Hey guys, I'm back with Chapter 3! Thanks for all of the reviews you guys gave me, and now I shall take the time to respond to them, as always!
TheHungerGamesFan11: Oh, I would never do such a thing to such important characters so soon!
Catolover123: Sorry, there isn't much Clato in this chapter, but there will be probably in the next chapter.
LuckyCLOVEr: No, not yet. She's important to this story, killing her off so soon is unheard of!
LibraryGeek99: Thanks, and uh...sorry about your nightmares. XD Yes, I've known since chapter 1 who the killer is. That's a good question. There are clues in the story, so pay attention to everything everyone says, there could be a hint anywhere.
The Mockingjays Flames: Good guesses on the murderer, and good guesses on who died. And sorry, cliffhangers are vital! :D Here's the update!
KarmaKnives: Thank you! I'm glad your enjoying it! And yes, reading it in silence is NOT a good idea. This story has started to weave into my dreams...
Emma: LOL. Thanks, and that sounded reasonable...and maybe a bit mean. XD
LA Collins: Good guesses about the murderer! Thanks for reviewing!
Arianna: I know, but dying is part of it. *Cue music* IT'S THE CIRCLE OF LIFE! Yes, it is sad, and I am addicted to it, too!
Okay, since there is too much to recap, let's just tell you what happened last.
The lights go out, someone screams, Annie and Cashmere are already dead.
Read on!
Night of No End
by ChipetteGirl10
Secrets and Accusations
"Gloss," Clove speaks quietly, falling to her knees much like Finnick did when they had discovered Annie in a pool of her own blood. Cato puts a hand on her shoulder while Madge clings onto Gale. Johanna puts a hand over her mouth. Finnick looks away. Foxface and Delly both cannot help but stare down at the rope around Gloss's neck. Tears sting at Glimmer's eyes while Marvel's jaw drops. Peeta wraps his arms around Katniss, who just about collapses into them.
"The third death of the night. Who would do such a thing?" Cato asks, tears threatening to fall out of his own eyes. Nobody responds in the sickening silence. All there is for noise is the sound of breathing, and crying. Johanna walks away from the group and uneasily sits down in a recliner, leaning forward with her head in her hands in the same position Finnick had been in earlier. She mutters to herself, trying to make sense of everything that had gone down thus far.
"Johanna?" Finnick asks tentatively, touching her shoulder.
"There's got to be some pattern here, some obvious series of clues as to figuring out who's doing such a thing, murdering everyone like this. First Annie went…and then Cashmere followed. Gloss was next. Is anyone getting a pattern out of this? I'm not," Johanna responds, not talking to anyone in particular.
"I'm not seeing anything…," Gale mutters.
"For once, I can't even make sense of it," Foxface says.
Nobody says anything after Foxface says that. They know already, many more of them are scheduled for death. Nobody can figure out the clues as to who the murderer is. Many minds are clouded with fear, their lives flashing before their eyes at any given moment.
"So, now what do we do?" Peeta asks quietly. Nobody answers Peeta's question, either. He sighs, and takes a seat on the couch. He then zones out, trying to make sense of everything in the way Johanna tried to. Everyone watches him questioningly. Katniss walks over and takes a seat next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Peeta, it's alright."
"I have an answer to Bread Boy's question. It's simple. We start accusing people. So, I suspect it was Delly who killed Annie, Cashmere, and Gloss!" Gale says, whirling around and pointing a finger toward Delly.
"And just why do you suspect all of your friends from back home? First Peeta, now me?" Delly asks him.
"Peeta likes his sword. Peeta can lie his way out of anything. Peeta can charm a crowd. And you, you're sneaky. You've been hanging around Farrah for a while now. And you're jealous of one or more of us. You two have perfect reasons to be killers. So why wouldn't you be?" Gale snaps back, grabbing his bow and arrows and loading up an arrow. Katniss's eyes widen.
"Gale, stop! Don't kill anyone! You don't know who it is or not!" she shouts at him.
