Chapter Eighteen.
Bloodbath.
Sadie Ariste; 18 years old.
District Two Female.
What?
A few seconds ago, Sadie's platform had set, and she finally managed to have a look on the arena. The first she had noticed was the darkness. There was nothing, not a single glimpse of the sun or a fire, to give them some kind of light on what the arena was supposed to be. It was only when all twenty-four platforms settled into the arena, that the only source of light came into view.
Around them, twenty-four torches illuminated the room at the same time, finally allowing Sadie to see her surrondings. She wasn't nervous, no. She was Sadie Ariste, and she was there to do what she had trained to do, all of her life. But hell, she was human, and Sadie had to admit that when she saw the arena for the first time, she was scared.
Hell, if anyone wasn't scared, then they weren't human.
They were in some sort of cave, all twenty-four plantforms in a circle around the Cornucopia. Besides the torches, and the light from the digital countdown at the top of the Cornucopia, there weren't any other light sources around. But it were the skulls and bones lining the walls, arranged in a macabre fashion, that finally told Sadie where they were. From all that she could see, the bones lining the walls went on and on and on, and for all that Sadie knew, that could be all there was to the arena.
Behind her, there was a tunnel of some sort, leading away to the darkness. Right, there must have been the way out of the cave. Sadie felt the nerves starting to creep up on her, but she quickly shaked them away. You're a Career, not a street rat. Act like it.
She would explore the arena later, with the others by her side. Right now, it was time to do what needed to be done. To her left, there was the boy from Twelve and to her right, the girl from Five. She was a Career, trained with everything, including fists and feet. She could take both of them down, right there, without bothering to get a weapon.
But... what good could it be? What was stopping any of them from taking her out, while her back was turned?
No, she would deal with them later. It was only by then that Sadie noticed that it wasn't any normal Cornucopia, no. Lining up inside of it were twelve backpacks, each of them with the district number.
Only twelve. It was clear that they had only given them twelve backpacks to start confusion, and to make even more drama than what was going to happen in a few seconds. They... they expected them to work with their own district partners. Sadie almost cringed at that. Yes, that backpack was hers and if Nikolai tried to even reach it, she would end it, just like she would end that little alliance of his.
Her Games. Her backpack. Her victory.
40 seconds.
39.
38.
37.
She looked around, trying to find any of the remaining Careers, but the closest thing she could see was the back of Alexa's head. Good, that was good. If any of them messed up, she would take them out. When she remembered Jasko, Sadie tightened her hands into fists. Soon, she would soon him who the real boss was.
But now, it was time to play.
Twenty seconds.
She would soon them all, show them who the real Sadie was. She was much better than them, and would always be.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
"Ladies and gentlemen, let the Seventy-Second Hunger Games begin!"
When the gong sounded, Sadie bolted off her pedestal, proceeding to the center of the Cornucopia. The adrenaline rushed through her body, making her want to get to the Cornucopia faster. To get her hands on a weapon, and to kill. Kill, kill, kill.
When she got there, it was at the same time that Nikolai did. Nikolai slamed into her, full force, and they went left and right on the ground. Sadie felt her anger taking the best of her, but for that moment, forced herself to think clearly. He's not getting that backpack. Mine, mine, mine. They weren't too far away from the center. She could, she could... yes. Sadie grabbed the first thing that her hands found, the awfully big District One backpack, and swinged it at Nikolai.
All it took was one second for Nikolai to get distracted, and for Sadie to get up. "You little shit," She spitted, adjusting her eye sight to her surrondings. "Thought you could beat me? Then you are as dumb as I thought." Grabbing Nikolai by the hair, Sadie sent her knee into his back, making him arch, and drap the backpack that he was once holding.
Once he fell, Sadie sent another kick to his ribs, and grabbed the backpack. Tearing it open, and dropping the useless things to the ground, she finally found what she was looking for. It was nothing but a simple knife, but it would be all that it took. She grabbed the knife and was about to swing at Nikolai's neck, when she noticed it. He was gone. Shit.
If Nikolai thought that he could beat her, then he was in for a big suprise. When she finally got her hands on him, she would make him suffer. Piece by piece, he would die. But now, it was time to kill . A small boy - or was it a girl? - kneeled next to the backpacks, fiercely kicking backpack after backpack, probably looking for his own. This boy, Sadie didn't knew him.
It didn't matter. He would pay for what Nikolai had just done to her.
The boy only noticed her at the last second. He was from Eight, Sadie realized. But now, it wouldn't matter. He got up, and before Sadie could react, sent a quick punch flying towards her face, and tried to leave. Sadie didn't gave him enough time, grabbed him by the long hair, and sank the knife deep into his neck.
He gasped, and crumpled to the ground, the knife still in his neck. For a few seconds, the boy grabbed his throat, trying to stop the bleeding, but it wasn't worth it. He was done for good, and when his hand gave a final twitch, Sadie removed the knife. A poodle of blood was already starting to form around him, but she didn't care.
She had killed.
