Max: District 4

The Arena: Bloodbath

Knock knock "Wake up! You have to be on the transport to the arena in half an hour!" knock knock knock. I wake from my daze and put on the clothes someone laid out for me. Thick green cargo pants, a grey-green short sleeve shirt, and comfortable brown leather boots. I meet Maria in the hallway. She's wearing the same thing as me. "Ready for the arena?" she asks me. "Nope. Good luck." We walk down to the launch room, Where some of the tributes are milling around waiting for everyone to arrive. Cato smirks at me from across the room, making me even more nervous than I was a few seconds ago. Peacekeepers wander in and out, making sure none of the tributes try to make a run for it. When everyone is there, the peacekeepers tell us to follow them to the hovercraft that will be transporting us to the arena. We take our seats, me sitting next to Thresh and the girl from 12, Maria next to Finch and the boy from 3. Before we take off, a woman comes around to give us our trackers. "Arm," she says in a mechanical voice. I hold out my arm to her, even though I'm terrified of things being injected into me. In a minute, the hovercraft is lifting into the air, transporting the twenty-four of us to our deaths.

When the transport lands, the peacekeepers lead us to separate rooms called the catacombs. They are private launch rooms underneath the arena. We have fifteen minutes before we enter the launch tubes and rise into the arena. I look around the room. It is small and painted white. A thick olive-colored jacket hangs on a hook on the wall. I slip it on, and immediately notice it's reflecting my body heat. This would be very helpful if the arena is in a cold environment. A table in the corner holds a plate of food, a jug of water and a small glass. I know if I eat something, it'll come right back up, so I ignore the plate of food. Water is a good idea, though. If I survive the cornucopia, I'll get dehydrated very fast, so the more water I drink now, the better. I drink several cups of water, hoping it will help me stay hydrated longer. "Tributes, please enter your launch tubes." says a crackly electronic voice.

I walk to the tube in the middle of the room and step inside. A glass door slides closed, and I'm trapped in the tube, slowly rising into the arena. I could die within one minute. A single choice could kill me. The sunlight blinds me as the metal plate I'm standing on rises into the arena. I lose my balance, almost falling off the platform. My heart races. If I fell off, I'd blow up. the gamemakers place explosives around each metal plate so if you step off before the gong rings, you explode. That happened to a girl a few years ago. She dropped her district token and triggered one of the mines. Boom, gone. They had to scrape little bits of her off the ground. Mia screamed when she saw that happen. She cried for hours afterward, she was so disturbed. Imagine what she'd do if that happened to me.

I blink several times before I regain my sight. I am standing in a field, surrounded on one side by woods and on the other a field full of six-foot-tall grass. A small lake is off to my right, possibly the only water source in the arena. Some of the other tributes are also looking around at the environment, while others are positioning themselves to run towards the cornucopia. I see my choice weapon, a short sword, gleaming in the sunlight just inside the mouth of the cornucopia. I position myself to run. If I retrieve the sword and a few other items and get out of the bloodbath, I might be able to survive at least three days. On the other hand, If I die in the cornucopia, at least I don't have to suffer through starvation, dehydration, and the other tortures of the arena. Twenty-nine. Twenty-eight. Twenty-seven. Twenty-six. Twenty-five. When the gong rings, I'll run towards the cornucopia. Twenty-two. Twenty-one. I'll grab the sword and a backpack and get out of there. Eighteen. Seventeen. Sixteen. My heartbeat races faster and faster, waiting for the moment to run for my life. Fourteen. Thirteen. I hope I don't die, that I can at least survive the night, for Mia. Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Come on, Max. Get the sword and run away as fast as you can. Four. Three. Two. I love you, Mia. Love you, Mom. Booooooongg!

I'm sprinting as fast as I can, but not fast enough. Marvel throws me to the ground in his attempt to reach the cornucopia first. I see a small dagger laying on the ground near my head. The capitol would want me to grab the dagger and hurt someone. But I'm not a killer. I scramble to my feet and dash towards the cornucopia. I'm ten feet away now, almost there. I climb over crates, desperate to reach that sword. I take it from its stand and I'm almost killed by someones' ax as it hurtles by. I dodge out of the way and clamber towards the back of the cornucopia. I see a small yellow tent pack hidden in the back, and I pick it up. This will be useful, but only if I can get out of the bloodbath and into the woods without getting noticed. That's not likely. Dread grows in my chest as I slowly move toward the front of the metal structure, hoping no one is there. I crouch behind one of the containers, looking left and right.

Please let there be no one there. Please! I think, gripping the sword and tent pack tightly. Everyone seems to be engaged in combat with someone else, so I make a dash for it. I'm barely two feet outside the cornucopia when Cato's there, a huge sword in his hands. I stumble backward, but it's no use. Cato's too strong. This is where I'm meant to die. He swings his sword towards me, a smirk on his face. I lift my sword to meet his and try to climb around him. He turns towards me and knocks the sword out my hand. I feel cold metal sliding across my throat. A searing pain shoots through me as I fall onto the ground. I cough, my blood spattering the containers around me. The corners of my vision start to go dark. Cato's standing over me, smirking as the life fades out of me. I'm not mad at him, though. He's just as much a player in their games as I am. The only difference between us is that he doesn't realize the stakes yet. The world slides out of focus as I choke out "I love you, Mia. I'm so, so sorry."