A Dangerous Pastime: The 94th Hunger Games Chapter 27: Moments of chaos, a hunger games fanfic

Eli Slater, District Four, Virgo

As Eli stood in the elevator on his way to the arena, a strange calm washed over him. It was like boarding a ferry, in a way. There was no turning back once it launched. He was in the Hunger Games, and there was only one way out. There was no longer time for regret or fear or even his own ambition. Now, it was all about survival.

Rising up through the cramped elevator shaft, the lighting progressively dimmed, too fast for Eli's eyes to properly adjust. Before long, he was rising in pure darkness, unable to figure out what was in front of him. Only the soft jolt of the elevator alerted him that he was finally in the arena.

Before Eli saw a thing, he instantly recognized the sound of water rolling in soft waves nearby. He was a child of Four, practically raised on the ocean. The gentle push and pull of waves and faint taste of salt on the air felt like home. He felt a surge of confidence, realizing that an aquatic component to the arena gave him an edge. It was like fate telling him that it was his year. He was on the eve of realizing his dreams.

As his eyes adjusted, he realized that it was not as dark as he originally thought. It was only through the contrast of harsh fluorescents that it seemed that way. In some ways, his surroundings were overflowing with light. The moon shining above was full, the stars seeming brighter than average. Synthetic, he mused. Eli knew the general pattern of the moon, and felt fairly confident that it wasn't full at the moment. Small specks of light winked on and off, floating in the air, like fireflies.

No… not like fireflies. That's definitely what they were, although as Capitol creations they were bigger and more luminous than the wild ones Eli was used to. They danced throughout the arena with an eerie green glow. A dim arena, perhaps. But Eli felt like once he got used to the light he would be able to see well enough.

The bright spots on his eyes started to fade and Eli was able to get a better look at his surroundings. It appeared to be an island, and a small island at that. The entire circumference was about the same as a football field, with the tributes lining the area about fifty feet in where the land sloped down into a beach. From his platform, he could see two docks: one on either side of him, with a singular boat attached to each. The combination of low light and distance made it slightly difficult to determine, but he thought they looked a bit like a pre-Dark Days vessel called a gondola. He remembered seeing old photographs, of such vessels being steered by people wearing distinctive striped uniforms. Suddenly Eli understood his own outfit.

The docks were equidistant from his location, and doing some quick math, he guessed that they were probably equally spaced. Consistent spacing would place two more docks on the opposite side of the island, where he couldn't quite see. Four boats. Only four groups would get off the island, the rest would have to deal with whatever alliance took the cornucopia.

Eli instantly discarded the possibility of being the first one to the cornucopia himself. He could probably give the other Careers some stiff competition, but if he was going to survive long term, he had an alliance to worry about. Revalie was a capable fighter, and Valency was technically a Career, but he wasn't entirely certain how well either of them would do against the likes of Hades or Amber. His final ally, Chenille, was a perfectly ordinary teenager. If he did attempt a full Career strategy, she would probably not survive. Everyone would have to die, eventually. But in the beginning of the Games numbers were integral.

So he had to get his alliance to one of the boats.

There was a soft hum, then the sound of the Capitol anthem as a countdown flickered to life in front of the cornucopia

Eli felt fortunate that he adjusted quickly, as he managed to get a general idea of his surroundings before the official countdown began. Now, he had more than a minute and a half to find his allies and devise a plan of attack.

Valency was easiest for him to find, standing across from him and a little to the right. Revalie was about a quarter down the circle to his left. They were both fairly far away, probably closer to their own docks then to him. What mattered most, Eli decided, was the location of Chenille. She was the most inexperienced out of all of them, so they should board the boat closest to her.

"Eli." Someone directly to his left said, "What should we do?"

Eli's cheeks flushed with intense embarrassment. Chenille was standing on the platform beside him, wearing a black shirt and red hat. How could he not have noticed her? He'd been so focused on the water and the boats and the goddamn artificial moon that he hadn't seen the girl within spitting distance.

But there was no time for shame in the arena. He only had around a minute to strategize and, somehow, communicate his plan to his allies. Chenille was close by, which meant it would make the most sense if he attempted to secure one of the boats nearest to the two of them, and hope the others could piece things together and find their way to the dock. With two choices, approximately the same distance away Eli reasoned that his best bet was to go in the direction of the boat near lesser threats.

