Chapter 39: Lighthouse Battle

On Day 5 in the arena, I wake up not to sound, but to the cold feeling of water.

The gaping hole in the cell house roof has a waterfall of water rushing into it. The liquid is already coming up to my ankles.

Oh my holy God. Alcatraz is flooding!

I turn back to escape out the front doors of the cell house, but they are stuck tight. Damnit! I begin to run blindly up the main thoroughfare between Blocks B and C. About halfway down, I see a narrow passageway splitting each block neatly in half. I randomly choose the one splitting C-Block and rush down it.

I now emerge into another thoroughfare. And there's the Cornucopia. The sign on the catwalk ahead tells me this is D-Block.

The water is now up to my thighs. I have an idea.

Remembering roughly where I started the Games, I rush for the metal spiral staircase and race up to the second floor catwalk of D-Block. I go cell by cell, until I see one with a fake air vent knocked aside. Knowing the door is locked, I take one of Tess's Dao and hack the lock off. I jam my shoulder into the door, and it gives. I have broken back into the cell!

Now I have to break out of it….. again. I frantically crawl through the hole and into the utility corridor. I grab the plumbing and rapidly scale it like a monkey. I'm on the indoor roof of D-Block now. There's the fan ventilation shaft. I only have to jump once to reach the bar now, and I haul myself through the gap and onto the cell house roof.

I am in biblical, torrential rain. No wonder the prison was flooding! Blinking back the droplets, I search wildly for anything that might be higher ground. I can't stay here, the whole island is probably getting inundated!

A sudden flash of lightning reveals to me a place: the island lighthouse! And it's close enough to…..

Thank goodness I still have the backpack! Remembering the string inside, I dig it out. Attaching it to an arrow, I fit the weapon to my bow and line up the shot. I fire.

Even in the rain, I hear a dull, but loud thud as my arrow contacts the lighthouse. I give the string a tug. It's sturdy. Hurry!

Finding the drainpipe I scaled down earlier, I lash the rest of the spool to it. My bow, quiver and the backpack strapped to my back, I then begin to climb, hand over hand, along the string. Finally, I clamber onto the tippy-top of the lighthouse.

I have just finished catching my breath when I hear a clang.

And through the rain, I see her. The girl from 7 hauling herself onto the lighthouse roof. My last enemy. As soon as she stands, she sees me.

I whip out my bow and an arrow. She arms herself with an ax. Of course. District 7. Lumber. We begin to circle each other like wolves.

"You really want to do this, Twelve? No way you're winning! I've struggled too long!" Seven shouts.

"Well, so have I!" I roar back. "I'm sorry, but I have a family to get home to!"

"We all have families, Twelve! Just because you're sleeping with last year's Victor, doesn't mean it's all about you!"

Her comment angers me. How dare she think I'm some selfish bitch after what I've sacrificed!

Seven raises her axe. I quickly fire.

I miss; Seven sidesteps just at the last second.

But it turns out that sidestep is all I need.

Slipping on the slick metal, Seven's arms flail. Before I can do anything, she falls backward and plummets off the lighthouse with a scream.

I stare at the place where she vanished, too stunned to move. BOOM.

Amidst the howling of the rain, I hear trumpets blast and then Claudius Templesmith's voice can be heard screaming over the gale to announce my victory:

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the winner of the 76th Annual Hunger Games: Katniss Everdeen of District 12!"

It's over. I won. I will get to see my precious family once more. The Capitol can't split us apart ever again.