Chapter Twenty.
Day Two.
Coulter Xenophon; 16 years old.
District Ten Male.
He hated that place.
Coulter and Oliver were far away from the Cornucopia by then, but not away from danger. Every turn they had to make, Coulter could swear that he saw something moving in the shadows, only to disappear a few seconds later. And now, they were in complete darkness. It was Oliver's idea to try the glasses, after they had been stumbling around the darkness for hours, without any idea of what they should do.
With the glasses, they could see, but not nearly as well as they could with the light. Even that, the Gamemakers decided to take away from them.
For Coulter, the worst part was that the bloodbath had completely torn his alliance apart.
Hex was no where to be found. Oliver promised him that the boy was okay, and sooner or later, they would run into him and everything would be okay again. After all, the arena couldn't be that that big, could it?
Oliver wasn't himself either, Coulter could realize that from a mile away. The boy who had been his first friend, that had treated him better than anyone had in years, was gone. Something happened in the Bloodbath, something that took away Oliver's previous cheerful personality.
Coulter tried his best. He had kept them moving, divided their supplies in the best away that he could, and found a place for them to sleep. Oliver was right, though, when he said that they couldn't spend too much time in one place. The Gamemakers would find that boring, and soon, the mutts would be all over them. Coulter didn't even want to imagine what kind of mutts they had created, in a place as dark as that arena.
He just wanted them back. Oliver, with his jokes and completements, and even little Hex. They were his friends, his first real friends that had done everything for him, and what had he done for them?
Nothing. He didn't even bother to look for Hex, or to try and ask Oliver what went wrong in the Bloodbath. Oliver's district partner was dead, Coulter knew that much. They had seen her face in the sky, along with the Careers, and Oliver hadn't said anything. He had just sighed, nodded, and closed his eyes to try and get some sleep, leaving Coulter with no other choice.
He had to be brave. For the first time in his life, he had to be brave, and have the courage to do something for himself. He owed that to his friends, Oliver and Hex, and even to his family back home. He could die, yes, but at least he would die knowing that he finally did something that made his family proud.
All that Tanner wanted was for him to be brave. Coulter wanted to be, with every last inch of strenght that he had, but he couldn't. Even if he searched, deep down, he didn't have it in him. But right there, with Hex missing and Oliver a few seconds away from falling apart, he had no other choice.
"We've searched everywhere, Coulter," Oliver let himself fall against the wall, looking much older than what he truly was. "If Hex is somewhere around here, we'll find him. Sooner or later, but we also need to rest."
"B-but he's our ally, and our friend. If he's out there, we need to keep searching for him. He's the youngest tribute in the whole arena, Oliver." He tried to make Oliver understand his point of view in the best way that he could. The old Oliver would have agreed with him, simply brushing it aside with a laugh and a smile, but that Oliver was gone.
Like every good thing in Coulter's life, the happiness was soon replaced with the cold, harsh reality, leaving nothing but the emptiness inside of his chest. "Don't you get it by now, Coulter? There are no friends in the arena. Only the people who do what needs to be done, and those who don't. News flash, buddy, some of them are already gone. And soon, we will be too." Oliver snapped, punching the wall next to him, looking lie he was about to kill someone.
"I thought we were friends." Coulter said, ignoring the lump that was starting to form in his throat. He couldn't abandon Oliver, not there, and not ever. He was the first real friend that Coulter had after the accident, and the only one that ever cared if he was okay or not.
He wouldn't let the Hunger Games take that away from him. No, they could take his life, his home, his family and even the old Coulter but he wouldn't let them take his best friend away.
He refused to let them win, not this time.
Oliver's eyes widened, and he quickly sighed. "Coulter, I'm sorry... I.. I don't know what's happening to me," He took a deep breath. "I killed her, Coulter."
He had killed. Suddenly, all the pieces started to make sense in Coulter's head, just like the old puzzles that he used to play with when he was a young boy.
