Chapter 18: The Finale/Returning Home

The finale had just begun.

All of the remaining tributes were gathering at the Cornucopia once again (with a gentle nudge from the mutts) for one final battle. Cyrus, who had been at the Cornucopia the entire time, made the first move by lunging at Silver, who had just arrived with his sister. Silver sidestepped Cyrus's sword to dodge a blow to his stomach, before lashing out with a swing of his axe. Cyrus ducked to prevent his head being taken off, and then he turned on Diamond. He dove for the District 1 female and tackled her to the ground, before proceeding to impale his sword into her stomach. Diamond screamed and cried out Silver's name as the blade tore into her body, practically sawing through it.

"Diamond!" Silver exclaimed, turning around at the sound of his sister's cry, but she was already dead. Cyrus roared with laughter while her cannon fired, before pivoting around to face Silver again. Silver clenched his fists, glaring at Cyrus with gritted teeth while Cyrus shot him a smug grin. "You…killed my sister," Silver spat, his narrowed eyes boring into Cyrus's head. Cyrus scoffed and shrugged it off.

"That's the name of the game, bro," the District 4 male retorted. That's when Silver snapped. With a loud battle cry he charged at Cyrus at swung his axe at him, cutting into his chest. Cyrus lunged at Silver again, only for the axe to slice his throat. Cyrus's eyes widened at this last blow, and he dropped to the ground, slumped over in a pool of his own blood. Silver haughtily crossed his arms, staring down at Cyrus's dead body at smiling in satisfaction when he heard a second cannon fire.

"There," Silver said, dusting himself off. "That takes care of him. Good riddance. Now, only two other tributes to go." Speaking of which, an arrow shot through the air, flying out of nowhere, and landed next to Silver's foot. Silver yelped in surprise and stepped back when he saw the arrow hit the ground. "Where did that come from?" he wondered aloud. He turned to look around the Cornucopia, but there were no tributes in sight. He pivoted around, casting a glance on the giant golden structure, when another arrow emerged from the horn's mouth. "Holy crap!" Silver exclaimed, jumping to the side to dodge the second arrow, which landed on the ground a few feet behind him. Silver stepped forward to peek inside the Cornucopia, now completely sure that someone was in there, and that was when a third arrow shot through the air and pierced his chest. Silver gasped and stumbled back, looking down and watching the blood pour from his gaping wound. His eyes widened as he dropped to the ground, coughing and sputtering, when he heard a pair of footsteps trod through the grass. Silver looked up and saw Caius leaving the Cornucopia, before he closed his eyes and fell over to the side, his cannon firing shortly after. Caius peered down at the District 1 male's lifeless body, when he heard rustling in the bushes behind the Cornucopia. The District 2 male whipped his head around and saw Darien emerging from the shrubbery, the same way he arrived for the feast. The two instantly locked eyes as Darien arrived on the scene, before the District 8 male glanced down and noticed Silver lying on the ground, dead.

"What happened to this guy?" he asked, nudging the District 1 male with his foot, turning him over to scrutinize his corpse.

"I killed him," Caius replied flatly.

"Of course," Darien retorted sarcastically. "And let me guess; now you have to kill me?"

"Yes, I am going to kill you now," Caius responded, with a dark chuckle. "After all we can't all live." Swiftly he pulled out an arrow, his second to last one, and prepared his bow, aiming for Darien's head. Darien sighed and shook his head, readying his axe in anticipation for battle.

"I guess we'll have to fight now," the District 8 male said, and the fight began with Darien taking a step forward to swing at Caius. Caius reflexively held up his bow to block the incoming attack, forcing him to stop his aim. He blocked Darien's second attack and thrust his bow into his opponent to force him backwards. Darien decided to take another shot, and while Caius held up his bow in defense again, Darien slipped his axe through it to slash at Caius's hand, slicing his palm open. Caius yelped in pain and dropped the bow, and Darien lifted his leg up and kicked Caius in the chest, sending him flying backwards and tumbling to the ground.

"Oof! Ugh, ow," Caius muttered when he landed flat on his back, a loud thud rippling through the grass. With another stride Darien was towering over Caius, overpowering him with his axe looming over his head. Both of them were breathing heavily, with dirt and sweat outlining their faces and blood trickling out of their arms from small cuts they've gotten throughout their time in the arena. They each had their own expression of determination, but after staring each other down Caius' softened, as he looked up at Darien sullenly. "Go ahead," he said to Darien, who blinked at him in surprise. "Do it. At least…I'll get to be with her." Caius was heartbroken when he returned from his hunt to find Rosemary slain, and he was completely distraught when he learned that it was his ex and district partner Regan who completed the kill. He may have wanted to avenge her death and win for her, but on the other hand, it wouldn't be worth it if he still had to live without her. That was something that Caius couldn't bear.

