Santana Higgins POV
"Someone needs to go hunting."
I glanced up from sharpening my knife at Rudy's voice, cocking my head to the side.
"Have we run out of food already?" Camille sighed in exasperation, moving over to the packs. Rudy shrugged.
"We have two more mouths to feed now," he explained, gesturing towards Misty and I. Misty glanced over at me, and I made a face at her. Her lip curled and she looked away, a sour look on her face.
"I'll go," Chris offered, standing to his feet, "Anyone wanna join?"
Perfect.
"Ah, why not," I said airily, jumping up to a standing position. I twisted my dagger in my grip, my thumb sliding along the thin, sharp blade. Excitement coursed through my veins. This was the perfect opportunity.
Sorry, Chris.
"Let's go, c'mon." I said, tapping Chris on the shoulder. Rudy waved us away, nodding slightly.
"Um, maybe I should go too," Misty spoke up, hesitantly. I rolled my eyes. Man, was this bitch determined.
"I think we're good," I simpered sarcastically, although I wanted to reach over and strangle the life out of her I restrained myself. I couldn't attack now.
"It's not safe, I don't think," Misty pressed. Her eyes were narrowed now. She thought I was up to something.
Hm. So there was a brain rattling about in her skull, it seemed.
"Although I'm flattered by your concern," I drawled, "I doubt we will have anything to worry about. You can chill, dude."
Misty tightened her jaw, an angered look on her face. Then she sighed and shuffled back.
"Be back soon," she mumbled. I smiled at her, sickeningly sweet, before looping my arm through Chris' and jogging into the forest.
We walked for a good 20 minutes, looking around for food. Chris took me over to a few traps he and Doug set up earlier, and we took down three rabbits that had become entangled in it. We collected a few berries as well, and the whole time my heart was pounding in my ribcage. I had to lull him into a false sense of security. If he had any idea of what I was planning, he'd bolt back to the others with his tail between his legs.
No, I had to make him trust me.
"I think we should head back now."
Still crouched by a strawberry plant, I glanced up at Chris with my eyebrows raised. "Huh?"
"We've gotten more food. And I doubt the games will go further than four days, we have more than enough to survive another day."
Shit.
"I don't want to go yet." I said firmly. Chris tilted his head to the side.
"Why?"
"I just..." I struggled for a few moments, trying to think of a response, "Don't. Something doesn't feel right."
"It's fine, you're just paranoid," Chris shrugged me off. He began to walk past me, closer to the camp, and my heart began to quicken.
"No!" I dived in front of him, blocking his path, "We can't leave yet."
"What the fuck, Santana?" Chris asked shakily, letting out some small, nervous laughter, "Are you pranking me or something?"
"No," I scoffed, "Why would I be pranking you?" Behind my back I pulled out my knife from its sheath, tracing the blade with my thumb. Adrenaline coursed through my veins.
"I-I don't know..." Chris stammered. My grip on the knife tightened, and a small smile crossed my face. Then, I lurched forward, and stabbed Chris in the stomach.
Chris screamed and rocked back, balancing almost on his heels. I ran forward and tackled him to the floor, letting out a loud 'oof' as I landed rather ungracefully. I climbed onto Chris, pinning his hand to the ground with my boots and immediately aiming my knife at his face.
"Well," I smiled, tilting my head to the side, "Would'ya look at that?"
"GET OFF ME!" Chris roared. My eyes flared dangerously.
I tore the dagger down into Chris' stomach, making him scream out in pain. I clamped a hand over his mouth, my lips curled back in a snarl.
"Shut up," I snapped. Chris continued to scream, his teeth gnashing against the palm of my hand, and I did the only thing I could think of to stop the screaming.
I removed my hand from Chris' mouth, and plunged it into his neck. Blood squirted from the wound as Chris opened his mouth in a silent scream, blood bubbling up through his severed trachea. I smirked and rocked back on my heels, tilting my head inquisitively at the dying boy.
"You should know better than to trust strangers, Christopher," I mocked. I pulled my dagger down once again and sliced open a gash through Chris' stomach cavity, making him writhe and attempt to scream, although all that came out was a blood filled gargle. I plunged my knife into his neck wound once again, making him groan in agony. I put my face close to his, cold grey eyes staring into amber, refusing to break eye contact with the dying, terrified boy. Chris moved, his head moving slightly to the side, and I immediately grabbed his jaw, twisting it so he faced me.
