The Hunger Games

By: Tracy Cook

Disclaimer: I own nothing. These characters belong to the creators of Vampire Diaries.

Couple: Bonnie/Damon

Rating: M

Chapter Twelve

Brother In Arms

'All Hands On Deck, We Live Or We Die,

Together, Together.'

With each second that passed, the temperature seemed to drop drastically. She was starting to fear that she wouldn't survive the night. Her frostbitten fingers were curled protectively around the grip of the knife, holding it tightly against her chest. She was rubbing her free hand against her exposed legs in an attempt to create friction and heat. It wasn't working. Her skin had gone numb hours ago.

Bonnie leant her head back against the tree trunk and she stared up at the fabricated stars that painted the sky. Even if they weren't real, they were beautiful. Far prettier than back home.

She could see her breath in the air.

'I'm going to freeze to death if I stay up here...'

The first thing she had done once she reached the safety of the tree was search through the bags she had obtained. Inside were many valuable supplies for survival, including food, a flask of water, and some medical bandages. But, there had been no blankets. Bonnie had been contemplating moving to the ground and starting a fire, or building a shelter to protect her from the bitter cold winds. She knew it was the only way she could possibly survive the night.

But, the ground brought with it other dangers.

She had been watching tributes tread the grounds below. Some in groups and some on their own. Hoping to see Marcel and Kol so that she wouldn't have to be alone. 'Or maybe even Damon...' So far, only strangers had passed by. And they all looked prepared to kill.

Bonnie tried her hardest to just focus on the stars. She thought that if she could just distract herself with their beauty, she would forget about how cold it was. Her body was trembling as she started to count each star like sheep. Hoping it would help put her to sleep.

'One. Two. Three. Four. Wait? What is that!?'

She sat up abruptly on the edge of the tree branch, green eyes wide with terror as she stared across the arena. There was a blue fog floating through the air and rising up into the trees. It was only about twenty feet from where she was hiding and it was moving toward her. The fog reminded Bonnie of her days out in the fields, after the rain had fallen, early in the morning. She and Rue used to run around and play hide and seek in it.

This fog wasn't a natural occurrence, though. This fog was created by the Gamemakers who were watching over them.

She didn't know what would happen if it touched her, but she knew it would be painful. It could even kill her. The Gamemakers were trying to force her out of the trees. They wanted her down on the ground with the other tributes. They wanted her to die.

Bonnie had no choice.

In a panic, she reached for her bags and flung them over her shoulder and then she placed her knife between her teeth. Gripping firmly onto the tree branch, she flung herself from one tree to the next in an attempt to out race the cerulean fog. Her body was so cold that she was finding it difficult to bend her joints. She was scared to death that she was going to miss a branch and fall to the ground below and be crushed.

'I need to find some place to hide from the fog...'

She scanned the scenery below as she jumped from tree to tree, in search of a cave or somewhere she could possibly hide until the fog passed overhead. Her heart was racing in her chest. She was too afraid to look back.

Finally, she spotted a small hole in the ground beneath a log.

It looked like it went down pretty deep.

Bonnie started to swing from the branches as fast as she could, dropping down to the ground level. Her skin was tearing from her fingertips, but she didn't care. The fog was getting closer and closer by the minute. Landing on the ground, she rolled across the mud and she dove into the hole in the ground.

As suspected, it went deep.

She crawled down as far as possible and then she turned around to look up through the opening. Her chest was heaving as she breathed heavily and there was dirt beneath her fingernails. Her fingerprints had been scraped off by the tree bark and they were bleeding. Mud was smeared across her face and matted in her hair. But, for now, she was safe from the fog. She pulled the knife out from between her teeth and she gripped it securely in her hand.

Her face scrunched up in pain and she physically flinched when she heard the sounds of a young man screaming out in pain.

She didn't recognize his voice.

She was conflicted.

Bonnie Bennett was a caring individual. It was in her nature to want to save everyone. Ultimately, if she had her way, she wouldn't want to see anyone die in the games. But, that wasn't possible. People had to die and it would be in her best interest to let the young man die in the fog. She bit down on her bottom lip and tried to ignore his cries of agony.

"Please!" He screamed. "Somebody help me!"

'If you save him, he will kill you. If you save him, he will kill you.' She kept repeating the words over and over in her head.

"Aaah!" The man cried again.

Her grams' words kept ringing in her head. When Bonnie was younger, before her grams had passed away from starvation, she had always given her the best advice. Right now, she could recall when she said, "You get what you give, child."

'I can't just let him die out there.' She concluded, clawing her way out of the hole. She peaked out far enough for the young man to see her and she waved at him, "Over here!"

He turned to look at her and that was when she recognized him. It was Tyler, the District 2 tribute who scored a 10 in the private sessions. He was running from the fog, but it was right on his trail. She could see the large blisters and scabs covering his right arm and traveling up along his neck. Yellow pus was oozing out of the sores.

Tyler hesitated when he saw her. He didn't know if it would be safer to stay out in the fog or to join the girl beneath the ground.

"Come on! Hurry up!" Bonnie called out to him frantically. The fog was nearing them both and she couldn't stay out much longer. "You'll be safe in here!"

