The 75th Hunger Games {COMPLETED}

One Down

The sun was scorching and I was thankful for the thick canopy of trees. I could hear birds and probably larger animals scurrying around in the branches above me. They were yet another thing to be wary of.

I started to see more small animals on the ground, scattering when I came near. This was a good sign. It meant that water must be near.

I came to the edge of the trees and saw a rocky advance. I walked alongside it, not wanting to put myself too much in the open, and then I heard it: water.

I could hear the trickle of water over the rocks and I almost broke into a run. My eyes darted frantically and I listened intently as I searched for it. I climbed up onto one of the rocks and looked down. There was a small decline and then a creek in a hidden gully. I climbed down and let myself fall to the grass. I hadn’t realised just how closed in this place was. The rocks acted as a shelter on both sides and the underside was not at all visible from above.

It was a good place to hide. That was when I heard it, a quiet weeping coming from the cavern to my left. I spun around and saw the woman from 5 staring at me with frightened eyes. I suddenly realised that I had one of the daggers in my hand and was holding it out towards her.

I pulled it away and put it back into the strap of my pack. “Sorry, I thought you might have been from district 1 or 2.” I smiled feebly and she just continued to sob.

She looked about thirty, or maybe mid-thirties, with wispy blonde hair that was pulled back into a long pony tail. Her eyes were wide and a rich brown colour. She didn’t look like much of a threat, I guess she had probably suffered mental damage after the games and never really recovered. Maybe that was why she was sobbing so much, this was probably her worst nightmare returning to her, and this time she could feel it.

I put down my pack and took out my water bottle, filling it to the brim. I added the iodine drops and waited. I stole glances over at the woman who seemed to have calmed down a little; perhaps she was just glad I wasn’t one of the careers either.

When I finally took a sip I felt a sense of relief wash over me. The cool liquid felt so good in my parched mouth. I drank the whole bottle and filled up again. Once it had been treated I moved back to sit against the wall in the hidden cavity. I looked over at the woman and sighed, I felt sorry for her.

“Would you like some?” I held out the bottle and she looked at it like it was poison.

Poison.

Maybe that would be better, if I let her succumb to the poison and die peacefully rather that have to endure any more horrors of the arena.

“It’s fine, I treated it, I have some food in my pack too if you want some.”

“Why are you being so nice to me? Didn’t you want to kill us all?” She said timidly.

“A select few, yes, but you don’t really seem like a threat to me right now.”

“Why? Is it because I refuse to play?”