A/N: So, as you know, the original story got deleted. I am not happy about that. But, here we are! Chapter 24. Enjoy.


Tarragon Layland – District 6

Day 2. I'm already in agony. I'm on the ground wishing things were different. My father won't be proud of me when I come back. He'll be disappointed. He'll ask why I didn't take out the Careers first or why I'm still alive or something else. I don't have to be there to know he's upset. My mother is gone, just like his happiness.

My hand runs through my grimy hair. The sky is dark and lonely. I'm lonely. Each time I blink, all I see is the boy from Ten. His head dropping, separated from the rest of his body. At first, when I killed him, I felt a surge of power. I could control whether someone lived or died. I liked it. But now, I hate myself. The guilt is consuming me. I don't know what to do and no one is here to help me. I'd always taken my father's wealth from being a Victor for granted. I pushed people away. I'm mean and sarcastic. I'm the perfect killer. Distant, crude, apathetic.

My head aches. My mind is weary. My hands and my fingers, wrapped around my sword, won't move. The ground is hard and cold. The wind blows and a shudder runs through my spine. I want to crawl into the sleeping bag I have, but I only got it because I'd stolen the pack from the boy I murdered. I don't even know the kid's name.

I regret the things I said to Sage. Of course, I still want her dead, but only so I can go home. Only one person can go home while twenty three people will be dead. The stakes are high and as more tributes die, the stakes will only get higher.

I wipe my face and feel wetness on my cheeks. I sniffle and brush my hand over my face again. My breathing has finally calmed down. My hair is in disarray. My clothes are dirty with splatters of blood. And this is just the beginning of the Hunger Games. I wonder what I'll look like when I come out.

Suddenly, the branches begin to move. They don't just rustle in the wind. The branches reach up. I spring to my feet and snatch up my pack. I stuff the sleeping bag into the pack, slinging it across my back. The trees groan as they move. A face seems to morph from the bark. Teeth start to form and eye sockets appear.

As the branches reach for me, I sprint. In front of me, a massive log shifts. Legs emerge and grasp the ground. There are large talons on the woody paws. I skid to a stop as I notice the head coming out of the trunk. It has massive horns on the top of its head and nose. I jump as it roars loudly. The beast swipes a paw at me and I leap to the side.

It takes me a moment to get to my feet. I sprint towards another direction, trying to dodge the swipes of the beast's paws. The ground shakes each time he takes a step and slams his paw to the ground. My blood is pounding in my ears as I push myself to run harder.

Dirt flies up as the beast's front paws smash into the ground. I am thrown several feet, smacking into a tree. The breath is knocked out of me. I can't stand. The beast crashes into several trees. The cracks echo and I cover my ears. I gasp for air and stand up. The huge foot is raised into the air. It comes down onto the tree behind me. I fling myself to the side, just barely missing imminent death.

My face is scratched by wood splinters. I slap my hand across my face and blood coats my fingers. I notice an opening in the ground. The big paw comes down again. I sprint and slide down the hole.

I yell out as I slide into the darkness. Fear seizes my heart. What if this is a bottomless pit? I desperately reach out for something to hold onto. But the ground is wet and slippery and smooth. I try to stop myself, but can't. I slide off the edge and I'm free falling. All I can think is that this is the end. Then, I fall on my back. My head smacks the ground.

I stare, dazed, up from where I came from. The beast's paw tries to claw its way through, but he's too big. In frustration, he roars. I sigh and close my eyes.

I don't know how long I was out, but when I wake, my head throbs. I rub my temples as I sit up. The rocky ground is just as wet as the slide I fell on. Slowly, I bring myself to my feet. Water drips down onto my face. My face stings from all the cuts and scratches. I cup my hands, scooping up some water from a puddle and scrub my face a little. I wince at the pain.

Finally, I take a look of my surroundings. The walls curl around, but I see a little light around the bend. Rocks stick out on the walls. I carefully walk towards the light. My footsteps echo and it takes me a second to register the other set of footsteps behind me.

