Tabitha Sparks- Swing Vote D3F
We all knew it was a calm before a storm. No one knew how long it would last, but we all knew when it came, not all of us would survive. It was always there in the background, even though we pretended not to notice it. For me, it was the way I got back at the Capitol. I knew they could take my life whenever they wanted. Whenever they took it, though, it would be too late. I'd already lived a good life and had so much to be thankful for.
I looked up from the dollhouse I was idly playing with. "Anyone else have to go to the bathroom?" I asked.
"I'll go," Nene volunteered. When no one else had to go, we set off.
"I don't actually have to go," Nene commented on the way over. "I just thought I might as well get out and walk around."
It was a surprising distance to the restroom. Not so far that we were really separated from our allies, but still surprisingly that sick kids would have to walk that far. I guess a lot of them probably used bedpans, though.
Nene pushed the restroom door open, shying back in case someone sprang out. As she did, I peeked through the crack to see anyone hiding behind. Nothing happened, so we continued into the restroom, Nene trailing behind me. I checked under the door of the first stall and then pushed the door open.
I got a instant's glimpse of Braddock perched on the seat before he launched forward. He fell full-force against the door, pinning my arm in the door just above the wrist. I screamed at the pinching pain, my voice sliding upward at a sudden agony when I felt a knife blade sawing at my wrist. My thoughts vanished in the panic of knowing he wanted to saw my hand off and pin me until I bled to death.
"Hey!" Nene yelled. She ran in and grabbed my waist, trying to yank me free. When it was clear I was pinned, she got on her side on the floor and donkey-kicked, hitting Braddock right on the shin. He grunted and pulled back for just a second. I yanked my hand free, the flesh catching a little on the door but then sliding free on the lubrication of my blood. I fell sideways between Nene and the door, gasping and clutching my lacerated wrist.
The door flew open and I saw Braddock standing over me. He stabbed downward at my head. Nene grabbed his hand in both of hers, stopping the blade inches away from me. Braddock tried to yank free and pulled Nene halfway to her feet. She stood the rest of the way, almost falling over me as they both pushed out into the space between the stalls and the sink. Nene headbutted him, her forehead hitting him diagonally across the temple. He growled in pain and anger. He pushed her back until she was bent over the sinks. He leaned over her, straining to push the knife into her stomach while she pushed back on it.
Trying to keep my grip on my bleeding wrist, I crawled up behind Braddock and jabbed my elbow into his knee with all my strength. He grunted in pain, then picked up his leg and kicked it backwards into my face so hard I tumbled backwards. Through the daze, I watched Nene squirm sideways out from under Braddock. She smashed her knee up between his legs. When he faltered, she yanked the knife free and slashed it down on him, stabbing from where his shoulder met his neck down to his collarbone. He pulled away, glaring darkly at her while she held the knife out at him.
From outside the bathroom, I heard the shouts of our allies approaching. Braddock turned catlike at the noise, then fled out the bathroom door before they could gang up on him. Nene screamed something incoherent after him, following him to the door, then turned around.
"Are you okay?!" she screamed as she ran over to me, glancing at my blood dripping onto the while tiles.
"You saved me," I said. She had to have known he had the knife. She could have died.
"I may not know how to be a friend, but I do know how to be a friend!" Nene said. Her face scrunched as she thought about it. "Wait..."
"No, no, it made sense," I said.
Peach Unk- We All Fall Down D12F
Pretty cool there was so much body armor at the feast. At least, I thought there was. I hadn't seen too many other people open their bags, but Perfecta had also gotten body armor, for all the good it did her. I felt very tactical with the vest under my shirt and the… I wasn't sure what to call the girdle-type thing under my pants. Tactical boxers? Now I just had to make sure I didn't get stabbed in one of my extremities and bleed to death.
