Day Seven of the Arena
July 9th, 2427
Alizka Ito, 15
The mood between Liz and Meilin has taken a sudden, dark turn over the last few hours.
They managed to escape Ground Zero, but at what cost? Meridian lies dead several meters below them - that is if the Capitol hasn't already removed their body. He was slain by someone who he once considered his ally… someone who he once considered his friend. He was slain by Liz.
Yet, she doesn't even feel the tiniest bit of remorse about it. In fact, she would do it again if she had to, if it means that her one remaining ally is safe, and if it means that she will have a better chance at going back to her family.
She tells herself that she doesn't feel remorse, but that's only because she's shut the entire event deep into the darkest pits of her mind. Liz knows that if she begins to dwell on it, even for a second, then she may feel guilt and not be able to do it again. If she can't kill again then what chance does she have of getting out of here?
She would even accept the transfer to District Three with open arms, that her parents arranged for her, with open arms; anywhere is better than this place. She could meet Meilin's family in Three, and reassure them that she tried her best, because she did.
Liz's melancholy ally is giving her the silent treatment once again, as the two girls wander across a lonely road through the ruins. It's the same silence she gave her in the days after the bloodbath and after Day's death. Death seems to stun Meilin into silence every time she witnesses it, and there's nothing Liz can do to stop that.
Does Meilin finally understand now that there's no happy ending to this? - Liz wonders to herself.
Meilin keeps her head drooped down and her eyes firmly fixated on the ground; she especially avoids eye contact, at all costs, with the killer that strolls beside her.
Liz breathes a frustrated sigh. "We can't go on not talking," she says.
Meilin just shrugs and keeps her eyes on the ground.
"You think I had any choice in what I did back there? He was gonna kill us," Liz presses.
"I know, I know." Meilin shakes her head. "It wasn't what you did… it was… it was that I was powerless to stop it. I'm always powerless to stop it." Then, the Three Girl looks forward to the end of the road, and her eyes suddenly have a brighter glint in them; in fact, they almost look hopeful. "But not anymore… not after today," she finishes.
Liz isn't sure what her ally means by that last part, so she simply chalks it down to more delusion and answers with "No one can stop it, not even you. It's inevitable."
Liz has come to the conclusion that she can't control death, it's totally out of her hands - in this forsaken place and outside of it. If she tries to control it, then she will be trapped forever, so she might as well embrace it. That's one thing that her twisted district partner might have got right, they embraced death and destruction and even enjoyed it, and it's only now that Liz can see why. If it's inevitable then you might as well enjoy it - that's the one thing that this arena has taught her.
Meilin will never see it the way Liz does, and Liz is done trying to convince her to.
They don't talk again after that. Instead, they just continue in silence.
By the time they reach the end of the road, more cannons have gone off. Liz is another step closer to getting home.
The pair decide, non-verbally, to camp where the road stops dead against a barrier.
Meilin elects to take the first watch - something that's unusual for her as Liz is usually the one to do it, but she doesn't mind. She selects the hard wall of a building as her bed, and sits up against it, letting her eyes naturally drift shut from tiredness.
Liz can sleep because she's content. They escaped the feast with plenty of supplies, they got away without injury, other than a few bruises on Liz's face, but most importantly - their competition has been thinned significantly.
She's close now.
Liz doesn't recall exactly when she slipped off into sleep, but when her eyes flutter open it is dark, and she is alone.
Her vision is blurry, and she is very disoriented at first but it doesn't take her long to realise that Meilin is gone, along with most of their supplies.
Liz snaps her head left and right to try to spot her ally. "Meilin!" She whispers sharply into the night with a hint of anger.
She pushes herself up and continues muttering Meilin's name while scanning around where they've been sleeping.
Her heart starts beating louder in her chest and blood rushes to her face. "Meilin this isn't funny, where's our stuff!"
It isn't like Meilin to play practical jokes, especially not in this place, especially after how she's been today.
No. It soon becomes apparent what has happened - all that talk today about finally being in control… she's left Liz and taken most of her supplies.
"Meilin!" She growls again.
How could she do this to me? After all the times I protected her - Liz questions.
The Eight Girl clenches her jaw and then kicks one of the bags that Meilin left.
