The Phantom
X
Velvet sprinted through the undergrowth pushing aside ferns as darkness pressed against her with the sun's light quickly fading. She passed a thick trunk of a tall tree and slammed into Sylvia sprinting past. Both fell to the ground dropping their weapons. Velvet whirled on the tribute that had stopped her momentum, her eyes widening as she made out Sylvia's face in the darkness. "You," she hissed in a feral snarl.
She drew a huge hunting knife from her hip and sprang at Sylvia holding her against the ground. Sylvia snatched her wrist twisting it forcing her to drop the knife. Velvet desperately reached up for one of her spears as Sylvia's hand felt around in the darkness of night for her own blade. Velvet pulled one from her quiver full and Sylvia shoved both of her feet into her chest with all the force she could muster. Velvet shrieked in surprise and slammed against a tree a few yards away.
She pulled another spear and went on an animalistic onslaught stabbing viciously repeatedly for Sylvia who dodged each blow with ease laughing mockingly at her. Her other spear lashed out again and Sylvia cursed and dodged it the gleaming tip a needlepoint from her eye as she leapt back a pace. Sylvia snatched up Velvet's knife and waited for an opening. Velvet crept forward ready to pounce on her prey like a cat. The spear lunged again slamming into the thick tree next to Sylvia's head lodging deep in its bark.
Velvet let go of the spear and attacked with the other slamming the spearhead into Sylvia's shoulder. She twisted it inside, shredding the muscles and leaving several hairline fractures on her collarbone. Sylvia screeched in pain and pulled herself off seething with fury. She hurled the knife at Velvet and it sailed past her head a mere inch away passing through her locks of hair and disappearing into the night.
Velvet smiled rushing forward at the opportunity to get a strong kick in the stomach from Sylvia. She kicked her again, thrice and punched her as hard as she could across her left cheek. Velvet stumbled back and viciously lunged forward, twirling the spear. The blade nipped Sylvia's cheek letting a steady trickle of blood flow.
Sylvia delivered a swift strike to Velvet's throat, bringing her to her knees. Velvet lunged forward with her spear and Sylvia dodging snatching a tight hold of the spear shaft. She wrenched it from her grasp and slammed the shaft roughly across her face knocking Velvet to the ground.
Velvet groaned in pain, slowly regaining herself and delivered a swift kick to Sylvia and locking her legs around her neck tightly choking the air from her and flipping her over her. Sylvia gasped and took aim with Velvet's spear desperately stabbing at her with inaccurate thrusts.
Sylvia's vision began to cloud fading to black and she saw out of the corner of her eye a girl silently striding towards them out of the trees. Velvet yelled triumphantly as she felt Sylvia weaken and then Sylvia slammed up with her back hurling Velvet up into the air and she crashed back to the jungle floor. Sylvia hoisted Velvet's spear and took aim throwing it across the clearing at Velvet. It passed her disappearing into the ferns, "Damn I missed," said Sylvia sighing.
Velvet got up pulling her the second to last of her spears from her quiver and rushed forward holding her sear above to pierce Sylvia's chest. Sylvia tensed and smiled as Velvet stopped feeling her last spear slide from her quiver. She whirled to see Nessarose standing there with a wicked smile and slammed her spear through her heart and Velvet gurgled blood falling to her knees.
Nessarose snatched the spear from her hands before she could wield it and laughed mockingly, "And so falls the last of the Careers." She raised the slammed the spear forward lodging it into her throat and twisted completely shredding her airway. Sylvia looked away as blood sprayed and pooled around Velvet and she collapsed muttering to herself, "I-I failed."
Nessarose stepped over the corpse, ignoring the boom of the cannon, "Whose next?" she asked.
"There's a huge group of tributes forming an alliance down by the river I spotted them earlier," said Sylvia, "I suppose we should end them to bring the end closer within our reach."
Nessarose nodded picking up the metal case that had fallen and her fingers wrapped around the chrome handle hauling it after her. Sylvia retrieved her knife and smiled evilly, "After you."
X
Leon awoke as the bushes rattled and Kyna and Dean burst from them finally reaching their camp. He unsheathed both of his swords jumping to his fett and pointing at them.
"Whoa," said Dean holding his hands up away from his weapons, "We're here to join you not kill you."
Leon lowered his blades as Estelle rose from her short slumber, "What the hell is going on," she yawned. Laury sat on the rock formation a few yards away playing with one of her new arrows as if it were a mere toy. "It seems we have two new recruits to our ragtag alliance," she said with a curt laugh.
Kyna glared at her, hand falling for her knife, "We're from District 10 we are really experienced with knives. Don't insinuate us as weak links."