At the moment I was hiding out in what seemed to be a run-of-the-mill hospital room. When I thought about it, "hospital room" wasn't very descriptive. There were so many types of rooms here, from the examination rooms to the offices. What I specifically meant by "hospital room" was the kind where the patients stayed and slept in. There was a bed, an attached bathroom, and a chair. There was also a wardrobe-type thing, which implied this room was for more long-term patients. It was a lot nicer than my room at home, which I resented a little. Not that I was jealous of sick people, but that imaginary patients were treated better than real Panemians.
Through the thin walls, I heard a door open. For a second, I froze, afraid whoever it was could hear me as well as I could hear them. The door closed hardly a couple of seconds later.
It came to me in a flash. Someone was going through the rooms in this hallway. They weren't looking very deeply, though. Maybe they were impatient, or had just gotten sloppy. I wondered what they'd do when they found I'd locked my door. Maybe they would just leave? They didn't seem very enthusiastic about their search.
The doorknob jiggled, then went still. Then I heard the unmistakable sound of a key sliding into a lock. ) ($&^^ feast, I swore to myself as I jumped over to the wardrobe quietly opening the door and climbing inside. I shut the door just before I heard the door start to open. If they just took a glance inside and left, all the easier. If they came over, they'd find out I wasn't afraid to use the scalpel I'd found in one of the other rooms.
I heard quiet footsteps enter the room. They immediately started to approach the wardrobe.
Oh, this is the one room you're gonna search, I thought. When the door opened, I stabbed out with my scalpel, aiming for center mass.
I hit nothing but air. A hand shot out from my left and grabbed the back of my head, yanking me out so I splatted to the floor. I turned myself over and saw Joseph standing above me, wearing some fancy-looking glasses.
"Oh, that is some bullshit!" I complained. No wonder he hadn't been searching the other rooms. From the reddish tint of the glasses, I knew what was up. He'd seen there was no heat in the other rooms. My room, however, had a trail of heat leading to the wardrobe, with a bright red mark on the metal handle.
Even as Joseph was stabbing down at me, I slashed wildly at his lower leg. He dodged, the movement knocking him off-balance enough that he didn't stab me cleanly. I kept slashing as my lifeblood poured out of me. When I knew I only had a second left, I threw the scalpel at his face. He swiped it aside, but I was gratified to see a trail of blood on his hand. That's what you get for cheating.
Grande St. Leger- Descent into Madness D1M
There was someone nearby. Something instinctive told me so. My instincts weren't always right, but they were keen enough for me to listen to.
"Is it just me, or is there someone around here?" Elissa asked.
"Oh, good, glad it wasn't just me," I said. We were in yet another nondescript hallway of monotonous rooms. So far we'd found nothing but jars of tongue depressors, anatomy posters, boring office chairs, and various reference books. Then we rounded a corner and saw a giant set of double doors at the end of the hallway.
"Ooh, we gotta check that out," Elissa said, trotting forward a little bit in excitement.
"I think it's the ambulance bay," I said. Actually, I knew it was the ambulance bay. I'd ridden into one just like it after the worst panic attack of my life. Things had gotten better since then, but I'd never forgotten the certainty that I was having a heart attack, or trying desperately to tell the paramedics that I wanted to leave my first edition copy of Saith the Teacher to my friend Justice. I'd never told the Academy kids, of course. Sensitivity wasn't our strong suit, and something like that could get me kicked out of the Academy. I told them it was rhabdo, since tearing your own body apart with stupid overtraining was more respected than getting treatment for something outside of your control.
The ambulance bay was weirdly open and stark compared to the efficient and sterile but still decorated rooms. The concrete floor contrasted with the linoleum we'd been walking on. There were maybe two dozen ambulances parked in various positions, with shelves of supplies between them, almost like a warehouse. It was a great place to hide, especially if the doors locked.
"You think they turn on?" Elissa asked, climbing up on one of the ambulances.
"Worth a shot," I shrugged.
"This one's locked," Elissa said, tugging on the doors. "I'll try the others."
I poked around a shelf of supplies. There were folded-up extra beds, what looked like stabilizing devices, various bags and medical devices, and other whatnot. As I came out to an open area near the wall of the bay, I heard an engine turning over.
