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Ceres Milani
District Two Female, 18 Years Old
Bloodbath: Pt. I
"Let the Sixtieth Annual Hunger Games begin!"
And just like that, the Games have begun.
Surveying the area for a moment, I try to assess what this… what this fog is supposed to mean. It's a green-ish type of color, but with a gray mixed into it. The dim darkness of the arena isn't helping, either, and all I know that it's surrounding the area where the Cornucopia should be. But, the Gamemakers never make it easy, so they don't give us one or even make it light enough for us to see.
As the seconds tick away, the fog seems to push us closer together, and then I see it. On the branches of the trees, there are gas masks, and maybe that's what we're supposed to get. One boy, though, I keep my eye on; the one from District Six, Nerva. He's stopped right in front of the fog, and his next move makes me squint his eyes. He looks so careless, as if he doesn't care what's about to happen.
Why wouldn't he test it out first? All it would take is to throw a rock or something in there, and then watch to see what happens. He doesn't know what that fog or gas is meant for.
With one lunge, he jumps right into the fog, and then he's gone. His darkened figure disappears right in the fog, and through poor vision, I can see him fall. He falls down, and even though I want to get a closer look, I know I can't. He has to be, doesn't he? That means the gas is poisonous.
We can't get through the fog. Not yet, anyway.
That's why we need one of the gas masks.
It makes sense now.
Let that serve as a lesson for everyone else.
The first person to get ahold of a gas mask is the boy from Nine, who in an instant, wraps it around his face. He shakes it a little bit, not caring if it's too big on his face. Without hesitating, he rushes right through the gas, making it out of I assume. That's all it takes, then.
As I focus my attention back on the Bloodbath ensuing in front of me, I can see that Alamar has already taken advantage of the area. He's scooped up one of the random weapons that are plunged into the ground, it being a spear. He has it in his hand, and almost perfectly, he raises his arm, bringing it down forcefully. Watching the spear soar through the ground, I'm not sure it has an intended target.
Then it hits the boy from Eleven, bringing his body down with the force of the spear. It goes right through to the other side, and I stare at the boy's limp body, seeing that it doesn't even flinch. Two down already and the Bloodbath only just began.
I'm probably supposed to be looking for where my allies are right now, but it's too dark to really pin-point anyone. Sure, I can see Alamar and Carina, but other than that, some of them just look like a blob. I look for Constance's figure and hair and for anyone that has a similar run to Audric, but I can't see it. I'm sure they're fine – they're competent enough.
"Come on, Ceres," Carina calls over. "Don't expect me to let you steal any of the fun.
Her words make me realize that I have to start moving. I don't expect anyone here to attack me, but I shouldn't have been so reckless. I'm in the Games now, and I can't forget that.
As I begin to jog towards the only tree in the center, I am a little disconcerted by how dark it is. There's no sun or anything, only a faded lightness to it all. The fog seems to be fading away, too, and I guess that all we had to was kill a few tributes. I reach the center tree, grabbing one of the gas masks immediately. There's a single knife lodged into the tree as well, and as I take that, I hear a piercing scream. I press myself up against the tree even more, making sure that there isn't an opening in the twigs behind me.
I just want to see what's going on.
It's the girl from Five, but she isn't alone. Carina has pounced on top of her, a long-blade in her hand. I bring my back against the tree, my curiosity as to what Carina will do consuming me. From the look on her face, I can tell that Carina doesn't want to end her life just yet, but she does it anyway. This is too close of quarters to fool around.
Even though some tributes have made their way out of the fog already, it doesn't matter. We're still too close together.
With a swift flick of the wrist, Carina slits the girl's throat, the blood spewing right out of the slit. Carina pushes herself off of the girl from Five, standing up proudly. She smiles to herself, as if she should win an award. That's the point of the Games, isn't it?
The only award from this is victory. Not a sponsor gift, not the satisfaction of getting a kill. None of that matters to me.
