To Make The Most

by Dimpled

12 year old Rue Harmin lives in District 11, a cruel, heartless land owned by the Enforcers, who care for nothing but the whip in their hands. Rue finds nothing in her life to love except her family, who grieve a horrible loss. But when Rue lands into the Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV, she decides to make the most for all its worth, even if it means losing her life.

11. Chapter 11

The bright light from the sun nearly blinds me. I hold a flat hand to my brow, and scan what's in front of me.

Woods. Thick, green, unyielding, (and most likely dangerous) woods. I look at the tributes around me, all determined to win. I wonder if the Capitol is cheering them on right now. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and think of home. My eyes flutter open as I hear the announcer come on, and the last 5 seconds show on the circular TV.

My last 5 seconds to live?

The gong sounds, and I jump off my plate.

The wind flaps my hair back as I run, and I become aware of the 23 other people around me. Someone throws a knife at me, but I duck in time to it only slices the top part of my ear. I feel someone jump for me, from the back, and I dart him and get out of the way. The girl from 2 launches a knife at him, which hits him square in his back. He screams in agony and I watch him fall to the ground with a groan.

Too late, I realize I've been looking back to long. A girl throws a punch at me, in my stomache. I groan and sway on the spot.

Don't fall. Don't fall. I kick her in the shin and spit in her face, and run for my life—literally, I'm sorry to say.

I see a small brown backpack below me, and grab it. Swinging it over my shoulder, I run for the woods.

"You!"

I keep running from the sound. I know it's for me, and I force my weary legs to keep running. Here, you cannot die if you want to go home. Here, you can't sit down too long. And here, well…

Kevana was right. I needed to get used to disappointment. She had good intentions, but this was different. I wasn't trying to go to see the roof. I was trying to live.

I kept running, stubbing my toe and tripping over some sticks that had fallen to the ground.

"You! Wait!"

I had to keep going. I wouldn't even look back. I tried to dodge whoever was following me around a tree. But to my horror, I saw the Careers, lust about half a mile away. I ran the other way and down before I felt hands close on my arms. I tried to pull away, but they were too strong. This was it, this was the end! I was going to die.

"Rue, it's me."

I tried to talk through the hand over my mouth. "Henry?"

He moved his hand, and grabbed mine instead. "Hurry! Let's go."

And he led me through the forest.

I had to admit; he was good at finding which routes to take. My foot snapped a stick under me as the gong sounded. Twelve times it sounded, twelve people were dead.

Then I understood three things about what was around me.

This was war.

This was murder.

This was the hunger games.

I prayed a quick prayer in my mind. "Help me, God."

Please.