Day Nine

The morning was silent, the area around the bomb blast still hazy with smoke. Jessalyn, Niall and Skye had sheltered in a house nearby. Niall took the morning watch, and woke the other two up to the smell of cooking meat. Niall had salvaged some shreds of dried meat and was heating them over some rocks in the sun, to soften them.

'Nice,' Skye grabbed a shred and swallowed it straight down. Jessalyn laughed and cuffed him playfully over the head, before suddenly looking awkward and moving a few feet away. Niall sat down as well, forming a rough triangle around the meat.

'Guys, I've been thinking, while I was on watch,' he said, staring at his hands. 'There's seven of tributes left. Us, Diesel Cain, and the Career Gang.'

'Great! Us against the Careers,' said Skye, looking excited. 'Let's have a show down.'

'No. If we kill the Careers – and they'll probably kill just as many of us, or all of us. They have poison and Jayson in their arsenal. I mean seriously, I bet that guy can block bullets with his hands.'

'So what do you suggest we do?' Skye was frowning. Jessalyn thought she knew Niall's answer before he said it.

'We have to split.' Skye spat out the mouthful of water he had just taken.

'What? But you only just joined us! Me and Jessalyn only got together a couple of days ago!' he cried.

'I know. I wish we had got together sooner. But I don't think we should get too emotionally attached anyway,' said Niall. 'We have to split up. The Career Gang won't last long. They'll turn on each other in a day or two. With everyone on their own, we all have an equal chance. I just don't want us to be the last ones left. And I don't think you guys want it either.'

Jessalyn stood up, grabbing her things and stuffing them in her pockets – the backpacks had been abandoned. She slung her bow and arrow holder over her shoulder and tied her sword to her belt. 'If I had more I'd share it with you. My weapons were only saved because they're metal and some Capitol material that's stronger.'

'Jessalyn, wait,' Skye reached up and grabbed her leg. 'It doesn't have to be like this.'

'Yes it does. We're in the Hunger Games, Skye, Niall's right. We can't get too close. And I'm not one for goodbyes.' She turned and left the house, slamming the door behind her.

O

Diesel hissed in pain. His leg throbbed like mad, he couldn't put any weight on it. He was stranded in a house, rapier in one hand. Carefully he unwrapped the linen bandage. To his immense joy, the wound was not infected – he had managed to clean it adequately.

But he was in the last seven of the Hunger Games, and being unable to walk meant he should pretty much hamstring himself and save the others the trouble. Anyway, he didn't imagine Jayson Viktorr would be very merciful if he got to him.

He needed medicine, and he needed it fast. Not fancy Capitol stuff – he was realistic, and knew there was no way a sponsor would want to spend an extortionate amount of money to save a moody teenager. But he remembered a few years ago when he'd been fencing, and his opponent had slashed too far and cut open his arm almost to the bone.

The local doctor had used a local salve, some simple concoction of herbs and plants made into a paste. It had been spread on his gash, and it hadn't sped up the healing much, but it had dulled the pain and kept off infection.

Looking up to the sky, he closed his eyes and murmured: 'Please. If anyone's out there, anyone who cares, please send in the salve that I need. Please. If you are there, if you know what I need, please send it in.' He slowly opened his eyes, and had to stifle a whoop as he saw a grey parachute floating towards him.

He grabbed it as soon as it was near, kissing the metal box and pulling it open. Inside lay a small glass jar with the thick, greenish salve. Grinning, he unscrewed it and dabbed some on his gash, hissing as it stung. But only for a few seconds. He put more on, covering the cut completely.

He waited a few minutes, knowing it needed to sink in then grabbed his crutch and pulled himself to his feet. The pain was next to nothing compared to what it had been. He could stand almost fully on two legs, walk properly and soon, he knew he would be able to run.

With a smile he carefully slipped now half-empty jar into a pocket and zipped it up.

O

Jayson was leaning against a pillar, arms crossed, scowling at the two girls. 'I say we split,' he growled, cracking his knuckles. 'We would be better off alone.'

'No,' Cleo spun around on her seat, carefully fingering the blade of a knife. 'That's what the other group is doing.'

'How do you know that?' asked Sparkle sceptically, raising an eyebrow. 'Do have psychic powers now?'

'I know Niall, or at least I know how he'll act. Anyway, together, we're stronger than everyone else, including those three. Even when they're together. We can pick them off, one by one. It'll be easy. But we can't do that on our own.'

'What if I just split and go off by myself,' Jayson marched up to Cleo, towering over her, fists clenched. Cleo did not seem the least bit concerned by the two metre mass of muscle standing over her.

'Really? Well you're welcome to that. But first tell me three edible plants,' she replied. Jayson scowled, a stupid look on his face. 'Do you even know what edible means?' Jayson shrugged and stomped over to the Cornucopia, still covered by a net.