Oliver had killed someone, maybe even his district partner. When Oliver had reached him after the bloodbath, backpack in one hand and knife in the other, Coulter thought it was weird. His district partner had an alliance, and of course they would want the backpack. But Oliver had risked his own life to get that backpack, when all that Coulter had done was to run and hide in the shadows, and wait until Oliver was done.
Coward. You're such a coward, Coulter.
"Niamh. She wanted the backpack too, Coulter and she c-came up at me and... I couldn't do anything. It all happened so fast, one second she was there, and the other one she was already dead. I'm so sorry."
He wanted to run. He wanted to run, away from this boy. The boy who had once been his best friend, and now, was nothing but a killer. A boy that probably wouldn't even hesitate to kill him, if it came down to it.
Coulter was so tired. So, so tired, that all he wanted to do was give up and go home. To be at peace, with his horses and his family, and to never have to see someone die again.
That was all he wanted, but something that he would probably never see again. He had always choosed to see the best in people, but most of all, in the people that were good to him.
Oliver was his friend, but deep down, he was just another teenage boy, trying his best to go back to his family. If he turned his back on his first friend, then what kind of person would he be?
No, he couldn't do it. After sixteen years of running away, Coulter Xenophon was done with hiding in the shadows, and way for others to do things for himself.
"You had to do it," Coulter said, and he placed a hand on Oliver's shoulder. "Otherwise, we would have no supplies, and we would probably be dead already."
Oliver smiled, picked himself up, and nodded. "C'mon. We have an ally to find, and when we do find Hex, I'm gonna kick his sorry little ass for running away."
Coulter laughed, fixing his glasses. It was weird enough that they were completely in the dark, and the only light source were those night vision glasses, that were a part of the arena outfit. They couldn't see anything, only what was ahead of them. If anything came to attack them from behind, they would be completely screwed.
"You can't blame him, Oliver, the kid is only thirteen. We need to find him, or else, he will be dead soon." That was when they saw it. At first, Coulter thought there was something wrong with the glasses, and they were blocking his vision.
Something black, almost Oliver's side, blocked their way to the tunnel. It took Coulter a few seconds to realize what it was. A spider, like the ones that haunted the old places of the barn back home, only that this one was almost ten times bigger. With eight legs, black fur, and a mouth that could probably swallow both of them in a second.
They couldn't fight it, he knew that much. "Oliver?" Whatever happened, they were together. If he died now, if he never got to see District Ten again, at least Oliver would have a chance to go back home. To see his mothers again, and to be the son he always wanted.
He could do it. For his best friend, he could do anything.
"RUN!" They turned around, and started to run. Coulter ran as fast as his legs could take him, and he never dared to looked back at the thing following them. It was leading them, somewhere, Coulter was sure of that.
But where?
Katarina Morellee; 18 years old.
District Five Female.
She was annoyed.
They had been searching for hours, and the dark had only made it worse. Of course, she had quickly figured out the glasses, and what they were for. But deep inside, Katarina was worried. She knew that they needed to get to the girl, sooner or later, or the Gamemakers would turn on them.
If the Capitol lost their hope on her, on them, then Katarina knew that it was the end. They wanted a Victor who did what needed to be done, not some scared coward, who ran away.
She had killed, yes. Unlike what many people thought, it wasn't that hard. At least, for herself. All it took was the time where it was her life or the boy's, and Katarina had made a quick choice. She fought for herself, and for her alone, because who would do it if she didn't? No one.
It was all an illusion, the alliances. Yes, they were good for something, but they could also turn out badly, if the leader didn't know how the handle the others in the right way. She knew. Brooke and Nerinea were so wrapped around her finger, both under the illusion that they were friends and would give their lifes for each other, that they wouldn't even notice when she stabbed both of them in the back.
But right now, she needed them. They were good allies, and until now, they had served their purpose.
