I awoke to the sounds of footsteps. My head darted upwards, and I looked around me. Nothing. Still though, I heard footsteps. Careers. They were the only group of people who would stay on the offensive for so long. I wasn't an idiot, they were trying to find unsuspecting tributes, and pick them off in their sleep. I wouldn't be such an easy target though. With haste, I grab my bag of knives, and my backpack. I leave my campfire burning, which will give them something to head for. My tarp comes with me though, there was no telling when that thing would come in handy. Without making a sound, I slip behind me into the far reaches of the trees. I make sure to twist, and curve, making my path complicated and strange. Eventually, I stopped, and looked behind me. Even from here, I could see the fire, and what looked like every single member of the career pack. I wasn't scared to fight them, but I wasn't stupid either. Six on one was hardly a fair fight, and I knew it. My best bet was to keep low, and avoid their patrols until they turned on one another, then pick them off one by one.
"Man I told you there was someone here!" I hear one of the males shout. This one is the tribute from District 1, a sixteen year old. He excelled in sword and shield combat, which was what he carried. Although I hadn't actually been on the other side, taking him on, I knew what he was capable of. I had seen him cut two dummies in half with one slash, he was going to be a tricky one to take care of. A tall one, obviously aggravated, turned to face the other male. This was the one from District 4, the eighteen year old. I didn't know what to think of him, I hadn't seen much of him except when our scores were presented. Since he got a ten, I knew he was dangerous, although I didn't know what with. He shoved the one tribute, and got into an argument with him about questioning his authority. I shook my head and backed away, falling back behind a tree. I could hardly see anything in the jungle, and I knew I needed to make that lantern. Backing away again slightly, I feel my hand rub against a large bush, and grab onto it. It's covered in vines, luckily for me. If I played my cards right, I could use it to hold what I would use to carry the sap together. Problem was, I didn't have anything to hold the sap. Save for my canteen, but there was no way I was going to turn that into a lantern. I knew that jungles had almost no water in them, and from the way the trees were, I'd say they were altered by the Capitol to grow with very little water. That's when it dawned on me. The only people who had something I could use to make the lantern were the Careers. Sponsors were available, but calling one in took time, money, not to mention it would give me away. I was going to have to do this on my own. I sighed and shook my head. If there was one thing I didn't want to do, it was stay near these killing machines. Still, I didn't have a choice. Without a light, I was a sitting duck to any predators nearby, and I couldn't just light anything I wanted to. I'm surrounded by wood after all. Reluctantly, I place the vines around my backpack, wrapping it around it horizontally. I place the bag of knives at my side, and turn away from my cover in the tree. I hide behind a bush, and watch as one of the female tributes, from 2 I think, breaks up the feuding men. I duck down, moving silently through the brush. They haven't spotted me, and they seem to be discouraged.
"You know what screw this! It's late, I'm sweating my butt off out here, and this place freaks me out at night." The eighteen year old says. I shift my weight, and make sure to keep myself balanced between a tree and a gathering of foliage.
"Need your night light tough guy?" The sixteen year old one asks. The girls chuckle at this one, although the tribute socks him in the arm. I just duck down, and keep a low profile.
...
I followed them all the way back to their camp, which was stationed just outside of the Cornucopia. Typical Career tactic, charge the Cornucopia and take all the valuable, and best supplies. Every once in a while, a few tributes would get lucky, and a few of the precious supplies. One look at the blood puddle in front of the Cornucopia told me that this wasn't the case for whatever pour soul was brave, and dumb enough to try and get into that opening. A group of careers stashed a large tote, carrying large glass containers filled with water, and I know that that's my target. Glass wouldn't melt in the fire caused by the sap, and was very lightweight.
"Target... Marked..." I whisper to myself as I adjust myself, bringing my tarp over me. For a while, all I can see is darkness, but still... I can hear their conversations.
"Whose fire do you think that was?" I hear a female voice ask.
"I don't know. Maybe it was that one guy from District 12?" He hears another say, also in a female voice.
"No way, he was way to inexperienced to get away that quickly." I hear a male voice argue. I considered this. The kid did only receive a six during the training, something most would have instantly disregarded as a wasted effort. But not me.
"Well alright genius, who do you think it was?" Another voice asks.
"That dude from 8. He's been showing us up ever since we got into the games. I hate that stupid little prick..." The one from before said.
"Yeah you may be right... He acts so high and mighty, and righteous, it's disgusting. He thinks that he's so much better than us. Well, he isn't. Whatever his "goal" is, I'm going to make sure that the little idiot he wants to save gets a slow, painful death. And then, when I find that douchebag, I'll make sure he gets a REALLY righteous death." I heard the eighteen year old say. I gave a disgusted shake of my head, and grit my teeth. This... degenerate had no right to be talking about anyone. I quickly breath easily, and wait, being quiet as I can be. I could not blow my cover, or I would die before I could get a chance to help the tribute from 12. I listen to them talk for a few more minutes, and hear one of them say they are going to sleep for the night. Two say they will stand guard, and watch in shifts. I thought for a moment. These careers were definitely guarding their stuff well, keeping two guards posted at all times. I would have to be careful on how I dealt with this. I lift the very front of my tarp, and see four bodies sprawled across the ground, sleeping away. In front of the opening to the Cornucopia, is one guard. Strange... I could have sworn I heard two say they would stand guard... Where was the second? I waited a few moments, and received my answer. The other was patrolling around the outskirts, making sure no one came from behind, or the sides. I gave an impressed nod, these careers were smarter than I gave them credit for. Those jars would be somewhat difficult to obtain. Carefully, I lift away my tarp, and crawl over to the side of the Cornucopia. I lie in the tall grass, hidden by the tees. The patrolling guard came around, holding a spear in his hands. He looked over to me, and I held my breath, praying that he didn't see me. Fortune must have been smiling on me, because he walked right past me. Carefully, I rose to my feet, and walked slowly to the guard. My feet were as light as feathers, my breathing, quiet as snow touching the ground. As I came behind him, I kicked him in his knee, bringing him down. With haste, I covered his mouth, preventing him from screaming. I also wrapped my arm around his neck as he struggled.
