lying backpacks on the ground. I then continued to 'pursue' her into the forest.
A few seconds into my run, I stopped following her. I had no interest in killing Maddison – at least, not yet. She was just an excuse I used to get out of the cornucopia. In the end, I may have just saved both of our lives.
Instead, I turned direction and headed towards a different area in the surrounding forest. I had to get in there fast and find an ideal hiding spot. Getting out of the bloodbath was an accomplishment, but I had to make sure I was ready for whatever else the Gamemakers had in store for me. The Games were officially on now, however. The rest of the Games were going to be hell and it was going to be my job to survive it somehow…
Cascade Bolt's POV – District 4 Male
After Alaska shouted at me, she started to chase after the District Ten girl, Maddison. I was thinking of taking her out early since she got one of the highest scores amongst the outer district tributes, but apparently my district partner wanted to be the one to kill her. Strange. She told me she didn't have a particular target. Apparently, she changed her mind. Not like I cared too much, though. I didn't really care who it was that I went after. Therefore, I shrugged in response and simply decided to honor her request.
I turned my attention towards the other tributes, trying to find a target to go after. I saw the boy from District Eight, Xander, at the edge of the cornucopia picking up a backpack of supplies. The girl from District Nine, Demetriana, had grabbed an axe close to the center and was now looking for somebody. I debated going after both of them, but then I noticed a person run directly in front of me. My eyes turned to face him.
It was the District Three boy, Ethan. The kid was running towards two other tributes that were far away that I couldn't see very well. He didn't have much on hand: he just had a backpack of supplies and a wrench in his hands. While he could maybe use the wrench to defend himself, he was technically weaponless. He was, therefore, an easy kill.
I swallowed hard as I shook my head. Hunger Games after all…
My body moved faster than my mind. I ran right behind him and caught up to the lanky boy rather quickly. He was apparently not that fast compared to the other tributes and it was going to his downfall. After catching up to him, I used the blunt end of my spear to hit him hard in the back and knock him down. He fell to the rubble on the ground hard, dropping the wrench out of his hands.
Ethan quickly tried to pull himself up and scamper away, but I wasn't going to let him get away. I knocked him back down again, this time a lot harder. He fell, this time, on to his back. I quickly than slammed my foot on top of his chest to hold him down and prevent him from getting away. Ethan choked in response. He tried to pull himself up and fight back, but he couldn't. Realization dawned on his face soon after and he started to tear up.
"Please… Don't do this." Ethan begged. "G-Give me a chance. J-Just let me get out of the bloodbath."
A part of me wanted to immediately. I never liked watching too many tributes die in the bloodbath whenever I watched the Games back home. It didn't seem fair to kill someone here. But then, I remembered that this was no longer something I was watching. Whether I wanted to be here or not, I was here and my life was on the line. Instead of complying, I raised my spear into the air. He knew exactly what my response was to his request.
"N-No! M-My father's going to die too. They're going t-to kill him! Please sp-spare me! For his sake! SPARE HIM! PLEASE!" Ethan was now starting to scream extremely loudly. His tears seemed to double and were rolling down his cheeks almost like a waterfall.
Again, for a second, I hesitated. My mind was processing the Quarter Quell twist and I realized that I would be killing another person with every tribute. Killing Ethan would be killing his father as well; his blood would also be on my hands. Then I remembered that my brother's life was also on the line. I couldn't afford to be sympathetic just because of the twist. I knew that no one would be sympathetic to me if the situation was reversed. With that thought, I steeled my eyes and looked at the District Three boy as coldly as I could.
"There's nothing I can do for you. I'm sorry." I replied monotonously. "The only thing I can do for you and your dad is make sure you don't suffer too much. I'll make this quick."
I didn't wait for a response; I simply plunged my spear into his throat. Blood splattered immediately. Ethan's eyes widened in pain for less than a second, and then his tears stopped. His breathing stopped completely.
I quickly pulled my spear out of his body. Blood started to pour out at an even faster rate and was now covering the rubble around his body. The edge of my spear was also coated in blood: his blood.
In all my fights back in District Four, I never killed a soul. Maim them? Sure. Sent them to the hospital? Most definitely! Kill? Never. My father raised me better than that: I was no murderer. Now, I couldn't say that. In cold blood, I rejected everything I was taught by my father and made my first kill. And, no doubt, it wouldn't be my last…
I was no volunteer to the Games and now, I knew exactly why I never had an interest beforehand.
This is disgusting. This is gross. This is evil. This… My eyes, once again, steeled themselves as I began to look around at the other tributes around me. … This is the Hunger Games.
This is all for you Dylan. I'm doing all of this for you!
Stephanie Volk's POV – District 5 Female
"ETHAN!" I shouted in surprise and disgust.
I thought it was a sign of good luck when Icarus and I were able to meet up quick and grab our supplies and weaponry. We each had a backpack of supplies and a few basic tools and I had managed to grab a short sword at the edge of the weapon pile in the cornucopia. This was going to be a sign that the Games were going to very well. Then, I turned to face Ethan and see if he was almost towards us only to see the District Four boy pulling a spear out of his throat.
I felt tears that were now starting to roll down my face as I looked at Ethan's motionless body, covered in his own blood. This can't be happening. Ethan and I had so much planned together. We were going to change everything the Capitol knew about how two 'nerdy' tributes could survive in the arena. He… He can't die. Not now!
"Dammit Stephanie, that was loud." Icarus cursed.
Immediately, I blushed in response as I realized what I did. How could I have screamed like that? I may have drawn attention to us and gotten myself killed off! I may have gotten Icarus killed too…
I then noticed the District Four boy was now looking directly at us, holding the bloodied spear in his hands that he used to kill Ethan. I knew exactly what he was going to do; he was going to charge after us. He was going to try and kill us!
Some ally you are Stephanie… Now Icarus is in danger too...
