AUTHOR'S NOTES: Normally I'm not one to post two chapters in a row like this,but yesterday's chapter was to make up for the lack of a chapter on Monday, and so today's is just me returning to my normal scheduling. Anyhoot, here's chapter 55. One of the names is actually a reference to my book, but I've woven a few of those in this story so far and there's been no harm done so it'll probably continue one way or another considering how many hundreds of names I will potentially need.
Whatever the case, Happy Reading!

The 55th Annual Hunger Games

The 6th decade of the Hunger Games was not as glorious as the 5th decade, but at the same time, that was a very lofty bar which had been set, and fortunately for the Gamemakers and their ratings, the games remained interesting regardless. The landscapes with which they made their arenas were varied and diverse, and this year, they planned to take advantage of that.

The arena for the 55th Annual Hunger Games was quite a sight to take in, with its rolling sand dunes as far as the eye can see. While the sun blazed down on the tributes, it was almost like this whole arena was in a more wintry setting, since the air was cool and dry, and even the sand was cold. Also of particular interest was that the arena uniforms this year did not have shoes, although as the clock ticked, some tributes spotted a few pairs in the cornucopia for the warier types. Most of them figured that this arena wouldn't stay cool and beautiful for very long.

The tribute pair from District 1 had swiftly joined up with the pair from District 2, and all of them scored between 9 and 11 in training, which was standard fare these days. District 3 also performed well, with the boy, Sterling, scoring a 9, and his partner, McKenzie, scoring an 8. They did not join the careers, but their friends from District 4 did. Mikoto Durell and Zak Dreggite, both of whom scored 10s, formed a loose alliance with the pairs from '1 and '2, but with the lack of solidity the way there was between Districts 1 and 2, both sides of this alliance would still watch their backs, especially later into the games.

Normally tribute interviews were all the same, what with 24 children making promises to return home that 23 of them would eventually break; the careers boasting about how they were going to dominate the arena (these being promises they usually kept), and the occasional kid from District 11 or District 12 telling the crowds not to count them out. These were often the most difficult children to discern, because of the subversive and sabotaging nature of their actions in the games. This year though, it was the boy from District 4 that said something that managed to stand out. When asked about the games, he replied with one simple but bold statement.

"It's brother against brother and sister against sister out there. I suppose any friendships I form in the arena are doomed to die."
It was controversial for sure, but no one really was sure what else to make of it, and so despite Zak being heavily monitored the rest of the evening, nothing else came of it. Morning would come and Zak would be forced to eat his words.

Sure enough, 9 tributes stained the white sands red with their blood the morning of the games, and the careers went for the boots, not wanting to take chances against the gypsum sands. As always there were weapons in the arena; the Gamemakers would never force the tributes to kill each other with their bare hands, and thankfully they weren't more like tools the way they had been the previous year. Axes, spears, swords, bows, knives, and other such instruments of death were littered around the cornucopia. There were not quite as many weapons, and there were a few random shards of metal as well, but the 15 remaining tributes all managed to arm themselves with at least something before they ventured off into the sandy wilderness.

There was nothing but sand and desolation as far as the eye could see. Every now and again over the rolling dunes was a large cactus or other plant, which proved to be full of water and also had fruits that were edible. This was the desert, and it was hostile and unforgiving, even if it was cooler than the stereotypical desert for some reason.

The evening grew even colder, but it was actually one of the most spectacular views of the sky any tribute (or Capitolite) had ever seen. The bright moon and stars were plainly visible, and it was like a vast array of glittery sprinkles against the black abyss, to see so many stars like that. Zak and Mikoto checked their packs later that evening, to find a tent of all things, among their belongings. Deciding to pitch it, they took the risk of being noticed, even if they had nestled themselves safely between two large dunes.

This actually proved to be one of the better moves they did, because it kept them in the shadow of the wind, which kicked up late into evening 2. It persisted into day 3 and day 4, almost burying the little tent in sand. Some other tributes must have gotten lost in the gypsum whirlwinds, because 3 cannons went off, one of which was the girl from District 1.

Day 5 saw the clear skies again, with spots of clouds here or there, but nothing to really cast an eye at. The temperature was still cool and pleasant, but if the Capitol was going to shoot hazards into the arena like tempestuous winds, the tributes stayed on guard in case something else came up.

Zak and Mikoto explored the arena, splitting up to cover more ground. They left their tent up since they didn't really have any other supplies to have looted. Both of them came back that evening with another kill added to their score, making them two of the three tributes to score a kill that day.

Day 6 left 9 tributes in play, and one look at the sky was a clear sign that they needed to find higher ground immediately. Dark grey clouds began rolling in, and the District 3 pair in particular knew that this meant danger.

"most normal sand is made of quartz or something similar," Sterling told his partner, "this is gypsum, which dissolves in water. We're in for a wild ride…"

"Then let's get as high as we can and away from what looks like a flood!" McKenzie agreed.

Sure enough, days 7 and 8 were encompassed completely by over 48 hours of torrential downpours. The low points of the dunes were carved into river valleys, sweeping away two different tributes, including the boy from District 1. Zak, Mikoto, and Sterling were okay, but McKenzie was the other victim, leaving only the pair from Districts 2 and 4, as well as the boys from District 3 and District 9, and the girl from District 11. The latter of these died late in the evening before the rains stopped, although she was killed by one of the remaining careers.

Day 9 brought forth a new type of hazard, which seemed to be designed to draw the tributes together. Multitudes of moderately-sized white lizards emerged from the sands, and at first they seemed harmless. However, Mikoto learned the hard way that they were poisonous when she killed a couple of them and tried eating them. she died, and was not the only one that died that day. The other two non-career boys were killed by the girl from District 2, and by Zak. After counting the cannons, Zak knew that he was outnumbered and that they were likely going to come for him, and so he set a trap up for them. He pitched his tent again, right around a dune that he knew housed those lizard mutts. He took his axe and blazed a trail around the still damp, cool sand, to try and find his targets. Luckily for him, it seemed he wouldn't have to actually do much fighting. The District 2 pair raided his camp without question or hesitation, only to find his decoy, and suddenly find swarms of lizards attacking them. The girl lost her life to these mutts, while her partner fled with only minor injuries.

Unfortunately for him, Zak was waiting just out of sight, and by the time he was in sight, Zak's axe had lodged itself in the boy's chest, killing him and ending it on the spot. Zak was now the 4th victor from District 4, and the 55th Victor of the Hunger Games.

Zak was wary around the sandy beaches of his home district after the games, and he didn't take kindly to the presence of lizards of any sort. The weather was something he was used to, including the torrential rains and winds. His reaction was simply to take shelter and remember his survival skills from the arena, and that was exactly what he did. Apart from a few fears and quirks, Zak managed to remain fairly stable, and helped put District 4 back into the running again.

VICTORS BY YEAR:
1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)