'I'm hungry! Why don't we just burn this stupid net?' Sparkle gave an exasperated huff.

'Don't you see? There are strands of metal woven in with the rope, and the centre is pure metal. Burning it will do nothing. You're so stupid sometimes, don't you know metal doesn't burn.'

Jayson gave a roar, and picked her up by her collar, throwing her onto the ground. She stared up at him, a shocked expression on her face. Her hand moved to her sword, but Jayson ripped out his hammer and slammed it down an inch from her face. She screamed in terror, wrapping her arms over her face in a vain bid to protect it.

He gave a derisive laugh, and kicked her savagely in the side. 'Don't play your silly tricks with me, girl. I can crush you, crush every bone in your body. You insult me, and I will wrap my hand around your head,' he demonstrated in mid-air. 'And squeeze. Understand?' She nodded, tears filling her eyes. She struggled to get up and he kicked her hard in the diaphragm, launching her back onto the floor, winded. With final kick, he turned and walked back to his pillar, taking exactly the same position as before, back against it, arms crossed. Only this time he had a smug expression on his face.

Cleo watched, expressionless, as Sparkle picked herself up off the ground, brushed dirt from her clothes and tried not to cry. As she sat back down, holding her side, she just said: 'Until I say, we stay together.'

O

Jessalyn staggered through the street, gasping for breath. The air seemed dry and dusty like its surroundings, and her mouth was parched. She grabbed her water canister, scrabbling at the lid, but no more than a single drop of water fell out, evaporating on her tongue and only heightening her desire.

Small clouds of dust rose from where she stepped, her mouth felt like paper. She collapsed onto her knees, hunger and thirst and pain filling her body. She was going to die. She was going to die here, and there was nothing she could do about it.

She had been looking for Skye. It was a couple of hours after she had left, and she was feeling sad and guilty about how she had left things. She understood that they couldn't be partners, but she wanted to talk and smooth things out.

A glint of blue caught her eye and she looked up. Around the corner, just in sight, was the edge of a pool of water. She scrambled to her feet and stumbled over. It was perfect, about ten metres in diameter, a flat circle of blue water. In the middle was a tiny island, just big enough for the tree that had been planted on it. Ripe, perfect fruit was hanging from the branches, and its roots were trailing in the water.

She splashed her face and drank a few handfuls of the water. A faint movement in the water caught her eye, but she decided it was just the sunlight. She looked around – there was no boat, nothing to float on. But the water didn't look deep and of course she could swim fine.

Unlacing her shoes, she readied herself to wade in. But as she stood up, a glint of red on the other side caught her eye. It had been blocked by the tree and island before. Curious, she walked round to see what it was.

As soon as it was in clear view, she stopped, feeling sick and horrified. It was, quite obviously, a human body. But a body that had been ripped at so savagely, it was impossible to make out any features – it was just a bloody mass of flesh, bones and guts, with the odd rag of clothing.

She forced herself to walk over and inspect it – she needed to know who had died. But the face was barely more than a skull with a few scraps of flesh. Most of the skin had been ripped off, intestines were spilling out.

Looking in the water, she saw another object floating. Grabbing it, she saw it was a fish. About a foot and a half long, with grey-green scales and powerful muscles. The mouth was open, and the teeth inside were scary. Each was over an inch long and razor sharp. It was a piranha – she had only seen it in books, but it was instantly recognisable.

She dropped the piranha back in the water, and delved into her pockets, pulling out her last scrap of dried meat. She hadn't wanted to eat it, as it made her so thirsty. She threw it into the water next to the dead fish. There was a pause, then the water became a writhing, bubbling mass of fish. The piranhas fought viciously over the dried meat, ripping it apart, but left the dead fish.

At least they weren't cannibals. She turned back to the body. She still didn't know who it was. Gingerly, she pulled out her sword and pushed at its side, rolling it over. Its right wrist came free, and Jessalyn saw a glint of something. Kneeling down, she felt her breath catch in her throat as she recognised the blue, teardrop shaped crystal attached to the shreds of a string.

'Skye? No, no, NO! Skye! SKYE!' her voice rose. She threw her head back, facing the sky, and let out a heart wrenching scream of grief and sadness. Then she curled up, letting tears run unchecked down her cheeks, and cried.

SKYE! I was upset writing this and I've been thinking about it for a while. Pretty gruesome, huh? Hopefully I might have more laptop time over the next few days, I've been deprived this week :'(. So there may be an update soon!

List of the Dead

Hareld Wyre

Jenna Monroe

Nathaniel Merezald

Pau Furnely

Ginevra Helena di Cosimo

Patrick Volta

Trix Lexon

Amore Gemini

Odio Gemini

Tabytha laDawn Carmahel

Dawn Shentell

Sephiria Raven

Scott Fosters

Violet Queens

Ember Gildern

Kai Septor

Lottie Blacilla

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