The 23 Cannons Trilogy

Smiley Face

"There! He's the one who stole the food!"

I look at Samuel as the Peacekeeper advances towards him. Macintosh and Terra, the twins who're always looking for ways to prove superiority, have reported Samuel to a Peacekeeper with multiple counts of theft. This is wrong. They stole from us, Samuel just got it back.

He runs up the stairs, Peacekeeper in pursuit. Practically everyone in the community home follows. He's in one of the bedrooms. The Peacekeeper grabs him.

"Let this be a reminder that theft is a terrible crime, and anyone caught performing this treacherous act shall be severely punished." he lifts him up, and throws him at the window. The glass shatters, Samuel screams, and we hear him hitting the ground. I let out a choked sob.

Pain. That's the first thing I register. Searing pain throughout my right arm. I'm laying on it. I take in my surroundings. A street, covered in a heavy fog. I sit there, dazed and hurt. I stare at the red puddle on the floor. Blood. Is it mine? The sharp pain in my back tells me so.

BOOM

A cannon. I whir into action. I look at the nearest building, the top floor window smashed. Where I was thrown out. Where the boy from 2 killed Samuel. I begin to shake. That psychopath murdered him, the only thing close to me in this damned arena. And no doubt he'll be coming for me. I stand up shakily, agonising pain coursing through my arm. It's obviously broken, but how badly? I try to move it, but it won't respond. Very badly.

I hear movement from inside the building. He's coming down to kill me. I try to stagger away, but the pain is too much. I stop moving, and accept my fate. Hopefully it's quick.

"Elektra?" This isn't the crazed bloodthirsty psycho from District 2, it's Samuel. He runs over to me.

"Elektra, are you okay? Are you hurt?" he points to the pool of blood and my limp arm. He pulls out the bandages from his bag, concern plastered over his face. He pulls my jacket off, and I see the full extent of the damage. It's twisted at an odd angle, bone protruding at various locations. 

Damaged beyond repair.

"Come on, we have to get out of here. The Careers will soon figure out that the cannon wasn't one of us," he begins to walk down the road. I follow, but the pain in my arm and back increases. I try moving faster, but everything begins spinning, and turns to black.

My eyes open. I feel warmth. I'm in a room. My bedroom? No, I'm in the Hunger Games, odds are I'll never see home again. I prop myself up, but my right arm won't respond. I see it bandaged to my chest. I sit up, and catch a glimpse of white. I lift my shirt, and find most of my torso bandaged.

Samuel walks through the door, carrying a parachute.

"I found this while looking for some food and water. I think it's for you," he hands it over to me. Shakily, I open it. Inside is a pill, with a note.

For the pain.

I swallow the pill, its effects beginning almost instantly. The pain in my back vanishes, and my arm begins to numb.

"So what happened earlier with the boy from 2?" I ask,

"after he stabbed you and pushed you out the window, he charged at me. I managed to trip him up, and he impaled himself. And it's actually been two days, Elektra. You managed to sleep through an earthquake, and me moving you to a new location,"

"Must be fatigue," my stomach makes an unnaturally loud noise, and Samuel giggles, "I guess we should find food."

It's still foggy outside, so we stick to the side of the buildings. I contemplate raiding the Careers' camp, but from what I've seen of them, they seem to be constantly on the go. Samuel walks ahead slightly, checking for anything. I look behind me, thinking I heard a noise, but it was just myself. I look ahead, and Samuel's gone.

"Samuel, Samuel!" I shout. He can't go missing. If the Careers find him alone, who knows what their crazed minds'll do to him.

"Elektra, down here!" I see an open manhole. I look down, and find Samuel getting up. I jump down, scraping my knee in the process.

"Looks like we can't get back up," Samuel points to the opening. There isn't a ladder, and it's too high to climb up.

"So we'll have to search the sewers for an exit," great. And if that growling beast is still lurking about, we'll have to take even more caution.

The sludge illuminates this underground maze an ominous shade of green. I look at the glowing river. It's actually flowing. Every now and then, it bubbles.

After what feels like forever, Samuel tires, so we decide to rest for a moment. I look ahead, at the endless network of tunnels and slime, and I hear it, It's only for a split second, but I hear it again. The low, surreal growl. I stand up, and just as I move from that spot, the arrow hits.

Samuel turns his head around. I follow his gaze to find the girl from District 1, arrows at the ready. Wordlessly, she begins to charge at us. Samuel leaps to his feet, and we run, not shaking her at all. An arrow skims Samuel's arm. We turn the corner, only for her to tackle me to the ground.

"So it was you, huh? You killed our psychopath friend, did you? Well, I'll make sure you join him in hell!" her eyes are bloodshot. Her once pretty auburn hair is a matted mess.

"I know, let's start with a spot of painting!" she's crazed. As she rolls on top of me, she pins my face to the floor, one cheek showing. She pulls a knife out, and I feel a searing pain across my face.

"There, it's a smiley face!" she lets out a possessed laugh. She then rolls me slightly. I see what she's doing. She's going to throw me into the sludge.

"Samuel! Get out of here! She'll kill you next!" my voice is hoarse, my head hurts from dehydration, and I'm horribly overpowered. She rolls me again. We're right on the edge of the path, inches from the toxic mess. I can feel the heat radiating from it.

"Say goodbye, you-" With a final burst of adrenaline, I spit in her face. This disorients her slightly. With my good arm, I punch her. Right on the nose.

Blood gushes everywhere as she claws at my face. I move my leg, making her lose balance. I thrush myself out of her grip, and she rolls. Right off the edge.

She lets out an animalistic cry as she makes contact. She lifts an arm; the skin has begun to melt off. She flails about, crying louder and louder, until her face goes under. The cannon fires instantly.

I stand there, shaking, head pounding, face stinging. Samuel grabs me and steadies me. Then it hits me.

I've just killed another human being. My shaking becomes uncontrollable. I sit down, and begin to sob. She didn't do anything wrong. She was just trying to stay alive, like me. No, she volunteered to play this sadistic game. She wanted to kill. But still, the guilt stabs me worse than any sword could.

I hear footsteps. We both look as somebody materialises. Luke.

"Elektra! Are you okay? I heard a cannon and some fighting and, oh," he looks at my arm, "You've seen better days," he laughs slightly, "And you look like nothing's passed your lips in days. We've still got plenty of food. Come on, the others are in the other half of the sewers. We just cut through the Cornucopia park, then into the manhole on the other side. It's about two hours from here," he hands me and Samuel a bottle of water each.

We begin walking towards the ladder at the end of this tunnel. Just as Luke opens the cover, I hear the growling. It's louder. We've pushed the boundaries, only saved by the fact blood was spilt.

I climb up, and we're in a street. At the end of the road, I see tarmac turn to dirt. We're back where we started. The Cornucopia.