Final Reality (THG Fanfic)

Chapter XII

I don’t want him to kill her, we may not have been good friends, but I knew her. And I think she’s too good, too innocent to die. Deven gets to her before me, and I see him pull on her legs so that Maddie falls, face planting onto her podium. She hits the pedestal hard, and she’s not able to stand herself up. Before she can even grasp her aching stomach, Deven reaches up and stabs her in the leg with his trident. I grab a knife and kick away Deven before he can deliver Maddie the deathblow. As I pull her into the water, I can hear Sean telling me I’m doing the wrong thing; that I’ve already fucked up the plan. I remember that I’m part of the careers pack now, and even if I don’t like it, I’ll just have to pull through and act like one. And to initiate myself into the pack, I have to make my first reckless kill. I surface to find Deven with his trident aimed at me. We stare at each other for a moment, and it’s true that I’ve already jeopardized my act.

To convince him, I quickly pull out Maddie by her hair and face her towards Deven. “No! Please, no!” she begs in between coughs. I pull my knife from the water and carelessly slit her throat. My hands begin to shake as I instantly regret agreeing with the plan, so I keep my hands underwater.

Lowering his trident, Deven pushes Maddie away from us, leaving a trail of her blood behind. “She was my kill!” he spits at me.

“Yeah, she was!” I shout back at him. We both start breathing faster, letting the rage build up inside us. How happy he would be right now if he could kill me. I smirk, knowing he can’t hurt me under Pommel’s orders.

“Strike one,” he tells me.

We hear a scream, and look to where Pommel has just killed the girl from Nine, Aloe. “Hurry up, you guys! Get what you need and let’s clear out!” Pommel orders us.

We all head back to the cornucopia to regroup. We’ve no idea where to go, and there’s no use staying here, so we pick a path west of the cornucopia and head that way. I didn’t see which way Cathal went, but I just hope he’s not in our direction. It’s not until we’ve walked two kilometres up steep terrain we all stop to hear the cannon boom. One, two … Eight. Eight people are already dead, and I’m responsible for one of them. Guilt shoots into my guts and I have to sit down. Everyone else does, too, succumbing to the boiling sun and moist air. Ayano stands up and suggests we hunt for fresh water. There are no protests as everyone is already on the verge of dehydration, so we hang tight onto our weapons and continue up the slope. Sweat slides down my face and I have to constantly wipe it away. The sky begins to turn a dark orange hue, and it only seems to get hotter as we welcome the evening. I have to thank Marcial for having me wear a bikini. If I had normal undergarments on, I would have surely burst into flames or melted like a snowman.

The incline becomes steeper, forcing us to hike in a single file line; Pommel and I at the rear, Violet in the lead, and everyone else is in between. Every now and again, I catch Deven shooting dirty looks at me, so I only respond with a cocked eyebrow and a smug grin. Other than killing Maddie before he could, I don’t know why he hates me so much. We were getting along pretty well prior to our individual assessments, and I’ve proved my “ruthlessness” to him by slitting Maddie’s throat. His hatred is mere absurdity to me. Night falls and the moon becomes our only source of light, sooner or later the faces of the deceased will light the night sky. For a moment I think our faces will be up there, too, due to dehydration. Speaking of which, Violet has not given up on our hunt for water. I can hardly see the beach now and I’m pretty sure we’re nearing the edge of the arena. No one seems to be complaining at the moment, even though I know everyone really wants to rest for the night, so I don’t speak up for myself. The jungle becomes thicker with vines and tree roots blocking our way, but to make it easier, I offer my sickle to Violet who gratefully accepts it.

We continue for another fifteen minutes, but we’re all thrown back when Violet strikes the force field that represents the end of the arena, followed by the sound of the cannon. I sit myself up and see black hexagonal shapes morphing back into foliage. This force field must be more powerful than the one on the balcony, but it’s a vulnerable spot in the Capitol. Violet’s eyes are still set open, looking for water. But her body is dead with her determination. No one really runs for her; she’s not that important to us now. Seeing as we’ve reached the edge of the arena, I grab my sickle from Violet’s lifeless body and suggest we keep the force field to our left. Without complaint, everyone follows my order obediently. Well, except for Deven – he insists he takes the lead just in case I’ve planned anything sketchy. Around twenty metres behind us, we see a hovercraft materialize overhead to collect Violet’s body. We continue without looking back. Although, after about half an hour of trekking, we realize there is no end to this. Ayano volunteers to climb a tree to observe the arena.

