usjfskufbsjkufgsbjjfugsbjjfusi not me leaving this story here for like 5 months
look at me go with my amazing procrastination skills 💀anyway we just gon ignore that fact and move on cos I finally finished chapter 9, so here it is 😌
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Sixty seconds.
That's how long they had to stand on the pedestals before the sound of the bell released them. Step off before the minute was up, and you'd have your legs blown off by landmines.
(M/N) looked towards the Cornucopia, this year it was a giant silver horn shaped like a cone with a curved tail, its mouth at least seven metres high. He could see various items strewn all over the place, being in higher abundance the closer you got to the horn. Food, water bottles, weapons, medicine, and various other items were present. The further away from the horn you travelled, the less valuable the item was- and of course, all the weapons were situated tightly inside or against the horn.
(M/N) could see a tent pack that would definitely help him during cold and rainy nights, if only he had the guts to run in and fight against the other tributes for it, which he'd been instructed not to do anyway.
Taking in his surroundings, (M/N) could see that the tributes were all placed on pedestals that formed a ring around the Cornucopia. They were on a flat, open stretch of grassy ground that spread a good twenty metres outward around the ring of tributes, before transforming into a forest completely surrounding the open plain, though (M/N) could see what appeared to be a lake through the foliage of trees to his right.
The forest is where Shota would want (M/N) to go the moment the bell sounds. He could hear Shota's voice in his head. Telling him to run away from there as fast as possible, create as much distance as he could between himself and others, then find a source of water.
But it was so tempting. Why run when he had everything he could need in front of him. If he didn't get it, someone else would. Most likely the career tributes who survive the bloodbath, they'd gather all the life-sustaining items.
Suddenly something caught (M/N)'s eye. There, resting against a metal crate, was a silver sheath of arrows and a bow.
That's mine, (M/N) thought. It's meant for me.
He forgot about Shota's words of warning. He was fast, he could sprint faster than most boys in his school. This thirty metre length was what he was built for. He was certain he could reach it before anyone else. But that wasn't the issue, the issue was how fast he'd be able to get out of there. By the time he'd grabbed the bow and sheath, others would have already made it to the horn. He might be able to pick off one or two people, but if there happened to be a dozen tributes in front of him, they would easily be able to take him down with their clubs and swords- or even their fists.
He wouldn't be the only target though. He was betting that most tributes would pass him up, even with the eleven he got, to take out the more dangerous opponents.
Shota hadn't seen (M/N) run before. Maybe if he did, he would encourage (M/N) to go for the bow. He could only see one bow as well, retrieving it would drastically increase his chances of winning. He could camp out in a tree and pick off other tributes from afar, that's what he was best at.
(M/N) could see his minute was almost up, the holographic countdown only having fifteen seconds left. Without much thinking, he positioned himself towards the bow, getting ready to sprint the second he heard the bell. When suddenly he noticed Katsuki. He was five tributes to (M/N)'s right, a decently far distance, but he could tell the blonde was looking at him- and (M/N) was pretty sure he was shaking his head. But with the sun in his eyes, he couldn't completely see. While he pondered over what Katsuki was doing, the bell rang.
I missed it! I missed my chance! Those few seconds he spent distracted cost him his chance at getting the bow, he definitely couldn't go in for it now. (M/N) stood there for a second, not knowing which direction he should take, does he book it to the forest? Or does he try to snatch at least one item. His anger at Katsuki caused him to decide on the latter, sprinting off to the left side of the Cornucopia, eyes fixated on an orange backpack.
(M/N) dived forward and grabbed the backpack. As he prepared to run into the forest, he heard a familiar scream. Turning around, he was met with one of the Careers from District 4 dragging Bella towards him by her hair.
~
"Hey, can I ask you something?" Bella asked.
(M/N) looked up from his meal. "Huh? Yeah sure."
The two had been conversing a lot during the past two days. It was their second day of training and they were currently eating lunch, going about their usual conversations while Katsuki sat next to (M/N) only saying a few words every now and then.
"Are you two a thing?"
(M/N) choked on his mouthful of mashed potatoes while Katsuki stared at her with a neutral expression.
"What brought that on?!" (M/N) exclaimed.
"It's just that you two seem so close, it reminds me of home," she said.
"How so?"
"Well, I actually have a boyfriend back home, his name's Sangwoo. You two just reminded me of him."
"Oh," (M/N) didn't know what to say.
