Hour 0 Minute 1 49 remaining

Lauren thanked God that she finally got blessed shelter from the cold. The shopping centre was lit up the bright fluorescent lighting, the light was enough to blind Laurens eyes as she had been used to the dark outside. The walls were aligned with various shops and in the middle a huge escalator towered high above to a new section in the shop. The top part of the shopping centre had glass fences on the edge of the top floors. The air was warm and heated was was filled with smells of various foods and products.

Lauren couldn't help but smile at the peaceful surroundings which reminded her of shopping trips with her mates, but it was rather eerie how such a usually crowded and noisy place was as silent as a mouse however it wasn't long before her mind wandered back to more important things, such as safety.

Lauren knew she hadn't have much time to think, she only had a minute to run and hide before more students were released into the game. Lauren instantly raced up the escalator and into the closest shop. She ran faster than she ever did in her life. The inside of the shop was aligned with yellow and white tiles on the bottom half of the wall with a ivory wallpaper on the top half. The air was filled a strong hint of vinegar and salt. The black and white checkerboard floor was stained with yellow oil and left behind chips. Lauren quickly rushed over the pale white counter. She hid behind it, hoping that it would be a sufficient hiding spot away from people that might be playing the game.

However once Lauren found her chosen hiding place she begun to think of her own mortality, and her eventual death and end. She was fully aware of the fact that she was the weakest person in the program, and it scared her.

And she cried. to the point of her needing to catch her breath, coughing like she just inhaled a cloud of smoke. Her fear consumed the back of her mind and her thoughts streamed around like a disease. Lauren was so scared she started to sweat heavily and she was ready to break down, the world around was her pressing her buttons and making her heart and mind race.

She gazed down at her shaking hands, why did this have to happen? She thought. None of this is fair.

Hour 0 Minute 6

Girl #2, Skye Lyons stared down at the bottom floor from the top of the high balcony. Her tears dripped down onto the low floor as if like rain, she felt her heart beat at an alarming pace inside of her chest, it felt like a giant beating drum. Pain was ambient at every angle. Her red hair was in a complete mess and her blue eyes were completely bloodshot from all the tears that she'd been releasing on the bus. Not to mention that her throat was completely dry and was desperate for a drop of water.

Skye loved to fantasise about being in the program, she always imagined it blissfully in her head. Killing every person around her, it was her way of releasing stress and her angers to the world. With every single person she met doing nothing but cause pain to her, Skye relished in the idea of being able to shoot everyone of them down, and maybe even torture them. It always made her smile, and it made her grin like a psychopath.

She liked to fantasise about her life after winning, she'd be a celebrity, everyone would love her. People would stop being mean to her and maybe her parents would stop arguing and just be proud of her. She'd be rich! She'd help her family live and survive, she'd be her parents saving grace! She wouldn't have to worry about things anymore...

But unfortunately, things never really are as good as they seem on TV...

She stared back to her bag beside her on the floor. This whole thing was a huge, evil and terrifying joke that gone way out of hand. Her weapon? A pear, she even got a bloody instruction manual for it, an instruction manual for a pear!

Despite her situation, Skye couldn't help but laugh a bit at the pear, the instruction manual was admittedly quite humourous. But deep down she knew the implications of this, she had no way to protect herself. No gun, no knife, no nothing. Being a girl of small stature and muscle she knew her physical strength would never be enough to pull her through this. Her soul was like a hanging rope. Fear was more present than she was, and time seemingly warped like plastic over a flame. All she knew, in this moment, with everything placed on her shoulders… was fear, pain, a total lack of inner peace and joy. Death was an iceberg in the sea and she knew that she couldn't steer away.

Instead of waiting for her death to come, a death that could be agony, a death that could be horrible. She decided to simply take matters into her own hands, and make things quick and painless. She looked back to the balcony. Back to her escape from the torment of the program.

She closed her eyes and took a moment to think about her friends. Alex, the lovable racist. James, the tall guy with a wicked sense of humour. Lilly Anne whom was destructive but sensitive, Lizzie would she loved and adored and last but not least Ryan, a strong man with a soft heart. All five of them helped her through the toughest days of her life, the days her parents would argue, the days her mother would cry, the days her Father got violent. Skye's friends were the only thing keeping her alive and were the only thing stopping her sanity from crashing.

And this program was going to take them away from her.

"God save us all" Prayed Skye as she thought about her friends and their mortality as she walked closer to the escape from this hell.

