Ruins of the past

Chapter 18

My legs hurt, but I'm nearly there, now entering a small forest.
I can't stay here long, it's already late.
Now I can see some small shadows on the island, it's mostly made out of sand. Are those careeros? It would make sense, considering I'm quiet close to the Cornucopia again.
The Cornucopia! Maybe there are some supplies left that they didn't want to take with them, something unimportant and small, in their eyes at least.
I already have more then most other tributes, well, I think. So should I risk going there?
It could be my death, maybe they have some guards there in case people got the same idea as me?
I'm sure they got hurt by the fog since they were planning on camping there originally, but who am I kidding, they got medicine from sponsors or even from the Cornucopia itself.
It's still pretty bright, a few yellow and red leaves on the ground, a clear sign that this forest isn't natural, made by humans.
Mud. I stop, stare down at the ground, it's dark brown, my footprint clearly visible.
Quickly I pull my foot back, grab a few leaves of the ground and cover it up.
I can't show where I am.
But then it hits me, where mud is there has to be water.
I search around, fast but organized, and finally reach the lake.
Carefully I kneel down, take out my empty small bottle, and fill it a bit.
It's drikable, no salt this time.
One part of it saltwater, the other drinkable, nothing you'd find in nature, but like I said, this is made by humans, it doesnt have to be logical.
Relieved, since I had to drink everything I had, I fill my bottles up, drink.

I'm sitting underneath a few dark green bushes near the water, dry and sandy ground beneath me, a few feet away from the forest where the fog slowly starts disappearing again, no canon shots, we all learned from the first evening in here.
I have no idea where to go, settle down for the night. I'm tired and exhausted.
I tried to distract myself from their death, I should have helped them. But he was trained, I had no chance. There's nothing I could have done. Nothing.
The melodie, dramatic as always.
I was right, Curen was responsible for the two deaths ealier.
His face is shown, he's dead, just like Ore.
The wire at the beginning, so he managed to grab it, kill someone but died too.

Footsteps, quickly approaching.
Someone is running. Sounds like two people.
Still hiding behind some bushes, I hold my breath, my eyes open wide and ready to jump up and run if they notice me. They're so close, just a few feet away.
A girl and a boy, I think it's Glorio, he chases her towards the lake, his breath short and fast, he doesn't have much stamina.
Don't they know about it? That it turns into acid at night? Or did only the water at the oasis do it?
She runs along the edge. He comes closer to her, it feels like a storm is coming up, cold and windy.
He grabs her wrist, she stops, turns around. Then punches him right into his face.
A painful scream, quiet but so is the night, his other hand now pressed onto his nose.
Then, when she pushes him away, he trips over her leg, falls face first into the water, looking like solid silver in the moonlight.
She, pulled down by his weight, trips to, manages to bring her upper body onto the sandy ground, steam and again, already way too familiar, the smell of boiling blood and flesh. She's screaming, crying, trying to pull herself up.
Suddently her eyes widen, our eyes meet. Dark green eyes, short dark brown hair, lighter than her skin.
Slowly, like in a dream, even tho I know this is real, all of this, the pain, the brutal murderous side people show, I walk up to her.
"P- please", she begs, her voice trembling for pain and fear, endless tears rolling down her face.
I can't look away, can't just let her die a slow and horrendous death.
What weapon did Glorio have? It's gone, I can't check.
Maybe the careeros don't remember, would still think he killed her, not noticing there is a third person here.
If they see a wound and know that it was caused by another weapon, one Glorio didn't have, they would know I'm here.
It's cold, hot enteric in my throat I turn my head away.
That's a risk, they could notice, search and find me, kill me.
I've already come so far.
A faint sob, then, without another thought wasted, I lift my sword, let it fall down, a canon shot, it's silent.
I'm shaking.
Another life ended by me. The third one.
But she wanted it. Asked me to do it. I helped her.
Repeating this thought over and over again, I stand up, then notice something.
Gloves, she is still wears them.
Far away, a hovercraft, glowing in the dark.
She doesn't need them anymore.

Hiding underneath bushes, I'm trying to sleep.
It's hard, I'm nervous, can't relax my body.
Again, footsteps.
This time slower, they're just walking. Multiple people.
"Man, I told you he'd just leave if we let him go alone!"
"Bullshit, he has to be here somewhere! He didn't take much with him."
The hovercraft took her corpse, well, what was left at least, a few minutes ago.
"He's not that smart, I would trust him to just take weapons with him, not even water."
A girl talks, her voice full of disgust and mockery.
"No, I'm sure he-", the voice stops, "Look! Footprints!"
The sandy area around the edge of the lake is wet, perfectly shows them, I forgot to hide them, was too tired after wandering through the desert for two days, my mind still with the little girl, not older than fourteen.
Will they notice that three people were there?
Now I can see them, it's too dark to recognize them tho. Two people, they come closer, are now standing right infront of the bushes I'm sitting under, holding my breath.
"So he was here!"
"Yeah, but where is he now? He walked into the lake, maybe he wanted to hide his footprints so that we can't follow him."
"Why would he do that? I thought we were his allies?"
A sighn, annoyed.
"Don't you remember how he hurt Ore in the trainings hall? We thought they were allies too!"
They turn around, slowly their voices become quieter.
"You're so naive."

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Well. That's that.
School starts again next week. And I have to stay there pretty long, monday till 3pm, the next two days to 4:35pm. And that's when my classes end, not when I'm home.
But hey, they gave me only two lessons on friday. How nice. Sitting there, four hours, waiting for my bus. Great, really. Especially when our school has one place to sit, that's inside and the air is worse than everywhere else.

Well, at lesst I'll have time to write then! Unlike most of the other days, like I get home at 5pm and then I'm expected to have a social life, help out, do homework etc.
Great. Really. Thanks school.