What is she playing at?
Liz has to find her before she gets herself killed and loses half of their supplies in the process.
Her anger suddenly turns to regret as she calls Meilin's name into the night. Is she to blame for this?
Fuma Marlows, 18
Everything is going as planned.
Together, Fuma and Jokull trek across the barren, rotting landscape, ducking in and out of the ruins of houses.
Fuma glances over her shoulder every few moments to check if Jokull is still with her. He is, but his eyes are growing weary and more sullen as each second passes.
"How much further did yer say it was?" The Six Boy asks.
"Not much," Fuma answers, keeping her eyes pinned forward. "Just follow me," she mutters under her teeth.
They step onto the concrete bridge that hangs over a large drop to a road below.
"You said just over this bridge right?" Jokull recalls as they reach the middle of the bridge.
But Fuma doesn't answer. She suddenly stops dead. Her shoulders sink down and she takes in a breath.
Jokull stops next to her, furrowing his eyebrows. "Fuma?"
Without warning, the tall girl shoves the shorter boy hard to the edge of the bridge.
Jokull groans in surprise, and frantically flails his arms around to attempt to keep his balance, but to no avail.
Fuma watches as the boy loses his footing before disappearing off the edge of the bridge. He doesn't scream or yell out or make any sound at all. He simply accepts his fate. She respects that, in a way.
A few seconds later, the sound of bones cracking echoes up the bridge, which sticks the hairs up on Fuma's skin.
But she can't feel bad; it was only a matter of time before he did the same to her - she simply struck first and prevented him from murdering her in her sleep.
(She's just glad that she didn't have to do the deed with her axe.
She's not Terrance yet.)
Fuma then awaits the sound of a cannon in the distance to confirm Jokull's demise at her hands. But, it never comes.
What?
Did she miss it? No, she can't have missed that.
Fuma peers over the edge of the bridge, hoping to see Jokull dying on the road below, but she gets no such relief. All that's there is his now mostly empty bag.
Did he survive? He can't have.
Fuma's heart begins thumping in her chest.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Her eyes dart in every direction, desperately searching for any sign of the Six Boy.
She knows Jokull is a smart rat. She laid the rat poison for him but he survived it, and now she's missed her chance. He will be back. He'll run back to Zora, and the two of them will kill her together.
Unless Fuma gets to Zora first.
The snapping sound must have been Jokull's leg breaking, which means that Fuma will be faster. There's no way a limping rat will outrun a ranger from Seven.
But eventually, Jokull will make it back, and then he will tell Zora everything that happened. Fuma could say he attacked her first but she knows Zora will never believe her over him. Then, they'll both come after her.
That leaves Fuma with only one option, and it's the darkest option. She has to kill them both, and then everyone else in this place.
"Retha! I'm coming!" Fuma shouts as she races back to her house.
She's not exactly sure why she called her sister's name. All she knows is Retha is alive out there somewhere, and she's going to find her.
"Retha!" She calls again.
Zora Iskra, 14
Zora awakens feeling dizzy.
At first, everything is blurry, but when her vision fades back in she finds that she is lying on a sofa in an empty room.
She rubs her temple and shakes her head as she attempts to recall the last thing that she remembers.
Oh yes. She was sick, and then she collapsed - that's the last thing she remembers.
She places her hand against her stomach. The burning sensation that was inside of her has completely gone and her head no longer feels like it weighs a thousand tons.
Then, she gazes around the room. It's not just empty but silent too.
"Fuma?" She croaks, as loud as she can.
She receives no answer. Just silence.
Zora staggers to her feet, heads over to the window, and peers out to see if Jokull is still in his usual spot - on the rubble.
He's vanished too.
Where is everyone?
"Jokull? Fuma?" the Six Girl calls, louder this time.
But there's still only silence.
A terrible sinking feeling forms inside Zora. It's an unwelcome feeling that she hasn't felt since the death of Kalila like a ghost returning to haunt her after disappearing for many years.
Something has happened - She concludes to herself. All the evidence points that way, after all.
Suddenly, the door slams and Zora's heart jolts in her chest.
Fuma steps through the front entrance and into the main room.
