Zeppelina Skansen, 14
District 5 Female
I woke up to the sound of Hugo mumbling under his breath. The rain had stopped sometime during the night, but my clothes were still slightly damp. The sky was still cloudy and I had a feeling more rain was on the way. But the Gamemakers probably wanted clearer skies for the Feast.
My body was practically buzzing from excitement for the Feast. I would be able to eliminate a lot of other tributes; maybe even all of them. I would have to be careful, since I only had two explosives, but if I timed things right, it would work out. And I was smart. I knew I could pull it off.
My eyes flicked back to Hugo as I sat up. He was fiddling with the explosives. I narrowed my eyes. Late last night, after the anthem played and the girl from 8 was shown in the sky, Hugo said he was done. What was he doing now?
Hugo glanced over his shoulder and jumped when he saw me watching him.
"What are you doing?" I said coldly.
"Just—just checking my work," he stammered. I got up, stretching briefly before approaching him. Hugo was frantically closing up the casing of the small bomb. I put a hand on his shoulder, stopping his movements.
"They are finished, correct?" I asked. Hugo nodded, his head hanging.
"Good." I couldn't help the smile that flickered across my face. I grabbed the back of Hugo's collar and threw him down into the moss. He yelped in pain as his injured ankle twisted.
I dropped down on top of him, pinning him down with my knees. Reaching past him, I snatched up our small knife and traced it across his cheek.
"You were messing with the bombs, weren't you?" I said, my voice soft and gentle. Tears welled in Hugo's eyes.
"No, I wasn't! I swear!" he cried out.
"I don't believe you."
I dug the knife into his cheek, drawing a bloody line across the soft flesh. Hugo whimpered and closed his eyes.
"Please make it quick?" he whispered. I frowned down at him.
"No. I want to have some fun."
An hour later, Hugo's body was riddled with cuts. His toes were gone. He was out of tears. He laid there, moaning in pain. The noise was satisfying at first, but now I was getting annoyed. Sighing, I walked back over to him and knelt down.
"You're a smart guy," I told him. "And a great plaything. Thanks for all your help." Then I reached down and slit his throat.
Boom.
I began to carefully collect our supplies. I packed everything into our two backpacks and slung one over each shoulder. I'd stash them closer to the Cornucopia, where I could collect them later. Then I carefully picked up the bombs, one in each hand.
Hugo said they'd only explode with force, so I wasn't worried about holding them. Hugo was too afraid of me to lie. I would still be cautious though. Tripping and blowing myself up would be such a shameful way to lose the Hunger Games.
I cautiously made my way through the woods, heading in the direction of the Cornucopia. I kept an ear out for other tributes, but everything was silent. Even the birds and bugs seemed quieter. The entire jungle was holding its breath, waiting for the carnage to begin.
I finally reached the Cornucopia clearing and ducked down in the undergrowth. I hid my backpacks under a large fern and sat down to wait. It was a boring stakeout, but I knew it would be worth it. And finally, a round metal table rose from the ground, about ten feet from the mouth of the Cornucopia.
It was time.
Evelyne Hope, 18
District 3 Female
My stomach was churning with anxiety as I frantically sorted through supplies. I didn't want to face the Feast, but I knew the Cornucopia was about to become the site of another bloodbath.
My plan was to gather as many supplies as I could and sneak past everyone during the fighting. As risky as it was, I wanted my special bag. Sometimes they would contain medicine, or food, but sometimes tributes would get letters from their family, or mementos from their home. It was stupid, but I so desperately wanted a piece of home.
Peeking outside, I noted that it was approaching noon. I had about an hour left to wait, if my guess was correct. I finished rolling up a sleeping bag and strapped it to the back of the backpack. I'd filled the pack with water bottles, nonperishable food, chlorine tablets, iodine drops, matches, and a first-aid kit. I also had several knives tucked away, and my bow and quiver were by my side.
I sat near the entrance of the Cornucopia, where I could see the sun but was also hidden behind a stack of large plastic tubs. I'd barely gotten any sleep last night because of my nerves, so I found my eyelids were drooping. I repeatedly pinched my arm to keep myself awake and alert.
The grating sound of metal on metal reached my ears and I scrambled to my feet. About ten feet in front of me was a round table with a pile of black bags. Each one had a white number printed on it. Mine was near the top, just under the bag with the '4' printed on it.
I sucked in a deep breath, hitched my backpack onto my back, grabbed my weapon, and ran forward. I grabbed my back, knocking Mira's bag off the table, and ran for the treeline. The sound of a weapon whistling through the air reached my ears and I barely had time to dodge to the side. The boy from 6 was rushing at me, another spear raised. I stopped, scrambling to grab an arrow, but the boy threw his spear past me.