Laury laughed, "There's too much attention being drawn to us with so any tributes making up our alliance. Eventually the Gamemakers and audience will grow bored and will activate some trap or send mutts after us."
Kyna advanced on Laury, "So you won't let us join you?" she hissed.
Laury nocked her arrow in a split second letting the obsidian tip point straight at Kyna's forehead a few feet away stopping her aggressive advance on her, "I suggest you take a few steps back."
Kyna glared at her and Dean grabbed her shoulder, "Come on let's go, these assholes don't deserve us."
Kyna nodded and spat at Laury, "This isn't over."
X
Shylam peered down the cliff at the camp illuminated by the little fire and his eyes followed the river roaring past. "They sure are attracting attention to themselves," said Shianne quietly.
"I don't think they care most of the Career pack is dead and anyone who tries to take them on is seriously outnumbered," replied Shylam.
He slipped his leg down cautiously on to a jagged foothold in the cliff and slid down sending a few rocks skidding down into the river. Shianne stared at the camp suspicious that anyone had noticed the disturbance.
None of the tributes across the river stirred from around the campfire and Shianne gave the signal for him to continue, "Be careful," she hissed at him quietly. Shylam made his way down the cliff and jumped off into the shallows. Leon's eyes snapped open at the water being disturbed and his hand crept for his sword as he heard a second pair of feet strike the river shallows.
Leon jumped to his feet and unsheathed his swords, "I know you're there."
Shylam sighed and turned to Shianne, "You gave us away."
She scowled and smacked him upside the back of the head and he flinched away. Leon snarled impatiently, "What do you want?" he asked.
"Just visiting," said Shylam with a smirk.
Leon frowned his fury rising, "I don't have time for brats like you."
He charged catching Shylam off guard and his dual blades swung in wide arcs.
Shylam dodged barely and the second blade feinted and whipped back catching his shoulder in a shallow cut. Leon stabbed for his stomach with the left blade and the right came around and slashed down at his neck. Shylam leapt back dodging his left blade and Shianne sprang forward wielding her knife and blocked the right one.
Estelle jumped out of the warmth of her thermal blanket noticing Leon's absence and heard signs of battle on the shore. A parachute glided down and fell into her arms and she twisted off the cap of the huge metal cylinder. She read the note inside, Use it with honor. –Dad.
She pulled out a golden sheath and unsheathed the family sword. "No way," she breathed. She attached the sheath to her equipment belt and broke off at a sprint with the sword in hand. Shianne noticed her coming and broke off at a sprint to greet her. Estelle ducked under a swift strike from Shianne and slashed horizontally for her stomach with her blade. Shianne stumbled backward tripping over a rock and plunging into the river.
Shylam dodged a wicked blow for his face and stumbled back into the darkness. Leon squinted seeing something behind him and could only make out the faint glow of a pearl white mask. "LOOK OUT!" he roared in warning to Shylam. The figure burst out of the shadows wielding a huge knife and plunged the blade straight into the center of Shylam's chest.
He pulled it free and flicked the blood off into the churning water. "SHYLAM!" screamed Shianne. Shylam groaned out and collapsed into the river disappearing beneath the frothing rapids. The phantom-like figure cackled with insane laughter.
Laury snapped awake and nocked an arrow immediately firing one of her midnight-black arrows and it sailed across the clearing and nailed the creature in its shoulder. The mutt howled in pain and fell back into the shadows with her arrow still lodged in it.
Laury raced for the shore, "Where did it go we have to kill that thing now," she said her voice filled with dread.
"Why?" asked Estelle.
"What the hell was that?" asked Leon.
"It was a mutt developed in secret. My father called it the Phantom. President Snow had ordered its development to assassinate the leaders of the second rebellion. My guess is that Arturo has sent it into the arena to whittle down our numbers and to fuck with my head," she said surprising everyone.
"Whatever it does," said Estelle, "I can only think that all of this will be over soon we are drawing close to the finale."
"May the odds be ever in your favor," said Laury frowning as the cannon boomed and the anthem began drawing their attention into the sky.
A/N: Fin! I hoped everyone liked this chapter, one more until the finale. Get excited. Sorry for the late update had to viciously murder my writer's block again and took it out on Velvet . I hope you like the bloodshed it only gets worse from here. Who will die? Who will live? Most importantly of all who will win? Review and favorite. Reviews inspire me to write to my maximum potential. As we draw closer to the end o the Games, I would like to release a little spoiler. As you all know there will be a sequel. Get ready to discreetly make your tributes and send them over PM due to the SYOT purge. The winner of the Games will be featured somewhat in the sequel and then we get to the third chapter in our mini-series the finale of my little Hunger Games fanfiction series.
Read on my dear readers it only gets better from here!