The Two Volunteers

Chapter 21

I jump off of the pedestal and sprint to a red backpack near by. I immediately hear screams of terror. I keep running towards the cornucopia, thinking that maybe I could get their before Cato, but I was wrong. I look up just as Cato rounds the corner. I made a quick u-turn and spot a long handled knife. I run for it with all of my energy. 

Just as a got to it, I see Katniss out of the corner of my eye. I start to call her name, but then I see her look back towards the cornucopia, just as a knife came hurdling towards her. She held up the bright orange backpack sitting next to her and the knife lodged itself right in the middle. Katniss got up and ran towards the forest with a small girl flanking her closely. 

Clove. The girl from two. 

I grab my knife and start running towards her. I run for a couple yards and decide to look back to make sure no one was following me. 

Bad Choice. 

Cato is about 5 yards behind me and closing in. I turn back around, but I don't see Clove or Katniss anywhere. I look around for a path in the forest, but its just solid trees. 

Just before I work up enough courage to turn around to see how far back Cato is, he trips he from behind and makes me fall. I grab the bottom of his shirt and he falls too. Before I know it, he tackled me and pined me against the ground. I lift my head and saw my knife about two feet in front of me. 

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Cato hisses in my ear. 

"Get off of me," I growl back.

"No. Not until you come with me."

"What? Why would I ever go with you?" I yell.

"Oh come on, Gale. Trust me. Clove has already killed your little friend. If you want any chance of winning and to save you district from starvation, come with me. Join us"

I start to wiggle towards my knife. If I could just reach it...

"I won't."

"Gale, listen to me. You have no chance of winning if you go solo. Well, for one thing I would just kill you right now. Even if you managed to survive, you could never take us on by your self." Cato says, snickering. 

I life my head again to see my knife is only inches from my head now.

"Oh I see, you want this." Cato reaches over my head and grabs the knife. "I'll tell you what, you can have it, hell, you can have all of the weapons you want. Just come with me and join us."

Just then, the cannons start going off. 

One. Two. Three. All the way up to 11. 

I catch a glimpse if Cato out of the corner of my eye. He's look up towards the sky, smiling. 

My thoughts wonder to Katniss and Clove. Was Katniss one of the 11? Was Clove? 

"You hear that, Gale?" Cato hisses. One of those 11 cannons was for her."

"You don't know that. How do you know Katniss didn't kill Clove?"

I can tell by the way he shifted his weight on top of me that he was actually considering this statement, but he shook it off. 

"No, way. Now, do you want to end up like your friend, or are you going to come with me?"

Just then, I thought of something. I started kicking myself for not thinking of it sooner. 

"Fine, i'll join you if you'll shut up."

"Good choice."

He stood up and pointed the knife at the back of my neck. 

"Don't try anything, either."

I got up and started heading back towards the cornucopia with Cato following behind with the point of the knife resting on my back. 

I smiled to myself. This plan would work. I would stay with the Careers just long enough to make them trust me, maybe wait until they kill off a couple more tributes, then, I'll run. 

Hey guys! So, what do you think of the first chapter in the Games? I know it wasn't very exciting, but trust me, it'll get better! Anyway, don't forget to vote and leave a comment on whether you think Gale's plan will work! Thanks for reading!