My sword makes a chink sound as it comes out of its sheath. I whip around and see a slender figure behind me. The young girl's hair is short and shimmers in the light. Some mud covers the girl's face. I recognize her. She's one of the girls Trenton was protecting. A sense of remorse washes over me.

"Who are you?" I snap. I don't know what it is about the girl, but I don't go straight for the kill.

"Rilly. District Eight," she says softly. "And you?"

"Tarragon. District Six." A voice in my head tells me to lower my sword, and I do.

Rilly Jarson – District 8

Tarragon lowers his sword. I didn't realize I was holding my breath until it all comes out in a whoosh. He's the boy that killed Trenton. My fingers shake at the thought of Trenton's death. Tarragon's hair is in disarray and blood coats his face. I take a tentative step closer. "What happened to you?" I ask.

"There was a muttation," he replies.

I squint for a moment, unsure. It didn't sound like a muttation. "A muttation?"

"Yeah, but unlike any mutt I've ever seen. It sprang to life from a tree," he explains. "It's massive with horns and talons."

"Do you want to stay down here then?"

"That'd be nice," he says.

"Then put away your sword."

"How did you end up down here?" Tarragon questions, sheathing his sword. I'm surprised he obeyed me, but that's not a problem.

"I was running from the red head."

"Gabrielle. Career." He begins walking towards the light. It's the only way out. The other end is a dead end. He ventures outside into the rest of the dead forest. "I think I'd like to stay inside for now. Temporary truce?"

I can't speak. I merely nod and step back inside. No one has found me yet, not even the Careers. The last they saw of me was when I disappeared down another hole. "You killed Trenton," I say with a frown. I have my doubts about him, but perhaps tonight, while he sleeps, I'll slip out.

"Yes, and I regret it already," he replies. He seems genuinely remorseful, but I just can't assume anything.

"I don't have any supplies here," I remind him. "No food or anything."

"I have some supplies. We'll have to find the rest later," Tarragon says slowly. He opens his pack and pulls out his supplies. A sleeping back, dried food, and some rope. I recognize the rope.

"You took this from Trenton's pack," I say, picking up the rope.

"Yes. Can we please stop talking about Trenton," he says softly. It was a command, not a question. "I don't have a lot of dried fruit left. And no water left."

"The ground is wet in this cave. I'm sure we can find some water," I say. "It has to come from somewhere."

"Can we just rest for a while?" Tarragon says, leaning against the wall. He sinks down and puts his head in his hands. As he rests, I pick up his bag and pull out his sword. I stare at it in disgust, knowing it killed my friend.

We decide to venture out of the cave after a while. Tarragon is armed with his sword and I take a sharp knife that he got from a pack. Night is beginning to fall. The sun would be sinking, but it's not there. The sky is permanently set in overcast.

Clouds are looming over us, threatening to bring rain. Tarragon and I search for water and food, but we come up with absolutely nothing. The ground is dry and most of the vegetation doesn't look edible. It doesn't look like any plant I studied in the Training Center.

As we go deeper into the woods, we start to get lost. The forest seems to be shifting, almost like a maze. Tarragon begins marking the trees so we know where we've been. It's like we're going in circles. The sky grows darker, and it's harder to see. The branches crack as they move.

Tarragon lets out an oof! as he falls to the ground, tripping over a branch. A bunch of flowers that are blooming, emit an odd type of smoke as Tarragon rises. He coughs as the smoke enters his lungs. Something changes in his eyes, they glaze over. He stares at me hungrily. He gazes at his hands, then back to me in horror.

"Who are you and what have you done to me?" he yells with panic.

Tarragon wields his sword dangerously and charges after me. He swings it around, hitting trees and air. It's like he sees something I don't. Hallucinations. I scream, turning to run. He nicks me on my arm. Blood drips down my arm. I can't go back to the cave. If I do, Tarragon will surely find me.

I head down a different way. Tarragon roars at me and sprints. Finally, he stops. "I will find you!" he screams savagely.