"Shh..." I whispered as I continued to strangle him. He struggled for about fifteen seconds, then went limp. Passed out. Carefully, I grab him underneath his armpits, and drag him to the foliage, hiding him. Once he is out of view of any passers, I move to the side wall of the Cornucopia. I place my back against it, making sure not to make the slightest noise. I reach the turn of the Cornucopia, and peak my head out. The guard is still standing there, and I recognize him as the one with the sword and shield. He looks to the opposite direction of me, and I sprint over to him. I quickly pounce on him, covering his mouth and holding a pressure point on his neck. Back home, I had wanted to be a doctor, and I knew the human body well. He struggled a few moments, then went limp as he stopped thrashing. I hold my breath, looking around to the other careers. None have awoken. With a sigh of relief, I leave the unconscious guard, and started looking through the totes for the jars of water. It was on the third tote I checked that I found it, inside lay dozens of jars. It was tempting to just grab as many as I could and run, but I needed to be quick. I grabbed the one jar I would use as my lantern, and looked over to the sleeping careers. With haste, I ran back into the forest, not stopping until I lost sight of their camp...
...
Carefully, I poured my recently collected sap into the now empty jar. I had placed what water I could in my canteen, then just drank what was left. That was extra water, something that I wouldn't have for quite some time now. The sap slowly dripped along the side of the jar, almost making it look like a gooey caterpillar. I placed it on the ground, and searched through my backpack for my lighter, and made sure not to grab the vines yet. I felt something plastic touch my hand, and grasped it. Due to the fact it was thin, not bulky, like my canteen, I knew it was the lighter. I pulled it out, lit it, and held the flame in front of my face. I looked around me, at the now revealed foliage and tree critters. I smiled. I always took note of the fact that even the smallest bit of light drove out the darkness. I don't know why, but it gave me hope. Snapping out of it, I brought the lighter to my bag of knives, looking through it. I need a knife that was small, and could be used to pierce the lid of the jar. I needed to make a handle for me to carry the lantern, otherwise I would be lugging around a jar of hot glass, burning my hands at every turn. I move aside a large knife with a curved edge, and find a knife with a large base, but comes to it's point in a small, sharp tip. Almost like a spear. I carefully reach down and take it in my hands, making sure not cut myself on the other blades. As I wrap my hands around the handle, my lighter flickers, and goes out. Confused, I strike it again, and it lights again, and I shrug it off.
"Guess it's just a little old." I say as I pull out the knife and grab the lid of the jar. I hold the lid above the backpack, and gently place it on top. I place my hand flat on top of the lid, keeping it in place. I place my knife down, and search around for a rock to take my hand's place. After some searching, I found a decently sized rock to keep it down, and grasp it. I place it on top of the lid, and reclaim my knife. I analyze it, trying to determine where the weakest points of the jars are. All I can see is a small dent in the right side, and decide to use that. I shove the knife through the side of the lid, creating a grinding noise as I slowly drive it through. I twist the blade slightly to the left, which takes a decent amount of effort, but increases the size of the hole. I repeat this to the other side of the lid, when a thought occurs to me. I look back over to my back pack and wonder if the vines could hold out in the heat. Deciding not to wait, I grab one of the vines under one of the loaves of bread, and bring it out. I observe the vine, then my lighter. I sigh, and bring the open flame of my lighter to the vine, and observe what happens. To my surprise, and delight, the vine does not light on fire, or even start to turn a darker color. I turn my lighter away, and bring the vine closer for inspection. I can't see anything unique about it, but I guess the Capitol must have done something to it. I shake it off, and take the rest of the vines from the bag. I screw the lid back onto the jar, cutting out a small part where I can pour in sap and keep the lid a little cooler. I tie a knot through the two holes in the sides of the lid, and wrap it around in an X fashion around the rest of the jar. Finally, I take my sap collector, and stick it into a tree. The sap begins to flow out of the tree, and I bring my lighter close to the lid. Just as the sap begins to fall into the hole, I light that sap on fire. It sizzles lightly and ignites slowly as it falls into the rest of the sap. Slowly, it forms a large blob of fire on the top layer of the jar, which I have filled to it's half way point. I pull my lighter away and extinguish it, leaving me in the light of my lantern. It provides a good two foot ring of orangeish-yellow light around me, giving me a good idea of where I'm going. I smile. My plan has worked. Satisfied, I pack my things, and sling my backpack onto my back, and keep the tarp inside. Looking around to a large, oval shaped tree, I set out, beginning to look for a safe spot to camp for the night.