Iris would never forget about the Reaping and the tragic events that came after it. The thought in the back of her head lingered: being chosen frightened her. However, that secret of hers spreaded faster across the District than a wildfire. Everyone questioned her fear of the Games. Was she delusional? With this mindset, would Iris be able to win? In District 2, the young girl had the honor of being a Career and has practically been training since birth. The academy engraved it into every single child's head that they were elite, destined to win. When Iris doubted herself and her fear grew, she was only brainwashed more. Soon enough, those intrusive thoughts would vanish and be replaced with new ones. Was that not enough to the sixteen year old? Mentors saw the teenager as the perfect weapon and had faith in her.
A weapon. That's what she'll always be... to District 2 and eventually, the Capitol.
It wasn't a surprise when Iris Barlowe was handpicked from the Careers. Either people were cheering or hating her. Regardless of anyone else's opinion, this was an honor to her. The girl steps onto the stage and is already feeling on top of the world, even having the audacity to wear a smug grin on her face. Her partner was carefully chosen as well, his name was Ryder Calloway.
Ryder was two years older than Iris, which meant he had more experience and is naturally stronger. He stood around six feet, shaggy black hair and dark brown eyes. His expression was stone cold, always. No one could ever read past his lifeless eyes. What did he endure that she didn't? Iris would never know, but she was aware that he had to be an ally until the number of tributes dwindled. She was familiar with him, considering they train and study in the same academy but never fully had a conversation. They'd exchange glances in the halls or have to train together, whether it was hand to hand combat or using weapons. Maybe a tip or trick was given here and there, but nothing else.
After the ceremony was held and the tributes bid their goodbyes to families, they were whisked away to the Capitol immediately. The entire train ride, Iris and Ryder barely spoke unless they were talking to their mentor, Davion. Hell, he even encouraged the tributes to get to know another more - but Ryder didn't even attempt to. However, Iris tried... Even if it annoyed him. But the second night of being on the bullet train, she managed to make him laugh. That was definitely a surprise.
Ryder was in the dining area, sitting at the table with a glass in his hand. Iris entered the room with her arms crossed against her chest. Seeing the drink, she raised her eyebrow and glanced at the beverage.
"You're drinking?" She spoke up, causing the boy to turn around and look at his partner.
"What else does it look like?" He rolled his eyes, taking another sip and setting the cup down. "You gonna tell our mentor or something?"
There wasn't exactly an age limit on drinking, especially now - if you have the time, make it count, right?
Iris shook her head,"No, but there's no need to get so defensive." The tribute replied with a slight attitude. She steps forward and decides to take a seat across from Ryder. The girl extends her arm, reaching for the glass.
"No!" He exclaims, moving it closer to him instead of picking the object up.
Iris couldn't help but to laugh a little,"What, scared I have cooties?"
Yeah, the teen could be quite stubborn and a pain in the ass - but she had a sense of humor too, sometimes at the wrong time.
"Cooties?" Ryder repeats, furrowing his brows as his eyes meet hers. He knew the word, obviously - it was just used more by the younger children.
A smile was on her face now, nodding in response,"Yeah."
Iris leans forward, managing to retrieve the cup and leaning back into the cushioned seat. She took a swig, feeling the liquid burn as it ran down her throat. She wasn't used to drinking alcohol, so made a funny expression at the taste. "Disgusting." She whispered, sliding the glass to Ryder,"And cooties are the last thing to worry about, we're being shipped off to the Games after all."
Ryder couldn't help but to laugh at Iris' face, seeing her nose scrunch with disgust at the drink,"What about cooties in the arena?" He joked.
"I didn't know you had a sense of humor, Ryder." She admits with a chuckle.
"Eh, sometimes... Maybe the drink loosened me up." He admits, deciding to down the rest of the alcohol.
The Careers continued to talk for the remainder of the night which was quite the surprise. The conversation was mainly about the Games, the Capitol and possibly forming a group with other tributes. When it comes down to the talk of the Capitol, they were cautious with what to say — anyone could've been listening. Around midnight, Iris and Ryder say goodnight and go to bed. They would arrive at the Capitol in the morning and get settled in.
