District 4 female - Hazel Mayfly, 17

The forest was eerily silent, it had been since the three cannons on the sixth night, however that day, the eighth day, I had heard two cannons already, and there were only four tributes left. It was night, and the only sounds I could hear were an owl in the far distance, the rustle of the pretty leaves on trees around the spring quarter, and my own heavy breaths. I was hidden, behind a tree, gripping the knife I'd obtained on the first day. I hadn't killed anyone yet, and I wasn't a killer - but I knew I had to do it now. There were three other tributes somewhere in the arena, and I knew they would hunt me down, so I was alert.

Suddenly, a loud hiss shattered the silence. I whipped around to see a large serpent-like creature that definitely wanted to kill me.

My heart stopped for a second as I looked at it. It was a grotesque monstrosity, like something out of a nightmare. It had a massive body that was covered in bright green scales that shimmered in the moonlight, each one razor-sharp. But that wasn't the worst part - it was the heads that truly horrified me.

The serpent had six heads, each one writhing and snapping independently. They were each attached to long, muscular necks that seemed to be able to twist and turn in what I thought were impossible ways. The heads themselves were terrible - they were serpent heads, of course, but I couldn't help but notice they all had human sort of features, and the differences between each head - one of them had fine blonde hairs, bright blue eyes, that were small, it was looking a bit too much like Lily.

And another somehow represented my mother, another the stupid fisherman she'd run off with, and their son, my brother, Sal, and one was my father, and one was Alex.

They were all hissing at me and I wanted to scream and cry and hide because why did they look like these people?

Each of their mouths was filled with rows of sharp, glistening teeth, dripping with venom. Their hisses were deafening, all of them somehow sounding like the voice of the person they resembled, and I clapped my hands over my ears, because this was horrible, awful, disgusting, a sick way for the game makers to try and put me off.

All six pairs of eyes locked onto me, and I felt a chill run down my spine. Panic surged through me, and it launched towards me so I used my knife to slice off the head that resembled Alex's, but then, another one was growing and all of a sudden the serpent had seven heads, two of which resembled Alex.

I let out a loud scream and then I turned in the opposite direction of the serpent and sprinted, my heart pounding so loudly in my chest that it hurt my head. Everything hurt, my legs were burning as I moved them, propelling myself forward with force.

Its multiple heads bobbed and weaved through the trees behind me, the eyes that resembled the people I knew glowing, and panic surged through me, forcing me to sprint faster and faster. My throat felt like sandpaper.

I had to think. I needed a plan. But my mind was a whirl of fear and confusion. The serpent moved with terrifying speed, closing the distance between us. My lungs burned, and my legs ached, but I couldn't stop. Not now.

"Focus, Hazel. Focus!" I muttered to myself, my voice coming out between my pants, shaky and raspy. I tried to calm down, tried to force my thoughts to clear. There had to be a way out of this. I glanced around, searching for anything I could use. A branch, a rock, a hiding place – anything.

I saw a low branch ahead, and I ran to it and ducked under it, hoping it would slow the serpent down. It barely hesitated, charging past me with an earth-shaking roar. I looked to the left, my eyes scanning for any potential escape routes, because the serpent would notice it had lost me soon enough. As it turned around and headed towards where I was, hissing with its teeth scathing, I spotted a rocky outcrop up ahead. Maybe I could hide in the rocks.

I ran to them and then scrambled up the rocks, my hands scraping against the rough surface. The serpent was right behind me, its hissing growing louder. I reached the top and leapt across a narrow gap, using my arms to brace my landing because the rocks were too unstable to try and land on my feet. I grazed my arm on the fall, but I didn't have any time to take a look at it because the serpent followed me its many heads darting and snapping at me from all angles.

I slid down the other side of the rocks and hit the ground running. The forest thickened, and I weaved through the trees, trying to put as much distance as possible between myself and the serpent. My legs felt like lead, and my breath came in ragged gasps, but I couldn't stop. The serpent was relentless, and it was right on my tail.

I remembered the training sessions - I was decent at climbing. Maybe I could get high enough to escape it. Spotting a sturdy-looking tree, I made a sharp turn and began to climb, my fingers digging into the rough bark. The serpent hissed again, its heads thrashing in frustration as it reached the base of the tree.

I climbed higher, my muscles straining with the effort. I reached a thick branch and pulled myself onto it, pressing my back against the trunk, breathing deeply and closing my eyes for a moment's rest. The serpent's heads snapped at the air below me, but they couldn't reach me. I pulled down the sleeve of my shirt to look at my forearm - there was a thick gash on it from when I landed on the rock.

I knew this was only a temporary relief. The serpent wouldn't give up, I knew that. It was hacking at the bottom of the tree with its fangs, which sent another wave of panic over me. I had to get down from this tree, but how was I supposed to get down without it coming straight at me?

And then the tree fell over, broken by the serpent. I let out a scream as the tree fell, and I jumped off it once it was at a forty-five degree angle from the floor, landing on my feet, and spraining my ankle. I let out a yelp of pain then began to sprint - it made my ankle burn and my eyes water, and the serpent was right behind me, relentless in its pursuit. I could feel its hot breath on my heels, and hear the snap of its jaws.