At this point, Zora should feel relief flowing into her but instead, Fuma's demeanour creates the opposite feeling. The Seven Girl's eyes are practically bulging out of their sockets and have an almost berserk look to them. Her face is blood red and she is breathing heavily. But worst of all, she holds her axe tightly in her hand like she might be about to use it.
She wouldn't, would she?
Zora gulps. "Fuma?"
Who she thought was her ally doesn't answer her. Zora is now staring at a shade of the girl that she knew back in training; the girl who defended Zora even when everyone else doubted her.
Zora has to keep talking to the threatening girl. If she's talking to her then at least she's not trying to kill Zora. "Fuma… what happened?" She attempts.
"I-I'm sorry," Fuma stutters. "I-I wish there was another way, but I have to find my sister. I'm sorry."
"Fuma wait-"
But Fuma advances forward with her axe, forcing Zora to dart behind the kitchen table to at least get something in between her and her murderous ally.
Fuma faces her from the other side of the table and tears begin welling up in her eyes. "I-I'll make it fast, I promise. J-just stay still. Y-you can be with your sister again."
How does she know about Zora's sister? Zora never mentioned that to her.
Either way, Zora isn't ready to die yet. She will get back to District Six and have that picnic with Bexley. Nothing will stop her.
Fuma is bigger, stronger, older, and more experienced than Zora, so the fourteen-year-old is going to have to be smart if she's going to make it out of this.
Zora manages to ignore the deafening sound of her anxious breathing and focuses solely on one question - What can she do?
She glances around at her immediate surroundings. Plan out half of it, improvise the rest!
As Fuma makes her way around the table, raising her axe for the kill, Zora plucks a handful of dinner plates from the table and hurls them at her attacker.
The Seven Girl grunts in surprise, and covers her face as the plates smash into her.
The distraction gives Zora enough time to slip away and dart straight for the door.
Maybe there's a chance after all… maybe.
Zora is faster than she realised and she almost makes it too, but Fuma isn't ready to give up either.
The stronger girl reaches out, seizes Zora by the back of the collar, and drags her to the floor. Then, she raises her axe for the kill. "Don't worry. I'll make it quick," she repeats. "Then, I'll win. For you, Zora, and your sister." Her voice has become monotone and devoid of emotion.
All Zora can do is stick her hands in front of her face. She is out of all options.
But Fuma never gets the chance to finish the job. Suddenly, she freezes on the spot and blood begins flowing from her mouth. Her axe slides out of her hand, clattering onto the floor. It's only when she collapses down that Zora sees the knife sticking out of the back of her neck and Jokull standing in the doorway.
Jokull is panting heavily. He has cuts and bruises scattered across his face and is clutching his ribs in pain. He sends Zora a nod before hobbling over to the sofa and falling down onto it.
Neither of the Sixes say anything to each other. There's nothing to be said.
Zora kneels down beside her former ally and turns her over. There is nothing but pure fear in the Seven Girl's eyes as she takes her last breaths.
Tears begin cascading from Zora's eyes. She places her hand on the dying girl's shoulder and offers two final words of solace. "I'm sorry," she mumbles between her tears. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."
Fuma breathes her last breath and becomes still.
A cannon fires.
Reese Haricot, 15
From the moment Reese took his first step out of the front door on his own, to go on his first adventure down the bottom of the lane and climb over the top of the hill, he knew that if he was to die young, then he would go out doing something heroic - that's what a true adventurer does.
Now, with everything at stake, the chance has finally presented itself to him. As he and Briar step through the main entrance of the last place on Earth that they want to be - Ground Zero, they halt at the sight of their first major problem. At the end of the first corridor is a collection of the slender, four-legged mutts that were released from their glass cages earlier - they have now spread around the entire facility, making it near impossible to get anywhere, much less get to the zeroth floor and rescue Chaney.
Briar quickly drags Reese back around the entrance to the building so that they are out of the mutts' line of sight. "We've gotta get around them somehow," the resolute girl insists.
Reese knows by her steadfast eyes that nothing will stop her from getting to the man she loves…
The boy from Eleven pokes his head back around the corner to get a better look at the situation; the nearest corridor to their right is only partially blocked by the horde of mutts. If Reese is fast, he could snatch their attention and lead them down the corridor which would allow Briar to get deeper into the facility, and rescue Chaney.
