Chapter 7 - The Arena

Sixty seconds. Sixty seconds until the bloodbath began. Sixty seconds until any one of us could be dead.

I glanced around the Arena as the plates rose up. A shining sun was high in the sky. I couldn't make out anything else yet, though.

The plates rose higher and higher. I expected them to stop and click into place after they were ground-level, but that wasn't the case. They kept rising, and I looked around frantically. We were going to have to jump.

The plates finally stopped when we must have been around 20 feet high in the air and the countdown started. I glanced around. Karis stood seven plates to my left. I stared at her for a moment. Then she jutted her head downwards. I followed her gaze and took a second to let my eyes adjust. And then I saw it.

A large, brass Cornucopia. Inside it are supplies, food, and weapons. I could see spears, maces, and swords, even from where I was. I looked around it. Scattered around are other, lesser weapons. Awls, knives and such. Backpacks are on the outskirts of it. And to the left is a jungle. To the right are woods. Which one should Karis and I choose?

I looked around again. And right there, right in front of the Cornucopia laid the axe. My weapon. It' wasmeant for me, I could just tell. Its handle was a dark wood, and the blade glistens and gleams in the sunlight. It's sharp and deadly. And I wanted it. But I knew I couldn't have it. I thought of Letalia's words. 'We'll try to send you weapons if we can.'

Thirty seconds left. What's our strategy? I looked over at Karis again. She caught my gaze and looked towards the outskirts of the Cornucopia. She subtly nodded towards a backpack and small pack of knives. And I realized her plan.

We grab any weapons we can. Get supplies. And then run to the forest. It's more familiar territory. And both of us can climb. It's our best chance.

The announcer began counting down from 10. I breathed in deeply. I knew in order to do this, Karis and I had to be fast. We had to team up and run to the right, to the forest as soon as possible. And get out of the bloodbath, like Letalia said.

5. I blinked once.

4. I jumped a bit on my heels.

3. My heart began to race, faster and faster.

2. I poised myself to jump.

1. I fixed my gaze on the supplies to the right of the Cornucopia.

"Let the 39th Annual Hunger Games begin!"

The second the words are out of the announcer's mouth, I'm off my plate. I've hit the ground running. It knocked the breath out of me but I refuse to stop. I ran. Faster, faster, faster. I'm flying over the ground, racing for my life.

I took a millisecond to look over my shoulder. Some tributes still stood dazed on their plates. Others catch their breath after the jump. And most are running.

I clenched my teeth and continue running. I was one of the first to come near the Cornucopia. I turned and rushed to a large black backpack. I grabbed it up and slung it on my back, still running. I was almost to the edge of the goods. I grabbed an awl lying on the ground, and picked up two knives that were banded together near a loaf of bread, which I also grabbed. And then I'm at the edge of the forest, turning around.

And for the first time, I saw the bloodbath. Tributes lay on the ground, dead. Others are hacking away at some still alive. I thought, 'Karis! Where's Karis?'

I saw her coming. She had a spear with her, and a belt too. She managed to get a small pack, which could easily fit inside my backpack. I smiled a little.

I saw her mouth open, beginning to form words. I wrinkled my eyebrows, confused. Then I heard her shouting.

"Run, Asher!" She screamed frantically. "RUN!"

I obeyed her and turned on my heel and dashed away. I didn't look behind me, I just ran. Ran far, far away. As far as I can. As fast as possible. Running, running, running. Through the woods, smashing through plants.

I finally stopped when I tripped over a twig. I fell face-flat in the dirt. Hearing a sound behind me, I stumbled up and began to run when I heard her voice. "It's just me, Asher! Stop running."

I turned around and saw Karis panting, out of breath. I sighed in relief and walk over to her. "Are you hurt?" I asked her concernedly.

She nodded. "I'm fine. I barely made it away from the bloodbath. The District 1 boy, Ripper, almost got to me. But I was faster than him. He threw his spear and barely missed. In fact, he nicked my ear. So I grabbed his spear and ran in your direction."

I breathed out. "Okay. Good. I've got an awl and two knives." I handed her one, which she gripped in one hand. She hooked her belt onto her leggings and slung the knife into it.

"Can I see that awl?" She asked me. I handed it over and she examined it closely. "It's a good weapon," she finally pronounced.

I grinned. "I know you like these sort of weapons. You can have it." I gave it to her. She smiled at me.

"Thanks, Asher. I know you're decent with spears, so you take this one." I grabbed the spear from her and balanced it in my hand. It fit perfectly. I smirked and thanked her.

"All right, enough chatting now. Let's keep going and set up camp once it gets dark. Then we can look at what we got," she said, gesturing at my backpack and her pack. She unzipped my backpack quickly and stuck her pack in. "We'll take turns with the backpack, but for now, you can carry it."

I pouted but reluctantly agreed. We began to jog through the array of trees and bushes, trying to keep our steps hushed and quiet.

Our silence was finally interrupted when large 'boom!'s began to start. I recognized them as cannons, signaling the amount of dead tributes. I counted out 10 of them before they ceased. I wondered for a moment who was dead, and then shook my head. We'd find out tonight, when the Capitol showed us their faces during the nightly anthem.

