Welcome to the finale of the 66th Annual Hunger Games! Just a reminder that Chapter 28 was posted early as well, so don't forget to read that first if you haven't already.

Warning: Some bad language ahead. Also gore.

It takes a while, with Camdyn's injuries, but we manage to make it to the edge of the arena, the same spot we found before. The water rushes loudly over the cliffside, vanishing into the unknown.

It's perfect.

Drake checks on Camdyn's injuries while I fill the bottles, being careful not to let any of the water get on my wounds. I close the lids tightly once the bottles are filled to the brim before heading back over to Camdyn and Drake. "How is she?" I ask.

"Not well, I'm afraid," Drake says sadly. "Her wound reopened and I had to apply more medicine. We're running low."

Sure enough, most of the color has drained from Camdyn's face and her lips have become stained with blood. "This plan is going to work," I say reassuringly. "It's going to. And one of us is going to win."

Camdyn frowns deeply. "That one of us isn't going to be me, is it?"

I shake my head and take Camdyn's hand. "No, don't say that. You still have a chance. You can't give up. Until the end, right?"

Camdyn just smiles sadly. "I appreciate you saying that, Ames. I really do, but I'm not much help like this. Just promise me you'll keep fighting for me, okay? Keep going, no matter what happens. That goes for you too, Drake."

Drake opens his mouth to protest, but I just smile back. "I will if you promise to keep fighting too, okay? Keep fighting for Gaius."

Camdyn laughs weakly. "You just had to play the little brother card."

I shrug. "Since when do I play fair?"

Camdyn shakes her head. "Never."

"So, what now?" Drake asks. "We just wait for Bronze and Belladonna to make their grand entrance?"

"I guess so," I reply. "We should keep an eye out though. I don't see them coming quietly." I hand Drake one of the bottles and hold on to the other. "As soon as you have a clean shot, throw this right at one of them. And try not to miss."

Drake laughs. "Since when do I miss?"

"I can think of a few times," Camdyn snorts. Drake just rolls his eyes and waves her off.

We decide to get as much rest as we can, though none of us sleep much. We hold on to each other tightly every now and then. This is our last night together, after all.

As the hours pass, Camdyn grows more and more lethargic, and her coughs get more and more bloody. Eventually, we run out of medicine, which causes Drake to throw the empty canister off the cliff in frustration. "I'm no medic," Camdyn groans, "but I think there's internal damage. Killing me slowly."

"And here I thought I was the negative one…" I mutter. "Just hang on for a little while longer, okay?"

No more medicine arrives, which means we're either out of money or the Gamemakers have cut off sponsor gifts. Apparently, that's a thing that happens when the Games are drawing to a close.

To a close…

This is really happening, isn't it?

The sky starts to grow lighter, which is both concerning and reassuring. I think between the three of us, we only got four hours of sleep. At least we'll have some light to fight with and we don't have to rely on our glasses. And who knows? Maybe Belladonna and Bronze will also be operating on limited sleep. Surely the Gamemakers will also be trying to get them to the edge of the arena. If they wanted us at the Cornucopia, they wouldn't have let us get to the boundary. Maybe their methods will tire those two out even more.

I can only hope. It's all I can do at this point.

I don't know how much time has passed. An hour, maybe two. Drake has climbed into a tree to keep a lookout, while Camdyn and I make quiet conversation. As time passes, she grows less and less able to talk, which worries me greatly. "Tell me about your brother," I say in a desperate attempt to keep her talking. "You said he was around Bran's age."

Camdyn nods. "Yeah, he's eleven."

I blink, confused. "That's not around Bran's age."

"It's not? I thought he was twelve."

I can't help but laugh at this. "Bran was fourteen."

"Oh…" Camdyn laughs a bit. "He looked twelve."

"He really did, didn't he? I really miss him."

"I do too, but he's with us. They all are, and they'll get us through this."

I nod. "Yeah, they will."

Lightning strikes nearby, followed by a roar of thunder.

There is another one, and another one, and it's getting closer.

Camdyn forces herself upright and I quickly stand up. This must be it. "Drake, get out of that tree, now!"

