Day Ten of the Arena
July 12th, 2427
Jokull Askeli, 18
Everything is crumbling around him.
But then, Jokull is no stranger to that feeling. More often than not, the chaos seems to be caused by him. It's like a curse of destruction follows him everywhere he goes. Is Zora destined to be the next person in a long line to fall victim to this curse?
(A long line that started with Aki.)
The fire that the Sixes caused appears to have spread into the very foundations of the factory and now the walls and ceiling are caving in around them.
Everything was going according to plan until they had to distract themselves by toying with Ozias.
Their detour meant that they took a wrong turn in the corridor, which cost them a lot of time. Time is of the essence for Jokull; it always has been. He didn't know it then, but his days taking care of his brother in the orphanage were the only days that mattered; everything that happened after that is a blur to him… a whirlpool of nothingness.
Jokull is snapped back into reality by Zora's panicked voice - "Quick! I think the whole building is collapsing!"
The exhausted boy from Six limps onward through the corridor, not even knowing if they are going further out or further in.
Each step he takes cracks the bones in his leg further; soon enough, he's sure no bones will be left at all.
When they turn a final corner, disaster strikes - the smoke from the fire rushes towards them in a thick plume, like it's trying to gobble them up.
Jokull and Zora quickly cover their mouths and noses as the smoke seeps into their lungs.
The Sixes' luck appears to have finally run out - they were heading further in the entire time.
As if it couldn't get any worse, a tall, war-torn figure arrives with the smoke - Ozias. The Fourteen Boy's face is brimming with fury and anguish. He is coughing wildly and curses the Capitol under each one.
He grips a katana in his hand - the blade is stained with burnt, dried blood. Ozias looks to be fresh off a kill. Jokull knows he won't hesitate to do it again to the next people that cross his path who, and those people happen to be Jokull and Zora.
At first, Ozias doesn't even seem to notice the Sixes; it's like he's looking through them.
But then, his eye zones in on Zora. "You!" He croaks, his voice is raspy and broken like each word is tearing his throat. "You can fix me. Give me your remedies!"
"Nothing can fix you, Ozzi," Jokull deadpans.
Ozias turns his attention to his former ally, and his single eye narrows with rage. "A-always have an a-answer to everything, don't ya? How 'bout I put this s-sword through your cake-hole? See what you say then?"
Jokull turns to Zora. Her eyes are lit up with terror. For a moment, he sees Aki staring back at him from their fateful last day at the orphanage.
It was an accident!
That doesn't matter. What matters is he finally has a second chance to put it right. His only chance.
Jokull gives Zora a sturdy shove through the corridor. "Go!" He yells.
If Ozias kills him, he knows Zora will be next; he's convinced she can fix him by brewing him one of her remedies. They will do nothing to help his condition, but that won't stop Ozias from trying. The man has resolve - Jokull will give him that.
Jokull and Zora race through the corridor to attempt to get away from the bloodthirsty murderer behind them.
As they run, they close doors in Ozias's way to try to buy themselves some time, but that's all they can do - delay him. Time is not on Jokull's side.
His broken leg means he can't outrun the Fourteen Boy… or run at all, for that matter.
It won't be long until the bones give in entirely.
Zora slams another heavy, metal door behind them, and bolts it. She then quickly scampers to the next one. "Come on!" She exclaims. "We're almost out! I can feel it!"
It doesn't matter if we're almost out - Jokull thinks. Ozias will never stop, and my leg isn't getting better any time soon.
Jokull hops after his ally but then he finally collapses down on the floor. He can't go any further; his body won't allow him.
"Come on!" Zora tugs at his arm, but Jokull shakes his head.
"Come on! We're getting out of here. I'll carry you if I have to!"
Jokull almost laughs at the suggestion… if it wasn't for the dire situation. "Yeah… you're getting outta here. I ain't," he replies.
"What are you talking about?" Zora's voice cracks with emotion. "Remember our pact? We're in this together."
