The Hunger Games: Wroetostar, Merome, Pooflan & Minizerk

⫷Chapter 25⫸

Lachlan's P.O.V.

I knew I was still in shock, eyes staring blankly across the ground as my brain tried to comprehend exactly what I had witnessed. Something in the back of my head told me I had no reason to be reacting the way I was- this was the Hunger Games for god's sake, of course I was going to watch someone dying!

But I couldn't help it. I had seen that boy suffering, bleeding out on the ground from the knife in his stomach and there was nothing any of us could do for him. Even though I hadn't witnessed it I understood that Rob had finally put him out of his misery, slitting his throat to end his suffering.

Rob and Preston were silent for most of the next day, especially after Rob woke with nightmares and terrors, the boy he killed haunting him. Neither of them wanted to leave the small nook in the roots of the tree we he had found and I didn't either- we were all mentally broken, physically exhausted and completely drained.

We slept. I slept soundly for quite a while tucked between Preston and Rob and they slept too, even though their sleep was fitful. I heard them talking quietly as I drifted in and out of a deep sleep but never really focused it. I just went back to sleep.

It was sometime in the evening that I heard a singular cannon but I didn't think much of it- it turned out to be one of the boys from 7, which we found out later on as his face was displayed on the screen. Rob and Preston shared a knowing look over my shoulder and I knew what it meant- the other boy from 7 was still alive and he was likely suffering. I was almost sick at the thought of it, imagining him suffering like the boy from 4.

It wasn't until the morning of day 9 that we finally got the motivation to keep moving again, we couldn't risk staying there for any longer as being there for so long. We packed our remaining gear into the backpacks and began trekking through the forest. I was only limping slightly now, the wound on my leg almost completely healed. Preston and Rob didn't have to hold me to walk so I hobbled along slightly behind them, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other.

"Holy shit..." Rob whispered, stopping dead in his tracks as we finally cleared the trees. Because standing before us, towering over us and the entire arena, were a mountain range so large that I took a step backwards, intimidated. "I think... I think we found the edge of the arena."

"No shit." Preston stated, but I knew he was scared too. We had never seen anything like this, either in real life or in other hunger games. "We'll have to turn back, it's not safe to stay out here. Too exposed."

I silently agreed, turning back because something about those mountains were creeping me out and it didn't feel right- it stank of death. I didn't know why.

But Rob didn't turn back. It took Preston and I moment to realise that he was still standing stock still, staring at something that neither of us could see.

"Rob?" I called gently, moving back towards him. "Are you coming?"

He moved so fast that I jumped and almost fell over, startled so much at his sudden movement.

"Don't come any closer." He said suddenly, stopping both Preston and I in our tracks. "Preston, take Lachlan and just go that way. Get out of earshot. I don't want either of you to see this."

"Wh-what is it?" I stuttered, brushing Preston's arm off mine. "Rob, don't go alone! What is it!"

"The other boy from 7 is there. He's injured, he won't do me any harm. I just don't want you to see it, okay?" He gave me a gentle push in the direction away from the mountains and he gave Preston a strong look, giving him no room to argue. "Go. I'll be back in a moment."

Rob's P.O.V.

My heart almost stopped the second I saw the boy, because it sent me right back to a couple of days earlier with the boy from 4, in the same position, injured after a fight that killed their ally and dying slowly on the ground. Even from almost a hundred metres away I could see the spear in his stomach.

I approached slowly, knowing that he wasn't in a position where he would notice me. When I was a dozen or so metres away I called out softly, but not knowing his name I wasn't entirely sure what to say.

"Hey..." I said, my soft voice carried by the wind to his ears. He barely moved, his fingers barely twitching and his eyes stayed shut tight with pain. He was curled up on his side in the fetal position, facing me, just outside the entrance to a small cave. The smell of blood was overwhelming but it wasn't his blood, there was only a small patch on his stomach but his sleeves were soaked in dried blood. The body of the other boy from 7 was still in the cave- the stench of rot and death made me gag.

The boys eyes flickered and he grimaced, his jaw clenching in pain. His entire body was trembling.

At first I didn't know what to do, but the second I thought back to the other boy- Simon, I now knew his name was- I knew what I could do. He had just wanted comfort and he didn't want to suffer anymore- he wanted to be with Josh. I knew this boy would want to be with him, Mitch.

I kneeled down beside his trembling body, tense with fear, and he gasped when I reached out and touched him. But I didn't do anything more than pull his head into my lap and run my hand through his hair, allowing him to relax against me. I simply wanted him to be calm, to try to ignore the pain for a moment, think about moving on. I wanted him to think about being with him.

It didn't take long before he started trying to speak, his messy and heavy words barely leaving his lips.

"Please..." He breathed, a hand creeping up to wrap tight around his abdomen. His body jolted hard as the spear moved and a high whine left his throat- I cringed, goosebumps appearing on my arms. It was hard knowing I was holding a boy who was going to die, in fact he would be dead the next time I left the position I was sitting in. "I don't want to anymore..."

"I know." I whispered, continuing to run my hand in a calming motion through his hair. "I know. Just thinking about being with your friend, okay, what's his name?" He nodded.

"Mitch." He gasped, drawing in a painful breath. "I wanna be with him... I don't wanna keep-"

This time the gasp was loud as he inhaled, the spear moving up and down as his chest heaved. His eyes flickered and I think he blacked out for a moment because he stilled- and I took the moment to finally let him go. He might not have been calm but I didn't want him to suffer anymore.

With one swift movement I pulled the spear from his stomach with a horrific squelching noise and I gagged, but sighed in relief when he didn't react or even move. I just hoped he would stay unconscious.

He did. After he passed out he didn't stir, didn't react to the pain or the fact that he was bleeding out, the only movement he was making was his ever slowing breathing. It only took a minute or two before his breathing finally stuttered to a stop and his entire body went limp in my lap- the cannon sounded across the arena.

By early morning on the 9th day, there were 9 tributes left.

I tucked the boy into a more comfortable position on the ground and left him there, the body of his best friend and lover in the cave behind him. The two boys from 7 were dead, one killed probably by the careers and the other left to suffer for days- just like the boy from 3 and 4. The similarities scared me and god, I just hoped it never happened to me or, heaven forbid, Lachlan or Preston. I didn't want to think about it.

As I approached the bush where Preston and Lachlan were crouched the younger stood up, barrelling into me. Preston followed soon afterwards and for several minutes we just stood there, both boys hugging me tightly as they dissolved into tears. I was numb, another death at my hands, even though they were both merciful, was killing me inside.

Lachlan tugged on my hand as we moved away from the area to let them collect the two bodies and I looked at him, shaking.

"We're here." He whispered, hugging me again. "We're here, we're alive. We still have a chance. Remember that."