Oh, Elissa must have gotten one to work, I thought, following the noise. It probably didn't have much practical application, but it would be pretty cool to ride around for a bit and break up the monotony.
When I saw the ambulance approaching, I didn't see Elissa behind the wheel. I hadn't known ambulance dashboards were so high they would hide the driver. When I thought about it, I'd never really noticed a driver when an ambulance went past me. Maybe it was safer in case of crashes.
The ambulance picked up speed, still coming directly at me. "Elissa!" I called, frowning. It really wasn't safe to clown around in a car like that. We didn't know how fast the brakes were on these things.
A form popped up behind the wheel. It wasn't Elissa. I realized all too late that Camille didn't intend to slow down at all.
"WEE-WOO, BI-"
Study Furado- The Poseidon Adventure D5F
You didn't even get anything. Useless, I chided myself as I snuck down the halls back toward the nut ward. Every few minutes I heard a noise and hid until I was certain it was gone, cramming myself behind a couch or crouching behind a counter. I thought guiltily of Wit waiting for me, worried to death that I'd been killed. He was such a tender sort. He worried about everything, even little bugs caught in a puddle of water.
But it wasn't enough for him to go either, was it? I thought bitterly. Sure, he'd volunteered, but he hadn't meant it.
I stopped, physically as well as mentally. I should be logical about this. My mind was my greatest strength. I loved to pick things apart and look at every angle.
Of course Wit didn't want to go to the feast. Everyone is scared to die. He didn't want me to go, either. It's not his fault the Capitol said one or the other of us had to. I nodded to myself, resolving to be mature about this when I returned. Really it was horrible of me to think so badly of him. He'd always been such a good friend.
Oh, cut the crap, I heard myself saying to myself. You just want him to be a good friend. You know he's not. You don't have any good friends. You'll never have friends, because everyone hates you. Wit hates you, too. He just stays with you because he's that nice a person. He doesn't want to give up on you. My chest tightened at the phrase. Give up on you. That's what he was going to do, wasn't he? He was fed up with me for always picking on him. He probably wasn't worried at all about me. He was hoping I wouldn't come back.
Maybe I won't then, I thought hotly. Maybe I should just do this on my own. It would be easier, wouldn't it? I wouldn't have to worry about Wit trying to tell me what to do, or listen to his whining. Maybe he would be better off without a friend like me. If he really cared, he'd come looking for me. I didn't care if he didn't, though. I was smart. I could do this on my own.
I turned around and backtracked down the hall until I came to a junction splitting off in several directions. Looks as good as any other, I thought, picking one out and starting down it. I stopped and read the next sign I passed. My eyes flicked over the list of specialties. Surgery, I read. Sounds kind of cool. There would be scalpels, and special equipment, and all sorts of other stuff. It was a new start. It was poetic, wasn't it? Surgery, like I was cutting something out of myself. A tumor, even. A big, ugly tumor I didn't need in my life. New day, new me. I'd get a fresh start on a new floor and I'd get through this all on my own. I didn't need bad friendships.
79th place: Grande St. Leger- Run down by Camille
I needed an alliance of two so the one could think the other had started the ambulance and not run right away. Grande and Elissa fit the bill. Then it could have been either of them, but I decided to keep Elissa so we could get some more Sofreh content. Grande may have died ignobly by Career standards, but he'll probably be the only one in Games history to die by vehicular homicide, so at least he'll be remembered.
78th place: Peach Unk- Stabbed by Joseph
Funny I was just talking with some friends about killing a submitter's Tributes back to back, then this happened. It's not exactly back-to-back, though, since a lot of people died at the feast, not just Anjou. Originally I was going to kill Braddock in the fight with Nene, but then I remembered I just killed Arno and Elise, so it would have been a back-to-back-to-back. RUDE! Peach went very in-character, though: being strong and smart enough to win a fight but getting screwed by the Gamemakers.