"Katniss! How do I know you're not the murderer? You can chuck a knife pretty darn far and pretty darn accurately. You could've used your boyfriend's sword to cut Annie's abdomen! And then you could've stolen Clove's knife in the dark and slashed up Cashmere's face, and plunged the knife into her neck! And then, you could've taken Delly's rope and tied it around Gloss to choke him to death!" Gale shouts at her, pushing her back onto the couch.
"Well what about you Mister Accusations?" Peeta snaps at him.
"Me?" Gale retorts, "Please, Mellark!"
"You could be killing everyone! You hate me, and no matter how much you say we're friends, everyone knows it! So naturally, you took my sword, and you slashed up Annie. Then, you took Clove's knives, thinking they were mine, and killed Cashmere! After that, you could've killed Gloss with Madge's rope to make it look like I did it, out of revenge for Cashmere purposing Gloss dance in the rain with Katniss, and Gloss doing it! Then, you go off accusing people to cover up!" Peeta yells at him.
"Hey, hey, HEY! Break it UP, you two!" Johanna shouts at them.
"Arrest Peeta Mellark this instant!" Gale shouts wildly.
"STOP IT!" Foxface demands, silencing the entire room, "Both of you need to stop it right now. Listen to me, do the rest of us want to make it out alive? Yes, we do. Do the rest of us want to hear you guys arguing based on flimsy evidence? No, we don't. So for the life of me and the rest of us, shut your mouths, and stop it!"
"How do we know you're not the murderer?" Gale shouts at her.
"Just why would I be the murderer?" Foxface asks.
"Because, you're the sly one, you're the one who gets away all of the time!" Gale shouts at her.
"You're all crazy! I'm out of here! Talk to me when you all become normal again!" Katniss shouts, getting up, grabbing her bow and arrows, and leaving the room. Everyone watches her go, even Peeta, who simply sits down on the chair in the room. They watch her dark braid disappear up the stairs, and Katniss Everdeen is gone. For a few minutes, nobody says anything. Everyone stares at one another, waiting for someone to make a move. And no one does.
This is despicable. Revolting. Horrendous. Gale is accusing like crazy. Annie, Cashmere, and Gloss are dead. Everyone is a suspect, even myself. Even Peeta. We all know Peeta doesn't kill. He's not that kind of person. But when things get this crazy, I suppose people are blind to certain things, huh? When things get this crazy, nobody can think straight. But Peeta…he doesn't kill. It's not in his nature. He only has good intentions. At least, as far as I know. Is there a side to Peeta I don't know? Could Peeta be…keeping things from me? No, no Katniss. Peeta is open to you. You know everything about him. He can lift two hundred-pound bags of flour at once. He is skilled with a sword, and knives. He makes bread. He does not pick unnecessary fights. He is my blonde boyfriend, Peeta. He is a peacemaker…he does not make war. He will only kill in self-defense. He is not a murderer. He does not kill in cold blood.
Katniss sighs and slides down against a wall, putting her head in her hands as she thinks about Peeta. Peeta, the boy who gave her bread when they were eleven and her family was starving. Peeta, who still takes regular beatings from his witch of a mother for going to see her, a so-called "Seam rat." Peeta, who fell in love with her at only five years old. Peeta, who she would make sure saw the morning light.
"You're going to live to see the morning light, Peeta. I'll make sure of it…even if it means dying myself. Don't worry, Gale and Madge will make it through too. They can supply my family with food when I'm gone," Katniss talks to herself. A deranged smile plays on her lips as she gets up from the ground, picking her bow back up and walking back toward the stairwell, when she catches movement from the corner of her eye. Katniss whirls around, holding up her bow.
Déjà vu, much?
A cold wind chills Katniss, and she looks all around for the source. There are no vents around, nor are there any people. Katniss stops moving as she waits for something else to come upon her. She only hears a distorted voice. She can't tell who it is, but the message is clear.
"Hello, Katniss, dear."
And she screams.
The scream reverberates through the whole house. Peeta jumps to his feet in the living room as soon as he hears it. He grabs his sword and darts up the stairs, listening for Katniss. He can hear sobbing, whimpering from somewhere. He runs down the hallway a bit and can see a figure, hunched over in the corner, shaking.
