The Starving Artist: Hunger Games 2015

TASK TWO ENTRIES: DESERT

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DISTRICT 5 FEMALE: AKARI OKADA

I stood inside the elevator, looking through the glass at my head clothing designer, Hacha. He was tall and clean shaven, with bright purple eyelashes which complimented his golden attire. He waved at me as I felt the jerk from the elevator right before it plunged upward.

I had no idea what waited for me in the arena. I ran through all the possibilities of what the arena could be from previous games, but there was no telling what they would do.

A sudden burst of light made me wince, as the elevator finally rose up through the ground. The glass slid downward, leaving me on a platform alone. I glanced out over the arena. The Cornucopia was directly in front of me, about fifty or sixty feet away. The other tributes were scattered around it in a circle, separated by about ten feet in between each platform.

The countdown began.

I looked at the Cornucopia trying to see if there was anything worth running for. From what my eyes could see, it looked like there was a sheathed katana to the left side.

Should I go for it?

"Three... two..."

I had no choice. I couldn't fight anyone without a katana, and it was possible I could find some supplies to last me for a little bit. I had to chance it.

"One."

I stepped off the platform and onto what I thought was a piece of land. It sank underneath me and within seconds I was sinking in murky swamp water. The foul smell made me gag, and I tried not to imagine what was inside it. I just dove off the land and began swimming. It was hard to swim quickly in the swamp water because of all the mud and filth, but I managed to keep a decent pace.

When I finally reached the edge of the Cornucopia, Ian, the tribute from district five, was staring at the supplies. I remembered from the few times we'd spoken that he was intelligent, but preferred to avoid fights if possible. "Go, I'll get them," I murmured quickly, nodding to a pack he'd been eyeing.

I climbed out of the water and onto the land at the edge of the Cornucopia. I heard a grunt from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see a dagger in Ian's chest. He fell to the ground, gasping for air.

"Ian!" It looked like he was still alive, but I had no time to tell for sure. I swallowed, but moved toward the pack. I slipped it over my left shoulder. The katana had been right next to it, so I grabbed it in my left hand.

The edge of my vision caught Naveen from district thirteen swimming in the swamp water behind me. I remembered that he had to use a cane to walk with. The cane had been right next to the katana. I grabbed it and tossed it out to him.

I heard a shuffling noise to my right. Alistair from district three was going through a pile of gadgets and putting them inside a bag. Teagan from district seven came up behind him with an axe and plunged it into his back.

I turned away from the Cornucopia, toward the swamp, and slipped out before Teagan noticed me.

Elias from district twelve threw a knife in my direction. I pulled up the katana and used its sheath to block the knife. I ducked underneath another one, and then dashed off to my left.

I heard a clicking noise and stopped just in time to see Lucas, from district two, in the process of cocking a crossbow. I dashed toward him, just as he brought it up to aim at my chest.

I unsheathed the katana and sliced it across his stomach as I dashed around him. I quickly sheathed it again and dove into the water, trying to ignore his screams and the wet rasping sounds he made.

Frowning, I started swimming once again. After a few seconds, I glanced behind me to make sure no one was targeting me.

Percy, from four, threw a spear which caught Cara, from one, in the chest. Cara had been fighting with Acadia, from twelve, and Ember, from seven. Acadia flipped her dagger around and stabbed Ember in the chest.

An archer, Ize from district six, shot an arrow, which landed in Acadia's neck. As she fell to the ground, Percy ran off.

I dove underwater, hoping to avoid Ize shooting at me.

I wasn't quick enough.

An arrow slammed into my left arm. I groaned, and hoped whatever was in the water wouldn't infect the wound. If it did, I was going to be in trouble. Finally, I reached the shore.

I glanced to my left. Naveen was just pulling himself out of the swamp water. He met my gaze and saluted me with two fingers. I saluted him back and just then remembered that the cameras would be watching.

I smiled, knowing that the Gamemakers and people would drive themselves crazy trying to figure out what it meant. They would never find out, either.

I had one thing on my mind: survival.

I yanked out the arrow and tore off my sleeve and tied it around the wound. I hoped the bleeding would stop soon, especially before I became dehydrated.

In the distance in front of me was what looked to be a desert. It was open, which meant I would see anyone coming. I was better at open combat, which was why it would be the better choice than the other biomes. The problem there would come from lack of water. I had no idea what exactly was in the pack I'd managed to grab. Even though it looked like there were supplies a few miles out, there was no guarantee that's what was really there. I couldn't stand around debating, though.

I jogged in the direction of the desert, hoping I made the right decision.

I didn't.

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