The Hunger Games: Camden Shepard

Chapter 13

Jack and I jogged in silence across the street, his spear at the ready and my trident in hand. We reached the field and I spotted a small lake on the far side. I pointed to it and Jack and I quickly made our way across the open grass. We made it halfway to the lake before they attacked. The two girls tributes leapt out from behind the bushes beside us and flanked us. The girl closest to me was holding a long, thin sword, I recognized her as the tribute from district 8. I hadn't paid much attention to her during training, she was tiny, half my weight and four inches shorter than me. I hadn't thought she'd make it this long. Her fiery red hair blew out behind her as she raced across the field. I brought my trident up as she reached me and blocked her first blow. I'd gotten used to the weight of the trident and managed to swing it easily around, stabbing her in the right thigh. I heard Jacks spear connect with something wooden behind me and knew he was in a fight of his own with the other girl. Bright green eyes glared at me as the girl from eight growled in pain. I pulled the trident from her leg and ducked as her sword swung where my head had just been. She called out in pain as I stabbed her left leg, just below the knee. A horrible crack rang out as her calf gushed blood and she stumbled backwards. I realized that I must have broken bone. The girl had fallen to her good knee, her left leg pointed out at an awkward angle. She slashed at me and managed to slice the inside of my right arm. My trident fell momentarily as the pain overwhelmed my dominant side throbbed in sharp pain. I transferred more of the weight to my left arm and grunted. Hot sticky blood slid down my elbow and dropped down onto the ground below me. Anger surged through my body and adrenaline from the fight masked the pain just long enough for me to spin my trident in a circle around in my right hand, catch it with my left and, at the last moment, throw it with all of my strength straight into the girls chest. Her sword had been arching towards my throat, but fell the second trident connected with her body. She gurgled for a moment as blood filled her lungs and then collapsed against my trident. A canon went off. I ripped my trident from her body with a sickening crunch and turned.
Jack was locked in a bloody battle with the girl from three. Her blonde hair was tinted a bright red as the blood from a cut on the top of her head poured down her back. Both she and Jack were wielding knives, two spears had been cast aside. Jacks t-shirt had been cut open in the front revealing not only his abs but a new angry red gash that started at his hip and ran diagonally to his shoulder. The pair were circling each other, both clearly in pain, but two angry to care. I ran over towards Jack just as the girl dove for his stomach.
"Jack!" I felt my trident leave my hands as the girl dove. It sailed through the air and connected with its target. The girl collided with Jack at the same moment my weapon pierced her side. A canon went off.
"Jack!" I screamed, sprinting over to him. Neither he or the girl from three had moved since the canon. My body moved with inhuman speed as I yanked my trident from the girl and threw her off of Jack. He was covered in blood, both his own and the girls. I dropped to my knees and put my ear on his chest, my fingers, slick with my own blood, slid up to his neck and fought desperately to find a pulse. I could only feel my own heartbeat as my chest pumped with fear and anger from the fight. He had still not moved. I sat up and stared at the girl from three. I had to know if Jack was dead, but if I couldn't find a pulse there was only one way to know. I picked up my trident and forced myself to stand. I stepped over Jacks chest and raised my weapon high above my head. I stared at the girl. Her blonde hair framed her face like a halo, her face was a mix of anguish and pain, but it did not move. There was only one way to know. I brought the trident down into her heart and waited to hear a canon. Nothing happened. So the first canon must have belonged to her. Relief filled me, that meant Jack was still alive.
I removed my trident and went back to Jacks side. I gently shook his shoulders.
"Jack, wake up. Come on, Jack." I whispered furiously. Nothing happened.
"Jack, please." Still nothing. My stomach was churning. My back was to the field as I shook Jack, which is why I didn't see anyone coming until it was too late.
The cool metal of a knife pressed against my skin. Two large boys stood above me. The tributes from eight and nine. Fear shook me. The largest boy, the boy from nine, was wielding an axe. He was over a foot taller than me, his hair was pitch black, matching the dark dead eyes that were now staring at me. The boy from eight had a wicked grin on his face. His brown hair was a mess and his face was covered in dirt. He wasn't as tall as the boy from nine but he had wide shoulders that made up for his height.
"Stand up." Nine growled. I obliged, moving slowly to my feet.
"I should thank you," Eight said smoothly, "we've been tracking her since the Games began and we couldn't catch her, but you, you killed her almost instantly." Eights cold smile grew and Nine began to slowly applaud me, letting Eight take over control of the knife held to my throat.
"Well done." Nines deep voice was menacing and his black eyes dug into me. "Looks like you even managed to kill the kid from your own district too." I stiffed, the hair across my body stood on edge as he stared and Jack and then back at me. I realized I had taken a defensive stand, my right arm stretched out as if I could possibly protect Jack with just my arm. Eight noticed.