Let the Hunger Games begin.
Alexa Cadwell; 18 years old.
District One Female.
It was complete chaos.
Alexa had met Tiena among the way to the Cornucopia, and to there, they watched each other's backs. They were very alike, Alexa and Tiena. Both of them weren't too loud, like Sadie and yet, both of them had something to prove.
And now, the time had come to prove it.
When they reached the Cornucopia, with Sadie already fighting Nikolai, Alexa motioned to Tiena. "Do you think we should help? I mean, she's our leader." If Sadie died, maybe it could all be normal. Without her, they would simply be a normal Career pack.
She found herself wishing that Nikolai would just end Sadie's life, right there. "And that's exactly why we should stay out of the way," Tiena shrugged, picking up the District Four backpack, and a spear. "Just do what you have to do." With that, she left, chasing after the girl from Seven.
Do what you have to do. Alexa repeated Tiena's words in her head, over and over again. She didn't want to kill, not really. She didn't have any pleasure in taking a life, or imaginating the family of the tribute mourning their loss back home. But she was also there because she had to, not because she wanted to.
In the Hunger Games, there was a big difference between have to and want to.
Almost like she was in a dream, or a terrible nightmare for that matter, Alexa watched as Sadie sank her knife into the back of the boy from District Eight, without even blinking an eye. She was supposed to be like that, Alexa realized. It's true, she didn't have that much sympathy for Sadie but in the end, Alexa respected her, for being exactly what a Career was supposed to be.
Beautiful. Deadly. Ruthless.
"Well, are you going to just stand there and look at me?" Sadie hissed at her, and the boys quickly joined them. Sadie turned to Alexa, and tossed her the District One backpack. Alexa caught it, and for a second she dared herself to hope. When her hands reached the handle of an axe, she couldn't help it but smile. Tossing the rest of the backpack contents at Aidan, she swang her axe.
"Bring me Nikolai," She spat. "I don't care who do you have to kill, or what do you have to destroy, but I want him dead by the end of the day." Aidan quickly nodded, and Alexa followed him, but only Jasko stayed quiet. "Go on! There are tributes to kill!" Aidan and Jasko went through different sides, and Sadie quickly retreated to the Cornucopia, probably to search for more weapons.
That was when Alexa noticed him. The smaller boy from Five, knealing by the body of the boy from Eight, a small knife in his hand.
Do it. End him. Or else, you are as useless as them.
The boy turned around, but the sight was haunting. His mouth was covered in blood, probably the boy's blood, and so was half of his shirt. W-what had he been doing? Drinking it? When the boy noticed her, axe in hand, he quickly got up. With the knife in his right hand, he extended his arm foward, and before Alexa could do anything, buried the knife in her shoulder.
Hot, agonizing pain ripped through her shoulder, but she tried to ignore it. She fell, and the boy sent kick after kick to her stomach. No, she couldn't, she couldn't die like that. Ripping the knife out of her shoulder, Alexa felt the tears streaming down her face, but she didn't pay it much attention. When the boy turned, ready to send another kick to her stomach, Alexa used every bit of strenght that she had, and sank the knife into the boy's foot.
He howled in pain, and tried to take it out, but it was in vain. Alexa was a Career, and she had a training score of nine, while the boy had a simple score of two. Everything he had gotten until there was mere luck. While he tried to get the knife out, Alexa used both of her legs and slammed them against his chest, pushing him down and giving her the opportunity to get up.
By then, all she wanted to do was to end his life and be done with it. He was done for good. He wouldn't be able to get the knife out of his foot, and even if he did, he would be too hurt to run. This is your kill. End him.
Using her left hand, Alexa swang her axe, burrying it in the boy's chest, with all the strenght that she had. His back arched in pain, the axe still buried in his chest. Alexa ripped it out, and she was about to turn around and leave, when she noticed that the boy was still moving. "I'm sorry," She whispered. "But I really don't want to die."
When he saw what she was about to do, the boy gave her a thin smile. "T-thank you." Alexa lowered the weapon, and buried her axe on his head, ending his life. Alexa wanted to leave, but she seemed to be frozen on the spot. This boy... she had ended his life. Somewhere, in District Five, there were people crying for him. Mourning their son, brother, and friend.
They would always think of her as the monster that killed their boy. Tears blocked her vision, but Alexa quickly blicked them away. This wasn't a time for crying, or for being weak. If she wanted to get out of there, if she wanted to go home, this was the time to be strong. Alexa wanted to leave the arena as herself, and no one else. But right there, looking down on the body of the boy from Five, she realized one thing.
No matter what she wanted, the Games would change her in one way or another, for good or for bad. After all, how could anyone take someone else's life, and stay exactly like they were before that?
It wasn't possible. Or maybe it was, and Alexa was just missing something very important. She would have to go back into the fighting, though. One kill wasn't enough, of course it wasn't. There was so much to prove, and if she couldn't kill someone else, maybe she would lose all the sponsors that she managed to get in her interview.
I killed someone. You want me to kill again?