The daring boy takes a deep breath. This is his moment.
He turns back to Briar, his blue eyes sparkling with newfound courage. "Go, Briar. I'll lead them away."
The Nine Girl frowns at him. "Reese… no."
"It's okay," he reassures her with a smile. "I'm fast… I'll be fine. Go. Be with him."
Briar glances through the corridor and then stares into her ally's eyes. "I'll come right back for you. I promise, okay?"
Reese swallows with a somber nod. "Don't worry about me."
This is my moment - He tells himself.
With that, he steps out from behind the corner and slips his slingshot into his hand.
Suddenly he finds that he's a deer caught in headlights. All the mutts have to do is glance in his direction and they will be upon him.
But the courageous do not hesitate, and he's not about to either. He's not sure if he's courageous anymore, he used to think he was; it doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that Briar and Chaney find each other.
The mutts haven't noticed him yet; that's okay - he'll make them notice him.
He slots a sharp stone, no bigger than his palm, into the strings of his slingshot then tugs back on it before releasing it directly at the first mutt in sight. The mutt in question happens to be the largest and meanest-looking of the bunch.
That's okay. All part of the plan - Reese convinces himself as the beast turns and narrows its eyes and bears its teeth at him. All the mutt's friends soon follow suit.
This is what Reese wanted - to bravely risk his life to save his friends, that's what he told his mentor back on the train. Although, part of him begins to doubt that, as he is chased through the corridor by a dozen vicious mutts trying to tear him apart.
He turns a sharp corner and leaps down a set of metal stairs to avoid a claw swipe from the lead mutt; in doing so, he soon finds himself deeper in the complex.
Darkness envelops him, and as he dashes away from the pursuing mutts, he starts to become lost.
"Run Reese!" - Auren's words echo in his mind.
But then, he stops dead in a wider, open space. Despite the fact that he feels he has no breath left, he doesn't stop to catch it. He stops because of the despairing horror that lies in front of him in the darkness. Mutts now surround him on all sides.
He scans every direction for an escape but all he sees is a sea of the grey, decaying skin of the mutts and endless rows of dagger-like teeth.
He finds himself frozen on the spot and bracing himself for the onslaught.
If the tale of Reese Haricot truly ends here then at least he can rest with the knowledge that he gave Briar a shot at finding Chaney. At least he will go out knowing that his mother would be proud of her brave son for sacrificing himself for his friends, and maybe his father is too, wherever he is.
Suddenly, there is the sound of a hefty metal object sailing through the air, and then the sound of flesh being sliced open.
The mutt directly in front of Reese halts as a scimitar impales it through the neck.
Then, a familiar voice calls from above on the gratings - "Reese! Run!"
Auren!
Reese looks up in the direction of her voice. For a moment, he is even more shocked than when he had a mutt racing directly at him.
Before he has time to think, his protector has leaped down from atop the gratings and landed beside him.
"You came back!" Reese exclaims. His voice breaks as his emotions practically spill out.
"I never left." The Ten Girl rips her sword from the mutt's throat, it screeches in response and then falls down at her feet. "Get behind me!" She orders, stepping in front of Reese with her sword raised to shield him from the army of mutts.
The Grotesque creatures circle Reese and Auren. They hiss and snarl, ready to move in for the kill, but remain cautious of her shining, steel blade.
As Reese looks around he notices that the mutts are slowly surrounding them on every side to cut off all possible escape routes.
The pair stand back to back, and Reese takes out his small pocket knife. "We've survived worse," he murmurs to his friend. But she gives him no response. He can't deny that their situation is looking pretty dire.
"Try to find a weak point that we can fight our way through," Auren groans. "Then w- ah fuck-"
A second mutt leaps straight at Auren with its jaw extended to sink its teeth into her. But she manages to thrust her sword through the bottom of its mouth in time to stop it in its tracks.
Just then, like a ray of light at the end of a tunnel, Reese spots a small gap in the hordes of the mutts. "There!" He points.
Auren immediately shoves him through the opening in the ocean of despair.
As the pair force their way through, the brawny, farm girl does her best to keep the mutts at bay by slashing them with her scimitar. Reese attempts to do the same with his knife but to less effect.
