Just a Game

Chapter Eleven

I feel the old pain and anger rise up in me again, and I pick up a thick tree branch, and snap it easily. I do the same with a few more, and soon enough, my hands are full of splinters. I gingerly pick them out, and collapse on the ground. I don't faint, nor do I sleep. I just sit...

I've stayed up for the whole night, waiting until dawn to set out to hunt for my prey. This will be the last day in the arena, and I will be the one to go home. I dig through my backpack and take out a peach-coloured body suit. I put it on, feeling ridiculous. It's not until I trip right into the point of my upright spear, do I realize that it's a sort of body armour.

I trek around the lake, not knowing where to start to hunt them. I dive back into the thicket of the woods, the air calm and quiet. After walking for an hour, I find myself in an unfamiliar part of the grounds. I stand, basking in the sunlight from a gap in the trees, listening for any footsteps. I only hear a bird song.

Then, the song comes to an abrupt stop. One final shrill call from the birds is the only thing that prepares me for the snarl of a wild animal. I slowly turn around and find myself facing a pack of wolf-like creatures. Mutts. I don't hesitate, and I sprint away. Luckily, I'm a fast runner, and am at least twenty yards ahead of them as they chase after me, snarling.

I must have walked a lot farther from the lake than I first presumed. I'm already panting, and my legs feel like they're on fire. I've already dropped my spear a while back. I know that I can't stop, even with my body suit on, my face won't be protected. I run right past Peeta and Katniss who attempt to shoot me with a bow and arrow. The arrow bounces right off of my chest, but I barely notice. I rocket right between them, not slowing down one bit.

I spot the Cornucopia, and my only thought is to get up to the top where the mutts won't be able to reach me. Hopefully they can't fly. My speed allows me to leap a quarter of the way up. My fingers burn from the heat of the metal Cornucopia, but I ignore the pain. Not until I reach the very top, do I stop to catch my breath.

I can barely breathe anymore and spots are dancing in my eyes. I almost go unconscious, but instead, my stomach lurches, and I gag over the edge. I'm doubled over with cramps, clutching my stomach. I don't pay any attention to Peeta or Katniss until they are both on the Cornucopia.

"Can they climb it?" I wheeze, not sure if either of them heard me.

"What?" Katniss shouts.

"He said, 'Can they climb it?'" answers Peeta.

I look down at the mutts who begin to assemble. I edge a tiny bit closer to the edge, to see the mutts better. I notice something about them, which makes me feel uneasy. They look so humanoid, that I almost gasp when I realize who they were supposed to be. I spot a mutt with dark hair and hazel eyes, snarling and growling.

Clove.

But how? Were they really the tributes? I see another mutt that looks like Glimmer, but Katniss shoots it down. I can see recognition in Katniss' eyes, also thinking the same as I was. Before I knew what was happening, Peeta is nearly pulled to the ground. The mutts can't reach me here, so I'm still bent over. My breathing is finally slowing, and the cramps in my stomach are lessening.

Deciding that I've rested long enough, I bound over and rip Peeta from Katniss' grip. I'm almost at the lip of the horn, holding Peeta in a headlock, cutting off his air. Peeta claws at my arm, but I don't feel a thing. I feel his blood from a hole in his calf seep under my boots.

Katniss notches an arrow at my head, but I just laugh.

"Go on! Shoot, and we both go down and you win. Go on," I shout. "I'm dead anyway. I always was, right? I couldn't tell that until now. How's that? Is that what they want?" My voice rises hysterically. I look up at the sky,  directing my words to the Capitol. "I can still do this... I can still do this. One more kill. It's the only thing I know how to do: bringing pride to my district. Not that it matters."

My arm around Peeta's neck tightens. I give up on winning, but I don't want Katniss and Peeta to be happy and live a good life together, if I couldn't even have a chance with Clove. When Katniss doesn't make a move, my lips form a triumphant smile.

Peeta raises his fingers, dripping with blood from his leg, up to my arm. Instead of trying to wrestle his way free like I thought he would, his finger veers off and makes an X on the back of my hand. I realize exactly what it means and my smile drops from my lips. But when I try to let him go, an arrow pierces my hand and I cry out, releasing him.

I feel Peeta slam back against me, but I lose my footing on the slippery horn. I plummet to the ground, the gold from the horn flashes by me. I hit the ground hard and the air leaving my lungs. Before I know it, I'm being eaten alive.