"And he's going to come after us. Fuck everything." Icarus continued to curse as he started to run. "We need to get out of here now. Follow me!"
I nodded in response and started to run right behind him through the rubble, rubbing the tears out of my eyes so that they wouldn't cloud my vision. In the distance, I heard the District Four boy running after us. His footsteps were loud, crushing small pieces of rock and brick that he was stomping on.
The Four boy was much faster than us and was starting to catch up. I turned my head around to see how far away he was and I noticed that he was raising the spear in his head as if he was going to throw it at us. My eyes widened immediately.
"Icarus, he's going to throw it. Move out of the way!" I hissed at him.
The District Four by tossed his spear in our direction, aiming directly at Icarus. More tears began to roll down my face as I expected it to make contact. It, however, missed. Thank God. Icarus was able to just avoid the spear and the weapon landed deep within the earth, inches away from its target. Icarus then quickly turned around, grabbed the spear, and held it tight amongst his other supplies before he continued to run again.
"Just keep running. He's not going to chase us anymore. From the looks of it, that was the only weapon he had on him, so he'd be stupid to follow us when he's weaponless and we have weapons." He told me.
I nodded in understanding and continued to run side-by-side with Icarus. We ran in the direction further into the city rather than to the forest or towards the volcano. A few seconds passed before I looked behind me out of curiosity. As Icarus predicted, the District Four boy stopped pursuing us and was heading back to the center of the cornucopia. He didn't have another weapon after all. It also looked like none of the other careers were going after us. For now, the two of us were going to safe for a little bit.
My eyes then focused in on the spear in Icarus's hands. It was the one that the boy used to kill Ethan and it was soaked with his blood. Some of it was still dripping actually and had gotten on a few of the other supplies Icarus was carrying.
Ethan… I'm so sorry. I felt the tears come back to my eyes.
Before the Games had started, Icarus had advised for me to mourn if either he or Ethan passed away in the bloodbath. Perhaps he would be able to follow through with that piece of advice, but I doubt I would be able to. Right now, all I wanted to do was cry for my deceased friend.
This was only the first few minutes: how was I going to survive the rest of the arena?
Lepolio Huang's POV – District 2 Male
I had assumed that the Careers this year would be more strategic with their bloodbath targets. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Only Alaska seemed to be competent and ran after Maddison, a very appropriate target. On the other hand, the rest of them seemed to be either afflicted by a desire to not kill or mindless bloodlust and were not handling the bloodbath logically.
Victoire grabbed her boomerang and her whip, but was seemingly just watching the other tributes. She wasn't going after anyone, despite the advice I gave to her on the hovercraft. Cascade had targeted the District Three boy before anyone else and killed him and tried to take out the District Five tributes, but ultimately failed and was now returning to grab another weapon, ultimately wasting his time. Ariail was approaching the boy from District Eight with his katana raised. Kendra was currently trying to land a decent strike on the girl from District Seven, who was looking for an opportune moment to get away from her.
Fools. They were all wasting valuable time in the bloodbath.
In my peripheral vision, I noticed the boy from District Eleven, Bane I believe, was fleeing the cornucopia with a backpack, a first-aid kit, and one dagger. If I were like the rest of my alliance, I would probably have ran after him and cut him down on the spot. He, on the other hand, was no threat. Instead, my eyes focused on the central threat of the Games: Logan Faber.
The District Ten boy had managed to reach a scythe and was trying to flee the cornucopia with it and a backpack on his shoulders. He scored the same training score as me and that made him more dangerous than anyone else here.
Gripping the two katanas in my hands tightly, I charged after him as quickly as I could to cut him down. I was running faster than he was at the moment and I was able to catch up to him. He seemed to have heard me, however, and turned around to block my strike with the blade of his scythe.
"District Two, what are you doing?" He hissed at me as he jumped backwards away from me.
I said nothing as I simply charged at him again. I swung the blade in my right hand at him, which he dodged. I then swung the sword in my left hand at him, which he wasn't able to avoid. He was forced to block it with his scythe again. The District Ten boy's glare intensified.
"This isn't the right time for our battle, District Two." Logan continued to hiss. "We are both better than a mere bloodbath fight. This is too fast-paced. We need a personal battle between the two of us, away from the distractions."
"District Ten," I spoke using his district, referring to him the same way he referred to me, "we are in the Hunger Games. There is no 'right time'. Every second is a moment to fight and a moment to kill."
Logan's glare never faded, but a grin quickly developed on his face as he looked at me with a bloodlust that surpassed any I had ever seen. It took me by surprise, but I knew it was nothing to fear. No matter what anyone may say, pure killing intent was only a psychological weapon: it was impossible to use it to physically kill someone.
"I would agree with that logic. You think similarly to me I see." Logan commented excitedly as he raised his scythe's blade in my direction. "Very well then. If you wish to dance now, then I won't be the one to deny your request. You may lead. Let's make this fun!"
He was taunting me. I knew he was trying to come across as cocky and overconfident, in hopes that I'd maybe underestimate him. That wasn't going to be the case. I would fight him mercilessly, but cautiously. Logan must die now or he will be a threat later in the arena. I had to do everything in my power to kill him off.
With that thought, I raised both of my swords and attempted to strike him down. He dodged my first strike before he attempted to swing his scythe's blade at me. I blocked with the sword in my left hand and struck again with the blade in my right hand. He dodged again and placed distance between the two of us. I had anticipated for him to wait for me to come after him again and strike first, but he then swung his scythe from its farthest distance. He swung it so fast that I barely had time to react. I couldn't bring my swords to block it fast enough, so I simply jumped backwards, creating more distance between the two of us.
He's as good as I thought he would be. I told myself as I glared at him. He was definitely my one true threat in returning back to District Two. He was the one true threat that endangered my son's life.
He must be destroyed.
"Ah ha ha! Your reflexes are great!" Logan laughed manically. "I knew this would be fun!"