"Katniss," he calls.
"Don't hurt me! I'll kill you!" Katniss yells at him.
"Katniss, it's me, Peeta," Peeta says, dropping the sword down to his side and sitting down next to her. Katniss moves away from him, tears streaming down her face. Peeta pulls her into a hug and doesn't let go, despite how much Katniss struggles. He kisses her head and strokes her back as she continues to cry.
"Katniss, what happened? Who did this to you?"
"I-I was here a-and I saw something m-move from the c-corner of my eye. A-And then…and then there was this really cold wind. I waited for something else to happen and there was this w-weird, distorted voice. I-It said 'Hello, Katniss, dear' a-and then it f-felt like a cold pair of hands were squeezing my n-neck, a-and I couldn't breathe!" Katniss says.
"Oh, Katniss," Peeta whispers, "It's alright…I'm here now, no one can hurt you now."
"Peeta…don't let it hurt me…stay with me…"
"I'll stay with you for the rest of the night. I promise I won't leave your side…"
Hours later, most of the party is asleep. Gale has his arms wrapped around Madge as the two of them snore away. Clove sleeps with three knives, one in each hand. The third is on a belt. Glimmer has bouts of rest, stirring every hour on the hour in some sort of pattern. Marvel, Foxface, and Finnick are out like lights. Johanna is still awake, eating popcorn and watching the TV. Cato is in a haze, zoning in and out of reality. Delly only has had one hour of sleep, the rest of the time being spent eating chips. Peeta is still awake; Katniss sleeps in his arms, waking up every so often because of another nightmare of the horrific night they'd only just started.
"So," Johanna says quietly to the others awake with her, "which one of us is gonna outlast the others, and take the time to kill off a few of us?"
"We all know I'm not. In fact, if I fall asleep, I'd be surprised if I wake up the next morning," Peeta responds.
"Eh, Baker Boy, you might be able to kill. I better keep an eye on you, shady boy," Cato says to him.
"Please, Cato. Do I really murder people?" Peeta asks.
"I dunno, ask the bodies of Annie, Cash, and Gloss," Cato shoots.
Peeta rolls his eyes, "I barely know them, so what would provoke me?"
"They were in on the kissing with you and Katniss during truth or dare," Cato responds.
"So? I wouldn't kill over that! Besides, I did it to some people too!" Peeta says to him.
"Hey, hey, break it up you two," Johanna says to them.
"Yeah. Guys, look. The murderer is probably asleep. So why don't we just get some rest now? I'm pretty tired of watching TV anyway," Delly says. The others slowly agree, and soon enough all of the others awake are sleeping as well.
Peeta is restless. Nightmarish images of Katniss, dead on the ground in her own blood, flicker through his vision as he tries to get some sleep before the real horrors of the night begin.
"Peeta! Peeta, help!"
"Katniss, I'm coming!"
Peeta draws his sword from his sheath and runs up the stairs, listening for the sound of Katniss's voice. There are shrieks, sobs, and the sound of fists flying. There is one incredibly loud cry of pain, and the stab of a sword can be heard from down the hall. A door is heard slamming. Peeta runs down the corridor and throws open a door with the handle coated in blood. There on the bed is Katniss, barely breathing, blood everywhere. Her eyes are fluttering rapidly, and the blood is beginning to leak onto the floor. Peeta gasps in horror at the sight of his one true love like this, nearly dead at the hands of someone. He tosses his sword aside and grasps her hand.
"Katniss! Don't die on me now! Katniss, please don't die on me!" he begs her, though he knows his attempts are futile. Katniss is crying now.
"Peeta…take care of Prim, a-and my mom. Be a good friend to Gale, no matter how much you two drive each other crazy. He does care about you, Peeta. Make sure my family, a-and his family have enough to eat. And watch o-over Madge, and Delly too…"
"Katniss, who did this to you?" Peeta demands.