I will. To prove myself, I'll do whatever it takes.
Preston Hewitt; 17 years old.
District Six Male.
So far, luck had been on his side.
Preston gathered up his bow and a quiver; which he had had found inside the Cornucopia, when everyone was distracted. If they were somewhere else, that didn't involve a fight to the death, Preston would have loved nothing more than to join the fight. He was a teenager, and one that happened to love a few punches, here and there. But even if he was a little bit reckless, he had a brain. If he tried to join in the fight in there, he would end up with a knife on his back by the end of the day.
He stayed out of the way. Preston had sneaked into the Cornucopia, gotten his bow, and gotten out. Simple as that, but right now, came the hardest part. Right now, he had to find his allies. It was by then that something on the corner of Preston's eye caught his attention. A small backpack, smaller than the others at least, with a green three, printed on the front.
He could make a run for it. And whenever the girls appeared, they could get the hell out of there, with two backpacks. Placing the quiver back in place, and with the bow on his right hand, Preston made a run for it.
His legs start to ache after a while, but Preston ignored the pain completely when he got his hands on the backpack. He threw it over his shoulder and was about to consider to get and get a torch - wherever those tunnels lead to, it probably would be dark - when a sharp pain to the back of his head knocked him to the ground. One of the backpacks rolled away and landed a few meters away from Preston, while the other remained on his shoulder.
"What the hell do you want?" Preston spat, before he managed to see who it was. Preston barely had time to recognize the boy from Three, before the older boy got the chance to send his fist flying into Preston's face. It wasn't the loud crank, but the agonizing pain that told Preston that his nose was broken. Fucking asshole.
"No need to resist," The boy said, and quickly removed the bow from Preston's hands, throwing it away to corner. "You took my backpack, and I really really didn't want to do this, but I have to." Like hell you will.
The day that he went down without a fight, would be the day that Preston Hewitt was no longer himself. On the ground, he kicked up, his foot meeting the boy's crotch. Blaine howled in pain, bending his back, hands over his crotch. Preston got up, and sent his fist flying into Blaine's stomach, over and over again. Blaine grabbed him by the jacket, and quickly threw him down again, bringing his axe down.
Preston only had time to grab his bow, and block the hit. Thank God it's not made of wood, or I would be dead already. Blaine brought his axe down again, but Preston rolled to the side, avoiding the hit, all over again.
If he could only get to his quiver... Then he could use an arrow and end the bastard right there.
But a second later, it was all over. The blade of a sword appeared, poking out of Blaine Parker's ribs. The boy fell to his knees, gasped in pain, but before he could do anything else, the blade went through his skull, putting an end to his life. The blood fell down on Preston like warm, thick rain and he only had the time to cover his face, before Blaine's corpse fell on top of him.
It was only when he was saw Ryella; standing over Blaine's body, a bloody sword on her hand, that Preston allowed himself to breath a sigh of relief. "I had him, you know." Ryella merely arched an eyebrow, and offered him an hand. He was about to grab it, and get up, when Ryella punched him straight in the face, and straight on his broken nose.
"W-what was that for?" Preston moaned in pain, but Ryella only shrugged. "For being an asshole, maybe? Oh, and for almost getting yourself killed. And for being an ungrateful little bastard too, I suppose."
"You're a bitch, but God, an hot one." Ryella only shrugged, picking up the District Three backpack and motioning for him to follow her. Preston quickly got up, and with an arrow notched on his bow, follow Ryella, while protecting both of their backs.
"Oh, hi!" Leila greets him once he reaches them again, a warm smile on her face, like always. "You okay, Preston? Your face..." Ryella sighed, handing the District Three backpack to Leila. "Asshole got himself in a fight over that. The boy nearly killed him, but I got him first."
"Let's go, then." Sedna said, and the fouur of them took of running. Maybe; if Preston wasn't as tired as he was, with the throbbing pain on his head getting worse with every move he made, he could have noticed.
The whistle of a spear flying through the air, right out of Tiena Pensiere's hand, and lodging itself on Sedna's back. Sedna fell to her knees, the spear still lodged in her back, a soft cry being the last thing that comes out of her mouth before she drops entirely to the ground.
Leila gasped, falling to her knees, right after her friend, sobbing. "Sed-Sedna, w-what.. N-no, s-she can't b-e d-ded, n-no." She pulled Sedna's body to her arms; Leila's tears falling into Sedna's face, one after the other. It seemed like an eternity when Leila raised her head, bloodshot eyes and messy hair, but a strangely determined look on her face.
"She killed Sedna... I'M GOING TO KILL HER!" Leila started to get up, but Preston quickly grabbed her arm, but only getting an elbow to the face in return. "She was my friend." Preston tried to grab her, but Leila was fighting too much. Sedna was his ally too, and Ryella's. Weren't they supposed to mourn her too? Yes, they were. But not there, when all three of them could get killed at any moment.
