Chapter 16

Hey guys! I'm super sorry about the delay but I've finally completed the last chapter! I'm gonna miss writing about this but I'm pretty sure I might do a sequel. So enjoy! :`3

Jewels looked up with horror on her face. A gigantic avalanche was rushing down the tundra. Looking down she saw an army of mutts climbing up the side of the tundra. They were trapped, well as far as she knew Darren and Jeff were still on the side of the tundra.

Jewels POV: Maybe they got away, although it's unlikely that I will. I can't make it all my options are gone. I sank down to my knees and did somethingI hated. I cried. I then suddenly remembered a coversation I had with my dad a long time ago. It was about these girls at school that made fun of me. I decided to ignore them but, they kept making fun of me. One day my dad found out.

Jewels, why didn't you tell me about what was happening in school?

I didn't want to worry you dad.

Darling I will always worry about you no matter what. Now tell me what happened. I want to hear it from you.

Well they started making fun of how I dressed and then they made fun of Alex.

And what did you do?

I just turned around and tried to ignore her, but it didn't work.

Do you know why? Listen Jewels there's lots of people in the world like those girls, and you have to know how to deal with them. First you don't ignore them. That makes you look weak and that's what they want an easy target. You fight back hard enough and they'll be like it ain't worth it. You have to fight back or they you understand?

Yes dad I do.

You know what's most important though?

*WHOOSH!* I then realised the snowslide had reached me and swept me away. I couldn't feel anything except a mind blowing numbness. I only saw blur of white. I couldn't hear anything exccept for the whistling of the wind. I then remembered the last line of the coversation I had with my dad.

You know what's most important though? That I love you. That's the most important thing in my world.

A smile crept across my face until I blacked out.

Third Person's POV: "Jewels no!" Jeff screamed as he saw his beloved being covered by the avalanche. Not thinking he ran straight towards it and was swept along. Darren who was a little less... stupid climbed a tree right in the way of the snowslide. By doing this the tree would broke off at the bottom turned on it's side and got swept away with Darren riding safely. Jeff on the other hand was flopping through the snow like a fish. Jewels was still nowhere in sight. The snowslide also swept away the mutts in its midst and killed them. It seemed like a long time but the avalanche finally settled at the beginning of the jungle area.

Chad's POV: Alex and I were going outside of the cave when we heard a noise. *CRACK!* A loud splintering sound went through the arena, followed by a lower noise. *RUMBLE!* A of a sudden the arena seemed to shake and a tall mountain of stone emerged from the ground across across the arena.

"What is that?" asked Alex.

"I have no idea." I answered.

I looked at it with astonishment. We both didn't notice the things that came upon us at that moment. *SQUEAL!* *ROAR!*

Alex's POV: I turned around and saw a mutt fly towards Chad and me. It had the wings of an eagle, the body of a goat, and two heads; one pig and one lion. It was the ugliest creature I have ever seen, and it was going to attack!

"Duck!" yelled Chad.

I did and the mutt skimmed a few inches above me. I raised my bow with an arrow notched and aimed. *SHOOP!* The arrow lodged itself in the pig's throat and it let out a final squeal. *SQUEAL!* Noticing that it's partner was dead the lion roared again and charged at me. *ROAR!* Chad leaped in front of it and thrust his spear in the lion's mouth. It fell on top of him with a crash.

"Chad!" I yelled as I ran to help him.

"I'm okay Alex, but this feline needs to go on a diet. Got any advice?"

Third Person's POV: Alex got the mutt off Chad and they sighed with relief. Their moment was cut short though when Alex screamed and pointed at the bottom of the tundra. An army of mutts had gathered and was marching up the mountain. Things didn't look all to well. Anyway the mutts came upon Chad and Alex as the avalanche came from the opposite direction. The avalanche had gone unnoticed by them until they were swept up in it. Saved from the mutts, but who knows if they made it from being smothered?

Darren's POV: The tree I climbed shudderd for a minute before completely breaking off at the bottom. *CRACK!* The tree shifted and fell onto it's side and started to go with the snow. Due to it's bulk it went through the snow at a fast speed after it gained momentum. All my senses were in a frenzy and I couldn't make out where I was. I hadn't realised it but I finally stopped moving. I gathered my bearings the best I could before I looked around. I was settled at the edge of the jungle area about a half a mile away fromt the stone mountain. This must be a trick right?...

