A/N: Thanks to richards25, PrincessLyoka, krikanalo, allonsydney, mangesboy01 and beauthg for reviewing! All support is appreciated :)

This chapter is sort of a semi-bloodbath chapter, and the last set during the first hour of the Games. Hopefully it provides a rather interesting final take on the deaths in the initial bloodbath :)

I hope that you all enjoy today's chapter :)

P.S. The dialogue in this chapter is taken from Chapter 19 of 'Catching Fire'.


"Desperate, but not hopeless

I feel so useless in the murder city

Desperate, but not helpless

The clock strikes midnight in the murder city."

- Billie-Joe Armstrong, 2009.


The 75th Annual Hunger Games (The Third Quarter Quell) - Day 1, 10.00 am

Peeta Mellark (17), District 12 Male (victor of the 74th Annual Hunger Games)

Green Day - Murder City (2009)


The gong sounds, and for the second time in a year I find myself forty metres from the cornucopia as the Hunger Games begin.

Last year, I spent time studying all of my opponents and making sure I knew what I was doing when I rushed to the cornucopia of the first day. This year, I have no intentions of doing the same. This year, despite learning all I can in the last few months with Katniss and Haymitch about all of our possible adversaries, I know next to nothing about the other victors as people. I talked to most of them a little during training, but our conversations rarely deviated from the matter at hand in the gym, whether that be throwing spears or learning which plants are safe to eat in the arena. I don't really care if they die.

The only one that I really care about is Katniss.

I won't be happy about the others dying, but it will be necessary if my love is to survive, just as she did last summer. I know it may seem cold-hearted, but nobody becomes a victor through compassion.

I suppose I could claim that I was ill-prepared as an excuse for not rushing to the cornucopia, but that contradicts with my perfect score of twelve. The truth is that I can't swim, if I'm honest. I'll just wait here until Katniss comes to fetch me.

The first tributes are arriving at the island and I'm still yet to see her. Then I notice Finnick Odair round the corner into sight, and I see that the small girl near his powerful figure is Katniss. For a moment, my heart comes into my mouth as I watch Finnick raise his trident arm to strike, only to hurl his weapon over Katniss and into the body of the man from District 5. I watch as the bloodied body of the first casualty of the Games falls back onto the sand.

One down, twenty-two to go.

I notice Finnick and Katniss standing back-to-back, their weapons at the ready. I can only presume that they are now allies, which concerns me a little. How come I was never informed that we had allies? Maybe it was a decision made in the spur of the moment just a few seconds ago. Whatever it was, I didn't know anything of it until now.

I watch as the first Careers reach the supplies, and Brutus is the first away, almost instantly getting involved in the action, running his sword through Seeder from behind. It's almost one move from there as he pulls his weapon from her body and swings it again, cleanly decapitating the male morphling from District 6. I feel nothing at his death. I never even knew his name. He never really stood a chance, anyway. I watch as Chaff bolts into the water before he shares the fate of his district partner, and I notice that two or three tributes are already clearing out, although most of them are too far away for me to recognise them from my pedestal.

Turning my attention back to the cornucopia, I can now see Brutus' allies, Enobaria and Gloss, making a beeline for Katniss and Finnick. Three on two with the Careers isn't a good situation to be in. Finnick's moved round to cover the far side of the supply pile nearer to Brutus, so Katniss has to deal with the other two Careers herself. She shoots at Enobaria, who slips back into the water to escape harm, but one of her arrows finds Gloss' calf, who plunges backwards into the water behind him.

Katniss runs back on herself to find Finnick again, who seems troubled by Brutus' close proximity. She fires an arrow at him, but he blocks it with his belt, which he is using as a sort of shield. Something spews from it when the arrow hits, causing Brutus to flatten out onto the ground and roll back under the waves.

You need to get out of there, I think, willing Katniss to make a move away from the cornucopia. Soon all four Careers - I presume that Cashmere will be joining her brother in the pre-fabricated Career Alliance.

It seems as though she's thinking the same thing, as both her and Finnick move away from the cornucopia towards me and my metal plate. They stop at the water's edge, and I get the impression that Katniss is preparing to swim out towards me. However, Finnick seems to stop her, and dives under the waves himself, swimming out almost effortlessly towards me.

"Come on," Finnick says as he reaches me within just a few seconds, extending a wet hand out of the water towards me. "Your wife is waiting." It takes me a minute to realise what he means, but then I remember that in the eyes, of the Capitol, I am married to Katniss, which I see as both a blessing and a curse. Maybe it's nice to dream, but part of me says that a marriage between the two of us will never be as real as I would have liked, which is a thought that I don't have time for in the first hour of the Hunger Games, when speed is of the essence if we are to survive the bloodbath. I don't say anything to reply but grab Finnick's hand firmly and he pulls me beneath the water. I find that I float much more easily than I expected, and Finnick puts a strong arm around me, pulling the pair of us towards land with his free hand.

Upon arriving at the land near the cornucopia, Katniss grabs hold of me and helps me up onto solid ground.

"Hello again," I say, kissing her as I stand. "We've got allies," I say matter-of-factly.

"Yes, just as Haymitch intended," she says, although after the interviews I know that our mentor wanted nothing of the sort.

"Remind me, did we make deals with anyone else?" I ask. Until ten minutes ago, I was assuming to just be Katniss and I, as it was last year. I can understand Finnick, as he's a near-perfect physical specimen and the highest scorer in training this year excluding Katniss and me. And considering what we did to earn our scores, I've got reasons to believe that Finnick will be the most lethal of all of us this year. I find that I'm glad he's on our side, even if it is only for a few days.

"Only Mags, I think," Katniss says, gesturing towards the old woman from District 4 who's slowly and doggedly making her way through the water towards us. I hadn't even noticed her until Katniss pointed her out.

"Well, I can't leave Mags behind," Finnick adds. "She's one of the few people who actually likes me."

"I've got no problem with Mags," Katniss says. "Especially now that I see the arena. Her fishhooks are probably the best chance we have of getting a meal."

"Katniss wanted her on the first day," I add, trying to appear useful, because at the moment I feel as though Katniss and Finnick have this whole thing planned out, and I know nothing. It's quite infuriating, really. I guess I'll have a chance to catch up once we're away from here, and temporarily safe.

"Katniss has remarkably good judgment," Finnick says, smiling, before reaching down to scoop Mags out of the water. Mags makes some discernible remark, patting her belt, but Finnick seems to understand.

"Look, she's right," Finnick says, although I've no idea what Mags was on about. "Someone's figured it out."

Finnick points to Beetee, who is flailing around in the waves but staying above water somehow. To me, he looks injured more than anything, and I notice that Blight is very close to him. Far too close for adversaries. I wonder what has inspired that alliance.

"What?" Katniss asks, confused.

"The belts. They're flotation devices," Finnick explains, and it does seem to make sense, at least to me, it does. "I mean, you have to propel yourself, but they keep you from drowning."

We stand together looking out at the tributes in the water for a few moments, trying to confirm or disprove Mags' theory, until Katniss breaks the silence.

"We should clear out," she says, and hands me a bow, an sheath of arrows and two knives. Mags pesters her for a while until Katniss relinquishes an awl to her. With a weapon, Mags seems contented, and Finnick hoists her over his shoulder, along with his net.

"Let's go," he says, leaving me and Katniss to follow him from the cornucopia.


A/N: If you enjoyed this chapter, please review! As ever, constructive criticism is welcomed :)

I've finally gotten round to it, so '75 Games; After the Mockingjay' is now published! Please feel free to go and check it out if you want more like this story :) I'm hoping to begin '75 Games: The Forgotten' during this weekend :)