Chapter 16: A Living Nightmare

Sage's POV

I stand stiff beside Iris, my hand in hers, as I see a group of Tributes circling each other, and now us. Their weapons are facing towards their opponents and their faces drawn with stress, hunger, and desperation. I don't see any Careers among this, just us and Nyla and Peter from District Six, Dawn from District Seven, Faith from District Eight, and Sabine from District Twelve.

I release Iris' hand and load my bow with an arrow, raising and ready to aim. Iris pulls out her sword, her gray eyes sparkling with strength and courage. I can only hope that both of us, if not then Iris, make it out of this alive. This was what the audience was waiting for, what the Gamemakers were planning for, and why so many things have been driving us together. This is where it will come to.

No Careers are needed for this to be bloody and gory. Just what the audience wants, right? Enough action even though they're seeing human beings killed. And children are here none the less. I purely hate the Capitol now, and the Districts, for choosing us to enter this horrible thing.

Adrenaline pumps through me and I can feel my strength rise inside of me. The pain in my side from the Mutts seems to disappear as I ready myself for battle. No one has moved yet, waiting for the first one to dare it. I only have three arrows left, and after that I'll have to work with just the knife I have and hand-to-hand combat. But I'm determined to protect Iris at all costs.

I glance at Iris, my fellow District 11 Tribute, my ally, the love of my life, and I know what I have to do. She looks at me, sword drawn in her left hand while her right arm hangs at her side and her back bleeds from the cut from the mutts. She nods just a tiny bit, enough for me to know that this needs to start, to get this over with. So I turn my head back to the others and shoot.

Right as my arrow leaves my bow, chaos begins. A scream of pain erupts from Dawn as the arrow pierces her neck. After that, the scream turns into many and instead of pain it's courage and battle cries. I stay where I am, loading in another arrow, as to my horror, Iris races in, attacking the first one on sight.

She's battling Faith from District 8. That doesn't surprise me, she was the one who had injured Iris before. I reach back my arrow and release it as it drives into Faith's leg. She screams in pain and fury as Iris slices her sword down her back. She'll be gone in no time.

But right when I'm about to release my last arrow, I feel something slam against me. My bow and quiver fall to the ground next to me as Peter from District Six stands over me. He has a trident in his hand and his blue eyes are sparkling with the heat of the battle. To think we had talked during lunch after Training.

I kick out my foot, slamming it into his groin. He shouts with both fury and pain as I get back to my feet. I run from him, hoping he won't follow. I try and look for Iris but she is lost in the battle. I can just tell how the audience is having a field day with this; no doubt they may send something else on us. And then I see something farther in the forest.

The Careers.

Of course they'd want to join the battle, even if there are only three of them left. They give a battle cry as they lunge in, weapons drawn towards us. I pull out my knife and slice it across Kellie's back as she races by. She snarls something and whips around, her eyes blazing with vengeance.

"Nice to see you again, rat!" She snarls, "Looks like you'll pay for that cut in my leg."

"Not yet!" I shout back.

She jumps towards me, a blade ready, as I roll away. I give the opportunity to slice open her leg, the same one that Sky did to her when she nearly killed me. I smile with satisfaction as I kick out my foot, aiming it right into her new cut. She screams and leaps towards me.

Her hands find my neck and I stumble back as I feel my air cut off. Thankfully, though, I'm bigger and stronger than her. I struggle to get out of her grip, but after many failures, I finally elbow her in the gut. She gasps and leans forward, gripping her abdominal area as I race away from her.

I hear her shout something at me, but it's covered by the sounds of the fight. I dodge people as I try to make it to Iris. Maybe we can make it out with no one noticing and leave each other to die. It'd be a perfect way, if only I can find her. But my plan soon falters.

Peter is in front of me again, this time his trident is gone to be replaced by a sword. He grins at me devilishly as he leaps towards me. I dive away, slashing my knife across his ankle. He screams and whips around, slicing his sword down my arm. I shout and kick him away, trying to get to my feet.

He stumbles back as I scramble to my feet. Now's the opportunity to free him of his weapon. I whip out my hand and slam it against his. Peter's sword (or whoever's it was before he stole it) falls to the ground and he aims his fist into my gut. I grunt as I feel the air knocked out of me and I step back.

Peter dives for his sword as I start to recover. I straighten up and meet him face to face. Adrenaline rushes through me and my energy rise, but that all diminishes soon enough. With a smug smile he reaches forward and the blade cuts deep into my skin. I gasp and clutch my stomach where he stabbed me. He yanks out his weapon and I feel my body jerk with it. I stumble back as I start to feel everything die out.

I crumble down to the ground, my back against the cool, blood covered grass. I struggle to breathe, to do anything, but I can't. My mouth gapes as I try to take in air and my right arm struggles out, as if to grab on to something, but it soon falls limp beside me. My body starts to go numb, but the deep wound in my stomach just gets worse. I feel my blood pump out of me and my organs begin to shut down. The pain just becomes horrible to the point where I know this is the end.

I'm dying.

Iris' POV

My sword clashes with Zach's as I battle him. He moves this way and that and I follow him every step of the way. There's no way he can pass me, and I'm just about to deliver the death blow, when I see something out of the corner of my eye.

