Dangerous Allies // Cato Hadley

Part 10: Let the Games Begin

Eve barely registered the sound of her spear as it fell loudly to the ground.

"No." She wasn't sure if she spoke aloud as she moved with quick feet to the boy she had shared an apartment with.

A sharp pain spread from her knees as she fell beside him, but she didn't care. She picked up his limp body, setting him in her lap.

Her hand trailed down to the blood covering his chest. It was sliced clean open.

She knew the only person with enough strength to cut straight through his ribs.

"Damn him." She spoke through the lump in her throat. "Damn all of them."

She barely heard the whirring of the large ship as it flew overhead. It pulled her teary eyes from the boy below her and to the opening of the cornucopia as a claw came down, retrieving body after body.

Eve knew she couldn't leave Ethan inside to rot.

With stiff legs she stood. He couldn't have weighted more than 125 pounds and she carried him into the clearing.

She placed him gently in the grass as the ship whipped the air around her. It pushed more hair into her face, but she didn't care.

She closed the boy's eyes and placed a gentle kiss to his forehead. She told herself it was better this way. His suffering was over.

But she knew the truth. She knew he didn't need to die. When she looked at his pale face she understood why her parents did what they did.

She stepped back into the cornucopia as his body was lifted into the blue sky.

She looked through the different backpacks quickly. She wanted to get the hell out of there as soon as she could.

She shoved the best supplies she could find into a single black backpack.

It wasn't much. An empty canteen, a small blanket, a few protein bars, a collapsible shovel, and two knives.

She stilled at the sound of heavy footsteps on the other side of the wall. Her eyes followed along the metal as they ran closer and closer to the opening in front of her.

She took a step back as a boy with dark black hair and pale skin stopped at the entrance.

He grinned when he saw her and light flashed from the axe he spun in his hand.

"Are you gonna kill me?" She asked. If he wasn't a threat she had no plans on taking the boy's life.

His eyes gleamed. "It's either now or later, right?"

Her eyes scanned the room for her spear. It was laying on the floor farther than she could reach. "Right."

His neck tensed as he threw his axe. It spun quickly towards her and she ducked below the table she was standing in front of.

It sailed past her and slammed into the wall covered with knives. They scattered around the room while Eve crouched behind her cover.

A knife slapped against her boot and she didn't hesitate to wrap her fingers around the cold blade.

She stood up and threw it at the man.

He leaned to the side, letting it sail past him.

"You didn't get a 12 from throwing knives, did you?" He laughed, stepping closer as he pulled a second axe from his waistband.

She needed her spear. That was all she could think.

Eve didn't have to try hard to allow her face to morph into fear as she stumbled away from the boy.