The MCYT Hunger Games

Chapter 22

PoV: Grian

The path blurs ahead of me as I run. Tears fill my eyes. My breath is still shallow, head pounding, heart racing... Someone else is dead. Who's dead? Fwhip's gone. I let Fwhip die. How many is that now? I murdered Jevin. Iskall and Keralis got caught by my own trap. And now Fwhip. And now someone else is dead. Everyone else will die. I might die. And at this point I don't care.

'Grian! Come back!' I ignore Scar's yell from behind me. I don't care about him. But... I do care about him. He cares about me, I think. He helped me. I helped him. Cub told me to help him...

I stumble on a tree root but don't slow. I don't know what way I'm going until the forest suddenly disappears and I'm standing in the clearing surrounding the cornucopia. I never noticed how much the arena dipped down towards the middle before.... but it's deserted; Doc and False aren't here. But there's also no supplies.

I skid to a stop, panting, collapsing on the ground. My hands still shake, pale on the torn up mud and grass below me... I vomit, closing my eyes for a second. Scar calls my name again. He shouldn't draw attention to himself like that. He's only going to get into trouble. Again. All Scar can do is get into trouble.

He doesn't get any closer. I glance back to see him lingering on the edge of the forest. Then retch and have to look away as I vomit again.

I move my hands away as I feel them growing wet. The last thing I want is to get vomit over myself.

But... The ground's wet everywhere. I frown at the water starting to puddle beneath me, as I feel my legs grow cold, shuffling backwards.

Scar calls my name again. I can't ignore the change in tone from pleading to concerned, looking up and-

Water rises around the cornucopia. I scramble backwards. It definitely wasn't this wet before. Definitely not... And...

Before I know it, I'm already standing in a puddle of water. But it's still rising, lapping waves as I stand, turning back to Scar, wading towards him... The water rises faster than I can walk. With each step I slow. As it reaches my knees. Then my waist... The water's reached the edge of the forest by now. I can't see Scar, unable to move faster than an agonisingly slow walk... I don't know how to swim. I don't know what I'm going to do, cold, terrified, still just walking forwards as the water reaches my chest...

I try to swim, kicking off the ground, splashing furiously and terrifyingly ineffectually... I have to keep walking. But I can't find the ground. I can't find the ground at all...

I gasp as the freezing water covers my head and I sink underwater for a moment... I kick, clawing my way back to the surface, fighting for my life.

'SCAR HELP!' I scream into the water surrounding me. I can't see him. I can't see him anywhere. He must've run away... I sink under again, trying to hold my breath, eyes stinging, dragged down, injuries stinging with pain. I try to paddle, try to do anything except drown... Bubbles as I can't hold in my breath any longer. Panic. My blood turns cold. I can't find the ground. I can't find the surface. Everything is water. I try to kick, but my legs burn with the effort.

I breathe in water, unable to do anything else, choking, spluttering, drowning. I'm drowning. This is it. I black out... No. No. I have to stay conscious. I have to stay conscious. I can't... I can't fall unconscious...

I...

No.

I can't...

I can't fall...

No...

I...

I...

I'm dying.

A figure...

And then nothing.

'Grian...'

Light and shadow ahead of me.

Coldness.

Everything is cold.

'...up.'

Warmth? Is that warmth? Sunlight?

I'm still cold.

A blurred figure.

Someone.

A person.

Sitting next to me.

'Grian... Wake up...'

I'm lying down somewhere. Freezing cold, but sunlight and warmth around me. From the water...

'Grian please...'

Scar looks down at me, eyes wide. His hair is wet. Why is his hair wet too?

'Grian...'

My eyes must be open, because I slowly close them and barely manage to open them again. Scar blurs in front of me.

'Grian... Please... Don't die on me...'

I open my mouth to speak, but all that comes out is water. I flip onto my front, coughing, practically vomiting, expelling the contents of my lungs, gasping for breath as I crouch there.

'Oh my goodness... You're...' I glance over at Scar. He's pacing back and forth, relief filling his expression. 'I was fast enough...'

'Fast enough...?'

And then the wet hair makes sense. The realisation comes to me and I blink, shuffling around until I'm sitting up.

'You... Rescued me?'

He stops pacing and gives a small nod.

'I couldn't let you die.'

I don't reply, unable to find the words as I stare at the ground. I move onto finding an easier question, glancing at the trees around us

'Where... where are we?'

'The base. I wanted to make sure you were safe... safer...' Mumbles Scar, correcting himself with a glance away. I blink.

'You... carried me all the way back?' A nod as I look up again. Again, I can't speak until another question comes to me.

'Did anyone else die?'

Scar nods again. 'I heard 1 cannon. One person. I don't know who. I don't know how many of us are left...'

I run through everyone. '9.' It takes me a moment to figure out. 'Just 9 of us left. Already.' Scar starts pacing again. I give a small sigh.

'Sit down. There's space over here.' 

A blink back, before Scar walks over, sitting next to me, before frowning.

'Do you need anything else... any water?'

'Scar. I nearly drowned. The last thing I need is water.' An almost guilty laugh back I can't help but join in with. Then pause, realising. We never joked like this before. Something's changed. Something in our alliance shifting away from begrudging company. 

'I'm sorry for shouting at you.' I have to apologise. 'And getting upset at you. It wasn't your fault.' He looks over, clearly surprised. I hold out my hand to shake. 'Friends?'

After a moment he smiles, and takes it.

'Friends.'

Desert duo 

:D