Brock Ushums, District Eleven Male, 18 years old
The first thing I wake up to isn't what I want to see. I fell asleep whilst keeping watch - not my best move but it's understandable given last night was so intense - and I wake up to seeing Laurel planting traps around the clearing. From what I can tell she's already done quite a few. They're mostly basic traps aimed to hinder someone for a few seconds or to tie someone up in a net but non-Career districts are creative; I could step on a piece of the clearing and have spears fly at me from the woods. You never know.
When she sets her final trap she looks up and sees me, stopping dead in her track. Her eyes glance to the window, probably seeing if Calloway is near or not; he's said the two of them have had multiple run-ins and I'm sure she's petrified of seeing him again. I mean, I would be too - Calloway can be a brute when he wants to be.
I raise my sickle and begin to chase after her, jumping about to avoid whatever traps she may have set. I make sure to purposefully set a few off; nets come flying at me which I dodge, rocks launch themselves pathetically and poorly judged, and all the while Laurel gets deeper and deeper into the forest. I try to pursue her but, unfortunately, if you lose someone in the woods then you have no hope in finding them, not for a while at least.
"Don't worry," I should, "We'll kill you soon!" She might not hear it but someone will, and someone'll be intimidated regardless.
As I walk back to the cabin I notice Candella high up in the trees. She's asleep, a rope connecting her to the trunk of the tree by being wrapped around her waist, and she's too high up for me to attack. I consider climbing the tree. I'm not the best climber but I only need to get a short distance up so I can throw my sickle, that's it.
I turn around the tree and I spot them; two dead bears. When myself, Calloway and Tesla were returning we had our own run-in with these muttations and killing them wasn't the easiest of affairs. Seeing two dead ones at the foot of her tree unnerves me somewhat; clearly she's dangerous even if the bears climbing the tree made them easier targets.
I look back up to the top of the tree and sigh - if the final four is us and her then we'll just have to burn the forest down.
Phantom Spinarid, District Eight Male, 18 years old
I've only got one day in this alliance with three girls, three vulnerable tributes whose deaths will bring me closer to victory. I need to make it count. I've got my first target set on sweet, innocent Bobbin. Panem's Little Sister. At least Delta and Laurel were stupid enough to see that the creepiness I adopt is a plus rather than a con. Bobbin's smart, too smart. She knows what I'm capable of and that makes her a threat.
It seems Delta's the leader of the alliance because she assigns us roles to carry out in the morning; Laurel will go and set up traps around the arena, she herself will remain in the cabin and keep watch, and Bobbin and myself will go food hunting just a little into the woods, just to get some food. Bobbin was reluctant to go, as she should be, but Delta and Laurel both promise her she'll be fine. Before we leave I noticed that Delta whispered something to her and placed something in her belt. I assume it's a knife - a futile thing to give her, but if it'll make Delta feel better about the situation then whatever.
So that's how Bobbin and I stand over bushes, picking berries in silence. We don't speak - there's nothing to talk about. This isn't the train rides or our floor in the tribute accommodation. This is the Hunger Games and everyone knows how deadly one confrontation can be.
Bobbin seems to be analysing the berries carefully; I think she paid attention in the survival station because she passes over some berry bushes. Myself, on the other hand? I pick whatever I find. If it's poisonous? Even better.
It takes us half an hour but we come to the unmistakably nightlock berry bush. Their deep shade of purple is beautiful, in a sick kind of way. Perfect for me then. Bobbin upturns her nose at it and passes over them, like she has with countless other berries. And like I've done before, I've gone and picked them, but this time I keep the nightlock in my hand. I make sure to grab a large handful of it - what I'm about to do will need that.
I wait until Bobbin has her back turned before I knock her, sending her to the ground. As expected, she turns over and I waste no time in pinning her down with my free hand, throwing her knife away as if it's nothing.
The scared look on her face is priceless. I sit on her midsection and pull her head back with her hair, making sure it hurts. It's obvious she wants to open her mouth to scream, to do something, but she knows she can't. I can sit like this for hours - all she needs to do is just open her mouth.