From behind me, I hear the snap of a twig from the branches of the tree, and as I spin around, I instinctively swipe the knife forward. In front of me, I see the boy from Ten now hunched over, the knife lodged right into his abdomen. His hands are on top of mine, and for a moment, I contemplate ripping the knife out. But, I realize I can't do that. I can't give mercy to anyone.
I'm not here to let some boy live. I'm not here to kill, either. I'm here to win.
Dragging the knife upwards as it's still in his stomach, I pry it out once it reaches his upper chest, and watch as his body falls to the ground. That's all it takes, surprisingly. Just one knife wound.
Next to him is a gas mask, and as I pick it up, I see that some of his blood is on it. I rub it off on my pants, then placing the gas mask around my neck. I don't put it on, though, since it seems all the fog that was around us is all gone.
But, for now, that's enough from me. I'm not here to prove that I can kill the most, or that I am the fastest runner or that I have the best aim. Killing was just a part of the process to victory.
I didn't volunteer solely to kill.
I volunteered to win. And, if that means to kill, then I can't do much about it. But, no, I won't kill just for the sake of killing. That's not what I learned in the Training Academy. I learned to be astute, headstrong, and tactical. I didn't learn to kill for the satisfaction or for the attention.
If that's how Carina and Alamar want to play, then I'll let them. It's not just what I want to play by.
They can play their games any way they want to. They can kill carelessly, smiling after they drain the life out of their victims. They can think that there is some scoring system to whoever gets the most kills. That is their game, after all.
But, me? I'm playing a different game than them.
I'm playing the game of victory.
Rollo Damario
District Eight Male, 16 Years Old
Bloodbath: Pt. II
"Let the Sixtieth Annual Hunger Games begin!"
I don't waste any time.
Leaping off the platform, I try to push myself as far I can, not wanting to fall behind. I keep up the pace, trying to avoid any random weapons that are littered around the area. For now, I choose to ignore the fog, wanting to get a weapon, some supplies, and maybe a gas mask. I assume that those will come in handy.
I wonder what they're for, anyway? Probably for the fog, or maybe not. I don't know.
I make it to the tree quickly, not having encountered anyone just yet. It's hard to see anyone who's out there, unless I look really closely. I don't have time for that right now, really. I'm here to get what I need and to escape quickly. I'm not here to get into a fight, and more important, I'm not here to die.
I have too much on the line to die.
I have my brothers. I have my family.
They're depending on me right now. I need to win… I need to win for them. For all of us.
As I spin back around, prepared to go right into the run, I stumble upon something. Beneath me, my foot is tied around a gas mask string, and I collapse with it. I scramble to undo the string around my boot, but I am getting too antsy, not really sure what I'm doing anymore. After a few more tries, I finally undo it, immediately pushing myself up off the ground.
With that whole incident, it seems I dropped a backpack I grabbed off the branches of the tree. I look back for it, but that was my second mistake, since this time, I'm not so lucky with tripping over a gas mask. I trip of a heavy object this time, collapsing into my ankle awkwardly.
I grumble, putting out my arms to lessen the impact. Tensing up, I'm careful to move my ankle, knowing that it'll hurt even more if I move. Now would be a good time to have allies, but of course, I'm here alone. I did that to myself, though, so I can't complain. I wanted to be alone.
I didn't want any help.
I already have enough on my plate, and an ally would just put me overboard.
But, now, I could use one. Flipping my body onto my back, I raise my ankle carefully, hoping that no one can see me. I don't think anyone's really noticed me, but that's beside the point. From the ground, it seems to be a little darker and every time someone passes me while running, I brace for the worst.
No, this can't be happening.
It's too soon.
I can't just give up now… I can't just give up at all.
Pushing my elbows off the ground, I try to stand back up, but that only makes it worse. The pain in my right ankle is unreal right now, nothing like I've ever felt before. It burns and stings, and if that's any sign as to what I did to it, I don't know what I'll do. I've never experienced something like this, how would I know?