Suddenly, he begins to feel faint from pure exhaustion.
At the very end of the room, there is a collection of glass chutes that lead down deeper into the facility. Reese and Auren are just about small enough to fit through them but the mutts won't be so fortunate. Reese doesn't know where the chute leads; all he knows is wherever they go, it's better than here. It's just a matter of getting there.
"You can do it, Reese. Don't be afraid, my wonderful son" - Reese can practically hear his mother's words.
The boy glances behind to make sure Auren is still there. She is, just about. "Don't look back," she groans. "Forward… just face forward. It-"
All of a sudden, Auren gasps in shocked pain. Her eyes grow wide. In a flash - a claw of one of the mutts swiped her across the abdomen. She never even saw it coming.
Reese gasps too, almost as if he felt the claw himself. His eyes dart to Auren's new gaping wound. It's bad - but he already knew that just by her gasp.
Everything around him seems to go silent at that moment.
Auren turns and slashes ferociously at the perpetrator of her fateful wound - the mutt's head leaves its neck as her blade carves through it but the girl receives another slice to torso in return.
Reese breaks from his trance and screams as he attempts to charge to protect his ally, but Auren quickly shoves him onward. "Run!" She cries as she guides him through the mutts and takes more punishment from their claws.
During the chaotic escape, Reese's forehead is caught by a slash from one of the creature's claws. Blood now gushes from his head but any pain that he should feel is void as the adrenaline blocks it out.
Eventually, Auren succumbs to blood loss and drops her scimitar to the floor before collapsing onto her knees.
Reese tugs at her arm. He wants to cry out to her to use the last of her strength to go with him, but it's like all the words have been sucked from his lungs.
She does manage to summon something within her but whatever strength it is, it's only enough to stumble to her feet and shove Reese through one of the glass chutes. "I said…r-run!"
She doesn't have enough strength left nor speed to follow him through. The last thing Reese sees of Auren Demerre is her valiantly but hopelessly punching the crowd of mutts with her glass-lined gloves as she is dragged away by them.
It all happened so fast. He didn't get a chance to protest or stop her. All he can do is let the streams of tears flood his cheeks as he descends into the abyss.
He had so much to say yet he never even got to say goodbye to her.
Briar Bacardi, 17
After the gang of mutts took off after Reese, Briar had a clear path into the lower levels of the facility.
After using a combination of the metal stairs and the lift, she finds herself back on the zeroth floor.
But then, she is faced with the slight problem of how to get through the sealed door where Chaney, and the only future she has left, is waiting.
She had buried the problem of the sealed door in the back of her mind. When Chaney was faced with a problem like this, he'd always say "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," and they always did. Now she has to cross this bridge, or rather cross through this door, somehow.
After about fifteen minutes of pondering, fifteen minutes that Reese cannot afford to spare, it's as if her prayers are answered. The glass door slides up, allowing her direct passage to Chaney.
It's as though somebody just flicked a switch, and the door opened. Whoever it was, whether it was someone in the control room or a tribute, it doesn't matter - what matters now is finding Chaney.
Briar races through the door frame without hesitation, not caring if it closes again behind her; at least she'll be with Chaney.
Suddenly, a cannon fires - the second one today.
It wasn't Chaney. It can't have been. I need to give him my answer - Briar insists to herself.
Spurred on by the cannon, Briar begins calling Chaney's name into the corridors. She doesn't even care if anyone hears her, and if they do, she'll cut them down and anyone that stands between her and Chaney.
"Chaney! Chaney! Chaney!"
She must have searched at least two dozen corridors when she suddenly hears a weak croak from around the corner - "Briar?"
It's Chaney's voice. She would recognise him even if he was choking on marbles.
Briar's eyes light up. "Chaney!"
"Briar!" the voice calls back with more life than the first call.
The two lovers are drawn to each other like magnets. Nothing can keep them apart.
Briar turns one last corner and there he is. His face is cut, bruised, and dirty, but it's his silly face alright.
Chaney's jaw is practically on the floor with shock, and his pupils grow large. "What do you think you're doing coming back here you-" He pauses. He's about to call her an idiot and pretend to be mad. But he can't hide the excitement from his voice, and he can't call her an idiot; she's the one who calls him an idiot.