"Not this time… I'm sorry."
Just then, Ozias smashes his hand through the glass slit in the door behind them, and his hand begins fumbling around for the lock.
Jokull glances around at his surroundings.
Suddenly, the walls of the concrete corridor seem to become narrower and morph into wood… wood that's on fire...
Aki is huddled alone, with no one there to help him or comfort him. The fire encircles Jokull's younger brother and the building begins to collapse on top of him.
Jokulls shakes his head to bring him back to the present moment. He looks at Zora. Unless he does something fast, she will become another Aki. No. He won't let that happen.
With one last effort, Jokull forces himself up onto his one good leg and follows Zora to the next door, but once she is through, he quickly shuts it. He places a metal pole in between the door handle and the wall to seal it shut.
Zora turns. Her eyes widen in fear and shock. "No! What are you doing!?"
"Zora, listen to me. We both know that only one of us can make it out of this-"
"No! Please! Just wait! I can't do this alone. We're… a team, remember? You can't make me leave you here!" Her lips tremble, and she slams her fist on the door. "I-I can't do this alone…"
"Yeah, you can. You're the smartest person I've ever known, and you're hella determined too. There's just one career left, once he's out the way…"
Zora begins to sob uncontrollably. She must know he's right. He can't walk another step.
Either he dies or both of them die… it's a simple calculation, but one that's so hard to make.
"Look, I'll still be there with you… just like Kalila… if you live then we live on as well… in your memories. You can always find us there. People kept asking me why I volunteered… and I think I finally have the answer."
Zora wipes the tears from her face. She begins stepping backward, away from the door and her last remaining ally.
"Go live your life in full for me, will ya?" Jokull calls as Zora disappears through the corridor.
The Street Racer from Six then turns back around to face the door that Ozias is struggling against.
Jokull has two choices - either be brutally chopped to pieces by Ozias or…
He rummages through his bag for the last fire bomb potion that he and Zora made together, and a can of oil which he saved for a last resort such as this one.
Whilst searching through his bag, he discovers a bag of chips - his favorite munchable. A grin forms on his lips and he pulls the chips out - along with the potion and the can of oil.
After emptying out the oil around him, he slumps down on his bag, groaning in agony as he does it.
He pops the bag of potato chips open and starts munching on them to his heart's content.
Ozias finally manages to unlock the door and comes stumbling in, holding out his bloodied katana. "Get outta my way!" He demands.
Jokull lets out a sharp cackle, which hurts his broken ribs. "You look a little lost, pal," he retorts.
Ozias advances towards him, but Jokull holds the fire potion up, freezing the Fourteen Boy on the spot.
Ozias then notices the puddle of oil at Jokull's feet. "No! What have you done!?"
Jokull smirks, crunching a chip in his mouth. "I'm goin' out on my own terms, if that's good with you?"
If there is no way for him to escape death today then he will at least try to take Ozias with him, and buy Zora as much time as he can.
Ozias turns and runs back the way he came as fast as he can, and Jokull hurls the fire potion after him.
As the glass smashes on the floor, fire engulfs Jokull's entire body. He closes his eyes, feeling the scorching heat upon his skin, and then nothing…
Reese Haricot, 15
A crashing sound shatters Reese's eardrums.
Reese and Briar watch as a portion of the factory crashes to the ground.
They begin their path of vengeance and head towards the destruction, knowing that's where he likely is. Everywhere he goes - destruction follows.
If he's not there, they can trace their way around the remains of the factory until they find him.
"He won't get far," Briar states.
They stop behind the wall of a building in front of a blast hole in the factory wall. The collapse must have been triggered by some kind of explosion within the factory.
A tall figure staggers out of the hole in the factory, coughing vigorously.
It's Ozias. Dread and fear penetrate Reese's heart. "Nothing can kill him," he shudders.
Maybe Ozias is right. Maybe destiny is on his side, and none of the rest of them have what it takes.
