Kodi Nyquist

The air is cool, the rain has cleared, and the sun is beginning to peek from behind the clouds. Ahhh…the perfect day for murdering kids.

Obviously, the idea that we're going out to kill some other people doesn't exactly sound very appealing. And truthfully, I'm feeling extremely sick to my stomach. But, here in the arena, it's either kill or be killed, and obviously being killed isn't very high up on my agenda.

Mark and I leave our cave early, weapons in hand. There are only ten tributes left, and we're all scattered throughout this dense forest, so it's going to take a bit of searching. But hey, the longer we can go without killing someone, the better.

As we trudge through the foliage, my knife held up and ready, I can't help but think back to that little scheme back at the village. I guess technically those fried Careers were my kills. And then there was Veranda, that girl that killed Selene. And also her partner, the one I took down from that tree. Come to think of it, I've killed more than my share of tributes in these Games. The thought just makes me feel even more uneasy.

I'm a murderer. I've taken children's lives from their families. Four families are probably screaming for my blood right now. I suppose if I was back home, I'd be considered a serial killer. Great. All this guilt rising up inside me, it almost makes be puke. But that would be rude to do in front of a lady…

"Are you okay, Kodi? You don't look too great," Marquette asks. Apparently I suck at keeping my emotions under wraps.

I compose myself and answer, "Yeah, I guess so. I just that…we're about to kill people, Mark."

She looks up at the sky and inhales, saying, "It's a lot to think about, you're right."

After a few seconds, she continues, "You never really wake up thinking you're going to kill somebody. Thinking that today could be your last day…"

I can tell that she's been thinking about this too. Not surprising either, because unless you're a Career, killing people never was a goal in your life. Ever since I've entered this arena, I've been thinking about my home, my family. I would say Lynn but I'm supposed to be letting go of that stuff. After all, there are more important things to worry about.

All these situations and scenes played through my head; about me winning, losing, dying. What would my family do without me? How could they handle another death? My friends…Kat.

"How long have we been out here?" I ask, attempting to change the subject and keep our minds off of murdering innocent peers.

Taking a quick glance back up at the sky, she answers, "Well, since we've been walking since sunrise, I'd say about three hours."

"Three hours?" I reply, concerned. "That's a long time without seeing anybody."

"Yeah well, on the bright side…" Marquette begins. But she stops, trying to find a way to finish her sentence. But it becomes apparent that, even to the optimistic Marquette, there really isn't anything good to find.

With a chuckle, I say, "Not much to say, eh Mark?"

"Guess not. At least the rain stopped, there's something," she replies, half-satisfied.

Due to the fact that we've been trudging through this forest for a while now, we decide to rest. There's not really any good place to sit down, so we settle with the ground beneath our feet. Marquette and I eat the last of Quid's bread, which is surprising since we only got them yesterday. I guess we've been hungrier than we thought. Then again, they don't call it the Hunger Games for nothing.

It's the final piece of bread, and Marquette and I both reach for it. Our hands brush for a second, and we quickly pull them away. there's this awkward moment when the two of us lock eyes, not knowing what to do. Marquette's blushing, and I'm not exactly sure what to say except, "Ummm…you can have it if you want."

Marquette shakes her head and bites lip, saying that I should have it. I glance at her once again, and those eyes catch my attention. In those eyes shimmered the lights of love. It was the very same look she had back at the Training Center, the one comparable to that of Kat. And all I can think of is, How awkward is this going to be?

God, leave it to the Hunger Games to make things difficult. But I can't just keep going on, pretending that nothing's wrong. This girl is in love with me for crying out loud! Don't get me wrong, she's nice, optimistic, and a great friend. But this is also the Hunger Games, and unfortunately, there's no room for romance. And of course, I've still got a girlfriend back at home.

This was the moment I've been dreading for quite some time now. But now that everything is peaceful and quiet, there will be no better time than ever. I suck in a deep breath, and begin, "Mark, I need to tell you something."

Her eyes brighten up, and she asks in anticipation, "Yeah?"

"You see…back at District 3. I have a-." I am interrupted midsentence by a sound of someone screaming.

The screams keep getting closer and closer, and Mark and I draw our weapons, ready for a fight. But the screams are not of battle, but of terror. Suddenly, three tributes dash out of the foliage in front of us, a boy and two girls. But they don't even stop to kill us, instead, they brush past us, yelling, "RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!"

At first I'm not sure what they were screaming about. But then I hear it. The barking.

They've released the hounds.

Marquette Tetra

Well shit, and I thought Kodi and I were going to have a little bonding session. But before Kodi can get out his statement, these two tribute dash by us, screaming bloody murder. At first, it seems they were just insane. But the sound of barking keeps getting closer and closer, and Kodi and I have seen enough Hunger Games to know what that meant. Run.

The two of us sprint out of there as fast as we could, following the other tributes. Don't know why, maybe later we could kill 'em or something, I dunno. But any place was better than here.

Suddenly, two mutts, dogs the size of tigers, pounced out of the foliage. One tries to attack me, but it is impaled on my javelin before it gets too close. One of the girls, however, isn't so lucky. She is much frailer than the other two she's with, so when I see her get pinned to the ground, I know she's done. However, it doesn't keep the horror from my face when I see her throat ripped out.