What does anyone do at a time like this?
Suck it up. Get up and run.
And then there's a scream. It's a loud scream, and this is the first time I've looked up in a while, and once I look up, I'm even more distraught. The fog's all gone now, as are all of the other tributes. The only tributes left are the Careers, but luckily for me, they're on the other side.
But, there's someone else. From the metallic number on the side of her suit, I can see that it says '12'. That's Amelia, the girl from Twelve. The Careers are all huddling around her, but the big one, the male from Four, steps forward. With a sword in his hand, he doesn't even think twice before plunging it downwards. But, just as he's about to bring it down, the girl from One stops him. She holds out her hand, revealing a weapon of her own, and points to the outskirts of the area. For a moment, I think they're pointing at me, but they're not.
In the distance, I see someone else… it's a darkened figure, one that I can't put my finger on, but it's a girl. I can see the hair, and she's on the ground just like I am. Probably tripped or hurt her ankle just like I have. Once I look closer, in the back of my mind, I think it's Maureen, but I might be mistaken. It has to be her. Everyone else got away, or at least I think… but her, I haven't seen her. It has to be her over there.
I can't help her; I never could.
"Looks like we have a straggler!" Alamar booms, me being able to hear his voice from all the way.
What are they doing?
Alamar takes his time to go over to her, with two scenes to watch now. Alamar makes it quick, not wasting time as he thrusts his spear right through the girl's – who I assume to be Maureen – chest, a faint squeal being heard from over here. I have to go; I can't stay here and watch, but something isn't letting me go. Maybe it's my curiosity or maybe it's my ankle. I don't know.
Now, I look at the girl from One. She looks like she's been taking her time, wanting to wait until Alamar is done.
Why don't they just do it already?!
Her name was Constance, I remember her especially from her interviews. She brings her sword down into the girl's chest, a distant voice speaking as she does it. It must be her, but what is she saying?
There's another scream.
One of the other boys – I believe the one from District One – turns around, apparently not wanting to see any more of this. The girl drops the sword to the side, kicking it away with her boot. The girl from Four pokes the body with her foot, nodding as she realizes that she's dead.
They're going to do that to me… No, no. They can't.
I have to get up.
I have to run.
With all the energy I can harness, I push myself up, the pain in my ankle making me bite down on my lip. I suck it up, hearing the heavy footsteps behind me, not knowing if they're coming after me or not.
But, I can't wait and see. I have to go. I have to run.
I have to live.
Once I make it down the first hill, I let out a groan, my ankle pulling me back down to the ground whenever I try to keep walking. But, as I lay on the ground, I see something a few feet away. It looks like an alcove of some sort… is it dug out into the side of the hill?
Pushing myself over to the hole, I look into it, seeing that it goes back pretty deep. Squinting my eyes, I try to see further down it, but there's no use.
I have to take the risk, though.
I took a risk by volunteering, so I have to follow through.
Even if I get myself killed, I have to take the risk.
It's the only way I'll win.
Damaris Ponte
District Nine Female, 18 Years Old
Seven faces in the sky.
Save faces that I shouldn't feel remorse, but for some reason… I can't help it. I can't help but feel bad. I can't help but sympathize with those tributes, with the parents of them and the Districts they're from.
What are they feeling right now?
Seven faces. Seven sons and daughters and friends. All of them dead now.
But, isn't that better for me? Doesn't this put me at an advantage, for these tributes to be dead already? I didn't do anything to cause their death, so I got out easy. I slipped right out of the Bloodbath, after I got a mask, that is. No one attacked me, no one came near me, and I kept to myself.
I wasn't just going to put myself out there… it would be too dangerous. And I can't risk my life. I'm not here for an adventure or for the thrill. I'm here to go back to my District – unlike these seven faces.
They won't be able to go back home.
"Damaris," Katcia says, making me snap out of my daze. "We have to keep moving. We can't stay… not after those mutts. They might come back."
