The Monster
It's hard to get any sleep. I haven't eaten since the morning and could tell it was a little past midnight. I'm lying on my stomach with my arms and legs wrapped around the branch. Relaxing my muscles help me go to sleep but every time I move I feel the sensation of falling over. I try to chew only one piece of fruit and save the rest for the following day. Before I realize it I've eaten them all and only the nuts are left. I wash the fruit down with a few sips of water. I go in and out of sleep so many times my dreams start to mix with reality and I forget what's real anymore. Even wondering why I was sleeping in a tree at one point. The rays tapping my face as the sun starts to appear over the trees are like an alarm, telling me to wake up. I do wake up, for real. When I climb down the tree, there is no sign of the murder that is still so fresh in my mind. The body is gone and any supplies he had now belong to the boy from Eight. I make my way deeper into the forest, being very cautious as I go. I know what might be in front of me but I'm determined to get away from the volcano. I know that it can erupt at the push of a gamemaker s finger. I try to pick up any good rocks on the way because my slingshot is in desperate need of some ammunition.
My pants have six pockets, two on the back, two in the front, and one on each side right above my knee. Each one is easy enough for me to reach into, should I need ammo. I have each pocket loaded with five rocks, making thirty rocks total. They are big enough that if I hit someone dead on, it's going to hurt. I walk nonstop until I reach the end of the forest. I see a field of light brown dirt and then water. I've never seen a beach before but I know how it looks. I kneel down to survey the area. If anyone is on the beach, they will see me as soon as I step out from the shade of the trees. The water is less than forty feet away, and I want nothing more than to just run and jump into it, swim in it, and wash all the dirt from my body. I can almost hear Prada saying "Go ahead, do it!" in my head. At both ends of the beach are high cliffs. If there is a way to the top then I'm sure that's the safest place in the whole arena.
About an hour later, I'm still debating whether or not to enter the water. I'm already hungry again, and the only thing I have to eat might kill me. Something tells me not to throw them away though because there might come a time where I may need them. I wonder if there are fish in the water. Just then, I see two girls enter the beach to my left. Both girls are running towards the water. The skinny girl with the wild hair is easy to recognize. She is from district Twelve and seems to have made an alliance with the girl from Ten. The other girl strips off her clothes and backpack, then practically dives into the water even though it's only up to her shins. She has a weird hairstyle that looks like something tribal. As she gets deeper she yells back to the girl from Twelve who is still fully clothed and standing on the shore.
"Come in, the waters great!" she yells.
"Stop screaming!" says the girl from Twelve, so low I can barely hear it.
She seems to have a bit more sense but they are both just sitting ducks right now. The girl from Twelve goes into the water a little as she bends down and starts scooping water inter her mouth. They both must be dehydrated but I don't think the water is safe to drink. I start to look at my backpack as a blessing more than a curse now. The girl from Twelve keeps protesting not to go into the water, it appears she can't swim. I hear the girl from Ten scream before she disappears under the water. The girl from Twelve cries out in terror quickly backing away from the water and calling out to her ally. The girl reappears from the water, thrashing desperately to make it to shore. As she makes her way to the sand I see that the bottom half of her left leg is gone and replaced by a broken piece of bone dyed red with her blood. I see a fin rising out from the water before the whole creature's body is in plain view. She is being chased by a monster.
"Help me!" she says, crawling to her ally, but her ally has fled with her backpack.
The monster that looks like a cross between a crocodile and a fish opens its huge mouth and I can see its razor sharp teeth. It takes another chunk of her right leg. The girl is still alive, flailing on the sandy beach, but she stops when the monster finally takes one last bite. He picks her up in his mouth by her torso and carries her back into the water. I want to turn away but I watch, because somewhere her friends and family are watching, and my turning away isn't going to change reality. I hear the cannon and head back into the forest. I choose a side and head towards the cliffs.