"Look at me!" I roared, "Watch me while you die!"
Chris' entire body seemed to sag. His eyes slid up to meet mine, acceptance in his gaze. Then, I heard a gargle, and Chris' mouth convulsed. Next thing I knew, with the last ounce of his strength, Chris lurched forward and spat a mouthful of blood directly at me, splattering it all over my face. I shrieked and lurched back, and when I looked back at Chris his eyes had gone dull, and his entire body had gone still.
BOOM!
"Bitch," I spat angrily. I rose to my feet, wiping Chris' spit and blood off of my face with disgust. I then grabbed my knife, and looked down at my arms. I could see my veins, could see the blood pumping beneath my skin. I quickly stripped off my jacket and wrapped it into a bundle, setting the fabric beneath my teeth. Then, I looked down at my arm, and stabbed into the skin with the blade.
A scream instinctively erupted from me, however the fabric between my teeth muffled most of it. I shut my eyes, the feeling of the blade inside my skin sending shivers down my spine, then I pulled the blade towards my other side and sliced open my skin more, tearing the blade out of my arm in the process. My blood was pumping wildly, running down my forearm and dribbling into the palm of my hand and my vision was red. I'd never felt so alive. I readied the blade once more in front of my chest, then sliced the dagger across my stomach. Red hot pain flashed through my body like lightning, and I welcomed it.
I brought the dagger up to my face, holding the tip of my blade on my cheek. I applied more pressure to the knife, gently, and ever so slowly pushed it further into my skin. I felt the skin break beneath the blade and shivered, feeling the blood run down my jaw and dribble onto my chin. I ripped the dagger free, creating a long cut across my cheek, and let out a deep breath.
For a few minutes I continued to mutilate myself, creating small, delicate wounds with my knife. I smeared some dirt and grass on my knees, to look like I had fallen, then I grabbed my knife and sprinted back to camp.
Misty Wolfe POV
"GUYS!"
I heard someone scream out and staggered to my feet, looking around in confusion.
"HELP ME!"
I recognised the voice. It was Santana. Just as I had this revelation, Santana burst into the clearing, gashes and cuts all over her body. I gasped.
"What happened?" I demanded. Santana sobbed.
"Valentina... s-she... Chris..." Santana broke down into sobs again, crumpling to the floor.
"Shit," Rudy murmured, "Camille, where's the first aid kit?"
Camille rushed forward, holding out a first aid kit and swearing like a fiend. Rudy grabbed it from her with a nod, then quickly began to bandage Santana's wounds. I rushed forward and began to help, putting antiseptic on the wounds before wrapping them up. I moved to the one on Santana's leg, and stopped.
Santana had said Valentina, which probably meant she attacked her and Chris. But, looking at the wounds, I found that unlikely.
Valentina wielded a katana and a warhammer. The warhammer couldn't have done this, and the wounds looked too small and delicate to be inflicted by a katana. I narrowed my eyes, my gaze shifting to the small dagger Santana still held. The same dagger that was covered in blood. The dagger that looked like exactly the kind of weapon to cause wounds like this.
"Hey Rudy, you wanna go back and get the food they left?" I asked quickly. He looked up, confusion on his face.
"You sure you don't need help?"
"Nah, I got this," I replied. Rudy nodded, then he and Camille stood up and walked into the trees, heading back in the direction Santana came from. Doug left to check on the one rabbit we already had, in a clearing a good 15 metres away, and then it was just Santana and I alone in the clearing.
"So," I began, continuing to wrap her wounds despite the growing pit of uncertainty in my stomach, "Valentina did this?"
"Yeah," Santana mumbled, "She just came out of nowhere - practically tortured Chris to death. It was awful."
I nodded slowly, but internally I was rolling my eyes to high heaven. Everyone with a working brain would know that Valentina did not torture her victims. If she was acting alone, all her kills were quick. Rosalie I might understand, but Valentina? That set off alarm bells in my head.
"Why didn't you try and stop her, if she was torturing him?" I asked casually. Santana's muscles stiffened.
"I-I didn't know what to do," she stammered out. I nodded again.
"What was Valentina doing to him, anyway?"
Santana shuddered. "She was brutal. She dug her knife into his neck and practically tore his throat out. And she kept slashing him in the stomach..."
"Her knife?"