I keep running, far into the night, not even stopping when the anthem comes on. I don't look at the sky to see who has died today. The anthem ends shortly, so I can assume that no one has died today.

When I stop, I hear voices. I take account of my wounds in the low light. Blood covers me. I hadn't noticed how many places Tarragon had slashed at me. I duck behind a bush and peek out. There's two boys and a girl. It's difficult to tell what districts they're from.

"The only way to get her medicine is to kill," a male voice says softly.

"We can't kill anyone!" another male voice whispers harshly.

"I need to save her!"

"Wash? Dustin?" a younger female voice says. "Do you hear that?"

I hid lower beneath my bush. Suddenly, someone starts dragging me out. I start to scream, but the hand covers my mouth. I scramble backwards on my hands as the person let's me go.

"Who are you?" one boy, Dustin, snaps.

"Dustin…" I recognize the girl. Clara. She's coated in blood at her abdomen.

"My—My name is Rilly… Jarson," I stutter. Tears cascade down my face as Dustin points his sword at my throat. I throw my hands in the air in surrender. "I—I am sixteen years old. My birthday is June 19th." My mind races as my heart pounds. "My mother is a teacher and my father works at a factory. I have a younger brother, Benson, and he—he's seven years old. My best friend is Lyssa. She's like a sister to me. We b—both want to—to—"

The boy named Wash stops me. His face is grim as he speaks. "Run away. Fast." He tosses a small dagger towards me. I nod, picking up the weapon. I wipe my grimy face and run. I go as fast as my legs can get me.

There's a nasty crack as a tree falls in front of me. I skid to a stop, switching directions. I'm just so tired now, I don't want to keep running. I scream loudly when a large beast charges after me. It looks a lot like the beast that Tarragon described. Its large horns ram into trees, knocking them down. The feet clomp against the ground, making it shake. It hasn't noticed me yet, so I run even further away.

I gasp as I see a tree coming down. Immediately, I feel crushing pain on my legs and around my waist and stomach.

Parrow Hosira – District 10

Someone screams repeatedly. I look up at the dark sky. I stand up, putting out our small fire that was cooking a squirrel like creature. It's not poisonous, so we got lucky. "Bailey, we need to go," I say. I nudge the sleeping Bailey's shoulder. He moans and rises slowly.

I sling my bow and arrow across my back and load it. Bailey quietly collects our things, shoving them into our pack. Earlier today, when the anthem rang throughout the arena, there weren't any faces. The Careers haven't been hunting well at all. They will be angry to know no one has died today. Not only will the Careers be angry, but so will the Capitol.

Bailey and I have been taking turns sleeping and guarding our small camp. I pull my hair back into a ponytail and we trek deeper into the woods. I've discovered that the further you get into the woods, the more creatures you encounter. There are black crows with red eyes and lizard like tongues. Ugly squirrel like creatures scamper up trees. Bugs crawl all over the ground.

The deeper you go into the woods, the more mysterious plants cover the forest floor. There are odd mushrooms that are growing at the base of trees. Purple flowers are scattered around. When I step on one, smoke is puffed up, but I jump back. The flower is called a shadow lily. It can cause hallucinations among other symptoms. Many of the other plants are poisonous as well.

An oversized creature scurries in front of me. Then I realize, it's a black dog. A massive black dog with huge paws. It turns its head and sets a murderous gaze on me. It growls and bares its razor sharp canines. I raise my bow and arrow, pulling back the string and releasing it. The arrow scrapes the hounds face. It only makes it angrier.

"RUN!" I yell at Bailey. I load another arrow and run behind him. The dog snarls and barks. When I glance back, it looks even bigger than before and more muscular. My fingers grow cold in the air. I quickly fire another arrow at the dog and it misses. I curse under my breath. I throw my bow into my quiver.

"Bailey! Think of something!" I say. The claws of the mutt scratch my calves. I cry out in pain, stumbling. Bailey pauses to stop for me. He grabs my hand to help me. He takes my bow and smacks the mutt across the face. It yelps, giving us enough time to get a couple seconds head start.

