Hebe awoke the next morning covered in dirt and leaves, grinning maniacally. Her dreams had been filled with the career's screams, vivid visions of Verity's face melting, an axe in Icarus' skull, blood covering the floor, her trekking their blood through the swamp, the rusty red mixing with the mud.
Her thoughts were cut off when she buried her head in her hands, resisting the temptation to slap herself across the face to rid herself of the bloodthirsty abstractions. She unzipped the top of her suit, swatting at the flies and mosquitoes that buzzed around her, reaching in and grabbing the chain Luca had given her, moving her thumb over the pendant. She looked down at it, realising it was a small arrowhead.
A tear began to slip down her cheek as she stared at it, remembering seeing Luca's mother at the docks wearing the same one while she sold her nets. Hebe held it tightly, rubbing her fingers over the ridges of the piece of metal.
She then looked up, finally taking in her surroundings. Thankfully the rest of the careers were asleep, even Icarus who was supposed to be on watch. It was just after dawn, the early morning sun creeping up over the treetops, shining speckled light onto her. It reminded Hebe of the willow tree outside her bedroom window, the dappled rays of the sun on her bed. She quickly pushed those thoughts of home away, zipping her suit back up before the mosquitoes struck and sucked all the blood from her body.
Hebe grabbed her backpack and took stock of her food supplies. Inside was one last full canteen of water and 2 boxes of crackers. Her 'allies' would have more, maybe another 2 bottles of water, a few other boxes of crackers, even some apples, but not enough to sustain them for any stretch of time. They would be eager to hunt down other tributes today before their meager supplies ran out.
The tributes left were the three careers, the pair from 3, Hebe, the boy from 5, the girl from 6, the pair from 7, the girl from 12 and possibly the girl from 8 too. Only 12 left, halfway there. Halfway home.
Soon they were all awake, Verity berating Icarus for falling asleep on the job, Gaia quietly sniggering at them in the corner. Icarus didn't seem overly bothered by her complaints, brushing the girl off in favour of eating some of his own crackers. Irritated, Verity was the one to lay out the plan for today, usurping Icarus' leadership.
"We're gonna have to hunt down some of the other tributes. Steal their supplies. We're going to go deeper into the forest, it's probably going to be where the others are hiding out, trying to stay as far away from the cornucopia as possible," She turned to Hebe, eyeing her with disdain. "Now's the time to prove your worth 4. Or this won't be working anymore." She finished, parroting the same words Hebe had said to her at the lunch table in the training centre.
"Sounds great." Hebe responded coldly, staring the girl down. Verity just huffed and returned to her crackers, walking over to Icarus and offering him a sip of water.
Then they were picking up their backpacks and trekking through the jungle, leaving no remnants of their camp behind. Hebe toyed with her necklaces as she walked, holding Luca's pendant through the thin fabric of her suit.
She was glad for the sun, it cheered her despite the circumstances. It reminded her of home, walking by the docks in the summer, laughing with Annie, going down to the beach and swimming, lounging by the shore together. She enjoyed the way it made their silver suits look as they moved, glistening in the sunlight like liquid mercury winding its way through the twisted trunks of dead grey trees.
Hebe could hear the playful joking between Icarus and Verity, not really listening to their conversation. She smiled slightly, until her ears finally honed in on what they were discussing.
"Yeah but we both got 2 at the bloodbath! And I got that girl from, like, 20 metres away!" Verity whined, clearly upset that she wasn't getting enough appreciation for how murderous she was.
"Sure. Whatever. But you're forgetting that Augustus had already stabbed your first one. It was basically an assist. And I beheaded the girl from 11." He grinned proudly at the girl, and Hebe felt her stomach twist at the way they talked about her ally.
"Oi, 4 what about you? How many you knocked off?" Icarus shouted, strangely talkative lately, not at all the strong silent type she'd pegged him to be.
"One. The girl from 9. Got her in the back of the neck." She replied, trying to be as calm as possible despite the rising nausea in her throat. She was disgusted by them, disgusted by the way they talked as if their deaths meant nothing.
He nodded at her, before turning back and continuing to brag to the girl from 1. Icarus had turned out to have been a typical career. Arrogant, and an asshole.
Then a boom of the cannon. Hebe jumped, her axe coming up at her side. Then a scream, the careers grinning and taking off in the direction it came from, dashing through the forest at incredible speeds. Hebe followed quickly behind them, leaping over fallen trees and large puddles in her efforts to keep up with them. Gaia was next to her, arms and legs pumping quickly, her face and eyes wide. She was like a spooked horse galloping through a field, trundling forward with no regard for her direction.