Darien nodded and raised his axe, bringing it down on Caius' chest. Darien continued hacking away at Caius' body until he was no longer moving. With the boom of one final cannon, it was over.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to announce the victor of the 2nd annual Hunger Games – Darien Shinoko from District 8!"

Darien sighed with relief, running a hand through his hair while he caught his breath. He did it. He won the Games. He was still alive. Now if he could get out of here…

A whirring sound caught in his ears, and he looked up to see a helicopter descending into the arena. The door to the aircraft opened and a rope ladder dropped down next to Darien, as if beckoning to him to come. Darien obliged and grabbed hold of the ladder, climbing up until he was safely pulled inside the helicopter by a couple of Capitol attendants. Once Darien was inside the aircraft the door closed, and the helicopter took off into the sky once more, removing Darien from the arena now that the Games were over.

Darien stood on a grand stage, having him been lifted up from below along with his prep team, stylist, and escort, with cheering from the Capitol audience ringing in his ears. He was decked out in a black suit with a royal blue blouse and white tie, with black leather shoes to match. President Coriolanus Snow Sr. walked over to Darien and placed a gold crown on his head.

"Congratulations, Darien," President Snow Sr. said, adjusting the crown to make sure that it fit the new victor's head perfectly. "You fought well." Darien nodded and shook the president's extended hand.

"Thank you sir." Darien's eyes were hit with multiple flashes while Capitol photographers were advancing towards the stage to get their photo ops of him with the president. Darien was then escorted to the victor's chair, a tall, plush throne, where he sat to watch the highlights of the Games.

The next day, still in his black and blue suit (because his stylist told him it looked great on him), Darien and Lindsey were sitting in the interview host's red leather chairs. Lindsey was dressed in a flashy red suit with a gold belt and matching heels, with her hair neatly pulled off her face and tied in a fancy, ornate bun. They were sitting on the same stage as they had for interviews, only there were only a few cameramen recording, and no live audience to give reactions, none of which had Darien was concerned with. He was happy to do this interview because it validated for him that he was the victor and would be returning home to District 8, a fact that still felt surreal to him.

"So Darien." Darien looked up at Lindsey, startled by the sudden sound of her voice. He didn't realize that the interview had started yet, so he wasn't as quick to respond as usual. "You started out as one of 24 tributes, coming to us from District 8, faced with some tough competition, and you've left the arena a victor. How are you feeling right now?" Darien hesitated for a moment, still taken aback by Lindsey diving right into her questions, but he collected his thoughts to find the right words he wanted.

"I'm good. It's a great feeling," Darien answered, a small smile creeping onto his face. "It's great to be alive!" Lindsey laughed, genuinely amused by his response.

"Not only alive, but a champion of these Games," Lindsey told him, reaching over and patting him on the back. "Now that's something to brag about."

"Yeah, that's definitely cool too," Darien replied with a hearty chuckle. "But no, I'm really just looking forward to going home and seeing my family, my friends, and especially seeing Roxanne. I've missed her so much, and I miss all of my family."

"That's great, Darien," Lindsey said, smiling and nodding at his every word. She signed off and cued the camera crew to take them off the air, and Darien was free to go.

Later on, the train pulled into the station of District 8, and Darien disembarked, finally home. He was greeted by a cheering crowd of District 8 citizens, his mother and girlfriend in the middle. They were beaming with pride, and they smiled at them from down below, Roxanne's smile being from sheer joy and his mother's partly from relief. Roxanne was jumping up and down, her curls bouncing with every step while she clapped her hands with glee. Seeing their faces made Darien's heart soar. He had worked so hard in training, tried his very best in the arena, just so he could come home and see them again. Darien hopped off the steps of the train station to greet the crowd, his fellow District 8 folks. Roxanne pushed her way through the crowd until she emerged from the front, before eagerly running over to Darien and leaping into his arms. Darien smiled and welcomed her in a tight embrace, both of them refusing to let go for a whole five minutes.

"I've missed you," he said into her ear, resting his head on hers.

"I've missed you too!" she replied happily, hugging him even tighter if possible. Eventually Darien turned around and started for home, with Roxanne on his arm and the crowd of his neighbors following him through the streets, forming a simple, makeshift procession.

"Oh, Darien, I am so happy for you," Roxanne told him, her eyes lit up with excitement. "You're going to be moving into the Victor's Village!" Darien was grinning from ear to ear, his cheeks burning a tomato hue from the sound of his girlfriend's sweet, chipper voice. They turned a corner and entered the neighborhood in which he currently lived, when he noticed a Peacekeeper lingering in front of a tiny tailor shop. Darien squinted his eyes for a better look, and upon a closer inspection recognized the Peacekeeper as his father, his father who abandoned him long before his birth. He watched Darien with a cold, hard look in his eye, one that burned with envy and disapproval. Darien rolled his eyes and kept walking without any further acknowledgement. Darien didn't care about him. He was just another piece in the games. Not the Hunger Games, but the games of life.

The End.