Someone behind me let out a furious scream, but I didn't stop to see who it was. I kept running, desperate to reach the trees. I was almost there, my lungs burning, when a round ball came flying at me.
I just had time to meet the gray eyes of the girl from 5 before fiery pain exploded through me.
Beria Campbell, 17
District 12 Female
This was it. I shifted from foot to foot, staring out at the Cornucopia clearing. Noon was approaching quickly. In less than an hour, I could be dead. But no, I couldn't think like that. I had to stay strong.
There was a rustle in the bushes behind me and I turned quickly, but there was nothing there. It must have been a bird or small forest creature. And I didn't have time to worry about it.
A round metal table was rising from the ground. I adjusted my grip on my ax and charged forward, weapon at the ready. The girl from 3 appeared from inside the Cornucopia and grabbed a bag before dashing across the clearing in a different direction.
Suddenly, a spear came flying towards her. She dodged it, and it sank into the ground near me. The boy from 6 burst from the undergrowth, another spear in his hand. The same rage I felt when I learned about Livia's death overtook me and a scream bubbled up in my throat. I charged the boy from 6.
His spear stabbed at my chest but it scraped off my armor. He cursed loudly and brought his fist up to punch me in the face. I staggered back but kept my grip on my weapon. I swung my ax up, slicing a deep cut into his upper thigh. He roared in pain and retaliated with a stab of his own.
His spear sank deep into my non-dominant arm and I hissed at the pain that spread through it. I raised my ax again, and was about to strike when an explosion knocked me back. I barely registered the sound of a cannon firing.
The larger boy hit the ground beside me, groaning. I sat up dizzily and was met with the sight of the girl from 5 charging towards us. The smoking limbs of the girl from 3 were lying behind her.
Panic rose in my throat and I grabbed my ax. But before I could stand or throw my weapon, the younger girl threw something. All I could do was raise my hand to cover my face.
Flames engulfed me, wrenching a scream from my throat. I tried to sit up but my left arm was completely gone. A piece of metal was sticking out from the base of my throat. I slumped back down, tears trickling down my cheeks. Another cannon fired.
I was dying. I only had seconds left. I tried to open my mouth, to apologize to Lou and Grandma Una, but I couldn't form words. Blood was filling my mouth and I closed my eyes.
'I'm sorry Lou. I love you.'
Boom.
Mira Marlina, 17
District 4 Female
When I woke up, my head felt clearer than it had in days. There was still a slight ache, but the dizziness was gone. My clothes were damp from sleeping amongst the tree roots, but the rain had stopped, which was a relief.
I stood up and stretched, working through the warmups I learned at the Academy. By the time I was done, my blood was pumping and there were no muscle cramps left. I picked up my spear and went to stand by the river to catch another fish.
The raw fish from before hadn't made me sick yet, so I was hoping I'd avoided the issue. And after the Feast today, I was certain I'd have better food. I awkwardly skinned the fish I caught and ate it slowly. I didn't want to start vomiting again.
But my stomach felt fine as I took a few sips of stream water. It wasn't ideal, but being weak from dehydration wasn't an option, especially on a day like today. Satisfied that my stomach was full and my thirst was quenched, I set off for the Cornucopia.
First, I returned to the spring where Lumine and I had camped before. I gave it a wide berth, but I knew where I was now. I faintly remembered the direction we went in as she helped me away from the bloodbath.
I pushed through the thick undergrowth, trying to be as quiet as possible. If another tribute was nearby, I could take them down, but if it was Ronald it would be a more challenging fight.
But I was undisturbed, and I made it to the Cornucopia just as the sun signaled it was noon. A round table was already set up in front of the metal structure, and as I peered out from behind a tree, the girl from 3 made a run for it.
She darted out of the Cornucopia, grabbed her bag, and sprinted towards the jungle. She wasn't heading in my direction, but before I could decide whether to kill her or not, everything went crazy.
Ronald threw a spear before engaging in a fight with the redhead from 12. And the small, creepy girl from 5 hurled a small ball at the girl from 3. It hit her square in the chest… and exploded.
I flinched away from the sudden bright light, nearly stumbling and falling. When I opened my eyes again, the girl's body was in pieces on the scorched ground. She was definitely dead, but I hadn't been able to hear her cannon over the sound of the explosion. And now Zeppelina from 5 was charging Ronald and Beria, who were both on the ground.
She flung another ball at them and it exploded like it did before. This time I heard a cannon ring out. Beria's arm had been blown off, but she was still alive, struggling to sit up. I stared at the carnage, my mouth open. How could such a small girl be so violent?
