Bloodbath

Fynn King (17) D11M

Here it was. The moment I had been waiting for since so long. So long. We had arrived our respective rooms, and the glass tube stood in front of me. The arena clothes were unexpected. Firstly, there were the pants, completely black and made of very thick material. My first guess was that the arena was cold. Then there was a shirt, a simple blue shirt and a full sleeved jacket of the same thick material. Gloves were there too, and I found that a little strange. However, the thing that made me truly curious was the helmet. In fact, the outfit was designed in such a way that no part of the skin would be exposed to the atmosphere.

I was given a tablet so that there would be no need to go to the bathroom for at least ten days. If the Games would proceed for longer, then they would send the tablets again.

"Attention tributes, please step onto the pedestals."

It was only now that I felt nervous. Here it was, the seventy ninth Games were about to commence.

I almost stumbled as the pedestal began its journey upwards. My heart was hammering now and I thought about all the things that could go wrong.

Stop.

There was no scope for fear. Neither for doubt. Slowly I rose and suddenly the pedestal stopped, the glass walls descended back, and here I was finally. In the arena.

It was… pretty. A place that girls would definitely like. There was a tree in the centre, looking as ancient and mighty as a tree could possibly look, with beautiful fruits hanging from it. I couldn't understand what fruits they were but they looked appetising. Near it, on the ground, were scattered all the things, the supplies. I saw the various weapons and the bags.

We were in a garden.

A stone pathway led to the tree from each pedestal, the lush green grass neatly moved. There was a kind of boundary made of identical stones and roses were lined along the pathway, on the boundary and near the tree. It was all very civilised.

Beyond the boundary things looked a little rough, more like a forest but there were beautiful roses dotted everywhere as well as the dense undergrowth made it look mysterious as well as lovely. I thought I saw a squirrel there too.

However, the most interesting part of the arena was the bell.

It was hanging a little away from the tree, near the boundary on the opposite, side, looking very majestic and grand. The pathways led there too and I wondered what it's purpose was. there certainly didn't seem to be anything nearby.

"Welcome to the arena, tributes," Lorenzo's voice echoed around us, "While you are within the boundary, in this garden, it's advisable that you keep yourselves covered. There are radiations present here that can melt you down instantly even if a millimetre of your skin is exposed, and none of us really want that.

"Now, before we start, allow me to make you familiar with the Deserter's Bell."

Deserter's Bell? Why did it have such a name? Unless…

"Any of you can ring this bell and come out of the arena. No harm will be inflicted on you."

What the hell?! What joke was this? What was the point of Hunger Games?!

"You can live a comfortable life nonetheless; we'll make sure of that. However, there will be consequences."

"In return of this kindness, we'll ask for a small payment from your families."

I was sure that everyone understood what he meant by a 'small payment'. It was quite cruel, and even I thought so. Giving them hope that they could go home, only to take it away… it didn't seem a very nice thing to do.

"Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favour. Let the countdown begin."

Rowan Clear (17) D7F

Thirty one.

Thirty.

Twenty nine.

The wait was killing me. Beside me, Cassidy had stumbled just a bit and all of us had thought she would fall off the plate but it didn't happen. My eyes were fixed on the cornucopia. On my right was Cassidy, looking slightly confused and very scared and on my left was Bridge, eyeing Fynn every now and then.

Was he going to take him down? If he tried it Fynn would kill him with his bare hands. I wasn't going to let it happen. Never.

Sixteen.

Fifteen.

Time was passing by too fast. My throat was going dry and I felt a dizzy on my feet. No, I had to make it far, help someone win. I couldn't die like that. I had my alliance counting on me.

Ten.

Nine.

I saw Aly tensing up. My being felt clammy. I was suffocating. It was so unfair.

Eight.

Seven.

Bridge winked at Persephone and I frowned. What had they planned?

Six.

Five.