She finally caught up with the careers, watching in horror as they circled the pair from district 3, the girl from 8 dead at their feet. Blood was splattered up the girl's (Lilac's? Was that her name?) arm and on her face. Her eyes were wild and her pupils had shrunk to tiny dots within her iris. However, her district partner was practically drenched in blood, his knuckles shredded and a branch in his hands, dyed a similar rusty, red colour.
The boy, who Hebe remembered to be Ampere, had not noticed the presence of the careers, still in a state of shock from the brutal murder he had just committed. Hebe imagined that the look on his face must be similar to the one she had displayed as she watched Luca die. It was an expression that she was coming to know well in the games, a look of pure, unadulterated fear.
The girl beside him however, had noticed them nudging him gently, his head snapping up to look at her. He registered the group of teens circling him like vultures. Hebe realised that this was the exact scene she herself had experienced, except now she was on the other end, partaking in the hunt.
Then they bolted, sprinting through the swamp, weaving their way through the trees, the careers laughing and giving chase. Yet again, Hebe followed along, keeping pace with Verity and Icarus. She watched as Verity spotted something, throwing her spear in the direction of what must've been a flash of silver. A scream followed, evidence that she had hit her target. She whooped triumphantly, certain that victory would be swift and merciless.
Then the path began to narrow, closing in on them like the eye of a storm. They kept running. Until they no longer could. They were hemmed in on all sides by a steep rock face, and it seemed inaccessible other than the small path they had just come down. There were droplets of blood covering the floor, a trail leading to the middle of the clearing. Then it just stopped. The two were nowhere to be found.
"Where the fuck are they?!" Verity shouted, aggravated that they had been given the slip by the tributes from district 3 of all places.
"What the fuck?" Icarus asked, seeming honestly lost, in wonderment of how the two had managed to disappear entirely.
"4? What do you think happened?" Verity spat, taking her anger out on her ally. Hebe looked at her incredulously.
"How would I know?"
"You always act like you're some kind of fucking genius. Where'd they go?"
Hebe just shrugged, further angering Verity.
She huffed and began stomping back down the path, Icarus lumbering behind her. Gaia trailed after them, panting from the exertion of having to run so fast. Hebe kept staring at the spot they had disappeared from. Just as she moved away, she could've sworn she saw a gleam of metal, but when she turned back it was gone, all she could see was the dull brown mud.
Hebe caught up with the careers back at the clearing where they had found Lilac and Ampere. The girl from 8's body was gone, carried off by a hovercraft, and the careers were currently digging through their supplies, scavenging like racoons through backpacks. No one questioned her momentary absence, and Hebe was almost amused by how useless the careers were as guards.
She joined in the search for food, finding a few apples stashed in the undergrowth at the edges of the clearing and transferring them to her own backpack. Night was now falling quickly, and the group decided to stay in that clearing for the night and continue searching for tributes the next day.
"I'll keep watch tonight." Hebe declared, as Icarus and Verity squabbled over who would have to stay up.
"Are you kidding? Not a chance." Verity responded, rolling her eyes.
"I'm serious. I don't want to get killed because Icarus can't keep his eyes open." She glared at the boy, who looked down almost bashfully as Verity directed her own scowl toward him.
"Maybe I don't want you to kill me in my sleep."
"I'll keep watch with her." Gaia cut in, confusing the two girls, "Then she can't kill you both. She'd have to kill me first and the cannon would go off waking you both up. Then she'd be dead." She explained, whilst Hebe looked at her with curiosity.
"Whatever." Verity huffed, storming to the other side of their camp, dragging Icarus with her. Hebe nodded at Gaia in a sort of appreciation, slumping down on the floor, axe in hand.
They sat in silence for nearly an hour, the sound of Verity's snoring and Icarus' grinding teeth echoing through the swamp.
"If she keeps snoring that loud she's going to wake the other tributes." Hebe remarked, Gaia laughing quietly.
"Thanks for defending me by the way," Hebe continued, turning her head to look at the younger girl.
"No problem. Just returning the favour." Gaia replied, staring straight ahead.
Her chest rose and fell more quickly than normal, and she looked slightly paler than usual. Hebe thought that it may have been the moonlight, but the drop of sweat that rolled down her brow told a different story. Anxiety.
"You good?" Hebe asked, Gaia snapping her head round to look at the girl, revealing her drawn expression. "You look a little… nervous." Hebe continued cautiously, not wishing to pry too much lest she spook the girl.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." She squeaked, clearly not fine.
"Okay then."
They fell into another, slightly more uncomfortable silence, Gaia continuing to sweat buckets next to Hebe.
The Capitol anthem saved them both from the awkward tension, blasting into their eardrums as usual. The only face in the sky tonight was the boy from 8, and Hebe was reminded of Ampere's expression at the sight of his dead body, blood splattered all over the tree branch.