"I can kill him," Briar responds. Her eyes are trained on her target like an assassin. "When we were fighting earlier, I noticed it was kinda easy to disarm him once I got up close. If he's got no weapon and he has nowhere to run then he's toast. If it weren't for the platforms falling down last time then-"
Her eyes fall down in regret. She doesn't finish her sentence. She can't.
Reese glances around at the arena and spots a silhouette of a tall church-looking building. "If we can get him up someplace high then he'll have no place to run," he mutters.
Briar stares up at the building. "Excellent," she grins. The glow from the flames reveals a malicious tint to her eyes that would terrify Reese if the violent intent were aimed at him.
"Reese," Briar continues, turning back to him.
"Yeah?"
"I need you to lead him to the top of that building where I'll ambush him. Can you do that for me?"
Reese stares back at the unstoppable force of Ozias as the fire covers what remains of the factory and begins spreading into the rest of the town.
It's all too much. His heart begins to thunder in his chest uncontrollably and… he can't breathe.
He's been down this road already. He failed to stop Ozias from taking one of his friends from him, in fact, part of him thinks he only made it worse last time.
(He wonders if Chaney might still be alive if he hadn't charged Ozias with his shield.)
(Maybe they could have found a way out of there instead of fighting.)
Why should it go any different this time around? He's still the same old Reese, isn't he?
He collapses down against the wall of the building, running his hands through his ash-covered hair. He then says something that he's known ever since his father left but never wanted to admit - "I'm scared," he breathes. "I'm scared. I can't do it. I can't beat him."
Briar crouches down in front of him and stares him dead in the eyes. "You don't have to beat him… you just have to stall him," she says.
Reese removes his hands from his face. That doesn't seem as challenging. "Okay… I can do that," he nods.
Briar hauls the boy back up to his feet.
Reese takes a deep breath. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he tightens his shield to his forearm. I can do this.
"Just lead him to where he's vulnerable," Briar tells him. "I'll take care of the rest. Trust me, the only one that should be scared is him."
With that, the two of them part ways.
Reese steps out from behind the building and then stares up at the mountain of ash and rubble above him. Ozias is standing at the top. He looks worse than ever - his eye patch has been lost in the chaos, revealing the true extent of what that substance did to his face. Beyond that, he's covered in more injuries, burns, and cuts.
Yet, so is everyone else, at this point. Their bodies are spent; now it's just down to who's mind will join their bodies first, since that's the only thing that's keeping them going.
It's like he's staring up at a monster from one of the fables that he used to read. Reese's mentor warned him about monsters. But he knows now that the world made Ozias into what he is. If he's a monster, it's because the Capitol turned him into one.
(If they can turn Ozias into a monster then they can turn anyone into one.)
They are the monsters.
Upon seeing Reese, Ozias raises his eyebrow, surprised yet intrigued. He steps down the pile of rubble, holding the same katana that he used to kill Chaney.
Reese stands strong. "It's over," he calls. "Chaney destroyed the medicine. You're already dead."
"Not if I kill you all fast, and I'm the last one standing. There's only five of you left by my count," Ozias replies with a cough. "Then the Capitol will have no choice but to crown me."
"Oh because it's your destiny, right?" Reese mocks. He then launches into an explosive rant that surprises even himself. "And what about the rest of us, huh? Did you ever think about us when you volunteered for your 'destiny?' I guess we don't fucking matter to you!"
"A necessary sacrifice," Ozias admits. "That's what it takes - sacrifice… I've sacrificed everything to be here."
"I've made sacrifices… more than you know."
"Not everything."
That's it. Reese has heard enough. He charges full speed at Chaney's killer, slamming his shield into the larger boy's chest.
Ozias brings the katana down; it crashes hard against Reese's shield, and the force knocks the Eleven Boy to the bottom of the pile of rubble.
Ozias quickly continues his relentless assault, swinging down at the downed boy, who just manages to roll out of the way of the blade.
