The Final Day: Day 15
Caden Miller, D2
The snap was unmistakable. That girl was here, and she signed her death certificate. Caden inched over to the edge of the clearing, trying to see where she was under the clouds. Kleo was behind him, holding her bow and arrow aimed at the forest. Caden opened his mouth and taunted the shadow he knew was there. "This time you aren't getting away." Nothing as so much moved and the thunder began to rumble all across the arena. He moved closer to the trees and tried to look into the dark forest. He couldn't see anything. Maybe words might make her get out. "Sorry for killing your district partner. You know how the Games work though. Come out so we can have a...ugh!" Lightning struck, lighting up the sky and blinding Caden as Sheila kicked him in the stomach and escaped the forest.
"Caden!" Kleo's high voice called over the noise of the arena. "You're not getting away Seven!" Kleo looked around her, trying to find her. Her bow was aimed and ready, but she had nothing to shoot at. Sheila just disappeared. Caden stood back up, trying to regain his composure. A shrill scream came from behind Caden and he saw his sister, her hair being pulled and her eyes filling with fear. The girl from 7 had her fingers laced in Kleo's short hair, pulling harder until Kleo let out another scream. District 7 pulled Kleo to the crushed horn by her hair. Caden couldn't take the screaming anymore.
It was all out war. He ran to District 7, his anger welling in him. The only other time he heard Kleo scream was when a snake slithered its way into the Academy when she was seven. His vision was turning red as he ran closer to his sister, ready to rescue her. When he reached Sheila and Kleo, Sheila raised her glowing sword in the air and swung it against Kleo's body. Another scream filled the arena and Caden knew she had been hit. That little bitch! Kleo cried out, tears flowing down her face. She was probably struck in the back, leaving her slightly immobile. Kleo will not return to 2 this way. Caden was filled with rage as Sheila let go of Kleo' s hair and dropped her to the floor like a rag doll. Dark blood was present on Kleo's back and cries of pain escaped her lips.
"YOU BITCH!" Caden let out a battle cry, sprinting to Sheila. She dodged his attack, making him slam into the boulder that destroyed the horn. He did not seem fazed by the hit; he chased after Sheila as thunder boomed overhead. The storm was coming closer to them. Kleo looked up from the ground to look for her only brother. He wasn't there. She tried to stand up on her own, but she quickly fell back down. A whimper was trapped in her throat as she fell back. Caden was no longer in her range of sight, and the Academy told her she had amazing sight range. She could not find him.
Caden grabbed Sheila by her hair and spun her around to look at the hate in his eyes. She trembled just by looking into his eyes. No words came from his mouth, but she could feel the feeling. He would do everything to kill her, and nothing will stop him. A hot pain filled Caden's body as Sheila quickly moved her arm. The pain made him let her go as she pulled her gleaming sword out of his stomach. She didn't plunge the weapon too deep, but the pain was hot and searing. Her sword was covered in both Miller's blood, and both siblings didn't want to take her on. Were they giving her the win?
A loud scream was behind Sheila and she could barely react when Kleo jumped into Sheila's back from behind. A sharp stick was in her hand and inches away from Sheila's face. Kleo kept screaming as she tried to attack the girl from 7. Sheila continued to move around, not letting Kleo have a clear target. As Sheila thrashed around, trying to get Kleo's tiny body off of her, a hand wrapped around her ankle. She looked down and saw Caden, struggling to stand up. Sheila did as she thought, and she jumped backwards onto her back, making Kleo land under her body onto the hard floor underneath her. A loud CRACK! filled the air as Sheila rolled over off of Kleo. The strong tribute from 2 was now turned into the weak and wounded girl she was inside. The cannon didn't sound yet, meaning she was still alive. The war isn't over yet.
The crack echoed in Caden's head. That wasn't his sister. The crack didn't come from her body! Caden weakly stood up and walked to his sister, collapsing beside her. She was internally bleeding, and blood was rushing out of her temple. Kleo can't be dead. She just can't. She had to go home and bring pride to District 2. He grabbed her hand, clutching it so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He didn't care about the cameras or Sheila standing so close to him. He needed to say a proper goodbye, even though her cannon didn't fire. Hot tears welled in his eyes as Kleo took one last look at the arena. Her eyes kept flickering back and forth between her brother and Sheila. Her hand left her side, shaking while it traveled to Caden's cheek. He held his sister's hand to his cheek, realizing he can not save her, no matter what he tried to do for her.
The memories flashed in his mind as Kleo lay on the ground, dying. Caden thinks back to when he was first admitted to the Training Academy when he was six and Kleo was four. She would always wait for him to come home and tell stories about his training. Then, when Kleo was old enough to enroll, she always teased Caden, saying 'You made it sound so hard.' The most recent memory from District 2 that took over Caden's mind was when Kleo took her volunteering exam, to see if she would be able to volunteer for these Games. She came home all cocky and saying that no other girl in the Academy could beat her. 'I even told that one girl, Ella, that if she so much as takes my spot that she will get it when I return home as a victor.' Kleo was always so confident in her skills. Memory after memory flashed in his mind and he saw Kleo's chest slowly rise and fall. She wasn't going to make it and Caden knew it. A tear slid down his face as Kleo's cannon sounded, signaling her final breath in Panem. He held her hand and he realized what he had to do. He had to avenge his sister.
Caden kissed his younger sister's forehead, saying good-bye, and turned to Sheila, whose eyes were wide. Before either tribute knew what was happening, rain pelted their bodies and Caden lunged for the girl who took his sister's life.
