I run away from the Cornucopia, only thinking if Tucker will survive the night. The arena, which used to be a flat area with trimmed grass, has turned to a meadow. After about probably 10 minutes of sprinting and another 10 minutes of light jogging, I stop next to a large boulder. I wheeze, grasping for air, after the long time I have been running. I slouch down with my back against the rock and my feet planted on the ground. I search the air to notice, there are no trees in this arena that I have seen so far. Usually tributes hide in the trees for a good portion of the Games until something forces them to get out. This year, we are as clear as day, definetly to be a bloody year. The only place to hide is the mountains, which isn't a good idea to go to, and the lake, which only 2 tributes know how to swim.
Years of watching the Games, I know the strategies of the Districts. The Careers, 1 and 2 this year but not the girl from 4, will be at the Cornucopia at day and at night will be hunting tributes down. For District 3, tech nerds, they will surely die out this year. Being nothing to create an electrical charge. District 4 can just swim and kill tributes. District 5 has some tributes from years ago know several things about rocks and mountains. They probably knew several thigns about geology in District 5, which is weird because they are power. District 6 tributes will hide out until either they die, or everybody else dies. I hear that the newest victor from 6 has a morphling problem. District 7's tribute this year have a chance at winning. They are very skill with axes and can chop a tribute's head off like it was a piece of plywood. District 8, Textiles, usually live long if they survive the bloodbath. If so, they will thrive in the cold arenas, being they know how to sew they could sew their outfits with ease. District 9, Grain, are skilled with scythes, yet they are almost never in the arena. District 10, Livestock, know how to kill animals, so they might as well know how to kill people. District 11, Agriculture, has the skill to climb trees, even though this year there are no trees in sight. For my District, well. We have no strategies since we never won before to learn from the Victors.
When I am done reminding myself of the strategies, I hear the chain of cannons from the bloodbath. I counted 12. 12! That is half of the competition out and 1 step closer to my victory. Then I remember Tucker. What if he didn't survive the bloodbath? What if the knife made him die from blood loss? I will only find out later tonight, where the faces of the dead tributes will be showed in the sky, mocking the families of the deceased.
I sling my pack around from my back to the ground under me. I zip it open, crossing my fingers for good supplies. I find a sleeping bag, a coil of wire, a bunch of matches, a water canteen, a bag of apples, a container of dried beef, and a little pocket square that holds crackers. My face lights up, knowing I stand a chance in this after all. I grab my silver water canteen, and check inside. No luck there. It is empty. I spotted the lake from my pedestal, maybe I can get some water later tonight. I shove all my supplies into my bag, and start to walk away from the way I came, deeper into the meadow. As I venture out of harm's way, I spot a glimmer of light in the distance. I hold my knife close to me, wanting to be sure whatever it is will die if it comes close. I stand for a good 5 minutes until I realize, there was nothing there. I am about to start going my usual direction, when I see it again. This time I almost throw my knife at it, but I am not comfortable with throwing my knife towards it where I could easily lose it in the grass. I think about this for a while, then pick up a rock. I hold the rock in my hand, and throw it at the slight glimmer of light every once and a while. The rock comes back to me, hurling at me head. I duck in time and the rock hit the boulder I laid my back on. I notice what it is now.
The forcefield.
The only thing keeping us in this arena is that. I know that if I mess with that forcefield, I am bound to be dead before I can count to 10. I walk away from it, keeping enough distance away from it as possible. I start to think where I should go, when I remember my canteen needs some water, I don't need to wait until tomorrow. I head to the lake that I see in the distance, shining like it should be. When I make it there, I crouch down to hide myself. I fill it up fully then start to go back to the meadow, when I hear a scream, obviously a man's scream. My eyes automatically move to the mountain, and sure enough. A tribute is holding onto the edge of the mountain, handing for dear life. I squint my eyes to see who it is, I recognize him.
He is the boy from 7.
The guy I thought would 100% not die on the first day, is making me think my entire outlook on the Games different. With one hand he is holding the mountain, in the other he is reaching for his ax that is near him hand that is handing onto the mountain. He scrambles everytime his hand slips, and everytime he has enough strength to quickly throw his other hand to the mountain. I start to move away from the lake, out of the view of soem peering eyes maybe, to get a better look at his death. I find another boulder, sit down, and watch him. He must be strong because he eventually gets his hand on the ax, and instead of using him hand to grab the side of the cliff, he uses the ax. It works better for him, he doesn't seem to lose his grip.
He pants as he faceplants on the mountain surface, he didn't fall, he climbed up and appears to be happy he didn't die. I bet a ton of Capitol Citizens are grumbling now, betting on if he would fall or not. The thought discusts me. He pushes himself up, and his eyes open wide. The Career Pack must have hear him, because they are making their way to the top of the mountain to catch him. Can this guy just have some time to breathe before you kill him? I don't think they care, they could kill their parents and not care. They are that ruthless.
The boy from 7 scrambles to his feet, running up the hill. I bet if he didn't just escape a life or death situation, he would throw him ax into all their skulls. The Careers trip a lot the way up the hill, while the guy from 7 only trips once scrapping his knee. He regains his feet quickly, until he reaches the top of the mountain with a paranoid look on his face. He turns around and watches as the Careers get closer to him. I watch as he pulls another ax from his pack, now wielding an ax in each hand. He runs toward them, and now shows a wicked grin on his face. The Careers, who don't notice him yet, are still on their trek up the mountain. The guy from 7 knocks over one of the Careers, steps on their face and with enough time, brings the ax up and brings it back down on their neck. A cannon fires and he still goes down the mountain, getting stabbed with sharp rocks and pebbles on the way down the mountain. My mouth drops when he lands to the ground, and sprints away from the remaining Career Pack follow him, with rage on their face, with the recent death of a fellow Career. I think she was the girl from 1.
Night falls only a while later, blanketing the arena. I lay down on the floor, retrieving my sleeping bag from my pack. When I snuggle up in the sleeping bag, the anthem starts to play. I look up in the sky and watch the deaths today. The tributes that died on the first day: Girl from 1, both from 3, girl from 4, girl from 5,both from 6, boy from 8, girl from 9, both from 10, and both from 11. I thank my lucky stars, that Tucker is still alive. My eyes start to get heavy, and I drift off to sleep. The last thing I remember was the anthem ending and a bird. The same bird I saw on the windseal few days. I smile, and I fall asleep.