The boy tribute gives a small sob, but the remaining girl pulls him ahead, leaving Kodi and I to fend for ourselves. I see him take one hound out with a slice across the neck, and then I stab another in the stomach. But the hounds just keep coming and coming, as if when one dies, two take its place.

Finally, after killing another beast, Kodi screams, "We need to get outta here!" Then he grabs my hand and we dash away as quickly as possible. The mutts just keep chasing us, not even showing one sign of fatigue. We, on the other hand, are losing steam.

Just when we are about to lose it, I spy our escape route. One of those small forest pools, deep enough to dive in. I can only hope that these mutts can't swim.

Jerking Kodi towards the pool, I point towards it. He nods, and so we run. Run as fast as we can. With every last bit of energy, we sprint the last hundred meters to the pool. Then, as we reach the edge, we jump, head-first into the clear water.

With a splash, the cool water engulfs my world. At first, I was worried that the dogs would jump inside with us. But when I resurface, I see the dogs retreating back into the dark forest. Once they were gone, relief and joy began to sink in. Feeling the water rush around my skin, ahh…it reminds me of home. If only I had more time to stay in this refreshing, cool pond. But there is no time for luxury, unfortunately, and I draw myself over the edge and onto dry land.

I realize I hadn't seen Kodi resurface, so I begin to stand up and call for him. But then I feel something long and metal being held near my throat. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that it's a knife. And the wielder of it was the boy we had seen earlier. He was about the same age as me, with dark brown hair and the tan body of District 11.

I quickly raise my hands and say calmly, "Please. Just let me go."

He answers coldly, "You're not one to be making demands, red-head."

Behind me, I hear the sound of an unsheathing dagger, followed by a nervous grunt by my captor. Then Kodi's voice says triumphantly, "Well then that makes two of you then, huh Eleven?"

But the victory was short-lived, because as soon as Kodi finished his comment, another blade was slid out of it's sheath, and another voice, this time a girl's, says, "Better make that three then, Sparky."

I suppose you could say we've reached an impasse.

So the four of us are frozen, no one even daring to make a move. I guess I'm the most nervous, considering I'm the one at the head of the chain. It feels nerve-wracking, almost like I'm naked. It's not exactly comfortable knowing that someone has you ready to kill. Kodi's fine, he's got a hostage for himself. But me, well, the Eleven boy can do anything at any moment. Let's hope he doesn't snap.

Finally the girl says, "Hey, Sparky, where's your little ally, huh? Waiting in the shadows to strike, huh?"

I realize she talking about Selene, and Kodi replies surprisingly calmly, "No. Dead. The girl from Seven got her."

I can't see what's going on behind me, but I can tell Kodi's doing his best to act strong. Meanwhile, the girl gives a short gasp and says, "Really? That's…that's too bad. She was young, right?"

"Only twelve," Kodi replies.

"It's a shame. The young ones are always worst deaths. Makes everyone feel…guilty, y'know?" the girl answers bitterly.

Finally, after another few seconds of stillness, the girl says, "Kane, let her go."

The boy, Kane, objects, "We can't let them walk away! These are the Hunger Games!"

"I said, let her go."

The boy reluctantly loosened his grip, shoving me away. Relived, I spin around to see Kodi and the girl standing face to face. Good, he's safe too.

The girl has jet black hair and the telltale grey eyes of District 12. But she was pretty well-fed for a Seam girl, as they called them back at Four. She carried a long sword on her waist, and a dozen daggers around her chest. It was surprising how she ran so quick from those hounds while lugging those blades around.

"Thank you," Kodi says, backing away slowly.

The girl gives a sad smile and replies, "Yeah, no problem. And I really am sorry about your ally. She seemed really nice, and a pretty good shot with that javelin too." She extends her arm, and for a second I am about to attack her in defense. But then Kodi takes her gesture and shakes it, nodding.

Kane takes his spot next the girl, and although he's giving me an angry glare, I could tell he really was a nice guy. It's the Games after all, we've all got to act tough for the cameras.

The girl stares at us with her piercing gray eyes and says solemnly, "This probably goes without saying, but if we ever see you two again, we're not going to hesitate to kill you."

"Same goes for you too," I reply.

The girl smiles and gives a small chuckle. Then, she and Kane spin around, ready to take off. But before they leave, she turns her head back and says, "By the way, my name's Cassidy. And I hope we never meet again, Sparky." Then the duo sprinted back into the forest, leaving Kodi and I alone once again. So much for killing people.

Kodi Nyquist

Although we're now drenched and stained with mutt blood, I can definitely say I was relieved to be out of that situation. I guess we sort of owed those guys our lives, seeing as though they warned us about the mutts and set us free. I can't help but feel a little guilty knowing that it's a debt that can never be repaid. But I'm still grateful that we're still alive.

Unfortunately for me, however, when one problem disappears, another one pops up in its place. This case was no different, because as soon as Cass and Kane left, Marquette asked me, "So, Kodi, what was it that you wanted to tell me back there?"

Damn, this is going to be awkward.

What...is...happenin' people? So I'm getting back to the grind of updating this story, so that's a good thing. So, as always, please tell me how I'm doing, if there's anything I can improve on, or even if you just simply have something nice to say. Nothing means more to me than a good...

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