Theo Wondderoo, 17
District 8 Male
Theo's ankle had been improving every day since Thalia put the splint on it, and with the crossbow he'd been sponsored, he finally felt like he could be a part of the alliance. Even Alrik had a knife, and had spent most of the night carving spears out of sticks for Fritz. Theo hated being the weak link, and that frustration had followed him up until the parachute landed at his feet.
He reflected on opening it as they walked. His heartbeat was wild as he unwrapped it from its parachute and opened the sleek metal box. A crossbow was not a common weapon in the Hunger Games, and he couldn't even imagine how much it would have cost.
Fritz's hand came up, signaling for them all to stop walking. They'd reached the trees around the Cornucopia. And sure enough, only Adelind was outside, leaning against the metal siding, eyelids drooping.
Thalia and Fritz both broke off from the group, Fritz going left and Thalia going right. Alrik began to approach from the center, and Theo settled against a tree, crossbow at the ready. But then everything went wrong.
Alrik stepped into a large puddle and his body seized up. He began to shake and spasm, and Adelind leaped to their feet.
"No!" they shouted. "Avoid the water!"
"What?" someone called from inside a tent. People began to move. Alrik's body slumped forward onto the stones. A cannon fired. Thalia screamed as a knife sunk into her torso.
Theo watched in horror as Noah emerged from a tent, knives in both hands. He threw one more at Thalia and she collapsed with a groan. Taking aim with his crossbow, Theo fired at Noah, but the bolt just pinged off the side of the Cornucopia.
Blitz came out of the tent next, gripping an ax. Adelind turned and met him with a sword slash across the face. He staggered back, knocking Mozu to the ground. Regina limped out of the tent and Fritz tackled her. The two rolled around on the ground, trading punches. Too scared of hitting Fritz, Theo took aim at Sam instead. He was standing near a tent looking confused.
The bolt slashed through his forearm and he roared in pain, head turning to find his attacker. Theo ducked down in the bushes. He heard another two cannons fire and peeked through the leaves to see Regina punch Fritz right as a wooden spear pierced her stomach. Another cannon fired. Everything was going wrong! Theo fired his crossbow again, gasping when the bolt sank into Blitz's throat. The big Career crumpled, blood pouring down his neck and chest.
Adelind stared down at his body and then moved to attack Mozu, but the girl from 2 was quicker. She sliced across Adelind's chest with her spearhead and then plunged the weapon into her gut. A cannon fired. Then another. And Theo fled.
Mozu Striker, 18
District 2 Female
Mozu stared in shock at Adelind's bloody form. How could this have happened? When they took over her watch in the early hours of the morning, they were acting completely normal. But they'd clearly betrayed the entire alliance and led a group of outliers against them. Now, she was down to three allies.
In a daze, Mozu allowed herself to be ushered away from the Cornucopia by Noah.
"We have to let them collect the bodies," he said.
"Where's Sam?" Wyler asked. Mozu looked around, but the boy from 4 was nowhere to be seen.
"He abandoned us," Noah growled, gripping one of his knives tightly. He looked at Mozu.
"Now we're the only Careers." Then, to her surprise, he rounded on Wyler.
"Woah! Hold on!" Mozu said, pushing between the two boys. "Noah, we need to be rational here. Yes, we may be the only trained Careers, but Wyler is our ally. We're not killing him."
Noah let out a huff of annoyance, but didn't argue. Instead, he stalked back to the Cornucopia, where the bodies had disappeared. Only the blood remained.
"Thanks," Wyler said in a quiet voice. Mozu glanced at him over her shoulder and gave him a quick nod. She tried for a smile, but it felt too forced, so she let it drop. Then she examined the bloody spear in her hand.
All of a sudden, holding it felt like too much. She rushed over to one of the pools of water Wyler had left alone and got down on her knees to scrub the weapon clean. She killed Adelind. She knew she'd killed Dieter in the bloodbath too, but it felt different. She knew Adelind. She liked Adelind. She was able to push Dieter to the back of her mind, but Adelind's death would be harder to shift.
Mozu wanted to cry, but she bit her lip and fought back the tears. Crying wouldn't earn her any fans. It would just make her look as weak as she felt. But her moment of self-pity was cut short as Noah and Wyler began to argue.
"-enough materials!" Wyler was saying.
"Well, get more," Noah snapped. "There's no way I'm letting you stay behind at the Cornucopia with all our supplies."
"What is going on?" Mozu asked. She put her hands on her hips, trying to mimic the pose Corrina had mastered.
"Wyler needs to make more traps to protect the Cornucopia while we hunt," Noah said. "Because I am not letting him stay back. I don't trust him." Wyler just shot Mozu an exasperated look. She sighed.
"Noah, he doesn't have all the materials," she said patiently. Noah's blue eyes blazed as he turned to look at her.
"Fine," he snapped. "You two can figure out a way to keep the Cornucopia secure. I'll be back." He turned and stomped off.
A strange feeling of anger washed over Mozu and she looked at Wyler.
"Since Noah wants the Cornucopia to be secure, maybe his sponsor money could fund your endeavors?"
Wyler's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything. Mozu glanced up.
"If that could be arranged, I'm sure all parties involved would be delighted. Thank you."
Sam Nkata Creek, 18
District 4 Male
Blood trickled down the inside of Sam's arm as he carefully crept through the forest. He'd seen… something, and he needed to know what it was. Because if his suspicions were right…
And even if he wasn't, he wasn't sure if he was going to go back to his allies. Seven cannons had fired. Seven people were dead, and some of them were Careers. Blitz was definitely gone, and Regina probably was too. He knew for sure the boy from 9 was dead, and Noah badly injured the girl from 10, at the very least.