Now it was up to him. If he wanted to join her, he could.

She hurried back into the hole and she wielded the knife defensively as she waited to see if he would join her below. She wanted to be ready to kill him if she had to. But, honestly, she hoped that it wouldn't come to that. She hoped that he would return her kindness with kindness.

Tyler turned back to look at the fog in order to gauge whether or not he could outrun it. The blue smokey substance was moving substantially faster than it had been before and it was gaining on him. He was already injured. He had no other choice but to trust the girl. He groaned out in pain as he stumbled toward the small hole in the ground, and then he knelt onto his hands and knees and crawled down inside.

Laying side by side, arms touching each other, they watched as the fog started to roll by them.

Both of them were breathing heavily. Their skin covered in sweat. Their hearts pounding painfully in their chests. And neither of them knew what to expect after the fog passed them by.

Once they were certain the fog had passed, Tyler started to crawl out of the hole. He was feeling claustrophobic and more than confused. His skin felt like it was on fire where the fog had touched him. It was the worst pain he had ever experienced. Bonnie followed him out of the hole, still holding her knife in front of her, prepared to attack.

They eyed each other warily.

The District 2 tribute scrunched up his face and hissed out as he pressed his fingers curiously into one of the blisters. He didn't know what the fog was, but he knew that if he had been enveloped in it he would have died. His brown eyes landed back on the beautiful young girl and he said, "You saved my life."

"I couldn't just let you die." Bonnie said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Isn't that kind of the entire point of the games?" He asked with a twist of his lips and a small laugh. He didn't understand. His father had raised him from a very young age to be a warrior. To prove his worth. If the roles were reversed he would have let her die. His laughter died in his throat as pain shot through his body and he groaned out loudly.

Placing her knife down on the ground she moved toward him. Taking the bag off of her shoulder, she opened it up and pulled out a flask of water. "Take off your shirt." She said in a nonchalant manner.

"Shouldn't you at least take me out on a date first?" He teased.

Bonnie glared over at him when he made the joke. She was already risking enough just helping him out, she didn't need the teasing. Seeing the look on her face he quickly pulled the shirt over his head, moaning out in agony when the shirt ripped a few of the sores open along his chest. Her green eyes wandered over his toned abdomen and she noticed that the sores were a lot deeper than she had expected.

She reached out and took his shirt from him, wetting it down with the water.

And then, without warning, she started to dab the sores. It stung and he hissed each time the water touched them, but they needed to be cleaned.

Tyler stared down at her with a furrowed brow and perplexed brown eyes. He didn't understand her generosity and concern. He couldn't understand it. His father had always told him that people were ruthless in the games. That if he didn't kill them, they would kill him. That they would lie and deceive him. But, if that was the case, why was she helping him?

Bonnie glanced up at him and asked, "What is it?"

"Thanks."

'Worlds Apart, And In Too Deep, My Brother In Arms,

Wouldn't Change A Thing.'

Leaning his head against the tree, he pulled the blanket up over his body and he snuggled into it's warmth. His mind had been on the same thing all day, Bonnie. She was all that he could think about. Marcel had made a promise, not only to himself and his district, but to her. He had promised to protect her. And now, she was out there all alone in the freezing cold. He felt like a failure. He felt like he had failed her.

He and Kol had spent all day and night searching for her.

Marcel had even climbed into the tallest tree they could find and looked out over the arena.

He still couldn't find her.

After hours and hours of walking through the forest, Kol had convinced him to take a small break and nap for a few hours before continuing their search. But, he couldn't sleep. He was too anxious. He just kept imaging Bonnie curled up in a ball freezing to death in the forest, or another tribute killing her the same way they had killed Rue.

Kol was sitting across from him, nibbling on one of the biscuits he had obtained. One of his bags had been filled to the top with them.

Despite his stomach being full, he was freezing. His hairs were standing up along his arms and his body was shaking uncontrollably. 'Marcel sure looks smug over there all wrapped up and cozy in his blanket. Bloody bastard.'

"I can't believe you are just sitting there and eating in front of me." Marcel said. His eyes fixed on the biscuit and his stomach rumbling. He had exerted so much energy searching for Bonnie and his body was feeling weak. He needed to eat.

"I'm sorry, mate. Are you hungry?" The British man teased with a waggle of his brow.

He rolled his eyes and snuggled up further into the blanket. Both of them were being stubborn with their supplies. "Whatever." He said. "I hope you enjoy freezing to death tonight."

"Aw don't pout." Kol said with a twist of his lips as he finished eating half of the biscuit. "I'll let you have my scraps. Here you are, eat up!" He tossed the other half of the biscuit toward Marcel who glared at it. He didn't want to eat his scraps, but his stomach was growling.

'I've eaten a lot less and a lot worse back home...' He thought, reaching out and picking up the biscuit. Marcel couldn't meet the other man's dark eyes as he ate the remaining half of the biscuit. He hated the satisfied look that he had on his face. As he swallowed the last of the biscuit he refocused his eyes on Kol and his lips curled up into a playful smirk.

The District 6 tribute was rubbing his hands against his arms and blowing into them to try and generate heat.

