The Very First Hunger Games

Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Night One in The Arena

A month ago, I couldn't imagine myself sitting by a campfire, being held hostage by Luca's killers. But here I am.

Antonio was supposed to be on the lookout for anyone trying to steal anything from their small stash (and stop me from running away), but he has fallen asleep. It's funny how everyone seems to look innocent when they sleep, even Antonio and Cleo. Who would've known they were ruthless killers.

How can you look into another human being's eyes and take their life? They stole Luca's future and any chance of happiness I had. Did Antonio and Cleo think about how much pain they would cause? Or were they just happy that it was one more player less in the game?

I partly blame myself. If I had just stayed with Luca the whole time none of this would have happened.

I am filled with a black hollowness that won't go away. I am shattered into a million pieces and I can't even think about putting myself back together again until Luca's murderers have paid for what they have done.

I've never been a fan of revenge. I've always thought: "What's the point of payback - you become just as bad as the person who hurt you in the first place". It would be unjust for Antonio and Cleo to go on unpunished. Justice needs to be served. What they did to me is much worse than what I am about to do to them. Cleo and Antonio could live for a thousand years and not be half the person Luca was in his fifteen years alive.

I'm sure that the golden pair is soundly asleep now; Antonio is snoring loudly. I creep over to Cleo, crouch down and gently pry the spear from her hands. She murmurs, but doesn't wake. I decide it's best to kill Antonio first. If Cleo were to wake before I got a chance to kill her too, I have would have a chance against her. She is around the same build as me, plus she doesn't have a weapon. I do.

I'm about to drive the spear into Antonio's chest when the Capitol anthem blares throughout the arena. Antonio and Cleo wake with a start. I, myself am thrown off guard. Cleo starts screaming and tries to jump me. I thrust my elbow in her face and she drops to the ground with a satisfying thud. Antonio picks up his mace, ready to smash my head in, but I'm quicker.

Thanks to my mix of rage and worry, I mange to hurl the spear at Antonio quite hard. It hits his arm, which might not kill him, but it will definitely slow him. I literally ran for my life and never looked back.

A bright light shines through the gaps in the roof of the woods. I take a risky step outside the wood clearing, and the sight before me perplexes me. The Capitol logo is projected onto the sky. The logo changes into a message. "A tribute to the fallen" it says.

A picture of a girl, who looks the same age as me, flashes in the sky. I'm sure I saw her at the Cornucopia bloodbath drowning in a pool of her own blood. She must be dead by now. Why are they showing us the dead tributes? Wouldn't it be an advantage for us to know everyone who has died?

The image of the girl from District 3 transforms into the girl from District 5. The next image is the male from District 6.

I recognise him from the Cornucopia bloodbath. He was frantically circling the Cornucopia looking for anything that might help him. Unfortunately the next time I saw the little blond haired boy he lying dead on the ground with a knife stuck in his throat. His death was so gruesome that thinking about now makes me taste sickness in my mouth.

There was an appalling amount of casualties today. The girl from District 7, both from District 8, the female from District 9. Just as the boy from District 10 flashes in the sky, a small girl with fiery hair rushes past me and heads into the woods.

"Coral?" I yell, running after her.

Coral stops in her tracks, whirls round, and gives me an incredulous look.

"Oh Willow. It's April. She's after me. I stole her beef jerky. I didn't even know it was hers. I was just so hungry. And now she has it in for me. And I can't find my brother" she sobs.

I don't know what beef jerky is, but the mention of meat makes my stomach rumble. But my hunger doesn't overshadow my fear of April.

"Come on, we have to go" she pleads.

"Calm down" I say, "I don't think I can run anymore. I've been on my feet all day. I think I might keel over any second now. Look can we just climb a tree or hide or something..."

"NO" Coral shrieks. "I can't climb. She'll find us. Our only chance is to run".

She grabs my hand and drags me back into the forest. Twigs and brambles claw at my face, and I find myself stumbling on the tree trunks. I know I won't keep up with her. Her little legs carry her at an impossible speed.

Somewhere along the way I lose Coral in the cluster of overgrown trees.

I know it's futile trying to find Coral in this labyrinth. I'd be dead before found her. I'm wandering around in a sea of oblivion desperately hoping that someone might come to my salvation. No one does, and I realise that pretty soon. If I want to survive the night I'll need to save myself. If I want to live I'll have to get out this forest fast.

More running...no water...it's not a good combination. My stomach complains as my desperate attempt at finding food fails. The crackers that Cleo gave me earlier didn't satisfy my hunger cravings. The crackers only made my mouth dryer.

I can deal with the hunger pains. It's familiar to me, like someone at your school who you don't exactly like but you tolerate them. The thirst, however, is a challenge. The dry, cracked lips, the itching throat, the over whelming dizziness - they all distract me from developing a strategy.

The darkness that threatens to swallow me whole does not help my ever-growing anxiety. Although the twilight hides me well, it also hides the other tributes too.

I can barely see five feet in front of me, and in my periphery vision, I catch glimpses of shadows from the trees. This is very unsettling. I feel as though anyone could find me, laugh with glee and stab me six times before I even saw their face.

I hate the darkness, I always have. When I was little, I begged mother to let me sleep by candle light but mother told I was being ridiculous. She insisted that nothing changes when the darkness takes over the light. That's simply not true. Imagination speaks louder than the voice of reason. The threat (even if it's not real) can see you but you can't see it. It doesn't have to hide, it can make its move at any moment, and you'd be none the wiser.

Laurel teased me viciously for my ludicrous fear. Which if things had been the other way around I would have done the same. Maybe Laurel wasn't as mean as I've always perceived her to be.

I suddenly feel guilty for not sparing a thought for my family until now. Are they watching from the town square with the support of others, or from the privacy of their own home?

And what about Luca's family? They've already lost so much. Just a year before Mrs. Edenthaw died in a bomb raid, they lost little Evie to Hypothermia in one of the harshest winters I can remember. How will they deal with pain of knowing Luca is never coming back?

I don't know how I will. The thought of never seeing his smirk or never hearing one of his witty remarks is unbearable. I know I must go on for my family's sake but every step seams futile. I just want to lie down and die. But I don't. I trudge on because my family need me to win and it's what Luca would've wanted.

Soon I have to stop and rest because I know unconsciousness will take over soon anyway. I hope I'm hidden well enough under this overgrown tree. I rest my eyes and try not to think about what tomorrow will bring.