"I feel like this is a maze, and we'll never find her." Brooke said, kicking what seemed like a skull away from them. "This is just a waste of time, Kat. I mean, she's just a tribute. There are plenty of them and who knows, we might run into someone in the way back to our cave."
Yes. Maybe the Capitol would be generous, and lead the way into that girl from Eleven.
"We have to do it, Brooke." Carefully, Katarina placed an arm around the younger girl. Nerinea was quiet, too quiet. She had something going in, Kat would bet her life in it. Not in the literal sense, though. Brooke was so much easier to manipulate, a kind word and a hug here and there, and she had her perfect ally. "Imagine all the sponsors that we'll get, once this is over with. If people see that we're capable, then they'll be on our side."
The one that would be by her side during a fight, and would never betray her. Ever.
In a way, she respected both of them. Maybe Brooke more than Nerinea, but of them were fighters. None of them were willing to give up, because there was still much left to do. So much to say, so much to accomplish for teenage girls who never had a choice but to do what other people wanted.
But they were in the Hunger Games, and Katarina had always been a perfect actor, and manipulating people was and would always be the best thing about her. She wasn't afraid of playing the villian, if it meant, she would go back District Five, rich and famous, and could show her parents that they had choosed to ignore the wrong child.
Nerinea was the loose end, the one that she needed to get rid off, sooner or later. Endless possibilities passed through Katarina's head, from slitting her throat in the middle of the night and blaming it on the mutts, or to killing her herself. She couldn't work, or even manipulate, someone that she coudn't trust.
She had to go.
Somewhere among the way, Katarina head the noise. Someone, or rather someone, was coming their way. Footsteps, two pairs of them were approaching them, from the left side of the tunnel. She motioned to Brooke, and the girl from Eight was by her side in a matter of seconds. Nerinea quickly joined, and soon, all three of them were ready.
Her allies had their knives, and Kat hold on to her sickle. It felt like part of her, now that she had killed with it, it was oficially her weapon. It was easy to use, and by then, it was a natural extension of her arm. Where her allies had their knives, Katarina had her sickle.
Whatever was coming wouldn't get through the three of them without a fight. Please be the girl. Please, please, please. Every part of her was ready, but deep down, she wanted it to be quick. The girl had to die, that was clear by then.
But she couldn't make her suffer that much, even if that would give her many more sponsors, she still had to keep her allies on her side.
If she was alone, however... that was another story.
When they reached the entrance of the tunnel, Katarina saw them clearly. Two boys, probably the ones from Nine and Ten, both breathing heavily and holding on to each other. Whatever was chasing them remained in the shadows, where Katarina couldn't see.
But if they were there... it could only mean one thing. They had asked for a fight, and now, the Capitol was giving them one. If they could kill those boys, the next target would be the girl and by then, people would be lining up to sponsor them.
To sponsor her. If she had to kill to get the attention that she always wanted, to get what truly belonged to her, then so be it.
When the boy from Nine noticed him, his eyes widened but if he was scared, he didn't let it show. "Hello, ladies."
Out in the dark, she met Brooke's eyes, and the younger girl nodded. She also knew what they had to do, and that was why Brooke was the ally that she had to keep. No matter what. "You know what we have to do, of course."
"We don't have to fight," The younger boy said. "We don't wanna fight. If you just let us pass, we'll be on our way, and you can go back to doing whatever you want."
"If the Capitol lead us to each other, they only want one thing. And I'm not one to refuse to do whatever they want."
So that was it. The boy from Nine threw himself at her, and if Katarina hadn't been prepared, she would have fallen to the ground with the force that he was using. Her sickle met his sword, bringing both weapons up. He stepped back, swang his sword, but Katarina was quicker. She threw herself to the ground, sickle in hand, barely missing the blow that was supposed to take her head off.
Kat raised her sickle, and when Oliver came at her, she was ready. Steel met steel, once more. Before he could make the next move, Katarina's foot found Oliver's stomach, and he stumbled back, cursing. She had no idea where Nerinea and Brooke, but she could hear the fighting going on next to her.