I failed to see what was amusing in this situation, even considering my stinted emotions. However, I ignored his laughter and charged at him again, gripping my swords tightly. It didn't necessarily matter what was funny to him: all that mattered was that he needed to be lying on the ground in his blood before the bloodbath was over.
Winnie Goldstein's POV – District 7 Female
"Dammit!" The District One girl, Kendra, cursed. She obviously hadn't expected me to be faster than her. Nevertheless, all she could do was curse as I was able to get away from the cornucopia away from her and all of the killing.
A sense of pride rushed through my body. I had done it. I had managed to get away from the cornucopia unscathed. When Kendra had started to attack me, I had to admit that I was scared for my life and I was afraid that I was going to die if I messed up. I used that fear, though, as a tool to motivate me not to mess up. I thought of Marv and was extra cautious and paid attention to how she swung her axe and how she tried to corner me. Once I saw an opening, I managed to take it and got away from her.
Here I was, the little girl from District Seven that everyone brushed aside the second I was reaped. I had managed to get out of the cornucopia alive and survived a fight with a career girl. I had managed all of this and was able to get a hold of a backpack of supplies and a knife! For the first time in my life, I felt really confident myself. I had told myself I stood a chance of getting out of the arena, but this was the first time that I was able to believe my own words. I really did stand a chance!
Now, I had to fight hard and make sure I didn't blow it.
I ran towards the forest and began mapping out my plan. I had to find a hiding spot quick and begin looking for poisonous mushrooms and plants. If I could make a good few poison doses, I could use them to kill off my competition. This was going to take a while and I had to be very careful, so I needed to start my plans right away. I needed all the time I could get!
Just as I entered the forest, I started to relax my pace so I could study the forest. I needed to make sure I was careful with where I walked to not get killed by a trap or something!
Then, I felt myself get hit hard. Something tackled me and slammed me into the ground. I gasped in pain and tried to get up, but I couldn't! Some force was put on my back and was holding me down.
The confidence I just had faded. Sweat started to appear on my forehead and a fear for my life reentered my mind. What's going on?
"Well, I have to admit, I'm impressed. I didn't think you'd get out of the bloodbath so fast. And you even have supplies and a weapon!" A voice taunted me: a voice I recognized almost too well!
"Raegae?" I repeated his name in complete shock.
"The one and only!" He declared.
I attempted to get up, but I wasn't able to. I then tried to turn my head and look at him, but I found myself unable to move my head. The same force was applied to my head and forced it into the ground of the forest.
"Nuh uh, not happening squirt. If there's one thing I realized about you, it was that you're squirmy as fuck. Give you an inch, and I know you'll run for it. I don't want you getting away from me right now." Raegae told me. His tone-of-voice was filled with a coldness that I had never heard before from him.
"What are you doing? Get off me!" I hissed at him as I continued to struggle.
I still wasn't able to get up. I realized exactly what he was doing. He was directly on top of me and holding me down by his body weight. One of his legs was the force on my back and one of his hands was the force on my head.
"Collecting my supplies." He replied with a malicious laugh. "I realized that I wasn't on the good list of most of the tributes here and that I would probably be dead if I tried to get my shit in the cornucopia, so I just bolted straight towards the forest and waited for at least one wimpy solo tribute to come by. I would simply attack them and take their shit. And believe me; you have some good shit for me." I felt his other hand reach towards the knife in my right hand. I tightened my grip on it and tried to resist, but he was able to overpower me easily and take it. "You know, I really wasn't expecting to get a weapon; I was just hoping to get a few supplies. But hey, you had one. And it's a knife too! It's one of my personal favorite weapons."
"Well, you got your supplies. I'm weaponless." I replied quickly, trying to hide my nervousness and fear. "You can let me go now. There's nothing I can do to you."
"Nah." He replied coldly.
I felt the force on my head disappear. Before I could react, it was now concentrated solely on my throat and I was now starting to choke. He was strangling me!
"Wh-What are you doing?" I somehow managed to speak between my choking and gasping.
"Winnie, I know you're not dumb. You know precisely what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. It's the Hunger Games and there's only one victor. You're gonna have to die at some point for me to win, so why not right now?" Raegae informed me.
Raegae's hands became tighter around my neck. With each second, it was becoming harder and harder to breathe. I still struggled to pull him off, but I couldn't. Raegae was older and bigger than me. He had more muscle than me. A fight like this only had one possible outcome for me…
Tears started to roll down my eyes. No! I can't die! I had just gotten away from the Career Pack. I had just gotten a chance to live! This can't happen. Not now!
Not when Marv's life is on the line as well!
"M-Marv!" I choked out my brother's name out of desperation, hoping that somehow, a miracle would happen and would save both me and my brother.
The miracle never came. I felt myself slowly lose consciousness and I felt my world turn to darkness.
I'm so sorry Marv… I'm so, so, sorry.
"Should've allied with me when I asked you earlier." Raegae taunted me one last time. Those were the last words I ever heard before I finally succumbed to the darkness.
Yaro Hailstien's POV – District 12 Male
"Emery! This way!" I called out to my district partner. She heard my call and started to rush over to me and Kaylee wearing a backpack and holding two separate spears in each hand.
"Thank God we got to meet up with each other fast enough." Emery sighed in relief at seeing us unharmed.
So far, the bloodbath was going rather easy in my mind. Too easy. Kaylee and I were right next to each before the bloodbath even started and we met up fast. We collected all of our weapons and supplies together and now we were able to meet up with Emery. It was suspicious: just too easy. Everything I understood about the Hunger Games implied that nothing was going to be easy, especially the bloodbath.
Not that things weren't going to hell around us. I took one second to look at the chaos around me. The thing that stood out in particular was the fight between Lepolio, the District Two boy, and Logan. It was one of the single most intimidating things I think I've ever seen. The two of them were constantly trying to strike at each other with their weapons, just waiting for the other one to make a mistake. From my perspective, it looked like neither of them would. They were blocking each strike and moving at a speed that showed they really were the two best tributes here. Guess they both really did earn their elevens…
"AH!" A voice screamed loudly.
