The Game to End all Games [COMPLETED]

Chapter 26

I scream. I scream louder than I did when Gale dragged me away from Katniss after she volunteered. My arms flail, hands uselessly clutching at air. I can feel the ground lying in wait beneath me as I try to slow my fall. But I can't. I land on my back, all the air leaves my lungs leaving me gasping. I should be dead. But instead, I've been enveloped in a thick duvet of snow. Slowly getting to my feet, I can see Lyam and Jasper scaling the bridge above me. Looking closely, I see no way that I will be able to scale the cliff. I'm stuck.

Head spinning, I slump into the snow. An uneasy atmosphere settles around me; as if I'm being watched. Scanning the cliff edge, I see nothing at first. Then the swift movement of an unnaturally flaming red head of hair catches my eye. Her face peers over the edge. I can see the glint of her teeth.
"Enjoy dying!" She calls, he voice bouncing down to me. The earth begins to shake and a section of rock starts to come crashing down. Her screams harmonise with the crash. I pray that she died in the fall. Selecting the best blade, I tentatively tiptoe towards the jumble of snow and rock. Rocks fall away from each other as a sudden force moves them. She's alive.

Backing up slightly, I prepare myself for a fight. She scrambles out from under the pile of rocks. One hand hangs limply by her side but apart from that, she is just as ready to fight as I am. Charging at me, screaming, sword pointed towards me. She knocks me off my feet and we tossle in the snow. I overpower her in a moment of strength and force myself above her. Sitting on her torso, I stamp at her weakened arm. Something crunches. I realise what I am doing. I can't kill her.
"I can't kill you," I say. She stops struggling. I get off her and walk away.
"Well, I can," she snarled and lunges at me. Grabbing me by the hair, she smashes my head against the cliff face. Feeling dizzy, I knee her in the groin and hear her moan. Remembering the self-defence station, I force her head down and knee her face. Her nose splinters and blood begins to pour. Clutching at my knife, I watch her. Re-sheathing her sword, she stands up and wipes her nose. Drawing unsteady breaths, I lower my guard. We stand for a moment, eyeing each other up. She's older, taller and bigger than me but her arm is definitely broken.
"Prim," Jasper's voice jumps at me. Looking up, I see that they have made it to the top. Then I'm flat on my back and my knife is flung from my hand. Hands around my throat, I'm gasping for breath.
"Katniss killed my sister," she spits, hands tightening. My hands try to loosen her grip but to no avail. I slap her and she growls like a wild animal. Using all the strength I can muster, I elbow her weakened arm. She yelps and falls off me. Scrambling to my feet, I grab my knife. She draws her sword. She charges at me. I try to dodge but leave it too late. Her sword slices along my ribcage, tearing through my clothes and skin.

Whirling around, we face each other. Weapons out in front, we both charge. Using the hilt of her sword, she knocks me to the ground. She digs her knees into the cut on my side. I groan in agony.
"You don't need to kill me,"
"Oh, but I do," she grins maliciously and reaches to take a knife from my pack. As she does so, the pressure on my body shifts. I swing myself up, wrestle the knife from her hand and slice it across the inside of both her thighs. The grin slides off her face and I push her off me. Blood shoots from her legs like a faulty faucet. Her face is as pale as the snow that crowns her red head. Her mouth moves and then falls still. She's slipped into unconsciousness. I turn away and throw up. Images of the gruesome scene behind me burn into my memory. A cannon booms. Walking away from the body, I throw up again. I sit with my back to all the blood, legs stretched out in front of me. A huge black bird appears in the sky and (I assume) gently lifts her away in shiny, silver claws. I cry. My head spins and I feel myself slipping into darkness.