THE 150th HUNGER GAMES

To Thirteen(or not)

Onyx Quartz's (supposed-to-be District 1 tribute, currently on the run and being chased by the Capitol) P.O.V:

According to my calculations, I'm about halfway to District 13 before they catch up to me.

A single hovercraft, grey metal starkly contrasting the soft blue sky. I'm confused why there is only one, but then reconsider. Why would they send more reinforcements? I'm just one escaped fugitive, and the Games are already over. Their only goal is probably to kill me. And besides, the others are probably needed in other places if anything I've heard is halfway true. The Capitol's going to have an uprising to deal with in the very near future.

It saddens me that I'm only going to have fourteen years to experience life, that I'm going to die as soon as the hovercraft pilot spots me and they catch up and the Peacekeepers shoot me. My journey will end- but not in my preferred destination of District 13. I will just be another person who made no impact on the world, who changed nothing, who helped no causes, who didn't fight for anything he believed in.

Well, hey, maybe not. If the Districts find out that I ran, that I got away and half the distance to District 13, it could inspire them to do their own courageous acts of resistance. Perhaps I will become a sign of defiance, a fallen boy who courageously fled the Games the night before and attempted to join the Capitol's opposition in hiding on the other side of Panem, their flag with an Onyx gemstone on it as they march into battle, dressed in black uniform to face the pale leaves that protect the rose, the president.

Ah, quit the daydreaming, Onyx. You're going to die and you're never going to find out whether you become a symbol of freedom and defiance or not.

Well, even if my demise is inevitable, I might as well make an effort to escape the Capitol's clutches, right? I start sprinting, even though I've been walking for hours and it's the last thing I want to do right now. Besides die, of course. That would be unfortunate.

District 9, which I am passing through, is the district of grain. Therefore land I'm currently running across is a completely open field- freshly tilled and ready to be planted in. Sadly, there is no cover, and the hovercraft will spot me very, very soon, if they have not already, and they will have no trouble landing on the ground as there are no obstacles that could prevent the hovercraft from doing so, and they will have a clear field to aim across when they shoot me. How terrible. I'm probably the easiest runaway to kill that they've had in a while.

The hovercraft, which is probably ten times as fast as me, shakes the ground slightly as it makes an impact. I don't look back, but judging by the sounds of the Peacekeepers shouting to each other they're only a couple hundred feet away. I'm still an easy target, especially considering the fact that all Peacekeepers are very experienced with a gun.

I hear shots in the air.

I hear them...and the sound comes after, which means they didn't-aren't-hitting me. The shouting grows louder, and seemingly more distressed. Another boom sounds and I count that there have been at least ten fired now. Are the soldiers really that bad that they can't get me while I'm running across an open field? Are they not even capable of hitting a moving target? I guess the Capitol taught us to credit them more than they deserved. Actually, quite a smart move on their part- the Districts were more frightened of the Peacekeepers, and thus less likely to start protesting against the unfairness of our society's system.

I hear no more bangs for the next fifteen seconds and dare to glance back. The sight I see leaves me utterly confused- so puzzled that the fact that I should be running for my life briefly slips my mind. I slow to a walk, and then stop altogether, watching this befuddling turn of events.

One of the three Peacekeepers is acting very strange. Instead of attempting to fire his gun at me, he's shot his two comrades- twin bodies on the ground, white uniforms stained with thick crimson blood from their wounds. I realize all the shots and yells I heard must have been the commotion that this Peacekeeper has caused. And now...now he's shouting to me.

"Wait!"

He drops his gun to the ground and kicks it away to show he doesn't plan on hurting me. Putting his hands in the air as a sign of surrender, he begins slowly walking toward me. I look at him suspiciously. "How do I know I can trust you?" This Peacekeeper could just be planning to kill me behind my back, earn my trust and fake that he's on my side, and then murder me in my sleep. I'm not usually that paranoid, but who wouldn't be in this situation? He was sent after me to kill me. I have reasons not to immediately accept him as not in league with the Capitol.

"I have unfinished business."

And with that line everything comes together in my mind. This is the soldier who let me leave. This is the one who understood that I just couldn't die in the Hunger Games, that I couldn't stand for so little. That's why his voice sounded vaguely familiar. That's why, as he draws closer to where I stand, I recognize his young age only just past his last Reaping and his wise, aged blue eyes. But...how could he possibly be here? How could he, out of all the possible Peacekeepers, have been chosen to pursue me?

"Yes," He smiles widely as he sees my face expression alter from skeptical to shock. "You do know me. Marcarius Mango," The young man holds out his hand for me to shake. "Call me Marcus. Or Mark. Or Mango. Just not Marcarius."

We shake hands, Marcus's gentler than I would expect from such a firm Peacekeeper. Then again, there is always more to a person than meets the eye.

"Onyx Quartz," I tell him my name. "Though I suppose you already know that." I softly chuckle.

"Yeah, I did," Marcus responds, still smiling. "So, Onyx, where are we off to?"

"Thirteen. To confirm the truth in the rumors. To join the resistance, if its there," I say. The seriousness of the topic seems to cast a solemn mood on both of us.

"That's what I thought," Marcus nods. He suddenly bolts back the direction he came. I stare after him, puzzled. I don't like the feeling of being confused. It is not a fun feeling to have, to not be in the know about something.

"Here!" Marcus calls to me. He has picked up the gun he had discarded before and sends it flying across the field, low to the ground, toward me. I stop its fast-paced skidding with my foot and pick it up as my companion removes the weapons of his former comrades, now enemies. The gun is rather small, more of a pistol, and has a stainless steel side and a white grip. As I contemplate whether I could successfully use it or not, Marcus jogs back up.

"That's a Vektor CP1 handgun," he informs me. "It's a very comfortable gun to shoot, so you should probably start with it before you move on to one of these-" he gestures to the three other guns he looted from the dead soldiers. "-just try not to drop it. It can accidentally fire."

I resolve to keep this vital information in mind as I grip the weapon tighter. Marcus begins walking, now that we're armed, and I follow his lead. We leave the dead bodies and the hovercraft behind(a very logical descision- although it would get us there faster, we would be much more suspicious at 13 and the Capitol could also track us down easier).

Off to District 13 we go.

A/N: no I'm not a gun expert I did some research for this chapter XD