"S-sorry," I stutter, trying to pick up my speed. Katcia and Silas are still up front, and even though Halley waits back for me, I don't feel much better. I don't want to put a burden on her because she has to wait for me.
"Is everything okay?" Halley asks in a whisper, making Katcia look at us over her shoulder. "Ignore her. She's just worrying too much… it's too dark for anyone to see us."
"That's just it," I say, a large sigh involuntarily slipping out. I shake my head, not wanting to talk to anyone anymore. I just want to be left alone, the sound of our feet stepping on the ground below enough to comfort me. "It's nothing, Halley."
It's too dark for me to see any of Halley's features, but I can only imagine her offering a smile. A smile that would usually brighten up my day, but now, it only makes things worse. I never thought the Games would be like this… whatever this is.
"Stop," Katcia says, and I can see her darkened figure stop, so we all slow down. "Do you have the flashlight?"
I hear Silas rummaging in his bag, and when Katcia turns it on, she shines the light on her clothes so no one sees it. It's much darker than before, but it's still dark. There's no sense of morning, apparently. As Katcia turns down the brightness, she shines it in front of her, pointing at something in front of her.
It's a hole of some sort. Sort of like an alcove in the hill.
Katcia crouches down, the only way I am being able to see her is from the faint light of the flashlight. She goes into the hole, waving her hand out of it once she's done looking in it. We all follow her, bumping into one another, and as we go all to crouch down, I feel Katcia let out a deep breath.
"We'll be fine… It's a maze of some sort. There are tunnels, but we have to crouch; no standing. We can all fit in, though."
Once I'm inside the dug-out part of the hill all the way, I lean against the side of it, not sure if it's rock or metal or something. I'm not sure how this works, that there are tunnels beneath the hills, but this is a new part of the arena. The hills seem to go on and on, but with these tunnels underneath it, I'm not sure what will happen.
If something comes after us, we'd be too slow since we'd have to crouch to get out… We'd be killed, wouldn't we? We'd all stampede to the exit but there's no way… There's no way.
"Damaris," I hear Halley's whisper again, her warm hand on my arm making me tense up. "Stop shaking. Close your eyes and rest. Tomorrow's a new day."
A new day.
We'll still be in the arena, though. That won't change.
Bringing my knees up to my chest, I curl up in a bill, closing my eyes. I find the sound of them all breathing soothing, almost helping me go to sleep. I just want to sleep… to close my eyes and dream. To dream of District Nine, to the place I used to be in. Not this arena.
I don't want to think about this arena.
But, no matter what I say, I'll be here. I will always be here, not being leave until I die or I win. To die or to win – those are my only options. There's no way I can get around this now. I can't lock myself up in my room like I used to, or take a walk around the forests to let myself think.
I can't be alone now.
If I'm alone, I'll die. I need my allies.
I need Halley, Katcia, and Silas.
Flipping onto my other side, I see Katcia hunched over in the corner, the flashlight still lit. She's staring at the top of the tunnel, and now I see what material it is. It's a rock, but it seems to be mushy, for a lack of a better word. It doesn't look hard, and if you touch it, it's kind of sort. The exit is only a few feet, while there are other tunnels surrounding us to go different ways.
Which way will we go tomorrow?
Will we stay here or keep on walking?
All I want to do is stay here. Stay here with my allies and hope for the best. I know that I can't be too wishful, but that's all I want. I don't want to play this Game; I never have.
Katcia finally closes her eyes, turning the flashlight off. Now, it's dark again, just like the rest of the arena. It's all dark, all so mysterious. I never liked the darkness, not even in District Nine.
It always had bad connotations with me.
But now, I have to get over it. Everything's out of my control now.
There's nothing I can do, except to play this Game. To be a tribute.
To fight for my life.
That's all I can do.
Chet Perry
District Three Male, 16 Years Old
Limnic is dead.
And I didn't do anything to help her.