"Already on it!" Drake cries as he scurries down.

"Get me to my feet," Camdyn says firmly.

As soon as Drake is on the ground, we pull Camdyn to her feet, and she draws her sword. I pull out my sickle and look at Drake, who is holding his knife. He pats his pocket where his bottle is, and I nod.

Lightning strikes one more time before Belladonna and Bronze emerge from the woods. Bronze skids to a stop, with Belladonna right next to him. They're both carrying backpacks full of supplies like they were out looking for us before the Gamemakers gave them some assistance if you want to call it that. They shed those backpacks and we stare each other down. Belladonna just grins, while Bronze looks furious. "You're going to pay for what you did," he snaps at me.

"Yeah, well you owe a pound of flesh yourself," I retort. "Both of you."

Belladonna just laughs. "Cute." Then, without warning, she throws a knife right at Drake's head. Drake's eyes go wide and he ducks out of the way of a fatal hit, but the knife slices across his scalp. He hits the ground hard and doesn't get up.

"Drake!" Camdyn shouts. The outburst has her coughing and blood droplets fly from her mouth.

Bronze just rolls his eyes and calmly reaches for an arrow as Belladonna starts running towards us.

"Dammit!" Camdyn whimpers, her hand gripping her wound tightly. The resignation is clear on her face. She quickly gives my arm a squeeze. "Remember the promise, Ames."

"What are you…" I breathe.

Camdyn takes a deep breath and rushes towards Bronze with a loud cry, sword poised to take Bronze's head off.

"Camdyn, no!"

Belladonna intercepts her, and Camdyn responds by bringing her sword up, catching Belladonna's head. Belladonna shrieks in pain as the blade opens a long, deep gash on her face. "You bitch!" she roars. She swipes at Camdyn with her knife, slicing her own face open. I rush forward and bring my sickle down towards Belladonna. She blocks it with her knife. The distraction allows Camdyn to continue her charge towards Bronze.

I slam my foot into Belladonna's stomach, and she stumbles back, gasping for air. She swipes at me with her knife again, and this time, I block it with enough force to disarm her.

Camdyn reaches Bronze and slashes at him, but her injury slows her down. He whirls around, dodging the sword. His hand then snakes out, grabbing Camdyn by the shirt collar. Camdyn responds by slashing her sword across Bronze's leg. Bronze lets out a shout and throws her to the ground, winding her. "Camdyn!" I cry. I rush towards her but Belladonna cuts me off and shoves me backward and I'm forced to watch as Bronze plunges an arrow into her heart.

"No!"

Camdyn's cannon fires.

"Carlton, you bastard!" I scream.

Bronze stares at me, hatred burning in his eyes.

I grit my teeth angrily as Belladonna grins. "You're next, Reeves," she says.

"Like hell," I growl. I reach for the bottle in my pocket and with all the force I can muster, throw it into her face. It shatters, and I immediately rip myself backward to avoid the glass shards.

Belladonna cries out, stumbling and swiping at her bleeding face. Her movements begin to slow.

Now's my chance.

I brace myself, lunge forward, and slash her stomach open.

Belladonna screams in pain and her legs buckle as the wound's devastating effects almost immediately hit her. Belladonna slumps onto her knees, fighting to stay awake between the water and the wound in her stomach.

Then, an arrow slams into her back. Her eyes go wide, then go empty as she slumps to the ground and her cannon fires.

"Useless!" Bronze shouts as he throws his bow and empty quiver aside. "Fucking useless!"

"You son of a bitch!" I shout. "She was your ally!"

Bronze rushes forward with a yell, pulling out his shortsword. The two of us begin exchanging blows, and whatever I felt at the feast, I feel it again. Except this time, I'm not defending myself against multiple opponents. It's just me and him, like it was always meant to be. Just us, our rage, and our need to survive.

It doesn't take long for me to realize that unless Drake wakes up soon, I'm in trouble. I'm more injured than Bronze is, while Bronze is slower due to his leg wound, my body is getting more and more persistent at reminding me of that I'm very much outmatched in terms of stamina.