She looked over at the sleeping faces of Icarus and Verity, still sound asleep, not having stirred through the entire playing of the anthem. They yet again returned to silence.
"I'm not really a career." Gaia blurted out, shattering the quiet in the wood with her confession.
"Yeah, I noticed." Hebe responded, "How come?" She watched the girl's expression morph into surprise at how unbothered she was by her admittance.
"I never went to the academy," She looked down, almost ashamed of the fact.
"How? Isn't that all that you guys do in 2?"
Gaia laughed bitterly.
"Yeah it's supposed to be. My father is the mayor of 2. His sister went into the games when he was little. She volunteered, and was one of the best at the academy. She didn't even make it out of the bloodbath. He never let me go to the academy for fear I volunteered like his sister. And he thought I was too good for it, convinced that a 'real education' would serve me better."
"That definitely backfired, didn't it?"
"Sure did. They all hated me. All the kids at the academy knew who I was, the cowardly mayor's daughter. I'm surprised they didn't have a fucking party when I got reaped."
A sudden realisation then hit Hebe like lightning.
"That's why none of them volunteered…" She mumbled, Gaia nodding gravely.
"Wait, so how come Icarus is protecting you then? If he's supposed to hate you so much?"
"My father threatened him, said if he didn't at least try and help me that he would make him 'regret it'."
Hebe gaped at the girl, shocked by the tyrannical threats made by a mayor of all people. In 4, the mayor was more of a symbolic role, spending most of their time making pointless speeches and opening new government buildings.
"In 2 the mayor holds a lot of power, it's because of their closeness to the Capitol. Father spends half the year there meeting with people. The officials in 2 are probably more embroiled in the politics of the Capitols than most of those who actually live there."
Hebe nodded in understanding, her heart filling with pity at her situation. The reaping had probably been rigged, Gaia forced to pay for some small mistake of her father's with her life. Gaia's ineptitude with weapons finally made perfect sense, the silver spoon in her mouth now evident in the way she held herself, in the way she articulated.
"My father's dead." Hebe blurted, trying to make the girl feel better, "He was mugged on the way home one day. They killed him."
She made the story sound as emotionless as possible, her face neutral, her eyes free of the usual tears that welled in them when she thought of her father.
"Is that why you volunteered?"
"Yeah. My mum couldn't work and I couldn't support us on my wages alone. So I volunteered, it's the only way I can help her…" She trailed off slightly, casting her gaze downwards. She was all too aware of the cameras watching her, all too aware of how many sponsors her sob story would get.
The worst part was that it was entirely true.
"I'm sorry." Gaia muttered, her voice quiet and genuine. Hebe began to reassure her, but was cut off by the girl.
"I'm so so sorry Hebe." Hebe furrowed her eyebrows, motionless as the younger girl reached for her wrist and dug her fingers into it. The last thing Hebe saw was Gaia's eyes staring at her apologetically, then she blacked out.
Hebe awoke what could've been hours later, or only a few minutes. Nevertheless, Gaia was gone, and so were their supplies.
"Son of a bitch…" Hebe murmured, rubbing the bridge of her nose with her thumbs.
She looked down and saw that she still had her axe, grateful for the small mercy's. Then she returned her gaze ahead of her, to where the careers were still sound asleep.
The careers were still sound asleep.
Soon a plan began formulating in Hebe's mind, an amalgamation of all those previous. Gaia's words from earlier rang in her ears,
'The cannon would go off and you would both wake up. Then she'd be dead.'
She felt the same rush of adrenaline as she had the night before, the thirst for vengeance burning through her, insatiable.
Hebe stood up and walked over to where Icarus and Verity were asleep. They were roughly two feet apart, and Hebe towered between them, careful not to snap any twigs and rouse them from their slumber. She measured the distance in her head, confirming her plan one last time.
She began waving her hands above her head, trying to alert the cameras to her presence. She wanted everyone to watch this. Hebe then stopped, praying that she had gotten their attention. She could imagine them all perched on the edge of their seats, leaning so far forward that their wigs threatened to topple off their heads.
Hebe tightened her grip on her axe and bent down, slamming it right between Verity's eyes. Then she quickly yanked it out again, slashing Icarus across the throat right as her cannon went off.
The boy's eyes shot open, hand grabbing the wound on his neck as if to try and stop the bleeding. Hebe cackled at him as he struggled, eyes bloodshot, spit foaming on his lips as he gurgled, trying to say something.
"What's that? Sorry, I can't quite hear you?" She mocked, cupping her hand to her ear.
"Y-y-you b-bit-tch." He stuttered, trying to inject venom into the sentence despite the fact he was bleeding out. Then he started twitching just like the girl from 9 had, looking like he was doing some kind of strange dance.