—
Once she stepped foot off the train and onto the platform, the remaining days in the Capitol became a blur. It happened too fast - the interviews, the parade, training. Unfortunately, Iris couldn't stop time and dwell in the lighthearted moments. Now, her main priority was the Games and becoming a Victor.
Iris didn't bother with counting down the days in the arena, she stopped by the third night. Instead, she kept a count of how many tributes were left.
During the bloodbath, around ten children died. She killed off at least four with a machete she found in the Cornucopia, retrieving a backpack and fleeing from the scene. After a few hours, she was spotted by Ryder and the two have stuck together since. To no surprise, District 2 formed an alliance with the pair from District 4, Cassidy and Jared. A girl named Jade was from District 1, claiming she killed her own partner because he was pissing her off. However, they allowed the loner into the group but made sure to keep an eye on her. Not once did Iris put her guard down, even if the Careers were supposed to stick together. One was allowed to come out of the dome alive, she wasn't taking any risks.
The Careers were a tight knit group - they had sleeping arrangements and who would stay up to keep watch, someone was in charge of supplies or food, and went on killing sprees together. The five tributes had everything under control until the number of survivors started to get lower and lower. There were now seven, including the Careers and two other teenagers: Eliza from District 8 and Briar from District 5.
It was expected for Jade to lash out first, which is exactly what happened. Everyone was asleep and Jade was on watch. Iris was sleeping farther away from the group for this exact reason. She didn't fully trust anyone in here and didn't want to form strong connections. The rest of the Careers were idiots for trying to become friends, or at least act like it. When Jade had the chance, she found Iris asleep and began to strangle her. Luckily, the younger girl woke up and attempted to fight her off. The tributes would thrash and kick, Iris trying to breathe in the process.
"You'll lose, give up already!" Jade exclaimed, hands still wrapped around Iris' throat. Fingernails clawed at the assailant, soon reaching up to her face and digging her nails into her cheek. It was a relief to feel the pressure being removed from her neck, the dark haired girl gasping for air.
"Fuck!" A hand flies to the small wound, which gives enough time for Iris to push her off. Jade fell onto the floor with a grunt. Iris scrambled to her feet and tried her best to locate the machete. She swore it was around here somewhere, it couldn't have been misplaced! It was pitch black, so that didn't help her out either.
"No, no..." Iris mumbled, too focused on looking for her weapon to realize Jade was able to get up. She was caught off guard and tackled from behind, landing on her stomach with a thud. Iris groaned at the impact, feeling the weight of Jade on top of her again.
"Are you sure you were trained for this?" Jade taunts, running her hands through her victim's hair and yanking Iris' head upwards. She winced in pain at the harsh tug, unable to completely move.
Then she heard a click of a switchblade. A million thoughts were swarming around her brain, how would she ever get out of this? Was this the end?
Iris forced her eyes shut, ready to feel the sharp metal glide against her delicate skin. She was already accepting her fate. Jade's body weight shifted as she leaned forward, the weapon moving closer to the girl's neck.
'Do it. Get it over with.' She thought to herself.
"Time's up." Jade whispered, a smirk growing on the Career's face.
Next thing Iris knew, she only felt a knick from the blade against her throat and heard a thump. Shouting voices came after that. Her eyes shot open, looking to the left. It was Cassidy who came to the rescue, the two of them wrestling in the dirt beside her.
"Go, Iris!" Cassidy yelled, still fighting with Jade to try and retrieve the switchblade.
There was no way in hell she was running off without the machete. She took a few seconds to search for the weapon again, eventually finding it a few feet from the sleeping bag. Jade must have moved it when she was in a deep sleep.
When she began to run off, she heard a painful shriek come from Cassidy and eventually a cannon going off. She had to keep going, there was no need to turn back. Either Jade was going to continue slaughtering the rest of the group or come after her again. The best option was to continue running.
Yelling could be heard in the distance, the voices growing more faint with every step she took. She didn't care if she was panting heavily or how loud branches snapped beneath her feet. Iris had to keep going until she felt safe enough to stop.
