Title: Deadshot
Word Count: 511
Summary: [Hunger Games AU - She could end it right now, aiming for his heart. Only two tributes left. | Korra. Mako.]
Rating: T
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prompt· hunger games
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Mountains are a tough terrain to navigate. With so many twisting paths, rock slides and barren places; Korra's not sure how she made it this far in the first place. She creeps around another bend, staying close to the wall to see if anyone is ahead of her. When there's no sign, she climbs up some rocks to a nearby ledge, hoping the dried brush at the top will give her the same cover its been giving her the last few nights. Settling herself against the stone and twigs, she suddenly goes limp, her arms and legs exhausted and worn down and she lifts her head up against the rock as shadows spreads over the hills.
Night is coming sooner than usual. They must want it to end.
The sky lights up in white images and letters, flashing against the backdrop of the mountain range. She forces herself to watch as the names and faces appear, counting them softly as they come and go. It doesn't take long for it to pass, and Korra finds herself surrounded by cold stone once again.
She says the number over and over again, like mantra.
Twenty-one dead; five today.
Then, she makes a small note in the back of her mind.
Three left.
She hopes the other tributes are far away from here. They're all running low on energy from hiking around in this terrain; they need sleep. Drawing her knees up, Korra tries to tuck herself into the stone and shadow as best she can, hoping the Game-maker's will let them rest for the night before drawing them together for the final showdown.
All of her wishful thoughts vanish when she hears the sound of footsteps shuffling along the rocky cliff.
She tries not to move. Or breathe.
Stay still. Or it's all over.
Light taps against the floor, the footsteps moving closer and closer. Slowly, she reaches to her side and grasps her fingers around the twined string of her bow. Then the grip, she pulls it up and takes an arrow from her other hand, draws the strong back just as the figure is pass the rock –
He turns around.
She has to catch herself from shooting him in the face. The arrow whizzes by his head, grazing the hairs on his head in an instant and he jumps back, raising his arms in surprise.
"Whoa! Easy!" he says. She draws another arrow.
"The next one won't miss." she says.
"I believe you," he says, walking forward. His arms are still raised, the sword strapped at his side useless.
She could end it right now. Two tributes left.
Korra aims for his heart.
And yet –
"Don't move!" she shouts and, to her own surprise, loosens the string. He stops in his tracks, just a few feet away, and stares at her. She swallows, throat dry from lack of water, her fingers tensing around the forgotten arrow. He stares at her with eyes that could pierce the rock she stands upon with the question that is running through both their brains –
Why?
:Fin:
(cries because I don't even know – that ending)
Still fighting through writer's block… Getting closer to a win…I might continue this (maybe) at a later date. But for now I was just writing to write.