The Nightingale Chapter 14: And Then There Were Five, a hunger games fanfic

Day 8 of the Hunger Games

My eyes fluttered open. I'm looking up at the sky. I'm moving. I looked up and it's Bran carrying me bridal style. He looked down and smiled.

"You're awake," Bran stated happily.

"How long have I been out?" I asked.

"About a day and a half," he replied.

"Where's Sage and Nina?" I asked, afraid of what of the answer will be.

"I don't know. After we got separated I couldn't find them again," Bran answered, putting me down. "While you were out the sponsors rained gifts upon you. Almost like a Career," Bran added.

I unzipped my jacket and looked at my shoulder where Cavail stabbed me. There is nothing but a scar. I looked down at my leg and saw the rip in my pants and saw no scar there again.

"Medicine from sponsors,"

"Amazing," I said amazed.

We were walking along and suddenly, something darted through the thick foliage in front of us. It was another tribute, I was sure of it!

"Tribute," I mouthed to Bran.

He nodded and crouched down. I did the same, and we peered through the brush. We caught a glimpse of who it was. It was Sage! I stood up and was about to call her, but seconds later, Merona Alp, the District 10 girl tribute, came crashing through the woods, a sword in her hands. Merona gripped Sage's hair and she screamed. And after that I felt like everything was going in slow motion. Merona used her sword and slit Sage's throat.

"NO!" My mouth opened in a scream of horror.

Sage started to choke as blood sprayed everywhere, Sage managed to elbow her in the ribs and break away temporarily. Holding the wound on her neck, luckily she wasn't cut ear to ear. But Merona caught up with her quickly and pushed her down onto the ground and crawled on top of her. She repeatedly stabbed her while Sage was grunting in pain. Blood sprayed all over the ground and Merona, Sage was being murdered. Knife drawn, I ran full speed at Merona and tackled her off of Sage. I raised my knife ready to plunge the knife and kill Merona, but she overpowered me and threw my knife to the side and rolled us so she was on top. Her eyes were bloodshot. Her once pretty auburn hair is a matted mess.

"What am I going to do with you? I know, let's start with a spot of painting!" she said crazed.

She pinned my face to the ground, one cheek showing. She pulled a knife out, and I felt a searing pain across my face.

"There, it's a smiley face!" she let out a possessed laugh.

"Say goodbye, you-"

With a burst of adrenaline, I punched her right on nose and blood gushed everywhere, this disoriented her. I grabbed another knife from my vest and instantly shoved into Merona's heart. Her eyes were now lifeless. In a way, it gave me satisfaction. The predator became the prey.

The cannon fired instantly. I immediately ran back to Sage, and Bran is holding her.

"I-I-I'm...s-s-sorry," Sage managed to choke out with teary eyes, apologizing to us repeatedly.

I shushed her, so she could save her strength. The first thing I did was remove the knife that was in her.

"If...that branch...hadn't...snapped..." Sage gasped, tears still falling from her eyes. "Nina...told me...not to...move from...our hiding spot," she continued. "I didn't listen...I...fooled Zelda and Lucian...into thinking someone...was close by...they left...Merona came into...our area...she stayed there," Sage explained, as Bran searched through his bag and my bag to find anything that would help her.

But now that I removed the knife, she was openly bleeding, "I tried my best to get past her without her noticing, but..." Sage didn't finish, glancing at the knife that Merona stabbed her with. "I kept running...I had to...get away...from her...it seems I wasn't quick enough,"

"Be quiet Sage! You need to save your strength, you are going to be alright," I told her with conviction.

"It's going to be okay Sage," Bran's agreed, his voice was trembling, he was on the verge of crying.

Sage however shook her head, as if she knew she wasn't, "No it's not...I'm dying..." Sage gulped, coughing violently. A spurt of blood shot from her parted lips.

"I'm okay Paige, as long as you, Nina, or Bran win, I'm happy. C-can you sing?" she asked me. I looked at her, a mist of tears formed in front of my eyes. Her young face, so ruined, so contorted with agony.

"Yeah," I whispered. I started out humming, gazing into Sage's fading eyes before I started singing.

I was broken, I was blind
Lost in a moment I thought I left behind
Then you woke up this dark soul of mine
Carrying a light I thought I'd never find

When you found me, I was all alone
The whole world around me, but nowhere to call home
I heard your voice sing like heaven's choir
Gathered up my fears and threw them in the fire

Oh, my darling, sweet love of mine
I'll hold you all through the night
I gave you your name; you gave me back my life
You're the heart of me, oh, sweet love of mine
You're the heart of me, oh, sweet love of mine

I finished softly, and a couple of tears fell from my eyes as I looked at the now dead Sage. Her eyes were still, unfocused, glazed and glassy and completely unseeing.

BOOM!

I held onto her, bringing her body to me as I silently sobbed for my young friend. As I cried, I realized how much hate I held for the Capitol...and Snow. They would all pay. The thoughts of my fallen allies, and the young children who died within the first five minutes of the games; they didn't deserve it. None of them did. I gently set Sage down and Bran gently closed Sage's eyes and sighed wiping the tears from his eyes.

I glared to the camera with all of my hate before I set off. Once I came back, I had an armful of colorful flowers. I sat down and started weaving the flower stems into a crown-like shape. I tucked the in last flower and placed the crown onto Sage's head, nestling it in her dark hair. Bran zipped up her jacket and kissed her on the forehead. I emptied her bag and Bran and I set the items that belonged to her around her as well.

We refused to use the items meant for her.

Looking up to the camera, I stood up and placed my hand over my heart and then lifted my hand crossing my index and middle finger together, giving the District 8 goodbye salute, that was meant for District 11 and Bran followed my example gave the District 9 farewell salute.