Bronze grabs my left wrist and holds it out away from me, squeezing as hard as he can until I lose my grip on my sickle. I desperately send my foot between his legs, and Bronze howls in pain. "You bitch!" he shouts. He throws himself towards me, and while I'm able to dodge the worst of it, I can't fully avoid the blade as it slices deep into my side.

For a moment, pain becomes my whole world. I try to breathe, but my breath stutters in my chest and I find myself coughing.

My hand flies to the deep gash in my side, and I find the fabric of my jacket is already becoming warm and sticky.

That's a lot of blood… My blood…

Shit… This isn't good!

Bronze rips his blade free and grabs me by the throat, cutting off my air supply. Panic sets in and I immediately begin slamming my fists against his arm and frantically start kicking where I can, but it's no use. He lets out an angry yell and slams me into the ground. I can feel my chest tighten with the impact, but I can't get any air to fix it. My vision starts to blur and darken and I can feel my body shutting down.

"You ruined everything!" Bronze roars. "It was supposed to be Jax here with me! She was supposed to live to the end, not you! You should have been dead by now! You're nothing! An anomaly! A failure! A cursed brat with nothing to live for!"

Rage wells up in me and I spit blood right into his face.

Bronze lets out an enraged cry. He slams me into the ground once again and I squeak in pain. I can't breathe, everything hurts, and I'm dying. I'm going to die.

I'm going to die!

"Amber!"

Drake slams into Bronze, causing him to lose his grip on me, and I'm left lying on the ground, gasping for air, and holding the deep gash in my side. My relief is short-lived though, as I can only watch as the two of them wrestle their way closer to the edge of the cliff.

Bronze slams his head into Drake's, causing Drake to stumble backward. Bronze takes a swing at Drake, and it connects, causing him to stumble again, but Drake recovers quickly and manages to gain some distance before throwing his knife at Bronze. It strikes him in the shoulder, and Bronze shouts out in pain. He rips out the blade and throws it to the side. It bounces off the rocks and skids towards me.

Drake pulls the bottle of water from his pocket and throws it at Bronze, but Bronze ducks and rolls out of the way. My heart sinks as the bottle flies uselessly over the cliff.

Move, you idiot!

I shift painfully, forcing my body to move.

Drake charges at Bronze in a last-ditch effort to shove Bronze off the cliff, but Bronze braces himself and manages to catch Drake at the last second.

Bronze grins darkly and jams his blade into Drake's chest before whipping him around and dangling him over the cliff. Drake doesn't release his grip on Bronze, even as Bronze stabs him a second time. Blood gushes from his wound, and the color immediately begins draining from his face. Drake keeps a vice-like grip on Bronze's vest, but he can't hold it for much longer. He'll fall from the cliff and then Bronze will come for me, and I can't fight him off like this.

I choke back a sob.

No, not like this! It can't end like this!

"How does it feel," Bronze hisses to Drake. "How does it feel to come this close and then fail at the last moment?"

No. We haven't failed.

Not yet.

Not in a million years!

I force myself into a seated position. Drake's gaze flickers over to me briefly before going back to Bronze, and he grins. "I might have failed, but I'll be damned if I let you win either."

I clutch my side and pick up the knife before standing up slowly.

I close my eyes for a moment, pushing back the pain, finding my center, and remembering what Drake told me in training. I adjust my stance and take a breath.

Drake and I lock eyes. "And I think she agrees," he adds coldly.

I swing my arm straight down and let the knife fly.

It slams into the center of Bronze's back. His knees immediately give out and he howls in pain.

Drake swings his entire body weight around before collapsing, hurling Bronze towards the cliff's edge, nearly sending them both over. I rush forward, snatching up my sickle as I do and crying out as my injuries are aggravated by the movement. Bronze grips Drake's waist with the last of his strength, and I grip Drake's shoulders with the last of mine.

Bronze rips the knife free from Drake's chest and lashes out at me. I pull back to avoid the blade and he loses his grip on it. It falls into the void and out of view.

Bronze is left dangling off the cliff. He can't move his legs to find purchase on the rocks and instead is left dangling over the void. He glares up at me, tears in his eyes. "So that's it then?" he asks quietly. "It's all for nothing, now?"

