Nothing Personal

Fire - 6

Once her feet touched down on solid ground for the first time in two days, since the twins had been killed - it felt like so much longer - she realised that the jabberjay was hovering by her shoulder.

"You're still here," it whispered.

Crete still couldn't move properly. Grace's locket trembled in his hands, tiny and delicate like Grace herself, the shape of a heart. He wanted to open it and see who's picture was inside, but it was private. He'd already taken her life and it would have felt like a voilation to open the locket.

He wracked his brain, trying to remember the last time someone had killed their district partner. He couldn't. 

He was still crouched near the broken shelter; he could see it through the trees. He'd moved away after unfastening the locket, so that Grace's body could be picked up, though he'd only just remembered in time to take the spear. That had been hard, both physically and mentally. He tried not to think about it. He thought he smelt smoke, but he was quite close to the 3 house and it was probably just the wind blowing remnants in this direction.

He should try and rebuilt the shelter. No, he shouldn't, because he wouldn't need it. In such a small arena there probably wouldn't be long left. But it would at least give him something to do, something to take his mind off things.

That was going to cause him a few problems.

Sebastian was heading back to the bridge. He'd liked it there; it was peaceful and easy to think. He tracked down the stream, sticking to the fences of the houses. After seeing off Klaus, he'd cat-napped in the bushes for a while and tracked down some berries that he was sure were edible, to fill his stomach. He would have to go scavenging soon, going through the houses, but for now he could manage on the berries, as long as he didn't accidentally eat any sleepers. Which he wouldn't, of course.

There were only six left. He knew the origins of one of the cannons last night, obviously, but the other was a mystery. At a guess, he'd say Skyler or Grace. Neither of them had struck him as potential winners, killers. Whichever one was left, he wouldn't have to worry about. Well, 'worry about' was a figure of speech; he wasn't worried about any of them. But the others had the ability and the guts to kill. So he'd have to watch out for them. Except maybe Vedran, but he was probably being protected by Megan.

That was it, then. He'd have to get one of them. Preferably Megan. He didn't want to risk being up against someone physically stronger than him. That was playing the odds. If he had the luxury of choice, he'd rather take on Skyler or Grace, depending on which was alive, or Vedran. The people who wouldn't kill.

But first, there was someone up ahead.

Whoever it was wasn't trying to be quiet. They were clunking around, by the sound of it moving wood. There was the occasional sniff thrown in there as well; ill or upset. Either way, weakened.

He couldn't get the plank of wood straight. He knew it didn't matter, but it was really starting to annoy him now. He tried again, piling some more damp, earthy soil around the base of wood. It fell down again, covering the bloodstains.

"Stand up!" he shouted in exasperation. The plank just lay there, looking up blankly. He kicked it, wincing when he stubbed his toe. Grace's locket felt heavy in his pocket. He needed to get it back to her brother. His heart ached for the whole family; even though he didn't know what had happened to the others it was obvious that there was only Grace and her brother in the family. No, just the brother, Peter. He needed to get himself back, but what then? Would he be disgraced or forgiven? He'd only done what he needed to do, like with Daisuke, but at the same time he'd killed someone who had never done anything wrong, who should have been an ally.