I hit several tree branches as I ran, scratching my cheeks, the cool night air stinging against the fresh cuts. The serpent was getting closer, the hissing that sounded like Alex and Lily and Sal and my parents and the fisherman filling my ears, and everything hurt. I could see a clearing up ahead, a small ray of hope in the nightmare I was living because I knew for the most part, the cornucopia was safe. I had to make it. I had to survive, I was so close.

And just like that I was in the cornucopia area, and the serpent couldn't get out of the spring quarter. I wanted to rest, I wanted to fall asleep because I was exhausted and everything hurt and I was safe, safe, safe…

I wasn't safe. Not yet.

District 6 female - Cindy Trimmers, 18

After Carmilla and George were killed, I retreated to the autumn section. I knew if any tributes were to go searching for me, the cornucopia was simply too obvious.

The forest was beautiful here, with the trees covered in orange leaves, and I moved through them like a shadow, silently, just waiting to see another tribute somewhere, anywhere. My knife was clutched tightly in my hand, and I was alert. I couldn't afford to sleep tonight - not now, when I knew it was too close to the end. Each step was calculated, and every movement was precise. I thrived in the chaos of the arena, knowing that every moment brought me closer to my goal of winning and then returning to District 6 to show them all that no one could get rid of me.

As I pushed through the forest, the ground beneath me suddenly trembled, and I thought perhaps it was another earthquake. I paused, scanning my surroundings for trees breaking, anything that would confirm the earthquake. The rumble grew louder as if it were growling at me. I took a cautious step back, my heart pounding.

Without warning, the ground began to crack and split open around me. Trees toppled, their roots exposed and writhing like snakes. The earth was collapsing in on itself and trees were falling down, going down, down, down to I don't know where. I cursed under my breath and turned to run away from this disaster, adrenaline surging through my body.

The once stable ground was now a deathtrap, each step a gamble. The ground was shifting behind me, sinking into an abyss that threatened to swallow me whole. I darted through the forest, my breath coming in short, sharp bursts. I had to keep moving, had to stay ahead of the destruction before I was taken down into the nothingness.

A massive tree fell to my right, crashing down with a thunderous roar, then sucked down into the nothingness. The impact of the ground falling apart was sending shockwaves through the remaining ground in front of me. My muscles burned, but I pushed through the pain. Survival was all that mattered now, and I had to survive this, I wouldn't die from some natural disaster when I was in here to battle. If I was to go, I wanted it in battle.

The forest floor that remained was littered with debris, making each step treacherous. I leapt over a widening gap in front of me, my heart pounding as I landed on the other side. The ground continued to shake, the cracks spreading like a web, and as I ran, for the first time in these games, I felt terrified.

A narrow ledge appeared ahead, offering a brief respite from the chaos. I sprinted towards it, my breath ragged. The ground beneath me gave way just as I reached the ledge, and I leapt, my fingers gripping the edge with desperate strength. I held onto it, my arms strained from holding my body weight, and I looked down at the nothingness, my legs dangling. I used every ounce of strength I had to pull myself up, my muscles straining and took a moment to catch my breath once I was no longer literally dangling off the face of the earth.

The ground below continued to collapse, the chasm widening. I couldn't stay here for long, I had to keep moving, had to stay ahead of the destruction. I clambered to my feet, scanning ahead of me for a safe path. The forest in front of me was a maze of fallen trees and gaping holes, each step a potential death sentence.

I spotted a clearing in the distance that seemed completely unscathed - the cornucopia. I took in a deep breath, and I made my way towards it, leaping from one patch of ground that hadn't fallen to the next. The ground below shifted and groaned, but I managed to stay ahead of it, my movements swift and precise.

I sprinted, and just as I was so close, the ground beneath me gave a violent lurch, propelling me into the air. I came plummeting down, landing on my beck. I let out a cry of wail a pain seared through my neck. It was in an awkward position and I straightened it up, letting out a sob. It hurt more than any pain I'd ever felt before, almost nauseating. My vision blurred and came back as I stood up, and I was near the cornucopia. I was safe from whatever that was.

I felt like I was going to be sick. The pain in my neck made the back of my head throb, which was a nauseating feeling. I stumbled, then squinted as I saw a boy running from a fire toward the cornucopia. I squinted, unsure who it was. I think the boy from seven. Everything was a blur, but I was still skilled. I stumbled over to him, and he was unarmed, so I swiftly penetrated him with my knife as soon as he came into the area of the cornucopia.

A cannon went off, and the sound made my ears ring and my head and neck hurt even more. It felt like someone had taken some sort of red-hot poker and jabbed it into my neck, and twisted it just for good measure. My vision kept blurring and my ears kept ringing and it hurt, it hurt, it hurt, and I wanted it to stop and I wanted to rest I wanted to go home but I couldn't, not yet.

Every muscle in my neck felt like it was clenching up and turning inside me, and I could barely move my head from the pain, it hurt to breathe, and my spine ached, and I wondered if I'd broken my neck, but surely I couldn't have because then I wouldn't be able to walk.

I stumbled forward, holding my blood-soaked knife close to me. It was hard to see, and I felt weak.

And then, all of a sudden, there were three of us. The other two seemed to have been weakened as well. We all held a weapon close to us, staring at each other. Because of course, the game makers would force us together like this. Of course, they wanted a show, because it wasn't really about the tributes at all. It was about them.

For them, this was the final show. The finale. The end for two of us.

Only one would leave alive.

4th place - Arnold Pryor (D7M), killed by Cindy during the eighth night