My eyes turned their attention towards the District Eight boy, Xander. The chubby boy had a katana straight though his stomach. His eyes were closed in pain as blood started to leak out of his body. Standing directly in front of him, holding the hilt of the sword, was the District One boy: Ariail.
"Did you honestly expect to get anywhere, District Eight? You were clearly the weakest tribute here. You should've known this was coming." Ariail taunted loudly as he dug his sword deeper into the boy's stomach, causing Xander to groan and wince in even more pain.
A sick feeling reached my stomach and I, all of a sudden, felt the urge to throw up again. He's already going to die! Why would someone a kill like that? He's just torturing the poor kid!
"We're wasting time. The longer we stay here, the more we are putting a target on our back." Kaylee commented sharply, snapping my eyes away from Xander and Ariail.
"I agree with Business. We really should be getting out of here, while the most threatening of the careers are busy." Emery pointed out.
"R-Right." I nodded in agreement.
The three of us then started to run out of the cornucopia. Emery and I were following Kaylee, who was heading in the direction of the volcano. I doubted that we were actually going to head to the volcano, but it was probably a good idea to head in that direction for now. I noticed the way the other tributes had looked at it when we first entered the arena. No one wanted to head that way, so it was probably the safest place to flee to right now.
"Guys, look out!" Emery shouted as she dove down to the ground, knocking me down with her.
I yelped in surprise and pain. Kaylee caught on and ducked down as well. Just as we went downward, a giant boomerang shaped like a crossblade flew by just where we were. We ducked just in time!
Emery, I owe you so, so, soooo much right now.
The boomerang quickly flew backward and returned to its owner: Victoire, the District Two girl. She caught the boomerang in her right hand as soon as it came to her and she was now preparing to toss it again. Kaylee, Emery, and I stood up quickly before she could toss that thing again.
"Bitch! You nearly cut us in half!" Emery hissed in response from a distance.
Victoire, who looked like she was ready to toss the boomerang at any second, immediately had a puzzled and slightly pained look in her eyes as she lowered the boomerang in her hand slightly.
"Bitch?" Even though she was far away, I could hear her repeat the word sadly.
"Damn straight you are! We're just-" Emery was about to continue her rant before she was elbowed by Kaylee.
"Emery, shut up. We need to get out of here now!" She hissed.
The three of us, after that comment, quickly continued to run out of the cornucopia. I continuously checked backwards to see if the District Two girl was pursuing us and if we were going to have to avoid flying boomerangs again. I quickly realized, though, that she wasn't pursuing us. She stayed still, looking confused and hurt before a few seconds, before something caught her eye and she quickly turned away and started charging after something else.
I don't pretend to know her, but I considered myself a good judge of character, and I could tell that the District Two girl was definitely a people-pleaser and liked having people like her. The fact that Emery called her a 'bitch' took her momentarily out of the Games and gave us our opportunity to get out of there alive. Emery's saved my life twice now, and I don't think she even realizes that she did it the second time.
All I could think about as the three of us continued our approach to the volcano was how damn lucky I was with my choice of alliance members. Now though, as the Games outside the bloodbath were about to begin, it was going to be my job to show them I was also a good choice of ally.
Demetriana "Demi" Walser's POV – District 9 Female
"Ahh…"
The District Eight boy, Xander, gave out one more weak scream before his eyes closed forever. Ariail removed his katana from the boy's stomach and then watched his body fall to the ground. He then quickly rushed over towards his next target: the boy from District Six.
A look of disgust crossed my face as I looked at Xander's body. I had just collected all of my supplies and got myself a weapon when I heard the scream of the District Eight boy. I looked up towards his direction and, within seconds, the little quiet boy that was always studying traps was now gone forever. It was a depressing thought and I felt a pang of sorrow for the boy, even though I had never officially met him.
There was already too much death and violence for me. I needed to get out of here.
Jason, where are you?
My eyes quickly scanned the area around, looking for him. I noticed the boy from District Four, Cascade, was coming back to the cornucopia after chasing one of the other tributes and was about to get another weapon. Immediately, I started to move away from the center of the cornucopia as I continued to look for my ally.
It didn't take too long for me to find him, thankfully. Jason was just grabbing himself a backpack. He didn't seem to have a weapon in hand, but he was holding a large, black shield. I wanted to sigh at the sight of him without a weapon, but I couldn't help but smile slightly. If there was one thing truly nice about Jason, it was that he was predictable at least. And, more than anything else, I was glad to see that he was alive and okay.
"Jason." I called out to him as I started to rush over to him.
Jason heard me and quickly turned to face me. He had a pained, almost depressed look in his eyes that reminded me almost of myself when I looked in the mirror. Nevertheless, he smiled at me.
"Demi, I'm glad you're okay." He said.
"Yeah, and we're going to still be fine. We just need to get out of here now." I told him sternly.
"Yeah… this place is toxic." Jason noted quietly.
The two of us began to run out of the area when a loud scream filled the air.
"AH! GET OFF ME!"
Jason immediately stopped and turned around. I briefly looked back and noticed that the girl from District One, Kendra, was on top of the girl from District Eight, Raven. They had apparently been trying to fight with each other, as noted by a few of the scars on Kendra's body, but it looked like their fight was over. Raven had lost, and she was about to die for it.
This is fucked up…
Jason was looking at the scene with a complete look of shock and disgust. Just judging his facial expression made me think he didn't see Xander or the boy from District Three die. This was obviously the first time he was seeing a murder like this in person. He just remained motionless, staring at the scene between Raven and Kendra.
A part of me felt sympathetic for him. I, too, felt that when I watched Ariail murder Xander. However, I also knew that we couldn't waste any more time in the bloodbath if we wanted to get out of here alive.