Third Person's POV: "Just wanted to make a quick announcement to our tributes!" Boomed an unknown announcement. "The tall stone mountain in the jungle area is where all tributes need to go if they want to get out of here today... alive. That's all thank you."

Into the future a little while after the games had just ended. In the capital...

Currently going on in the capital is chaotic mayhem. There are no other words to describe it except disaster, destruction, or annihilation. Oh there are a lot of words to describe it, but anyways the city was in a panic. The government had been overthrown and springing up and fresh water was hard to come by. Most people shut themselves in their houses and boarded up the windows. Streets were vacant, as were most public buildings. Crime was starting to grow as people grew desperate. The Capital's artificial apperance was starting to look dimmer and dimmer as it now resembled the poorer districts.

The games had ended months earlier, yet there was no celebration or tour afterward. The winner was not able to go home. For they were a symbol. A symbol to never forget what happened. This symbol was now sitting in a white walled, windowless room. This symbol was beginning to get nervous, and was starting to fidget. They were remembering what happened that fateful day at the arena.

Remembering...

The arena that was screaming with noise now had a loud silence over it. The avalanche had stopped, the mutts in the arena were quiet and time seemed to stop. The remaining tributes were senseless. They all stood still not saying anything , not thinking, imobile. A inhuman screech then tore out through the air. The first to snap back was Darren. He was still in top of the tree, and was searching for his spear. He loooked around but was yet to find it. He soon gave up and started running. Looking wildly in all directions Darren searched for signs of his allies. Essentially he was running straight to the pyramid. Upon entering the jungle he slowed down to a jog, and then to a walk. Darren looked worried.

He was by himself, without weapons, and without the slightest trace of Jewels. He thought he was so smart. Thought that I would never be following him. Darren was a fool. He kept running though, through the jungle. For a while I had kept up and then I lost him. "Damn it." I muttered. Then I caught sight of him. He was running towards that stone pyramid. I could then see it through the tree line. I followed him until the tree line thinned.

Darren stood there at the base looking up. Suddenly a scream pierced the air. I know it well enough to recognize it. Darren did too, for he took off and started up the steep steps of the pyramid. Aslow smile crossed my face. Why join the fight? Wait until it's over and then... they're done.

I waited. I could hear the shouting, the screams, I could hear the shrill noise of drones going overhead. Well atleast someone was creative. I then felt it. Somewhere in me I knew it was time. I started climbing the steps. The rocks would sometimes crumble beneath you and they were far apart. Anyone would think it was difficult, but not me. This was a thrill , something I had been looking forward to since I could remember. I was made for this, made to win. I then reached it, the top of the pyramid. The whole arena could be seen. I was meant to be on top. Standing on the ledge next to me was district three. She looked bad. Her clothes were torn and her eyes were filled with something. Rage? No madness. Sorry lunatics get killed first. Except I didn't have to kill her. An arrow then hit her throat and she went off the edge. "AAAAHHHHHHH!" Her cannon then went off. *BOOM!* Well atleast that was merciful I could have done much worse... It was time to reveal myself. Guys what's going on?" I said as I climbed the final step with a fake worried look on my face. I noticed that one of them was injured. Darren who was hunched over stood up. "So you show up now when the fighting's over? When we could've died without your help? I should have killed you a long time ago." His eyes were filled with hatred, and his face red with anger. "No I should've been the one to kill you all a long time ago." I answered as I slipped out a weapon I had been itching to use. A beautiful revolver given to me by my superior, Simmens Crane was pointed at them. I pulled the trigger once, twice, three, four times. Four bullets and four final cannons were fired. *B-B-B-BOOM!* And the gong rang out signalling the end. I don't even give a rat's ass about what happened to districts 1,4,5,9, and 11. No announcements came though. No voice saying I was the winner. Only "Jeff Fontane, grandson of Morgan Fontane you have hereby been proclaimed a slave to the capital to do whatever they like of you. This is the final Hunger Games."

Back to present time...