Considering how loud Leila was screaming, Preston wouldn't be suprised if all three of them were dead soon enough. Ryella quickly stepped in, slapping Leila right across the face, shutting her up. "Listen, do you want to live or not? We have to go." Ryella's eyes met Preston's, and soon, he knew. He threw Leila over his shoulder, and motioned for Ryella to follow him. She ripped the spear out of Sedna's back, gathered their backpack and joined them.
Oliver Craddocks; 16 years old.
District Nine Male.
Without anything but the torches to guide him, Oliver made his way to the Cornucopia, making sure that he didn't come face to face with anyone that he couldn't face.
He was good, better than most of them, and Oliver was aware of that. But he also had a brain, and if the Careers came down on him, he was as good as dead. Until he had a weapon, or something that he could defend himself with, it was better to stay out of everyone's way.
When he got his hands on a weapon, the real Hunger Games would finally begin. Oliver passed a corpse, that he quickly recognized as the girl from Seven and tried to continue his way, but there was something about it that didn't allow him to look away. She had fallen on her back, and the wound suggested that she had been attacked with probably a spear, or sword. The Career's work, that was for sure.
Four bodies were already down, and the Games didn't even have one hour to them.
Forcing himself to look away, and make his way back to the Cornucopia, Oliver couldn't help it but notice his surrondings. Some tributes had already left through one of the tunnels, the one behind the Cornucopia, and some still fought and struggled to get their respective backpacks, or at least something to fight with.
There were two tunnels, Oliver noticed, one leading up and the other one leading down. The walls of the cave that they were currently in, however, were another story. Filled with bones and skeletons, all the way to the tunnels, made him shiver while wondering whatever was down those tunnels.
It was supposed to remind them of what they were really there to do, Oliver realized. The skeletons, that's what all twenty-three of them would be, if they weren't careful enough.
Twenty-four torches gave light to the room, and whenever someone died, one of the lights disappeared completely. Exactly like the lifes of the tributes. Disappearing completely into oblivion, forgotten by everyone but those that ever had any sort of feelings for them.
Oliver would do anything to stop that from happening with himself. After so many years of struggle to get to the very top, he wouldn't let that happen. He had worked for everything he had gained, and if he was the best of the best, he trly did deserve it. Unlike all of them, Oliver worked.
And if after so many years of working and struggling, all he would get in return was oblivion, what was the point?
He wasn't scared of facing the dark, since it would make it him even better, but Oliver was human. He had to admit that wondering whatever was in those tunnels made him... nervous, to say at least.
Focus. It's time to kill.
Only a few backpack were already gone from the Cornucopia, but it was clear that fighting had already happened in there. The boy from Eight, lying down on a pool of his own blood, was the first death. Oliver had watched when the girl from Two fought with her district partner, and when he escaped, she sank the knife deep down into the boy's back. Oliver could bet that it was pretty quick, without suffering that much.
Painless and quick.
That's how Oliver wanted it to end for himself, if it ever came down to it. Because... being there, looking at those corpses that used to be living boys and girls, Oliver had realized that it was a possibiity.
He could die. At any moment, someone could come out of nowhere, and end his life. And then, everything that he had worked for, everything that he had struggled to get, would be gone.
His mothers wouldn't have a son anymore.
Oliver Craddocks would cease to exist.
"Coulter!" The boy from Ten caught up with him quickly, a bright smile on his face. For once, Oliver had to admit that he was truly happy to see him. It was nice to see a familiar face in a sea of unknown, and to see someone that wouldn't ever try to hurt him. That's why you picked him. Insecure, emotional, and the perfect meat-shield.
"Oliver, I-I didn't manage to get to m-my backpack. Leila got to it first, but she and her a-allies are n-not in here anymore. But I got this!" Coulter waved the knife in front of Oliver's face, smiling widely. Yes, he really did think of Oliver as a friend. As a real friend, one that would never betray him.
I'm sorry, kid, but it's the Hunger Games. Only one can win.
Later, Coulter would have to die. Either at Oliver's hands, or at someone else's, he would have to die. And to make sure that he would break down once the boy died, Oliver had to push away any thoughts of friendship.
Maybe they could have been real friends, but they couldn't, not in there.
"Perfect!" Oliver replied, thinking of the second part of his plan. "Coulter, listen, I need you to do as I say. Go away from the bloodbath, and wait for me near the entrance of one of the tunnels. I'll get there soon, there's just something I need to do first."
Coulter nodded, but hesitated for a second. "W-what about Hex? Shouldn't we try and find him?" Oliver had to stop himself from cringing. It was no secret that he didn't have much sympathy for the younger member of their alliance, or any desire to have him in there. Hex wasn't necessary to his plan, he was just someone that Oliver would have to get rid off, soon enough.
Maybe he was already dead.
"I'm sure he'll find us soon enough. Go! I'll meet you right there when I'm done." Oliver started to turn away, but Coulter stopped him.
"Please be careful, Oliver. I-I wouldn't know what to do if something happened to you." Oliver gave him a small smile, but he couldn't help it but wonder if that boy truly did care about him.
