Predator

Chapter 11

The next morning, a loud, mechanical voice echoed through the arena, announcing that only one tribute remained apart from us. My heart pounded in my chest as I looked at Lyra and Aria. We had come so far together, but I knew what this meant. Only one of us could leave the arena alive.

We gathered our supplies and made our way towards the cornucopia. The air was thick with tension, every step bringing us closer to the inevitable confrontation. The clearing around the cornucopia was quiet, the remains of previous battles scattered around like grim reminders of what was at stake.

As we approached, we saw the final tribute waiting for us - a tall, imposing boy from District 1, armed with a spear and an intense determination. He spotted us and raised his weapon, ready for the final fight.

"Stay close," I whispered to Lyra and Aria. "We take him together."

We spread out, trying to corner him. He was strong and well-trained, but we had the advantage of numbers and coordination. Aria moved first, drawing his attention with a feint. He lunged at her, and I took the opportunity to attack from the side, aiming for his unprotected side.

The battle was fierce and chaotic. The boy from District 1 fought with brutal efficiency, but we were relentless. Lyra darted in and out, landing quick, precise strikes. Aria used her agility to keep him off balance, and I pressed the attack, using my knife to deflect his spear and get in close.

Despite our efforts, he managed to land a heavy blow on Lyra, knocking her to the ground. I felt a surge of anger and fear, knowing we couldn't afford to lose her. With a roar, I launched myself at him, driving him back with a flurry of attacks. Aria seized the opportunity to land a crippling blow, striking his leg and causing him to stumble.

As he fell to his knees, I moved in for the final strike. Our eyes met, and in that moment, I saw the realisation of his defeat. I didn't hesitate. I drove my knife into his chest, ending both him and the fight.

The boy from District 1 collapsed, his spear clattering to the ground. I stood over him, panting, the reality of our victory slowly sinking in.

"We did it," Lyra said, her voice trembling with a mix of triumph and pain.

I nodded, falling to the floor on my back - like Lyra had. She was hurt, and I was worried, but most of all, I was exhausted. I felt like I couldn't even move.

My gaze shifted over to Aria, expecting her to be smiling like me and Lyra. However she looked at me with a sad but resolute look in her eyes. She looked back to Lyra, who was clutching her stomach in pain from where the spear had caught her.

Suddenly her hand came up, in it one of the daggers she must've slipped from my makeshift belt. I reached up to stop her when I realised what she was about to do, but I was too late. Her arm dropped, plunging the knife into Lyra's heart, putting an unfair end to her suffering.

I quickly sat up and got into a defensive position. "What did you do?" My voice trembled as I spoke, making myself far too vulnerable in front of the person I thought was a friend.

She looked at me, "I'm sorry Rowan, but there can only be one winner in this game, you know that." She paused for a moment. "I just did what I had to do, don't you understand?"

Her eyes never left mine, and there was a sort of pleading in there, like she was begging me to understand her motive. When I still looked at her like she was crazy, her face fell and she gripped onto what used to be my dagger tightly.

I held my own in my hand, now standing up, ready to defend myself if she decided to lunge at me. We circled each other, walking around Lyra's body as Aria got ready for her attack. When she finally lunged, she tackled me to the ground, throwing herself toward me.

She threw a swing toward me, managing to slash a line across my chest. I winced in extreme pain, and threw her off of me. I rolled over to land on top of her, and wrapped my hands around her neck.

I had a feeling of deja vu, and realised that this was the exact way I almost died at the start of the games. It was kind of poetic, if you truly thought about it. I wondered if I looked at 10's tribute like she was looking at me, desperate to live. Only there was a difference, mine was acting, and hers was clearly not.

I did feel bad though, and I was about to let go, not sure if I could kill her, even if she had betrayed me and our alliance. But when I looked back toward Lyra's body, still and lifeless, I made my decision.

Aria was right, only one of us can leave this arena, and it would be me, for my life, and for Lyra's legacy.

I tightened my grip around her neck, and after a gruesome minute, she fell limp under me. I looked down toward where my hands were in contact with my neck.

Thick, red scratches crawled up my arms, evidence of Aria's fruitless attempts to escape my grasp. Blood even flowed from some of them, and when I took my hands away from her neck,they were white from how hard I had been holding her.

A voice surrounded my body, coming from all directions, "Ladies and gentlemen, I announce the winner of the 74th Hunger Games, Rowan Everdeen!"

The hovercraft descended to take me away, but I held tight on to Lyra's hand, my first alliance, my first friend in the arena.

As I was lifted out of the arena, the weight of what I had endured began to settle in. I had survived the horrors of the arena, and emerged victorious.

The journey ahead would be difficult, filled with new challenges and threats, but I would face it with my head up, as the true victor of the Hunger Games.

I had won, not just the games, but my freedom. And I would fight to keep it. For me, and for my sisters.