"I'm honestly quite scared about going into the arena. But, I promised that I'd try to win for him, I don't want to let him down," she said with a smile.
(M/N) gave her a sad rendition of her smile. He could tell she was trying her hardest to put aside her fears for Sangwoo, it was very admirable. If he was going to die, he hoped either her or Katsuki survived.
~
He watched as the boy plunged a knife into the back of Bella's throat, pushing it in until it protruded through the front of her throat. She coughed up blood as she tried to pull it out, before the boy yanked it out and kicked her body away. She didn't move after that, her lifeless body laying on the grass.
(M/N) forced himself to look away. This was bound to happen, he knew this, only one person was leaving this arena alive, he needed to forget about her. He got up and started running towards the forest. However, not even a few seconds later he was pulled onto the ground. The boy from District 9 hovering over him, seemingly about to send his fist into (M/N)'s face. He brought his arms above his head in hopes to block the attack, only to hear the boy let out a pained shout as he fell on top of (M/N).
(M/N) pushed the boy off of him and found a dagger in his back. He looked up to see a girl with blonde hair running towards him, carrying half a dozen knives in her hand. He instantly recognised her as the girl from District 1. (M/N) had seen her throw in training, she never missed- and now he was her next target.
His eyes widened as she threw a knife at him. He reflexively brought the backpack in front of him and felt the knife lodge itself into the pack. Without looking back at her he quickly got up and bolted towards the forest.
(M/N) knew she wouldn't chase him. She was one of the careers, so she and the others would stay at the Cornucopia once they'd driven everyone else out, and pick out all the good stuff that they'd need to survive.
Thanks for the knife, (M/N) thought as he passed the treeline. He took one last look behind him. About a dozen or so tributes were still hacking away at each other, and he could see several bodies surrounding the Cornucopia, including Bella's. He frowned and looked away. Those who escaped from the bloodbath disappeared into the trees opposite of (M/N).
He kept running until the woods had hidden him from the other tributes, then he slowed down to a jog. For the next few hours he alternated between jogging and walking, hoping to put as much distance between him and his competitors as he could.
(M/N) freed the knife from his backpack and gave it a closer inspection. It was a fine one with a long sharp blade, serrated near the handle, which would make it handy for sawing through things. He put it in his belt, but didn't dare stop to examine the contents of his bag yet. He just kept moving, only pausing to check for pursuers.
(M/N) could go for a long time, he knew that from his days in the woods, but he would need water. That was Shota's second instruction, and since he sort of botched the first, he kept a sharp eye out for any sign of it. No luck.
The woods had begun to change. The pines intermixed with a variety of trees, some (M/N) recognised, others completely foreign to him. At one point, he heard a noise and pulled out his knife, thinking he might have had to fight another tribute, only to realise it was just a rabbit.
"Good to see you," (M/N) whispered. If there was one rabbit, there could be hundreds nearby just waiting to be snared.
The ground ahead of (M/N) began to slope down, which he didn't particularly like. Valleys made him feel trapped, he wanted to be high, like in the hills around District 12, where he could see his enemies approaching. But he had no choice but to keep going.
Funnily enough, (M/N) didn't feel too bad. The days of gorging himself had paid off. He had staying power even though he was short on sleep. Being in the woods was rejuvenating. He was glad for the solitude, even though it was just an illusion. Because he was probably on-screen at that moment, not constantly, but on and off. There were always so many deaths to show on the first day that a tribute trekking through the woods wasn't very interesting to look at. But they'd still show (M/N) enough for people to know he was alive, uninjured and on the move. One of the heaviest days of betting is the opening, when the initial casualties come in. But that can't compare to what happens as the field shrinks to a handful of players.
It was late afternoon when (M/N) began to hear the cannons. Each shot represented a dead tribute. The fighting must have finally stopped at the Cornucopia. They never collected the bloodbath bodies until the killers dispersed. On the opening day, they don't even fire the cannons until the initial fighting has ended because it was too difficult to keep track of the fatalities.
(M/N) allowed himself to pause, panting as he counted the shots. One... two... three... and so on until the number reached eleven. Eleven dead in all. Thirteen left to play. (M/N) rubbed at the dried blood on his arms, the blood belonging to the boy from District 9. He was definitely gone. (M/N) wondered about Katsuki. Had he lasted through the day? He'd know in a few hours. When they projected the dead's images into the sky for the remaining tributes to see.