Even if he tried to push that feeling away, with every strenght that he had left, Oliver felt sympathy for Coulter. He didn't want to kill him, not really. But for someone that put himself first, for sixteen years, he couldn't start to care about other people now.
Not in the Hunger Games, where his life was in danger. When he saw it, a bright smile found its way to Oliver's face. The bright red backpack, with an even bigger 9 printed in it. No matter what happened, that backpack was his. It was only when Oliver saw bright red hair in front of him, that he knew what was about to happen.
It's her or the backpack, Oliver. Choose.
Niamh, with a determined look on her face, picked up the backpack and threw it over her shoulder, preparing to leave. She didn't... she didn't look at him. If she didn't stop to think that he could need that backpack too, why should he have any mercy? "Niamh."
She turned around, suprised. "Oliver, I... I didn't see you in there. I'm sorry, I thought that you had already left or that you were..."
Oliver finished it for her. "Dead. You thought that I was dead." He needed that backpack, for himself and Coulter. But if he wanted to have that backpack, Niamh would have to die.
She was a nice girl. If they had never been reaped, maybe they could have been friends. But like with Coulter, Oliver couldn't allow himself to have any type of mercy. It was what it was, and if he wanted to live and go back to his mothers, he had to kill.
Starting right now.
"I'm going to need that backpack, Niamh."
Her eyes met his, and in that second, Niam realized what he was about to do. "W-we can split it. P-please, Oliver, please.." Tears started stream down her cheeks, and Oliver almost considered letting her live. But Niamh was also that girl who got a training score of 7, and the girl that everyone loved. He couldn't let her live.
Burying his humanity deep down, where it couldn't come back to bother him, Oliver raised the knife. Niamh threw the backpack at him, probably in hopes that he would spare her, and tried to run.
If he let her go, what kind of person would he be?
Human. Weak. Someone that wasn't willing to do what was necessary.
Niam tried to run, but Oliver was too fast, and also had a weapon. He grabbed her arm, twisting with every last bit of strenght that he had, until Niamh screamed. She threw a punch in his direction, but Oliver was too quick and too strong. He pulled her to the ground, holding her arms down, and without thinking, Oliver drove the blade into her temple.
She didn't scream.
It was the least that he could do: make her death quick. She didn't deserve to die a painful death, not really. Oliver couldn't bring himself to bring out the knife. He had done that without thinking, but right there, the consequences of his acts would start to appear.
He killed. And if there was anything that Oliver Craddocks was certain about, was that there was no going back from killing.
That was when he noticed a stunned Hex Fillian standing there, backpack in one hand, and weapon in the other.
Amina Conlan; 17 years old.
District Eleven Female.
They were running.
Amina ran as fast as her legs could take her, and once in a while, she looked back to see if Bastian was catching up with her.
They hadn't said one word to each other since the bloodbath, but Amina appreciated it. It was good, for once, that Bastian finally realized that it was his time to shut up. That it wasn't the time to whine about how much he hated the Careers, when said Careers could appear at any time and end both of them.
Four were dead, Amina realized. All of them had seen the girl from Two end the boy from Eight, and when she and Bastian had left the Cornucopia, four more bodies were already down.
Get used to it. If you wanna live, you have to understand that death will be pretty common.
She just didn't want to die. Not yet, anyway. There was still much that Amina wanted, so much to do and say back home to the people that she loved. No, she couldn't die without marrying the love of her live. She couldn't die without proving to her mother and father that she and Gerrit belonged together, no matter what anyone said.
Hell, was making it to her eighteen birthday too much to ask?
With her knife held tight in her hands, and back in her shoulders, Amina turned to Bastian. She opened up her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. After all, what was the best thing that she could say?
"Hey, I'm glad we're not dead. But one of us will have to die soon enough if the other will make it home."
All of her life, Amina had played by the rules. She had done what everyone asked of her, and she had been a good girl, without only exception and that had been falling in love. But there, what did it mean playing by the rules?
It meant that she had to kill, and lose her humanity. Amina wasn't sure that she could deal with that. Not yet, anyway.
One step a time, she reminded herself. That was the only that she would be able to get through it; one step at a time. "Bastian?" She asked.
"Yes?" Came his reply, barely more than a whisper.
"Where are we going?" Amina inquired, her knife in her hand. If anything happened, then she would be ready to strike back. Would you kill him, though? Amina imaginated slitting Bastian's throat in the middle of the night, where he couldn't defend himself.
Amina didn't know the answer to that. Maybe, if it ever came down to the two of them. But not there, not now. Bastian was from home, and killing him meant taking away her family's chances of getting good food, even if she died.
She couldn't do it to them. Not risk their only chance of getting food for one entire year, just because she murdered her own ally. She couldn't.
But if he attacked her... well, that was another story.
"Getting as far as we can from the others, I suppose." Bastian replied, but Amina found herself paying more attention to her ally than to the arena. It was weird, in a really bad way. To her left, there was a cave. Not too big, but still good enough to be a shelter. It was only after close observation that Amina noticed that it wasn't just a cave.
