Swinging From The Branches ~ Lexyon Perti

Frozen Fatality ~ Day 4

So cold...

Forcing my eyes open I see nothing but white with a bright sun overhead. Where is the forest? Where is my cover? How long have I been exposed? With a groan, I move my stiff muscles until I am sitting upright-

Wait. Moving and sitting? The paralysis must have worn off! 

Packing up my tarp and looking through my pack, I find my water. It's extremely cold but not yet frozen. Grateful, I take a drink and nibble on a sandwich from yesterday. I wrap my jacket tightly around me so the thick fibers block most of the cold. Stuffing my hands in my jacket, I find a forgotten pair of socks, sending a silent 'thank you' to whatever god may exist. I stretch the socks between my legs and one hand, then use my axe to chop off the ends. Once done, I slip the excess material back into my jacket and put on the makeshift gloves.

Flipping my bag over my shoulder, I take in my new surroundings. The forest is gone and the desert has become a frozen tundra; wind is whipping the ice into a blizzard. I cautiously take a few steps to test the ground, happy to see that it's packed snow. A canon goes off, interrupting the quiet. Is that the end of another battle or did someone die in the cold? I must get out of this storm. I wonder if the castle still standing; it's my best hope for shelter, regardless of who might already be there. Uncertain about which way to go, I pick a direction and start walking. After coming this far, I am determined not to die of hypothermia.

After walking for hours, I wonder if I am heading in the right direction. Then, very faintly, I see outlines of tributes where the castle might have stood. I walk faster and head towards them. Yet, having no alliance, I prepare myself for the worst case scenario. As I draw nearer I see there are three, one is standing watch, another is on the ground, and a third is slinking away from the group. I wait quietly until the male is out of my sight before going closer.

"Scram runt, this is career territory!" The district 1 girl barked at me almost immediately.

"There's nothing here! Everything is gone!" I plead to her, trying to trick her into thinking I am weak.

"Boo hoo, I guess you will freeze to death then," she taunted as she tended to her knives. 

"So I'm not worth your time and energy! If I'm so pathetic, why don't you kill me now?" I was egging her on. Why? Did I have a death wish? I remembered I was able to kill Brooke, but this is different. It's Pinocchio who stands in front of me now, a well-trained tribute from district 1. 

At least Lenna is out cold, I don't need any other tributes to complicate this impending battle.

"So you have a death wish? Alright then." She pulls out a knife, and takes a stance. I ready my axe and she responds with a smirk. We stand face to face, ready to fight.

Pinocchio lunges for my chest. I drop into the snow, avoiding her attack. This surprises her and she pauses; I take this opportunity to strike her with my weapon, but miss by inches. She swings at me again, tearing though my jacket and cutting my shoulder. I stagger backwards, wondering if I can make it through this. She clearly has an advantage with capital steel and years of training, but I've got my own skill if I can just focus.

"You can't get rid of me that easily." I shake off the pain and swing my axe with determination as we continue lashing at each other, sometimes missing, sometimes clashing weapons. 

Then with a lucky hit, the knife flies out of her grasp. Once again she is surprised so I quickly swing wide and gash her cheek. She screams, dropping to the frozen ground while cusping her face. I walk up behind her, raising my weapon. With all my might, I swing it down across the back of her neck. She collapses and a few second later, the cannon signals the end of our struggle, the end of her life. Crimson blood stains the pure white snow. 

I'm thinking I should leave this place before Lenna wakes up and Cayden returns. I pick up Pinocchio's knife, adding it to my arsenal, then run hearing the sound of another canon.

There will be no sleep tonight. Without shelter, I must keep moving just to stay warm. As I walk, I watch the faces in the sky. There were four; Pinocchio, Lenna, Adam, and Faith.

Word Count: 795