(M/N) was suddenly overwhelmed by the thought that Katsuki may have already lost, left to bleed out, skin drained of colour, collected, and transported back to the Capitol to be cleaned up, re-dressed, and shipped in a wooden box back to District 12. (M/N) tried to remember if he saw the blonde once the action started. But the last image he could conjure up was Katsuki shaking his head as the bell rang out.
Maybe it's better if he's gone already, (M/N) thought. He had no confidence he could win, and I won't end up with the unpleasant task of killing him. Maybe it's better if he's out of this for good.
(M/N) slumped down next to his pack, exhausted. He needed to go through it before nightfall anyway. See what he had to work with. As he unhooked the straps, he could feel that it was sturdily made, although a rather unfortunate colour. The orange would practically glow in the dark. (M/N) made a mental note to camouflage it first thing tomorrow.
He flipped open the flap, what he wanted most, at that moment, was water. Shota's directive to immediately find water was not arbitrary. (M/N) knew he wouldn't last long without it. For a few days he'd be able to function with unpleasant symptoms of dehydration, but after that he'd deteriorate into helplessness and be dead in a week tops.
(M/N) carefully laid out the contents of the pack. One thin black sleeping bag that reflected body heat, a pack of crackers, a pack of dried beef strips, a bottle of iodine, a box of matches, a small coil of wire, and a two-litre plastic bottle, with no water.
Seriously? How hard would it have been for them to fill up the water bottle?
(M/N) could feel the dryness in his throat and mouth. He'd been moving all day long, it was hot and he had been sweating a lot. He did this a lot at home, but the difference was that there were always streams to drink from, or snow to melt if it came to it.
As (M/N) refilled his pack, he had an awful thought. The lake. The one he saw while he was waiting on the pedestal. What if that was the only source of water in the arena? That way they'd guarantee drawing everyone in to fight. The lake was a full day's journey from where he was at now, a much harder journey with nothing to drink. Even if (M/N) did reach it, it was sure to be guarded by the Careers.
(M/N) was about to panic when he remembered the rabbit he found earlier that day. It had to drink as well, he just had to find out where.
Darkness was closing in and (M/N) was worried. The trees were too thin to offer much concealment. The layer of pine needles that muffled his footsteps also made tracking animals harder when he needed their trails to find water.
He was hungry too, but he didn't dare break into his precious store of crackers and beef yet. Instead, he grabbed his knife and got to work on a pine tree, cutting away the outer bark and scraping off a large handful of the softer inner bark. (M/N) slowly chewed on the stuff as he walked along. After a week of the finest food in the world, it was a bit hard to choke down. But he'd eaten plenty of pine in his life, so he'd adjust quickly.
In the next hour, (M/N) would have to find a place to camp. He knew many of his fellow tributes would continue to hunt throughout the night. Those who fought it out at the Cornucopia would have food, an abundance of water from the lake, torches or flashlights, and weapons they were itching to use. (M/N) could only hope he travelled far enough to be out of range.
Before settling down, (M/N) took his wire and set two twitch-up snares in the foliage. It was risky to be setting traps, but food would disappear fast, and he couldn't set snares on the run. He then walked another five minutes before making a camp.
(M/N) picked out a willow tree. Not too tall, but set in a clump of other willows, therefore offering concealment for the boy. He climbed up to one of the stronger branches close to the trunk and layed out his sleeping bag in a relatively comfortable manner. He placed his backpack in the foot of the bag and slid in after it. For extra safety, he removed his belt and looped it around the branch and his sleeping bag and refastened it to his waist. That way if he rolled over in his sleep, he wouldn't go crashing to the ground.
As night fell upon him the air began to cool. Despite the risk (M/N) took in getting the backpack. He knew at that moment that he made the right choice. The sleeping bag, radiating back and preserving his body heat, would be invaluable. He was sure there were other tributes whose biggest concern at that moment would be staying warm, whereas (M/N) might have been able to get a few hours of sleep, if only he wasn't so thirsty.
Soon after he heard the anthem that brought the death recap. Through the branches (M/N) could see the seal of the Capitol, displayed in the sky. Though what he was actually viewing was another screen, an enormous one.
He watched as the faces of the eleven dead tributes showed up, ticking them off one by one. The first one was the girl from District 3. Which means that the Career tributes from 1 and 2 all survived.
No surprises there, (M/N) thought.