A grave. On the ground, there was a tumb, but it wasn't any normal one. The upper side wasn't covered, so they could see the body, rooting in the ground, close to becoming a skeleton.
Amina leaned in closer, and in there, she could see the graveyard.
Felicia Daraken, Capitol Citzen. Beloved Daughter, Friend, and Mother. You will be missed.
H-How could they do that? Well, it was one thing to host the Hunger Games, and it was already bad in its own way. But did actually bring bodies to the arena? Bodies of people that had family, friends, and hopes for the future. They're just mutts, Amina, time to turn back.
They continued to walk down the tunnel, which seemed to lead to the lowest part of the arena. It seemed like hours, days maybe, until Amina heard it. The faint sound of footsteps going down the same tunnel that they had, but it seemed to be more than one.
Amina only had the time to exchange one last look with Bastian, when they appeared down the tunnel. The girl from Five, armed to her teeth; with a sickle and a belt of knives. The girls from Eight and Three came right behind her, both caring backpacks and knives.
"Evening, District Eleven." The older girl greeted, and stepped down the entrance of the cave, getting closer and closer to where Bastian and Amina stood.
"We don't want any fights. Give me your backpack and supplies, and we'll let you walk away. Simple as that."
"And why on earth would I give my supplies to a little white bitch?" Oh shit. Bastian raised his axe, bravely steeping foward. Everything in Amina's head screamed at her, telling her to get away from that, to get to somewhere save, to survive, but her feet didn't move.
All it took was one last look between Bastian and Amina, and she knew what he wanted to do. Bastain swang his axe, but the girl from Five was already prepared, meeting his axe with her sickle. The metal clanged in the air, and blow after blow, the two of them kept going.
Amina just stood there, and so did the other girls. The girl from Eight took a step foward, knife out, but the other girl raised a hand to stop her. Not yet.
Bastian fought well, Amina realized. He was moved by his anger, just like he had been in the Capitol, but now it was a good thing. His anger was everything that kept him moving, and when it ended, so would his life.
When Bastian swang his axe in the right angle, and managed to hit the girl on her leg, Amina thought that the fight was won. The girl sent her fist flying into Bastian's crotch, and he cursed, arching his back for a second, trying to deal with the pain.
It was happened in one split second. Bastian arched his back, and with a swift flick of the wrist, the girl slit Bastian's throat, the blood cloathing her clothes bright red.
He wasn't dead yet, though.
Bastian fell to the ground; clutching his throat, desperately trying to stop the bleeding, and doing anything to save his own life. When Bastian's eyes met Amina's, and she could see how desperate he was. For once, she cared about her district partner, but it was already too late. He was already gone. In that moment, Amina felt the tears blurring her vision. A second later, Bastian's hands fell helplessly to the side, and his gargling came to an end. His body gave one last twitch, and by then, Bastian was dead.
Boom!
In the seconds that followed, Amina's mind made the decision for her. With tear blurring her vision, and her heart falling with abyss, Amina picked up Bastian's weapon and ran, as fast as her legs could take her. She could have stayed, she could have helped him.
He could be alive, if Amina had been brave enough, and had fought by her District Partner's side, like everyone expected her to.
She repeated to herself that it wasn't her fault, that she did what she had to survive, until she reached a little cave, far away from Bastian's murderer and her allies, and vomiting burning at the back of her throat.
Amina threw up, vomiting burning her throat, but she couldn't stop the tears from falling, either. He was her ally, and maybe even her friend, and now he was gone.
What had once been a living and breathing boy, with hopes and dreams for himself, was gone. All because of her. A piece of her home, a piece of District Eleven, was gone because she couldn't move a finger to help him.
Her ally, her friend, her district partner.
Gone, because she couldn't find her courage and fight, even if it meant she would die by her ally's side.
She was a coward, and the Games were only on the first day, and there was already someone dead because of her. But it was then, that Amina realized that she had survived. She had put her life ahead of Bastian's, and because of that, he was dead and she was still there, a living and breathing girl, with a chance of going home.
She had really started to play by the rules of the Hunger Games, and she hadn't realized it yet.
Let the Hunger Games begin.
Jasko Quinn; 18 years old.
District Four Male.
"We could leave, you know."
Aidan's voice was merely a whisper, but it was enough for Jasko to hear. It was enough for the words to ring in his mind, all over again, messing up every plan that he had before the Games. Right now, he was forced to do something that he didnn't agree with. The best soldiers need to follow orders that they don't always agree with, his father had told him once, when he was nothing but a little boy, without any idea of what the world truly was.
But he wasn't a soldier, not really. He was nothing but a boy, doing anything that he could to survive. It was hard, Jasko had realized. Seeing all those dead bodies, and knowing that they were someone once, it killed him inside. Those were people, just like him, with family and friends and dreams that they hoped to see come true one day.
And now, it was all over. All it took was a simple knife, and everything would be over. The light, the sound, the chaos would be replaced with darkness.