Reese rapidly picks himself back up and blocks several more slashes and thrusts from the katana. At the end of the barrage of attacks, Reese is knocked down again, but he gets back up. This process continues, and each time - Reese gets back up.
The boys pause their fight, both breathing and sweating heavily.
With a break in the fight, Reese takes the time to survey his surroundings. The fire must have at least doubled in size since their fight began and there is the increasingly familiar feeling of smoke clogging his lungs.
Briar must be close to setting up her ambush by now - he thinks.
"Just give in," Ozias pants. "I can make a real difference on the other side… I'll do it for you, and Chaney… and everyone else."
The defiant boy from Eleven ignores him. He spots a metal pole lying on the ground and snatches it up with his free hand before swinging it into the side of his opponent's head.
Ozias groans in surprise, momentarily stunned.
So, Reese follows the attack up by slamming the edge of his shield into Ozias's chest before striking him in the head again with the pole, followed by the shield to the chest again. He repeats this combination about five times - he knocks Ozias's head left and right until he grows overconfident and overextends his swing.
Ozias catches Reese's pole hand and growls with fury. With his other hand, he slices Reese's bicep with the katana.
Reese cries in agony, dropping the pole.
He got too confident.
Ozias then delivers a kick to his midsection, which winds him and forces him back to the hard gravel. His shield rolls out of his left hand.
"No!" The exhausted boy coughs, stretching his hand out to his only protection.
Reese crawls back to his shield and picks it up. He then races in the opposite direction of the livid Boy from Fourteen.
He didn't have to beat him. He just had to stall him.
He takes a quick glance back - Ozias is coming for him, and the fire is coming for both of them.
Alizka Ito, 15
Liz stumbles over a barren, ash-covered wasteland as the fire rages on all around her.
She covers her nose and mouth with her arm, only removing it every few seconds to try to breathe - she is mostly only rewarded with a lungful of smoke.
Her eyes move around the crumbling town for tributes. If she can kill all the remaining tributes before she succumbs to the flames then maybe she'll have a chance… her only chance. She's done it once already, so the next few times will only be easier. Besides, she has no connection with any of the tributes who are left. They are nothing to her.
She spots some tributes fighting on top of one of the buildings above the flames.
She can let them fight each other and then pick off the survivors if there are any.
She scans her burning surroundings for a lone victim - there's a silhouette of somebody ducking in between the fire behind the remains of a building. The figure is tall and looks to be male - possibly one of the careers who killed Meilin.
Liz bears her teeth and grips her sword tight. She staggers towards the piece of moving flesh that she needs to cut down.
Her eyes blink open and closed as she fights against her weariness and the hopelessness of the situation.
It's not over while she's still breathing.
She follows the silhouette out of the flames but when she reaches the other side of the building she finds no sign of the tribute.
Could she have imagined them? It's very possible. Maybe the figure was nothing more than a ghost dancing in the flames.
(Maybe she's already dead, and she's the ghost?)
Liz heaves in frustration. "Where are you?" She shouts.
"Here," a monotone voice responds from behind.
Liz spins around in the direction of the voice - it is the Boy from Four. I knew it.
Four stares down at the Eight Girl from the top of the remains of a house. He holds a dagger steadily in his hand like it has become a part of him - another limb. Despite the red heat reflecting off his eyes, they couldn't be colder. It seems that he and Liz have that in common.
"Meilin…was it you?" Liz snarls at the career.
"It had to be done… I'm sorry."
"I understand… and so does this!"
Liz bolts up the pile of rubble and swings her sword at the career without thinking twice. Four easily evades the attack before landing a spinning back kick on Liz's torso.
The girl is sent flying back down off the remains of the house. That doesn't stop her from trying again, which only yields the same result.
At this point, the Four Boy appears to decide it's time to finish the job. He leaps down from the top of the rubble, stabbing at Liz's neck in a stringing motion.
The only thing that saves Liz is a burning piece of debris from the wall of the house that lands in between the two killers.
A fire soon cuts them off from each other, but Liz isn't ready to back down from the fight - she wants so badly to put her sword through Meilin's killer.