Not a time to worry about them.
She got up, and punched Oliver straight in the face, with enough force to break his nose. "You're good." Even in the dark, Katarina could see the smug look in his face.
"So are you."
She hated boys like that. The smug look on their faces was enough to give them everything that they wanted, and Katarina hated it. She hated people like him, and if she got the chance to end him, it would be right now.
Oliver was on her again, and grabbed her wrist, twisting it. Kat tried to break free, but while she was much quicker, Oliver was much stronger than her. He twisted, and twisted, until she heard a loud crack. Hot, agonizing pain felt like an eletrical wave through her body, making her want to give up. She had felt pain before, but nothing compared to that. Her entire arm felt like it was on fire, and it happened to be her right arm. Shit.
The sickle dropped uselessly to the ground, and Katarina couldn't do nothing but dodge his attacks, and try to ignore the throbbing pain on her wrist that made her want to scream. She went her fist flying into his face, over and over again, but Oliver still had a weapon. He pushed her to the ground, and Katarina fell while using her legs as a weapon, but he was too strong. He lifted the sword, preparing to give the final blow and Katarina waited... But it never came.
It was only when the lights turned back on, that Katarina saw what was happening. Brooke was right by her side, and offered her a hand. Kat quickly took it, and got up.
Nerinea, fighting with the boy fron Nine, got the upper hand. His sword left his hand, and right when Nerinea was about to go for the killing blow, something happened.
The boy from Ten pushed the other out of the way, and Nerinea's knife slipped into his back and into his heart. The boy's legs gave out, he stumbled foward, and the cannon sounded.
She was really able to do it.
For a second, the four of them stood there, and silence took over the entire cave. Even the mutts, who had make that fight happen in the first place, already disappeared.
The boy looked at them, then at his ally's corpse, and then back to them again. "You... YOU!" He threw himself at Nerinea, sword in hand. Nerinea did her her best, but it was only a simple knife against a sword. And right there, she didn't have what Oliver had. Rage, pure rage burning everything in the path, leaving only a desire to avenge his friend.
Brooke moved to help Nerinea, knife in hand, but Kat grabbed her wrist with her good hand. She could see what was about to happen from a mile away, and if she was about to lose one ally, she couldn't afford it to lose Brooke.
His sword swang one last time at Nerinea's neck, her head left her shoulders, and down she went, right when the cannon sounded.
In mere minutes, two of them were dead, and they were down to the final fifteen. Her ally, that Katarina had been so determined to kill a few minutes ago, was gone.
Just like that. All it took was one second, and it was all over.
Katarina did nothing. Numb by the pain on her wrist, she grabbed her sickle and grabbed Brooke's hand, leading the two of them away from there, leaving the boy from Nine to fend for himself.
The worst thing was that she had no idea about how to feel.
Sadie Ariste; 18 years old.
District Two Female.
They were woken by the cannons.
When Sadie's eyes snapped open, and they were met with the light that filled the entire cavern, she almost sighed in relief. The darkness didn't scare her, of course not, but the fact that they could be killed without even knowing what hit them was more than unfair.
She wasn't afraid of stabbing someone in the back, but this was completely new. Alexa and Tiena had been on watch for the past two hours, and the rest of them were sleeping. Sleeping, when two cannons went off. Sadie had no idea of what happened, probably some alliance that went wrong or a mutt attack, but one thing she knew.
And that one thing had been bothering her for the past day and half, leaving her without sleep. The Hunger Games had been awful for the Careers so far. The alliance that she was supposed to be leading had only got four kills, and they were currently down to the final fifteen.
She couldn't let that happen. Of course, the Capitol knew about her plan, but it was still days away. If they didn't provide entertainment for the people in the Capitol, then her alliance would be just like any other one. Useless, and a perfect target for Gamemaker's mutts.