Sheila Carwell, D7
The rain hit Sheila's skin so hard it felt like Caden already stabbed her. Under the piercing rain, she saw Caden lunge for her, arms out stretched like he was trying to hug her. She was paralyzed in place as he wrapped his strong hands around her tiny body, tossing her to the ground. The sponsored sword slipped from her hands and landed beside a tree. Caden didn't seem to care about chasing after the only weapon in the arena. He held Sheila down by her shoulders and inched closer to her face. A sneaky smile spread across his face. The smile that could not be read. Sheila tried to hold in her fear as the strongest tribute in the Games looked at her with such a hungry look. Rain continued to fall and thunder clapped overhead. She struggled to get free, gripping the hard ground from underneath her. What could she use to get this monster off of her?
Caden stared deep into her eyes, those brown eyes penetrating her like a weapon. She saw the tears that were fresh from his sister's death in his eyes, and she knew how he felt to see Kleo fall apart that way. Sheila's fingers continued to search for something to distract Caden so she could get her weapon back. Lightning flashed, and Sheila saw a disfigured version of her opponent on top of her. His eyes were pure white and his skin was black as night. His muscles rippled as he gripped onto Sheila tighter. Her heart beat in her ears and she was sure she would never leave this arena. People were right about her; she'd fall into the steps of Rivet and never return to 7. She let that soak in as Caden's hand moved to her throat. This is it.
Suddenly, her fingers latched onto a medium-sized rock, which weighed about ten pounds. Sheila wrapped the rock in her hand and hit Caden's temple as he tried to tighten his grip on her throat. He let out a pained yell, and staggered off of Sheila's body. She got up from the ground and sprinted towards her glittering weapon, covered with dried blood and heavy rain. Her fingers laced around the imprinted handle and she turned around, looking for Caden. Under the pouring rain, she wouldn't see the 2 boy anywhere. Her sword was in front of her, scanning the area for him. Where did he go? Her eyes were looking around the watery area, but nothing showed her any form of life. This can't be happening... Sheila scanned the area one more time, looking over the crushed horn and Kleo's dead body. Caden couldn't have just disappeared into thin air.
Sheila looked around, her back to the forest. Caden couldn't have gotten far with that wound in his stomach. Her eyes watched the area, unsuspecting. A loud battle cry scream came from behind her and a blunt force hit Sheila's head. The pain stung for moments after the attack, and Sheila knew exactly who hit her. She slowly turned around and saw Caden, soaking wet and looking like nothing like the boy he was two weeks ago. He turned into a savage, holding a broken stick as a weapon. Sheila clutched her sword and swiped it across Caden's chest. He jumped back before the blade could touch his body, and he lunged for her weapon.
Adrenaline pumped through Sheila's veins as she grabbed Caden's hand and rolled over his back. His eyes grew wide as she turned up on the other side of his body, and she used the opportunity to swing the weapon at his body. The blade snagged onto some skin on his upper arm, and blood mixed with water on his body. He didn't let out a cry of pain. He continued to move to closer to Sheila as she used the sword to act like her shield. Caden let a smile creep on his face. He didn't seem scared of her now as he moved closer to her. He looked like a child with the stick in his hand, acting like it was his weapon or something. Blood continued to dribble down his arm, being washed away by the oncoming rain. Sheila's eyes widened as he fell to his knees, tossed the stick down, and hung his head to the floor. This had to be a trick.
She didn't take a minute to hesitate. This was her moment, and the sword the sponsors gave her will be put to good use. Sheila kicked Caden in the shoulder, making him fall backwards onto his back. Caden looked up into the rain, not even moving a muscle to protect himself from death. Sheila just looked at him, planning how she was going to kill him. She hating thinking like that, but this was her only chance at going home. She rose the sword over her head, lighting flashing behind her, ready to strike. As the sword was being lowered to Caden's heart, his hand grabbed Sheila's wrist and caught her mid-air. Sheila kept the gasp in her throat, but she let out a whimper. Rain water began to cover Caden's body and his face. He looked to Sheila, nodded and let go of her wrist. Her eyes filled with tears. The situation reminded her about the mercy kill with Predator yesterday. Caden was allowing her to kill him, no questions asked.
Thunder boomed and she took a deep breath. Tears streaked her face as she lowered the weapon into Caden's heart, ending his life. Her hands gripped the handle, and she rested her head on her hands. Her shoulders began to shake as she waited for the cannon to fire. Why wasn't it firing? Where were the trumpets? Sobs were being drowned out by the heavy rain and thick thunder claps. Sheila has survived the Games, something she thought she would never of had to do in her life. She would like nothing more than for the final cannon to go off, being taken away by the hovercraft, and to never set foot in this arena again.
BOOM! The final cannon of the Games has gone off. Sheila jumped after hearing the cannon, stepping away from Caden's body. Her sword was still lodged in his chest, but she didn't go after it. That weapon was a reminder of what she has done to three innocent people who didn't need to end their lives here. Before she could wipe the wet, stringy strands of her hair out of her eyes, the rain cleared up and trumpets blared their wonderful fanfare. A hovercraft showed up above her, ready to take their glorious victor back to the Capitol. Sheila closed her eyes and embraced the fact that she was going home, safe and sound.
The Fallen:
Caden Miller, District 2: Stabbed in the heart by Sheila
Kleo Miller, District 2: Skull cracked by the hard ground
A/N: And we have our victor, SHEILA CARWELL! YAY! That is how the order of deaths came out, not because I personally loved her. My (personal) favorite was Isadora Jolf, but she had to die. :( We have a few more chapters after this one, so this story is not over yet, my friends. My previous chapter alluded to the idea that this would be the final one, so I'm sorry about my poor wording. I have to wrap this up, so I hope you enjoyed the Games. I am putting up a poll, so take that one. :)