The End Part Two
Laury watched in horror as the snares restraining the massive Phantom snapped and it sprang forward soaring for Estelle. She stared it down with cold-blooded determination and dodged at the last possible second and delivered a deep slash down its left flank.
Laury fired one of her black arrows through the monster's hand watching its blood trickle to the ground from the minor wound. Its claws extended and she dove aside as they pierced the area she was standing on a split second before. Estelle leapt up its arm and raised her sword high slicing through the soft dark flesh of the beast's throat. Blood cascaded from the wound down its chest and it screeched its miserable cry.
The Phantom roared stumbling backward crashing through an alcove of oak trees shattering the trunks into millions of splinters. Sylvia let out a laugh as ten thick ropes lashed out from the treetops ensnaring around its wounded throat and choking off its air. The beast thrashed in the ropes grip claws slashing in every direction trying to break free of the oppressive hold. The beast let out a strangled cry then gave a last shudder before falling limp its eyes glazing over in the telltale sign of death.
Sylvia turned towards the remaining tributes, "Now that that's over with." Nessarose sprang forward tackling Estelle and raising Genesis's sword for a quick end to their fight. Estelle planted a quick strike with her boot to Nessarose's throat forcing the air from her lungs. Nessarose choked spluttering ad stumbled backwards. Estelle leapt through the air and delivered an overhead chop.
Nessarose barely deflected the powerful blow finally regaining her composure and lunged seizing a opening with three quick jabs. Estelle dodged two of the three and the third blow delivered a shallow cut on her right arm.
Estelle scowled and slashed her deadly blade horizontally at Nessarose's chest. Nessarose leapt back a pace dodging her strike and retaliated with a vicious slash at Estelle's neck, who blocked and parried demonstrating her skill with the sword.
Nessarose hissed as Estelle delivered a painful gash on her wrist and she planted a swift kick in Estelle's chest knocking her to the ground. Nessarose raised her blade for the final blow but Estelle snapped out of her daze remembering Leon's words and lunged forward with extreme speed her blade plunging into Nessarose's chest.
Nessarose let out a small cry of pain before sliding off Estelle's blade, the cannon firing before she hit the ground. Estelle jumped to her feet racing across the clearing. Sylvia sidestepped her sprinting away with the cool metal of her knife gleaming under the thin rays of sunlight. Kyna looked up to late as Sylvia fell on stabbing her twice, once in the stomach and once in the chest. She collapsed with a strangled cry in a pool of her own scarlet blood.
Dean tried to get o his feet and Sylvia laughed and cut him down in a deep cut down his chest. The collapsed on the ground besides Kyna and the cannon boomed signaling his death. The cannon rang again signaling Kyna's demise.
Sylvia turned seeing the arrow flying for her and dodged it narrowly the obsidian arrowhead leaving a stinging cut on her left shoulder. Laury nocked another but Sylvia didn't give her the chance and tackled her to the ground forcing Laury to drop her bow. Sylvia raised her blood-drenched knife and Laury snatched grabbed her wrist twisting so she released it.
Sylvia hissed in pain and clutched at her wrist. Laury punched her in the face sending her staggering off her. She jumped up and brought her foot down hard slamming Sylvia into the ground face first. Sylvia grunted in pain barely stirring.
Laury reached for her belt and unsheathed her jagged hunting knife walking towards Sylvia. Sylvia rolled aside as she stabbed down hard aiming for her heart. She rolled and rolled dodging every strike from Laury. Laury kicked her back down roughly with her heel as she struggled to her feet sending her skidding across the meadow.
Estelle watched the fight unfold quietly respecting Laury's choice to fight her alone. Laury kicked her repeatedly in the ribs hearing a loud crunch and the scream of pain from Sylvia confirmed her suspicions. Sylvia reached behind her and pulled a smaller knife out lashing out and catching Laury by surprise and delivered a small stab wound to her right shoulder and between two of her ribs on her left side.
Laury stumbled back applying pressure to the minor wounds and hurled her knife at Sylvia and the blade bit deep into her left leg completely running through out of the back of her leg. Sylvia screamed in agony and pulled it free, succumbing to her blind rage.
Sylvia sprinted forward slashing wildly and delivered stinging cuts and scrapes with her blade all over Laury's body. Laury foot snagged on a tree root and she plummeted to the ground unbalanced. Sylvia cackled with triumph leaping for her throat and Laury smiled and lashed out with her foot kicking one of Sylvia's triggers.
