The 69th Hunger Games

Chapter 6

I woke up to the sound of voices again. Good. They didn't kill me while I slept.

"When are we gonna kill him?" It was a girl's voice.

"As soon as we find her. I don't want her to live another day." it was the boy from District 1, Jimmias, and I had a feeling they were talking about Alton and I. Too bad I wasn't going to stick around long enough for them to find me.

"I found some tracks." I could hear Alton approaching them.

"Where?" Jimmias asked.

"Just on the other side of the stream." I heard shuffling and footsteps fading away. Were they gone? I listened a little longer. No movement. No quiet breathing. Nothing. I had to move and quick.

I positioned the backpack on my back with the spears and climbed out of the tree.

There was a smoking pile of wood where their fire had been, but no sign of them anywhere. Thank you Alton, I think. He had led them somewhere else and I was great full for that.

Suddenly a twig snapped just a few feet away and the girl from District 12 emerged from the trees. Olive was her name, right? We stared at each other, my hand gripping a spear in my pack. I narrowed my eyes, standing my ground. Was she going to attack? Should I kill her now? She didn't have anything with her. Probably ran away before the bloodbath began.

She took a step forward and I pulled out the spear. She stopped and bent down by the stream. She was just getting water. Could I really kill her for wanting water?

I held onto my spear and watched as she drank from the stream. All at once the little boy, Cathius, and girl, Termalyne, from District 10 emerged from the trees, stopping at the stream to drink. None of them had anything.

"The Careers headed back towards the Cornucopia." Termalyne said. There was a loud bang from a canon, signaling someone had died. The Careers must've found someone on their way to the Cornucopia. I sighed, putting the spear back in its pack and opening the backpack.

"Here." I said, handing out a water bottle. "I have two." they hesitated. I stepped forward, tossing it to Termalyne who caught it. I couldn't leave them with nothing. "How did you guys avoid the Careers?" I asked, still standing in my spot.

"We ran the minute the gong went off. We've just been following them."

There was a rustling about ten yards away and they stood up. Someone was coming and we were out in the open. I nodded to them and they ran back into the trees. I pulled out a spear, ducking behind a tree and waiting for whoever it was to show themselves.

It was the girl from District 6 with the short red hair. She stumbled to the stream, collapsing next to it. She was very still, her blue eyes half open. That's when I noticed the blood spilling into the stream from her right side.

"She went this way!" she led the Careers right to me! I mentally cursed her as their footsteps grew closer. My knee was a lot better, but I wasn't sure it could handle running away if they found me. I ducked down further, the girl still in my sight, but enough so I couldn't be seen easily.

Jimmias walked up, a sword in his hand and fresh blood dripping from the blade.

"She brought us back to where we were." the girl from his District, Florencia, said.

"We'll get back." he said simply, raising the sword and bringing it down into the girl's back. A canon fired and I could hear them walking away. I let out the breath I'd been holding in. The girl's life less eyes stared at me, begging me to help her, but there was nothing I could've done. I knew the Gamemakers were waiting for me to move to remove the body.