Beria collapsed and another cannon fired. Zeppelina started looking around at the display of blood and limbs. I had to take her down. As quietly as I could, I crept around the outskirts of the clearing. Her back was facing me as she walked towards the Cornucopia Slowly releasing a breath, I aimed my spear and threw.
My aim was perfect, and the weapon sank deep into Zeppelina's back. She screamed in pain, falling to her knees as I charged forward and ripped the spear from her back. Then I kicked her down and stabbed again, driving the point deep into her body.
As her cannon fired, something rustled nearby. I looked up to see the boy from 5, who was covered in leaves, standing at the table. He had two backpacks, one over each shoulder, and was holding mine. I began to tug my spear out of Zeppelina's corpse, but the boy threw the backpack at me. I caught it, but in the time it took for me to release the spear and grab it, he'd taken all the other backpacks and was disappearing into the jungle. I let him go.
The Cornucopia was mine now; as it should be.
Rain Barton, 13
District 5 Male
Something jabbed into my side, startling me awake. Opening my eyes, I found myself face-to-face with Patli and Itzel. Itzel had her arms crossed, a deep frown on her face.
"Good morning," I grumbled, sitting up and stretching my arms above my head.
"Greetings," Patli replied. "We are pleased to see that you are awake."
"We have been asked to tell you that your time at our temple has passed," Itzel said. My arms dropped.
"What?"
"Our king says a big and bloody battle is coming, and we aluxob cannot risk our lives. So, you must depart."
"Oh," I mumbled, a sinking feeling filling my chest. As odd as they were, I'd come to consider Itzel and Patli my friends. They helped me survive. And now they wanted me gone.
But today was the day of the Feast. I hadn't fully decided if I was going or not, but I was tempted to. I was running low on supplies and I was sneaky and quick. I could rush in while the fighting was happening and snatch my stuff.
Itzel and Patli were still looking at me, both with somber expressions on their faces. I looked them both in the eye.
"I'll leave," I told them. "But I want to thank you for your help and generosity."
"You are welcome," Patli said. "We will tell the story of the man with the blue gem for generations to come."
"Thanks," I said with a crooked smile. I didn't have the heart to tell them they were probably Capitol muttations and would either disappear or be killed after the Games ended. It was sad for me to think about. They didn't need that burden.
I started packing up my things, but realized I couldn't fit my bedroll into the bags I had. Sighing, I rolled it up and tucked it under my arm. I'd have to stash it somewhere. As I started the descent down the side of the pyramid, I looked back at Patli and Itzel. They were standing next to each other, watching me. Patli even looked a bit sad. I raised my hand and waved, and both aluxob bowed in return.
I hid my bedroll near the stream, tucking it behind an orange tree. I didn't want to attempt to climb the cliff while carrying it. Then I swung my back of fish hooks over my shoulder, secured my rope, and began the climb.
I was grateful that the rain had subsided. Climbing this in a storm would have been extremely difficult. But the soil was still loose and grabbing onto roots and rocks made them shift precariously.
But I made it to the top successfully. I hauled myself over the edge and flopped down to catch my breath. As I laid on my back, looking up at the sky, I spotted a silver box floating downwards, attached to a white parachute.
Excitement rushing through me, I scrambled to my feet and caught the package before it hit the ground. A white '5' was printed on the top. I almost tore the box open, my anticipation rising.
To my surprise, the inside was filled with leaves. I frowned, picking up a handful, only to realize it was attached to a piece of thick fabric. I pulled it out of the box and gasped. It was a ghillie suit!
"Thanks Ed!" I said loudly, spreading the suit out on the grass. "And whoever else helped sponsor me. I'm going to pull off something epic, I swear." I gave a big smile towards the trees, hoping there was a camera somewhere before beginning to examine the pieces.
It seemed to come in two parts; pants and a jacket with a hood. The leaves hung past the sleeves and the hem of the pants, which meant my hands and feet would be disguised as well.
I clumsily pulled on the outfit. It was a bit awkward to move in, but when I crouched down and lowered my head, I looked like a part of the jungle undergrowth. It was perfect.
I decided to hide my fish hooks and rope as well before setting off for the Cornucopia. The sun was climbing higher in the sky and I had to get to the clearing before the fighting started.
As I approached, I spotted Beria waiting behind a tall tree. I immediately dropped to my knees and huddled near a bush. I winced when the leaves rustled, but held as still as I could. But Beria didn't react.
