Run. That was all he had to do. Run to survive. He had no weapons, no armor, and only a tiny bit of food. He would surely die if his chasers caught up to him, seeing as they had about four people in their group, and each was equipped with, at least, a stone sword.
He swung tree from tree, grabbing each vine and releasing it before he could even process that he was flying through the air and the wind was trying to push him back, trying to get him to fall and possibly break his neck in the process.
He could hear the cries of his pursuers as they lost sight of him through the plant life, but he kept going anyways. He had heard the news a long time ago, and he was so close to his destination. It was almost as if he could feel it with the tips of his fingers, but each time the feeling snaked away, leaving him empty.
Trying to slip down the tree as quietly as he could, the brunette touched the ground and instantly rolled over to hide behind a bundle of bushes where he had plenty of cover. He knew how targeted he was; after all, he had one many of these games before- so many he was known for it.
Looking over the bush, he examined the surroundings. Unfortunately for the teen, there was indeed a group made up of two looking through the chest that were restocked moments before. With a shock he realized that one of the looters was his friend, Jerome, whom he had to leave behind before because they had been invaded at their small base by the group that he had just ditched.
He couldn't recognize the other figure, but there was something off about him. After seeing so many different types of people, the boy knew that he shouldn't trust the man, and watched his movements as he opened yet another chest. Jerome had yet to move from his chest, still organizing his pack as the man smiled. It wasn't a normal smile, it was twisted and demonic.
"Hey Jerome, come over here!" Said bacca looked up from his pack, leaving everything vulnerable and leaving Jerome defenseless Mitch finally got a better look at the man's face. He wore midnight black shades, and he had a goatee that connected with his shaggy brown sideburns. He still couldn't recognize the man.
"What is it Ian? Did-" The smile disappeared from Jerome's face the moment the blade reached his throat. The man, who he was presuming was Ian, chuckled evilly to himself. He leaned away from the bushes, horrified of the sight. His best friend was dying, and it was because he left him alone. Because he thought that leading the group of four murders would be the best way to keep the bacca alive.
"Hey!" He shouted, getting up from behind his cover, startling not only Ian, but himself. His mind urged him to run, but his feet seemed rooted to the ground. "You get over here!"
That was what made the guy run. He didn't drop the diamond sword in his hand, much to his disappointment, but he was gone either way. Since there were no others in the clearing, the boy ran over to the body of his dying friend.
"Jerome! Please, let you be fine…" He said, leaning over to check the pulse on the bacca. It was still there, but it was fading. The brunette wasn't completely sure if he would be able to survive. A slash to the throat without immediate treatment usually resulted in death. Unless there was a miracle.
"M-Mitch? Is that you…? I can't see anything…" Jerome whispered, coughing enough to make tears spring to his eyes. Or maybe it was just the rain. The rain that had suddenly turned the soil to mud, and wasn't there a moment ago. Either way, he was sure that the water dripping down his cheeks were his own tears.
"It's me buddy. Try to not speak, and save your energy…" He whispered, propping the bacca onto his elbows, before putting him up to his knees. Without anything to support him, Jerome fell forward and met the boy's forehead, who was indeed Mitch.
Their foreheads met with a clunk, but both ignored the pain that bloomed in their skulls. They stayed silent, the only sound breaking the silent air was the ragged breathing of a somehow still alive Jerome.
"Mitch, t-there's something I have to tell you." Jerome started before being interrupted by a series of coughs that rattled Jerome's bleeding body. Mitch, surprised, instantly reached for the bacca's furry hand, covering it in mud. "I just need you to listen.
"I'm not entirely sure how you'll react to this but…" Jerome coughed, this time less than before, but his voice was weaker than before, and was obviously strained. "But I've always wanted to be more than friends… I'm sorry if it seems…" Coughing. "weird."
Mitch didn't know what to say. He didn't know how he felt on the matter either. He always thought the strange feeling he got around his best friend were just that; feelings of friendship. But he never took the time to looked at everything else. The way they would drop anything for the other, how they always thought of the other, even in the most hardest times. The way that they would always end up back together in the end, just like now.
"It's not weird Jerome… Because," He lifted his other hand, which was clear of any mud, and placed it gently on Jerome's cheek, wiping away any tears before planting a small, salty kiss on the bacca's lips. "I love you too."
The last few moments were silent, since Jerome's breathing had stopped. But the tears didn't. It was obvious that Jerome would die at any moment, and they couldn't change fate.
Just before the cannon sounded, one tear from each of them found the way to the dry ground and mingled together in the ground. Mitch released the bacca's body and placed him gently on the ground, slicing a flower off its stem from somewhere nearby before wrapping the fluffy's cold hands around it.
The Hunger Games champion rose to his feet, a new spark in his eye. Not one of sadness, but of determination. "I'll win for you, biggums." He whispered, just as the announcement was made.
"The last four tributes stand. Deathmatch will begin in a minute."
Sooooo... Yay? I'm actually not sure how I feel about this one. I mean, I can feel something in my stomach, and I think part of my heart broke, but I didn't actually cry. I'm not sure anymore. I can't tell if this is sadder than the Doudil40 one or not. I wanna say no, because I had to kill Bodil after he beat parkour, but Jerome... Just imagine Mitch's face after.
And Ian killed Jerome because he went insane and turned into Derp Ian. Mitch didn't recognize him because he's been in so many Hunger Games, and all of the people became blurs. The only person he remembered was Jerome because... Uh... I didn't think that part through.
I might make a sequel of this too. I left a lot of room for one. But do you guys want one? I'll see my clanmates later! KK, so, BYE!