It's only been a few seconds but she's taking too long. In frustration, I lift her head up by her hair and slam it back down onto the ground, causing her to make a pained noise. I take this opportunity to stuff all the nightlock into her mouth before covering it, preventing her from regurgitating them.
I can feel my hand becoming stained with nightlock as she desperately tries to expel it from her mouth. Like before, I pick up her head and slam it onto ground. She's dying either way - from nightlock or from the damage to her head. It seems to do the trick, though. She makes another pained noise before chocking on the nightlock. I can see her resisting the temptation to swallow but, eventually, she does and you can see in her eyes she knows the end is closer.
I move my hands away and sit back, watching as she succumbs to the effects of the nightlock.
Seems like the nation just lost their precious, innocent little sister.
BOOM!
Delta Mono, District Three Female, 17 years old
It doesn't take long for Phantom to return after the cannon sounds. Laurel and myself were getting worried, for both of them. A cannon could mean the Careers are out again and since there's only eleven of us left nobody knows how machine-like they'll be in their killing.
The first thing I notice when he returns is the lack of Bobbin. Where is she? Laurel notices it too because she flashes me a confused look.
"Where's Bobbin?" I ask, my fists subconsciously balling up. He did something to her, I can sense it.
"The mutts got her," He says in the same scared, fake tone he used last night, "They got her...that cannon...it was her's."
I can feel my world spinning. I feel sick, I feel dizzy. I want to sit down or sleep to run away from that fact. Bobbin's dead. She's gone, dead. Melvin's dead, Bobbin's dead. I couldn't give them their future they deserved.
"Delta?" Laurel says, her voice cracking slightly and I realise now any hesitations I had towards her were undue; she cared for Bobbin too.
I look at her and I can see tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. I can feel my own eyes stinging with un-shed tears. I look back at Phantom and I shake my head, "What happened to Bobbin?"
"The muttations...they got her."
"And they didn't get you?" I scream. Either way he killed her. He either killed her or left to die. "Why is she dead and not you too?"
He remains speechless and then I see it. His right hand is a dark purple colour and I look at it with a pointed glare, "What's that on your hand?"
I can see out of the corner of my eye Laurel looking at it before recoiling back, most likely in horror.
"Berry juice," He answers simply, an unreadable expression on his face. It's a stand off between me and him and I think all us know that someone's not going to make it out alive.
"What berry?" Laurel quips in, her voice beginning to drip with the same anger mine does.
He remains silent for a moment before smiling slightly, "Nightlock."
Before we have time to react he knocks Laurel to the ground before trying to throw her off the balcony. He succeeds messily and I can her her fall to the bottom floor. I'm thankful now that the drop isn't too high - I can't lose another ally, not today.
"You're a sick bastard," Is all I say before I lunge at him with my fists, punching him in the face.
He fights back too, using both of his fists and his size to his advantage. His main tactic is to throw me about. He picks me up and launches me against a wall. The wood cracks against my weight and I can feel a splinter pierce my back. I scream in pain and waste no time in doing my best to throw it out, dodging him whilst doing so. I managed to get it out and we begin punching each other again.
It goes on like this for a while. When I get close to the balcony I can look over and see Laurel writhing in pain. I'll get to her and heal her, I just need to avenge Bobbin. That's all I need to do, even if it kills me.
He knocks me to the ground and pins me down by my hair, sitting on my stomach. I close my mouth, lips tightly shut and he tries to force his berry-stained fingers into my mouth. He lifts my head up and slams it on the ground, intensifying the feeling of being sick. I don't open my mouth though. I don't give him that satisfaction. He tries this again and again and I nearly give in. The feeling of his fingers nearly breaking my defence gives me a boost of adrenaline and I manage to find the strength to push him off me. Now it's my turn to not waste anytime.