I can't believe they're making me do this. I'm the winner I should be honored not humiliated. A man in a peacekeepers uniform then opened the door and came into the room. "It's time to go." Was all he said. I stood up proudly and he walked me to the studio next door. There they sat me in a chair and made me say how the games made me goinsane. How they changed me how I killed the people I loved because of President Clara Snow. I went in on my own free will. To save Jewels hah, what a pathetic excuse, yet they bought it. And the looks on the tributes faces before I killed them.

*Flashback*

Alex was injured when I last saw her and she was in shock. Did she really think I liked her step sister? Just thinking about it makes me want to laugh. And then her boyfriend, what was his name? It was something pathetic, but he looked like he wanted to say something before he died. He had fear in his eyes, how weak. The next was Darren. That big idiot who had no brains and yet, somehow knew to hate me. Most have been his primative instincts. I didn't like that about him. He was the only one who didn't trust me and I knew why. It was all because of her. He loved her and she didn't have a clue. Who could blame her? She was into me.

Darren was full of rage as he died, his eyes were bulging and he was purple. It was a delightful shade. Jewels reaction was the best of all. The last look on her face was priceless. That look of pain, regret, hurt, anger, and one I couldn't quite get over. Knowing. She had a knowing look in her eye. Alex died on the ground. Whatever his name was kneeling down by her. Jewels was near them with a bow at her feet, while Darren stood with his hands in fists. That vision will be forever in my mind.

*Flashback ends*

Slowly the studio door opened and several figures walked in. I lifted my head and thought I was hallucinating. Standing there before me was the very people I killed.

Jewels POV: We walked into the studio and I saw Jeff. It was the first time I saw him since he shot me in the arena. Darren, Alex, Chad, Thornsby, and even Ferren (Hamilton) went in too. Jeff looked tired, worn out, his dirty blond hair was in a mess and he had bags under his eyes. I feel pity for him more than anything else. He looked like he might have collapsed when he saw us. Jeff then started asking questions. His first seemed to be to all of us. "How are you alive?! I shot you!" Thornsby was the one who answered. "The gun that was given to you shot darts with sleeping doses. They sound like bullets, but you never looked at them did you? The affect of them is immediate, that's why you couldn't tell the difference. Jeff didn't say anything for a while. I looked at him, he was very different. The person I knew was gone. Jeff then spoke again."What happened to you in the arena." It sounded more like a statement, but Chad still answered.

"Alex and I got caught in the avalanche. We made it to the jungle when we saw the drones. At the time we didn't know who was controlling them, but we didn't care. The drones would fire bombs and rain bullets on us we... we ran until we got to the pyramid. There Alex tripped and fell down the steps. She broke her leg and we were stranded." It was silent before Darren picked it up again.

"You followed me until I climbed the pyramid, so you know what happened before that. At the pyramid I heard a scream and started to climb the steps fast. I avoided the drones, but they made the climb hard. Steps would fall crumbling, or were shot off. I finally reached them. Chad could not move Alex on his own up the steps so I helped. It was a slow process reaching the top. We would have to stop constantly to avoid the drones and to not hurt Alex. When we got closer to the top the drones got worse and we saw who was controlling them. It was District three, she somehow got the huge drones and was able to control them. She was on top of the pyramid along with Jewels. They looked like they were about to fight, so Chad and I set Alex down and got ready to protect her. Unfortuneatly I had no weapons to use, because my spear got lost in the avalanche."

I guess they were waiting for me to say my piece, but I stayed silent. I didn't want to tell them the horrors of what I saw that day. Thornsby looked at me sympathetically. I liked Thornsby but I didn't want his pity. "I woke up in the snow. I must have blacked out during the avalanche, and it carried me all the way to the middle of the jungle. I didn't have anything on me no weapons, no food, nothing. I felt a pair of eyes on me. I didn't know who it was, but I didn't care. I took off running. I ran over logs, over vines, over bright folage. Everything turned black and white to me. I never stopped running and they never stopped chasing me. I didn't look back to see who they were I just kept running. When I finally reached the pyramid I whipped around to see who it was. It was the careers and district 5."