He tries to stutter something from his lips but he is lost for words, which is very unusual for him.
(But then, Briar is the first person in his life who hasn't abandoned him. So this whole situation is unusual for him.)
At last, Chaney finds some words. "I mean… you could have died. What were you-"
"Yes," Briar cuts him off, and steps closer to him with a smile. Her throat is tight with emotion.
"What?"
"I do have an answer for you, and it's yes!"
Chaney falls silent again as does Briar.
They don't need to say anything.
The lovers move closer to each other and pull each other into a long-awaited kiss.
"You sure do pick your moments," Chaney chuckles when their lips part before he goes in for another kiss.
Suddenly, Briar pulls herself away from him as she is snapped back to reality from this blissful moment. "Reese!" She remembers aloud.
Chaney frowns. "You haven't gone and lost him, have ya?"
"Well… not exactly… he had to distract the mutts," Briar answers, beginning to race back the way she came. "No time to explain. Come on!"
The Nines speed back through the corridor and use the elevator to get to the top floor. There, Briar follows the direction that Reese ran in with a dozen mutts on his tail.
They travel down a series of metal staircases until they reach a very dark but much more spacious room with different pieces of machinery dotted around the place.
In front of them is a scene of carnage. At least half a dozen of those grey, decaying mutts lie dead on the floor. They have been hacked to pieces with a few of them missing their limbs and heads.
At the very end of the room, a short-haired girl is bleeding out on the floor. Her torso is lined with slashes and cuts from the dead mutt's claws.
"Auren!" Briar gasps, racing towards the girl, and kneeling down beside her.
She places her hand on Auren's largest wound, which is leaking blood faster than either of the Nines can stop it.
"You came back!" Briar realises, her throat swelling up with tears.
"Yeah…" Auren groans. "I bet you didn't expect that… me either, to be honest," she croaks with irony.
"Just…" Briar doesn't know what to say. She knows at this point that there's nothing she can do for her.
Auren winces in pain but manages to find the last of her words. "They went looking for Reese," she mutters, pointing to a glass chute behind her. "T-they're like mindless killing machines. Y-you have to find him. He's a good kid."
"I will… we will. I promise," Briar affirms.
"T-thanks for being here with me… at the end," the Ten Girl murmurs.
Then, Auren falls still, and her eyes drift off into the void.
A cannon fires.
Briar respectfully closes Auren's eyes and then stands back up. "We have to find him," she declares, facing Chaney.
Chaney nods and takes Briar by the hand. "We will," he reassures her.
Briar believes him with all her heart. As long as they are together, they can do anything.
Well we're now half-way through the cast. There's probably going to be about another 5 chapters of the games, I can't believe we're getting so close to the end. Oh and yes the door that opened so Briar could get inside and rescue Chaney was opened by Meilin in the last chapter. See you.
Deaths:
12th: Fuma Marlows: Killed by Jokull Askeli - Knife thrown in neck. Fuma sort of had the opposite arc to Auren and became a worse version of herself. Although, she was only doing what she had to do to survive in the hunger games. Her natural and unstable distrust and paranoia was run to write and how it affected her relationship with her allies. But yeah I really did enjoy writing her. She was like the cool and collected older sister to her alliance for most of the story and she will be missed. It was fun with her sisters connection to the subplot too. I actually wrote a deleted scene where Retha appeared in the last subplot chapter. I'll have to find a way to get her in the story. Thanks for the submission Sakura!
11th: Auren Demerre: Killed by mutts - slashed in torso by claws. I loved writing Auren and her character arc with Reese and the rest of her allies! Ever since I got her's and Reese's forms I knew exactly what I was gonna do. She's one of the characters that I really wanted to go further but couldn't see her getting past this point due to plot. I know her death ended up being a little cliche but I thought about it and since it's from Reese's pov it makes sense. Anyone that knows me knows I love a positive character arc and especially a sacrifice arc. Thanks for the submission Em, your daughter was truly iconic!
Kill counter:
Geneve: 2
Romulus: 2
Aida: 1
Ren: 4
Chaney: 1
Auren: 1
Jokull: 4
Ozias: 2
Emery: 1
Zora: 1
Alizka: 1