I heard the click of metal and then Beria charged forward. I got up and looked out at the round metal table that had risen from the ground. A pile of backpacks sat on top of it. The girl from 3 had just come running out of the Cornucopia. She grabbed her bag and sprinted away. I got ready to run in, but Ronald rushed in to join the fight.
He threw a spear, missing his target, before charging in to fight Beria. Moving as slowly as I could, I inched towards the Cornucopia. If I could get to the bags, I could snag mine and disappear.
And then Zeppelina, my district partner, came charging out of the trees.
She hurled something at the girl from 3 and an explosion filled the air. I dove behind the Cornucopia to avoid the blast. When I peered out from behind it, I had to choke back a gasp. The girl had been completely torn apart.
Zeppelina came running forward and I ducked behind the Cornucopia again. I heard another explosion and flattened myself against the metal. What was happening? There was a soft moaning sound and I looked again. The scene was grisly.
Beria was missing an arm and there was shrapnel deep in her throat. Ronald was clearly dead, though the explosion had covered the sound of his cannon. Beria collapsed against the ground and a moment later her cannon fired too.
Zeppelina seemed completely unbothered. She walked towards the table with the bags, a content smile on her face. Then suddenly she let out a scream. A spearhead was protruding from her chest and blood was beginning to pool around the wound. She dropped to her knees as the girl from 4 ran towards her. She was weaponless. Now was my chance.
I sprinted towards the table, slinging the backpacks with a '5M' and a '6' over each of my shoulders. Zeppelina's bag was tiny, so I shoved it in my pocket as her cannon went off. The girl from 4 looked up at me, a shocked expression on her face.
I snatched the bag with a '3' on it, leaving her bag on the table, and turned to run. I sprinted as fast as I could into the jungle, but there were no sounds of pursuit. I'd survived the feast, and I had a plethora of supplies. I might just be able to win the Games.
Hey everyone! Wow, this was a crazy chapter to write. I hope the flow was alright, since some of the POVs started at odd points in the day. I wanted Zeppelina's chaotic plans to come to a dramatic close, so fingers crossed I pulled it off. And I'm not super comfortable writing torture or extreme gore, so Hugo's death scene was less detailed than it could have been. Hopefully that's okay.
Next chapter will be the finale! I'm so excited to have reached the end of this story, and so grateful to all of you for joining me on this journey. That sounds cheesy, doesn't it? Oh well. I really do appreciate all the support you've given me as I wrote this SYOT. I've had a blast, but it has been hard killing off all your wonderful tributes. Unfortunately, it's the name of the game. Thanks for reading, and please leave a review! I'd love to get some feedback on this chapter.
Questions
1) Were you expecting any of these deaths? Whose was the most surprising?
2) Did you think Hugo's explosives would work?
3) Of the three tributes who are still alive, who do you think had the best arena arc?
Eulogies
8th: Hugo Firewall (killed by Zeppelina)
RIP Hugo. You were a really creative tribute concept and I absolutely adored you. I feel like I did a poor job of portraying you though, and I'm sorry for that. You were intelligent and determined, and a good friend to two relatively "bad" tributes. You were willing to stand up to your biggest bully yet, but unfortunately Zeppelina was too attentive. Thank you Very New To This.
7th: Evelyne Hope (killed by Zeppelina)
RIP Evelyne. I always felt so sad writing you because you've been through so much awful stuff. You deserved a happy, peaceful life back in District 3, but that was something you could never have after losing Lana. You were brave and loyal, and able to look at the world in a unique way. Thank you Kittygirl235.
6th: Ronald Jones (killed by Zeppelina)
RIP Ronald. I don't usually connect to villains, but I really liked you. I've never seen a tribute driven by money before, and your bold cockiness and competitive nature was really fun to write. I wanted you to go out fighting, and you did. If Zeppelina hadn't interfered, Beria would have been yours. I'm sorry you couldn't break your submitter's curse. Thank you wiifan2002 (and I'm so sorry you placed 6th twice in a row!)
5th: Beria Campbell (killed by Zeppelina)
RIP Beria. What do I even say about you? You were a blast to have around and I really did consider you for my victor. Your history and your dulled emotions made you a dynamic character and I enjoyed exploring you. I'm sorry you couldn't make it home to Lou and your new nephew. Thank you Carlpopa707.
4th: Zeppelina Skansen (killed by Mira)
RIP Zeppelina. Like I said in Ronald's eulogy, I don't always connect with villainous tributes. But there was something so dark and eerie about you that I was drawn to. There were moments when I was uncomfortable writing you, but only because I got so deep into your head. You were an amazing contender, and you rocked the arena. Thank you Victoria the Bipolar Tribute.
Have a nice day, be kind to each other, and never stop reading!