The Hunger Lames

District 11 - female tribute - Ginny

Shit shit shit shit shit.

That's all I could think from the moment that perky women started to unfurl the slip that would soon be revealed to have my name on it. It was going to be me, it was going to be me.

14. That's how old I am. And that's how old I'm going to be when I die.

"Ginny Walker."

Damn it.

~

Standing on the platform, I was in too much shock to even flinch when that girl stepped off the platform. Maybe she wanted to kill herself before anyone else could. I wish I had thought of that.

I at least have to try to win though.

"One."

I sprint as fast as I can away from the cornucopia and into the fields that looked like wheat. The wheat towered above my head and made for good coverage, no one would be able to see me. I paused and crouched even lower, listening to the clangs of metal on metal and screams. I winced at a particularly loud scream then tried to cover it up with a small fake cough. Sympathy wouldn't win me sponsors. I knew they had cameras everywhere but I also knew they would be trained on the bloodbath. Still. Better safe than sorry.

It didn't sound like anyone else was in the wheat fields so I stood up fully and sprinted further into the field. 

I stopped a good distance away, and felt pretty safe with where I stopped. The remaining fights sounded faded and far off, giving my whole situation a surreal feeling.

Breathing heavily, I collapsed onto my back and stared up at the sky. It would be turning dark soon and the sky would be haunted with the faces of the dead.

Can't wait.

The air was turning colder and colder and I cursed myself for not grabbing something to help with that, a blanket, a backpack, hell- even that plastic sheet would be helpful right about now. Shivering, I curled myself into a ball and tried to ignore it.

But the temperature kept dropping.

My fingers numb and frozen, I started to claw at the ground, trying to create a hole. The dirt got stuck under my fingernails and smelled like home. Once it was deep enough, I used my feet to kick deeper into the dirt.

I almost cried when the hole was deep enough to fit in. I curled my body in the hole and pulled the dirt on top of me. It wasn't a fire but it was warmer than on the surface at least.

Right as I was about to close my eyes, something caught my eye. Something silver and small.
A gift from the sponsors! My frozen limbs started to thrash at the dirt blanket around me and I tripped over my feet getting up. I started to run, my strides unsteady at first on my frozen legs but quickly loosening up.

My eyes were so trained on the silver parachute I didn't even see the cliff.

My foot stumbled at the edge, rocks falling and falling. I never heard them hit the bottom.

My momentum sent me flying over the edge. I twisted and thrashed in the air to look up and try to find the parachute, the parachute that cost me my life.

But there wasn't one. I had imagined it.

I hit the ground and die instantaneously.