It was hopeless. All I could do was sit back, let the girl from Four kill her. That's all I could, wasn't it? I couldn't take on a Career. Not Carina, anyway. She's too powerful. She's too strong.
She's too good for me.
That doesn't make it any better. She killed Limnic, the girl I swore to protect. Why did I let it happen? I should have done something. I should have risked my life to protect hers.
Limnic had a life to go back to. She told me about how bad it was, how much she had to survive for District Five. I understood her completely, knowing where she came from. She had a family to go home and provide. She didn't deserve to die.
It wasn't right for her to die. Not yet, anyway. She should have lived a little more.
Why did I let her get killed?
"Chet, seriously," Evan says from in front of me, stopping in his place. "Stop being down on yourself because Limnic died. Shit happens, life goes on."
"You don't get it!" I shout, not realizing that I should be quiet. I don't care anymore. "Limnic was my friend. I was supposed to protect her… I promised her."
My voice falls quiet, and as Evan turns back around, he approaches me. For the first time, there's a look on his face of sympathy. That he's upset about Limnic dying. We were an alliance – an alliance is supposed to protect all of its members. And we failed.
We let Limnic down.
And now she's dead.
"It's okay, Chet," Inger says from besides me, but she's only saying that. It's not okay and it never will be.
"Why are you not upset about this?" I say, my voice shaking now. "What makes this okay-"
The look on Evan's face makes me stop talking. I'm overly emotional now, my hands shaking from everything I'm feeling. I don't even know what I'm feeling, but it's all because of Limnic. As I look at Inger, I can see that she's staring behind me too, and that's when I turn around.
"Guys…," Evan says, his voice quiet. "We have to go."
Turning around completely now, I squint my eyes, the arena being a lot darker than it was earlier during the Bloodbath. In the distance, I can see something moving. It's more than one, definitely, but I don't know what they are. Their bodies are long, and they move so swiftly and are leaping about. They're like foxes, but skinnier and more jumpy.
And that's when I realize they're coming towards us.
Evan's already in a light jog, followed by Inger, and I force myself to get up. I have to survive for Limnic now, not just because she died, but because I failed her. I let her die. I make my way ahead of Inger, letting her trail behind, and I'm nearly in front of Evan when I hear a growling sound.
"Keep running!" Evan shouts, panting. "Do not look back. Do not!"
We continue to run down the small hills, then back up, and then back down, and as we're about to run back up, the growling seems to get louder. Then, there's the sound of a loud thud, and as I turn back around, I can see Inger on the ground. She's on the ground, just like Limnic was.
I can't let her die too.
She's my ally.
"Evan," I say, and he sees it too. "We have to help her. We can't let two of them die."
Over the hill, the fox-type mutts are already making their way down, leaping right near Inger. Evan and I sprint back down the hill, going right towards Inger and the mutts. I never intended in fighting, but I don't care at this point. She has to stay alive.
With a swing of his arm, Evan knocks his mace into one of the creatures. They fling backwards, and once they hit the hill, they poof up into a cloud of black smoke. It's dark, but I can see that at least. As another one of the mutts leaps at me, I swing my staff at it, making it puff into black smoke too.
But, as we get closer to Inger, there are more coming. They keep pouring in over the hill, leaping right down to where we are. Evan and I swing at them, trying to push them back further, but they don't stop pushing us back.
And that's when they strike.
All at once, they leap at us, catching the three of us off guard. There are too many for me to help out Evan and Inger, and as I begin to run backwards, I know that I'm leaving them behind. With all the anger in me over Limnic, I swipe at them, realizing that they aren't that strong or vicious.
But, there's too many.
Meeting up with Evan, I look to see where Inger is, and then I see her. We're at one side of all of the mutts, while she's at the other. Now that Evan and I are together, the creatures choose to swarm near Inger. She stands there helplessly, watching us with wide-eyes and mouth agape.
"Evan…"
"We have to go," he deadpans, already backing away. "We have to go, Chet."
