The Hunger Games - Peeta's POV

Chapter One - The Dunes

I'm running through an empty desert, slipping on the sand. The sweat trickles down my body, which I can only describe as a bag of bones. A small knife in hand, I sprint through the dunes, closely pursued by a much faster person, with a much bigger knife. Eventually, though, my feet give way. I stumble over a jagged rock, and roll on the ground. The tribute closes in on me, and secures me to the ground, his strong hands on my wrists, and heavy feet on-top of my ankles. I breathe heavily, unable to draw in air easily. Instead of breathing, I shiver, certain that my life would end then and there. Certain that I was never going to get out of the arena. I should've known - my competition was too strong, my chances slim at most. I draw in a long, deep breath, and look at my killer. I stare into his seagrass green eyes, hoping that they will show mercy, but to no avail. But I won't stop staring, not until he slices my throat in two. He twists his mouth into a snake-like smile, and picks out a dandy looking knife, intricate patterns engraved on the blade. The end curves, and I know that his means of my death will be painful. As he draws a line from the corner of my mouth to my ears with the knife, the sand swallows us. It pulls both of us underneath, stopping us from breathing. A small hole in the ground drowns us, and we both fall into the abyss below.