Part of me wants to pity him, and I guess a part of me does. He's my age, after all, just another kid in the arena. A part of me wants to be angry with him, to draw this out and get my revenge tenfold, but that wouldn't be right, would it? I'd be no better than him if I did that.

I take my sickle and grip it tightly.

Bronze sees this and his face melts from rage into resignation.

His eyes are still locked onto mine when I slash his throat open.

Bronze's grip on Drake slips and he plummets, vanishing into the fog below.

A cannon fires moments later.

My attention is almost immediately back on Drake, who is semi-conscious in my arms. I pull him back from the cliff and immediately examine his wounds. One look and I know he's a goner. A pool of blood begins to surround us both, and it doesn't take a medic to know that it's more his blood than mine.

A wave of dizziness starts to wash over me. My body is starting to give out. As much as I want to just lay down beside Drake and sleep, it doesn't look like he's going to last much longer. Someone needs to be there with him in his final moments.

Tears begin to well in my eyes as I hold him tightly. "Hey," I say quietly, putting one hand on the side of his face and holding his own hand with the other.

Drake's eyes flutter open. It takes a moment for them to focus on me, but when they do, he smiles. "Did you get him?"

I nod slowly. "Yeah, he's dead."

"You did it then," he says. He coughs, red droplets flying from his lips. "You won."

"Not yet," I say quickly. "You still have a chance. You can still win this."

Drake shakes his head slowly. "You know, it's poetic… It was us at the start of the Games. It's us at the end too."

I choke back a sob and squeeze his hand tightly. He takes his other hand and presses down on the wound in my side as if he's trying to stop the bleeding. I take my own free hand and press down on his in return. "Just like we promised," I reply, my voice thick with tears.

"Just like we promised," Drake echoes. He squeezes my hand. "Thank you, Ames. Thanks for being the best ally…no, the best friend anyone could have asked for in here… Promise me you'll live your best life. You've earned that more than anyone else here…"

"Drake, I…" I nod slowly and smile down at him. "I promise. Of course, I do."

Drake smiles back. Despite the blood and tears, it's a lovely smile. His eyes flutter shut. The smile slips from his face and his hand goes limp in mine.

His cannon fires and the trumpets begin to sound.

Claudius Templesmith's voice echoes throughout the arena. "Ladies and Gentlemen! It is my honor to present the winner of the Sixty-Sixth Annual Hunger Games: Amber Reeves, from District Nine!"

I did it.

I broke the curse.

I won.

The hovercraft is coming. They'll want me to clear out and be ready to leave, but I can't bring myself to do that just yet. I have to say goodbye.

I give Drake's hand one last squeeze and release it, letting him go. Then, I stumble over to Camdyn's body and do the same thing, brushing her hair from her face and closing her eyelids.

I raise my face to the sky and force myself to stand upright as the hovercraft makes its final approach.

I have one final promise to keep after all.

"Goodbye, and thank you," I say quietly, "I couldn't have done this without you."

Then, I turn towards the hovercraft and walk towards that new horizon.

5th Place – Camdyn Gloriana – Stabbed by Bronze Carlton
Out of all of the tributes in Amber's alliance, she was probably the closest to Amber, second only to Bran. She wasn't against killing, but she was honorable, courageous, kind, and loyal. Despite being fatally wounded by Giemci, she kept fighting and was able to linger as long as she did thanks to the medical attention she got, but her injuries were too severe for her to last much longer. She knew wasn't going to survive the final battle, but she ran in any way to protect her friends, and her sacrifice ensured that Drake lived long enough to save Amber. Had she not done that, Bronze would have killed Drake and likely Amber as well. She leaves behind a younger brother (who we've not heard the last of by the way), but he'll have plenty of people looking after him, like Brutus and Amber. Goodbye, Camdyn. May your courage and kindness never be forgotten.