It felt like an eternity, but she eventually slows down and finds herself at a river bank. She sighed, crouching down by the water and splashing it against her face. Iris scanned her surroundings before slowly standing back up with the machete in her hand. So far, she was okay. The two cannons going off startled her, but considering she couldn't hear the screams of who died - it wasn't necessary to worry about Jade... For now.
"Three cannons." The brunette whispered to herself, figuring out how many tributes were alive,"Four are left." She sighed, shaking her head before moving forward again. Maybe not tonight, but the next evening she'll find out who the fallen ones are. That is, if she can live that long. Iris walks along the river in hopes of finding a secluded area to rest. She didn't hear any birds chirping, so it had to be around midnight still. The girl was lucky enough to spot an empty cave, using vines and branches to cover the entrance. Setting the machete down, Iris took a seat and leaned against the rocky wall before closing her eyes. She wanted to get as much sleep as possible and was hoping to not be woken up by someone trying to kill her again.
Hours pass and the sun is shining through the entryway of the cave. Iris' eyes flutter open, squinting at the light. It was a relief to be alive. Her stomach growled quite loudly, which she couldn't help but to chuckle. The tribute grabs the machete beside her, leaving the bag in the cave. She could hunt, but that was more time consuming so she stuck with harvesting blueberries from a nearby bush. Popping a few into her mouth, she began to think about Ryder and the others. Should she check if he was at least alive? Iris sighed to herself,"I cant." She muttered. If she did, it would be like walking back into a trap - or even worse - Ryder would think Iris betrayed the group.
Throughout the day, she continued to travel and search for more food. She did run into Eliza who was begging to not fight, only wanting to rest and eat part of the squirrel she hunted. Surprisingly, she was generous enough to share the meal. Iris only allowed her to live just this once, since the young woman offered food. They sat in silence, eating the leftovers and eventually parted ways without a word. Iris went right while Eliza went left, but it wasn't long until she heard a cannon fire. That girl never stood a chance, it was shocking she made it this long.
Three left.
The real chaos won't unfold until nightfall. Everyone's favorite part of the Hunger Games: The finale.
Iris hasn't come across the boy from Five or the remaining Career and was currently sitting on a hill, looking up at the perfect view of the starry sky. The familiar anthem plays, projecting the fallen tributes who lost their lives yesterday and today. There was a pang in her chest when she saw Ryder's photo, he was from the same district which made her sympathize... But at the end of the day, Iris knew she'd kill him to survive too. It wasn't selfish, it was survival.
As the announcement came to an end, the nature around her went quiet... Too quiet. There was no chirping of birds or even the sound of leaves rustling in the air. She stood up with caution, taking in the sight around her. Nothing looked suspicious so far, there was no sign of mutts or other tributes. The brunette began to walk, but it wasn't long until something tragic happened.
Her foot lands in a bear trap, the contraption snapping shut within a second. It wasn't sharp, but at the speed the trap closes at - she surely has a broken bone. Pain surges through her leg and her hands instantly grab onto it. A blood curdling scream breaks the silence and echoes throughout the forest. Birds squawk at the sound, fleeing from the treetops at an alarming rate.
Tears stream down her face, trying her best to not make sudden movements. She had to act fast, there was no use of sitting around and being helpless. Iris leans down and tries prying the jaws of the trap open, groaning in pain. Iris continued struggling but wasn't going to give up, she will not die like this.
"Come on, you stupid piece of shit!" She yells, using every ounce of strength left within her. After a few more attempts, the jaws opened and she pulled her foot out. The pain was excruciating and even limping was going to be hard, but the things you do to stay alive, right?
She retrieved the machete from the forest floor, putting most of her weight onto the good leg and continued her journey. Every once and a while, Iris had to rest against a tree and regain her energy. In the back of her mind, she kept reminding herself that she had to win - not only for District 2 - but for her family. For herself.
