I Will Not Bow.
Leave the lost and dead behind, now's your chance to run for cover.
Gavan Dior, District Six Male.
The blood squeezes past my fingers, continuing to gush outwards. It's amazing at how quickly my head becomes dizzy, and as I stagger backwards mindlessly, I fall. I hit the ground hard in time to see the boy from One emerge from the shadows, his sword stained bright red. Cameron screams, hatchet in hand, as she takes a swing at him.
One avoids the hatchet pretty well, but the silver slices across his stomach, tearing the material of his shirt but not drawing blood.
But that doesn't stop Cameron.
She targets his stomach once more with the hatchet, but One deflects it with his sword, the sound of metal on metal scraping out.
Blood begins to pool around my body, and as I shakily withdraw my hand from the wound, I can see the damage. The sword has cut straight through the shorts, skin and into my bone. From here I can see the faint, visible mark of my bone, surrounded by blood and torn flesh. The sight is gruesome and makes me want to be sick, tears peppering in my eyes. I squeeze them tight as Cameron tries another blow, gaining a roar from One in return. When I try to open my eyes once more, everything is both fuzzy and dark, the blood on the floor only growing and growing. I don't know why I can't move, but even if I could, my leg wouldn't be able to support me. One targeted the one thing that could have been his downfall. He took me out so he only had to fight one-on-one, not at a disadvantage.
He's surprisingly smart.
One manages to swing his sword around and slash forward. This time, Cameron doesn't avoid it, but rather the blade slices across the top of her arm. Blood instantly falls down at a rapid pace.
Cameron screams in both pain and anger.
One roars like a rabid animal, feral and wild.
They clash their weapons, both taking a few cuts here and there, but never enough to actually cause serious harm. The whole time, my body feels both heavy and light, a mixture of the both tugging me in and spinning me around. My head swims as One cuts Cameron once more.
"C-Cameron," I manage to choke out. By now, my lips are chapped and my throat has gone dry. "C-Cameron."
Cameron, alerted by my noise, spins around and looks at me. For some reason, her eyes aren't the same eyes of the girl I knew. The girl I knew from training and the early stages of the arena. The eyes that silently wept over her district partner's death. The eyes that silently blamed herself for the things that had happened. The eyes that silently sealed Mirana's fate. These eyes... These eyes are that of a wild animal.
But by looking at me has caused Cameron to miss a step.
One launches forward, but not with his sword. Instead, he slams his shoulder into her back, forcing her to the floor. Her hands skid out against the ash-covered ground mixed with my blood, her body bathing in it. Cameron spins over, but not before One jerks out his foot hard and kicks Cameron in her ribcage. She cries in agony, the white top she wore now drenched, clinging to her with my blood as the glue.
One looks at me with a careful, calculating look. "I'll deal with you after."
I'm too weak to even respond. My lips open and close without saying anything, Cameron stirring on the ground just a few feet away.
I'm helpless. I can't save her. I can't protect her. All this time, Cameron has been trying to protect all of us and has failed. She couldn't save One from jamming his sword into Jack's back and she couldn't save Mirana from losing her state of mind. Now, she can't save me or herself.
One leans over, fisting Cameron's hair until the strands wrap around his hand. He lifts her up easily with the Career strength he possesses, and with another smirk at me, swings her down as hard as possible against the ground, head first. There's a sickening squelch as Cameron's head makes contact with the tiles extremely hard. No blood pools, but then again, with my blood everywhere, you wouldn't be able to tell.
Cameron lays on the ground limply.
"Well, that was easy," One laughs darkly, turning around to look at me once more. "Time to finish you off then."
With sword in hand, One crosses the small distance from Cameron's limp body to my own, a gruesome glare in his eyes. I'm too weak to even fight back as One carelessly kicks my leg, laughing at how I don't respond. Even a slight movement of my head sends me into a state of shock. One small, tiny movement, and it's like my body is being thrown off a cliff. The same feeling you get when you fall out of bed. That's why I stopped sleeping on them. Too dangerous for my liking.
My heart beats rhythmically as One raises the sword up high. My head swims as it begins to come down ever so slowly, One's face a mask of excitement and terror.
