Chapter Twenty-Four: The Great Flood

The sun had risen an hour ago. Maize couldn't find it in her to move. She sat listlessly in the same tree she'd been sitting in since the hovercraft had collected Cana's body. The two remaining members of the Career Pack killed one another after breaking out into an argument over the death of Tiberius. It was just Maize and Annie left in the arena. She wasn't planning on killing the redhead. Hell, she wasn't planning on doing anything. She didn't want to move.

Cana's pain-filled expression and groans of pain looping constantly in her mind. Cana was dead. He was never going to wake up again. Cana was never going to smile shyly up at her or request another chocolate shake. Cana was never going to join in the work song while tending to the groves. Cana was never going to see his mama again. Cana was never going to his sisters and brothers again. Cana was never going to go home. Cana would never live this life again. Cana was gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gonegonegonegone.

Maize pressed her eyes closed as another bout of sobs shook her frame. She was supposed to protect him, she was supposed to make sure that he got home! He wasn't supposed to die! He wasn't supposed to get struck by Tiberius' sword. TIBERIUS! She killed him too. Tiberius may have been from 2, a part of the Career Pack, but he was a teenager. Someone with a family. A family that would never see their son again because of her.

She climbed down the tree with shaky legs, before stumbling in the direction where she had killed Tiberius. His body was long gone, but blood still decorated the ground where the fight had occurred. Most of it was probably Cana's, poor Cana why didn't he move out of the way faster- why hadn't she covered his body with her own, she kneeled down by the patch of blood before once more displaying her grief by kissing her palm before balling her hand up into a fist and rubbing it over her heart.

"I'm sorry Tiberius." she whispered before sniffling morosely, "I- You- I didn't want to- You hurt Cana... and Cana's dead." she whimpered as tears streamed down her face, "I'm sorry. So-so sorry. Just trying to live too."

The smell of the earth and the metallic tinge of blood filled her nostrils as she pressed her face to the ground morosely. She wasn't sure exactly when she had face-planted into the ground as her sobs shook her entire frame, but she couldn't really be bothered. In her grief, she had even momentarily forgotten that she was being watched, that her entire breakdown was being televised for all of Panem to see. A bitter quiet part of her mind wanted to laugh at the Capitolites watching the screens, they had to be bored out of their minds now that the last two remaining tributes had gone off the deep. (Was this why they broke the dam the first time around? Were they tired of waiting for the loony tributes to kill each other?).

Turning her face so that she could breathe properly she turned her head to the side where a pinging sound was ringing in the air. A small parachute landed close by. Maize sat up before half-heartedly pulling the parachute and the silver looking container attached to it closer to her. It was similar to a thermos, although larger and more similar to the size of a small metallic lunch box, except that it hissed when she opened it.

"Don't give up. Eat. He wouldn't want to see you this way. -Seeder" was written on a small white card at the top, a small water bottle and a grilled cheese sandwich. Her stomach roared with hunger and her throat suddenly felt parched. Maize pressed her cracked lips together before deciding to take a sip of the cool water being provided by her Mentor. She'd forgotten really, that Seeder and Chaff were watching her. That they wanted her to survive. That Seeder believed in her.

Her hands shook as she picked up the grilled cheese and took a tentative bite. It was good. Her eyes burned again with tears, but Maize wasn't going to cry anymore. Her baba and mama were probably watching. Amla. She was glad that she had volunteered in her cousin's place. Her cousin was too gentle for a place like this, it would have killed her. Maize hoped that the baby would be born healthy. God, she prayed that her parents had done as she asked and not let Birch and the others watch the Games...

It was sad. Terribly so. That even with so many people watching and counting on her to come home, the grilled cheese sandwich filling her belly felt like a last meal.

She drank the remaining water with gusto after chewing the last morsel of sandwich before shakily standing up. Her legs had unfortunately fallen asleep, so she had to deal with the annoying prickling under her skin as she walked. Maize patted the zipped-up pocket where she had hidden Cana's token for safekeeping to double-check that it was still on her. It was. She wasn't going to be trying too hard to survive, but she wouldn't let her family see her just wither away on the screen. Seeder didn't deserve to watch her tribute just give-

The ground shook menacingly.

~CR~A~CK~

Maize's head whipped around to look at where the dam was, her eyes grew large with fear as adrenaline pumped throughout her body. Water was flooding at an alarming rate towards her. Maize bolted in the opposite direction before scaling the first tall and sturdy tree she could find. She climbed and climbed until her weight couldn't be supported anymore, not that it mattered much as the wave hit her tree with a fury. Coldwater crashing into her back, leaving bruises and scrapes behind. The tree held strong for a moment before it was uprooted and began to be carried by the wave.

She gripped the bark with all of her strength before the wave caused her to crash with another still rooted tree and dislodged her. Her lips were pressed shut as Maize became completely submerged under the freezing water. She fought with the strong current to poke her head up to the surface, air-filled her lungs with a loud desperate gasp as Maize struggled to tread water with such strong currents and debris underneath her.

"Ahhhh!" she screamed in pain, accidentally gargling water when she opened her mouth in pain when a part of the deadwood in the water punctured her side. Red blood surrounded her in the water as she was pulled under once more. Water was filling her open mouth and choking her, but Maize was able to break the surface once more, coughing and gasping for air. She needed to keep swimming. The cold was making her whole body feel numb. A tree that had been uprooted by the flood floated by her and she made a last-ditch effort to hang onto it. Groaning in effort and pain she tried to haul the top half of her body over it.

BOOM.

The tree hit debris harshly throwing her off and back under the water. Maize could barely keep her eyes open under the water, not that it helped her much as a branch hit her in the back of her head and she began to lose consciousness. Water filling her lungs painfully.

The whole world was muffled around her.

The last waking thought she had was relief that it was all over. She was dead.

Above the water, the host for the Hunger Games announced the winner.

Words: 1,296

Edited February 9th, 2020