I paused a minute and sighed before continuing. "They had weapons and were running towards me. "Wanna form an temporary alliance?" yelled the girl from 5. The careers didn't answer just nodded and kept running. I ran inside the entrance of the pyramid and into one of the dimmly lit passage ways. They followed me until I made a sharp turn into a torch lit room. The room had no floor and in its place was a pit with spikes. I stopped suddenly and hugged a wall wear there was a slight ledge. The girl from district 1 was not so lucky. She didn't stop running and fell into the pit." I shuddered remembering the image of her with spikes impaled into her body. "The way out of the roominto the next one was a small ledge next to the wall about a foot wide. I carefully made my way, while the careers followed slowly. They didn't want to suffer the same fate as 1. Finally I made it to the next passage."

"I was really careful in the next passage. I ran, but I was always watching for things. I kept running until I came to a fork. The passage on the left was unlit, while the passage on the right was. I could hear the careers shouting and coming closer. I chose the left. The careers would probably think I went down the right, because it was lit. I didn't go very far, only a few feet in, so I could hide in the shadows. I saw the careers and held my breath. They paused a moment to look at each passage, then went down the one on the right. I waited a minute before coming out, and following them. It was a lot easier to track them than it was to be tracked."

"Suddenly the passage opened up into a room with a wide legde like a balcony. It was looking down over where the careers were standing. They seemed to be trapped below me. "Hey!" One of the boys shouted. "How'd you get up there 12?" The same boy asked. "Um... I don't..." I really didn't know how to answer him. Suddenly a huge shadow fell across the floor. I feared them when their just little, but this..." I stopped because my skin started to crawl. "It was a gigantic spider. It was atleast one story tall and about half of one wide. It mutilated them. They fought, but one after the other were eaten. I couldn't get down to them and I had no weapons." I started crying right then.

*sob* *sob* "It was awful, and right before he was eaten the boy from district 5 launched his partner at the balcony. She managed to grab with both her hands. The spider was coming though, and she couldn't pull herself up. Just as the spider came I grabbed her arm and yanked with all my body weight. She flew over the balcony, and the spider smashed into it. I dragged her off the ledge, out of the room, and into another passage. It was narrower than the others, and the spider couldn't get through no matter how far it wedged itself."

"District 5 had passed out after we were safe, I really couldn't blame her. I decided to keep going, and it was slow. I came to the final passage where the light came from the outside. I left district 5 at the doorway in case there were any dangers. That's why you didn't see her Jeff." I paused a minute to glance at him. He was looking into space with an unreadable expression on his face. He seemed more and more robotic to me.

I contonued on, "I climbed through the door and came to the platform on the very top. The view was gorgeuos now that I think about it. I couldn't at the time though, because I saw district 3 attacking Darren, Alex, and Chad. The hovercrafts were going crazy overhead. Alex tried to shoot at district 3 while Darren and Chad fought her, but Alex couldn't get a clean shot. The air was filled with dust and the ground was being shot at by my feet. A bullet hit Alex's bow knocking it out of her hands. It was just out of her reach. I scrambled for it and notched an arrow. "Chad!" Alex screamed. Darren and Chad turned around just as I let the arrow fly. It sank into district 3 and she fell backwards over the edge. Then you showed up..."

I trailed off for a minute before saying, "After you were announced the winner, they took us to the Capital where we were treated for our wounds." It was silent a while before Darren started to fidget. Jeff asked one more question. "If you and Alex are here and not fighting how did she find out you weren't dead?" "I noticed something about Jewels when she shot the bow." Alex answered. "Most people who are righthanded let the arrow go with their right hand. Jewels is righthanded but she always uses her left hand instead. She was more comfortable with it, and that's how I know." "We also showed her the tapes from the game." replied Thornsby. Jeff never anything else and we left him without saying another word.

Epilogue-

A girl hurried down a street on a warm summer evening. She needed to arrive at a friends house before she missed it. Making a right turn she passed several nice houses until she came to a smaller, but still nice house. She went right around the front and into the backyard where a group of people were waiting for her. They all sat and talked about how Thornsby was doing a good job and that how glad they were the games ended. Everyone waited until it was dark to see little dots of light fly around. Fireflys. "You know," Jewels said. "They always say it's darkest before you see the light." She watched the fragile fireflys while thinking about him. She would slowly learn to forget about the two faced boy who broke her heart.