In their search for water, Dahlia and Cove pass by a hatch with wisps of smoke escaping it like a chimney. They ignore the tribute stupid enough to try and light a fire in a tunnel. The Careers would eliminate that idiot without fail. Every year, at least one tribute will make the mistake of lighting a fire. They never learn from the failures of previous years. Not long after they continue on, a loud boom signals the end of another young life. The two girls don't flinch, they just keep walking.
"I can hear water." Cove gasps out, rushing towards the source. They find a small hidden trickle of water flowing out from between some rocks. The precious liquid appears to drain down into the caves through little cracks in the ground. "That must be how the stala-things are being made."
"Stalactites." Dahlia corrects with a small giggle as Cove waves her off and immediately fills her mouth with the cool water. "They normally take ages to form but I'm sure the gamemakers had no trouble speeding up the process."
"Those geniuses can be quite brilliant sometimes." Cove states, wiping away the water that has dribbled out of the corners of her mouth.
Dahlia pauses at those words as the water pools in her cupped hands. "They're still geniuses who couldn't think of a better way to keep the peace than forcing kids into an arena to kill each other." The statement tastes bitter in Dahlia's mouth and forces the pair into silence. Cove doesn't argue with that because she knows it's true. "They're telling me that all those brains in the Capitol and not one of them can come up with a better alternative? It's bullshit." This comment is reckless. One might even call it rebellious. Dahlia had no idea of the murmurs of agreement spreading through the districts. She hadn't yet learned that words like that can have repercussions.
"We should fill up the bottle and keep moving." Cove suggests quietly, unzipping the bag on Dahlia's back to collect the flask. "It's too dangerous to stay in one place up here. We'd be spotted from a mile away."
"Wait." Dahlia holds her hand out to stop her ally and Cove stares at the younger girl in confusion. "I can hear voices." The pair strain their ears and, sure enough, an echo of voices is heard. "It must be the Careers. We're right above the Cornucopia."
"I can't hear what they're saying over the sound of the water." Cove complains as the fountain drips onto the damp rocks.
"Fill up the flask." Dahlia orders as she clambers over a boulder. "I'll try and figure out where it's coming from."
Cove nods in agreement, bidding her ally goodbye for the moment, "Be careful."
"Come and find me when you're done." Dahlia set off on nimble feet, making light work of the uneven ground. The further she travelled from the water source, the clearer the voices became. Then it didn't take too long to figure out where the sound was coming from. Another hatch carved into the rocks directly above the Career Pack. Flattening her body against the ground, Dahlia places her ear against the thin crack to listen in on the Career's conversation.
"... practically impossible to find anyone in these tunnels." Dahlia recognises that whining voice as Crystal, District One's remaining Tribute after Apollo's abrupt end.
"The Cornucopia is the only place that has any light and enough supplies to survive." The second female, Victoria, snaps harshly. "They'll all make mistakes and we will pick them off one by one."
"Is that our plan?" A deep voice, obviously belonging to Ryker of District Two, growls. "Sit here and wait them out?"
"Well, do you have a better idea?" Victoria snarks back.
"We need to hunt down the Black Dahlia and that District Four traitor, Cove." Ryker argues fiercely. Dahlia spots the mentioned girl climbing over the rocks nearby and waves her over.
Cove drops down next to Dahlia, placing her ear on the ground so the pair are facing each other. "What have I missed?" She whispers, clutching the filled flask in her hand.
"You're right on time. It's just getting good." Dahlia smirks back and the girls quiet down again.
"He's right. They killed Apollo." Caspian speaks up, his youthful voice sounding out of place among the more mature tones of the Careers. "And Cove betrayed our pack."
"What does that matter?" Victoria spits out. "If Apollo was half as good as he thought he was, they shouldn't have been able to kill him."
"That's not fair, Tori. They ganged up on him. It was two against one." Crystal reasons, sticking up for her fallen district partner.
"If it was me in his place, they would both be dead by now." Victoria declares confidently.
Crystal obviously becomes infuriated by that. "Well, maybe it should be you in his place right now. Would you like a smile carved into your face like he had? Might make you look prettier."
"A pretty face means nothing if you barely know how to wield a sword." Victoria retorts with venom laced through her words.
"I won't need a sword to shut you up. Just a sharp blade meeting your face." Crystal threatens before a chaotic commotion seems to occur between the group. Dahlia and Cove's eyes widened in shock.
"Trouble in Career paradise." Dahlia jests in a hushed voice.
Cove snickers at her former allies infighting. "If we leave them alone long enough, they might do our job for us."