"Come on, we have to get out of here." I told him, nudging him slightly.
Jason turned to look at me for one second before he turned his attention back to the conflict between Raven and Kendra. He then, immediately, bolted towards the fight, clutching his shield.
"Jason!" I hissed at him in surprise.
He ignored me and simply continued to run over as fast as he could. My eyes widened and I sighed. From the little time I knew him, I knew that Jason had some sort of hero complex. That was the reason he volunteered in the first place, and it was the reason why he was running in now to save Raven…
He's going to get himself killed…
Against my better judgment, I followed him. Jason was my ally and I couldn't just let him get himself killed just because he tried to save someone.
Raven Bell's POV – District 8 Female
"Little bitch." Kendra hissed directly into my face.
The older career girl had me pinned into the ground. My head was forced directly onto a brick on the ground. I could feel myself bleeding loosely on my head.
This was always going to happen in a fight with a career. I didn't want the bloodbath to go this way. I grabbed a slingshot and a knife in the outer edges of the cornucopia and I was preparing to get away from the area when I was attacked by the District One girl. I tried to hold my ground when I realized I wasn't going to be able to get away and I even landed a few good cuts at her, but it wasn't enough. She overpowered me and was now going to kill me.
Mom, Dad, Aiden… Carolina… I'm so sorry. Tears were now rolling down my face as I stared directly into Kendra's face – the face of death.
Kendra raised her axe and was about to cut my head off. I closed my eyes, ready to brace the pain before my death. Then, I heard a loud sound that resembled a 'clang'. Immediately, the feeling of Kendra's weight on top of me disappeared.
I opened my tear-filled eyes and looked up. Kendra was now lying on the ground of rubble next to me. Standing above us was the boy from District Nine. He was breathing hard and was holding onto a large shield.
Did he just…
"Are you okay?" He asked me quietly as he held out his hand for me.
Hesitantly, I nodded as I took his hand and he pulled me up. Tears were now filling my eyes again as I looked at him gratefully. My mind was trying to think of something to say: trying to think what was appropriate to say to the guy who saved your life!
Unfortunately, I didn't know what to say for the first time in my life. All I could do was speak up with a nervous, shaken stutter after coming so close to dying: "Th-Thank you…"
"Jason! Don't run off like that!" A voice interrupted the boy.
I turned my head and noticed the girl from District Nine running towards us. I cringed as I noticed the axe in her hands. Kendra had almost killed me using that very weapon…
"I'm sorry Demi… I just couldn't leave someone to die like that…" The boy, Jason, replied.
Demi shook her head in response. She remained silent and looked directly at him, seemingly ignoring my presence. "I understand that, but you could have gotten yourself killed off too! Be more careful!" She then turned her attention towards Kendra's body. "… Did you kill her?"
"I don't know. I just smacked her with my shield against her head. She might be…" Jason replied quietly, looking down at her body. "She's unconscious at best…"
Demi didn't say anything for a few seconds as she gripped the axe in her hand tightly. She then kneeled down to the ground and held it against Kendra's neck.
"Demi, what are you-" Jason started to speak in fright.
"It's the Hunger Games Jason and she's a career! If she's alive and she wakes up, then there's a good chance she'll kill us later. We need to deal with her now." Demi replied sternly. She took a second to look at Jason with a sad look in her eyes. "… It's for the best. For both of us."
With those words, Demi raised the axe and was ready to cut the girl's head off. I attempted to look away to avoid seeing her die. Just then, though, I noticed something approaching us: a spinning, sharp boomerang.
"Hey! Watch out!" I called out as I jumped backwards and away. Jason, who was still holding my hand, was also pushed away.
Demi didn't react fast enough, though. The boomerang flew right through her neck and decapitated her instantly, causing blood to pour out where her head and neck were connected. The axe dropped from her hands and hit the rubble on the ground along with her severed head and the rest of her body.
"AHH!" I shrieked.
"DEMI!" Jason screamed.
In the distance, I noticed the girl from District Two was approaching us. In addition to the boomerang, she had a whip in her hands and was clearly still armed. She had just killed Demi, and now she was going to kill us if we didn't get out of here in time!
"Come on, we have to get going!" I told Jason.
I started running away from the cornucopia. Jason followed behind slowly after, almost robotically. After a few seconds, I turned my attention backwards to see if the District Two girl was following us. She was, instead, tending to Kendra's wounds and making sure she was okay. She looked relieved more than anything else.
Judging by the look on her face, she's still alive…
Jason and I said nothing as continued to run away. I doubt either of us would be talking for a while after witnessing what we just saw. I, especially, wasn't in the mood to talk as I realized why Demi died. She was there because Jason saved my life. She was there because I was in trouble...
She died because of me...
Booker Comston's POV – District 6 Male
"Stand still already!" The District One male, Ariail, hissed as he tried to stab at me with his katana. I followed up by blocking it with my staff, a weapon that I picked up when our battle began.
Fighting Ariail was interesting, to say the very least. This wasn't my first fight; I had fought multiple criminals in District Six who resisted arrest or criminals who simply needed to be 'put down'. However, they were all street fighters. Ariail was a career: someone who was professional trained. He had a completely different fighting style than what I was used to seeing: something that was making our fight difficult.
"Seriously! Why won't you go down already?" Ariail continued to hiss as he made another attempt to stab me. Once again, I blocked his sword. This time, however, I pushed backwards with enough force to knock him backwards slightly.
"Why won't you?" I replied with the same venom in my voice.
I proceeded to raise my staff and attempted to smack him across the face with it. Ariail, although disorientated slightly from being knocked back, was able to duck and dodge my strike. He then attempted to sweep-kick me. I jumped up though, avoiding his attack, and attempted to hit him again with my staff. This time, he blocked with the sword.
"For an outer district guy, you're good. No wonder you volunteered." Ariail noted as he spat on to the ground. "Too bad this was not the best year to go into the Games."
