"After interest in the Games drops to an all time low, President Snow is determined to regain the once amazing popularity. Twelve tributes. One 'arena.' And one game-changing twist. Welcome to the 80th Hunger Games, the Rebirth."

~ The Rebirth Games ~

Chapter Fifteen:

The Village

The tributes all gather on the other side of the fence and stare at the crowds in front of them. People of all shapes and sizes are scattered around, slowly walking around in loops.

"What are these?" Livvy asks.

They push forward through the snow. Are taps one on the shoulder and it ignores him, continuing to walk away. They have regular features of any other human being: eyes, mouth, nose, ears. Everything. Except there's one difference. Their faces are completely stiff. Not a single part of them works. Eyes don't blink. They don't speak. Nothing. The only thing working are their legs. It's almost like they're robots.

"Some sort of machinery..." Are replies.

"What do you think they're used for?" Fern asks.

"I don't know," Tren replies. "Maybe just to give the sense that.. they live here. That this is a real place."

"But it is a real place, buffoon!" yells Celia. "What, do you think this is some sort of dream?"

"Just ignore her," Are whispers into Tren's ear.

"We need to find the key immediately!" announces Fern. "We can't keep wasting time!"

"I recommend that we split up," Are calls out.

"Split up? So we can get killed?" chokes Igneous in exasperation.

"No," replies Are. "So we can get the key quicker and free Danix before he gets killed!"

"Sounds like a good plan," says Celia. "Destiny, Crazy, Igneous.. You all head into that building over there." She points straight to the left where a tall building sits fit with a red cross plastered over the door.

"Fern and Obedience. You guys go search in the supermarket." She points through the crowds of people where the one-story building rests. It sits right beside a big town-hall looking building towering at the end of the street.

"Hold up!" exclaims Livvy. "We can't all just go searching in different groups. The killer will find it very easy to strike then!"

Nobody replies, everybody just stares at her.

"Hello? Are you people listening?!"

"Fine, fine, FINE!" yells Celia. "You, Are, Tren and I all stay out here.. We'll watch guard. Once you twerps finish searching in the buildings, head to the next one! I guess you could call us the lookouts and you guys are the... searcherers."

"Searchers. Not 'searcherers,'" says Obedience.

"Oh shut it!"

I hold my hand up to my face and try to block out the snow clashing with my face. My hands have gone bright red all too quick. Maybe I should have searched the mansion for a coat, but I just couldn't risk wasting the time. I'm only about halfway down the mountain and already I can see the black dots pull apart. Three enter the building nearest to the gate while the others disappear into a whole other wave of dots. I saw them back when we were first launched into the arena yesterday. I never knew what they were, I couldn't get a close look. But it seems like I will soon.

"Ha, ha, HA!" Destiny squeals as her, Igneous and Crazy step inside the dark building. "I knew it! It's a hospital!"

"Easy to guess from the red cross outside.." says Igneous, heading down a hallway to the left.

"Where is you a' going?! You supposed to be following the team!" Destiny squawks.

"Or maybe we should split up," says Igneous. "As Are said, it would make finding the key quicker." Igneous pushes open a door and steps through the frame. "Don't follow me... Search on your own."

He slams the door shut and walks down the hallway while Destiny tuts to herself. "Damn! What a jerk! What's his problem?" She spins around, only to see that Crazy is no longer beside her.

"Uh... Hello?"

She scans around the room but fails to find him. "Don't be actin' like this horror movie shiz where the bad guy jumps out and scares the bajesus out of me.." Scared, she dashes over to the corner where a lone elevator sits. She taps a button on the wall and watches as the number above it slowly begins to count downwards.

"This place is huge. We're never going to find a key in here even if there is one.." says Obedience, walking through the grocery aisle of the shop.

"Well get inspired. We're going to be in here for a while," calls Fern from the aisle beside. She searches through all the shelves, pushing away boxes of cereals and ripping open bags of pasta.

"Can you please stop making all that noise?" asks Obedience politely. "It's distracting."

"Maybe you should start making some noise."

"Meaning?"

"Searching through the food. This key could be anywhere."

"If we search through the food, we're going to be here all day.."