I turn my head as I pause from battling the hardened Career and to my horror, I see Sage fall slowly to the ground. Peter withdraws his weapon; it's covered with Sage's blood. I feel like everything has stopped around me as I see the love of my life fall to the ground. He reaches out his right arm as if to grab hold of something, but it soon falls limply to the ground.

He's dying.

Forgetting all about Zach, I race away. He doesn't even try to follow me as a new opponent appears before him. Fury, pain, and determination propel my feet forward. My mind is clouded with so many emotions as I drive my sword into Peter's back and withdrawing it, killing him quickly. He falls to the ground as I sink down beside Sage.

"Sage…Sage!" I shake him, desperate for something.

His dark blue eyes flutter and he takes in a shaky breath. I start to see him close his eyes as I begin to loose it.

"Sage, no!" I scream, my voice filled with horror, pain, heartbreak, and love, "No, don't leave me! Don't leave me! Please, no!"

I shake him again, his eyes just barely opening before closing again. I can feel tears well up in my eyes and my throat close. My hands are shaking so hard and all I can feel is the immortal love I have for him as Sage dies right here in front of me. I can't stand it, I can't help it, I can't help him.

Out of complete desperation, I bring up his body just slightly as I force my lips to his. At first I'm met with the lips of a dying man, but then I feel him kiss back. It's weak, but also strong and only lasts for about a second. But in that second, I'm in complete bliss. I forget that we're in the Hunger Games and I forget that he's dying, all I know is that we'll always love each other. Happiness and love soars through me and I'm desperate for more, but my time is up.

He starts to lean back and his body grows limp as he lies down on the ground. I can just barely see a trace of a smile appear on his lips as his whole body shuts down. His eyes open for just a mere second, and they're so filled with love and care that it makes me melt. But I'm torn away from him.

Sage closes his eyes and I hold his hand, silent tears streaking down my face and landing on his. My free hand rests on his heart as I feel its beats become more separate and slower. I begin to sob and my body is racked with grief. My shoulders shake and my head tilts down, my dirty blond hair falling on his body.

It's then that realization occurs. I'll never see him again, never feel his touch, never feel his lips against mine, never be able to hear his voice or see his dark blue eyes fill with love when he sees me. I won't be able to see him when he's in the Plantations or with his family. I won't be able to see how he moves his hands or tosses his hair just slightly. I won't be able to feel his breath caress my skin and I won't be able to hear his beating heart.

Because that heart has grown silent.

"Sage…" I moan his name as another round of tears begin.

I lean my head down and rest it on his chest. I wrap my arms around his neck the way I used to when I kissed him or held him. I let out a choked sound from the back of my throat and my right hand desperately seeks out his heart. But there is not a single beat.

It's the calling of my name that throws me back into reality. It's the calling of my name that reminds me where I am and what has happened to him. That reminds me that I may not get out of this alive. I'm almost ready to do it, to end my life to be with him, until a hand tugs my arm.

"Iris!" I hear Nyla's voice and can see Sabine behind her, "Iris we have to leave."

But I refuse. I shake my head and hold Sage's body tighter, not letting go. I can't leave him, and maybe I should join him.

Let them kill me, I think sullenly, that way I'll be with Sage.

"Iris, come on!" Nyla gives me a sharp tug that rips me away from Sage.

"No! Sage!" I cry, trying to get out of her grip as Sabine grabs my other arm and they begin to drag me away. "Sage!"

I'm kicking and fighting, trying to get back to him, trying to be with him forever, but we're just out of range when a large explosion comes. It tosses us backwards like toys, deeper into the forest. I slam down, face first, into the mud and soil. I feel bits of matter fall on me, but I don't care.

I'm about to get up, to go back to Sage, to be with him finally even after all of this that has stopped us, until I hear something. It's the most horrible noise that I could have ever imagined, something that I could have never foreseen. Something that sends me collapsing back into the mud again and brings those body racking sobs to me again. It's that noise that drives me into complete and total misery.

Sage's cannon fires.

A/N: I think I can say that this is the first time I have ever written something and started to cry. I knew from the beginning, ever since I thought up this story that I had to kill off one of them. Since I am not the maker of The Hunger Games, I cannot make it so that there were two victors. Because we all know that when Katniss and Peeta were crowned victors in the 74th Hunger Games, just 49 years after this, that it was the first time there have been two victors instead of one. I couldn't mess with that, so I knew I had to kill off one of them. It ended up being Sage. Why you ask? Why did I have to kill off Sage when I could've killed off Iris? Well, since Iris is 12 years old and from District 11, she reminds me of Rue. And Rue's death had been horrible to me, and I cry every time I read it. But, there is also a thing that once you decide how your characters act and what defines them, you can't change it unless there's something so dramatic that changes them. But I knew that if I killed off Iris, then Sage would have ended up ending his own life right then and there, and that's neither interesting nor good. But if I killed off Sage, I know that Iris would fight for vengeance and to make sure his death wasn't in vain. Yes, there will be a period of time where she will not want to continue on living, to just give up and let the other Tributes kill her, but she won't be like that for long. She will make sure Sage's death wasn't for nothing, and she will strive to fight for the crown as victor or fight until the end. And I know that if Iris was in The Hunger Games Series, that she would be fighting with Katniss to end the Capitol's ways, and to help the rebels. Unfortunately, she is a character that I made up and there's no possible way she would have ended up in Mockingjay. But all in all, please keep reading and reviewing, there's definitely more to come!