Nero POV

I paced restlessly as Eltara sorted out supplies. Why'd she have to ruin all my fun? When the time came for us to split up, I'd kill her nice and slow.

While we were busy finding a base, Beth and the others helped themselves to all the weakest Tributes. I went through the rest in my head and marked down the easiest prey.

Eltara picked up her sickle and called me. I turned my head.

"Hey, Nero? It's been fun. I think I'll split," she said.

"What? The Games just started," I said.

"I only needed someone to watch my back during the Bloodbath. You did that. I don't think we need each other anymore," she said. She held her sickle at ready and stared levelly at me.

You ungrateful witch, I thought. Fine. I don't need you anyway. She slung a bag of supplies over her shoulder and backed away until she was out of sight.

Screw her. Now the fun could start.

Mist POV

When the gong rang, I wandered away toward some spare trees.

I wonder why nobody is coming near me, I thought.

Because they hate you.

I walked between the dead trees and admired them. I wished I could add another dead thing.

You could add yourself.

"I killed you, Troy! I killed you and I'm still alive!" I hissed.

Then why am I right here?

Troy was standing twenty feet ahead of me with his back toward me. He wasn't even paying any attention to me.

What are you doing here? I killed you. All right, I can kill you again. I picked up a fallen branch, crept up behind him, and smashed it into his head.

Mouse POV

I lay on the ground in a daze. I felt blood oozing from the back of my head and tried to put an arm up. A foot slammed into my stomach and I gasped for breath. I looked up and saw it was Mist.

Oh, god.

I tried to sit up, but something pinched inside of me and I whimpered. Mist crouched down and pulled me up by the chin. She bit into my throat. Something ripped, and blood came out of me like a faucet. She let go and glared at me with a bloodstained face.

"Kill you Troy," she said.

"I'm not Troy," I whispered faintly with strained breath.

"Don't lie to me. I'll kill you as many times as I have to," she said. I felt lightheaded, either because of the blood loss or my shallow breath. Everything stilled, and I realized even Mist couldn't hurt me anymore.

Take care of Mom, Rin. Take care of Rin, Mom.

Dath POV

Six cannons sounded. Torchy cheered. I sighed impatiently. That boy had as much stealth as a tank.

"Torchy, would you mind guarding the supplies a while? Don't worry. We'll leave a few for you," I said. He grumbled, but sat down and started sharpening the weapons. Xzavier and I set out to thin the herd.

The one good thing about this Arena was that the blackened grass left crunchy tracks. We found a trail and followed it to a sludgy stream.

"He's looking for water," I said. "He'd go upstream. Water's clearest at the source." We followed the stream until I saw muddy traces heading for a hollow log. I held a finger to my lips and motioned for Xzavier to stand by the far end. I nodded, and he whacked the log with the butt of his sword.

Farlon POV

I didn't do too bad in the Cornucopia. I'd taken a risk and run in a few feet, and I nabbed a backpack. That was enough for me. It had some night-vision glasses, an empty water bottle, some sort of dried meal, and a thin sheet of foil. Now I was curled up waiting for the water I'd found to purify. In this dump, it was going to be a while. After that, I'd make a weapon.

Something thumped into my hiding place, and I froze. It might have been a mutt. Maybe it would go away. Then a sword poked into my log. I scrabbled out toward the other end of the log I was in. I poked my head out and a machete plunged into my ribcage. I coughed and slid back into the middle of the log.

"Should we go in after him?" I heard someone say.

"He might have a weapon. He's dead anyway," someone else said. I heard them walking away. I lay panting in the log, trying to put enough pressure on the wound to keep the blood in. It was no use.

They wouldn't put a camera in this random log. Levi won't have to watch. Uncle Swin, you better do right by him. You don't, I swear I'm gonna haunt you till the end of time.

Aurum POV

Ruby was gone. I should have realized we never could have won together, but she shouldn't have been here. I should have noticed her back in One. I could have taught her how to steal. I could have given her a chance. Too late.

I didn't have a chance in the Bloodbath, so I'd grabbed some sort of bag attached to a belt and booked it out of there. I had intended to find Ruby and ally with her, but now her face was looking at me from the sky. As I laid out my supplies, I cried for her. I had a pack of matches and a thin sheet of foil. I didn't have Ruby.

When the sun disappeared, the blackness of the Arena mixed with the darkness of the night. The absence of light swallowed everything up, and silence filled the night. I'd run into a thick patch of dead thorn bushes on top of a hilly plateau. It was broken apart by deep craters. The air was still warm, so I didn't let the darkness stop me from hunting around for water.

A high, thin keening split the air. My heart jerked and my lungs hitched.

What on Earth was that?

Another mournful wail joined the first. The sharp sobbing notes lingered and trailed off. The noise was heartbreaking and I felt the pain resound in me.

Oh god. It's the Tributes. It's their souls. They're screaming, I thought. The wails blended together and the air vibrated. My legs stiffened and I felt like I was breathing through a straw. My eyes flew to the direction the sound was coming from. What I saw made me dive into the nearest crater and whimper.

A group of shapes was tearing across the Arena faster than any human could run. They were glowing.

I decided to end with a cliffhanger. Everyone loves those, right? This IS the first Quarter Quell, so the Gamemakers are pulling out all the stops. What have they come up with this time?

Obituaries:

18th place: Mouse Parentti

I just realized now that Mouse was 12. I should have killed him in the Bloodbath. Instead he's Misty's first kill. Now that I've started things, Misty probably won't kill as many people as lots of us expect. She's just too unstable. Thanks UltimatemaxMerica shipper for sending in Tributes even though knew you wouldn't win. And thanks for Mouse. He was spunky, quick, nice, and definitely not Troy.

17th place: Farlon Harlon

Farlon wasn't a weak Tribute. This was just a really fierce bunch of Tributes. You'll notice it took two Careers to take him. I mostly killed him because I ran out of weaker Tributes. There are one or two left, but their fate, for better or for worse, is already sealed. He got Levi covered, though. Kid's got an inheritance to last him until adulthood, and Farlon hid it where Swin will never find it.

I was running out of girls, so I few guys bit it. The ladies are still quite outnumbered, though...

First District obituary already :( Poor Cornflower.