"Or did you?" He said. He ran a hand through his brown hair, his blue eyes glinted violently as he dug the tip of the blade into my skin. I flinched. My eyes followed Nine as he began to walk around me towards Jack. Fear turned to panic as Nine knelt down next to Jack and drew another knife from his belt. He began to drag the serrated blade over Jacks exposed chest, tracing the cut that the girl from seven had left, barely touching Jacks skin. But it was enough, Jack flinched and I acted. I threw the palm of my right hand up into Eights nose. I felt it collapse against my hand, pushing deep into his skull, breaking it effectively. I stepped backwards and away from the knife. He stumbled backwards, dropped the knife and clutched his face squealing. I brought my foot up between his legs and he doubled over. I put both my hands on the back of his head and drove my knee into his face. Eight crumpled to the ground. Nine had his own dagger pressed against Jacks throat now. I stopped moving and watched him carefully.
"Interesting." He spun the knife in his hand, the tip still at Jacks throat. A small trail of blood began to trickle down from the point of the blade.
"Leave him alone." I snarled. Nine grinned.
"If he's already dead, then why would you care." A hovercraft had appeared and was picking up the girl from eight. Nine glanced over for a moment, but it was all the time I needed. I threw myself at him. He was already balancing on the balls of his feet and my momentum knocked him onto his back. I straddled his waist and punched Nine as hard as I could. Nine was still holding the knife and drove it up into my side. I screamed as the serrated blade dug into the soft skin on my waist. I grabbed Nine by the head and twisted hard. A canon went off. Nines hand fell from the knife still sticking out of my side. My hands were shaking violently as I grabbed the handle of the knife. I began to slide the knife out slowly, but the serrated edges caught on the inside of my body. I screamed
involuntarily. Jack twitched again, this time his eyes cracked open. I stopped pulling on the dagger. I was rapidly losing blood, both from the cut in my arm and now in my side. I climbed off of Nine and crawled over to Jack.
"Hey." I whispered. A smile spread across his face as he looked up at me.
"Cam." He whispered back. I smiled at him. He stared up into my eyes, then suddenly he was staring past me, over my shoulder. "Cam!" He reached out and pushed me to the side. I heard a manic yell behind me as I fell. I landed hard, thankful that I hadn't been pushed onto the dagger still sticking out of my left side. I looked up. Eight was towering over Jack, his face unrecognizable thanks to the blows I'd landed to his nose. His eyes were clouded over, just as Jacks had been. He must not have realized the water was poisoned. He looked back and forth from Jack and I, rage building every time he looked at me. I knew Jack and I were in no shape to fight anyone else. Jack turned his head and stared at me. We were both weaponless, both losing blood, both exhausted. We had no hope to make it out alive. Jack was in worse shape than me with his chest and leg cut open. Two more hovercrafts appeared. Just as the arms lowered to gather the girl from three and the boy from nine, Eight lunged. His dove at me, his left hand aimed for my throat and his right hand balled into the fist and cocked backwards. Without thinking I pulled the blade from my side, meaning to use it against Eight. Pain seared through my whole body and I screamed. Eight hit the ground by my feet. I looked over his shoulder and saw that Jack had grabbed his ankle when he'd lunged. Eight snarled as I pushed myself backwards with my hands, the dagger still clasped between my fingers. Eight spun on Jack with a mad fury. I watched in horror as Eight dug into Jacks chest with his bare fingers. Jack let out an inhuman scream. I had backed into my trident and with what was left of my strength sank it deep into Eights side. He released Jack and turned, leaving my trident buried deeply in his chest. Jack was coughing up blood now and I knew that Eight must have torn something vital within him. Tears escaped my eyes. Neither of us was going to make it out of the Games.
I could now see that I had shoved my dagger straight through Eights chest and out of his back. He crawled towards me, pulling my trident from my hands, but leaving it imbedded in his torso, and hit me across the face. My neck whipped to the side and then back as Eight landed another blow. I lifted my left hand up to stab Eight, but was met with another sharp punch to the skull. I landed on my back and gasped for air. My eyes widened as Eight pulled the dagger from my hands and raised it above his head. He drove it down towards my heart. My arms went up to lessen the impact and I closed my eyes.
"Cam!" Jack's voice rang out across the field. A heavy weight landed on my chest. A canon went off. I opened my eyes. Jack was laying on my chest, and Eight was on top of him. Blood was pouring all over me, but I couldn't tell who it belonged to. I realized that Eight had both my trident and a spear sticking out of his back. His wide, crazy eyes were empty now. Death had consumed him. Jacks face was inches from mine. Eights dagger was stuck in his lower back. I wiggled my arms out from under him and gently moved his hair out of his face.
"Jack." I whispered. My entire face burned with agonizing pain. My lip was split open and the left half of my face was swollen, my eye swollen shut. "Jack, you saved me." I whispered. He groaned, and opened his eyes. Tears slid from them and he smiled at me for a long moment. He sucked in a ragged breath.
"Win for me, Cam." Jack whispered. He drew one last breath and a canon rang out.