I saw all the Careers prepare themselves to get in. Cecelia was ready to jump.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

And then it was a mad chaos.

Half the Careers started towards the Cornucopia whereas the others started towards the tributes. They were moving in a ring formation, preventing anyone from entering. A couple of tributes had managed to get to the cornucopia and they were trying to grab onto anything but then the Careers arrived.

I saw Reynard and Sevarian run towards the boundary instead, making sure that no weapon was coming their way. They were smart.

My allies were being detained by Fynn, fighting them all. Aly was on the ground, probably injured. Fynn kicked Asher on the chest and sent him flying away quite literally. He and Burgundy fought now, fists against fists, kicks against kicks. However, my friend was not a trained fighter. He was losing badly and I threw myself on Fynn, wrapping my arms around his neck as the two of fell. I tried to squeeze as hard as I could but he grabbed and slammed me on the ground.

That was when I saw the disk coming towards Fynn, embedding itself in the back of his neck. The boy gasped, even as the cannon sounded, and fell forward. I stared at his fallen body, the first death of the Games, and then raised my gaze to see Persephone and Bridge escape the garden, with two bags and a spear, and I felt a few chakrams too. That child killed him…

"Rowan…" Asher groaned as Burgundy helped him up. The two lifted Aly, who was probably knocked out cold.

"You too, take her out of this place!" I said.

"We're not leaving without you," Burgundy said.

Before I could say anything, Oceane had cornered us. Trident in hand, she looked dangerous.

We had literally nothing to defend ourselves with. The Career laughed as she thrust her trident towards Ash.

NO!

Acting on impulse, I pushed him out of the way, even as the trident went right into my abdomen.

"Go!" I managed to scream.

Asher wasn't moving from his place but Burg pulled him along. I knew the two were crying. Never did I think that I would die in the bloodbath but it was worth it. At least Asher was alive. Aly and Burg too.

I fell down on the grass. At least the view was beautiful in my last moment.

Cassidy Kelly (18) D8F

I wanted to scream and cry at the carnage round me. two people were dead already, and the sound of the cannons signifying it had been too deafening. I simply hid behind the plate because I had seen what the Careers had done. All of them had made a ring around the cornucopia, each of them armed with a weapon. There was no way on earth I, or anyone else, could manage to get anything from there.

And there was the Deserter's Bell. I was sure that everyone was tempted to go and ring it. but we couldn't. We couldn't! It made me furious and unhappy. It was the height of cruelty.

I saw Aspen and Arrington trying to go away. They had managed to secure a single small bag, as red as any of the roses here. Oceane was the only Career who wasn't in the ring formation and she knew her weapons well. She hurled her trident with all her might towards Burgundy, even as Arrington got over the boundary.

The trident went right through him.

My District Partner gave the loudest scream I had heard at the pain. I didn't even realise when I had started crying. There he was, falling on his knees. Tears strained his cheeks.

"BURG!" Asher cried, trying to pull him along, "Burg you have to hold on!"

"Go…" he said. I saw Oceane walking towards them slowly, as if there were no hurries.

"Take Aly away," Burgundy said as his life started leaving him. Asher shook his head and Burg yelled at him to leave. Asher hesitated for a while but then nodded and said something like thank you. After which he fled, Alessandra slung over his shoulders.

I saw Oceane extract her trident from Burg's body and the cannon sounded across. It was terrible. My District Partner was dead…

And then my eyes flew to Aspen. Galilee had gone to meet her and grabbed her neck and twisted it and the cannon sounded again. She laid down the girl from Eleven's body back on the grass respectfully ad then stood up, looking at Arrington, who stood across the boundary. Galilee leapt towards her but she rolled out of the way. Grabbing the bag, she fled into the forest.

The Career girl didn't follow her in. Instead she went back into the ring, Oceane joining her.

The bloodbath had obviously not ended. Cecelia attacked young Oren. He did a good job of evading her sword, but the weapon cut a piece of his jacket. I didn't want to see what would happen next for I knew it would be extremely repulsive, but I couldn't look away either.