I kick him in the groin, causing him to curl up in pain. He tries to get up but the pain must be too intense - he sinks back down to the floor, cursing and pounding on the floor with his fist. Then I kick him in the head. Once. Twice. Thrice. I keep kicking him in the head until I begin to stomp. I keep stomping until I hear a crack. I close my eyes and look away before stomping a final time. And then it's over.
BOOM!
I look at the body and I nearly throw up. His face is unrecognisable and I have to look away. I do the decent thing for Laurel, seeing as she'll need the room, and I pick up Phantom's body, throwing it out of the hole in the wall. Laurel doesn't need to see that.
I jump to the bottom floor and do my best to heave an injured Laurel to the top floor, telling her Phantom's gone and we're safer now.
Tesla Mason, District Five Male, 17 years old
That's enough cannon. A second and it's barely midday. With five cannons in the past two days we've gone from fourteen tributes to nine. Whatever slowness the Games had in the start is clearly being atoned for now.
This should be the time that the Careers are at their strongest but we find ourselves agreeing to disband.
"It's no hard feelings," Calloway says as he packs up his stuff. By disbanding I mean more, he's leaving the alliance and letting Brock and I keep the cabin. He's decent like that. "It's just we're the strongest competitors and I'd rather kill you as enemies rather than allies."
It's understandable, really. He's probably got so much clouding his head with Calamity's death that he probably just wants to run away from it all, seclude himself. I wouldn't be surprised if he has a break down, if I'm honest. He wouldn't us to see, I don't think, which is partly why he's leaving now. He's a had a jokester brute facade going on and everyone knows that a Career revealing their true emotions is a dangerous thing.
At least it's an amicable split.
Brock and I watch as Calloway grabs a fair share of the supplies and the weapons he was sponsored with, flashing us a smile before he leaves.
We wait until he's gone into the woods before talking.
"He's a great guy and all," Brock says, turning to me, "But we need to kill him."
I tilt my head a little, "Why?"
"We all spoke and he knows our weaknesses and we know his. We're the best people to kill him. With him gone the rest of the Games will be easy."
It makes sense but I feel bad. As Brock said, he was a great guy. A voice in the back of my head tells me that Brock is right and that I should prioritise getting rid of the competition before worrying about who's a good laugh or not. That and I've got a girlfriend, friends and family to return home to.
I nod in agreement after a pregnant pause, "He's our target."
Eulogies:
11th - Bobbin Taper, District Eight Female, killed by Phantom
BOBBIN NOOOOOOO :c I think the saddest thing about your death is that we all knew it was coming but it's even sadder to know that you knew Phantom was no good as soon as you all allied with you. You were the ray of sunshine in the arena and brightened up the lives of many. You'll be immortalised as Panem's Little Sister for me and I hope that you're happier now. You're death will have a profound effect on Delta and that change'll be instant, as we've seen. Thank you so much to kgeesy for Bobbin! I'm sad to see her go :c
10th - Phantom Spinarid, District Eight Male, killed by Delta
Your death wasn't planned, actually. I had thought you'd destroy the Delta/Bobbin/Laurel from the inside out and you nearly did but I stayed true to Bobbin's allies' characters and you were found out and paid the price. A ghastly death for a ghastly guy. You were enjoyable to write. Messed up, but fun. You only got one kill but don't worry, you've severely injured one physically and two others emotionally. Thank you so much to MessyModgePodge for Phantom! He was a messed up tribute and I lived for it, even when he died.
Tributes Remaining:
Calloway, District Two
Delta, District Three
Tesla, District Five
Candella, District Seven
Laurel, District Nine
Dion, District Ten
Brock, District Eleven
Ellie, District Eleven
Alys, District Twelve
Alliances:
Tesla & Brock
Delta & Laurel
Dion & Ellie
Solo Tributes:
Calloway
Candella
Alys
This is a shorter chapter but so much happened I felt it was right to stop it there.
So much bloodshed happened but that's what I intended! A post-Bloodbath massacre to make up for the 'Bloodpuddle.'
I'm so tempted to start yet another SYOT after this one is wrapped up (someone stop me fr), but we'll see!
As always, reviews make me happy~!
-Oli