Author Games - Ghost Town

Task 6 - Male Entries

Clement Janwerd Jr:

The day started off calm. Last night, I slept with the giant lion outside, using just a sleeping bag and a furry leg as my pillow. It was a little smelly, but hey, life's tough. Get over it. Because the lion, who we dubbed Susan, don't ask why, had a terrific sense of smell, we decided to use him as guard. Susan seemed to be fine surviving without any rest, which is a sure sign of him being a Capitol-made mutt. But to be honest, I'm fine with him hanging around us. The more protection, the better.

It turned out Winter only had a minor concussion, but we were afraid to let her sleep in case she drifted away in the middle of the night. Aero stayed up to keep an eye on her, and they were both exhausted. They dragged behind us, using each other for support as they trudged along. 

By midday, we had gathered up our supplies to begin hiking to a new camp. Too many tributes had "dropped by" our camp already, stealing some very valuable supplies. As we hike through the abandoned buildings, Clara suddenly turns back in surprise. I gasps a little, bumping into her. She steadies her hand on my chest, finger to her lips. "Everyone shut up," She snaps at our chattery group, hands on her ears. We fall silent, wondering. "Do you guys hear that?" She asks, pointing down the walk of the alleyway we just came. "The ocean sound is getting louder," she whispers. Suddenly Susan whimpers, grabbing the back of my uniform in his golden jaws and sprinting away. I squeal girlishly before clamping my hands over my mouth, eyes wide. Behind my allies is a giant tidal wave, nearly thirty feet high. And it's headed right towards us.

"Run!" Caella screams, dashing up to Susan and me. The lion stop momentarily so my other allies can scramble on its back, before taking off at lighting speed. I scream in protest as I'm jumbled and bumped around on his chest, the wind whipping at my face painfully. As we approach a space of buildings surrounding the factory, I watch as Stone is swallowed by the tidal wave, his cannon exploding far off in the distance almost immediately. The doors to the factory beckon to us, and Susan dashes in without a thought, the doors slamming shut behind him as he dives to the slick floor. When the doors close, we are locked in impenetrable darkness.

The tiles under my palms are cold, slick with something wet. I fumble in the blankness for Susan, finally gripping my hand around something furry. "Hey," Clara calls from a foot away. "Hey, guys?" Worry laces her voice.

"I'm over here," Caella calls, coughing.

"Winter and I are by a wall. Follow my voice," Aero calls from far away. I heed him, groping slowly along a wall to where his voice was. I bump into another person along the way, apologizing quickly.