Then the boy from 4, he didn't expect that one, normally all the Careers make it through the first day. The boy from District 5, both tributes from 6 and 7, which meant the other girl from Bella's District also died. The boy from 8, both from 9. Yes, (M/N) saw the boy who tried to kill him. There was only one more tribute to go, he wondered if it was Katsuki. No, it was the girl from District 10. That's it. The Capitol seal reappeared as the anthem began to fade out, and he was surrounded by darkness once again.
He was just relieved that Katsuki was alive. He told himself that if he died, the blonde boy winning would benefit his mother and Eri the most. This is what he did to explain the conflicting emotions that arise when he thought of Katsuki. The gratitude he gave (M/N) by professing his love for him in the interview. The anger at his superiority on the roof... The dread that they may come face to face at any moment in the arena.
(M/N) pushed those thoughts aside, he could think about that tomorrow. But at that moment, he was going to sleep. He hadn't really slept properly in two days, and then he had that long journey into the arena.
~
Snap!
The sound of a breaking branch woke (M/N) up. He wondered how long he'd been asleep. Four hours? Five?
Snap! Snap!
He was confused as to what was going on, he judged the sound to be several hundred metres to his right. Slowly, without making noise, he turned himself in that direction. For a few minutes, there was nothing but blackness and some scuffling. Then he saw a spark, and a small fire bgan to bloom. A pair of hands warmed themselves over the flames, but (M/N) couldn't make out more than that.
He bit his lip to stop himself from screaming out curses and foul names at the fire starter.
What are they thinking? Are they even thinking?
A fire lit just at nightfall would have been one thing. Those who fought at the Cornucopia, with their superior strength and supplies, wouldn't have been anywhere close enough to spot the flames. But at this point they would've probably been searching the woods for hours, looking for victims.
The person that started the fire may as well be waving a flag and shouting "Come and get me!"
And there (M/N) was, right next to the biggest idiot in the Games, strapped to a tree, not daring to flee since his general location had just been broadcast to anyone who cared. He knew it was cold and not everyone had a sleeping bag, but at that point they should just grit their teeth and stick it out until dawn.
(M/N) stayed in his bag for the next few hours, wondering whether or not he could get out of his current situation. The sky was still dark, but he could feel the first signs of dawn approaching. The boy began to think that maybe him and his new neighbour, whose death he was currently devising, might have actually gone unnoticed.
But then he heard it. Several pairs of feet breaking out into a run. The fire starter must have dozed off. They were on her before she could escape. (M/N) knew it was a girl by that point, he could tell by the pleading and the agonized scream that followed. Then he heard laughter and congratulations from several voices.
Someone yelled out "Twelve down and eleven to go!" which was received with a round of appreciative hoots.
So they're fighting in a pack, (M/N) summarised. He wasn't really surprised. Often alliances were formed in the early stages of the Games. The strong banded together to hunt down the weak; then when the tension became too great, they would turn on eachother. He didn't have to wonder who made the alliance. It would have been the remaining Career tributes from Districts 1, 2, and 4. Two boys and three girls.
For a moment, he heard them checking the girl for supplies, and could tell by their comments that they found nothing good. (M/N) wondered if the victim was Wendy, but quickly dismissed the thought. She was far too smart to be building a fire like that.
Soon after, the pack began to head in (M/N)'s direction, filling him with a sense of dread.
He tried to calm himself down. There's no way they know I'm here, how could they? And I'm well concealed by the trees, (M/N) reasoned with himself. If they just kept moving they'd pass him and be gone in a minute.
But the Careers stopped in the clearing about ten metres from (M/N)'s tree. He could vaguely see them through the branches. (M/N) turned to stone, not even daring to breathe. For a moment he wondered if they had really spotted him, but quickly dismissed the thought as he could tell from their words that their minds were elsewhere.
"Shouldn't we have heard a cannon by now?"
"I'd say yes. Nothing to prevent them from going immediately."
"Unless she isn't dead."
"She's dead, I stuck her myself."
"Then where's the cannon?"
"Someone should go back. Make sure the job's done."
"Yeah, we don't want to have to track her down twice."
"I said she's dead!"
An argument broke out until one tribute silenced the others. "We're wasting time! I'll finish her and then we can move on!"
(M/N) almost fell out of the tree. That voice belonged to Katsuki.
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So there you go, that chapter fr took me hours to do, didn't really help that i was finishing it at 3am
anyway i'll try and be more consistent with future updates, until then i'll see yall laterrr