Hebe swung her axe at his neck again, cutting through bone and gristle like butter, watching as his head detached itself from his body.
A second cannon blasted through the arena, Icarus' head rolling away from her. She then turned back to Verity, laughing maniacally at her lolled out tongue and wide eyes.
Hebe stood there for some time, basking in the moment of killing the careers, finally having her sweet revenge. She rolled her head back and stared at the sky, imagining Luca staring down at her, smiling at what she had done for him.
She could see the dimples on his cheeks as he laughed, the light in his eyes, the crease in his brows. She could see his soft curly hair, his boyish stature and encouraging thumbs up.
She turned back to Verity, deciding to give her one last hard kick before stumbling out of the clearing practically drunk on sweet revenge.
Hebe wandered through the swamp, blood on her axe and face. The squelching of her feet in the mud was deafened by the whirr of hovercrafts coming to collect her victims.
Swinging her arms happily, she began humming to herself, acting like she was coming back home from the shops and not walking away from a violent murder scene. She cycled through all the folk songs she remembered from her days at school, pieces she played on her violin, lullabies her mother sang to her as a baby.
Hebe kept walking away from the clearing, the feeling of joy slowly ebbing from her body the further she got from her massacre, giving way to guilt and nausea. A knot of anxiety tied itself deep in her stomach, the stench of blood sickening, her suit becoming tight to the point of suffocation, squeezing the air from her lungs.
She unzipped the top down so her neck and collarbones were exposed, doing the same for the zips up her arms and legs, trying to lessen the feeling of constriction. Hebe toyed with the two pendants, thumbing the ridges on the arrowhead and twisting the ring.
Panting, she squatted down on the floor, the world spinning around her as she did so. She was breathing so heavily that she reached the point of hyperventilating, growing more and more light-headed by the second.
Then the ringing began, her eardrums feeling like they were going to burst from the sound. It only grew louder and louder as she became dizzier and dizzier. She wiped her hands down her face in exasperation, but when she looked at them they were painted red with her sins.
Hebe began retching, doubled over on the floor trying to force her body to repel whatever was making her feel this way, but it didn't work, all she could do was gag, hot tears rolling down her cheeks.
She stared at the floor, resting her head between her knees as she squatted down. She looked at the mud and mulch, using her fingers to trace patterns in it as she sobbed and panted.
It was like killing the careers had acted as a catalyst for all these emotions, breaking a dam inside of her mind. Ever since Luca, she had kept her emotions carefully in check, not allowing herself to even consider his death properly, focused purely on obtaining revenge on his behalf. But now there was nothing to drive her forwards, all that was left was the reality of what she had done.
Hebe saw their bodies, motionless, covered in blood, so many pairs of blank eyes staring at her. Luca, Niamh, Verity, Icarus. She was alone, the only company was their spirits and the mud, the trees, the sky. All engineered to provide her with torment.
She drew Luca in the mud, and herself next to him. They both had bright smiles on their faces, after all stick men couldn't have holes in their chests.
Then she saw his face again, watching him die again in her head and rubbed it out, clawing the mud from the ground and flinging it behind her.
Then she hit something else, unable to keep digging through the earth. She scraped her short nails along the surface, realising that it was a metal plate.
Looking around, she noticed that on all sides she was hemmed in by perilous rock faces, so sheer they were impossible to climb. Hebe recalled the clearing they had lost Lilac and Ampere in, the gleam of metal in the mud.
She began clawing at the ground again, peeling strips of moss from the plate and tossing them behind her, now digging with feverish purpose.
Eventually she was done, revealing a small trap door, and all the pieces fell into place. Lilac and Ampere must have escaped down there after they were chased. It wasn't surprising that District 3 had been the first to discover it, whatever it was, they were known for their wacky strategies in the games.
Filled with a sudden strong sense of resolve, Hebe grabbed the handle and yanked it upwards, picking up her bloody axe that she had dropped as she did so. What was revealed to her was a thin tunnel made of concrete, lit with small lights embedded in the walls. Leading down was a metal ladder, and sure enough along the floor was a trail of blood, evidence that her theory was correct.
Hebe rose to her feet, weighing her options. The swamp was familiar, but not massively viable. She couldn't rely on sponsors for her only food source, considering she hadn't received any sponsorships as of yet. The swamp would also mean she would inevitably encounter other tributes as she thought it was pretty unlikely that anyone else had discovered the existence of the tunnels yet.
On the other hand, the tunnels were an entirely unknown variable. She had no idea of how far they spread, or what dangers lay inside. There was no guarantee of food or safety. For all she knew it was a trap, Lilac and Ampere certainly seemed smart enough to plan this kind of ambush.
She groaned, tapping her foot on the floor, making up her mind. Hebe dropped to a squat, positioning herself on the ladder and descending underground.