Sadie couldn't let that happen.
If she had to put her plan in motion a few days earlier, then so be it. Jasko and Aidan were currently talking together, like the idiots that they were, and so were Alexa and Tiena. Her alliance, divided into two groups, with her standing right in the middle. She knew whose back she would have, if it ever came down to it, but it felt different.
Back in District Two, Sadie always knew where she belonged. She had her place among the best of them, because she had earned it, and she knew where she belonged. But in the arena, it was all about choices, where anything could go wrong at any moment. It felt... lonely.
"Okay, everyone, it's time to move. It's our job to provide entertainment, and all we've been doing for the past few days is sit around and sleep." She walked over, so she could be facing all of them, but the only one that actually looked at her was Jasko.
"Not much to do in the dark, is there?" He let out a yawn, stretched out his arms and got up, spear in hand. "If you want to go hunt, then let's go. You and me. We'll go through there," He pointed to the darkest tunnel. "And we'll be back before morning."
Sadie couldn't stop a laugh. Did he really think that it would be that easy? That she would let herself die, at the hands of a nobody from District Four, when she was so close to getting what she had wanted her entire life? "It's not going to be that easy, Quinn."
"You can't blame me for trying, Ariste." They had been all smiles and laughs with each other since Nikolai died, but both of them knew that it was only a matter of time before they were at each other's throats.
But currently... Sadie could let it slide. He wasn't her target, not yet, anyway.
"I think we should split," Alexa said. "Some of us go hunting, and the others stay here guarding the supplies. When the others come back, we can switch." Bless the world for Alexa Cadwell.
"Alexa, how's your shoulder?" It was still bandaged, but as much as Sadie could see, it was getting better. Tiena had been treating it for her, every eight hours, and it was starting to heal. Just a stab wound, after all.
"It's getting better." She nodded. "It's not on my right arm, so I can use my axe if I need to do. No need to worry about that."
"So you can go hunting?" Sadie had talked with Alexa before, explaining the plan to her, but Alexa would only agree to do it if Tiena could participate in it. They already had some sense of loyalty between the two of them, and there was nothing that Sadie could do to stop it. As long as she did what was promised, Sadie would be happy.
Another one would be out of her way, and then, the Hunger Games would truly begin. "Yes, I think I can." She stood up, but it was clear to Sadie that Alexa didn't have her full strenght.
Tiena stood up, spear in hand, and nodded at Sadie. "If she goes, I go. Alexa doesn't have her full strenght yet, and if someone attacks her, she might not be able to kill them."
Sadie nodded, gathering two backpacks from the Cornucopia, and handing them to Tiena. "Now, let's be clear. Whoever you find, you kill. There's no going back, or no mercy. We need to start taking out the weaker ones, so we can focus on giving the crown to one of our Districts."
"I want to go with them. I haven't killed anyone yet, and they did, so I think I deserve a chance to prove myself." Jasko looked shocked at his friend's request, but Aidan had a determined look on his face.
"But that leaves only me and her to handle the Cornucopia. C'mon, Aidan, stay. Alexa and Tiena can handle their own very well, but if someone comes to attack the Cornucopia, we'll be outnumbered." Jasko was almost pleading with the other boy to stay.
If he only knew what was about to happen.
"I need to go, Jasko. I'll be fine." I'm sure you will. "And after all, we don't have that much supplies. You and Sadie can handle the supplies until we get back, and then we can switch."
"Are you afraid of spending the rest of the night with me, Quinn?" She winked, but Jasko's eyes never left Aidan's. Just like Alexa and Tiena, they were loyal to each other. Willing to have each other's backs in a fight, but in the end, they were only fight for themselves. "Don't worry, I don't bite." Not yet.
Just like everyone else in the arena.
"Very well. But if you don't find or kill anyone, turn and get back. It's safer in here than in the tunnels, anyway."
