-Part Nine – Attack-

The tributes had gathered back at the camp and were anxious to see who didn't show. All except for Ivan, Alfred and Yao were present. Everyone waited silently, except for Gilbert who was making bold guesses as to who was dead as he rested on the ground.

"So, who was it?" Arthur asked as the group of three came into view. The rest of the tributes looked up and watched.

"Denmark." Ivan stated and then motioned to Yao. "He was the only witness." Yao glared at Ivan while continuing to clutch his wound.

"What happened to your hand?" Matthew asked, looking at the bloodied hand with concern.

Yao stepped into the clearing, Alfred and Ivan behind him. "I'm sure everyone felt the earthquake?" Nods of agreement rose from the gathered tributes. "Denmark fell off the dock and into the lake. After about a minute, I walked over and saw him. He had a few bite marks on his arm and I could see a large gash on the back of his neck. I tried to grab him, but he was pulled back under. I reached into the water and the fin of one of the fish cut my hand."

Yao held up his injured hand to show the group. "Sounds reasonable…" Arthur commented with a look of sympathy. "I want to see one of the fish though. I mean, a normal fish couldn't do this to an experienced swimmer, even during an earthquake."

"I agree with Arthur, but I also believe Yao." Matthew said, walking over to Yao. "I don't know what's going to happen to your hand though." Yao held out hid injured hand and let Matthew look at it. "It's not that deep, but it has a good chance of getting infected."

"That's what I was thinking. Is there any way I could get stitches?" Yao asked. "We have the supplies."

"I have some rough experience…" Arthur said as he walked over to Yao. "I can try, but I don't want to make it worse."

"It would be better than having an open wound." Yao objected.

Arthur paused. "Alright. If anything happens, don't kill me."

"You think he did it?" Alfred asked casually as he walked back down to the dock with Ivan.

"You can't be too careful. This plan is bound to fail." Ivan replied grimly.

"If you think it's going to fail, why are you still here?" Alfred asked, glaring suspiciously at Ivan, who was looking absentmindedly at the lake.

"This is an admirable idea, but it has too many weak points for it to work." Ivan paused and looked at Alfred. For once he remained silent. "Matthew made a decent decision not appointing himself as leader. That creates equality and no one gets too jealous of another's power. For now." Ivan sighed.

"Well, what's to go wrong then?" Alfred questioned.

"Greed. We all know that only one person can win. How can you be faithful surrounded by your potential murderers?"

"If you think like that, you become paranoid. Paranoia will lead you to kill someone."

"What are you trying to say?"

Alfred shot a glare at Ivan. "I'm not saying anything about you. Just…be positive about this. It's probably the only way this can work."

Ivan stepped onto the dock and walked to the end. "You're right. But, I have enough sense not to start killing anyone."

"Whatever you say."

Ivan peered into the water, looking for the infamous fish. A long silhouette appeared briefly before disappearing into the depths of the water. "That looks big for a fish...it doesn't look dangerous though."

Alfred walked over and searched for the fish. "Where did it go?"

"It's gone." Ivan answered, looking down at the dock. A few small blood splatters dotted the wooden dock. Other than that, the crime scene was clean. "There's no evidence here to prove anything."

"Obviously." Alfred commented. "What did you expect?"

The tributes had made a unanimous decision to call off working for the rest of the day. Kiku drew himself away from the crowd at the camp and was walking in the relatively quiet forest. The few birds chirping and the occasional light summer breeze made a peaceful setting despite the situation. For some protection, Kiku was carrying his empty shotgun.

An unsettling sound made Kiku stop and look around cautiously. He heard it again, a distinct growl of some sort. He raised his gun and observed the forest again. He heard a twig snap and turned around sharply. A thin dog with tan fur and a vicious snarl met his sight.

Kiku tightened his grip on the gun and backed away from the dog. It looked like a stray. It was so emaciated he could easily see the most of its bones poking at its skin. Its teeth were a dull yellow, yet they shone in the small sunlight. Its eyes were black and appeared lifeless. The dog advanced forward, continuing to growl ominously.

Kiku jumped forward and swung the stock of the gun at the dog's shoulder. It fell back and stumbled before running towards Kiku. He deflected the dog when it jumped at him. It fell and Kiku used the chance to escape.

The dog caught up with Kiku with amazing speed. It leaped at his back and bit his shoulder. Kiku screamed and fell to the ground, feeling the teeth digging into his skin. He managed to kick the dog away from him. He swung his gun at the dog's midsection as hard as he could manage.

Kiku could hear the dog's ribs breaking; it sounded strangely unnatural. The dog remained silent and charged at him again. Kiku smashed the butt of his shotgun into the dog's face. Its neck snapped and it fell to the forest floor.

Kiku pulled himself up, grimacing from the pain of the bite. He looked over at the dog. It was getting up too.

He stared at the creature in shock. Its neck hung limply as it growled again. It began to run towards Kiku. He tried to run, realizing his gun was still on the ground. It bit into Kiku's leg and pulled him to the ground. While trying to regain his breath from the fall, Kiku reached out for a rock lying near him. He grabbed it and turned around to attack the creature.

The sharp point of the stone tore through the skin of the dog's shoulder, revealing a plate of metal. The dog released his hold of Kiku's leg and stepped back. It barred its teeth and snarled. Kiku tried to back away helplessly as the dog leaped for Kiku's neck.