The Four Boy is not deterred by the scorching peril in front of him either.
The two tributes simply stare at each other through the flames - both refusing to break eye contact.
But eventually, the heat, combined with the unrelenting smoke forces both of them to retreat - the fire is the bigger threat at the moment.
Liz stumbles through the burning ruins, coughing and holding her ribs in pain.
She stops. Suddenly, she is only staring at red and orange flames and nothing else.
Is this it?
Liz falls down to her knees, her face plummets into her hands. She came so close to seeing her family again, but it wasn't enough.
The fire closes in around her.
She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a ragged, torn piece of paper. She unfolds it to reveal a crayon drawing of a forest that she drew a few years ago - it was one of her earliest pieces of work.
Her despair turns to anger as she stares at the child's artwork.
(It doesn't look like her own anymore.)
She scrunches it up in her hands and tosses it into the flames. She watches as the fire consumes it and turns it to ash in the blink of an eye.
She curls her hands into fists, fuming that she allowed them to get the better of her like this.
But then, just as she is fading from consciousness and expecting the feeling of the scorching flames on her body, she feels something else… something almost opposite.
Water?
Ozias Califera, 18
This boy from Eleven seems to be unbreakable.
Ozias has thrown everything at him, and yet he still refuses to die. He can't help but respect it, and sort of admires him for standing up for his principles.
But he's been getting in Ozias's way for too long, and he needs to be put down, as does his friend; she is waiting for him somewhere. No doubt the two of them have set up some kind of ambush. Do they think that Ozias was born yesterday?
Still, Ozias gives chase. If Reese is leading him to Briar then he can kill two birds with one stone - to use one of Jokull's phrases.
Jokull couldn't stop him, even after giving his life to do so. What chance do these stubborn little nobodies have?
He follows Reese through a narrow alleyway, coughing more and more violently as each second ticks by.
At the end of the alleyway, Reese seemingly comes to a dead end.
Game over.
But then Reese begins climbing - he's a good climber too, easily being able to navigate the holes and crevices in the wall to haul himself to the top.
Ozias rolls his eyes. Why won't the idiot just give up?
He pursues the boy up the building but not as efficiently as Reese did it; it is difficult while trying to keep hold of his weapon.
The climb takes longer than Ozias would have wanted, but eventually, he makes it to the top. This building towers above the others, save for the hospital and a few other buildings. Ozias takes a quick look at the burning town around him - the factory has completely collapsed into rubble now, and the fire will soon cover the area beneath them.
He stares back at Reese as the smoke and ash rise above them. He has to get the job done quickly.
Reese holds his shield up, not a single ounce of determination has been depleted from his eyes.
"It's over," Ozias says again.
"Then what are you waiting for?"
Ozias raises his katana up and leaps at the boy, but Reese holds fast and angles his shield in a way that the katana slices through part of the metal and gets jammed.
Ozias frowns in confusion. He tries to yank his weapon out, but it is stuck.
Reese then twists the shield to his right, and tosses it aside, taking the katana with it.
Reese sends his opponent a cocky smirk, which only infuriates Ozias.
With both tributes disarmed, Reese is still at a disadvantage in a fistfight.
Ozias seizes the smaller boy by the collar, lifts him up, and slams him into the roof. He cracks his fist across Reese's jaw and then plants his foot into his ribs, sending him to the edge of the building.
But straight away, Reese pushes himself up to his feet, coughing up blood and holding his bleeding arm. As he hobbles back to Ozias, he suddenly stops, staring him in the face. "You're afraid," he realizes aloud.
Ozias frowns. I'm not afraid.
"That's why you won't stop. You're afraid you'll die alone, aren't you?… and that's exactly what's gonna happen," Reese continues.
"Shut up!" Ozias shouts. He strikes Reese across the jaw again, knocking him back down.