Surprisingly, though, I see Cameron, blinking hard and fast, kicking out her leg.
Before, she could never fight. She barely managed to save herself in the bloodbath.
Now, the arena has changed her. She's become a survivor.
One doesn't notice, and quite funnily, the smirk is wiped off his face as falls down to the floor with a hard thump. Cameron pulls herself onto her feet, but she's still in a state of dizziness, my eyes constantly smacking open and closed. She wobbles back and forth as One rolls over and climbs up. Her hatchet, just a bit of distance away from her, thrown from her hands as she fell, is quickly picked up. It's almost like time slows down as One and Cameron stare at each other for less than a second, before Cameron's hatchet leaves her hand, spinning angelically through the air towards him.
The hatchet springs into One's shoulder blade, and an abrupt growl escapes his throat. He's injured, like a wounded animal, his feral eyes skipping over the scene briefly before he turns around and begins to run away. Cameron seems confused by this, but her body can barely hold her up, and she falls to the ground hard.
"G-Gavan, a-are you okay?"
My lips open and close again, but no sound.
She looks at me with glazed-over eyes before mumbling a single word. Her eyes slip shut and her body falls backwards.
Silence falls over, the only sound I can really hear is my own heartbeat and the gentle thudding of something else.
My eyes, ever so slowly, try to close. I fight it despite feeling so surprisingly weak. I want to be sick and I want to cry. I want to scream and I want to run.
I can't do anything, though; not with an ally now unconscious and my own body slowly but surely collapsing with every breath I take. I know I'm dying. I can tell by my shallow breaths and the way my whole body racks with pain as I try to fight the darkness looming over. I strain my eyes to look at Cameron, her hair sprawled over her face, but there's no sign that she's going to wake up.
I can't fight it any longer. My eyes slide shut.
Fear and panic rises in my chest. I feel the tears building behind my eyelids. I'm going to die alone. I came here, made friends, watched two of them die and now, I'm left all alone and no-one will be around to hold my hand as I go. I'm scared. I'm so scared of what might happen.
I don't want to die alone.
Addilyn Helix, District Three Female.
I keep my hand pressed against the hole in my shoulder, trying to staunch the flow of my blood. Tears continue to silently trail down my face but I hold everything back as I stagger forwards, attempting to make my way downwards. My feet bounce lightly against the black tiled flooring, the electrical pop of the barrier to my left, the destroyed shops to my right. My top, once white, is now a crimson coloured, painted by my own.
I've never experienced pain like I did when Alto shot me.
He wasn't in the right frame of mind when he done it. The most obvious connection between his actions and that of Four must be the infection caused by the burns. It could have been a poison of some kind that affects the nervous system and makes people hallucinate. That could be the only explanation of him referring to me as a monster, wanting to free Addi from the tentacles of the creature.
The thought of it almost makes me sick.
I didn't want to kill him but I didn't want to die. It's the case of morals; allowing someone else to live or living yourself.
He was but seconds of releasing an arrow into my forehead. But, we was right next to the barrier and my wires, my precious wires that have proved invaluable, were tied into my fist. It took but a second to electrocute him, and the whole time, I wished that he would survive the electrocution, and that the volts might have just restored his brain to normality rather than swimming in hallucinogens.
I never wanted to be the one to kill him. I never wanted to lose Koel or Alto in such a short space of time. It might have been a day apart, but that doesn't matter - I barely allowed myself to cope after Koel's death, and now, I have to live knowing that I actually murdered the one person that has shown nothing but kindness to me. Beetee and Wiress did, but that was more on a professional level. Gage showed nothing but hatred and Ashton was, well, just Ashton; a nasty, foul-mouthed child.
I stop, moving my hand away from the harsh hole blemishing my skin. The sight isn't as horrid as I expected, but the fresh air brings a whole new pain to it and I have to bite down on my lip to not cry. I wipe my hand across my tear-stained cheeks and continue to move along, heading down a flight of stairs and then another.