A snare shot out in noose ensnaring around Sylvia's throat and raised her into the air. She kicked and struggled for a minute and then let out one last rasp before shuddering and falling limp into the thick rope her eyes staring off into the distance.
The cannon boomed and Laury sighed, "That's ironic."
Estelle stood scanning the clearing and tensed up at the silence and finally broke it after a few minutes, "Laury you have to win."
"I'm not going to kill you Estelle. We'll have to find a way," said Laury with a faint smile.
Estelle shook her head, "There is no way Arturo isn't going to allow another situation like Katniss created two years ago. You have to do it."
"I-I can't," stuttered Laury.
"Please," begged Estelle, "I just want to be with Leon."
Laury nodded her chest growing heavy and the world seemed to stop as she raised her bow arrow in place. The arrow flew and struck home leading to a virtually instant death.
"I'm sorry," she whispered after the sound of the cannon subsided. A hoverplane appeared in the sky and Arturo's voice chimed in, "Laury Reed is the winner of the 76th Hunger Games!"
Laury tried her best to smile for the cameras but couldn't. Two Peacekeepers crossed the meadow to escort her to the hoverplane and she shoved past them roughly jumping up the open ramp of the hoverplane. She stopped suddenly to see President Labarre standing in the back, "Congratulations Miss Reed, the odds were indeed in your favor."
Laury nodded quietly holding back her rage and her hand twitched at her side every fiber of her being wanting to kill the man before her right now. "Is something wrong?" he asked snapping her back to reality.
"I-It's just my wounds," she lied pretending to wince from the pain.
Labarre nodded and walked away disappearing into a private cabin and the door sealed leaving her alone with the Peacekeepers tasked to guarding her.
X
Several hours passed and the roaring crowds of Capitol greeted her as the ramp to the hoverplane opened. The next few hours passed in a blur here victory parade through the Capitol her final interview with Cesar Flickerman and the train ride home.
Laury rolled in her sleep muttering to herself her vivid nightmare flashing through her mind. Estelle bursts out of er closet all bloody and wraps her hands around her throat, squeezing the air from her lungs. Suddenly, she flies across the room and the window shatters and she clutches at the shattered pieces of glass still in the window. "YOU KILLLLED MEEE LAURY!" The glass breaks and Estelle vanishes into the fog.
Suddenly, she is back in the arena and the bloodied corpses of her victims rise in unison with arrows protruding from them in all places, "YOUUUU KILLLLLED USSSS LAURY!"
Rowan sits up pulling out the arrow switching between Marilyn and himself in a gruesome display. The strangled wails of the tributes ring in her head.
Laury wakes up screaming to the brakes of the train squealed snapping Laury awake. She climbed out of bed and walked out into the main cabin greeting her mentor, "Morning, Ren."
"Morning, Estelle," said the raven-haired woman quietly sipping at a cup of coffee. She spared a glance out the window watching the tree s flash by.
"Are you okay," asked Ren seeing Laury was visibly shaken.
"Y-Yah," said Laury still startled by the vivid dream.
"It was the nightmares wasn't it?" asked Ren knowingly.
Laury glanced out the window nodding slowly she stood glancing outside as the forests broke away revealing the lush hill land and textile factories making up District 8. She peered out into the highest art of the industrial area to see the glittering white building she called home. The train came around the final bend and stopped in the station near the Justice building. She stepped off of the train smiling to the crowds of cheering citizens celebrating her return.
She waved to a crowd of teenage girls screaming that she was their hero. She tilted her black hat careful not to let the sun touch her skin. The crowd made a path as she passed through their ranks making her way back up to the laboratory.
Five Peacekeepers tensed as she approached the security fence surrounding the perimeter. Recognizing her they signaled for the gates to be opened. The gates clanked open and Laury never broke stride. She walked up the paved path to the two front doors and they automatically snapped open admitting her inside.
Her father turned spotting her as he passed the entrance corridor and smiled tearing up and ran over to hug her. She gave him a small hug but it was not a warm embrace.
X
~Five Months Later~
Laury passed her father wordlessly heading for the doors sliding her black hat into place. He looked away sadly noticing the distance growing between the two. Laury noticed his expression and scoffed to herself, Like I'm going to forgive you that easily. You're the reason my friends are dead.
