Revolt 13 | Y.Jw

| 30 |

Somewhere in the arena someone screamed. I knew it wasn't George, the voice was too young and scared. I knew it was Pedro. 

The scream had stirred me out of my light sleep and I had immediately looked out of the cave. The scream was a bit away, but still close by. Jungwon didn't react to the screams, which had made me believe for a second it was something I had imagined. The second didn't last long. When I heard a canon I knew I was right in my assumptions.

"Was that the canon?" Jungwon murmured and lifted his head from where he laid.

I spared him a glance before simply nodding and looking out of the cave and into the early morning light.

"Pedro... I heard him scream," I excused and Jungwon hummed quietly, "they're not far away."

"Well... then we should end this," Jungwon declared with a small sigh and packed up the things we had in our backpack, giving me our second knife.

I didn't say anything to Jungwon, but I had a bad feeling about today. I knew everything would end today. Either only George or Jungwon died, or I died along with one of them. I knew what I hoped for, but I had an odd feeling of it not happening.

Jungwon and I walked quietly out of the forest and out to the water stream. Jungwon insisting on carrying our backpack, despite feeling a bit worse since yesterday. Perhaps we forgot about the antibiotics last night before we fell asleep.

"Ji..." Jungwon trailed off after some time walking along the water stream. He tapped my shoulder gently and pointed onto the other side of the water.

Further ahead of us, having the route towards us, George came walking. His eyes were already fixated on us. We didn't move, we simply stood still and watched him move closer to us. The only movement was me tightening the grip around my knife handle as Jungwon fished his knife out of his pocket and held it in his hand as well.

Once close enough George jumped into the water and marched across towards us, as if the stream didn't touch him at all. I quickly started taking steps backwards, ushering Jungwon with me as I kept my eyes on George. George didn't look to have any weapons on him, but his physique in itself was scary enough.

Without any hesitation George lunged forward, specifically towards me. He planned to be the only winner. I quickly took a few steps back and Jungwon had immediately tried to step in front of him. The only thing he had gotten in return was an elbow in the stomach by George, sending Jungwon stumbling backwards and crying out in pain. He had to have hit his wound, that was the only explanation for such a painful cry to come from Jungwon.

I desperately tried to come around George and rush to Jungwon in order to help him. However, I never got that far. I was quickly tackled to the ground and held down by George's weight as he started hitting me. His closed fists came flying from left and right as he hit down on me.

I tried to hold my arms up in defense and lunge out at him with my knife, which had only resulted in him forcefully pulling it out of my grip. Somewhere I heard the water splash. He had thrown my knife into the water stream. It had only made me kick wildly with my legs.

At some point I had managed to kick George away with a foot in his abdomen. I quickly crawled towards the water and attempted to locate the knife under the running water. I didn't get any quick glance of it though.

Without having heard George had moved back to me. He easily grabbed the back of my jacket and got me twisted back onto my back. Slamming me down against the shore and easily hitting the air out of my lungs - sending me gasping for air.

I got a few more hits to the head. Making my cheek burn and my head spin. Something warm ran down over my lips and onto my chin whenever I lifted my head a bit. It was a desperate fight to orientate myself as I hit my fists out towards George, hoping to get him off of me. I was starting to see black and had trouble even orienting myself. It mostly felt like I fumbled my arms around in heavy air.

"Only seems right I take out both from Thirteen," a growl came from somewhere and something wrapped around my throat. 

A harsh pressure around my neck stopped the airflow into my lungs, if the water my head was pushed into hadn't done it first. I was already dead. It was over for me. 

Once my head was brought out of the water, only to recieve another hit to my face and then I was pushed down under the water again. Moving my mouth to yell or breathe in any air that was not available for me. I would feel like crying, but I couldn't. 

Something sharp hit me in the side and I let out a small scream that immediately filled my mouth with water. It was an evil cycle. I had screamed of pain and were now coughing from the intake of water my scream had caused me, each cough only rushing more water into my mouth. Faintly a canon went off and I was dead. I must be dead. It must've been my canon, having hit a few seconds too early to be precise. I wondered if all the other tributes that had died had heard their own canons before they went off. If they had even gotten time to realize it was for them and not some other tribute.

With a great force something pulled at my shoulders and the water disappeared from my face. The only thing that confirmed my life to me was the loud gasp I let out when out in the air. The feeling of throwing up water down over myself and the heavy panting that accompanied my heart beating out of my chest.

"It's okay... it's fine," Jungwon breathed out as he clutched me close into him by my shoulder, accepting me throwing up water down his back. Coughing and gasping, "it's alright."

"I'm dead," I whispered and closed my eyes quietly, "oh my god, I'm dead."

"You're alive," Jungwon's head shook beside mine, "you're so alive... you're as alive as they come."

I somehow found the energy to squint open my eyes and glance to the side. Right on the other side of Jungwon laid a dead body, bleeding slightly as the red stream painted the water yet again.

"It hurts..." I whispered quietly and Jungwon let out a pained chuckle.

"Tell me about it," he whispered, "I think my stitches ripped..." he trailed off and I quickly pulled a bit away from him and looked down to the stomach on his shirt. A dark red patch had spread through the olive colour of his shirt, "I think majority of it is your blood."

"My blood?" I whispered and he hummed, moving the side of my jacket a bit to the side, revealing a thin cut in my shirt that was painted a dark red as well.

"Cut you in the side... I think you were moving too much for him to actually stab what he wanted," he whispered before looking up at my face, "and hit you pretty hard..."

"Jungwon..." I breathed out and he immediately looked up at me with attentive eyes, "we're done... we're the last ones..."

"I know," he smiled softly, "how does it feel?"

"I want to go home," I whispered and he nodded immediately.

"You will... they'll come get us in a few minutes," he assured and pulled me back in for a hug, rubbing my back gently.

For hours we sat by the water, waiting for the winner announcement and for some hovercraft to come pick us up. All the while Jungwon started to breathe heavier and heavier, complaining of pains and a headache. He had started burning up when I touched his forehead. Meanwhile I was busy making sure I didn't bleed too much from my small stab wound.

"Why aren't they saying anything?" Jungwon complained quietly. Gasping for a breath of air.

"Maybe they only want one winner," I reminded and he snorted as he laid back on his back and let out a heavy sigh.

"If I die first, what do you do then?" he questioned and I snorted in amusement as I looked out over the water.

"I know where the landmines around the Cornucopia is," I pointed out and he let out a small laugh.

"They'll be happy to see that."

"I bet they will."

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you. Our two winners of the 99th annual Hunger Games."

I looked up at the sound of the winner announcement, immediately looking over at Jungwon. His eyes abruptly opened and he looked at me in bewilderment. They had wanted two winners after all, and we had just won. We won the games, despite all odds.