"How nice of them." Dahlia gasps mockingly.
"So considerate." Cove adds on, leaving the girls to dissolve into giggles before the uproar below is put to rest.
"If we stand any chance of taking down the Black Dahlia, you two need to stop fighting each other." Ryker roars furiously, taking charge of the group. "We need to concentrate all our strength on hunting those girls down. They are our biggest threat right now. You can get back to killing each other later... But only after those two are dead."
The argument is put to an end at Ryker's commands and the two girls roll onto their backs to digest what they've just heard. "Nice to know they're thinking of us." Dahlia jokes as they watch the sun slowly descend below the rocks.
"Yeah, it's great." Cove replies back sarcastically. "We need to come up with a plan on how to take them down before they can kill us."
Dahlia hums in agreement. "But we have the advantage. We know where they are, we know they aren't getting along and we know that they are totally oblivious to where we are right now."
"Sometimes I think the Careers play it too safe." Cove explains as Dahlia listens intently. "They have the strength and the skills to defend their territory so they don't bother moving too far away from where they feel most comfortable."
"They're predictable." Dahlia continues to which Cove nods. "Which is lucky for us." The setting sun casts long shadows across the ground and colours the sky a deep shade of red. "If we plan this right, we can pick off the Careers one by one without them even realising what's happening. We'll have them playing right into our hands."
"I guess we're staying up here for the night." Cove sighs, glancing at their surroundings. "This is probably the most sheltered area we'll find."
"It's not the best but it'll do for one night. If we stay low, we should be alright." Dahlia reasons as the girls shuffle around to conceal themselves behind a particularly large boulder. "I'll take the first watch."
•——————•°•✿•°•——————•
Dahlia hadn't been keeping watch for long when the anthem of the Capitol echoed around the arena. There must've been small screens hidden throughout the tunnels for all the tributes to witness those who had fallen. Cove was startled awake by the sound until she noticed Dahlia's gaze fixed on the projection in the sky.
Apollo's face was the first to flash up, his smug expression gleaming down on Dahlia tauntingly. She didn't regret what she had done, not one bit. But the realisation was beginning to sink in that she had taken someone's life. A boy who was destined to be Victor, struck down in the bloodbath. He had a family. People were waiting for him at home. They were now mourning for their child, taken too soon by a heartless girl.
District Three's male, Glitch, was the next face to be shown. A scared boy whose true potential would never be known after Victoria slit his throat. But Dahlia is surprised when the presentation cuts straight to District Six. Wyatt, the boy so convinced he was already dead, was still alive. Whether it was his survival instincts kicking in or just sheer luck, Dahlia wasn't sure.
District Six were unlucky enough to have both their tributes perish in the bloodbath. No Victors would be produced from that district this year. Although, the lower districts didn't get off lightly with at least one tribute killed from each of them.
Diesel and Vega from 6.
Cedar, the female from 7.
Tanner, the male from 8.
Pip, the male from 9.
Butch, the male from 10.
Chia, the female from 11.
And Cinda, the female from 12.
One by one, their faces were displayed for the arena to see. A few moments of fame spawned from a lifetime of fear. They were pawns in the Capitol's giant game of chess. Little lambs sent to the slaughter for entertainment. And what do they get for their sacrifice? Their name fading into the obscurity of the Hunger Games history books.
Dahlia wonders if the citizens of the Capitol cried when their favourite tributes didn't make it. Or did they just cheer for the excitement of the bloodbath? Did they feel pity? Disgust? Did they realise how wrong this is? Probably not. They're slaves to Snow's regime. As long as they're not on the receiving end, they're more than happy to spectate. It makes Dahlia sick to her stomach.
As the final face fades away, Dahlia and Cove are plunged into darkness once more. Silence settles among them in the wake of the short presentation. Both just stare at each other, the weight of survival hanging heavy on their shoulders.
"Eleven dead." Cove murmurs quietly, biting the inside of her cheek as she sighs.
"Eleven lives wasted." Dahlia states sharply through gritted teeth. A whirring noise from a boulder just across from the girls catches her attention, the tiny camera inside zooming in to focus on her. Dahlia glares at the device fiercely, sending shivers down the spine of all those watching throughout Panem. Without a word, she unsheathes a knife and surges to her feet. She reaches the camera in three strides and stabs the knife deep into the hidden lens. The gamemakers jump back in shock as their live footage is cut off and the camera shuts down.
Cove shakes her head disapprovingly at the girl as she flops back down next to her. "Why'd you do that?"
Dahlia just shrugs, folding her arms across her chest as she leans back. "Fuck the Capitol."