Day 5 of the Hunger Games
I woke up and saw that everybody was already awake.
"Did I miss anything?" I asked sleepily, stretching out.
"There was an announcement how many minutes to a feast," Nina informed.
It's not hard to follow the Gamemakers' motivation. There is the Career pack and then there are the rest of us, probably spread far and thin across the arena. This feast is designed to flush us out, to drive us together. It may not be the most original idea I've seen, but it's very, very effective.
"If you use Bran's telescope you can see the Cornucopia," Sage stated..
I raised an eyebrow, "When did you get a telescope?" I asked.
"I've had it since the beginning, but I didn't figure it would be of any use to me," Bran replied, holding out his telescope out for me to grab.
I grabbed the telescope and walked to the edge of the cave's entrance and raised the telescope to my eye. Sage was right the Cornucopia is in perfect view. I'm surprised everybody followed me to the edge. All of us sat in silence, passing the telescope to each other as the morning went on.
"What time is it?" Nina asked curiously.
"Judging by the sun, it's probably 9:59," Bran answered.
"How do you know that?" Nina asked again.
"It's something that you have to learn in my District," Bran replied.
A hovercraft soon flew over the Cornucopia a huge bundle of food and weapons dropped in front of the Cornucopia and a large digital clock that hanged over the top. Nothing happened for twenty minutes.
"No one showed up," Ryler said quietly.
"No one claimed the food or weapons," I added.
"Someone could be out there waiting to pounce. The food and weapons are the bait," Nina pointed out.
"They won't be happy," Bran said, looking up to the sky.
It wasn't a question, but a daunting fact. Half an hour passed before the anthem played and Publius' face appeared in the sky.
"Attention Tributes! A feast was held in your honor today however, nobody claimed the food," There was a pregnant pause. His expression turned angry. "Do you not trust us? Dare you look a gift of ours in the mouth. We are offended, you have done wrong. And your actions are to be punished!" Publius shouted angrily. "There shall be some surprises throughout the day. Enjoy your time relaxing while you still can," His face faded into the bright blue sky.
I quickly go back into the cave and pack my things and everybody does the same.
"We need to find water before the surprises start happening," I declared.
"Shouldn't we just stay in here?" Nina reckoned. "It would be safer," Nina stated.
"At this point, I'm assuming the cave is not even safe anymore," Sage pointed out.
We climbed down the vines and as soon as our feet hit the ground, the ground started to shake. I turned around and see two huge gorilla mutts.
"Run!" I screamed.
As we ran, I wondered what the other tributes were faced with. This attack was no doubt part of the Gamemakers punishment for not attending the feast. They wanted a bloodbath. All of us continued running until a thud is heard behind us. We turned around and saw the gorilla in front of us, unable to enter, as though there was an invisible force field blocking it.
I threw a twig and it bounced back.
"We're trapped," I said, turning around only to see nobody there.
I yelled all of their names and still no response.
"Attention Tributes," Publius' voice echoed around the arena.
"We felt the arena was a little too big, so for the next two hours you shall be confined to a specific part of the forest," Publius explained. "You have been separated for the time being. See if you can be reunited, before it's too late..." He let out a menacing laugh before the quiet returned.
Two hours in this place was a long time. There would definitely be more than one death. I made my way in the direction of the lake. It was hot and I hadn't had anything to drink all day. Water first, then find my allies. I found a lake and filled my canteen up, purified it and then drank some water myself.
A twig snapped behind me. I nearly jumped out of my skin and I spun around, brandishing my knife at the source of the noise, but no one was there.
"It's just me Paige," Ryler said, coming out of his hiding place.
"Are you kidding me!" I hissed. "You scared me half to death, I thought you were a mutt or a career!" I exclaimed, and pulled him into a hug.
I waited by Ryler's side as he put in water in his canteen we continued looking for the others. A quiet whistling echoed through out the air before an arrow came to rest on a tree, six inches left of Ryler's head.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Vika asked mockingly.
Ryler and I spun around and saw Vika her expression was murderous, yet amused. Vika's once face looking almost unrecognizable. Her face was covered in dirt and scars; and her eyes were frantically moving around, unable to keep fixed on something for longer than a second. Her hands fidgeted at her sides. She had gone mad.
"Maybe if you kept your eyes still you could see," I commented smirking.
She let out a loud growl and sent another arrow spinning at me. I easily stood out the way, but then I heard a gasp behind me.
It was Ryler.
Vika ran away quickly and Ryler fell down on to the ground. I ran to him and caught him, laying him in my lap.
"I'm so sorry," I said in a raspy voice, "This is all my fault. I'm so sorry,"
Ryler smiled at me and shook his head, "Don't worry about it Paige, it was going to happen eventually," Ryler stated, a watery smile still on his face.
"It's still my-" Ryler cut me off.
"It's too late. I'm glad I got this far," He choked, gasping for air.
"You can do this just..." I began.
"No," He cut me off sharply. "You need to go on and win this thing. Leave me," Ryler breathed heavily, I see the tears welling up in those blue eyes and knowing his time is almost up. I force myself to nod, suppressing a sob.
"Ryler, I can't-"
"Promise me something," Ryler interjected, struggling to breathe. "Promise me that you won't let these games change you. You don't have to win, but stay the sane. But I would rather you win and live, Paige," He gasps, drawing heavy breaths between words.
Some of my tears fall onto the ever growing puddle of blood on Ryler's stomach, "I promise," I choked out. "Please...you can't die..." I pleaded, my hand grasping his jacket tightly. Tears were now freely streaming down my face as his sharp breaths became less frequent. "Ryler?" I asked panicking.
He goes still. So horribly still. I look into the face of my ally...no, my friend for one last time, I closed his eyes with my hand. The canon fired, announcing his death to the rest of Panem. I think of those back home in District 8 and think of how they will mourn him. I leaned down and placed lingering kiss on Ryler's still warm forehead before forcing myself to get up and move away from his body. Methodically, I slowly took out two knives from my vest and run after Vika.
I'm not sure what came over me, but I was sprinting harder than ever I have before and I soon catch up with her. I leaped forward and land on top of her. I flipped her over. She was bleeding from the leg and arm from the small cuts of the fallen tree branches on the ground. I threw punch after punch at her face. The no killing-policy had officially went out the window.
I stabbed her stomach, her legs, and her hands. She cried and begged me to stop, looking directly in my eyes. I froze, seeing a monster staring back at me in the reflection of her dark pupils. I turned my head and stabbed her right in her cold heart. The canon boomed. It should have been a painless death, but my predatory side had taken over. I didn't care what anyone said; I was a monster.
I slowly got off Vika's body, moving slowly in shock. I found myself back at the barrier waiting for the two hours to be up. I laid back on a tree and replayed everything that just happened. The Capitol got what they wanted they wanted death and they got it.
I threw a rock at the barrier, but instead bouncing back it hit a tree that was behind the barrier. I got up walked deep into the forest and find a tree to sleep on. I tied myself on the tree and the anthem began. Vika and Ryler are shown. Then the seal of Panem was shown and the screen goes black. I screamed louder than I have ever have, I don't care if the Careers hear me. I have lost half of my allies, my friends. For the first time in my life, I find myself wishing to be dead.
These Games are ending soon and I have to show the Capitol I'm not pawn in their Games.