A/N: We're over 200 reviews, so special thanks to MJElliot, splendeur, Violagirl23, mangesboy01, richards25, I-am-Cashmere-the-victor and charliesunshine for reviewing the last chapter!

Here's a victor who features in my other story 'Mentor', which I updated earlier today, if anybody's interested in reading it :)

I hope you enjoy the chapter :)


"The rivers of the pavement

Are flowing now with blood

The children of the future

Are drowning in the flood."

- Tom Meighan, 2009.


The 48th Annual Hunger Games

Harrow Greaves (18), District 4 Male

Kasabian - Where Did All the Love Go? (2009)


It's been a long time coming.

Finally, after twenty-two long days, we are nearing the end.

It's not been an easy ride, I tell you. I was a member of the Career Alliance for the first six days in this arena, which is a deserted city, before arguments broke out between the males of Districts 1 and 2, and I took my opportunity to escape before the whole thing fell apart.

After six days, there were eleven tributes remaining, and deaths have been infrequent since then. Now there are only three tributes remaining, one from each Career district. Daniel, Lily and myself. All of us are well-armed, well-fed, well-trained and well-prepared for the eventual confrontation.

It's been three days since that last other tribute, the boy from District 8, died. Since then, little has happened. I can feel that something will happen soon. I haven't been forced to move anywhere yet, so I can only assume that the Gamemakers are drawing the other two tributes towards me.

I've set up a temporary base in a small shopfront on what appears to be the high street of the city, not too far from the cornucopia, which was in the civic park at the centre of the city. I've kept all of my less important supplies in a storeroom at the back of the shop, and I'm currently crouching behind the wall at the front of the shop, peering out over the street, waiting for an unsuspecting tribute to walk past. I turn my small dagger over and over in my hands.

Maybe I'll be able to use the dagger for a third time today.

And then I see him.

It's Daniel, the overconfident boy from District 1. I guess I was right about the Gamemakers leading the other tributes towards me, as Daniel runs breathlessly, barely able to put one foot in front of the other as he turns the corner onto the high street, making a careless amount of noise. He crosses over the road to my side of the street, and I drop onto the floor, so that I am lying down next to the shop wall. He won't see me unless he comes into the shop, specifically searching for me. I can't be seen from the outside.

I can hear his staggering footsteps getting closer, hear his desperate breaths. I've no idea what he's been running from, but I'd rather not stick around to find out. I want to get the job done, then get out of here.

I watch as his shadow falls onto the floor of the shop. He's right outside, walking incredibly slowly. Eventually the shadow passes, and Daniel continues to walk down the street.

Now for the hard part.

I quietly lift myself to my feet, sneak to the shop door, and peek outside. Daniel's five paces from me, and starting to recover his breath. I have to act now.

I move silently behind Daniel for a few steps before abandoning stealth and charging at him with my dagger. He hears me approaching and turns just as I raise my dagger to strike, but I am to close for him to have any chance of reacting. I drive my dagger right through his eye socket up to the hilt, and Daniel screams, frantically swinging the sword that he holds in his right hand. Finally I pull the blade out and he staggers backwards, disoriented. I take advantage of his slow reactions to slash at him with the dagger, opening a large gash in his stomach. Daniel drops his sword and collapses into a puddle of his own blood at my feet, still crying out in pain.

I pick up his sword just as Lily, the girl from District 2, runs onto the street at the same junction that Daniel arrived from just two minutes before. She looks red-faced, and it's clear that she has been running for a long time, just as Daniel had. The reason that the two were running was probably the same thing, but I don't care why she is here. Al I care about is the fact that Lily is here, just twenty yards from me. She's not as worn-out as Daniel was, although I have no doubt that because she's half a foot shorter than Daniel was, she's clearly got better stamina. However, I assume that she's been panicked earlier in the day as I realise that she has dropped whatever weapon that she had whilst she was running. From the look on Lily's face as I advance on her, I guess that she's only just realised this too.

She just stands there frozen in shock as I drive Daniel's sword through her heart.


A/N: If you enjoyed the chapter, please review! Constructive criticism is welcomed :)

P.S. Only two days left for the competition...