"I love you Peeta," Katniss whispers, and just like that, there is no more breathing. Peeta sinks to his knees, still holding on to Katniss's lifeless hand as she lies there, still. Her face turns a shade of indigo. It is a faint tint, but noticeable. There is no more Katniss Everdeen. There is no more Hunter Girl. There is no more of his other half…there is no more of the girl Peeta wanted to be his wife in coming years. Peeta feels himself start to cry. He buries his face in her blood-soaked shirt.
"I'll find out who did this to you, Katniss! I'll find them and stop them before they get me!"And then he hears the door creak open. He slowly turns, and there is the killer, ready to strike Peeta at any given moment.
Peeta sits up, drenched in sweat to see he was the only one still asleep by this point. Three hours have passed since his conversation with Johanna, Delly, and Cato. Katniss looks at him.
"Peeta…you're awake," she says.
"What happened? Why is everyone else up?" Peeta asks.
"Peeta…you were crying…and you were sweating…and you kept saying my name. And not only that, two more people are dead tonight," Katniss responds quietly, gesturing toward the bodies of Finnick O'Dair, with an arrow through his neck, and Glimmer, with a cut straight into her chest. Peeta gasps and covers his mouth. Katniss holds onto him as he looks at the two of them, now dead, when so full of life at the beginning of the party.
"Oh my gosh," Peeta mutters.
"Yeah. That brings the total down to ten of us still alive," Katniss says to him. Peeta pales at that.
"That means nine of us are innocent…while one of us here is lying right to our faces." Katniss sighs.
"I know."
What do you want with us, heartless killer? Have we filled your head with so many demented things, that you did the exact opposite of what you are not supposed to? Did you take our warnings as challenges? I don't know who you are. I don't know if you are Cato, or Delly, or Johanna. Perhaps you are Gale, or Madge. Maybe you are Marvel. Are you Foxface, possibly? Could you maybe be Clove? Are you me? Are you…Katniss? Why have you come upon us like this, killing us all mercilessly? Do you hate us? Have you been faking our friendship just to kill us all off by the end of the day, making sure we don't live to see the light? I don't know who you are. But I will find out. I will put an end to you, before you put an end to me. You do not like me, I know now. Maybe I like you, though. Maybe I don't. Maybe you're a good friend. Maybe you are my girlfriend. Maybe we pretend to hate each other, but actually care. Maybe you are me.
"Peeta, are you alright? You seem distant," Katniss asks Peeta, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm thinking," Peeta responds dismally.
My name is Peeta Mellark. I am seventeen years old. I was born on January 21st. I live in District 12. I am a junior in high school, going to be a senior after this summer. My girlfriend is Katniss Everdeen. We and our fifteen friends went to a mansion party. Annie, Cashmere, Gloss, Finnick, and Glimmer have all been killed. The murderer is one of ten of us. The murderer could be Cato, Delly, Johanna, Gale, Madge, Foxface, Clove, Marvel, Katniss, or me. I am not a murderer. Katniss is not a murderer. It must be somebody other than us. My time seems to be running short. I do not know if I will live to see morning.
"Is he still zoned?" Johanna asks. Katniss nods toward her. Peeta snaps from his thoughts, looking around the room at everyone. His look is terrified, and he moves to the farthest corner of the couch, holding a pillow out in front of him for some form of self-defense. Katniss and Gale exchange a look as the blonde boy begins to snap at them all.
"One of you is lying to us. One of you is killing everyone for the sheer joy of it. Nobody has a motive against everyone. One of you just wants a good show! One of you has us totally at your mercy, and doing something to tick you off can easily seal our deaths! One of you is crazy in the head! One of you wants to send a spear through my heart, a knife through Madge's head, and Johanna's head falling to the ground! You're not going to get that satisfaction!" Peeta cries out.
"Peeta, calm down!" Katniss tries to soothe him.
"He's right. One of us has to be lying," Cato says.
"It isn't me, I'll tell you that. Last time I tried to take Katniss's bow and arrows, I got a lecture for two hours about it. She's obsessed with her bow and arrows," Clove says.
"I see, I see," Foxface says.
"Shut up!" Peeta cries, covering his ears.
