Celina 11

I had spent a couple of hours ripping the armour off the dead crab, and roasting small pieces of the meat on a fire I had built with cactus and sparks from shards of armour.

It was beautiful. Sweet and tender, but savoury and salty at the same time. I missed salt so much! I received a back pack chock full of water bottles, most containing fresh water, but one containing salty water.

"Thank you," I whispered, "To whoever contributed to this pack, and especially to whoever thought of putting the salt water in. I re-soaked my piece of seaweed, and tied it round my neck.

I counted 15 litre bottles of water, and drained one immediately. I also found a small bottle of iodine, with instructions of how to purify water with it.

"I'm guessing the instructions are from Blaze!" I laughed to the camera, "I was probably one of her worst students, but look!" I gestured to the fire I had constructed, "See, you taught me something!" I laughed, and decided to find some other tributes. I was in a killing mood!

As I walking, I thought of how the sponsor gift came to me. I was watching the skies for a silver parachute, but instead a silver rocket burst out of the sand, almost landing on my head. I guess everything we know is turned on its head in this arena.

I trekked until noon, but all I found was more desert. I sipped at my water supply, making sure to alternate between bottled water and the bugs. Instead of drinking the water straight from the bugs, I put 10 in an empty bottle along with a few drops of iodine and shook it up violently. The impact caused the bugs to explode, and turn into water.

I finally found some rocks at the edge of the desert, along with some ominous stains. The careers had probably been here before me.

I like the cave, it was cool, and before I knew it, I had ripped off the sleeves and legs of my jumpsuit, and thrown my coat into some shadows at the back of the cave. I lay down on the cool rock, and inspected my arm. I had filled the bottle I drained back at the crab mutt with its blood, and I found myself absent mindedly sipping the opaque liquid sometimes.

My arm looked amazing! Tanned and toned, and I swung my morning star around for ages, casting sharp bits of rock raining down on me. After what seemed like hours, my arm was still not tired, and though the razor sharp shards of rock had fell on me with a large force, there were no visible gashes on my skin. I touched my right arm, and was surprised that the skin felt puckered and scarred. It looked fine, and when I ran it down my arms and legs, my hands were soaked with a liquid I couldn't see.

I put my hands to my mouth, and tasted it. It was tangy and metallic, and soon I was licking my hands greedily, trying to take in the rich liquid. I tripped as I went to the entrance of the cave, and was surprised my knee wasn't split open, it was perfect and golden. I touched it, and my hands got soaked again, and my knee felt fleshy and it seemed as if it had flaps. I pulled them off, I didn't like the feel, and I couldn't find the end. I ripped the invisible flaps all the way down my lower leg, and gave up, my hands were soaked, and I couldn't get a grip. I assumed it was just something that the crab's blood did, some invisible coating, like what made it blend in with the sand.

Now that I think of it, I was absolutely drenched with the blood. Maybe that's why I couldn't be cut or feel pain.

The liquid was addictive, and soon I was licking my leg, trying to get all of it out. I tore my nails against my skin, and was lapping up the mystery substance. I didn't care if it was poisonous; I had to get more of the stuff!

"You have to try this!" I screamed at where I presumed a camera was, "It is AMAZING!" I laughed, and whirled around, lying on the cold floor of the cave, where I passed out until mid-afternoon.

I woke up with my arm stuck to my face by some sort of congealed gel.

I woke up, and looked down at my forearms, they were covered in blood, and had only tendrils of skin left on them. My right upper arm was pinkish and looked deformed, and my jumpsuit was stained green and red, especially on the left leg at the top.

I looked down tentatively, aware of an acute burning sensation on my left lower leg.

I screamed when I saw it. I had no skin on my lower leg, and blood and huge patches of skin littered the floor of the cave.

"OW! OW! OW!" I screamed when I got up, the cave was burning my bare feet. When had I taken of my boots? And where was my coat? Why did I only have bits of the jumpsuit left? It was torn along the sleeves and legs, but sections of the stomach and back was missing too.

I put my bloody hands to my mouth, and gasped when I felt dried blood covering my face, and around my mouth. Had I done this to myself? Had I drunk my own blood? Questions barraged my head swirling around one thought that floated to the top of my brain again and again. Why not do it again? The memory of the sweet tasting blood tingled on my tongue and lips for more.

I carefully picked a small hole in the scab across my arm, and sucked at the hot red blood that started to flow. I looked around for something to leave a bigger gash, and my eyes fell upon my morning star.

I swung it at my flesh again and again, but I wasn't drawing blood, instead it seemed to be healing me. My face was being sprayed with the invisible liquid again, and I put out my tongue to catch a drop that was falling into my mouth. I gasped and flung the morning star away, the sharp sound of impact of metal against rock bringing back my vision of my wounds, and the pain.

My left arm was a shocking scene; huge chunks of flesh were missing, and my jumpsuit was speckled with my blood.

I blindly reached for the bottle full of mutt blood, and screamed as it burned my flesh when I poured it over me. It didn't help; it was making it worse, stinging like crazy. I clutched my eyes, which were somehow filling with sand, and coughed the same stuff out of my mouth.

I half ran, half fell out of the cave, convulsing in the sand which cleared away the stuff pouring out of my eyes and mouth.

I curled into a ball, crying on the floor, feeling the sand suck me under. I came to my senses and kneeled up, just as the bright lights started blinding me.

White brilliant light, much brighter than the uncomfortable flashes of the Capitol cameramen, filled my eyes, and even when I closed them, it was still so bright it burned. I screamed and shoved handfuls of sand into my eyes, trying to block it all out.

I was rubbing stinging grains of sand into my eyes when I realised it had gone dark.

"NOOO!" I wailed at the sky, "I can't be blind! My father warned me about getting sand in my eyes, WHY DIDN'T I LISTEN?" I fell to the ground, and sobbed until I couldn't any more.

"YOU KILLED HIM!" I screamed at the Capitol, "AND MY MOTHER! YOU TOOK THEM AWAY FROM A 7 YEAR OLD GIRL! How could you leave a child with no-one to look after her…NOT EVEN YOUR PRECIOUS PEACEKEEPERS LOOKED AFTER ME! WHAT DID YOU DO TO THEM? What did you do…" My voice faded to a whisper as I cried my self to sleep sprawled across the sand, letting it burn my skin and raw flesh.