Chapter Seventy-Six: Final Destination

Finale

Clara Ridley, District One Female

Finding the Cornucopia again won't be too difficult: I just need to retrace my steps from yesterday. I might have more retracing to do than I'd like considering my competition, but that's something I'd have needed to change last night, and I'm sure last night I had my reasons for getting far away.

Besides a few moments where I take a breather to either drink some water or flesh out whatever semblance of a plan I have going in, I don't stop moving toward the Cornucopia. The sun keeps moving across the sky, not a single cloud blocking it from boiling everything it can see. Fortunately enough, my blade isn't very reflective, so I won't be blinded by it every time I swing. It means I can't blind Godric either, but I'm sure he has far more experience with that, so I wasn't counting on that anyway.

The walking gives me some time to think. I've tried not to think about my parents or my friends since I left District One, but those intrusive thoughts have started trickling in now that I'm so close to getting back home. When I meet them again, I wonder what they'll have to say, my parents especially. Maybe they'll be terrified at what they raised. Maybe they'll be angry at me for turning out this way. Maybe they'll even realize that I can fend for myself now.

As for everyone else? I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to talk with them about what happened once I get out of here. It'll take a while for me to adjust to normal life again once I get back, but hopefully, they'll be with me for as long as it takes. I'd like to believe I'd have been the same way for them.

Right after the sun reaches its peak, I emerge into the clearing, the Cornucopia standing tall and proud. Above it hangs one last banner, this one reading, "LAST DAY OF CAMP - WE HOPE TO SEE YOU AGAIN NEXT YEAR!" Godric's not there, though, which is a bit weird. Maybe some mutts got sent his way to get him moving before the finale so I'm not at a disadvantage. I'd appreciate that, but this late in the Games I doubt I'm getting thrown any bones.

While I'm here, the best thing I can do is find somewhere defensible, so I walk to the mouth of the Cornucopia, peeking inside just in case Godric's hiding. That scouting mission reveals nothing, for which I'm quite grateful. It means I have a bit of time before the final battle, so I can determine how I best want to go about it.

Godric could try and surprise me from behind, but that relies on him both coming from that direction and knowing I'm there without ever seeing me, so any effort he makes to do that is doomed to fail, or at the very least, he'll be just as surprised to see me as I am.

Without a word for the cameras, I start walking in a circle around the Cornucopia to both keep my heart pumping and look in all directions, preparing for whoever's destined to be my next foe. They're going down no matter who they are, but I can at least hold off the cockiness until I see them.

I've got a sword in my hand and a fire in my chest. With both of those things combined, I'll carve my way out of here. What happens from that point onward is out of my hands.

Godric Runestone, District Two Male

When I saw the mosquito mutt just kind of staring at me, I knew the time had come to get moving. I dropped everything from my bag except my weapons back at the Cornucopia, reasoning that if I really need to I can return here and get it back, and that giving anyone else who gets here something to fight with is a terrible idea. I kept some water on me, though, because after this I was sure to need it.

With the weight on my back, even a jog is a workout, but thankfully the mutt doesn't seem to want to push me any harder. Can't have me tired for the final battle, after all. I hope. There have been worse handicaps placed on favorites in the past. Let's hope I'm not one of them, especially with Clara still in the mix.

It doesn't seem like that'll be the case this year, though: the chase I've been forced to take part in lasts far less time than even I expected. After a mile (give or take a few hundred feet) and eight minutes (give or take thirty seconds), the mosquito mutt stops in its tracks like it hit the force field, then flies off in the other direction. I went into this encounter expecting to be chased in a loop that leads back to the Cornucopia when the Gamemakers deem everything ready, but I guess that's not the case anymore. Maybe they want us to enter the clearing from very specific directions so the cameras can watch all of us at once. The final battle is almost always one of the most iconic moments of any Games, so there's no reason for them to not make it as impressive as they can.

One long drink of water later, I begin backtracking, expecting I'll make it back to where I need to go in about half an hour. I'm sure everyone back home is watching. The thought keeps me pushing, keeps me ready for whatever may happen. No matter what it takes, I'll see them again.

The walking isn't tiring, but the terrain is far from flat, making it more strenuous than I would have liked. By the time I make it back to where I started, I've begun sweating through my shirt, and even with all the water I've been drinking the start of a headache has begun creeping in.

Clara's waiting for me by the Cornucopia, looking almost bored. The last remaining tribute is nowhere in sight; were she there Clara probably would have been fighting her by now, or at the very least she would have acknowledged their existence. That changes the second she sees me, though: her expression stiffens, then she grips her sword tightly and peels off from the edge to meet me.

"Right here, right now," Clara says. "I'll take you down just. Like. That."

Not that I want to drag this out any longer, but what little part of me is still dictated by pure logic slams on the brakes for a moment. "We should probably wait for the other girl first. I don't think your District could live with the shame if we took each other out before she got here. Do we really want to repeat last year?"

To my complete bafflement, for once she listens to reason. "Fine. But I'm putting your head on a fucking pike afterward."