Sam continued walking out into previously unexplored territory. It was wet and marshy, with fewer trees and lots of tall grass. Eventually, the land began to slope down and Sam found himself on the rocky banks of a river. He could see large fish swimming about, and his stomach rumbled. He hadn't eaten breakfast yet.
First though, he had to deal with his arm. It was still bleeding, though not as heavily, but he wanted to bandage it up.
"Um, could I get a bandage?" he asked awkwardly. He waited a few minutes, but nothing happened.
"First aid kit?" he said, a little louder this time. Still nothing. So he stripped off his poncho and tore off a strip of fabric from his shirt. As he clumsily tied it around the wound, it hit him. That was where his tracker used to be.
Sam sat down hard. What happened when a tribute lost a tracker? Has that ever happened before? There must be some sort of protocol for it. There was no way he was the first tribute to lose a tracker. Chaff Willis of District 11 lost his whole hand! But he was in the finale. And trackers were injected into your forearm…
Anxiety was clawing at his stomach alongside the hunger now. He watched the salmon swim in the river and tried to calm himself. He wasn't forgotten. The Gamemakers would definitely have realized their mistake by now, right? But did that mean they were just going to kill him to cover it up?
That thought was on his mind as he heard a rustling in the tall grass across the river. Grabbing a large rock in his hand, Sam prepared to throw it at whatever appeared, but dropped it in shock a moment later. A large bear cub stumbled out of the grass, let out a little snort, and then ran for the river. Its big paws splashed into the water, creating massive ripples and scaring the fish away. Sam just stared in awe.
The cub splashed and played for several minutes before it noticed Sam. He expected it to run away, but instead it just watched him, absorbing every detail it could. And Sam did the same. It was adorable, with thick brown fur and round ears and paws that were slightly too big. He never imagined he'd get to see a real bear, and here he was, in the Hunger Games arena, seeing the animal he cared so much for.
The bear grunted, shaking its head, and a louder grunt echoed from the treeline across the river.
"Is that your mama?" Sam asked in a very gentle voice. The cub blinked at him, and then began to make its way back into the grass, following the sounds of its mother. And Sam followed the cub.
He splashed across the river as quietly as he could and followed the bear cub through the dewy grass to the trees. The trunks were thick and the canopy of leaves made it quite dark, but Sam didn't mind. He could see his bear, and that was all that mattered. And so as the cub joined its mother and followed her into a small cave, Sam went too.
Hey everyone. Day 5 is here, and with it, a lot of deaths! At first, Adelind and Fritz and their allies were going to succeed and kill most of the Careers. But there were a few Career tributes I wanted to keep around. And then I thought "what if nobody succeeded?" And so that's what I went with. Chaos reigns.
Also, we are now halfway through the Games! Hooray! And so, I am opening submissions for my next SYOT, which will be the 58th Games. No title for it yet, sorry. The form and updated tribute list will be on my profile soon.
Questions:
1) Whose death was the most shocking?
2) How do you feel about this event being as deadly as the bloodbath?
3) Will you submit to my next SYOT?
Eulogies
15th: Alrik Garrison (electrocuted)
RIP Alrik. I struggled with you at first, but I grew to love you a lot, and I'm sad to see you go. You weren't the big scary monster people saw you as; you were a thoughtful soul who'd been through more than anyone deserves to go through. I hope you find peace with your parents and your sister. Thank you for submitting him Con.
14th: Thalia Caerwyn (killed by Noah)
RIP Thalia. You were a really interesting tribute and I wish I could highlight that more. I'm glad you found friends outside Lynette, and I promise she'll be okay without you. You learned that some people can be good, and I'm glad. Thank you averyrandomauthor.
13th: Regina Soto (killed by Fritz)
RIP Regina. I ADORED you. You were in my victor pool for a while, and I loved your determination, your perseverance, and your friendship with Wyler. You were a joy to write, and I am so grateful I had you as a character. Thank you Cassy.
12th: Fritz Poco (killed by Regina)
RIP Fritz. Fritz was such a beautiful soul, but I knew she'd never be a victor. She would go out protecting her friends, and this was the perfect place. I'm sorry that it was mostly in vain. But hey, Theo made it out! Thank you HumanWiki.
11th: Blitz Shrapnel (killed by Adelind)
RIP Blitz. I absolutely loved that you were a surprise triplet, and I had a ton of fun with all the possibilities this dynamic provided. Yale died to bring you and Wyler together, and Mozu is making sure that Wyler stays safe. You can rest easy with Yale now. Thank you Very New To This.
10th: Adelind Genoa (killed by Mozu)
RIP Adelind. You were a cool tribute; a reluctant Career who tried to turn the tables on the Career pack. It would have been cool if it worked, but this is what I chose to do. I'm sorry. Thank you Gomex.
9th: Sam Nkata Creek (wandered out of the arena)
? Sam. You aren't dead, but you didn't win. I knew I couldn't kill you, but you were never my victor. I NEVER have tributes escape the arena, but you felt like you had to be the exception. Have fun being a bear. Thank you Silver.
Current Alliances
Careers:
- Mozu
- Wyler
- Noah
Small But Mighty:
- Danse
- Colette
Loners:
- Lana
- Theo
- Saoirse
Have a nice day, be kind to each other, and never stop reading!
- Fiona