He then drags the boy to the edge of the building and holds him over it. "Alright, Briar!" He yells. "The game is up. You think I didn't know what you were playing at?" He coughs. "I take it this kid matters to you in some way. So why don't ya come out and stop hiding!?"
He glances around. No sign of her.
"Aight. Times up. It figures. You couldn't save Chaney, could you? And guess what, you're not gonna save this fuckin' kid neither."
Suddenly, Ozias feels a phantom presence to his right.
Like an assassin striking from the shadows, Briar appears, and delivers a right-cross to his face, dropping him to his hands and knees.
He suddenly feels like a cornered animal.
Reese rolls out of Ozias's grip and disappears behind his ally.
Ozias faces the wrathful girl. Her eyes are laser-focused and have a terrifying venom to them. He knows those eyes because they are the same eyes he had before he dispatched his victims at the barber shop.
Ozias desperately swings at Briar with his fist but she is fast. She slides back, grabs his arm, and then brings it down across her knee.
Pain shoots through Ozias's arm as his bone cracks.
However, he does his best to ignore the pain and swings his other fist at her face, connecting with her cheek.
Briar falls to her hands and knees. But, she uses the new distance between them to land a nasty uppercut on the Fourteen Boy's chin.
The punch snaps Ozias's head back. He begins stumbling all over the rooftop, dazed. He tries to keep his hands up, but he's out on his feet, and he knows it.
He still wants to continue to fight for what's right, but his body won't follow.
Smoke from the fire starts to cover his vision.
Briar emerges through the black cloud. She produces a knife from her pocket and makes her way over to Ozias.
Her movements are robotic, and her stone-cold expression never changes; not even as she's stabbing Ozias's unbroken arm and slashing his legs.
Ozias's body slumps beneath his weight like a ragdoll. With all four of his limbs immobile, he can no longer fight back.
Briar calmly but precisely impales the knife into Ozias's chest. She doesn't even look him in the eye. She simply turns her back to him and leaves the blade in his chest.
Ozias falls onto the rooftop, coughing and gasping for breath.
She dismantled him so quickly and efficiently that he can't help but respect it. He would have done the same.
As he crawls around on the rooftop, he watches Briar disappear into the smoke. A few seconds later, she is replaced by Reese, who comes wandering over to him, still clutching his bleeding arm.
"You…" Ozias groans.
Reese sits down opposite him and wraps his arms around himself. The boy's face is littered with blood and bruises.
"Y-you told me, I'd die alone," Ozias coughs, blood dripping from his mouth.
"I guess I changed my mind."
Ozias has to admit that even if he's dying surrounded by people who hate him, it's still better than dying alone.
"Th-is isn't over," Ozias croaks. "Unless things change, there will continue to be a thousand more people just like me created every day. I am an idea and you can't kill an idea."
"You're right," Reese replies. "I can't kill an idea… but I can always come up with a better one."
Ozias can't stop himself from smiling at that comeback.
He closes his eyes and slides off the roof into the fiery abyss.
Briar Bacardi, 17
Ozias's cannon fires.
Briar knows it was his cannon. She didn't have to wait around to be sure; he wasn't worth it. He wasn't worth anything - She thinks.
She pierced her blade deep into his heart. There's no way he could have survived.
Still, it's nothing compared to the thousand pieces that he tore her heart into. Nothing she could have done to him would have compared.
(Now that Chaney's killer is dead, who else does she have to blame for his death?)
(She could spend an eternity tearing her hair out whilst replaying the day over and over again in her head and going over all the ways it could have gone differently.)
But luckily the fire spreads faster than Briar can think.
(Her thoughts scare her more than the fire.)
Her eyes dart around for her last remaining ally - she has lost sight of him in the dark blanket of smoke.
"Reese!" She calls.
Chaney was fond of Reese, and he would have hated the idea of the boy dying alone in a fire.
Chaney gave his life so the two of them could live, so Briar will do everything in her power to ensure that Reese lives as long as possible.
"Reese!" She calls again with a deep cough.