The District One boy charged me again. I raised my staff to block his sword. This time, though, he faked me out and attacked me at a different part of my body: my leg. I tried to block in time, but failed and received a sharp, stinging cut. I hissed in pain, but ignored it and proceeded to smack him with my staff. I managed to connect my hit, knocking him backwards. He caught himself from falling to the ground. He then glared at me as he started to rub his cheek.
"Not a bad hit, but I say I probably hit you worse." He taunted as he looked at my leg.
I briefly acknowledged my wound. There was a cut that pierced my pants and I could see myself bleeding.
"I've received worse." I replied coldly. I had, indeed, received worse in fights with some rather-brutal crooks. Just because he landed a good hit on me doesn't mean much to me.
"Cocky, aren't we?" Ariail hissed as he raised his katana to attack me again.
Immediately, I gripped my staff and prepared myself to react. Ariail never attacked, however, as a loud noise started to approach our direction: footsteps on the rubble. He turned his head just in time to see the approaching tribute: Florina, gripping a scythe tightly.
The girl swung her scythe directly at Ariail. He blocked her blade with his katana and was prepared to strike back at her. I then rushed forward and knocked him backwards again with my staff. Ariail, this time, hit the ground hard. He quickly pulled himself up and glared in our general direction.
"I was wondering where you were." I commented to Florina with a chuckle.
"Sorry. I wanted to get a scythe, but I had to be extra careful. I didn't want Logan to see me getting one, and I didn't want to be at the center of attention when the careers got there. I had to take my time and be safe!" Florina quickly apologized. She spoke at a franticly fast-rate, even for her standards, as her eyes never left Ariail. She was looking at him intently, waiting for him to strike again.
Ariail briefly looked around the cornucopia, checking for his allies. A few seconds passed before he groaned and simply moved in a different direction. He, apparently, conceded. Most likely, the idea of fighting a two against one fight didn't appeal to him.
A part of me had the desire to go after him with Florian and put him down, but now wasn't the time for that. We were given the opportunity to get out of here and we'd be fools not to take it.
"Quickly, let's get out of here." I told her.
"Right!" She nodded in agreement.
With those words, the two of us started to run away, heading in the direction of the volcano. As we continued our approach, I gave occasional glances towards Florina.
I only saw it briefly, but Florina was a much better fighter than I had imagined. She was definitely capable and was able to help me get Ariail to back down. There was no denying: she was going to a major asset in the Games.
I chuckled to myself lightly. Looks like I really do have myself a reliable partner.
Ariail Bardineux's POV – District 1 Male
It felt wrong letting the District Six boy and District Eleven girl leave, but I didn't have much other choice. The two were obviously competent and the boy, Booker, was about evenly matched with me. I couldn't take them on my own and it looked like no one else was going to help! So, I had to let them ago. Unfortunately. It felt wrong letting tributes just flee like that, especially when one of them had a high enough training score to rival mine!
I turned my head to the rest of the cornucopia to check for my allies and any other targets. The sight disgusted me. Cascade was scanning the cornucopia as well, looking for other tributes to hunt. Alaska was nowhere to be seen. Kendra was lying on the ground and Victoire was sitting right by her side, tending to her. Lepolio was fighting the only non-career tribute still in the area: the District Ten boy, Logan. Other then him, there was no one else here. Everybody else got away.
This is fucking ridiculous!
Cascade and I both looked at each other and nodded. There was only one potential target, so we needed to take him down instead of standing still and wasting our time. We then charged at the fight between Lepolio and Logan, hoping to intervene and get the kill.
The fight between Lepolio and Logan was very even. The two had managed to cut at the other slightly in their arms, but for the most part were simply blocking the others' attacks. It was extremely even. They noticed our approach, however. Immediately after it became obvious that we were going to intervene, Logan quickly stopped attacking and simply jumped backwards at a quick speed.
"As fun as this is, I'm not interested in taking three of you on at us." Logan stated, a disgusted scowl on as his face as he looked at the three of us. "This battle is postponed for now. Rest assured, though, we will continue it later and I will enjoy killing you more than I've enjoyed anything else in my life."
"No it's not over yet!" Lepolio shouted as he charged him again.
Logan responded by jumping further backwards and starting to run away. He was a faster than Lepolio, so he managed to get away. Cascade tossed a spear, attempting to hit the fleeing target. His spear, however, missed. Logan managed to flee easily towards the surrounding forest.
"He's fast…" Cascade sighed as he walked over to pick up his spear.
"Dammit." Lepolio cursed. "… He needs to be eradicated fast. He needs to be our number one priority during hunts."
We didn't make enough kills… dammit!
After Cascade retrieved his spear, the three of us walked over to Victoire. She was still kneeling down at Kendra and applying some ointment to her head.
"Is she dead?" Cascade asked.
"No, thankfully." Victoire sighed in relief. "The girl from District Nine almost killed her, so I killed her and prevented her death."
"So she's just unconscious?" Lepolio questioned.
"Yeah. She got hit hard in the head. She'll probably wake up in an hour or two at most." The District Two girl answered.
I stood over Kendra's body and glared down at it. I had expected Kendra to do so much more in the bloodbath. She was someone who I thought would go for kills and get at least one or two. Here she was though, unconscious. After all that smack-talk to me, she was knocked out.
That bitch… All that talk and she couldn't back up any of it.
In that moment, I remembered all the shit she had ever said to me. I remembered all the taunts and all the disrespect she had given me whenever I was talking. I remembered how she would always try and undermine me, even when I was speaking to somebody else. This girl, this bitch was unconscious in front of me, completely powerless to anything.
I gripped my katana tightly in my hands as I debated about what I could, what I should, do. Finally, I made up my mind and quickly stabbed the unconscious girl where her heart was. I heard Victoire and Cascade gasp loudly in response, but I paid them no attention. Instead, I dug my katana deeper into her body. Blood continued to flow from the wound and I couldn't help but grin. A sense of pride ran through my body as I looked at my victim.