"Up that tree!" He points. I wince as I put pressure on my right leg. I'm not sure if I can climb up a tree with my injured leg. Bailey sticks my bow back into the quiver before he starts to clamber up a tree. The dog is gaining on me. I shriek, clawing at the bark.

"Parrow!" Bailey calls out. "Come on!"

"I can't!" I say.

"Grab my hand!" Bailey leans down to hold his hand out to me. I am able to get a few feet high. The dog grabs my leg with its teeth. Bailey climbs higher and takes a branch. He throws it down at the dog. It doesn't completely knock it down, but it causes him to release his hold on my foot.

After it lets go, I start to cry. I can't feel my foot. Bailey helps pull me up and sets me down on a steady branch. He crawls to a branch next to mine. The branches are too weak for the two of us to it on. The dog barks and howls. It claws at the trunk. I'm breathing heavily. I yank an arrow from my quiver and load it. I aim for the dog's head. The arrow misses and buries itself deeply in the dog's paw. Black blood spills onto the ground and splatters against a tree.

"Payback's a bitch," I mutter. The mutt growls and limps away. I sigh with relief. I stare down at my foot, unable to take in all the blood. I grimace as I remove my boot. I wipe my tears away as I peel off my sock. Bailey takes my hand and squeezes it.

The wound is deep. The skin on my calf is shredded. Bailey takes off his jacket, handing it to me. I press it against my leg and foot, trying to stop the bleeding. I heave and sob at the pain. Never have I ever felt this kind of pain. I slowly remove the jacket, cringing at the sight of my gory foot. I'm not sure how I will be able to go on. I'll have to resort to killing in order to get medicine. That or doing something clever and entertaining. I need sponsors.

"We'll fix it," Bailey reassures me. "I guess now would be a bad time to ask why you never killed Tarragon when you had the chance, huh?" He laughs bitterly, smiling at me. I attempt to smile, but fail. Steadily, I wrap the jacket on my injuries.

I sniffle, leaning against the trunk. It takes me a moment to answer. Finally, I control my breathing. "I was scared. I want to win. I'm scared to kill and I'm scared to die. I don't want to die. I am terrified. I just want to get home. I need to get back to attend my sister's wedding. I just need to get back home. Next time, I won't hesitate though." All I have to do is keep my mind on the prize. I have to set my heart on the goal. I have to think about what I want most.

Ector Cabot – District 12

There's a distant roar. The Gamemakers have unleashed muttations. The real fun is about to begin. Colby sits across from me, gazing into the fire. His red eyes glow, reflecting the burning embers. He's gnawing on some sort of creature I caught. He doesn't even cook it. I roast it a little over the fire.

No Career dares to come near me. They know how dangerous I am. Plus, I have travelled deep inside the woods where no one will find me. Who knows, I might reach the edge of the arena. There's a force field around the edge to keep the tributes inside, but I still want to see what the end looks like.

Colby lifts his head after chewing off all the meat from its bone. His mouth is red with blood, just dripping on his chin and down his neck. His teeth are sharp and tinted red. "What are you going to do now that it's dark?" he says. A sly grin crosses his face as a deadly gaze examines his surroundings. His head twitches to the side as the wind whistles through the bare trees.

"I'm going to hunt down some tributes. I'm sure there plenty of them nearby. Did you hear those screams earlier? Sounded pretty close," I reply. I laugh to myself and finish cleaning the bone. I take a knife and start to sharpen it. Pretty soon, I have a bone knife to use.

"I will find you, Rilly!" A voice calls out. I glance up, trying to identify the direction the voice came from. "Where are you?"

I stand up, tucking the bone knife into my boot and lifting my sword. When I look around, Colby has disappeared. I narrow my eyes and head into the forest. There are heavy footsteps dragging across the ground. Something heavy is knocked against trees over and over again.