"Just stay close and follow me," he said, looking past Chenille to check who was on the other side. The less intimidating girl from Seven was there, which he found reassuring. After that were Nixie and Hades. Probably not the safest direction for them to go. Switching focus to his right side, Eli noted Rudy, Bixby and Bolt between himself and the second dock. Eli didn't want to underestimate anyone, but he liked those odds; they seemed like far less formidable opponents.

Course charted and Chenille next to him, Eli waited for the Games to finally begin.

Revalie Satyr, District Ten, Taurus

Revalie had heard the term 'between a rock and a hard place' before. She'd even used it from time to time. But, standing on her platform in the Hunger Games arena, she felt the truth of the phrase more viscerally than ever before.

The first thing she noticed was that she was surrounded by a single alliance. Trent was on her left, while Nate, Consus, and BV made a solid line to her right. If they chose to attack her, they could consolidate a good quarter of the Bloodbath space and gather a huge stockpile of supplies.

At first, Revalie thought she might push through the boy from Twelve. He was young, not a strong physical opponent. But beyond him were Carnation and Amber Black, their platforms side by side, as if not even random placements could separate them. Turning the other way, she looked past BV, only to discover Hades and Nixie there.

If she ran for the Cornucopia, chances were good that BV's alliance would overtake her. Yet if she ran to either side, one of the other Career alliances would target her instead. Similar opponents, similar doomed situations, no matter what she did.

How was she going to get out of this?

It was a testament to Revalie's optimism that she thought 'how' instead of 'if'. Or perhaps it was her rage. Being reaped was a great injustice, one of many in her life, But it was an injustice that she wouldn't let defeat her. Not without a fight. The Games might very well claim her. But Revalie knew, down deep in her soul, that she would not die in the Bloodbath.

She turned her head and made eye contact with BV for a moment. They had never been allies, exactly, but the pre-games had paired them together as sign partners. Revalie felt she knew him far better than the other Tributes. They had promised to check in on each other's families if one of them won. He was one of only eight people who had ever seen her cry.

There were no words between them. None were needed. BV merely nodded, and she somehow knew exactly what she had to do.

The countdown completed with an overly happy sound cue and everyone sprung to action. Revalie found herself idly envisioning the sharp tension of a rubber band being released in the form of 24 bodies, snapping together at once. Every instinct screamed at her to move with them, to find what supplies she could, to lay her hands on a weapon, to get away from the very clear danger she was in around all of these Careers. Instead, she remained on her platform. Inaction could sometimes get you killed, but at that moment, it was her best chance at survival.

"Get to the boat!" BV yelled to his allies. They complied, running backwards instead of forwards and rapidly untying the gondola from the dock. BV didn't follow them immediately, instead turning towards Hades and functioning as a living wall between himself and the others. The boy from Two barely regarded the action, moving in a way that resembled a shrug before running instead directly towards the Cornucopia. With the main threat gone, BV grabbed a backpack off the ground and shot past Revalie's pedestal like a rocket to join his alliance.

Suddenly, the path to Revalie's right went from a guaranteed death, to a straightforward route in the direction of two of her allies. Hope rose in her chest. Now her chances of survival were dramatically only if she acted without delay. Once Hades reached the Cornucopia, she guessed, he would probably start hunting. Revalie didn't want to be anywhere near him then. She reached down and grabbed a small rusty knife off the ground, then ran as fast as she could across the island, wind whipping against her skin in a rush.

Three quarters of the way there, Nixie and Acacia tumbled in front of her path, a tangle of punching and kicking limbs. Revalie moved to avoid them, but the scuffle was difficult to maneuver around. Nixie reached out and grabbed a large rock, bashing the other girl's head in with it over and over again. The body that was once Acacia Springhill twitched a few times before finally falling still. Dully, Revalie realized that she'd seen something like this before. A memory threatened to pull itself out of the dark parts of her brain. But as much as she wanted to know what happened the night her father died, she didn't have the time. Nixie rose from the ground with a sadistic grin. In a blind panic, Revalie swung her knife and heard a sick squelching noise as it dug into the Career's arm.

Nixie staggered back, howling in pain. That gave Revalie enough space to slip past her and sprint the rest of the way to her target dock.

When she arrived, no one else was there yet, meaning that she had made it before anyone, but also that her allies must have gone for a different boat. This certainly gave her some concern. Revalie didn't know how many boats the arena had, but she doubted there were many. Tributes would be coming after her soon, and she didn't know if she had the energy to take on many more people, or to run to a different location.