"Well, Mellark has officially lost it," Gale says.
"Guys, don't you see? Peeta's probably traumatized, and he's not even the one who almost got choked to death by someone or something unknown. His nightmare must've been bad, for him to be like this," Katniss says.
"I told you not to get involved with a merchant; that it would only lead to bad things," Gale says.
"Says the guy dating Madge Undersee!" Katniss snaps back at him. Delly smirks at Gale, who goes three shades of red before saying nothing else. Katniss sighs and rubs Peeta's back as the ten of them sit in the room in silence. Clove looks around the room, eying everyone suspiciously. Johanna rolls her eyes at her.
"Looking at us like we have three heads isn't gonna solve everything, Stabby," she says, calling Clove by her nickname.
Fear. It's like a knife, or an arrow, or whatever other weapon you choose. It drives itself into the hearts of so many. That's just what I feel now. I feel myself slowly dying from my happy state, withering away into nothing but another fearful one, on the run. It's dark. A storm is raging outside, the lights went out again, and someone is trying to kill us. I don't know where any of the others are. We all scattered as best we could as soon as the lights went out – permanently, too. The storm knocked out the power, and it probably won't be on until morning. I know someone is out for my blood. I don't know who it is. Whoever I run into could be ready to kill me. The one thing I do know is that I'm somewhere on the fifth floor with my bow and arrows. Other than that, everything is a mystery.
Katniss turns another corner in the dark, feeling her way around. She stumbles abruptly, and falls onto the floor with a thud. Irritated, she feels around on the floor for the source of whatever caused her to lose her footing. And there, she feels it. It is a rotting, peeled-back floorboard, waiting to give way at any moment. It is like the other floorboard she and Peeta ran into, the one where they found Peeta's sword. In this floorboard, she can feel paper. It's damp paper, with something sticky and heavy, with a strong scent on it.
Blood.
She can't read it when there is no light like this. She needs light. She needs a flashlight, or a lantern. Even a candle will do. Maybe, miraculously, for the power to be back on? But no, there is no light for her. She stuffs the paper into her sweatshirt pocket and treks along through the house, hoping to find someone, specifically Peeta.
"Katniss?"
It's him. Katniss turns around to see a blinding light in front of her. It's Peeta, aiming one of two flashlights at her. Just what she had been hoping for. He walks up to her, embracing her tightly. Katniss returns the hug, and Peeta hands her a flashlight. She flicks it on.
"Have you found anything interesting…maybe a body?" Peeta asks jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.
"I found a paper…it smelled and felt like it had blood on it," Katniss responds. She takes it out of her pocket and shines her flashlight over it.
Death Order:
1. Crazy
2. Older Glitter Girl
3. Older Glitter Girl's Twin
4. Sexy Boy
5. Younger Glitter Girl
6. Single District 12
7. Spearhead
8. Cunni
"The rest of the paper gets cut off at number eight, but I'm almost certain it says 'Cunning' on it," Katniss says. Peeta furrows his eyebrows.
"This is the exact order. The killer is using a list to kill people off. Crazy is Annie, Older Glitter Girl is Cashmere, Older Glitter Girl's Twin is Gloss, Sexy Boy is Finnick, and Younger Glitter Girl is Glimmer. Single District 12 must be Delly, since she's not dating anyone, Spearhead is probably Marvel, and Cunning would be Farrah. This means that the murderer could be Cato, Clove, Johanna, Madge, Gale, or one of us. But this isn't my handwriting, and it isn't yours. I don't know the handwriting of the others," he explains.
"That means we need to find Delly," Katniss says.
And then there is a shriek.
Deaths in order: Annie, Cashmere, Gloss, Finnick, Glimmer, (probably Delly)
Aha, we all know what's coming now! Okay, so if it isn't obvious already, the murderer is not Marvel, Delly, or Farrah. But now we need to figure out who the murderer is, out of the ones left off of the torn list. Your options are:
Cato
Clove
Johanna
Madge
Gale
Katniss
Peeta
I hope to see some good guesses from this! I'll see you guys in the next chapter! CG10 out!