The Ultimate Sacrifice (The 107th Hunger Games) [Fan Fiction]

31. The Final Five

No. It can't be. There was no way Bella from 7 could have allied with Bane and Jenna. No non-Career in their right mind would team up with the pack. Then again, Bella was just as lethal as a Career and not in her right mind.

Great, the other three tributes were coming for us, ready to finish us off. Then what, fight each other for the one and only spot?

Shane and I broke apart for only about a minute until we went back together. I could hear the furious pursuit of feet behind us. I heard a snarl of fury. Shane was pulling me along once again, not bothering to shoot an arrow over his shoulder. I had a better shot of shooting a dart than he did an arrow.

The woods suddenly ended, and we were submerged into a slight fog. My feet rooted to the ground when I realized where the new alliance had herded us to. I swallowed, my body trembled in fear. There was no way I would go through there. Shane let out a shaky breath as he drank in the sight before us.

I thought a hedge maze only existed in Ross's Hunger Games. Now, it was a piece of mine as well. It wasn't a small maze either, the hedge walls spread across for miles. Shane ran for the only entrance into the maze, looking back at me. I wasn't moving at all.

"Come on," he pressed. He looked past me, bow loaded but down at the moment. "Crys, come on!"

"I-I can't," I stammered. Any other obstacle I'd be more than happy to dive into. I would not go into the maze. "I'm not going in there." I took a step back.

"Crystal." Shane jogged to me, looking anxiously behind me again. He rubbed my neck. "Listen to me; we've got no choice but to go in there."

"I don't care. I don't want to go in there."

"Everything will be okay. You have to trust me on this."

As much as I trusted Shane, I wasn't sure I could. That hedge maze looked menacing. What if there was no way out of the maze? What if we five were stuck there forever until only one tribute remained? I hyperventilated at the thought. Being trapped until the Games ended in the maze. It would be like I was thrown back in time and put into Ross's Hunger Games.

"Nowhere to run now!" Jenna roared behind us.

I jumped. I danced just a little bit closer to the maze entrance, but I was still apprehensive. Shane stood in front of me, arrow aimed and ready to be shot at the first thing he saw from any of the three chasing after us.

"Crystal, go in there, now," Shane barked. I'd never heard him so commanding before. "I'll follow you in, I promise."

I tucked my knife under my armpit, whipping out the blowgun, shoving in a dart. I saw Bella's blonde hair. I blew with all I could. She fell back, crying out in pain. I saw the dart get to her face. Where it stuck, I didn't know and definitely didn't want to know.

Shane looked at me, a tiny smile of approval on his face. I gave a sheepish grin in return.

"You bitch!" Bella roared. She screamed again.

"We've wasted enough time," Shane said. He herded me into the maze's entrance.

I saw a muscled arm of Bane's pop out before Shane lowered his bow and arrow, pushing me along. I took random twists and turns, trying to make us be deep and far away enough from the three. There was complete silence the longer we got inside the maze. Moonlight shone above us, providing us with some light.

There was a low fog at our feet. I swallowed with difficulty, tucking away my blowgun and holding my knife again. Very cautiously, I led Shane through the maze, peeking around each corner first to make sure it was safe for us to go down. The last thing I wanted to do was to land us at a dead end or run into Jenna, Bane, or Bella.