The Game to End all Games [COMPLETED]

Chapter 31

My head bangs like a drum as I sit myself up. I feel nauseous and light headed.
"We need to find water," I tell Lyam as he stuffs his sleeping bag into its bag. He rummages in his rucksack and pulls out his canteen. He shakes it.
"Yeah," he agrees. "Mine's empty. We won't last long if we don't find some soon," he nods to himself. Jasper traipses over. Shuffling his feet, he hands his canteen over to Lyam.
"I've drunk my third," he says. Lyam glances at me, skeptically, before looking back at Jasper.
"Cheers, bud," Lyam says, clapping Jasper on the back. Lyam sips at the canteen, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Here," he passes the canteen to me. I down the rest, feeling the water bathe my chapped lips and tight throat. I gasp as the last drop leaves the bottle. We finish packing up and head into the sun. Each step I take is painful. My feet are swollen and uncomfortable inside my tight, sweaty shoes. My mouth and lips feel dry and cracked. My stomach churns as we start a descent and I throw up in a bush. Bitter bile coats my teeth as I try to spit out what I can. Morning drags by and afternoon begins as we don't stop to eat our meager rations. Hair strands in mouth, I suck on them for want of something else to do. The ground flattens out beneath our feet, we follow our invisible path.
"Where's our water, Katniss?" I mentally curse. "Do you want us to die?" The answer appears evident, until, in the afternoon rays, a rock bed with a small, trickling stream appears, as if from a dream. Or a mirage. Even with exhaustion set deep in our muscles, our pace picks up. Even Jasper, who had stayed a pace behind Lyam and I, bounds over to the water's edge. We fill our canisters and add iodine to each. Toes dangling in the refreshing water, we all cool off. We chug down our water, grateful for it's fresh, delicious taste and then repeat the whole process. At this moment in time, the water tastes like the elixir of life. Settling back amongst the trees, we all start to relax. I'm just coming back from collecting our canteens when I see them. The boy and girl from 1 and their allies from 2. I scream.

Dropping the canteens, I pull a knife from my pack. Lyam and Jasper scramble to their feet as our attackers rush towards us. One of the girls lunges for Jasper but he manages to dodge her blow. Lyam fends off the unarmed boy from 1. His body drops to the floor, glassy-eyed and lifeless. A cannon booms. A blade comes flying at me from nowhere, grazing my bandaged bicep. Turning, I see the other girl with a pack of throwing knives.
"What is it with the female Tributes from two and their throwing knives?" I wonder to myself as I duck behind a tree. The other girl is lying a little way off, still moving. While Jasper and Lyam fight the monster from two, I charge at the girl. I tackle her with all my strength. She pushes me off with ease, even with her injury. Snarling, she turns and flees into the trees. Her allies follow hastily, disappearing as quickly as they appeared. Taking deep breaths, I walk over to Lyam and Jasper. They are crouched near the dead body. Lyam reaches forwards and gently closes his eyes.
"We should leave and camp further down stream so they can collect him," he whispers. I go to collect the neglected canteens as the air begins to cool. Turning, I see Jasper still knelt by the boy.
"Jasper," I softly call. "We need to go,"
"But..." He stammers. "He's dead! We killed him!"
"Yes, but we had to," Lyam says. "They would have killed us,"
"Yes, and we should all be dead!" Jasper cries, rising swiftly and shoving Lyam. Lyam holds his hands out in front of him.
"Woah, it's ok, we're safe," he soothes. "Let's just leave the boy to rest and we can go and sleep," but Jasper is having none of it and charges at Lyam. Wrestling, Lyam brings both of Jasper's arms behind his back. "Calm down," he whispers. "We're not going to hurt you and nor is anyone else," he looks over at me. "Prim, could you cut a length of paracord from the bundle in my bag please," I oblige and bring it to him. He ties it around Jasper's hands, comforting him throughout the process. "They're just for safety," he reassures. "We'll take them off when you're feeling better, alright?" Jasper hangs his head and nods stiffly.
"Now, can we please leave the boy?" I ask, picking up mine and Jasper's packs. We follow the river for maybe a mile during which time the sun has set and bright, twinkling stars are beginning to appear.

"I'll take first watch," I offer, settling myself against a giant boulder. Lyam nods and climbs up into one of the trees. Jasper scrambles onto a boulder beneath Lyam, turning his back on us. The air is still as I place my trusty knife on my thigh. I pull at a loose thread on my trousers but it stubbornly remains attached. I unravel the bandage from my head, apply a thick layer of the cream and then rewrap my head and rest it against the boulder.

I awake with a start. Darkness envelopes the wood and my eyes take a minute to adjust. Repositioning myself, I can't see anyone. Lyam and Jasper are still sound asleep, oblivious to my quick nap. I stand up and shake out my stuff limbs. Pain seers through my head and then... Nothing.