"Yeah, she had a whole collection of them."
Aha. Got her.
"That's interesting of you to say," I said casually, "Considering Valentina doesn't even use knives."
Santana blinked and stared up at me, confusion on her face. I rolled my eyes.
"I'm not an idiot, Santana," I snapped, "I know you killed Chris. And I know you mutilated yourself using that knife you're holding to make it look like someone else did it."
"W-what?" Santana stammered, her eyes fluttering around nervously, "I-I didn't-"
"I won't hurt you," I said sternly, "As long as you leave now. If you're still here by the time the anthem plays, I will kill you. Understand me?"
"But I didn't do anything!" Santana wailed pathetically. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
"Do you think I'm stupid?" I snapped, "Don't play dumb with me. I know knives, Santana. And neither of Valentina's weapons can make wounds like the ones you have. She has a warhammer and a katana, for fucks sake. And unless she tied you up, held her katana like a pencil and very, very carefully made these wounds, it wasn't her like you claimed. And we all know Valentina isn't one to drag out death for people."
Santana's jaw tightened, and her eyes narrowed at me.
"Who's going to believe you?" she snarled. I gritted my teeth and stood up, glaring down at Santana. I hadn't trusted her ever since I saw the reaping. And I was right, it seemed.
"I've lost people I really, really cared about in the last few days, Santana," I snarled, "My sister is dead, my friend is dead, and I'll probably never see my family again. So don't think I'm gonna put up with your bullshit, I've dealt with enough crap. I won't hesitate to kill you. Trust me, you will be doing yourself a favour by leaving." And with that, I stormed into the trees.
Anger swirled throughout my body. Santana thought she could just waltz in and play mindgames like this? No. I wouldn't let her. I wouldn't put Doug and Rudy and Camille at risk by hiding what I knew. I shouldn't have let Chris go off with Santana. But he did. And now he was dead.
I stopped at a tree trunk, resting my back against the bark and sliding down it, running a hand down my face. This was all getting too much. We should have left Santana this morning, we shouldn't have let her into our group. But of course Rudy had to be Mr. Noble and let her join. I sighed, shutting my eyes.
I just needed to relax for a few minutes. Then I'd go back and tell the others about Santana.
~
I walked back towards the clearing, holding a small bag of blueberries I found on the way back. The rest had cleared my mind a bit, and I was ready to tell the others. I just needed to get Santana away. I walked into the clearing, a plan set in my mind.
"Hey guys, I-" The words died on my lips as I walked into the clearing, faced with Rudy, Camille, Doug and Santana all staring at me, all looking very angry.
"W-what?" I stammered. My hands became clammy, and I shuffled on the spot for a moment.
"Santana told us, Misty," Rudy said, taking a step forward, "We won't kill you if you leave now, and don't come back."
I began to hear a ringing in my ears. My vision blurred. I blinked. I blinked again.
"Excuse me?" I mumbled.
"Santana told us what you did." Camille said simply. I stared at her.
"What did I do?" I whispered. Rudy shook his head in exasperation. My gaze snapped to Santana, and my temper flared.
"You did this!" I hissed at her. Santana stared back at me, stone faced. I felt hysteria begin to rise within me.
"Misty, you're unstable-" Rudy began.
"NO!" I screamed, "Santana's the unstable one! She killed Chris! She practically admitted it to me!"
"I didn't say anything to you," Santana said. I felt my lower lip tremble.
"H-How can you guys not see?" I cried, my voice cracking, "She's fucking crazy!"
"Misty, your sister just died, you're not thinking straight," Camille said gently, taking a step towards me. I jerked away, recoiling.
"Don't you fucking touch me!" I stammered, "Santana did this, how can't you see it, SHE FUCKING KILLED CHRIS!"
"Misty-"
"NO!" I screamed, throwing my hands up in the air and turning my back. I ran my hands through my hair and turned back to Camille and Rudy, shaking uncontrollably.
"Valentina has a warhammer and a katana, how in the fucking world could she make wounds so small like the ones Santana has?" I blabbered.
"We don't know Misty, but she did."
"NO SHE DIDN'T!" I screamed, "NO SHE DIDN'T! SANTANA DID THAT TO HERSELF!"
"And why would I do that?" Santana challenged me. I felt tears begin to form in my eyes. Everyone was against me.
"B-because..." I stammered, "Rudy, you can't seriously believe what she's saying."