Cautiously, she took a few steps toward the center of the island, so that she could better observe the other Tributes. Not terribly far away, Eli was fighting the boy from Eight, while Chenille stayed close to the ground, picking up items that didn't actively put her in harm's way. Eli seemed to be winning, until Bolt sidestepped suddenly and kicked her ally square in the chest. The force knocked him back, and he lost his footing, tumbling down to the beach. Chenille screamed, both in empathy, and at the realization that she was suddenly vulnerable.

"Chenille!" Revalie shouted, waving her arms. A dangerous action, given where they were. But the two of them would be safer together. The young girl's head turned, and as soon as their eyes met began to sprint towards the beach. Revalie's heart tightened and she held her breath as the seconds Chenille took to run to the dock felt like minutes. When she got there the two girls embraced each other quickly.

Revalie let go first, untying the boat from the dock. Chenille caught on quickly, placing the supplies she'd taken into the vessel. As they prepared to leave, Eli's fight further down the beach entered her field of vision. She watched him grab Bolt and shove him into the water, only letting go when the boy's body went completely limp. Afterwards, he sunk to his knees, as if in horror at what he'd done.

"Eli, over here!" Revalie screamed, giving away her location for the second time. Still, it couldn't be helped. If Eli took the time to regret his actions, they'd never get out of the Bloodbath. Her voice snapped him out of his mood and he joined them at the boat.

"Is Valency here yet?" He asked.

Revalie shook her head.

Eli pursed his lips, frustrated, "We should probably go anyway."

"What?" Chenille cried, "No. We have to wait for her."

"Chenille, the chances of our alliance staying intact after this is practically impossible. We need to save ourselves." Revalie found herself saying.

"We need to have faith in her! She would have faith in us."

That was true, but Valency did a lot of things that Revalie found incredibly foolish. Yet there was something about Chenille's raw hope that reminded Revalie of her sister. Despite her survival instincts, she knew she couldn't refuse.

"Fine. We'll give her three minutes. But not a second more." She looked up at Eli, half hoping that he would refuse on her behalf. Unfortunately, he seemed relieved.

Chenille grinned. "Three minutes is all she needs. She'll beat the monsters, you'll see."

We're all monsters, Revalie thought, but she kept that sentiment to herself.

Woodrow Stickman, District Seven, Pisces

Despite there being more water in one place than he'd seen in his life, the absolute chaos of the arena reminded Woodrow of a forest fire. The roar of activity was the same, as were the sounds of fear and confusion. There was also a smell in the air, one he would never forget no matter what he did.

The smell of death.

Woodrow, like always, found himself in the middle of the action. Despite being evenly spaced, most of the fighting seemed to coalesce on one side of the Cornucopia, not far from where Woodrow was standing. Joaquin, the sole tribute from Five, was standing on the platform next to him. The boy never seemed to have particularly fast resources, and by the time he seemed to absorb his surroundings, everyone else was already moving. Ally stabbed him in the heart with one of her throwing knives before he even stepped off the platform.

Further to his left, Lustre and Solomon were fighting for the possession of one of the escape boats. Woodrow watched the boy from Ten dodge between them and hide under the Cornucopia, only for Nixie to see him and chop off his head. Two casualties within the first few moments, incredibly close to Woodrow. Both of them perpetrated by his own alliance.

There was some benefit to being aligned with killers. The Hunger Games was a dangerous place, and being useful to those most eager to conduct violence kept Woodrow and those close to him lower on their list. With their focus directed elsewhere, him and Millie had a better chance of surviving the Bloodbath.

Millie.

It was difficult for Woodrow to track the young girl in the best of circumstances, yet alone in the dim light and chaos of the arena. But he knew enough of her habits to catch a glimpse of silver hair near the Cornucopia. She was alive. Knowing that he didn't have to worry about her then, he was free to sort out his own next move.

To the left, Lustre and Solomon were still fighting, a combat that looked like it could go on forever. Woodrow didn't quite understand why they were fighting at all, since Solomon was a Two, and they had already secured the Cornucopia. Then again, there was no guarantee that there were any more boats. Perhaps Solomon was merely thinking long term.