My eyes strain as I look at the two bodies laid on the floor, sharing a pool of blood that's laced by the ash and soot from the meteors. I instantly know that it's the girl from Five and the boy from Six. His white blonde hair was always something that rivaled my own. Tentatively, I creep forward and scan over them. No cannons have gone off since Alto's, so neither of them are classed as dead yet. The blood, though, must be coming from the wound in Six's thigh. Either they've had a fight or som-
I cut my own thoughts off, my heart in my throat. A small trail of blood goes between my legs and away.
One of the Careers - either One or Two - must have attacked them. I turn my head around and follow the trail of blood away. It descends down the next flight of stairs, the ones I was planning on going down myself.
I almost scream when a cannon finally sounds. With my hand held against my heart, I step forward towards the bodies, wondering which one is actually dead.
Anyone could tell that Six, with a final breath, must have succumbed to his injuries.
I should feel ecstatic that we're down to the final four, final three if Five doesn't recover or if one of the Careers find her. But I don't. Sickness and nausea fill my entire body, like water in a cup, until it brims to the edge. I hold onto my stomach as vomit pours from my mouth, an acidic reflex smashing against the back of my throat. A small, broken whimper comes from my throat, and with shaky legs, I fall to my knees and allow myself to cry once more.
I could go home, but to what?
Parents who acknowledge my existence, use it to their advantage, but truly don't care for me?
So many other tributes could have a better life that is more worthy of survival. Alto had siblings to return home to. Koel had a loving, carefree family that adored him. Even someone like the Careers have someone they care about that is sat back in their district, watching carefully, praying they come home in one piece and not a coffin. I don't really have anyone; and the sad thing is, I still want to live. I don't want to die. Nobody truly does want their heart to stop beating.
I just... I don't know how much I can handle on my own. If Five died, then it's me versus two older, stronger, trained tributes. What chances would I have?
I stagger back from the chaos in front of me. Without thinking, my tiny, careful steps turn into a rapid, loud run. I run and run, down another flight of stairs and then a broken escalator. The cold from the arena makes my breath foggy and continues to send a wave of pain through my body as it whips against my open wound. Finally, I cave, falling against the floor and allowing emotions to take over yet another time. This time, I don't cry. This time, I scream. A loud, pained, broken, child-like scream for all the children that lossed their lives before they truly began.
The Hunger Games change people.
They changed me.
They allowed me to understand that emotions are not something that can easily be bottled up, no matter how many times your parents drill that into your skull. That crying doesn't make you weak. That trusting two boys could be the difference between an early death and lasting longer. That allowing those two boys into your heart can make you feel a better person. I force myself up and look over the barrier, one floor from the plaza. The ground is smeared with blood in different places, the golden horn still shimmering under the moonlight.
Soon, three more will be dead. Soon, it commences; the finale.
I move over towards the last set of steps, my foot touching the first step to my eventual fate.
Theo Cassius, District Two Male.
The orange backpacks sit around me, camouflaging me well, I guess. Since Chord's death, I've managed to stay well-hidden. Lorelei, alongside the girl from Seven and the boy from Nine, were the first to die, followed by the boy from Eleven. The anthem blares one more time to confirm the final death before the big match.
The boy from Six is high up in the sky, blonde hair blazing and pale face striking. Then, he disappears.
Garnet is still alive. So is the little girl from Three, Addilyn, Gage called her, and then the girl from Five.
Garnet will want me dead foremost. The girl from Five will want Garnet's blood for killing her district partner, whilst Addilyn is probably hoping to just survive the mess about to ensue. Me? I want Garnet dead, much like Five. He killed her district partner and then, he killed Chord, the only person who I actually learned to care about in a brutal place like this, not counting Delaney. I wait patiently for someone, anyone, to come along. I won't kill Addilyn and I'm not even bothered about killing Five. My main and only goal is to make sure that Garnet suffers.
I close my eyes and instantly, I'm reminded of Garnet, sword in hand, lowering it down swiftly into Chord's back. My hand idly traces over the deep but tender scar on my forehead; the scar that Garnet gave me, throwing me head first into the electrical barrier. I wince at the touch and grit my teeth.
He killed Chord.
The boy who, somehow, managed to capture my heart without knowing. Pardon the cliche.
