Chapter 44

NARRATOR | Easton Rodgers, District 9

TIME | Day 10

TRIBUTES REMAINING | 10

I've never felt more lonely in my life, and trust me, that's saying a lot. Do you know how it feels to go ten days without seeing another human face?

Ten days without Heather have passed, and with each passing second, the girl I volunteered to save has slipped further away from me.

When I volunteered, I knew that the Games wouldn't be easy. I was almost definitely gonna die, and I was okay with that. Heather had tried her best to fight for wheat farmers like me who had nobody to speak for us, and I knew that I had to do the same for her. I had no idea of the torture I'd be facing when I stepped onto that stage. The Hunger Games are more than just kids killing each other... the paranoia, the isolation, the feeling of constantly being watched by the entire nation, it's all made me feel like I'm going insane. All I can do is wander these woods and replay Heather's death again and again and again.

My consolation through all of this was that I would have Heather by my side. I wouldn't have to endure the pain of the world crushing down on me alone. Before the Games, we shared everything together, and that made it almost bearable. And then Heather was ripped away, just like that, and I was left stranded here in this horrible Arena.

For the first few days, the main thing I felt was anger. At first, it was pointed at Heather - she knew what the plan was, and she should've known better than to go into the Bloodbath without me. Faced with Vinny's sword, she didn't stand a chance. Because of her carelessness, I'm forced to face the Hunger Games on my own. My whole reason for coming here was ripped away; I could've just stayed home, and nothing would have changed in the end.

But it wasn't Heather's fault. In the panic of the Bloodbath, I don't blame her for going in without me. Yes, Vinny was the one who killed her, but I don't even hate him for what happened. It's nothing personal - he saw a chance to eliminate his competition, and he took it. Still, if I ever come across him in this Arena, I know that I have to kill him the same way he killed her.

After ten days alone, my anger has faded into emptiness. The misery of my situation has dulled everything. I left everything I loved back home to protect the one thing I cared about most, and now I feel as if I've lost everything. Sure, I've lasted ten days in the Games so far, but I haven't heard a peep from my sponsors since I got rid of the sapphire bracelet on the first night. I threw away my whole life to be here, and I can't imagine a scenario where I'll ever be able to return home.

There's not much waiting for me back in Nine, that's for sure, but I had a life. I won't see much of my father if I somehow make it back - he's still on the opposite side of Nine with whichever new girl pleases him the most. My mother's such a nervous wreck that she probably hasn't noticed I'm gone yet - when my father left, it broke her spirit, and all I've gotten from her in the last few years are vacant stares.

Sure, I have some friends back in the wheat fields, but they'll forget about me soon enough. I was one of the newer kids down there anyway, so most of them didn't know me well. It's not rare for one of the younger field workers to be Reaped, so I'll just be added to that long list inscribed on the side of the main red barn. In Memoriam.

The Arena reminds me of those fields in many ways, really. I spent hours without speaking a word, just making my way back and forth through the rows of crops. I learned there how to entertain myself, how to survive the long days without going insane; it's served me well here, I'm sure. Still, the two experiences aren't comparable - in the fields, there were other men around to wave hello. A smiling face goes a long way, and I haven't seen another person in ten days.

Right now, I'm staring out at the calm waters that fill the center of the Arena. I came here this morning to fill my canteen - the water has a bit of a funny taste, but it's my only option - and I haven't mustered up the strength to leave quite yet. I get lost in the memories of everything that happened ten days ago... it's hard to believe that there once stood a Cornucopia where this lake now sits, but I remember it like it was yesterday. Somewhere beneath the surface of this lake, a discarded knife sits, buried in the silt... Heather's blood has probably been washed from the metal, but that blade will never be clean. One final marker of the life it took.

A sigh escapes my lips as I look into the distance, studying a peculiar peak of rock rising above the water. I haven't been able to stop glancing at it since I arrived; I don't remember seeing the isolated mountain when we dropped into the Arena, but here it sits, sticking out like it wants to be noticed. Most of the Arena is surrounded by one continuous wall of rock, sinking down on both sides to meet the water in front of me. But this one pillar sticks out from the rest.

I'm so intently staring at this unusual monument that I hardly notice the smoke rising behind it. At first, I confuse it for a dark cloud, but it becomes impossible to ignore as the billowing plumes grow larger and larger.

My first instinct tells me that something is on fire, possibly behind the rocky column. We've faced some nasty fires in Nine, especially in the sweltering summer heat, and the rising smoke brings me back to those times. I know it can't be a standard fire, though - all I see is rock, and there's nothing there that could ignite like that.

My mind is pulled back to Training, back when Heather used to read all of the Gamemaker's manuals. She was the better reader, so I listened to her summaries while I learned how to shoot arrows. She'd said something about mountains that can explode, but I can't remember exactly what the manual said... if only she was here to tell me herself.

As soon as I figure out what I'm looking at, I realize that I'm already too late. All I can do is watch in horror as the tip of the mountain crumples in on itself, debris sliding down the sides of the mountain as smoke spews out of the top.

The sound reaches me first. It's nearly indescribable, the groaning sound of the earth shifting before my eyes. With the strength of ten cannon shots, the boom leaves my ears ringing.

Startled by the sudden sound, I scramble to my feet, watching in horror as liquid fire pours out of the mountain. Smoke spills into the sky, crawling across the sky towards me. The Gamemakers have unleashed their wrath, and it's time for all of us to pay.

The air around me seems to shift; for a second, I feel weightless, and the sounds of the Arena fade away. I watch, frozen, as a ripple sweeps across the surface of the lake. After hours of staring at the water, this is the first time I've seen it move. The wave grows closer, slamming into the sandy shore at my feet.

"Listen up, Easton," Heather told me in Training. "It says here that when the Gamemakers make explosions, they like to add a shockwave for dramatic effect. It'll knock us off our feet, so we have to be prepared for it."

By the time I remember Heather's words, I'm already flying through the air.

A/N - I'M BACK! This feels so good to write y'all, this chapter took FOREVER! I just finished my final exams, so I'm finally able to give this story the effort it deserves. This chapter really required some deeper diving into Easton's character and I just wasn't in the right space to write it for a while, but I'm hoping that the free time I have now will allow me to attack this story with full force. Stay tuned for more chapters to come :)

~S