Chapter 9: We'll Win This Thing Together
Cato
I made my way back to our camp either to kill fire girl, if ever she's still there, or get our weapons. I'm running as fast as I can when I heard a boy screaming.
"What are you still doing here?" He sounded like lover boy. What a traitor. I followed his voice as fast as I could, knowing that the one he's screaming to is fire girl. "Are you mad?" I'm going to kill him. "Get up! Get up!" I trusted him because Clove trusted him. And now I know that we shouldn't have. He's been fooling us right from the start. "Run!" He screams. "Run!"
I slash my way through the brush. I see them. Fire girl is holding tightly to Glimmer's bow and arrows. The latter's lifeless body is still lying on the ground. And then fire girl runs, as I got hold of lover boy. I cut his leg using my sword deep enough for him not to use it well. After that I felt dizzy, probably because of the venom of the tracker jackers, and passed out.
Clove
I think it's late afternoon when I regained my consciousness. Half of my body is still submerged in the water. Marvel is beside me, but Cato is nowhere to be found. I quickly get out of the water and made my way back to our camp, hoping that I will find him, alright and alive.
And then I saw him, lying unconscious on the ground. I run towards him as fast as I can. I kneel beside him and shake his body, waking him up. I saw the tracker jacker nest near us. It is nothing but an empty shell. The wasps have vanished. I also saw blood on the ground. Our supplies are still here. I get my backpack, knowing that there's medicine in it for tracker jacker stings. I applied it on Cato's wounds. I'll just stay here with him until he wakes up. If someone attacks us, I'm ready, I have my knives with me. Don't worry Cato, I'll protect you. No one else can kill you, but me.
Cato
I think it's early in the morning when I wake up and regained my consciousness. I looked around and see that I'm still in our camp. I can still see the empty tracker jacker nest near me. Our supplies are still here. And then I saw Clove, sitting beside me, her smile is really visible because of the sunlight.
"Good morning Cato," she said cheerfully. I smiled at her. "It's good to know that you're awake." I sit up.
"How long was I asleep?" I asked her.
"A day," she answered.
"Are we the only ones left?"
"I think Marvel's still down by the lake," she said. "Anyway, what happened here?"
"I saw lover boy screaming for fire girl to get away," I said. "I cut his leg deep enough for him not to use it well."
"So we were wrong to trust him," she said.
"Yes," I said.
And then we heard people making their way towards us. We armed ourselves. As they got near enough, we recognized the taller one as Marvel.
"Clove, thank goodness you're okay," he said. "I know I'll find you here." Clove smiled at him.
"Who is he?" I asked him, pointing my head on the other boy's direction.
"Oh, he's Terrenz, from District 3," he answered. "I found him roaming down by the lake."
"Why didn't you just kill him?" I asked him.
"Oh, he said he can help us."
"How?" Clove asked, raising her eyebrows.
"I can reactivate the mines surrounding the Cornucopia," Terrenz answered her. "You can use it to protect your supplies." I looked at Clove and she nodded.
"Ok, you can stay," I said. "Let's gather the supplies from the Cornucopia and bring them down by the lake."
"And you," Clove said, looking dangerously at Terrenz. "Make sure to do your job well." He nodded, terrified.
We made our way to the Cornucopia and gather the supplies from it. We bring the supplies down by the lake while Terrenz dig for the mines that were buried around the Cornucopia. He buried it around our supplies down by the lake, trapping us inside. We finished our work before night falls.
"The mines are reactivated," Terrenz informed us.
"So how are we going to get out of here without being blown up?" I asked him.
"I left a path which is safe for you to walk on," he replied and we nodded at him.
Night falls and we decided to sleep. I volunteered to take the watch. Clove must have been very tired, seeing her falling asleep quickly. Marvel and Terrenz lie on either side of her. Clove, I wish we could just escape from this game together.
Clove
The next day, we ate some of our food before hunting for victims in the woods. We left Terrenz down by the lake to guard our supplies. It's good to leave a guard behind, because someone stupid might not notice the presence of the mines and got himself/herself blown up with our supplies. We can't risk that.
We spotted the boy from District 10, limping as fast as he can away from us. But his crippled foot is really a disadvantage. We caught up with him and killed him easily. A cannon fires and we continued combing the woods for more victims. For all I know, there are only nine of us left to play.
Before night falls, we made our way back to the lake. The anthem plays and I can see the picture of the limping boy from District 10. I can't wait to see fire girl's and lover boy's faces floating in the sky too. We sleep for the night with Marvel taking the watch.
Nothing interesting happened the next day. We combed the woods for victims as usual but no luck, we haven't found a single one. We ended up going back to the lake before night falls. There are no deaths today. Where is fire girl? Where is lover boy? I can't wait to kill them.
The next day, we ate some of our food before combing the woods for victims as usual. And then Marvel suddenly stood up and pointed his finger to the woods.
"Smoke," he informed us. We quickly gathered some supplies and armed ourselves. Before we go to the woods, an argument breaks out. It concerns whether or not Terrenz should stay or accompany us.
"He's coming," Cato said. "We need him in the woods, and his job's done here anyway. No one can touch those supplies."
