New Era: A Hunger Games Story

Chapter Thirteen

She was moving before the Sun rose. Moving at a steady pace deeper into the forest, she was able to mourn in relative peace. Last night she was able to say goodbye to him, but now he was all she could think about.

A cannon boomed. She moved faster, not wanting to cross the Careers again. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and was amazed to see the boy from District 10 running towards her. He was bloody, and was armed with a nasty-looking mace. He swung it at her and she ducked, punching him in the stomach as he lunged for her. She had lost her spear in the bushes last night; all she had was the knife. He swung for her again, this time the mace struck her rucksack, throwing her off-balance.

He dropped the mace, and he threw himself at her, punching her in the face repeatedly until she was on the verge of unconsciousness. She kicked him in the stomach, and he staggered backwards. Blood poured from her face; her lip was split, her cheek was bleeding again and her left eye was bruised. He reached for his mace, but Cordy knew she was not going to win this fight. To save herself, she swung her knife at his arms, slashing both of his upper arms before running away from him.

She ran out of the forest and almost fell over as her boots hit sludge. The land before her was ravaged, resembling a battlefield. The sky was dark and stormy, and a cold wind chilled her to the bone. She walked further into the mud, checking behind her for the boy. He seemed to be gone, but up ahead she saw two tributes fighting. There was nowhere for her to hide, and as she watched them, a cannon boomed. The survivor took off; clearly he hadn't seen her. She looked around; the mud seemed never ending. She decided to trudge forward towards the fight. The dead tribute's body would be recovered soon, and returning to the forest was not an option. She was bleeding, and blood dripped into the mud.

A third cannon sounded as night fell. Cordy was sure that she was in the middle of the battlefield by now, crouched low in a crater. She opened her bag and took out the pair of socks, using them to wipe the blood from her face. In front of her, half buried in the mud, was a rucksack. She reached for it, but hesitated. There could be water in it, but there was also the risk of it being a trap set by the Gamemakers. She thought for a moment before lunging for it, pulling it out of the mud with an audible squelch.

There was a water bottle in the top, and to her surprise noticed that it was half full. She opened the bottle and took a deep drink, being careful to save some for later. She tipped some onto a sock and wiped the dried blood from her face. She looked inside the rucksack, and saw another pair of socks, which she took and stuffed into her own bag. That was all that was in the bag, and she laid back, watching the sky. The Capitol anthem played once again, and she watched for Katie's face to appear in the sky. The boys from 9 and 11 and the girl from 12 had been killed that day, and she was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

                                                            ---

Morning came, and she opened her eyes. Her left eye was sore and her head was pounding, and she drank some water before climbing out of the crater and heading forward. She looked around, expecting a catastrophic change in the environment, but everything still looked the same. She walked slowly, unsure exactly of what she would find, trying to think only of finding Katie. She pictured her friend lying wounded in the mud, and she remembered the stunt she had pulled at the Cornucopia. She felt her shoulder burning again, and the cut on her arm throbbed. She fought through the discomfort, knowing that there were others who were suffering through much worse.

She was on the edge of the battlefield now, and more forest greeted her. She walked as if in a daze. A cannon boomed, distracting her, and she caught her foot on a tree root. She tumbled forward, rolling down a ditch and landing in a bloody heap on the floor. Her face started to bleed again, and a new cut above her left eye opened. She tried to get up, but a sudden sharp pain in her ribs stopped her. She was stuck lying on her stomach, in more pain than she had ever experienced before. She heard footsteps behind her, and tried to keep still.

The boots came closer, and she closed her eyes, thinking of home. She felt cold hands on her back creeping up to her neck. Two fingers pressed against her neck, and she realised that the tribute was checking for a pulse. She felt the boy's breath on her cheek as he leaned in close, sliding his hands underneath her body and helping her roll over. She expected the Careers, or the boy from 10, and instead saw a familiar face. It was the boy from District 3, and she had never been happier to see him.

"Aiden?" She said.

"Nice to see you, Cordy." He said.

                                                        ---

Aiden helped Cordy lean against a tree while he examined her ribs. Her chest was a mess of slowly-growing bruises, and he counted at least two cracked ribs. She watched him work, marvelling at the delicate nature of his touch.

"Why are you helping me?" She asked.

"Believe it or not," He replied, "I'm not a total dickhead."

"True, but why now?"

Aiden finished examining her, and he handed her a water bottle. She drank greedily from it, feeling the cold water trickle down her chin.

"Honestly," Aiden confessed, "I think you could win."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, but not in this state."

"I can't exactly go to a doctor, can I?"

"No, but you can rest."

Cordy wanted to argue, but she was too tired. The pain had robbed her of all her energy, so she decided to stay put. Aiden sat opposite her, watching her closely.

"See anything you like?" Cordy asked.

"I'm just amazed you're still alive."

"Why?"

"I overheard your chat with the Careers."

"They killed my partner."

"I know, I saw the sky on the first night."

The matter-of-factness in Aiden's voice hurt her. Joel was more than just a number or a face shining in the sky; he was her friend, and she would never stop grieving for him.

"The best thing you can do is sleep." Aiden instructed.

Cordy closed her eyes, and a second cannon boomed. She felt herself starting to relax, and she slipped into unconsciousness.