She tied her black leather trench coat around her. She had grown taller over the few months and was a force to behold now she had dyed her hair to fully take on the mantle of her new nickname quickly spreading through Panem, Lady of the Night.
Her beautiful midnight locks cascaded to her shoulders but her skin was still as pale but had an appealing glow to it. Her eyes had gone from a blood strained colorless appearance to a bright icy blue. Laury marched on ignoring the glances spared her way from men and women alike.
The train station soon came into view and she passed heading into the woods. The roar of a hoverplane filled her ears and she entered an opening in the massive woodland and raced up the loading ramp holding her black hat in place.
The ramp closed behind her and the hoverplane took to the sky flying across Panem. The first six districts flashed by in an instant. Laury ignored the hateful glares from the crowd and a sly smile crept across her lips, Yah that's right I killed your murderous children.
Laury boarded the hoverplane again knowing well the next district would probably be the toughest for her to handle. The vast forests and lumber mills of District 7 came into view from the viewport of her cabin. "Well here goes," she muttered.
The hoverplane landed on the outskirts of the District and Laury passed through the workers finishing their shifts with an escort of two Peacekeepers. The workers paused to discreetly salute her and show gestures of friendship.
She finally reached the heart of the District and was greeted by a massive crowd of people with more pouring in behind her. Laury jumped up onto stage and her eyes found Leon and Estelle's families all mourning the deaths of their children. Two twin tears trailed down her cheeks and hit the stage and she blinked away the rest trying to follow. She took a deep breath choking back a sob and walked towards the microphone in the center of the stage.
She shook her head the right words blazing in her mind, "Citizens of District 7, this year's Games took two great people, whom I had the honor of knowing and becoming friends with. Leon and Estelle will be missed forever and I will never forget them. With each passing Games, the memories of their deaths and our times together will haunt me forever but I can cope with that. We will always remember the two for the wonderful people they were persistent to try to help almost everyone, how fierce they fought in the heat of battle. I wish I could say more but I only had the privilege of knowing the two for a short period of time," she said. Laury bowed her head slightly in a gesture of kindness and turned away from the crowd.
The deadly silence that followed caused Laury to pivot craning her neck back towards them. In each one of their hands a single raven feather drifted away into the wind scattering the beautiful black feathers everywhere. In the temporary blindness of the Peacekeepers they gave the old Mockingjay salute to her and Laury smiled widely the tears now falling. She disappeared behind stage ignoring the chaos coming to follow.
Laury strode across the meadow heading for the woods and passed two houses on the outskirts of th city she reached a short cliff above a ravine and found two logs and a jagged lightning struck tree in the middle of the two with the names Leon and Estelle carved into it.
Laury smiled faintly and reached behind her coat pulling out Estelle's sword carving a memorial into the tree, "Rest in Peace, Leon Morales and Estelle Hadera. The two greatest people you could have ever known." She stabbed the sword into the ground in front of the tree and pulled out Leon's swords forming an X in front of Estelle's and she gave each a quick tug to make sure they were permanently stuck in the thick gray rock.
Laury stared down at the memorial and smiled faintly before turning away to the hoverplane in the distance, "I'm going to miss you guys," she said fighting back the tears.
THE END
A/N: Ta-da! I hope you liked this story. Hope you'll like the sequel even better Just because I love you guys here's a little teaser trailer into the sequel.
77th Hunger Games: Up in Flames
Tension is building up between the Districts and Capitol once more. Can Laury help keep the tributes assigned to her alive in the arena as President Labarre is out for her for the open act of rebellion in District 7 during the Victory Tour.
*television screen*
President Labarre slams his dragon-like cane into the ground signaling silence to the citizens of the Capitol. He glances down at the camera with a cruel smile and begins keeping his arrogant grin for the whole broadcast, "The 77th Hunger Games is growing closer by the day and the time has come to reveal a little spoiler into this year's games. Four tributes from every district will be Reaped for this year's games. This year's games the Gamemakers have worked hard to ensure that this year will bring out the biggest horrors and challenges any tribute has ever faced. Until the Games then, may the odds be ever in your favor."
*scene open into a huge circular room*
The mentors are gathered inside with Katniss and Peeta as well as Laury as the newest mentors. Haymitch is with them and certain uneasiness spreads through the room as the President walks in with a coy smile spread across his face.
May the odds be ever in your favor.
Start submitting your tributes now through PM.