Oren writhed in pain, his body getting jerks that were involuntary. Cecelia stepped back and gave a cry as Oren's skin started to melt. It turned a nasty shade of red and then green and then it was slowly turning into a liquid…

I looked away.

Another cannon.

I saw Aileen sneak inside, even as all the Careers were staring at Oren. Everyone was staring at his corpse, except his District Partner. Aileen took a bag and ran for it.

Bennett heard her.

He turned around and saw her trying to leave. He ran after her and soon pinioned her in his arms. He was shaking his head even as Aileen tried to struggle out of his grasp. The boy dug his gauntlet into her throat, killing her instantly.

Olympia, on the other hand, attacked Tab and soon his cannon sounded as well. Quinoa just stared at his body, not moving at all.

"You're right Lily!"

With that she ran to where Aileen was and picked the bag in a swift motion, running towards the forest. Bennett could have killed her but he didn't. He didn't.

I saw Mateo run past me, something like a scythe in his hands and nothing else. He looked at me and I was scared. Would he kill me? no, no…

With a shake of his head he went on his way.

The Garden was deserted, apart from the Careers.

Crouching low, I crept towards the stone boundary. As soon as I was near it, I leapt over it and fled.

Burg… he was dead. His face flashed in front of my eyes but I shook it away.

I wanted to get out of here alive.

Oh my goodness, I know it is short but… here it is. The bloodbath, and I am very upset because of it. Firstly, too many people died and secondly, it wasn't very well written. I just wanted to get it out as soon as possible.

…Go and read the chapter first. Please.

Eulogies:

24th- Fynn King: Fynn was an absolute delight to write, and I loved him. He was evil and was an Outer District Career and maybe that's why he wasn't very popular. He was a really good character but I didn't know what I could do for him further, so his time came. Rest in peace.

23rd- Rowan Clear: I honestly loved Rowan. Personally, I felt her reason was quite good. She was a good character and I enjoyed writing her but her time had just come. Thank you for submitting her. You still have Olympia though, and I hope you continue to read.

22nd- Burgundy Lumineer: Caleb, he was honestly one of my favourites. He had a good personality and he represented something strong and serious. I really killed him only because you offered him as a bloodbath and I thank you for that. Burgundy will be missed.

21st- Aspen Rust: Aspen was an interesting character whom I loved. I enjoyed writing her while she was there. Thank you for offering her as a bloodbath. I hope I didn't write her too badly. Rest in peace Aspen, you'll be missed.

20th- Oren: I really liked Oren more than Aly, Pine, when I got their forms. I just saw more development opportunities in Ay in comparison to Oren. However, it can't be denied that Oren was an amazing character. Thank you for offering him as a bloodbath. He will be missed.

19th- Aileen Romeri: Aileen was a great tribute, but she was hard for me to write for. I felt I could not depict her well, and I didn't want that. She had a great personality and determination which I loved. Thank you for submitting such a good character.

18th- Tab Hamasaki: Tab was a simple but very realistic person. I loved his personality and his love for his family, his friendship with Quinoa. Tab didn't deserve it but his time had simply come. Rest in peace Tab. Thank you for submitting him. You still have Perry though.

If I killed your character, I swear it's nothing against you. I had to kill people here. I hope you all continue to read. However, if you don't… I don't really blame you.

What are your thoughts on the bloodbath? And the arena? Are you surprised by anyone's death?

Death List:

Fynn King- killed by Bridge Carter

Rowan Clear- killed by Oceane Cascade

Burgundy Lumineer- killed by Oceane Cascade

Aspen Rust- killed by Galilee Schwartz

Oren Harper- killed by Cecelia Vertigo and arena radiations

Aileen Romeri- killed by Bennett DeVallier

Tab Hamasaki- killed by Olympia Rush

Have a great day!