"He's right. Be back soon." They left a second later, Tiena and Alexa with their spear and axe, and Aidan with his crossbow, going through the dark tunnel. When it came down to it, he wouldn't stand a chance.
Sadie turned around, planning to eat something and maybe get more sleep, when Jasko grabbed her wrist. "You're planning something, aren't you?"
She could do nothing but laugh. "Yes, I'm planning on going to eat something. Care to join me?"
She tried to free herself from his grip, but Jasko was way too strong. "I mean it, Sadie. If anything happens to Aidan, you die. You can be sure of that."
She cringed. "You're such an idiot, Jasko. So what? At the sound of the next cannon, you'll just go off and try to kill me? Go on, do it now. I dare you."
He raised a hand, but after a few seconds of consideration, let it fall back. "You should know your place, Jasko. You killed, and I respect that, so that's why you still have a place in my alliance. Try anything against me, and you'll see where you end up."
He would die. Just like Aidan, and even Tiena and Alexa. All of them would fall, until she was the only one left, and got what always belonged to her.
No one would stand in the way of her victory.
Aidan Lainell; 18 years old.
District One Male.
He knew what was about to happen.
He didn't hate them, not really. Jasko was probably the closest thing to a friend that he would ever have in there, and the girls were only doing what they need to survive.
Sadie was the problem. The poisonous thorn that was doomed to destroy their alliance from the start, unless somebody decided to stop her. Nikolai knew, and he ended up dead at her feet, at the hands of someone that didn't even want to kill him. And now, here they are, destined to kill each other.
Aidan didn't want to do it. He held the crossbow tight in his hand, in case something happened, but he didn't really want to do it. If it came down to it, he probably would never have a chance. But he would fight, but it was his life at stake. It was a choice between doing what was right and what was wrong, but right there, the wrong thing meant that he could survive.
That he could go back to District One, and be the real Aidan. The one who loved Idaline more than anything in the world, and who wanted his siblings to grow up knowing what was the right thing to do.
If he won, he could stop them from doing the same madness that he did. There was a time when Aidan had wanted this, and he would have killed for the chance to prove himself. But then, he never thought that this would happen. He was there now, probably about to be killed at any minute, and all he wanted was his family back.
Glory wouldn't matter, if he had them. Aidan had only started to see that once they had entered the Games, from the moment that Sadie had made his life a living hell, to this.
He would give anything to have it back, to have them back. But that was also why he couldn't give up, and give Sadie exactly what she wanted.
They had been walking for what seemed like hours, but now that the lights were turned back on, it was much easier. If something came to attack him, he would know. "This is annoying." He said, but as always, Alexa and Tiena continued to talk to each other quietly, not paying any attention to him.
He could kill them both, right there, and be done with it. One arrow to the heart, and they would both be dead, and Aidan would be one step closer to home.
He couldn't, though. Those girls had never done anything wrong, they were only doing what they need to survive. Just like himself, and just like Jasko. Maybe, if he could talk to them and tell them that Sadie was the real enemy, that she was just manipulating them, they would understand.
And then, they could kill Sadie, and be a real alliance for the rest of the Games. "Keep up, Aidan. We wouldn't to lose another ally to whatever lurks in those caves."
Tiena and Alexa continued to talk between each other, weapon in hand, ready to attack anything that came out of the dark. "When are we supposed to go back? I mean, it feels like it's been hours since we left the Cornucopia. Sadie and Jasko could have killed each other by now."
"Maybe they're making out. Releasing all of that anger between each other, and when we come back, they'll be as close as ever." Tiena laughed, and Alexa quickly followed her. It made Aidan feel a little bit better, knowing that they didn't completely hate him.
Maybe he was wrong. Maybe he didn't have to die in there. Maybe.
"I don't get it why they hate each other so much, to be honest." Aidan said, catching up with them. "It's the Games, yes, but that attitude will only slow us down."
"Both of them want power. Jasko wanted to lead, but Sadie was the one who ended up doing it. In the end, it's all about being on the right side or not."