Relief fills her heart when the weary boy staggers through the smoke, holding his injured arm.
Just then, the foundations of the building they are standing on start to crumble beneath their feet.
"Come on!" She shouts.
Together, they jump onto the roof of the next building, but they soon find that this building is in just as much peril.
They continue hopping along the rooftops of the town until they find that there are no more roofs to jump to and the last of their energy is spent.
They collapse down onto the roof of the final house in their sight and face the storm of flames that approaches them.
Briar pulls her black, wedding ring out of her pocket and clutches it snugly in her hand. "I'll see you again soon, my love." She coughs. "We can drive outta District Nine, just like we always said we would. We can go someplace nice. Just us."
(As long as they were together, they didn't have to be afraid.)
She allows her tears to pour out of her eyes and onto the ring. She doesn't have her anger to hold back her grief anymore, and it's more terrifying than she could have possibly imagined.
Even in the darkest, most hopeless moments, there was Chaney. He could make the darkest day bright again like a star shining against the black, empty night sky.
From the day they met, he was her bright star, and from then on, there was always Chaney.
Now there's nothing.
Reese places his hand on her shoulder, which brings her more comfort than she would have expected.
"So… I guess this is it, huh?" Reese Croaks. "I'm sorry it's only me here with you, but I hope it's better than nothing. I wish he were here too."
"Me too."
But I'll see him again soon.
"Thank you for being a friend… it's meant a lot to me… for what it's worth." Reese continues.
Briar wipes the tears from her eyes and gives her friend a smile.
Reese's eyes suddenly turn hazy and faint; he flops down beside Briar and passes out - mostly from pure exhaustion, she thinks.
It won't be long until she joins him.
But Briar can't decide whether she likes what happens next.
Thick jets of water shoot down from the sky above, soaking her and Reese from head to toe but dosing the blaze around them.
The flood of water comes so fast and with so much force that for a moment, it replaces the smoke's role of smothering her.
When eventually, she gets her breath back and has coughed up the last of the water, she finds that the fire has gone, replaced by a steady rising vapour all around - the Capitol put it out.
They want the winner to be decided by combat, not the last survivor of a fire. They want us to fight each other - She realizes.
She checks Reese's pulse on his neck - he's still alive. Good. It's what Chaney would have wanted.
They have been to hell and come out the other side. What more do the Capitol want?
At least she knows there's nothing more they can do to her; they've already taken everything.
Phew I'm glad I finally got that out. Only 2 games chapters left, let me know what you thought! Oh and I forgot to say thank you pipes for beating the last two chapters!
Deaths
7th: Jokull Askeli: Killed by Jokull Askeli - burned. Jokull was the first intro I ever wrote so this was truly the end of an era. It's hard to sum up how much I loved Jokull in one eulogy but I'll try. He was everything to me from his street race sabotaging to his schemes and his tragic backstory. What an S tier character truly. I wanted to give him some kind of redemption, and I thought the best way to do that was to sacrifice himself for Zora. I also loved his connection with Zora and how both of their guilts for their siblings deaths made them such dps. Truly the A team. Bye Jokull and thanks for the submission void!
6th: Ozias Califera: Killed by Briar Bacardi - Stabbed in the chest. Ozias was such an awesome antagonist to write and I had so much fun with him. I thought of so many alternate scenarios where he could have won and continued his campaign against the capitol. But he had to be put down and the capitol wanted him dead anyway (In fact they waited until he was dead before they put out the fire.) It was so refreshing to write the big threat that the tributers had to face not be a career though. I wrote a dream kind of sequence mirroring the one Chaney got for Ozias too but ended up removing it because it didn't really work, but I'd be happy to share it if ur interested! Thanks for the submission Linds!
Kill counter:
Geneve: 2
Romulus: 2
Aida: 1
Ren: 4
Chaney: 1
Auren: 1
Jokull: 4
Ozias: 4
Emery: 1
Zora: 1
Alizka: 1
Brizio: 1
Briar: 1
