Writers Games; Alliances

D7 Male - Miles Wilson - Task 5 [TeamQuirky]

 Miles looked down into it. He was feeling nervous and jittery as the tense moment continued. The ravine was not as deep as he had first thought and the rushing noise in his ears he had blamed on nerves was a great river sweeping tons of water out of sight.

 “For goodness' sake! Are we going to call a truce so we can all cross or are we going to waste time by fighting it out here?” Vulcan exclaimed.

Miles didn't know the boy very well but he felt a wave of affection at his words.

 “Truce,” Lumen said, nodding at his allies. The others murmured the words as well and Vulcan climbed on the wire. Vulcan moved very slowly towards the other side. Miles looked up at the clock. They had wasted fifteen minutes. Miles started pulling at Tobias to get to the front of the crowd as another of the Tributes climbed on the rope after Vulcan. Tobias shook his head looking pale. “Look,” he said, pointing to the rope where Vulcan teetered and crashed into the water.

 “We should wait a while,” Tobias said, “until it's not so crowed.”

 Tobias' voice was quite a bit loader than usual.

 “But if we wait to long we might be too late,” Miles pleaded, tugging at Tobias. Tobias stood ridged and pale shaking his head. Miles considered him for moment forgetting his jitters.

 “Are you scared?” he asked. Tobias didn't answer but it was all the response he needed. Miles looked at the tight rope which Lumen and Seaver were now crossing. Miles had spent his whole life at the tops of trees walking across branches with heavy tools on his back, this was going to be a piece of cake. At least it would be for Miles.

 “Tobias,” Miles said, facing his ally so that he could not look around him, “I am very sure I could do this blind folded. I need you to trust that I will get you to the other side safely. Come on.” Miles pulled Tobias to the wire with much difficulty and glanced at the clock. It was a quarter to one. Miles stepped onto the wire facing Tobias.

 “Take my hands and look at me,” Miles said. Tobias' eyes were fixed on the water crashing along below them.

 “Tobias, if we do not get to the other side we will die. Take my hands and don't look down.”

 Tobias ripped his eyes from the river and focused on Miles. Miles noticed the startling blue shade of his eyes. He looked pretty bad. His normally tan skin was the colour of sour milk, his hair stood up making him look slightly taller and his blue eyes were fixed on his as if to look away was to plummet to his death, which it might be, Miles thought. Slowly Miles coaxed Tobias onto the wire.

 “Just place one foot in front of the other and don't look down,” Miles said, backing up at the same slow pace at which Tobias was moving forward. Tobias seemed to relax more with every step they took. Miles smiled inwardly. This reminded him of when he taught Sally to swim. She'd been terrified at first, clutching to him as if he were a life raft but as she didn't drown and placed her trust in him more she swam like a fish.

Some of the colour had returned to Tobias' face by the time they were half way. Miles continued to place one for behind the other feeling for the wire before putting his weight on it. The wire trembled at Tobias clutched at Miles' hands so hard it sent a wave of pain through them. One of the impatient Tributes left on the other side had started to climb onto the wire. Just as Tobias took a step the wire jolted and Tobias wobbled and fell. Miles did the only thing he could think of doing and flung himself backwards off the rope the opposite way to which Tobias had fallen. Miles stood with his feet still on the wire holding onto the handcuffs with both hands leaning back with all his weight. The wire shook violently as the other Tribute fell into the crashing water. Miles clutched at Tobias as the wire stopped shaking and thought. It was five to one by now and he felt as if his arms were going to be ripped from his body. They were running out of time, fast.

“Tobias,” Miles yelled, “I need you to try and swing your legs over the wire.”

Miles leaned back farther and braced himself as Tobias swung trying to swing his legs up. He missed and Miles nearly toppled after Tobias. On the second swing Tobias' leg hooked around the wire. Miles sighed as a huge weight lifted from him.

 “I am going to start walking, yell if you can't keep up.”

 Tobias made a strangled sound which Miles took as consent and started slowly edging his way closer to where his allies, now no longer cuffed together stood biting their nails. Tobias used his free hand and legs to move forward at Miles' pace. His face was no longer pale but rather flushed bright red with strain. Miles arms started to shake first. His whole body ached and shook. They were so close to the bank but if Miles' body failed it would all be for nothing. Miles though of his friends and family. He could not help but mentally say good-bye. He looked down at Tobias' Red face. He was having a much harder time. He may not carry most of their combined weight but he was hanging above a deadly river more frightened than he had probably been in his entire life.

 “Miles!”

 He looked around as two sets of hands were on him. Lumen's hands were around his upper arm while Amabel hauled at the handcuffs. Tobias and Miles were pulled to safety by their allies. The five of them collapsed into each other and lay in a panting heap as ear splitting booms ripped through the sky. Seaver was first to her feet and with nimble fingers she unlocked the handcuffs. Miles felt as if his right hand had been sliced off as he clambered to his feet gingerly. Every inch of his body ached and trembled. Tobias clapped a shaking hand on his shoulder.

 “Thanks. You saved my life.”

 Miles shook his head and waved an arm through the air unable to locate his voice. They stood side by side staring at the doors with their names on them.

 “I guess this is where we say good bye,” Lumen said. They looked at each other.

 “I have a feeling we won't be such good friends on the other side,” Seaver muttered. She turned to Amabel and shook her hand.

 “It was an honour to serve with you,” She said.

 “Isn't that what they say in the army before they go to their deaths?” Amabel asked.

 “Well, we are going to our deaths, or at least four of us are,” Lumen muttered.

 “I guess so. It was an honour serving with you,” Amabel mumbled to Seaver. They all went around muttering the solemn words to each other.

 “May the odds be ever in out favour,” Seaver muttered, glumly, before she disappeared behind her door. Miles took a deep breath and stepped trough his own door.

 It was dark and it took a while for his eyes to adjust to the dim light and when they did he gasped in surprise. On a pedestal under the only lamp in the room lay a piece of slightly burned paper. He moved farther into the room to get a closer look at it. There was no mistaking it. It was a map he Rodney and Howey had made years ago. It had been lost in the fire, or so Miles had thought. How did the Capitol have it? Why was it here? He almost pressed his nose to the paper to see if it really was his. If it wasn't the real thing it was a damn good replica. It even had the jam stain in the right corner and the blob where Rodney had spilled a drop of ink. And the water droplets where Howey had cried over it when Rodney had been mean to him. Miles swallowed hard. There were greater forces at work here and that idea frightened him more than death.