"The only person I'm not believing around here is you," Rudy said sternly.
"Santana did it!" I cried, "She's lying! She's fucking lying to you!"
"I'm not lying!" Santana said.
"Shut your fucking mouth, you lying bitch," I snapped viciously. Santana burst into tears, and rage flared in my chest once again. What I would give to leap over and strangle her.
"Misty, leave," Rudy snapped, "You're lucky I don't shoot you on the spot."
My vision began to blur. I took a few staggering steps back, staring at the people I thought might have actually somewhat cared about me.
Then, I turned on my heel and fled into the trees.
Jay Mann POV
I stalked through the trees, holding my mace in a defensive stance. My eyes were scanning the area in front of me, waiting. I hadn't killed in a while, and although Valentina had told me not to, I had to go hunting. I just had to.
The sky was beginning to get dark, and the sun had begun to dip below the horizon. I continued to walk, until I suddenly heard a twig snap behind me.
I whirled around, my mace raised, but before I could do anything someone punched me in the face - hard. I cried out and lurched back, begging for gravity to not be a bitch and make me topple to the floor. I managed to regain my balance and stormed after my attacker, none other than Eric Newton. I'd forgotten he was even alive at this point to be perfectly honest, but I didn't care. I needed bloodshed.
"Get back here, Eric!" I jeered. I continued to run after him, and I could tell he was beginning to tire. He was now a mere three metres ahead, and I took the opportunity, dropping my mace to stop it from weighing me down, then sprinted as fast as I could and tackled Eric to the floor. He landed on the ground hard, and a loud 'crack' went through the air as some bone in his body snapped.
I staggered to my feet and kicked him in the side roughly, disorienting him to give myself enough time to go back a few metres and pick up my mace. I strolled back over to Eric, looking down at him with a grin. He was attempting to crawl away, and my eyes travelled to his leg. It was mangled and bloody - broken.
"I'm surprised you've lasted this long," I admitted with a laugh. Eric continued to crawl, his blood leaving streaks on the grass. I shook my head.
"Uh uh uh, Eric," I tutted, kicking him in the side once more, "No trying to escape."
Eric ignored me and continued to drag himself along, his breathing ragged. I rolled my eyes. I was getting bored now.
I took out my mace and held it above my head, aiming for Eric's head. Then, I smashed it downward and onto his skull. Blood and matter splashed around us, and I raised my mace, hitting him in the head again. I smashed his skull over and over again, until the bone was mere rubble and the brains had turned to mush.
BOOM!
"About time you kicked the bucket," I said casually. I lifted up my mace, holding it in my normal grip again, before looking over at Eric's corpse with a shrug.
"Sorry, pal."
Phillip Gilbert POV
Tatiana sat next to me, her eyelids drooping as sleepiness began to creep in. The night was quiet, the only sound being the crickets and the fire gently crackling in front of us while we waited for the food to cook. Amaya was napping on the other side of the fire, and Daphne was watching over the spit. As soon as the food was cooked we were going to move, Valentina's gang would probably see the smoke and come after us.
Tat mumbled something incomprehensible, and I glanced over at her. Her eyes were shut, but her lips were moving. She was probably muttering things in her sleep. I smiled and shook my head.
Suddenly, the anthem began to blare. Tatiana was still asleep, her head resting gently on my shoulder, and I didn't bother to wake her for the death toll. I tipped my head to the side and rested it on top of hers as I watched the faces of the dead in the sky, my fingers subconsciously moving to brush through her hair.
The first face to appear was of Shay Weber, the 12 year old from my district. I glanced over at Daphne, she had been in the girl's year and probably knew her better than I did. Daphne was staring at the fire and poking at the coals with a stick, blatantly refusing to look at Shay's face.
The next face was Christopher Chambers, the 18 year old from District 11. I widened my eyes slightly in surprise. I'd have expected him to live a little longer. This was the first death from Camille's alliance, arguably the strongest alliance in the competition.
The last face was that of Eric Newton, the 15 year old from District 12. I'd forgotten he was even alive at this point; he was one of the lone wolves after Caitlin's death yesterday. Nevertheless, I felt pity for the boy as his face lit up the sky.
Then, the capitol seal appeared in the sky, and with one final, musical flourish, the arena went dark once again.
"Five more deaths," I whispered, "Five more and then it's over."