The Feast of Sorrows
A/N: I understand there has been some confusion over the Phantom, it is a top secret humanoid mutt developed in Laury's father's lab ordered by the deceased President Snow himself. Just wanted to clarify that. Only two more chapters after this! May the odds be ever in your favor!
X
Rowan sat beside the tiny campfire staring into the dancing flames with his arms wrapped comfortingly around his knees. Anna stared at him and broke the long period of silence between the two, "So what happened to you that caused it?"
"I-It's not important, I was just both emotionally and mentally scarred at an early age and that's when Marilyn formed in my mind," said Rowan flashing a slight smile.
"Oh…" she said turning away realizing it was a sore subject, "I'm going to go check the snares."
"Okay," replied Rowan. He picked up a twig among the roots of a pine tree and started to absentmindedly play in the dirt with it. His arm twitched and scribbled in neat cursive into the dirt, I don't trust her.
"I do," he whispered to himself quietly.
His hand involuntarily scribbled into the dirt again, I have to get rid of her.
"I won't let you," he whispered.
You can't stop me.
Rowan turned hearing the brush rattle and Anna came back with some prey she had found entangled in her snares. She sat by the fire preparing them to cook them and his hand started to twitch for the knife at the side of his hip. He gasped trying to choke the words out as Marilyn slowly took control, "R-Run Anna."
She jumped to her feet startled by his sudden tremors and then rushed to help him. She held onto him trying to calm him down, "Rowan calm down please," she begged not wanting to attract unwanted attention. "G-Get away from me, she's trying to kill you," he spat.
Anna's eyes widened in horror as a the sound of metal escaping its sheath filled the air and his blade plunged straight center into her chest and she gasped a small trickle of blood running from her mouth. Rowan's face contorted into a smile, "You should have listened to the kid," he snarled with a voice that didn't seem to belong to him.
Anna staggered away into the woods blood pouring from her chest. She stumbled down a small cliff into the river stumbling along the bank towards a camp in the distance. "HELP," she screamed.
Laury snapped awake instantly from the girl's screams and spotted a girl a few paces away from the camp covered in blood. She raced across the small pool of shallow water jutting through the riverbank that separated their camp on a small sand bar and she rushed forward trying to reach the girl. The girl collapsed on the ground convulsing and spat a mouthful of blood out into the water next to her, clouding it with wisps of scarlet.
Laury looked down with pity at her as her breath rang out in ragged breaths. Rowan tumbled down the cliff sneering and he approached her with the knife raised. Suddenly he regained control of his hand holding the knife and he pulled away trying to take control back. His agonized screams filled the air as he rolled around in the sand in a splay of limbs as his two personalities fought to take over.
Laury jumped back startled from the boy and nocked an arrow keeping her focus on her. Anna cried out in gasps, "K-Kill me, e-end the pain p-please."
Laury nodded solemnly trying to keep control of her emotions boiling up in her. She let the arrow fly ending the girl's misery and she took her last breath before the cannon rang drowning out all sound in the arena.
This snapped Rowan to and he jumped up seeing the black arrow sticking from Anna's chest. "Y-You killed Anna?" he asked, tears now welling in his eyes.
"You did that yourself," spat Laury feeling unsympathetic for the boy, "I merely put an end to her misery."
Rowan roared in disbelief taking out his fury on a nearby beech copse. His knife flashed ripping through the bark and slashing deep into the tree. He panted glaring up at Laury and she nocked anther arrow, cautiously watching his every move. He threw the knife unable to control his fury and it plunged into her left shoulder. She hissed in pain, "You little prick." She let another black arrow fly and it plunged into the center of his chest. He collapsed dead before hitting the ground. The cannon rang again signaling his demise and Leon panicked snapping awake as well as Estelle.
Leon roared, "ESTELLE?"
"I'm right here, quit yelling in my ear," she snapped just waking up.
Leon relaxed, "I wonder who just died?" he asked.
Estelle shrugged unsheathing her sword and looking around, "Where's Laury?"
Leon scanned around the river spotting her walk back towards the camp. She clutched at the wound on her shoulder applying pressure to stop the bloodflow flowing to her wound. Rose returned out of the brush with a wild turkey in her grasp, look what I caught!"
Leon frowned, "You shouldn't be going out on your own with Sylvia and Nessarose on the loose."
Estelle smiled at the sight of the dead fowl and said, "Who cares its food?"
Laury helped pluck and skin it and Leon made a small fire to cook it as well as handing out some buns to everyone. The wild game finished cooking and Laury cu it up and everyone dug in happily to the taste of meat other than squirrels.
The anthem played and Lon did a double take looking up at the sun to make sure it was still day. The sun hung high above signaling almost noon. He shared a look with the others clearly confused. The anthem stopped and President Labarre's face appeared in the sky, "Greetings tributes, you have come so far. You should be proud that you have fought to survive. In your honor, I'm throwing a feast at the ruins of the Cornucopia. It is mandatory for all tributes to attend. May the odds be ever in your favor," he said with a sly smile. His face vanished from the sky.
Leon jumped to his feet, "Well we better get going. If his little warning at the end meant anything I'd say they're going to kill anyone off that doesn't go to the feast."
Laury nodded and slung her quiver back on her back and snatched up her bow. Rose and Estelle packed up some supplies to take and rolled up the sleeping bags and handed one to each person to carry.
They scaled the cliffs relatively quickly making it up to the top with ease. Laury stayed a step ahead her eyes constantly alert for the Phantom and Sylvia herself. She nocked an arrow just be sure and passed a thin cover of leaves as she made her way into the deeper part of the woods close behind. Rose's foot brushed the leaf cover and it caved in exposing the deep pit beneath and she screeched plummeting into its depths.
Laury spun around, "ROSE!"
A cannon rang out a second later and Leon peered in seeing several sharpened stakes had ran her through. Estelle looked away in disgust drawing her sword, "They must be nearby," she snarled.
"Closer than you think," said Nessarose bursting out from behind a tree with Genesis' sword. She hacked and slashed at Estelle forcing her towards the pit. Sylvia dropped from the trees with a knife on top of Laury forcing her to drop her bow. Leo unsheathed both his swords and quickly planted a kick into Sylvia's chest knocking her off Laury. He spun around attacking Nessarose in a brutal onslaught, "Stay away from her!"
Nessarose smirked backing down and the two disappeared back into the trees their calls echoing down to them as they gained distance, "See you losers at the feast."
X
Kyna and Dean made their way towards the Cornucopia pushing through the trees finding the clearing empty save a pile of supplies on the far side of the field a new Cornucopia on a metal platform raised over the destruction of the old one and a table filled with food on another side of the open meadow.
Dean cautiously strode out from behind the cover of the evergreen trees searching for the other tributes. He ran forward only to see Laury's group and Sylvia and Leon rush out of the trees into the meadow. The ground opened up and and a podium rose with President Labarre inside. He smiled down at the young tributes and began, "Welcome to the finale of the 76th Hunger Games!"
Six tribute podiums remained behind him and they opened up and started to rise to the surface. Six Phantom mutts stood on each platform eager to be unleashed on the tributes.
"May the odds be ever in your favor!" he said with an evil smile.
A/N: Fin! I hoped you liked this chappy more tributes to be killed. I hope you will all enjoy part one of the finale. I'm going to post a poll with the remaining tributes left and you guys will vote for which tribute you want to be the victor and I will take it into consideration in choosing the winner. See ya next chapter.