The Game to End all Games [COMPLETED]

Chapter 30

"Good evening, Tributes!" The voice of Claudius Templesmith booms around the Arena. "As you know, no one died today. So, we are going to introduce the next twist to make things more exciting!" I look over at Lyam; what are they going to throw at us now? "Over the past couple of hours, some of you may have noticed a shift in one of your teammates. One member in each of the remaining teams has been injected with a serum from their tracking device. This serum will slowly, but inevitably, make the go mad. In the next couple of days their condition will worsen. They will become more violent and withdrawn. So, unharmed Tributes, what will you do? Well... May the odds be ever in your favour!" A microphone clicks but the words hang ominously in the air like a bad smell. As I unlace my shoes, my mind comes to the realisation: that's what they're doing to Jasper
"Hey," I call out. "Jasper?" He decided to sit away from us as we ate our meager dinner of a handful of dried fruit from Lyam's pack and a small bird we caught. It helped quell our hunger but did little for our thirst. "Jasper," I call again, louder this time. Leaves rustle but no response.
"Let's leave him for tonight," Lyam suggests, moving closer to me. "It's a lot to take in, especially for him." The night air feels mild to my toes as I slip off my shoes and socks. The skin is wrinkled, puffy and red. Days of continuous walking has led to huge blisters across most of my toes and heels. Picking up my knife from beside me, I gingerly pluck the skin of the largest one. It snags satisfyingly and a bad smelling odor seeps from the cut. I squeeze all the liquid out and wipe it with the cuff of my top.
"That's gross," Lyam says, looking queasy. Laughing, I get to work squeezing the rest.
"Would you like me to do yours?" I jovially offer.
"No thanks," Lyam replies, wincing at the thought. Once I'm done torturing them, I allow my feet to relax in the cooling air, coated in a thick layer of the gifted balm. Lyam lies next to me, his head resting in his hands, staring up through the tree branches. The anthem plays, the emblem of Panem hovers in the sky, tangled in the most resilient of the leaves. Jasper's snores join the orchestra of the night. The flaps of winged mammals synchronise with the whispers of the tree branches as they sway and dance. Leaves rustle with padded footsteps as they hop, trot and scurry about their business. The sharp hoot of an owl overhead overlays the gurgling frogs. I can see them in my mind's eye, big slimy frogs with throat sacks that puff out as they gribbit throughout the night as they sit contentedly on their lily pads and float around their small pond.

I wake with a start. The embers of last night's fire have died out, leaving a pile of smoking, charred logs. Jasper's sniffles remind me of his presence; he's moved since last night. Only Lyam's face is visible inside his sleeping bag, eyes screwed shut. He's still asleep. I look around tentatively. It is still mostly dark but the sky shows signs of lightening.
"What woke me?" I wonder. Eyes heavy with exhaustion, my lids close into peaceful sleep.