Zodiac High-The Series

Short Story: Zodiac Hunger Games (Part 6)

CANCER'S POV

"Target coordinates set." I ran toward a nearby lake, diving in to avoid the tanks chasing after me. Making sure I kept my head under the water, I swam down to the circular metal disc built into the cliff that marked the boundary of the lake. I pulled the small, triangular prism out of my pocket, inserting it into a small indentation on the circle. A small hatch opened, allowing just enough room for me to get through. Using the small air holes along the damp tube, I used the slight water flow to push myself through until I found myself in a narrow, empty room. Finally, I was home.

On the first day of the Games, I had gone exploring, which was how I had found an underground safe house of some sort stocked with food and supplies. It featured a beautiful bedroom with a view of a coral reef, three storage rooms and one military bunker. I could easily hide out in the bunker until everyone above me was dead. I opened a can of sardines, stuffing the putrid smelling fish down my throat before flopping down onto my bed, drifting away into a place of dreams.

.....

I woke up to a wretched feeling in my stomach. I ambled out of bed, feeling unusually sluggish and... ill. 

The sardines.

I ducked into the storage rooms, looking for some medicine. All I stumbled across was some ibuprofen pills. I gulped one down hurriedly, hoping it would relieve me enough for a trip to the Cornucopia. Hopefully there was some medicine there. Sighing, I strapped up in some diving gear, leaving the underground safe house. I pushed through to the surface, feeling myself fall... when I saw a billowing white parachute attached to a massive metal chest falling through the water. I dove down toward it, grabbing it and entering the safe house once again. 

Once I was inside and in a fresh pair of clothes, I opened the metal chest, finding a few boxes of pepto-bismol, some aspirin, canned food, iodine pills and metal tanks filled with water. For a moment, I couldn't have been more thankful for the Capitol. Grabbing a glass, I opened a metal tank, pouring some water into it. I gulped down an aspirin and some pepto-bismol, relaxing on my bed before cranking open a can of tomato soup. 

For the first time since the Games had begun, I felt at peace.

TAURUS' POV

"Finally!"

My fire had finally kindled, providing me warmth and light in the dark, eerie underground bunker I had found. The bunker was the only place where the strange bugs that roamed the surface of the city could not harm me. I sat huddled by the small fireplace in the bunker, cranking open a can of beef stroganoff. Disgustingly enough, the stroganoff had gone cold, causing me to pour it into a small pan and hold it over the fireplace. I drank the stroganoff straight out of the pan, the warm, spicy liquid cosying me up inside, before rinsing my mouth out with some water and heading to bed. 

.....

"Hey, cut it out, Taurus!" She smiled, flicking the daisy out of her blonde hair. I smiled, Gathering up some more daisies. My fingers worked across their stems, weaving together all the flowers to make a crown. "Here, put it on!" I handed it to her, brightening upon seeing her beautiful smile. Smile lines began to form beneath her intense green eyes, making her look even more beautiful. "Okay, okay, I'll put it on." She placed the daisy crown in her hair, spinning around until she was dizzy. 

Just as she was about to fall, I caught her by the waist, laughing, before taking her hand and leading her in a dance. It was a day before The Reaping, and if, God forbid, I was chosen, I wanted to do this. I wanted to dance with my girlfriend, Ophiuchus, for the last time. "You look perfect, Ophiuchus." She nestled her head on my shoulder, sighing happily. "Promise me one thing, Taur."