"Feel so powerful now, Kendra? Now do you see me as someone without authority? Do you? DO YOU?" I shouted loudly at her body. There was no response; there was never going to be. The girl was now dead and she'd never be able to respond.
I opened my mouth to say something else to her corpse, but the words died on my lips as I was forced to dodge a boomerang heading in my direction.
Victoire McBlock's POV – District 2 Female
As soon as the shock went away, I reacted immediately and tossed my boomerang at Ariail. He dodged immediately and rolled away, pulling his katana out of Kendra's body. I glared at him as I waited for my boomerang to return before me. As soon as I caught it, I prepared to throw it at him again.
"What are you doing Victoire?" Ariail hissed at me.
"You just killed one of our allies! What do you think I'm doing?" I answered, gripping the boomerang even tighter. "I'm dealing with a traitor!"
"I betrayed no one! Kendra was unconscious and there's no way to know when she'd wake up." Ariail replied immediately, returning my glare with one of his own. "I don't care how 'smart' you think you are, but there's no guarantee she'd wake up within the hour. It could take her days, and she'd be a hindrance. I was simply removing the handicap to our alliance."
"But you don't know that too! You just killed her because you didn't like her and had a vendetta against her!" I retorted angrily.
"And if you try to kill Ariail, you are doing what you are criticizing him: killing for your own personal vendetta." Lepolio spoke up.
I quickly turned my attention towards Lepolio and looked at him in surprise.
"Lepolio, he just killed one of our allies. And you know he killed her because he didn't like her." I informed him.
"While that could be true, Ariail is right: it's impractical to simply keep her alive and hope that she wakes up soon. There's no guarantee. It made perfect sense to kill her here." Lepolio answered my point.
A disgusted feeling entered my body as I looked at my district partner in surprise. My eyes then went back to Kendra's body. All of the blood that was released from her chest disgusted me. It was much more vulgar seeing the deaths up-close and in-person instead of on the television screen…
I tried my best to prevent her from dying by killing the District Nine girl. I even spent the rest of the bloodbath tending to the wound she received on her head and making sure she wouldn't bleed out. All I wanted to do was help out my ally. That's what allies are for: that's the full purpose of an alliance. But Ariail betrayed everything that an alliance stood for. He made all of my work keeping her alive pointless.
This wasn't right… none of this was.
I wasn't one of the girls who entered the Games ready and willing to kill for the sake of blood. Honor was important to me amongst many things. Everyone deserved a chance to fight for their life. Kendra didn't get her chance. Ariail wasn't involved in the fight that knocked her out and he simply killed her when she was weak. That goes against everything that the Hunger Games should stand for. He's no proper career and he's definitely no future-victor. He doesn't have the right personality or attitude. He's simply a fragile coward, who killed a person for his own vendetta when she was down.
He's the worst kind of person.
"Well, do you still have a problem with me, Victoire?" Ariail taunted me as he raised his katana towards me. "If you do, then I'd like to think you're the one being a 'traitor' and I'd have to put you down now."
I bit my lips and resisted the urge to say something. He didn't deserve to live; I knew that. But I wasn't a fool. Lepolio just voiced his support for him. If I attacked Ariail, he would probably intervene. No matter how I felt, I couldn't do anything if I wanted to survive.
"… I have no problem. Just don't go out betraying all of us when we inconvenience you." I replied coldly.
"Then don't give me a reason to think you're an inconvenience." Ariail replied with the same coldness. He then walked away and started to look at the area around him. "Anyway, all of the tributes have fled. If we want to make up for this abysmal showing in the bloodbath, we'll have to begin hunting tributes immediately. Let's gather the rest of the supplies we need and then get moving."
Lepolio and Cascade nodded in agreement. I said nothing as I simply took another look back at Kendra's body.
She was an aloof and cold girl who had no interest in talking to me, but I knew that she had a good soul in her somewhere. It was evident in the way she talked about her boyfriend or her sister. She just seemed like someone who had been through a lot in life and was keeping herself guarded. I wanted to one day meet that girl. Perhaps we could've been friends. Even if it were brief, like most friendships in the Hunger Games were, I would've just liked to meet the real Kendra Perone. However, that opportunity was gone now.
I shook my head one last time before I turned away from her dead body for the last tiem. May you rest in peace…
… I'll avenge you somehow. Not now, but it'll come.
I, along with the other careers, started to pick up the rest of the supplies and weapons that we needed in preparation to leave the cornucopia. A few seconds into this, Cascade opened his mouth after being silent the entire time with one question that took all of us by surprise.
"So where's Alaska again? Did she bail on us or something?" He asked.
Logan Faber's POV – District 10 Male
There was a sharp, stinging pain in my right arm as I ran away from the cornucopia. The District Two boy managed to get one good cut on my arm. It was deep and I could definitely feel it. Amongst the few supplies I did get in the bloodbath was a medical kit. In a few minutes, I was going to have to get that fixed slightly in case it were to get infected. I wouldn't want to risk dying because of a stupid cut like that.
I did, have to admit, enjoy the pain from the cut. I always did like it when my targets were able to hurt me in some degree. I enjoyed it when they fought back. It made killing them all the more satisfactory. And boy was killing the District Two boy going to be satisfying. Our brief little spar showed me that he was almost on equal ground with me in terms of skill. He's just as good as I thought he would be and more! I simply couldn't wait to see him on the ground, lying in a pool of blood.
All of his strength and power… I want nothing more than to destroy it completely.
Bang!
A few minutes into my run passed before the sound of a cannon rang through the arena. I stopped immediately. Cannon fire signaled the death of a tribute. The bloodbath was now, certainly, over. I remained motionless as I listened intently for more cannons.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The cannon fire stopped immediately after the fifth one. My eyes widened immediately and a grin developed on my face.
