Game On

Chapter 10

My plan is all set as the sun rises. I’m going to bury the bombs in two locations, and mark them with two black rocks (wouldn’t want to get killed by my own bombs). I spend my morning searching for the right places, studying the rocks so I’ll know how to spot them. The weather is increasingly hotter as the hours pass, forcing me to stuff my snowpants and sweater into my bag as well.  Wearing only the cargo pants and t-shirt is a welcome change in this humidity. I keep walking because I can’t stay put. The other tributes have ignored me before, but now that we’re getting closer and closer to the end, they’ll be prowling everywhere for a sign of my existence. To make things worse, I’ve been denying the fact that I’m dying. Bits and pieces of bread, apples, and pinecone seeds just aren’t enough. My legs can barely hold me up for long. I’ll need water soon, but the snow has all melted.

Near the mountains, I take my knife and begin digging a hole for the first bomb.  It fits into the hole nicely. Hastily, I cover it back up, placing one of my black rocks on top. I waste no time to get moving again. For all I know, the bomb could go off at any second.

Just as I’m about fifty feet away…

BOOM.

I don’t look back, but the destruction I’ve left behind is palpable. Smoke envelops me and I know I’ve only got seconds before the rocks start to fly in my direction, so I flee for safety.

When I’m a safe distance away, I begin to cough, falling to the ground behind a bush. Two cannons ring out. Even though I’m happy this bomb worked, I don’t feel accomplished. I feel incredibly guilty. And I already know it’s going to stay in the back of my thoughts until the day I die. Which is probably closer than I’d like to think.

“I’m sorry,” I mutter to nobody.

I plant the next bomb under a bush. Nobody would think that hiding in a bush is dangerous. Ha! They’d be in for an unpleasant surprise if they found this one.

Now, I think, what to do next? I could go back into hiding. It’s honestly my best tactic, besides the bombs. And unlike some people, I’m not excited about killing anyone. Especially when they’re strangers. But first, I have to find some food.  The leftovers I took from Cameron’s bad won’t last me long.

As I step towards the next bush, one of the boy tributes passes by. This is Floyd, from District 4, if I remember correctly. I hunker down quickly, holding my breath.

Please don’t find me, please don’t find me!

Slowly but surely, he continues moving. I know he’s looking for me. That doesn’t mean anything, though. Don’t they remember what I said at the interviews? I really am hard to keep track of. I refuse to budge until he’s completely out of sight.

A fox scampers in my direction. Perfect food.  My body needs some meat. Now, how do I catch him? I rummage through my bag. My wool sweater. I can drop it on the ground, place a bit of my bread under it, and the fox should come to eat it. Then I’ll attack.

To make the fox think I mean no harm, I have to act like I’m going somewhere else. I stroll away from my “trap”. Behind a tree, I watch for signs of him. In almost no time, he comes to my sweater and digs under it for the piece of bread. I’m surprised this worked.

I make my way over, very, very slowly. At the right moment, I wrap my sweater around the fox so he can’t escape. I stab him straight in the heart.  He stops breathing soon after. Wow. I just managed to hunt. Not bad for a city girl. Picking up his body, I walk around the mountain, hoping to find another little cave. Just as I thought, there’s a nice one a few feet up from where I stop. My new sleeping quarters for tonight.

Skinning the fox makes me want to vomit. How do people manage this kind of life? Quinn must have done it dozens of times.  But his meat is rather good when I cook it over a little fire. It should keep me alive for at least a day longer.

The anthem plays. I shudder to discover who my bombs killed. It turns out to be Mason, and Remy, from District 1. Shay must have escaped in time. At least I avenged my district partner’s death. I fall asleep the only way I know how: with a burning flame of determination.