Either way, he didn't want to get in the middle of that battle. He was not sure whether or not he'd actually have an option, though. Frazier and Gideon managed to secure a gondola early and sailed away when they realized their other allies were dead. Which meant that the only remaining tributes to Woodrow's right were Valency, Carnation, and Amber. Valency was always a wild card, but the two Gemini girls were allies with Lustre. He could already see them walking towards him with their weapons drawn.

"Woodrow!" Hades called out to him.

He turned in time to catch an axe his ally threw in his direction. It was a maneuver they'd practiced multiple times in the training center, so many times Woodrow's arms ached from the strain. Now, he was thankful for it because the movement felt as easy as breathing. With a weapon he felt more secure, even if he wasn't actually sure he could kill. At least he'd be able to defend himself.

Properly armed, he turned again to face the tributes nearest him. Valency was closest, but before he could decide whether or not to swing, she'd slipped away out of his grasp like a dancer. Instead of heading one direction or the other, the girl climbed directly up the cornucopia. As she reached the top, Woodrow watched as she ran across the surface and jumped off to the other side. He barely glimpsed the beginning of a forward somersault as she descended.

Except something was wrong. He had taken his eyes away from Carnation and Amber, but Woodrow had been keeping a general awareness of where they were and what direction they were heading. By this point, they should have been fairly close to him on their way to aid Lustre. Yet he was strangely alone, standing guard at a cross-section the girls never approached. He cupped one hand over his eyes and looked for their location.

When he found them, his heart dropped. Instead of heading towards him, Carnation and Amber when sideways, more towards the cornucopia. They were both closing in on a girl with silver hair.

Millie.

Woodrow's entire life seemed to snap into focus at that point. His profession, his sisters, his girlfriend. The child he couldn't save during the riots. His decision to volunteer for Twiggy. His successes and his failures. The values he held dear to him his entire life. They all led him to this. No, they were all meant for this.

Killing was something foreign to him. Something he was not sure he'd be able to do, even in life or death circumstances. But saving people? That was what he always tried to do. It was his first instinct in any situation.

Woodrow sprinted forward then swung his axe with the blunt side facing Carnation. She fell to the ground with a thud. He ignored her in favor of the other girl, who had already drawn a knife and was clearly aiming for Millie.

The tackle was clumsy, but it didn't need to be overly technical. It just needed to disrupt the throw. Distract the girl long enough for Millie to hide again. He ran into Amber with such force that it knocked the wind out of him. They both collapsed to the ground. Amber attempted to get out of his grasp, but he held firm. If she got away from him, she would go after Millie again. He needed to buy the girl more time.

Something sharp struck him in the gut, and suddenly Woodrow felt cold. Amber scrambled out from under him, just as stunned as he was. He rolled onto his back to look at the knife embedded into his chest. Of course. Amber hadn't let go of it yet.

He coughed a little, but found himself choking. The knife must have pierced his lung. A deadly wound, most likely. But it didn't matter as much to Woodrow as he thought it would. Perhaps he hadn't gone into the Games to survive, but to save people.

It was a good way to die.

Hades Yamaguchi, District Two, Libra

The island that once held all twenty-four tributes felt a bit barren, now. Most of the others were dead or on boats, leaving only the Twos and the One alliance fighting on the island. Ally had found a couple boats in the cornucopia, which they'd relayed to Solomon. If the Ones had any sense, they would get in the final boat and save themselves rather than fight for control of the island. For a moment, Hades thought he had done the impossible. Had he truly gotten through a bloodbath without a single alliance casualty?

Of course he hadn't. It was such a thought of pure arrogance, and as he thought it he watched Amber stab Woodrow right in front of him. Something snapped inside him as it happened. Woodrow was an outer district, someone he'd personally invited to his alliance. Hades was supposed to protect him, lend his strength as a citizen of Two and a career to make sure that he wouldn't die the first moments. Yet, it had happened anyway, and partially because Hades had been busy congratulating himself for being a good leader.

All of his guilt and sadness turned to a sharp rage, which he aimed at Amber. The girl was talented with knives, but she didn't have much of a chance against a sword, particularly one coming at her from behind and she was still processing what happened with Woodrow. The kill was fast and clean. Even when enraged, Hades tried to be merciful. Amber hadn't done anything wrong, exactly. She was playing the same game he was. It was merely her misfortune that she was playing against him.

There was a scream and Hades' head snapped up to notice Carnation, her eyes wet and furious. So this was the cycle of revenge, Hades mused to himself. Woodrow, then Amber, and now Carnation was after him.