Five! Just five! A part of me was worried that there were going to be more deaths in the bloodbath. Every few years or so, a large amount of the tributes die right in the beginning. Just last year, nine tributes died right in the bloodbath. This year, there was only five. That meant that there were nineteen other tributes out there in the arena. Nineteen potential targets. There were still plenty of choices I had to play around with. There were many targets I could choose from and many people I could add to my own persona 'kill count'.
Those nineteen are going to wish they died in the bloodbath. The grin on my face developed further as I started to continue moving through the arena in a random direction.
The Games are now underway. Now, it was time for my hunt to begin!
Zelena Perone's POV – District 1 – Adoptive Sister of Kendra Perone
"No… There's no way." Matthias mumbled in complete shock.
The two of us were completely motionless; our eyes remained focused solely on the television screen. Neither of us could believe what had just happened. It simply couldn't be true! It couldn't!
Matthias had overseen Kendra's training personally. There were even days where I walked in and watched them. Kendra was perfect at everything. She was a great melee fighter and even better strategist. There's no way she could die in the arena… especially this arena!
"Ariail… That scumbag…" Matthias hissed in rage as he cracked his knuckles. "I'll kill him. I hope he wins this damn year so I can take him down myself. I'LL FUCKING KILL HIM!"
I had to agree with him. There was nothing more than I wanted right now than to watch Ariail die…
… Other than have Kendra alive.
Kendra was my rock back home. Mother and Aoife hated us and father never really paid attention to either of us. We turned to each other for the love the rest of our family wasn't giving us and we became close. Closer than most sisters could ever be. She was my one true family and friend and… and…
She's gone... Dammit it all, Kendra's gone!
I opened my mouth to speak to Matthias about her, but I instead turned my attention towards the door to the room. The door was forced open and a peacekeeper walked in and pointed a gun at me.
Realization came to my head and I all of a sudden remembered something: something I brushed aside when I first heard about because of my confidence in Kendra winning the Games.
The Quarter Quell twist!
"No! Zelena get back!" Matthias shouted towards me. Apparently, he was now realizing what was going to happen.
The peacekeeper reacted before I could say or do anything. I saw him press the trigger on the gun and my world faded to black immediately.
Burn to the Ground - 150th Hunger Games - Sixth Quarter Quell
24th Place: Ethan Neurus: Stabbed in the throat with a spear by Cascade Bolt
23rd Place: Winnie Goldstein: Strangled to death by Raegae Oak
22nd Place: Xander Lugar: Stabbed in the chest by Ariail Bardineux
21st Place: Demetriana "Demi" Walser: Decapitated by a boomerang that went through her neck tossed by Victoire McBlock
20th Place: Kendra Perone: Knocked unconscious by Jason Icarus, and then stabbed in the chest by Ariail Bardineux
Quick Eulogies (received the idea from ToxicatedRose's story 'Crush or Be Crushed' and I felt it would be appropriate to do, considering you all gave me such great tributes:
Ethan: In one word, you were 'adorkable'. The way you talked and thought about things/life was just so entertaining to think about and write. You had a social awkwardness problem, but I always felt that you were a great guy and somebody who I would've hit it off with well in real life. It pains me to kill you first, as I would have loved to see you make it out and prove yourself (especially to your mother). May you rest in peace...
Winnie: You got a lot of flak at times, but I always felt like you were so strong for a twelve year old girl. You were so much tougher than I could ever be in your circumstances. There were a lot of things about you that I liked and I so wanted you to make it out of the bloodbath! Unfortunately, my plans for the story went differently. May you rest in peace...
Xander: The readers may have blown you off and your chances, but I never did. You were a lot more capable than most people gave credit for. You had an ingenuity to you and your realistic view of life made you unique compared to most other kids I've seen in the Hunger Games. I really, really wanted you to go farther, but I simply couldn't make the story work with you in it much longer. I'm really sorry that I never let you get the chance to prove yourself. May you rest in peace...
Demi: Oh God... I wanted you to make it out alive. I wanted you to overcome your depression so badly. I know just how lovely a person you really are and I wanted to bring it back out. You had so much potential, but you just weren't working plot-wise in my story. I'm so sorry to have to end it like this for you. May you rest in peace...
Kendra: By far, you were one of the most prepared tributes in the Hunger Games this year. I knew you were a real potential victor. However, the moment I thought of the interaction between you and Ariail, I had your... death... planned. It upsets me that it came to this. I really did like you and I felt there was a lot more to your character than the standard 'career girl'. I hope people are able to look at you and see who you truly are. May you rest in peace...
I'll be writing these for all the tributes when it comes time for their death. You all sent me such great tributes and it pains me to have to kill them. This is the least I ow you all. Thank you all for sending me in tributes, again, and I am sorry that I had to kill these five off so early! Just because they died early, though, doesn't mean that they still won't influence the plot. Each and every one of them will still affect the Games in their own way and I'll make sure that their deaths were not in vain. Once again, I am sorry about this and I hope you all still enjoy my story and all the plans I have for the arena.
Author's Note: Well... yeah. There's the bloodbath chapter. I know five deaths may not be a lot compared to most stories (and I originally planned for seven... two more people are going to have to die earlier than I want to make up for this), but I have reasons for the order and timing of all the deaths. And Logan's words are, relatively, true: the remaining tributes may wish they did die this early to avoid some of the things I have planned for them in my arena... -mauahahahaha-
The arena has now, finally, begun and I can finally show you all the many things I have been planning since before I received even my first tribute! I have so many things planned for this arena and I hope you all enjoy them.
I don't have too much to say, other than I really should have been working an essay I have due this Wednesday, so I'm going to end my author's note around here. I'll begin writing as soon as I get the time and I'll be posting the next update ASAP! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and the bloodbath. Let me know about my writing if there's anything I can improve on to make the actual arena more exciting for you all. I'll see you all at the next chapter update, though! :)