4th Place - Belladonna Harper – Shot by Bronze Carlton after being slashed by Amber Reeves
Belladonna was originally supposed to die at the Feast, but she made it to the finale when I decided to kill Jax instead. She was vicious and a little too enthusiastic about murder. When I came up with her, I knew she'd have a place in the Careers. She wins the award for Worst District Partner by a landslide, given that she tried to torture Harvey to death. Originally, Amber was going to kill her outright, but I realized that Bronze was not above shooting his own allies, and given his current mental state, he would be the one to land the final blow, even though she was a goner the moment Amber slashed her. Belladonna was such a fun villain to write. She certainly won't be missed in District Eleven, but I can imagine her being a cult favorite among some of the more bloodthirsty Capitolites for years to come. Goodbye, Belladonna. Your reign of terror is over at last.

3rd Place – Bronze Carlton – Fell to death after throat was slashed by Amber Reeves
Bronze was the main villain of the story, and that was one thing that never changed, despite all the changes that I made to his arc. He was this cold and calculating individual and was arguably Amber's main rival. I'd go so far as to say they were two sides of the same coin. They were both tacticians leading their respective alliances, but both went down different paths. While Amber was able to learn to let go of those she lost and find that clarity that she needed, Bronze slipped further and further into darkness, and his grief drove him mad. At the end of the day, he was just another teenager in the arena, and was just as vulnerable as anyone else. His tragic villain arc was sad to write, but it was also something fun to explore. He came so close to winning, but at the end of the day, he looked death in the eyes and faced it with dignity. I couldn't find a way to fit the dialogue in, but his final thoughts were "I'm coming, Jax." Now, he can rest. Goodbye, Bronze. May you be reunited with Jax at last.

2nd Place – Drake Montez – Succumbed to wounds from Bronze Carlton
Drake was one of the first characters I came up with for this story. I think he was actually the third and he was one of the few characters who I didn't change any plans for. I originally was going to write him as Amber's closest ally, but while Bran and Camdyn kind of stole that spot away from him, they were still very close. For the first couple of days, it was those two against the world, and it was those two against the world at the very end as well. He and Amber's friendship was just so natural to write, and they had some wonderful moments together. It was only right that he placed second, allowing that promise over pancakes to be fulfilled, and a new one to be made, a promise that Amber will carry with her forever. Goodbye, Drake. Thank you for being such a wonderful ally and friend.

Victor – Amber "Ames" Reeves
I think we all knew this was coming. Amber was the main point of view character. When she was first introduced, she was cynical, closed off, and had a very unhealthy sense of self. She created her entire identity around the curse and her family, and never left any room for who she was. She never really healed from losing her family, and when more losses and pressure piled up in the arena, it all proved to be too much for her. However, in the end, she found her center. She found a better reason to keep going, and she realized she didn't have to be like her family. She just had to be her, and while she didn't know who that person was, she was ready to find out. She learned that it was okay to get close to people, and she learned how to let them go when it was time. She's accepted death, and that's what ultimately makes her the Grim Reaper. Amber will carry these lessons with her forever, and the ghosts of her friends and family will no longer hold her down. Rather, they will raise her up. She will live for the people she lost, and for the people she still has. Writing Amber's arc was such a joy. I enjoyed every minute of telling her story, and while her time in the spotlight is drawing to a close, her story is far from over. She'll play a role in A Single Moment and the Soltiverse as a whole, so stay tuned for that. Congratulations, Amber! You deserve this so very much!

We did it, everyone! The Sixty-Sixth Hunger Games are at an end! We're almost done with this story. Next chapter will cover the post-Games events, there will be an epilogue covering the victory tour, and then we'll be done! I'll probably take a quick break for the wedding, but I hope to officially get the ball rolling on A Single Moment after the first of the year. If you still owe me a form, please try to get it to me by the end of the year if possible. There's still time since a couple more prologues are coming, but the sooner I get everyone in, the sooner I can start.

Finally, I am pleased to announce that I have a playlist for this story! I don't have the link anymore because Google shut down my writing channel because they thought I was a scammer. (Like, wtf? It was a playlist?) and my pleas fell on deaf ears, but if anyone wants the song list, DM me and I'll send it to you!

Until next time, everyone! We're almost done!