You're a Career. Remember why you are here.
"She would turn this place upside down until she found us, and murdered us in the most brutal way that someone like Sadie Ariste can think of." He replied, the torch in his hand being the only thing that allowed him to see Aidan, and of course, their prisoner.
It took a great deal of work, since the boy was quite hard to catch, but now it was done. Jasko and Aidan dragged Nikolai back to the Cornucopia, and more than likely, to his own death. Jasko had to give it to the boy, he was brave. All the way, he didn't say a word. If he was scared of dying, then he truly didn't show it.
He didn't want to kill the boy, or even deliver him to Sadie's wicked games. Jasko never had anything against the boy in the first place, but Sadie was their leader. Whatever she said, they had to do, unless they wanted to die. And currently, he and Aidan were outnumbered.
"Hey kid, what did you even do to Sadie, to make her hate you so much, in the first place?" Jasko asked, but he wasn't expecting an answer. Not really. If they switched positions, and Jasko was the prisioner instead of the Career, then he knew he wouldn't bother to answer, either.
"I stole the attention from her." Nikolai just shrugged. "And people like Sadie, they like having the spotlight all to themselves, I suppose."
Fight, Jasko wanted to tell him.
But in a way, he could understand. They were in the Hunger Games, after all. Only one could live, and after fighting with the two of them, Jasko could understand why the boy had given up. He and Aidan had beaten him up pretty well, also.
And the arena, well, it wasn't that appealing either. From what Jasko could understand, the two tunnels were different. The one that he and Aidan had fought Nikolai in lead up, and the other one lead down. However, Jasko was sure that they weren't that different, in the first place. Bones, skeletons, and death. It was all around the place, making it way more creepy than what it already was.
The tunnel gave them a little bit more of light; but if it was some kind of metaphor, with one of them leading to darkness and the other one leading to light, then Jasko didn't want to think what the other tunnel would lead to.
Inside the cave, however, the tension was much worse. Tiena and Sadie had placed all six bodies in a pile, next to the entrance to the dark tunnel, while Alexa was going through the Cornucopia and the remain backpacks, to look for supplies.
When Sadie saw them, Nikolai's hands tied with rope, she smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning. "Well, well, it seems that I was wrong about the two of you, after all. Wonderful job."
It was when her eyes focused on Nikolai, though, that Jasko truly saw who she was. Someone vile, someone that truly did enjoy the Game that they were being forced to play.
That was who Sadie was. Evil, merciless, but prepared. And that was who Jasko had to be, if he ever wanted to make it back home.
"You." She hissed, her eyes never leaving Nikolai's.
"Me." He mocked, and Jasko had to hold back what sounded like a cry and a laugh at the same time. The boy had guts, Jasko had to admit it.
For a split second, Sadie raised her rapier and Jasko stepped back, not really wanting to watch it. He didn't knew the boy, and he didn't really care about him but in a way, Jasko didn't want him to die. Not at the hands of an evil bitch from District Two, but in a fight where he could actually go down bravely.
Sadie wouldn't give him that chance, though. But then, after considering something, Sadie placed her rapier back on her belt and nodded to all five of them. "So, who did we get rid of?"
"Boy from Five," Alexa claimed, but Jasko noticed that her eyes didn't meet Sadie's. Maybe, he and Aidan weren't the only ones having doubts about that alliance. "The boy from Three, and the girl from Nine are here."
"The District Seven girl." Tiena replied."
"I got the District Eight boy. Let me see if I'm getting this straight," Sadie started, raising her tone. "Six tributes died here, and only three of them died by our hands. Someone wants to explain to me why are tied with the outliers for kills?"
Silence. All four Careers, for the first time, didn't have an answer.
When the silence was getting too long, Sadie sighed. "Lainell, kill him." Next to him, Aidan seemed to be made of ice, not moving a muscle. "Why me?"
Sadie shrugged. "You're a Career, aren't you? All three of us got kills. You and Quinn were the only ones that didn't get a kill, and frankly, I don't even bother with him anymore. So, go ahead and kill him. All yours."
"You told him to bring him to you, not to kill him."
Sadie nodded. "Yes, I did. And now that he's here, I want him dead."
"Do it yourself." It was nothing more than a whisper, but it was was enough. Sadie actually looked stunned. "Excuse me?"
Holy shit.
"I said do it yourself. I'm not killing someone just because you have a grudge on them. If you want him dead that badly, and you have a weapon, do it yourself. You have two arms and two legs, so I suppose you don't need anyone's help to kill."
He had to do this, Jasko realized. That boy in front of him would have to die, if the Career alliance was to stand together for a little longer. If he didn't, Aidan and Sadie would fight, and it would all go to hell.
He couldn't let that happen. Not now. Even if he didn't want to admit it, he needed them, and even more when the arena was such a dark place.
"Kill him, or die. It's your choice."