"Who cares? We gotta-"

Suddenly, a loud bang echoes throughout the shop and Fern gasps. "Obedience? Was that you?"

"No... I thought it was you?"

Fern slowly begins to walk forward, trying to make as little sound as she can. "Meet me at the end of the aisle.." And so they do. Obedience wraps his arms around her, shivering in fear, and she shrugs him off. "What the hell are you thinking?"

"Uhmm... nothing."

They both spin around and see a door wide open, a label above reading "STAFF ONLY."

"Run," says Fern. Sprinting forwards toward the door. Obedience tries to catch up, but it's too late. Just as Fern leaps through the door frame, the door automatically slams shut. Fern spins around in shock, banging on the thick wall now in front of her.

"Obedience! Can you hear me?!"

"Are? Tren? Livvy?"

Celia marches around in the snow, shoving around the citizens of the village who aimlessly roam. "Get out of the fricken way you braindead bat! Guys, where are you?!" She continues to search for the others, but to no success. She's completely lost and they probably are too.

Destiny steps jumps inside the elevator and the doors slowly seal back up. She presses the button labelled "F4" and the elevator begins to zip upwards. She hums away to herself, her eyes completely shut.

"Hmm hmm hmm.. No one gonna kill me... Hmm hmm hmm... Elevator totally not... gonna.. BREAK!"

Her eyes burst open and she screams at the top of her lungs. "GET ME OUT OF HERE! AAHHH!"

She slams her fists against the doors, and just as she reaches floor four, they open up. She falls flat on her face out the elevator and jumps up on her feet. "What the heck! I thought the elevator gonna break!" she squeals to herself. "Hmm hmm hmm... No one gonna kill me... Hmm hmm hmm..."

She walks through the hallway and looks in at the rooms on either side of her. Hospital rooms fit with big beds, televisions and drips. Everything you'd ever need in a hospital, except something seems off. No posters hanging, no doctors' notes. Absolutely nothing. The whole building seems bare, probably abandoned, but Destiny isn't focused on that. Instead she stares straight ahead at the figure blocking the rest of the hallway.

She gasps as the shadow walks closer, but then she gets a full view of the person and she smiles.

I finally reach the base of the mountain and hop over the wooden gate. Finally I get to see what the 'dots' were all about. They're people.. except are they? There are men, women, children. They've got the builds and facial features of humans, but they're definitely not. Something seems off.. Something seems.. inhumane. Unnatural. They almost seem brainless. All they do is walk around in circles. That's when I notice something strange. One of the people... it's... No. It can't be. It's just my eyes seeing things.

I look straight ahead at a tall building in front of me and see it's lined with windows on the side. Windows shoot straight up until they reach the roof up the thing, a window for each floor I'm guessing. And on the ground level, I see something that leaves me confused. Straight through I see a bed, a desk filled with 'get well soon' cards and a drip. A hospital. That's what I'm guessing. But behind the bed are curtains, and suddenly they're yanked back by someone. I gasp when I see who it is.

Igneous.

"Danix?" I can't hear him, but I can see him mouth it. But that's not all that is shocking. Not at all.

Right behind him, I see the Mockingjay walk through the door and into the room. They stretch their arms out, showing off a pair of feathery wings. Just like a real Mockingjay flying in real life... Except I'm not stupid to think the wings are made of feathers. I can see the soft glistening on them from here. They're blades.

Igneous continues to stare at me in total oblivion. All I do is point and scream and hope he can hear me.

"Look out!"

Author's Note:

Uh-oh! Igneous is in trouble!

Hello everybody, welcome to Chapter Fifteen of the Rebirth Games: The Village! Obviously because we were introduced to the village! So what are you thinking so far? We're not going to stay in the village for too long... In fact, we're leaving it in the next chapter, but we WILL return to it near the end of the Games when the stakes are getting much higher. ;)

What did you think of that cliffhanger?! What do you think is going to happen to Igneous?! :O

Also, remember I have a poll up on my profile that I'd love for you to take part in! I want to know who you think the Mockingjay is. I'm going to give you two votes because setting on just one person may be a bit too difficult! :)

All I can say is stay tuned for Chapter Sixteen! It's going to be exciting! ;)

Thank you all so much for reading, byeeeeee! :D