"We can't!" I shout back, catching the attention of a few of the muttations. "We can't leave her like we did with Limnic!"
"Then you can go save her," he says back, and I know he's serious. "I'm going, whether you're coming or not."
So, I do what I have to do. I'd wish to help Inger out, but I can't. I can't help her; there are too many of these creatures. As Evan and I begin to run away, I resist the urge to look over my shoulder, the sounds of growling being more frequent. Then, as we reach the top of the hill, I look down at Inger.
They've already got her.
They're swarming on top of her, and although she's fighting back, it's no use. One of them latches onto her arm and leg, and that's all I see. One after another, they latch onto her, her appearance getting darker and darker as I put more distance between. Forcing my head to turn back around, I know I have to stop looking at it.
She's going to die.
Just like Limnic did.
When I hear Inger's cannon, I can't help but let out a moan. Another dead ally, only a few hours after the Bloodbath where Limnic died. She's dead too now.
Both of them.
And I watched it all.
Why didn't Evan want to help?
Did he not care about our allies?
Or did I care too much?
District Six, Nerva Vindex – Placed 24th
District Eleven, Lomman Rybar – Placed 23rd
District Five, Limnic Hablitz – Placed 22nd
District Ten, Peros Nebron – Placed 21st
District Eight, Maureen Lowell – Placed 20th
District Twelve, Amelia Winters – Placed 19th
District Six, Inger Melville – Placed 18th
Author's Note:
There's the Bloodbath! Bloodbaths are kind of tricky to write, but I hope it worked out well. Get ready for an action-packed next few chapters, since Games chapters with no action are drab. I prefer to keep up the pace and to always have something happening.
Once again, I'll be doing these obituary-type comments. Just to show what I thought about the character, why I killed them off, etc. Just keep in mind that with every death, I try to plan it accordingly and for what's best for the story. I try to make realistic decisions, without being too biased.
Nerva Vindex: At first, he was trouble for me. I wasn't sure how I wanted to write him or what I wanted to happen to him, but as the story went on, I sort of lost track. I still mentioned him, but I never found the right place to bring his character through (except for his training score, his interview.) I did like his character, though, but he was too careless to think that the gas would be poisonous. So, that is how he died; not by another tribute, so there's that.
Lomman Rybar: Unfortunately, he was always a Bloodbath for me. He was too young, too weak, and too friendly. He didn't have what it took to make it out of the Bloodbath, but at least he got an alliance.
Limnic Hablitz: Personally, I love tributes like these. Manipulative, clever, astute. But, she was weak and fragile, not being able to do anything for herself. So, she was bound to die as well, so I can't say much. I did like her, though, for what she was and what she did for the story.
Peros Nebron: Once again, he was always a Bloodbath to me. Him and Lomman were similar in some aspects, so I couldn't let one live and not the other. I accepted him for a reason, so he didn't die in vain and he did add something to the story. It was inevitable, though.
Maureen Lowell: Honestly, she was a last minute death. I didn't plan on killing her, but as I thought about it, I didn't have much planned for her. I sort of slipped up with her too, since I gave her a last minute POV as well, so that might have been my fault. I just didn't have to time do anything with her character, so now was the time to kill her.
Amelia Winters: You know, I originally had her placing further. Then I thought about it and got some feedback from the reviews, and sadly, no one really liked her. So, I just did what I thought would be best and killed her. Her death wasn't just for the death number to go up, though, so it'll have some effect on her killer. Killing her was for the purpose of the story, really.
Inger Melville: Inger was complex. Really complex, actually, and that's where I struggled. Her history was complex, and although I never really got to bring it through, I appreciated it. As you can see, I killed her and Limnic off so that their allies can grow from it. Chet isn't taking it too well, but we'll see about Evan. Once again, there was purpose behind her dying.
Well, I have a few questions, then.
What tributes stood out to you?
Did any Bloodbath deaths surprise you? Did you want someone to die that didn't?
And a personal question.
What would be your Bloodbath strategy?