Iris pushed off the tree and limped onward, she was doing fine until a few minutes into the walk and trips over something hidden under leaves. She tries catching herself, but fails miserably and ends up rolling down the hill. Luckily, it wasn't too steep but the fall would still cause her to be in more pain. At the end of the incline, she grunts at the soreness radiating through her body,"Great." She mumbled. The girl laid there for a moment or two, slowly sitting up and wincing at the pain in her leg. She knew standing from this position was going to hurt like hell.
"You okay?" An unfamiliar voice comes from the direction behind her. Iris' head turns to the sound immediately, hand going to the handle of her machete. A tribute younger than her emerges from behind a tree. He was a bit muscular and stocky, his hair was shaved into a buzz cut. Despite having the rough exterior, there was a gentleness to the boy. It was Briar.
"Clearly not." She scoffed, rolling her eyes at the question. Her hand stays glued onto the handle and doesn't dare to break eye contact with Briar.
Briar's gaze flickered between the Career and her weapon,"I'm not going to hurt you, if that's what you're thinking." He even raised his hands, showing that he isn't a threat. Regardless of what he said, she didn't believe him.
"Then what are you here for?"
"Well, you're the one who just fell down a hill. I was just here, minding my business." He crossed his arms, beginning to move closer to the injured female.
The machete was lifted as he took a few steps forward,"Stay back."
"I told you, I'm not going-"
The boy stops mid sentence, his focus shifting from Iris to what was in front of her. Confused, the brunette adjusts her head to look forward. The two of them were too busy talking to even see what was coming next. A few feet away was a deformed looking bear, it was horrifying. The mutt was gray and had patches of fur scattered across its body. From this distance, the eyes were gray and cloudy and the creature had foam around its mouth. Abnormal noises came from the bear as he slowly approached the humans.
Iris squints, trying to figure out what the creature was doing. Yes, the large animal had eyes but that didn't mean he had the ability to see. She could tell by how the mutt walked, along with the fact of when it heard something - their head immediately turned into the direction of the noise. It was obvious the bear heard the banter, and Briar speaking again didn't help.
"We have to go." His voice wavered, but she could hear the soft crunch of leaves under his boots. He genuinely seemed like he wanted to help. Iris keeps her eyes locked on the monster as Briar attempts to pick the wounded girl up. She bit down on her bottom lip, not wanting to cause more of a commotion.
Briar knew that she couldn't walk, so he held the girl in his arms carefully and began to walk backwards slowly. That was his first mistake... Because the next thing you know, he's falling backwards with the Career in his arms. They both grunt as they hit the ground and the deformed monster perked his ears.
"Oh no." She whispers, trying to move off the boy but his hands wrap around her waist tightly.
"No! I'm not dying alone, you're going down with me." He exclaimed, only making the situation worse. The bear roared, starting to run towards the voice.
"Get off me!" Iris yelled, at this point not caring if the monster heard - they already were screwed over because of Briar. Even with a broken bone, she tried her best to fight back even if it meant just thrashing her body around to get out of the death grip.
Every second she squirmed and screamed, the closer the mutt was getting. Adrenaline and fear was rushing through her bloodstream, even her head felt like it was spinning. Nothing seemed to be working, so Iris went for a last resort and bit Briar's upper arm hard. He yells and his grip on the girl loosens. She pulled away, noticing the bite marks on his arm and how blood managed to slowly trickle out of the wound.
Without hesitation, she pushed his arm and rolled off. She grabs her machete and immediately plunges it into the boy's chest. His scream grew louder and she continued to stab her victim three more times. After that, Iris knew to stop and try to crawl away from the corpse. The shouting caught the creature's attention more than the girl trying to crawl away, which was still noisy - but not as loud as the screams.
The mutt reached the dead body, sniffing the human and eventually began to eat him. It was a gruesome sight to see, Iris making a face of disgust and closing her eyes. However the sound of flesh being torn apart and the animal chewing really got to her. It didn't last long since a cannon went off and when she opened her eyes, the thing vanished but the mangled corpse was left.