"What about lover boy?" Marvel asked.
"I keep telling you, forget about him," Cato said. "I know where I cut him. It's a miracle he hasn't bled to death yet. At any rate, he's in no shape to raid us."
"Ok," Marvel said.
"Come on," Cato said, thrusting a spear into Terrenz' hands. We head off in the direction of the fire. "When we find her, I kill her in my own way, and no one interferes." He added as we enter the woods.
We run as fast as we can to locate the fire starter. Moments later and we found a campfire, but found no one probably responsible for it. We searched the area surrounding the fire but found no one. We spotted another campfire as we searched and searched the woods, but found no one probably responsible for it as well. I think this is a trap.
"Cato, let's just go back to the lake," I said.
"Why? You think this is a trap?" he asked me.
"Yes. We need to get out of here," I said.
The others agreed and we made our way back to the lake as fast as we could. And then an explosion startles us. The impact knocks the wind out of me. But then I realized that it came from the lake, where our supplies are placed.
"Let's get going," I shouted at the others.
We made our way back to the lake as fast as we could. The ground still shakes with explosions. An acrid smoke fills the air. After about a minute, the ground stops vibrating. Moments later we arrived at the lake and saw the wreckage. Cato takes out his anger on the smoking remains by kicking open various containers. Marvel and I pokes around in the mess, looking for anything to salvage, but there's nothing. And then I saw Cato, turning to Terrenz and shouting at him. Terrenz only has time to turn and run before Cato catches him in a headlock from behind. I can see the muscles ripple in Cato's arms as he sharply jerks the boy's head to the side. Marvel and I made our way towards them as a cannon fires.
"Cato, calm down," I said as I hold on to one of his arms, Marvel holding on to the other. We tried to calm him down but he kept on saying he wants to return to the woods.
"Cato, whoever set off the explosions is dead," I said. "The tribute who blew up the supplies was killed doing it. If there was a cannon shot, it could have been easily lost in the subsequent explosions."
He walked away and we followed him. We retire to the far side of the lake to allow the game makers to retrieve Terrenz' body. And we wait. A hovercraft appears and takes his dead body.
Minutes later we return to the woods. We decided to take different paths and meet up down by the lake before night falls.
I am walking in the woods, hunting for victims, when I heard a scream. Could it be Katniss? No. it's a child's scream, a young girl's scream, there's no one in the arena capable of making that sound except Rue, the little girl from District 11. And now I'm running, in pursuit of a victim, and then there's another high-pitched cry, this time, saying a particular name.
"Katniss! Katniss!"
And then there's another shout.
"Rue! Rue! I'm coming!"
So the two of them are allies. I followed their voices as fast as I could. Minutes have passed and I heard a cannon fires. Could it be Katniss? Rue? Maybe Cato or Marvel found them and attacked them. I continued running in the woods, hoping to find them. And then another cannon fires. Who was it this time? It could be anyone. Could it be Cato? I hope not. I don't want to lose him, yet.
Cato
I ran in the woods as fast as I could searching for Clove after hearing the screams and the cannons. Right now, I can't relax. Maybe splitting up wasn't a good idea after all. I don't care about Marvel, but if something bad happened to Clove, I think I can't go any further. I promised myself that I will protect her, only to die by my hands.
Moments later and I finally found her. She's looking down at the ground thinking hard. Thank goodness she's alright. I made my way towards her.
"Clove," I said. She looked at me. I don't know if she's relieved to see me or not. "What are you thinking hard about?" she looked down at the ground again. I looked down at the ground too and saw blood. I also saw a net near us, drenched in blood as well. I wonder what happened here.
"Let's just go back to the lake," Clove suggested.
"Ok," I agreed. "Let's go."
We managed to go back to the lake before night falls. The anthem plays and I saw Marvel's picture floating in the sky, followed by Rue, the little girl from District 11. So Marvel must have heard the screams and followed it as well. For all I know, it was fire girl and the little girl who were screaming. Rue was screaming for Katniss to help her. Marvel must have gotten there first and killed Rue. Katniss probably avenged her death by killing Marvel. For all I know, she has Glimmer's bow and arrows. She must be very good at it, to kill someone like Marvel. And that's how she got that eleven.
I looked at Clove. Is she hurt because of Marvel's death? I won't be surprised if she is.
"So, there are only six of us left," she said.
"Yes," I said. "And five more to go." She looked at me.
"Five more to go for me," she said dangerously.
Before I get to answer back, I hear the trumpets and listen up in anticipation. Occasionally, there will be trumpets followed by an announcement. Usually, this will be a call to a feast.
Claudius Templesmith's voice booms down from overhead, congratulating the six of us who remain. But he is not inviting us to a feast. He's saying something very confusing.
"There's been a rule change in the games. Under the new rule, both tributes from the same district will be declared winners if they are the last two alive."
Claudius pauses, as if he knows we're not getting it, and repeats the change again.
The news sinks in. Two tributes can win this year. If they're from the same district. Both can live. Both of us can live.
Before I can stop myself, I put Clove in a very tight hug. It took her seconds before she gets to hug me back. One thing is certain, we'll win this thing together…