She lifted one leg up over the glass fence that separated herself from the edge of the balcony, the other seemed 10 times harder but she struggled through it. Once over the fence, She stared down, she'd always been afraid of heights. It's something her friends would always go on and on about. Her friends were like that, they liked to tease her. Her reaction to them always depended on her mood.

Skye couldn't help but feel nervous as she looked down to the floor, Skye felt her body shake in fear. Skye knew this was a bit insane, and that it might hurt a little, but it wouldn't be as bad as being tortured or raped, both things being common occurrences in the program, and Skye didn't plan on the second one happening again in her life.

"Will this hurt?" "What will my friends think?" "What's it like to die?"

These thoughts raced through Skyes nonstop as she took one final step, the last step she'd ever take.

Her body tumbled forward and she fell down to the floor. Skye felt warm air against her face as she fell, final thoughts of her precious friends quickly flashed through her mind. Alex, Lilly, Lizzie, Ryan and the others. She hoped that at the very least they would find a way to survive...

Suddenly, a huge crack echoed through the shopping centre. Skye's life ended quickly, with her body inanimate on the ground. With almost every bone broken and her small fingers bent back while blood seeped out of her small mouth and nose, staining the white tiled floor and her white shirt a bright red. Her eyes rolled back in her head as her final tear escaped from her dry, dead eyes. Her last thought was:"It's over. Thank god."

Girl #2 Skye Lyons Dead

Hour 0 minute 24

Girl #11 Rachel Flanagan couldn't believe what was happening. Of all the things that could've happened in her life, Rachel never expected to be forced into the real life edition of the hunger games. She leaned back onto the wall behind her and idly stared up to ceiling while being deep in thought, she closed her eyes which were beginning to be invaded by tears.

Despite all the pain of the program, Rachel was at least grateful for the weapon given to her, she had been given a magnum revolver, Rachel hoped that she wouldn't have to use it, but if she'd last there'd be no choice in the matter. "It's kill or be killed Rachel" She reminded herself, while staring at the bag on her side. Then another thought popped into her head, "What if I have to use it on my friends?"

Rachel felt a huge shock throughout her body when she thought this. She'd already saw Skye's corpse the second she entered the mall. When she saw it, she just wanted to collapse to the floor and cry, but she simply didn't have time. It was either sit there, cry and be a sitting duck, or run and deal with it later. Rachel quite clearly chose the latter. Rachel didn't want anyone to die. She didn't want her self to die. She didn't want to kill anyone either. All of this was just awful from the get go.

At first she thought the bus was the worst, the entire place was crowded and claustrophobic, it was so dark that it was plain impossible to see a single thing and the bus stank terribly. Everyone just wouldn't stop screaming and the endless noise made her want to disappear. It didn't help that she had to sit next to Tyler of all people.

Rachel was glad to get off that awful bus, but still, despite its flaws it was much better than this. It's better than hiding in a phone shop and waiting to be picked off by some psycho. It's so much better than seeing one of your friends lifeless with broken bones on the ground, Rachel's pale face became dimmed by a huge frown, she felt her leg began to shudder nervously. She began to pull on her long dark red hair in annoyance of the situation.

Rachel was raised to be happy and optimistic, no matter what. But things like this were real challenges for her. No matter how optimistic Rachel tried to be, she knew deep down inside that there would be no happy ending, even if she won and survived, life would never ever be the same. All of her friends would dead and gone.

Rachel was almost on the verge of tears, with a single tear just about the escape, until an amazing idea popped in her head. Despite everything, A huge smile lit her up face. Rachel excitedly reached into her dark blue blazer pocket and took out her Apple smartphone which was decorated with pink stickers.

"Thank you so fucking much Steve Jobs! You're a fucking great mate!" Exclaimed Rachel in a strong scottish accent. She squeaked loudly with glee and she did a little dance on the floor with her arms and legs.

She instantly began to dial a number straight from her memory while grinning and laughing like a schoolgirl. Nervousness filled Rachel up when she finished dialing. She bit her lip anxiously while staring down at the bright phone screen. The wait felt like hours, days even, and Rachel felt like her soul was about to drop into darkness, she desperately hoped that her call would be picked up.

However, a wave of disappointment rushed over her as the phone gave a message informing Rachel that the call failed. There was no signal, and no way for Rachel to say her final words to her beloved family. Her soul was completely crushed like fragile glass that has just been dropped.

But Rachel wouldn't let herself be defeated, she was raised to be happy, and happy she shall be. Rachel once again dialed the number hastily with another confident grin on her face, she refused to give up and wouldn't accept defeat.