𝐒𝐔𝐍 | 𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒

→ 𝐈𝐕.𝐋𝐕

"Are you okay?" Thana's concern making the two stops momentarily. "Latif, you are still bleeding, why didn't you say anything?"

"I am okay," Latif says unconvincingly, "we need to move."

Thana and Latif walk about four meters before there is a really hard shaking movement in the ground, cracking more trees and they start running as the falling trees come closer and closer to them.

"Take my hand," Thana holds out her hand for Latif to grasp.

CRACK! Thana looks behind her and tears well up as she hears Latif scream in pain.

"Oh my god," Thana takes her brother's face into her hands, "look at me."

Latif raises his eyes to the light brown one's he has known all his life, "I am sorry Thana," he breathes with great difficulty, "you have to let me go, make it out of here." The younger sibling is right, the tremors still happening just like all the thuds of trees falling.

"I can't leave you," Thana cries, stroking his face. "You're all I've got."

Latif smiles sadly, trying to keep is tears in, "tell our family I love them all dearly." With his free hand he holds out the necklace with family photos. "Take this back to mom," his voice cracks as Thana slowly puts it around her neck.

"I love you so much," Thana kisses her brother's forehead. "I won't leave you."

"You must Thana," Latif tries to reason with his sister, "I am dying."

"And I don't want you to die alone," Thana gives him a sad smile. "I don't want you to die at all," the tears threaten to fall again, but she tries to withstand.

"You need to find the others," Latif speaking gets worse with every time he speaks, his voice failing him as his body tries to keep him alive as long as possible, "find Johanna." Latif gives his sister a pointed look, "stay with her and don't go after the careers. Go to Johanna."

"Latif," Thana gives her brother a sad smile, "I'll go find Jo."

"Good, good," the boy mutters as tears slowly fall down his cheeks, "I am scared Thai."

"It is okay to be scared," The older sister holds on to her brother as life seems to leave his body, "you'll go on just another journey." She kisses his forehead again, "and I am so proud of you, I'll always be proud of my partner in crime."

"Together till the very end," Latif smiles at his sister, "but you'll have to endure alone."

"No, I won't," Thana shakes her head, "you'll always be with me. I love you, Latif."

"And I love you," Latif grins up at his sister before his eyelids start to flutter, the shaking of the ground finally stopping. Making Thana look around just as Latif's eyes fully close.

Thana frantically shakes her brother, "NO! don't close your eyes, look at me Latif."

BOOM!

Thana let's out a gut-wrenching scream, not caring if anybody else would hear and come to kill her. No, why would she? She just lost her brother; she just lost the boy she grew up with. If death would welcome her right now, she would take his hand without a second thought, the misery, the horrifying torments, all of it would be gone and Latif would be in her arms again, laughing and dancing. Death would seem the greatest gift she could get right now, so obviously as she hears the hovercraft that is going to take Latif away, Thana stumbles to a hiding place before she would go towards where she thinks the beach would be. Maybe the careers could show her mercy and kill her as swiftly as possible.

...

A quarter before 9, that is the time Thana finally gets up from the place she chose to hide as they took Latif away from her. The girl tries to step over trees and all the other mess the shaking caused about an hour ago. It is a long trip, but unsurprisingly it doesn't matter to Thana, she isn't tired anymore. No, with all the things that happened in the very early hours of the morning she is wide awake.

"Beware of this stupid jungle," Thana mutters to herself, "beware or it grasps you like a poisonous snake." The girl wipes away some fallen tears as she gets to a piece of the forest where all the trees are still standing and there are no marks of what she now thinks was an earthquake.

"How peculiar," the whispers as she touches a tree.

...

Nora speaking!!
Latif sadly passed on. (This was always my plan, I wasn't a fan of any of my ideas for him past catching fire and wanted Thana to lose somebody close to her in that arena, and for obvious reasons and some future ones it couldn't just be Rohan. He is still needed for the rebellion)

Oh, and dear Thana is starting to realize how weird and fucked up this arena is, though she won't know for certain till she finds the others

Side note:
For the ones that noticed, I did change the time line a little. Peter (district 10 male) wasn't supposed to die in the morning, but rather 12 hours later.
Furthermore, I already killed of district 5 female's tribute, so nobody shall die during the big wave.

Quick important information about my schedule of publishing chapters!
As you might've seen, I have been updating quite regularly on Tuesday for some time now, and today isn't a Tuesday.
I have decided to take a little break from writing and publishing because of the summer holiday/vacation. I expect to start updating regularly (haven't decided if I want to change days yet) around the ending of August, so I'll 'see you' in about a month <3

Thanks for all the love and support this story has gotten so far <3