We take this sweet time to catch our breath, so thirsty for a drop of fresh water, and the humidity isn’t any help at all. I try to inhale some cold air, but it only seems like we’re running out of oxygen. We need water otherwise we’ll be dead in a matter of days, so the gamemakers must be hiding it somewhere. I wonder if anyone else is struggling as much as we are. Maybe those who are on their own are coping much better, or much worse. I wonder if Cathal made it out safely with Prim and the others.

Ayano jumps down from the tree and wipes the sweat from her forehead. “The arena’s a small dome,” she sighs, evidently out of breath, “That’s why we can’t turn left. There were no signs of fresh water or springs, just the salt water at the wheel, but the jungle is pretty thick so there may be some hidden source.”

We all decide to settle down where we are, keeping the force field at least ten metres above us. No one likes the idea, but Deven and Ayano go hunt for food, and if they can, water. They order Pommel to keep an eye on us, especially me, but I'm not going anywhere. There’s nowhere else to be – yet. Deven and Ayano head out into the dense greenery, and I notice they’ve conveniently left us three alone, the ones who are going to break away from the pack soon. Pommel sets his eyes on me, and he lifts his eyebrows, perhaps suggesting we talk. I look at Jaeda, who is, despite the heat, shivering. The two careers are well out of earshot, but I still don’t feel it’s safe enough to talk openly about it, especially when we’re being broadcasted live for all of Panem to hear and see. Instead, I suggest gathering some berries or whatever. I stay within their sight, and manage to find a good bunch of nuts that look a lot like chestnuts. I figure they’re safe enough to eat as I crack one open. It’s slightly sweet and nutty, and it reminds me of Christmas. Jaeda gets a little creative and decides to roast the nuts on the force field, which really brings out the milder side of the nut.

Deven and Ayano come back with their game just as the anthem plays and the Capitol seal lights the night sky. Everyone stops and turns their attention to the face of Violet in the sky, followed by Hugo, then Tobee from Three, Nora from Five, Rion from Seven, both tributes from Eight, and the girls from Nine, Ten and Eleven. That’s ten altogether, with fourteen left of us in this death trap. Even though we were only together for a few days, it feels like I knew them my whole life. I can still hear Rion scolding Quent to stop being a dick. I hold back my tears as I help skin and clean our dinner. Jaeda and Deven plait bowls from flax while Pommel and I cook the meat with the force field. I wonder if anyone else has figured out the force field and using it to his or her advantage. Zara probably has, a smart girl like her would notice such things. Some are maybe still occupied with their search for water. We ration our food and leave a good amount for the next day, and we seem to be good at distracting each other from thirst. We exchange some jokes, talk strategies, and then we finish in silence. After packing away the leftovers, I offer to take the first watch, but a suspicious Ayano insists she joins with me. We meet controversy.

Pommel calms the dispute by settling that Ayano and I both guard while the others sleep. Ayano and I sit against a rock as the others prepare for bed. Pommel leans himself against a tree and closes his eyes. Jaeda goes out like a light, and Deven lies across from her. After an hour or so, we hear a loud bong. At the start I thought it was the cannon, but this sounds more like a bell or something. Deven and Jaeda sleep through it all, but I can see Pommel is wide awake. It goes off twelve times. We wait for an announcement from Claudius Templesmith, but all that happens is a lightning storm across from us. Ayano sighs as she moves closer to the sleeping careers, “If you’re not going to sleep, I will.” She settles in and immediately starts snoring.

An hour passes and the lightning switches off, that’s when I hear screams coming from the other side of the arena. I can’t recognise whom they belong to because we’re too far away, but I just sit tight and hope they don’t belong to my friends.