I asked Karis, "When do you think they'll start hunting? The Careers, I mean."

She hesitated before responding. "I dunno, Asher. But I'm guessing tomorrow morning. Today, they'll gather their supplies and stuff. Tonight they'll sleep. And tomorrow, they'll hunt."

"Oh," I said and nodded. That made sense.

We kept moving until the sky began to get darker and darker. The bright sun went down and it got noticeably colder.

After a little while, a light flashed in the sky. The Capitol anthem. I glanced upwards as they began to show 'the Fallen'.

The first to show up was the boy from 3, Cordin Smith. My heart ached a little when I saw his face in the sky. He was so young.

It also meant that both from 1 and the boy from 2 had also lived. I knew Karis had lived, since she was with me.

It came as a surprise when the District 4 girl tribute's ace, Charlotte Parks, flashed in the sky. She was a Career, I had expected her to make it through the first day.

Next, the boy from 5. The chubby one, Viktor Murr was his name. It didn't come as a surprise to me, but I still felt bad.

The "exotic" girl from 6 was the next to come up. Ciara Morris. She had blown kisses to the audience on Reaping Day. The girl had too much confidence, and personally, had annoyed me.

The dead count went right from District 6 to District 8, which upset me a little. Unfortunately for me, Felix wasn't dead. Which would mean he'd be out for blood. It scared me a little to think that he had joined the Career pack, who would hunt us down and kill us.

Both from 8 were announced as dead. Peggy Lynn and Brendan Corwin.

Both from 9 were dead too. The boy had been Ian Stork and the girl had been Maria Lancer.

And the last two dead tributes were announced. The two orphans from 11. Leila Shard and Andrew Larr. Poor kids.

That meant that both from 1 and 2 were alive. The fierce girl from 3 was alive. The male from 4. The sweet-faced 12-year old from 5 that I had come to admire. The District 6 boy, the little one. Me and Felix from 7. Both from 10 and 12.

The anthem ended abruptly and the sky went dark again. That meant 14 of us still lived to fight on.

I breathed in softly and Karis turned to me. "Let's set up camp now," she suggested.

"Okay," I agreed. "Where do you think we should settle down?"

Karis glanced upwards at the tall treetops. "In the trees. It's safest up there. We're smaller and faster, and we can get up there. The burly Careers, however, probably haven't climbed a day in their life, and many of the other tributes are probably too weak to climb."

"Good plan," I replied. I sat down for a moment and pulled out my backpack. "Should we check through it?"

"Yes," responded Karis. We crouched down eagerly and opened the bag, pulling out the sack that Karis had managed to acquire. Hands shaking, we opened the sack. It revealed a small bottle filled with water, and some matches. Nothing too good, but we opened the water and happily sipped at it, our thirst quenched for now. We stored some of it away for later and put the matches away too. They might come in handy sometime soon.

Next we grappled for the backpack. I clutched it in my hands and peeked inside.

There was my loaf of bread, which I had stuck in there. It also contained a small medical kit, which had some pills, bandages, and creams, which would definitely help in case of an injury. It had a fitted bomber jacket, which was comfortable and fit snugly. It was warm and would help in cold nights. There was some basic rope, which might help with snares too. There was one small fleece-y blanket, so we could be warm when we slept. And last of all, a canteen for water and a packet of dried meat.

I ran through the list in my mind. Food. Water. Some weapons. Warmth. Medicine. Karis and I were pretty well-prepared for these Games. And hopefully, we were one step ahead of the other competitors.

"Good," Karis whispered as we put the supplies back. I hoisted the backpack back onto my back and we walked around in the dark, looking for a nice tall tree to stay in. Finally, we spotted a tall tree with several sturdy branches. It had hollowed spaces in it, which would help when we climbed.

We quickly scaled the tree together and I slept on a branch directly above Karis's. A few minutes after getting ourselves situated, I ducked down to look at Karis. She was sound asleep, a lock of her hair out of place. Her face looked peaceful and quiet, so unlike what we would go through in these Games. Sighing, I laid back against the backpack and closed my eyes.

I only hoped the days to come would not be unbearable.

DEAD:

The Bloodbath:

-District 3 male: Cordin Smith

-District 4 female: Charlotte Parks

-District 5 male: Viktor Murr

-District 6 female: Ciara Morris

-District 8 male: Brendan Corwin

-District 8 female: Peggy Lynn

-District 9 male: Ian Stork

-District 9 female: Maria Lancer

-District 11 male: Andrew Larr

-District 11 female: Leila Shard

TOTAL OF DEAD: 10 TRIBUTES

ALIVE:

After the Bloodbath:

-District 1 male: Ripper Vinard

-District 1 female: Faith Mortemer

-District 2 male: Lander Kavis

-District 2 female: Karis Montfort

-District 3 female: Sasha Rhine

-District 4 male: Allan Viper

-District 5 female: Jessica Lerva

-District 6 male: Darren Hills

-District 7 male: Felix Jameson

-District 7 female: Asher Mills

-District 10 male: Roran Cooper

-District 10 female: Mary-Grace Hodnett

-District 12 male: Jack Shan

-District 12 female: Shing Curren

TOTAL OF ALIVE: 14