Jasko's spear went through Nikolai's chest, with one quick move of his hand. With a stunned, painful cry, Nikolai's body went down, like a doll whose strings had just been cut. Jasko pulled the spear out when he hit the ground, the blood turning his hands bright red.
With that, Nikolai Faustus was gone. It was only the boom of the cannon that brought him back to his thoughts.
When he noticed four pairs of eyes staring at him, Jasko just shrugged. "He died. What matters who is the one to kill him? It's done now."
For the first since they had known each other, Sadie smiled at him, truly smiled. "Welcome to the Careers, Quinn."
Fabian Tanaka, District Eight.
Kaneki Idris, District Five.
Blaine Parker, District Three.
Sedna Orwell, District Seven.
Niamh Gregora, District Nine.
Bastian Steppes, District Eleven.
Nikolai Faustus, District Two.
Elim, I won't lie to you, Fabian was a bit hard to write for me. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get a proper grip on his personality, but I enjoyed having him around while it lasted. He was a good boy, and he didn't really want to hurt anyone, so that's why he would have never made it that far in the Games. I wanted to have him around a little longer, but sadly, I didn't have any place for him in the plot. I apologize for that.
Min, Kaneki was hard to write in his first POV, and easier in the second one. His autovampirism was a road that I had never taken before as a writer, and while it was interesting, I couldn't keep him around for much longer. He didn't believe in himself, and he thought that he was weak, but hey, at least he died a good death. He managed to fight back in the end, and become a little bit better than what he was back in District Five. I'm proud of him for that! ;_;
Liquidation, I enjoyed Blaine and what he stood for. He saw the world for what it truly was, and for that I adored him. He refused to change, just because the Capitol wanted him to, and he got his wish. He died as Blaine Parker, not as a pawn of the Capitol. However, when I decided that Fabian and Nikolai would also be dying here, I didn't have anywhere else to take him and for that, I'm sorry.
Alice, Sedna ;_; Okay, I absolutely adored Sedna. I loved writing her first POV, and her journey in the Capitol, to the friendship that she ended up creating with Leila. She was who she was, and to hell with anyone that thought it was a bad thing. She fought, but in the end, she didn't really have a chance while facing a Career with a training score of ten. Sadly, I didn't have anywhere else to take her. Loved her. Thank you so much!
Technicolour, I swear, I didn't have Niamh in here until much, much later. She went extremely far in earlier plans that I had, but I needed someone to die by Oliver's hands, and sadly, I ended up picking Niam. I loved her, okay, i really did. She was a simple girl, honest, and only wanted to be with the girl that she truly loved. She followed her job to the end, protecting Toria, and it ended up in her death. Don't worry, she won't be forgotten. Not by me, not by Toria and not by her allies. Thank you for her!
Jocelyn, Bastian was a joy to write for. Grumpy, realistic, and with a hate for the Careers, he was a lot of fun for me. From the love from his family, to his forced alliance with Amina and to his death, I loved him. I needed to have him die here, though, so Amina could devolop. Don't worry, he won't be forgotten. She'll miss him, and so will I. May he rest in peace.
MidnightRaven, I think Nikolai was the character that I moved around the most, until the bloodbath. To be honest, his backstory was something that I had never seen before, and I enjoyed toying with it, while I could. His desire to prove that he was as good as the Careers, ugh, it was great. He went far in one of my first drafts, but then I ended up having him in here. He got caught up in the middle of Sadie's anger, Jasko's desire to keep the alliance together, and Aidan's desire to do the right thing. I'll miss him!
A/N: Andddd here we have the bloodbath!
To be honest, I wrote this chapter before the launch, because I was wayyy too excited to wait to write it. Was it sad? Yes, it was. But I'm excited that we're finally in the arena, and now, the real fun will begin.
(I couldn't resist updating this, I'm sorry, I promise I'll slow down after this... Maybe.)
This chapter had 10 POVs in the beggining, but hey, I decided that it was a bit too much, and only 6 would show everything that I had to show, in the bloodbath chapter. But if your tribute wasn't mentioned, in anyway, don't worry. They are alive, got away from the Careers, and they are safe. For now, anyway. ;)
Okay, so, the format. The 6 POV thing won't continue, no, I'll be going back to four POVs, starting with the next chapter. We'll see everyone, and some days might have a Part One and Two, but that's something for later. For now, enjoy this!
Sooo, the arena. The Catacombs, uhm? Imagine the ones under Paris, and you'll get a perfect imagine of our arena. The Games started in the main cave, which has the entrance to the two tunnels, and the Cornucopia. One of the tunnels leads up, where the tributes will find a little bit more of light... and other stuff. The other one, however, isn't as nice as that one that's where most of the real fun will begin, and where the tributes will find little ol' suprises. Hey, not saying that bad things can't happen in the other one... You'll see. I wanted to focus on the deaths in here, but I'll go back to describing the arena in the next chapter.
Welcome to the Empire of Death, where anything can happen. ;)
Questions:
Any deaths that suprised you?
Any suprise non-deaths?
Who do you think will die next?
Thoughts on the arena?