The right side. Had he been on the wrong side, all this time? Thinking that the Hunger Games would give him what he wanted, if he only managed to win. He thought that it would be easy, but in the end, the Academy never prepared them for what was about to happen.
They never prepared them for having to choose between his life, or another teenage girl.
Suddenly, they stopped. Tiena and Alexa, weapons out, to turned around to glance at him. Oh.
"We don't have to do it, you know. That's what she wants, to destroy our alliance, until she's the only left." Aidan was suprised at how calm his voice was, considering what was about to probably happen.
"You're a good person, Aidan. And if Sadie wasn't in the Games with us, maybe it could have been different." Alexa smiled sadly, axe in hand, ready to attack at any moment.
"You've chosen your side, then." He said, and both of them nodded.
"If this was about who is good or bad, Aidan, you have one. But we have to choose a side, if we want to live." Tiena stepped foward, spear in hand, ready to make the kill.
"I'm sorry." She said.
"Me too." If they were going to fight, then he wasn't going to play fair. Not now, when his life could end at any minute. He threw the crossbow to the ground, seeing as it wouldn't help him, and removed a knife from his back-pocket.
Tiena made the first move. Her spear passing right through his shoulder, but Aidan moved out of the way, the spear making only a scratch on his shoulder. It burned, and Aidan could feel the blood staining his outfit, but ignored the pain for now.
He cursed, and held on into his knife. Tiena had her spear, and God knows what, while Aidan only had a knife, and his crossbow, that was lost somewhere in ground.
He kicked out at Tiena's stomach, knocking her balance away, and giving him the opportunity to strike. Aidan grabbed her ponytail, and brought a fist towards her throat, throwing her to the ground. Tiena groaned, trying to to get up, but Aidan was much stronger. He brought his foot towards her stomach, kicked and kicked, and Tiena moaned in pain.
He brought the knife down, planning on making the final blow, but Tiena blocked the knife with her spear, sending her feet flying into Aidan's stomach. Air was knocked out of his lungs, for a second, and Aidan stumbled back, losing his balance.
Tiena used the opportunity to get up, using her spear as support, and brought a fist towards his face. Aidan tried to get up of the way, but the first connected with his face, his nose exploding with pain and blood when it cracked.
Aidan bite back a scream, using the opportunity to throw himself at Tiena. All it took was one wrong move, and he sank the knife into her collarbone. Tiena screamed, and Aidan removed the knife, sending his elbow flying into her head. Tiena's legs gave out, and she collapsed, breathing heavily.
Aidan kicked the spear away, and was about to deliver the final blow to her, when something knocked him out of the way. He threw himsef to the ground, barely missing Alexa's axe, and the blow that was supposed to take of his head. His own district partner, attacking him, all for the sake of her friend's life.
Look how far they had come.
Alexa swang her axe again, but Aidan rolled to his left, the axe landing almost near his head. Alexa was doing her best, Aidan could see it, but her moves were still weak from the wound in her shoulder. Before she could bring the axe down once more, Aidan grabbed her leg, and with all the strenght that he had, pulled her to the ground.
Alexa fell, the axe still in her hand, but Aidan was ready. He tackled her over, bringing his knife down on her injured shoulder, and twisting it. Alexa screamed, so loud that Aidan was sure the entire cave could hear, but sent her foot into his crotch.
Pain took over his body, and Aidan tried to hold back a scream, but he couldn't do it. Alexa got up, blood dripping from her opened wound, and slapped him. The force of the blow made him stumble back, but before he could do anything else, fire erupted in his leg. Pain, agonizing pain made him lose his balance, only to see Tiena remove her spear from his leg, pain taking over and making his legs give out.
He fell, his body hiting the ground with a loud crack, only seeing Alexa swinging her axe towards him in the last second. He rolled over, wanting to stand up, but his entire body seemed to give out in that moment. He was breathing heavily, when he realized that he still had the knife in his hand.