If that was what she wanted, he would be happy to oblige her. He readied her sword and saw as Carnation fell into a fighting stance, her axe held firmly.

Except then Lustre appeared, grabbing his ally's wrist and hauling her to the gondola. Carnation didn't exactly resist, but she kept her eyes fixed on Hades the entire time.

"You will pay for this, Hades Yamaguchi!"

"I'll be waiting." He shouted back to her, then turned and knelt down beside Woodrow.

He was still alive, technically. A pierced lung was a slow and painful way to die. But perhaps slow meant that there was hope.

"Hang on." Hades said to him, his voice shaky with desperation, "Ally's been cataloguing the cornucopia. There might be a first aid kit in there."

"I'm a bit beyond a first aid kit, I think." Woodrow wheezed.

"You don't know that. This is the Capitol we're talking about. They're amazing."

Woodrow laughed, though it eventually turned into a burbling cough. "Millie." He rasped.

"She's ok. You saved her."

"Your job now."

"What?" Hades couldn't contain his confusion.

"Don't make this be in vain. Protect her." Woodrow tried to save more, but the blood flowed too heavily in his throat.

"I will." Hades promised, "I protect her. Like I couldn't protect you."

Hades felt the life leave Woodrow's body, and as he knelt there he heard six cannons fire off into the distance.

The bloodbath was over.

Now the Games really began.

AN: Can you believe it? We made it to the bloodbath! Welcome everyone to the sea of stars, and congratulations to Sherazade96 for guessing that they were in fact wearing Gondolier costumes (Though not Venice, exactly. It's mostly just aesthetics). This was a rough chapter to write, partially because killing any of these guys was really difficult. So it's time for obituaries:

24th- Acacia Springhill. I loved this character so much. She was brash and polarizing and one of the three people submitted entirely to be offed in the bloodbath. I admit, it was really fun to dive into the motivations and history of people I know are doomed from the start. And being able to tie her to the riots that happened in my last SYOT was a true joy. Goodbye, Acacia. You were a real one.

23rd- Bolt Eisen. Bolt had a whole lot going for him, in a whole lot of directions and I was just never entirely certain what to do with him and how to tie anything together. Which was fine, because he was my second bloodbath tribute. I loved his dynamic with Frasier and the way my prose leaned purple when I wrote him. Hopefully he's at peace now that death has finally come for him.

22nd- Joaquin Diaz. I think all of us saw this coming. Not that he's a bad dude or not (sheer delight to write, really). Just that he's… not the best at survival situations. The submitter mentioned that Joaquin might just fall asleep whenever, which I turned into full-blown narcolepsy. And he's probably also high. So… This was a combination of logic and the randomizer I used to make pedestal order doing him almost as dirty as Revalie. But I really loved his friendship with Bixby and the small conversation he had with fellow Five Engle. Go on, you mad stoner scientist. You will be missed.

21st- Rudy Jackson. This guy was kind of interesting, right? I did like him quite a bit, but the problem was that my world is not really one that supports demons/powers/seeing stuff etc. So I could only keep his story going for so long. I do think I managed to make him an important part of the narrative, with some details being plot relevant later on down the line. Rudy certainly made an impact, and everybody had some sort of opinion about him. My only regret was I couldn't fit in a romance for him, which the submitter requested. Plot was just too busy. But I assure you, Rudy's memory will live on.

20th- Woodrow Stickman. When I got Woodrow's app, I think I always knew that he was going to go out protecting someone. It's kind of the core of his character and I wanted to honor that. It wasn't originally going to be in the bloodbath, but I wanted at least one surprise and it is a time during the Games where a lot is going on and things are super chaotic. His relationship with Millie was really sweet, and as you can tell that's going to be a plot thread that is going to have long-term effects on the story. You were an amazing man, Woodrow. We salute you.

19th- Amber Black. Let me introduce you to my final bloodbath submission! I looked back at reviews, and every single person had Amber in at least their 'like' category. She was very well received and had multiple super great interactions with the other tributes. I'm particularly happy with how she managed to bring out a softer side to Carnation, the girl who literally volunteered for a death games to spite her sister. Although I suppose that means that even outside the canon narrative, she was a pawn for the furtherment of other people's Games. In that regard, I'm really sorry Amber. Because you're great and talented and deserved so much more.

Thank you so much for reading, everybody!