The Silence of the Tribute

Second Entry

Only the Beginning
~~~

I open my eyes, and Day stands above me. Thick fog surrounds us

I get up, and hug him.

"I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too." Day isn't the one who said it though.

I turn around and Xavier is standing there. He's holding out a backpack to me.

I face Day again, and he holds out a pearl necklace to me.

"I don't understand. Where are we?" I question.

"We're home, Sarah." Two men step out of the shadows.

My dads.

Before I can run to them, one of them falls to his knees. He looks up at me and there's a trickle of blood running from his mouth.

His hand is pressed to his stomach. Blood pours from a wound.

My other dad crumples into a human pile of flesh. Bullet holes carve out his chest.

I flip towards Day again. He's laying on the ground.

I step towards him.

"Don't come any closer, I don't want you to see me like this." Exclaims Day.

"Like what...?" I tremble. Then I see it. His right arm is completely gone, and burns cover his body.

I fall to my knees, and go to touch him, when someone puts their hand on my shoulder.

Through tears I see Xavier behind me.

A knife sticks out of his head.

I scream and jerk away. I crawl backwards away from both of them. From all of them

"I didn't mean to hurt you." They all said in unison. "I didn't mean it."

The I see a guy in front of my. Only a few years older. He looks familiar. He looks like...

I awake with a gasp. Tears fall from my eyes. Hades is next to me in seconds, wiping the tears away.

He's surprisingly gentle for his size.

I don't say anything, and neither does he.

I don't know how long we sit there. I don't know how we are going to survive. I don't know what time of day it is even. But I do know that Hades is a good guy.

Then a branch snaps.

Hades is on his feet climbing down the tree in seconds. How does he move so fast?

He hold a knife out in front if him as he disappears into the forest. I wait quietly, knife in hand also.

Then footsteps coming running toward my direction. Hade's voice rings out; "Tribute, tribute fly away home!"

It doesn't make any since. I get up to go find Hades as he breaks through some undergrowth, coming into view. A tribute is only feet away from him.

Hade makes eye contact with me as he turns around to face his, our, enemy.

That look said many things. It said to stay put, it said to stay alive, it said goodbye.

I huddle into myself, and watch in horror.

The opposing tribute is stronger than Hades. He's trained for this. He's a career.

The tribute gets a hold of Hades, and throws him to the ground hitting his head on a root. Dazed, Hades tries to fight, but with no prevail.

The tribute reaches down and smashes Hade's head into a tree over and over.

A loud crack echos out.

The tribute lets go of Hade's lifeless body. He's panting, and spins in a circle.

As luck will have it, his eye catches me sitting in the tree.

Shouts are coming closer, they most likely belong to the career pack.

He doesn't say anything. He doesn't need too. He didn't want to kill any more than Hades did. Anymore than I do.

He turns toward the shouts and runs.

I immediately scramble out of the tree and to Hade's body.

I don't cry. I don't have any more tears to cry.

"I love you." I whisper. He was someone I've never know until recently. Someone that took me under his wing. Someone that didn't really know me, but I thank him for his trust.

I can't stand in the open anymore, so I run.

I zig zag through leaves, and vines. Scratches from thorns appear on my skin.

Hades is dead. Hades is dead. Hades is dead.

Hades
Is
Dead.

I collapse to the ground in sorrow. Hades shouldn't have tried to fight that tribute! He should be alive! He should be next to me still.

My mind is a whirlpool of thoughts. I grab my backpack, and open it. I haven't taken the time to clearly go through the items in it.

Inside I find an antibiotic of sorts, and a water bottle filled to the top with water.

I shove everything back in the bag.

I grab a hold of my collar and rip the turtle neck off, and shove it into my backpack. I kiss my necklace and get back up.

Knife in hand I spin, examining my situation.

I don't have an ally anymore. I have no idea where I am. That tribute let me go free, when he clearly could have snapped me in two.

The sun begins to set.

Maybe being afraid isn't that bad. Maybe being afraid means I'm about to do something brave.

I climb a tree to the top so I can pear at my surroundings.

To my right, miles away, the castle sits. It's towers loom over us.

To my left I can see the trees end, but what's beyond that is a mystery.

Everywhere else is trees. I lower myself onto some vines.

I cover my body with large leaves from the earth floor.

I don't sleep. I can't sleep. I look to my side expecting Hades to be there looking at me. But he's not.

I watch as the stars come out. I watch who died today. I wince when I see Hades' face.

Then an idea is conceived. Back in the castle, back where the cornucopia was stationed, there were tapestry hung on the walls.

I noticed something back there that might help me live.

Inside me an ember of hope is lit.

I close my eyes.

A faint breeze trickles through the leaves. I almost don't hear it, but I recognise it. It's Hades voice faintly whispering to me.

The ember becomes a spark.