Iris had seen dead bodies, but nothing as horrendous as the sight before her. Her eyes widened, feeling her stomach twist and turn. She couldn't help but to vomit at the view and when finished, struggled to get to her feet again. She'd avoid looking in the direction of the tribute, limping away again but this time watching where she steps.
Jade was nowhere to be found yet and Iris had been aimlessly walking around in pain, so she sat down beside a boulder. Hopefully, the remaining Career would be walking in the opposite direction and not see her. It'd be a great way to take out the girl anyways. Sighing to herself, she took off the backpack and began rummaging around in it. Empty canister. Cream for burns and cuts. Rope. Iris shook her head, zippering up the bag. It was pointless to keep hauling that damn thing around, so she kept it off her shoulders. The extra weight slowed her down anyway. After closing the backpack, she carefully propped the injured leg up and winced at the pain. Carefully, she rolled up her pants and examined the damage caused by the bear trap. It was badly bruised, a large and purple mark was spreading across her ankle.
'It's almost over, just kill one more and you'll be fixed up... Good as new.' She thought, not bothering to roll the pant leg down as she leaned against the large rock. Iris felt herself growing tired, she couldn't sleep though. It was dark and Jade could come out of anywhere, or even worse - another mutt could appear out of thin air. She exhaled, whispering words of encouragement to herself. It's all under control.
Time passed and the other girl wasn't around still... Maybe one power nap couldn't hurt? She knew she kept telling herself not to sleep, but the fatigue was getting the best of her. Iris sat the blade down and closed her eyes, trying to get comfortable beside the boulder and eventually fell asleep.
"Oh, look who it is."
Iris didn't have to guess who that was, she already heard the same haunting voice from earlier when Jade almost killed her off. She was the last one besides herself, anyways. When the Career looks up, she saw the other hovering above her with a grin on her face. There was an attempt to grab her machete, but the object disappeared. Jade must've tossed it somewhere.
"Oh, poor you." Jade looks at the injured ankle, giving a fake pout,"Wouldn't it be a shame if it got worse?"
Before Iris could reply, Jade's foot lands on Iris' leg and steps down. She screams, but the other girl is laughing about it in a sadistic manner.
"Should I keep going? This is fun." She teased.
"No!" She exclaimed, but Jade ignored her plea. Her shoe is pressed down with more weight, causing Iris to suffer more. Tears prick at her eyes.
"God, you're pathetic... You'll be an easier kill this time." The taller girl pulled the switchblade from her back pocket. Her foot moves from Iris' leg to her chest, pinning her down.
The girl below her grunts, trying to use her hands to pry the foot off of her chest but it wasn't working. Jade giggled at her attempt, shaking her head and carefully moves to straddle Iris. She made sure to keep the brunette pinned down still besides her hands, which wasn't the smartest idea.
"Goodbye, Iris." Jade raised the knife, about to stab the girl below her in the chest. However, Iris makes the quick move to try and grab the object. Her hands dug into the sharp blade, feeling the sting as it cuts her palms. She tried to ignore the temporary stinging and fight to get the knife from Jade. The two kept moving around, causing the wounds on Iris' hands to get deeper - but in the moment, she didn't care. Her main priority was surviving, even if that meant developed rugged scars on her hands.
Eventually, Iris retrieved the object and used all of the strength within herself to flip Jade over. The roles were now reversed, Iris scrambling to climb onto the girl.
"Looks like you're the weakling now." Iris smirked.
Jade opens her mouth to reply, but it's too late to speak. Iris lifts the blade above her head and stabbed the tribute in the face a handful of times. Blood splattered across her own skin upon impact.
Then the cannon went off and the Gamemaker's voice could be heard.
"Ladies and gentleman, we have our Victor of the 70th Hunger Games - Iris Barlowe!"
She might've felt invincible in this moment, but Iris would be stripped of her pride and dignity the second she makes it out of this damn arena and for many years to come.
—
Author's Note:
Thank you so much for the love already on this fanfiction! I apologize if the prologue seemed all over the place, my writing has been a little off lately. I'm surprised I wrote 4 thousand words though... The next chapter will be better, I promise! <3