I don't feel like doing anything nearly that grotesque to her, but then again, I've never understood what goes on in her head. I make sure to keep my distance from her and keep her in my line of sight in case she tries anything sneaky, which I know she wants to. She's done stuff like that in the past, what's stopping her from trying again?

Now, all we have left to do is wait for our final challenger to arrive. Hopefully not for long: no matter what happens, I want this battle to end sooner rather than later.

No matter what state it will be in, I just want to go home.

Zari Morelett, District Six Female

As soon as I finish breakfast, I'm greeted by a pack of wolves.

It might be the same group of them as last time or it might be entirely different wolves, I don't know: most of my experience with them was characterized by me running away and making every effort to not look at them. However, the goal seems to be the same; the Gamemakers want to move me somewhere else, and this is their most efficient means of doing that.

Unless they're here to kill me. I really hope they're not doing that.

To test this theory, I begin jogging: not a full sprint yet, but ready to open up into one in case things go south. When I see the wolves are maintaining their distance from me instead of trying to catch up, I breathe a sigh of relief. I'm probably safe until I get wherever the Gamemakers want me to be, provided I get there quickly enough.

The pack doesn't follow me too far, fortunately enough: after what I'm guessing is around half an hour, they stop running altogether, instead forming a wall to prevent me from going back. I must be close enough to the Cornucopia that I don't have another option or something. The implications are clear enough, so I slow to a walk but don't stop moving.

Not long after that, I can see the Cornucopia in the distance even if I'm not there yet. There's only a bit further to go, but with the wolves having been called off, perhaps I'm being left to do it at my own pace.

My journey doesn't take too much longer after that, the trees thinning out to reveal the clearing where everything started. However, I choose not to enter it just yet, not until I'm one thousand percent ready for the final battle. Right now, that means the time has come to drink the serum, long-term consequences be damned.

Just like with my last fight alongside Lacey, I take cover behind a tree, using the position to covertly scout my enemies to see how soon this will come to blows. That reveals something just the slightest bit reassuring: the Careers are nearby, but they don't see me yet, both of them too busy glaring at each other for whatever reason. Good. Them not bothering to do much looking for me means I have time to play my trump card in peace, which is all I can ask for at this point.

I thank whoever's listening that my bag opens without making much noise, allowing me to fish out the vials of serum, both of them glowing a brilliant blue in the harsh sunlight. At any other time, in any other place, I might have at least waited before opening one of the vials, but I can't risk it anymore. This is the best option I have, and I have to embrace it with my full chest if I want to survive.

Go big or go home.

I start drinking.

Go big or go home.

I drain the vial.

Go big or go home.

I get out the second vial, side effects be damned.

Go big or go home.

I drain that one too.

Waiting for the serum to finally kick in, I decide to cover my bases, because if the effects of the serum are what I remembered then I might be about to do something irreparable, something that can never be forgiven. Speaking is a terrible idea with others who might notice me standing so close, but I can still sign. Taking one deep, raggedy breath, I force my shaking hands through the motion for two fatal words.

"I'm sorry."

It might not be a good enough apology for anyone, but it's all I have to say at this point. I hope everyone who knew me before these Games will be able to forgive me, either in life or in death.

As soon as I finish the last hand motion, an electric rush surges through every vein in my body. Something hot and explosive lodges itself into my stomach and begins spreading throughout my body, like I just soaked myself in a massive bowl of soup. My fingers tingle, my toes twitch, and my head pounds, the serum going to work all at once as I tremble in the slight breeze.

For the longest time, it feels like something has gone terribly wrong, but then the most extreme sensations fade and leave only vestiges behind, and I know I made the right choice to drink this. Right now, I feel like I could leap into the sky and take flight. The world is my oyster, and I'm ready for an all-you-can-eat buffet.

I conduct one last scan to ensure the conditions are as slanted in my favor as possible, and what I see gets me grinning. My targets are still focused on each other, rather than me: they don't seem afraid of me. That's about to change: if they think their weapons can stop me then they've got a wonderful surprise coming their way.

If I have a choice, I'd love to rip the girl from One apart first: she's responsible for just about everything that brought me here, and I want her to suffer with fiber of my being. Either way, though, the Careers are about to experience the hell they've put everyone else through for the past ninety-five years, and it'll be at my hands and I'll laugh while I do it.

No point in waiting, not anymore. The clock's ticking and I'd like to spill their blood before the serum runs out. Without waiting for another second, I charge headlong for my opponents, holding back the laughter for now. Have to at least try and hide for now, but in a minute or two, all can be revealed and I can get some enjoyment out of this.

Time for the final battle. It's going to be fun.

My apologies for the delay. I know I said this chapter should only take a few days to come out, but literally the day after I posted the last chapter, I came down with COVID. All kinds of not fun. Thankfully, I'm more or less back to normal, so I'm working on the second part of the finale as we speak.

The next chapter will be the last one in the Arena: I can't wait and I hope you can't either. I'll see you next chapter!