"Since you shared with me, do you wanna come over here and snuggle?" He waggled his brow suggestively.

"I'd rather die." Kol seethed.

"Don't say I didn't offer." Marcel sang.

Suddenly, the British man sat up straight and held a finger up to his lips signalling for the other man to silence himself. He furrowed his brow in concentration and listened closely. He could have sworn he heard a twig snap. Marcel was now sitting up as well, the blanket and food forgotten. They were both listening intently to their surroundings.

Silence was all they heard.

A few minutes passed.

"Hm." Kol muttered. "I could have sworn I heard a twig snap. Must have been an animal of some sort."

'Snap.'

He heard another snap behind him and he hastily turned and dived out of the way of a spear coming right at him. It only barely missed. He scrambled to his feet just in time to have the District 7 tribute throw him hard against one of the trees and hold him up by his shoulders. Kol was skilled with weapons, but he wasn't the best at hand to hand combat.

The man had his strong hand wrapped around his throat, holding him in place and choking the life out of him.

His brown eyes were filled with panic as he gasped for breath. Kol clawed at the District 7 tribute's hand, trying to pry his fingers from his throat. He wondered where Marcel was. He felt like he had abandoned him. 'Where the bloody hell is he!?'

With his other hand, he struggled to reach for the knife in his belt.

The strong man noticed that Kol was reaching for his knife and he let go of his shoulder and swiftly tore the knife from his belt. Pulling it back, he was just about to thrust the blade deep into the British man's stomach. Kol prepared himself for the impending pain, but it never came. Instead, blood was splattered all over his face and in his eyes. He could taste the metallic tang on his tongue.

Suddenly, the man's head rolled off of his shoulders and fell against Kol's chest.

His face contorted in horror and he quickly moved away from the tree and watched the man and his head fall to the ground. Marcel had decapitated him. In one fell swoop. With the sickle.

Kol knelt down and took his knife back from the corpse. "I believe that this is mine." He stated, tucking it back into his belt.

Death didn't faze him.

He had seen his fare share of death.

He stood to his feet and stared over at Marcel who was still holding out the blood-covered sickle in front of his body. The horror was evidently written all over his face. He couldn't believe what he had just done.

"Cutting it a little close there, mate." Kol said, wiping the blood from his face and spitting the blood out of his mouth.

'We Celebrate Our Sickness, As It Starts To Spread,

Cut My Heart Out, It's Not Over, Until You Take My Head.'

Blue eyes once again settled on the trees in the distance. Their branches were being thrown around violently in the wind. It was freezing out. Even for him, and he was wrapped up tight in three thick blankets. 'I hope Bonnie got a blanket... If she didn't, I don't think she will make it through the night...' The thought caused his stomach to tangle unpleasantly.

Damon knew that he needed to get some rest. If he didn't then he would have no energy the next day and he needed his energy to survive in the arena. He needed to get out of his head. He needed to stop thinking about her.

His hair twisted wildly in the cold breeze and he licked over his lips, furrowing his brow in thought.

There was a war waging inside of his head. The logical half of his mind was telling him to stay in the safety of the Cornucopia with his allies, and to get some well-needed rest. The other half. The illogical and impulsive half, was telling him to head out into the forest and find Bonnie. He so rarely listened to the logical half of his brain. He was always making stupid decisions.

This was just another stupid decision he would regret later.

If he left now he would sever his alliance with Enzo and Caroline.

Tugging his bottom lip between his teeth he chewed on it and glanced over at his sleeping allies. 'If I leave now, I can search for a few hours and be back before they even wake up... At least I might be able to find her and give her a blanket.'

His head snapped in the direction of the sky when he heard another cannon sound.

Someone else had died.

Damon's heart was racing erratically as his mind filled with images of Bonnie dying. 'Please don't let that be her... Please let her still be alive...'

Pushing himself up into a standing position, he moved throughout the Cornucopia as quietly as possible. He didn't want to risk waking the others up. He packed a few blankets, some food, water, and throwing knives. Anything that Bonnie would possibly need to stay alive without him. And then he grabbed his sword and headed out into the grass. Running as fast as his legs would carry him.

He only had a few hours to find her and get back.

'I am SO gonna regret this.' Damon thought to himself as he headed into the forest alone.

'No Matter How Far We Fall Apart,

We Bleed Together.'

Author's Note :

Thank you all so much for reading this chapter and this fic and all of your amazing feedback! I know that this chapter isn't very long and I apologize for that, but I still hope that y'all enjoyed it! It's setting up for the next chapter which will be very important to the development of Bamon! As promised, I do plan to start updating every day again for y'all! :)) Because you guys are so wonderful and encouraging! Thank you all so much for your reviews, y'all keep me writing!

So, how did y'all feel about this chapter? Are you enjoying the Tyler/Bonnie moments? Do you look forward to more? What about Kol and Marcel? Are you excited for the Bamon reunion that will be happening next chapter!? I can tell you that things are going to shake up, alliances are going to change, and there will be lots of smut, drama, sadness, death etc. coming up! As well as new characters introduced at the halfway point!

Thank you all so much for reading! I love you guys!

-Tracy Cook