As I turn, I spot a tribute stalking through the forest. He also holds a sword. I recognize him. He's the boy from Six. He wobbles and stumbles as if he were drunk. He's slashing at things that aren't really there. I'm not sure if it's just me, but I think he's gone mental. Crazy. Insane.

As I approach him, being as quiet as a panther stalking its prey, Tarragon whips around. Red marks and scratches cover his face, particularly around his eyes like he was trying to claw them out. My face contorts in a slight frown as I touch the crimson liquid on my face. He cut me.

"Trenton? Is that you?" Tarragon says, staring wildly at me. He sneers, swiping his sword at me. I catch a glimpse of the sword. Blood coats the sword, dried and fresh.

I lean back, dodging the sharp tip. My sword clashes with his. The metal clangs against each other. Tarragon blindly throws attacks. He's very sloppy in his fighting. When he sparred at the Training Center, he seemed much more experienced. Something's wrong with him.

I lunge forward, but Tarragon steps to the side. He trips, falling to the ground. He jabs at my feet and I jump up. He's acting like a drunken hobo. He's not as fun to play around with. I kick his sword away. I step on his wrist, sending two more kicks to his chest and face. There was a snap when I stomped on his wrist. There were snaps as I broke his nose and probably a rib or two. The mutts will get him or whatever drug he's on will kill him.

Tarragon is successfully knocked out. Now, it's time for me to find a more exciting victim that doesn't act drunk or high. I comb my fingers through my hair and wipe the blood from my face. The cut stings a little, but it's not too bad.

"Where are you, tributes?" I call out in a singsong voice. It's the dead of night so most of the tributes will be asleep.

Merely seconds after thinking about tributes that I can slaughter in their sleep, I hear another set of footsteps. They're light and quiet, nothing like Tarragon's. Finally, I locate the footprints and follow them. Suddenly, they just disappear. They stop in front of a tree. I look up and don't see a thing.

There's a rustle and a small crack as a few branches fall. I keep looking around, but I don't see a thing. Then, I catch a glimpse of black hair, but I don't recognize the face. The girl finally stops, smirking at me. She doesn't throw any of the knives in her belt. She's high up that she could miss, then I'd have a knife. Obviously, this girl is clever.

I narrow my eyes into slits. I drag my finger across my throat as a sign to tell her that she's dead. I mark her as my next target. I take my eyes off of her for one second and when my gaze returns to where she is, she's gone.


Dead:

Morgan Colliet – D4

Kage Hatenn – D5

Corduroy Dowlas – D8

Gem Minx – D9

Trenton Cedar – D10

Maize Koranon – D11

Larkspur Fisole – D12

Alive:

Sorren Princeps –D1

Sapphire Princeps – D1

Conrad Avtlift – D2

Gabrielle Dictatrix – D2

Maxwell Hoover Demonico – D3

Pietta Carmelle – D3

Lucien Ritsert – D4

Nayeli Morte – D5

Tarragon Layland – D6

Sage Freedan – D6

Washington Hayner – D7

Clara Lignum – D7

Rilly Jarson – D8

Dustin Proelia – D9

Parrow Hosira – D10

Bailey Fera – D11

Ector Cabot – D12


A/N: Well, no deaths for this chapter. I just didn't know if I wanted to kill anyone off at this moment. However, one thing can be certain, at least one person will die next chapter. Who will die next?

Who was the girl Ector encountered? What is wrong with the Careers this year? Will Tarragon get eaten by mutts or will those mysterious flowers kill him? Or will it be his guilt that consumes him? Will Parrow fix her leg and foot? What did you think of Wash, letting Rilly go even after he said he needed to kill someone to get medicine for Clara?

Oh, my, my, my, so many questions!

Don't forget to check out the forum.

Vote on the polls, post questions and comments, and look at the graphics.

w w w . forum/A_Game_of_Chance/100130/

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, post it in a review, send it by a PM, or post it in the forum. If I get enough questions, I'll have my own little Q&A section either in my Author's Note in the end of a chapter or in my forum.