There's a certain stigma when it comes to gay people - they assume we are all weak, thin, flimsy and easily broken. Combine that with the stereotype of a Career from District Two, and that's a lot of stereotypes I've managed to break. I'm not an average, bloodthirsty Career. I'm not a weak, easily broken gay person. I'm me. Theo Cassius. My one and only kill through the entire Games was the boy from Seven, and that was to only protect Lorelei from being his victim.
Only more name will be on that list by the time I'm announced as winner.
And, even if I'm not announced as winner and I die, I'm not bothered. As long as Garnet is dead before me, then I'm okay with that.
The sound of gears churning begins to fill the silence, and slowly, the floor in front of the Cornucopia begins to part open. The table, topped by five bags, ascends. The largest pack belongs to the boy from Six, ironically, even though he's already dead. The smallest pack is District One, for Garnet, because clearly the big bad monster hasn't faced any real problems. My own pack probably only contains food. Addilyn's and Five's match almost identical, and each one is coloured and marked. Slowly, I creep out from behind the backpacks full of rock, and slowly tug my bag off the table.
That's when I see Addilyn, small and tired, run across the plaza and snatch her bag. Her eyes meet mine, about the same level because I'm on my knees, and she gasps.
I don't know why she's scared... And that's when I see the tip of silver snaking outwards from her stomach. Tears fill her eyes and blood pools from both her shoulder and her stomach. Her eyes go white, the sword is yanked out, and Addilyn's tiny body falls to the sound of her cannon.
Behind her crumpled body, Garnet stands triumphant, a large cut in his shoulder and his sword sprayed with blood.
"Long time no see, my friend." Garnet whispers huskily.
I leap out of the Cornucopia as Garnet jumps backwards. He's injured whereas I'm not. That gives me the advantage. But as we stare each other down, bloodlust in his eyes and anger no doubt in mine, the ground beneath us begins to shake. My eyes instantly dart upwards towards the glass roof, and just finely, you can see the moon disappearing and the sun taking place. That's when you can see the glass of the roof begin to crack slowly. Lines upon lines switch out in every direction, the sound of glass cracking filling the air combined with my own heartbeat thudding loudly.
A huge chunk of glass begins to fall in slow motion and that's when it happens.
The glass roof collapses with an ear-splitting bang, sunlight streaming through and taking away the coldness lingering around.
The finale has arrived, and one way or another, Garnet will be dead.
Whether I survive or not.
I Will Not Bow by Breaking Benjamin.
The blog for this story is - glasshousehungergames . blogspot. com - just take out the spaces. Deaths will be notified there.
Gavan Dior, District Six.
Addilyn Helix, District Three.
Sorry to the submitters that lost their tribute. In all honest, these were the tributes I struggled to write and connect too, and in all fairness, I couldn't keep them around and constantly struggle throughout. Please stick around, but if you don't, that's fine. These are the Hunger Games and this is how it works.
Again, I'm sorry.
Since there is no points system now, a question might be asked sometimes that I would love for you to answer.
Cameron, Garnet and Theo; who do you want to win but who do you think will win?
And on that note, who do you think deserves to win?
All deaths will be based on realism, favoritism, and whether or not the submitter is reading the story (obviously, reviews let me know this). Each decision is painstakingly hard, but must be done. Another factor will be whether or not I see a future for your tribute, or whether I can write more and more for them.
Lighty, I loved Gavan so so much. He was, hands down, the most creative and bizarre tribute I have ever seen and I loved him.
Olive, well, I loved Addilyn to the moon and back! My favourite Three tribute ever!
You both done amazing on your characters and I loved them. And you. Because you two are awesome. ;)
Final battle next everybody. I'm excited. Are you excited?!
After the final battle is posted and we have our winner, there will be one more chapter concerning the interview with Caesar and the Victor. Once that has been posted, obituaries will be posted on the blog. Hopefully you'll all stick around to hear about our beloved Victor and what happened to the fallen!
I know I said I wouldn't be able to update... But I couldn't resist when I had this idea in my head and I had to write it out before I forgot! I have no idea when the final battle or BTTW will be updated, though, so still bare with me!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!