I walked away slowly with Bran at my heels. Tears stung my eyes as we left the body of Sage Fowl far behind.

Still Day 8 of Hunger Games (Night)

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I slumped to the ground beside a large Chestnut tree. Bran's face was crimson with fury and I could see the tears welling up in his eyes. Then it hit me.

I've just killed another human being. My shaking becomes uncontrollable, and began to sob. She was just trying to stay alive, like me. No, she willingly played this sadistic game. She wanted to kill, and she did. She killed Sage, and for all I know she's probably killed before. But still, the guilt stabbed me worse than any sword could.

I took a sip of the water from my canteen, but it got stuck in my throat and felt wrong. We made camp in the chestnut tree and I realized how much weight I have lost since being in the arena. But since Sage's death, I had lost my appetite. I heard the anthem began to play. Bran looked to the sky, but I don't. I know who's on there. The music stopped signaling the end of the day.

"Welcome to the top 7," Bran muttered.

Day 9 of the Hunger Games

When I wake I find that I am still in the same position as before, leaning almost drunkenly against the tree. I yawned, momentarily forgetting everything that happened yesterday. I untied myself from the tree and I quickly shook Bran awake.

"We need to move," I stated.

We climbed down the tree and walked through the forest, our boots crushing fallen twigs and branches. We made our way into clearing and my eyes fell upon a tall scrawny figure standing over some berries.

"I think that's Nina," I said, walking faster to her.

"Nina!" I called.

Nina saw me and stood up from picking berries and smiled at me, "Bran, Paige, it's been so long," she smiled.

But her smile vanished quickly and she stepped forward as if somebody pushed her. For a second she stayed like that. But then she coughed up a big clot of blood. I was about to ask Nina what's wrong until she fell on her knees and face first into the ground.

That's when I see the spear that stabbed her in her back. It punctured her heart. Nina was already dead.

BOOM!

I found myself screaming in madness while Bran tried to calm me down. I was able to exchange last words with Ryler and Sage. Nina was instantly killed. We weren't even able to say goodbye to each other. I heard footsteps approaching us. It was Zelda and Lucian. He walked towards Nina's body and ripped the spear out of her chest. I pulled a knife out and threw at Lucian's right hand. The knife embedded itself in his hand and he screamed in pain. He took the knife out of his hand and threw it on the ground and charged at Bran.

Zelda pulled arrow out of her sheath quick and shot at me and it grazed my arm. I heard Bran loudly grunt in pain and I turned around forgetting about Zelda. Lucian was standing over Bran who was staggering to get up. All of a sudden a painful slash went across my back causing me to fall on the ground. I felt a sudden stab in my gut. I wanted to scream in pain, but a big clot came out of my mouth. Just like Nina.

This is it I'm going to die. I thought.

I heard Lucian and Bran still fighting. Zelda put her knee where she stabbed me in the gut. I screamed out in pain.

"Your skin is so smooth. I can't way to cut it to millions pieces," Zelda said menacingly, while caressing her finger on her knife. Zelda cut my arm in lightning speed. She did it again and again. I tried not to scream to give her the satisfaction. "Why won't you scream!?" Zelda asked angrily.

She raised her knife to cut me again, but she doesn't. Instead she started gasping and clawed at her throat. It hit me she's being choked by Bran with a rope. I take one of my knives and slowly stand up. I stabbed Zelda in the heart and her struggle to breathe stopped.

BOOM!

Suddenly I was overcome with fatigue, I felt my body drop to the ground and I closed my eyes, and the world slowly melted away as blackness consumed me.

Two Hours Later

I woke up from a restless sleep- my dreams haunted by a laughing Zelda, Sage's lifeless eyes looking back at me, and Aidan painting across the arena in my blood. Gasping I sit up, my whole body suddenly paralyzed in pain. I cried out in shock.

"Take it easy Paige. You lost a lot of blood," Bran informed.

I looked down and saw my jacket was soaked in blood. I could feel myself shaking and sweat across my forehead. This was way too much blood. I should be dead by now.

"H-How am I alive then?" I asked.

"From Sponsors of course," Bran replied, holding his hand out to the gifts.

Two objects, one was a syringe, that was empty now. It was probably used on me to help me with my loss of blood. The other was a small container with barely any blue cream left inside.

"Were you hurt?" I asked.

"Just my leg and shoulder. I managed to slash Lucian's face that's when he ran off," Bran said.

As we were eating the anthem played. Nina and Zelda were shown, then the Seal of Panem, and then black screen.

"And then there were five," I sighed.

If I think on the positive side, there is another Career down. Less threats to worry about. But thinking about it from the human aspect, I hate myself. However much she deserved it, however much I had to do it to survive, she was still a person. I killed a person. I ended her life. She'll never breathe or talk to anybody again. She has well had a family. She had people that thought she would win and wanted her to come back home. I really shouldn't let myself think about these things. It only ever makes me think worse of people. Worse of everything, honestly.

"Try to sleep," Bran whispered. "I promise that you'll feel better when you wake up,"

"I...think...you're lying..." I whispered back.

I heard Bran chuckle as he laid down next to me, moving the blanket so it's covering both of us. I moved closer to him and lay my head on his shoulder. Bran hesitated a moment before he started stroking my hair. I'm starting to feel a bit sick from that feeling of guilt in my stomach. I wonder how long it's going to eat at me? Until the day that I die? Possibly. Chances are that day isn't too far off. But if I live past these Games...how long will it last? Will I have to go through it every day? Or will I turn to alcohol or drugs? Or in Finnick Odair's case, sex?

I don't know. I don't want to know.