I'm not giving up. Not yet.
He tried to throw it towards Alexa, hoping that the knife would bury itself in her shoulder, making her fall down once and for all. The blow was weak, but so were the three of them , and Alexa moved out of the way, claiming his knife as her own.
All of them were tired. Breathing heavily; Aidan with his injured leg, Alexa with her shoulder, and Tiena with her collarbone. None of them wanted to give up, but then, none of them wanted to die either. Aidan's leg was basically a limp by then, and Alexa's shoulder was breathing heavily.
It was Tiena that moved. She motioned for Alexa to get out of the way, throwing her spear in his direction. Aidan tried to move away, but it was too late. His body was too weak, and the leg was bleeding too much.
Tiena buried her spear in his chest, and then, pain took over. Aidan screamed, louder than he ever had before, and tried to take it out. Pain took over all of his senses, and for a moment, he felt like he was on fire. Burning, agonizing pain, taking away all of his strenght.
"I'm sorry." Tiena said, and she smiled sadly, holding onto her stomach.
"M-Me too." The pain started to go away, being replaced by a dull numbing, making him want to give up. To close his eyes, and just embrace death, and to stop fighting. In his last moments, Aidan choosed to close his eyes.
He saw all of them: Cordelia, Daniel, Idaline, his parents. Everyone that he had loved was there with him in the end, telling him that it was okay to give up. He had fought, and now, it was time to rest.
I'm so sorry.
BOOM!
Coulter Xenophon, District Ten Male.
Nerinea Aravis, District Three Female.
Aidan Lainell, District One Male.
Fifidear, I have to admit that I didn't really connect with Coulter in the beggining. He was a very complex character, but when I thought of his alliance with Oliver, everything started to make sense. Since his accident, all he ever wanted was a real friend and he found it in Oliver, or so he thought. Their dynamic was one of my favorites to write, and in the end, Coulter found that he truly had it in him. He was brave, a good person, and found it that he had it in him to give his life for his best friend. Thank you for him!
Aspect, Nerinea was such a good character. No matter what everyone else thought, I connected with her. She was abused by her father, and then, she snapped. I don't think that made her a bad person, no, she was just someone trying to do her best to survive. She was smart, and cunning, but she fell out of place with Brooke and Katarina. It was the perfect alliance for her, yes, but with Katarina and Nerinea together, it couldn't last too long. Sadly, I didn't have anything else in store for her. I'll miss her, though. Thank you for submitting!
Remus, I started to connect with Aidan near the beggining of the Capitol. In an alliance full of people trying to destroy each other, he was the only sane one, just trying to survive. With Sadie being Sadie, sadly, it couldn't last long. Aidan's friendship with Jasko, his relationship with Alexa, it was all great to write. But in the end, he got caught up in Sadie's plan, by trying to do the right thing. He died himself, and for that, I'm proud of him. I'll miss him, the only really sane Career that I had. Thank you for Aidan!
A/N: So... this chapter happened. Some POVS I'm proud of, some I'm not, but it doesn't really matter. To be honest, in my original plan, this chapter only had one death, and the rest would die in Day Three. But then I started writing, and realized that it made more sense for all three of them to die in here, and for things to calm down a bit in the next chapter. For devolopment, and to make the plots move foward, all three of them died in here.
Yeah... next chapter is calmer than this one, but not that much. Now that we're in the final fourteen, things are starting to heat up and guess what? It's time to see more of the arena. Speaking about the arena... I think some might have figured it out already, but yes, the light is connected with the deaths. Imagine it like this: when someone dies, the light remains until the end of the day, and the mutts stay away. If there's no death in the next day, the lights will go off and well, the mutts will come out.
That's all I guess. Day Three coming soon! ;) (No, I'm not killing three of them every chapter. Relax.)
Questions:
Are you suprised with who died?
Thoughts on the deaths?
Next death?