Camille Garza POV
It all happened so fast.
The sun rose. The bird sung. Rudy sat beside me, an arm wrapped around my shoulders as he divided food portions between us. It wasn't worth keeping it anymore, he said. The games would finish today.
The games would be over today.
May as well eat all the food we had.
It was a hearty meal. Wholemeal bread from a sponsor, thick slices of chicken-like meat from some sort of bird, and some tomatoes and lettuce we gathered last night, eaten in a sandwich whilst we watched the sun rise. For a minute, I forgot we were in the Hunger Games. I forgot only one of us would make it out alive.
And then Rudy said my name, and told me he had to tell me something. I'd looked over at him, imploring eyes meeting his, and my gaze snapped to the blonde figure some metres away, creeping up on us with a katana in her grip.
Valentina.
"RUDY!" I screamed, and pushed him to the side. Valentina's katana swiped where Rudy was moments previously and I leapt to my feet, grabbing my fighting staff. Rudy grabbed his bow and fired an arrow at Valentina, but she ducked underneath it and charged towards us again.
I stepped towards her and hit at her stomach with my fighting staff. The impact knocked her away, making her wheeze out something incomprehensible, and I stepped forward and hit her again. Valentina staggered back, falling onto the ground behind her, but she quickly jumped back to her feet as a knife stabbed into the ground where she was moments previously.
Suddenly, Valentina turned and slashed her sword through the wood of Rudy's bow. The weapon snapped clean in two.
"Shit," Rudy muttered. He tossed the broken bow to the side and grabbed one of his arrows from his quiver, trying to use it as a short range weapon.
It wouldn't work. I already knew it wouldn't work.
Valentina flicked her katana at Rudy, and the arrow was ripped from his grasp and sent flying across the clearing. Valentina swung at him again and I lashed out with my staff, blocking the first blow, but then she whirled around and stabbed at him again.
It happened so fast. Too quickly. I couldn't stop it, couldn't intercept it.
The katana buried itself in Rudy's chest.
I wanted to scream. Rudy gasped out something, his lips smeared with blood. I watched as Valentina pulled her katana from Rudy's chest. I watched him slip to the ground, his blood staining the dirt. I opened my mouth in a scream. I felt like I was underwater.
Then suddenly Valentina slashed at me with her katana, and I was jolted back to the present.
I blocked her first blow with my staff, my blood pounding in my ears. Rudy laid motionless on the ground, his breathing beginning to falter, and I felt my eyes fill with tears. My only friend. And soon he would be gone.
I jabbed at Valentina with the staff, catching her along the side. She cried out and fell to the side, stumbling on the ground, and I gripped my knife from my scabbard and lunged forward, slashing viciously. She rolled out of the way just in time, then spun around and tackled me to the ground.
I grabbed Valentina by the neck, locking my fingers around her throat and shaking her around wildly. She choked and gagged, attempting to slash at me, but her arm was in too awkward a position and my grip was too tight. I wanted her dead, I wanted to kill her.
BOOM!
I faltered. My hands loosened. I felt my heart begin to pound rapidly in my chest, and tears began to prick at my eyes.
Rudy was dead.
Valentina ripped free from my grip, coughing loudly and massaging her throat, then picked up her weapon and fled into the trees.
I didn't go after her.
I rolled onto my side, tears rolling down my face. Rudy's corpse laid a few metres away, still. Cold. I laid there for what seemed like hours, staring at my best friend.
He was gone. He was dead.
I was alone.
Ali Richardson POV
"It's day 5," Thomas said slowly.
"Yes."
An awkward silence descended upon us.
"We said that we would split in the morning of Day 5."
"We did."
I gnawed on my bottom lip. Daphne looked up at me, her gaze sad.
"Is this goodbye?" Phillip asked. Thomas remained silent for a moment, then nodded.
"Yea. We have to split sooner or later."
Phillip and Daphne stood up, lugging their packs onto their backs. Daphne shivered as a cold gust blew through the trees, goosebumps standing up on her arms. I stood up and took a step forward.
"Bye," I murmured, "Good luck."
"You too," Phillip said. Daphne stepped forward and gave me a hug, resting her chin on my shoulder, and I returned the hug. I stood there for a moment, just enjoying the basic human company.
"It's almost over," I murmured, "I can't believe it's almost over."
"Good luck," Daphne hugged me tighter, "May the odds be ever in your favour."
This time it wasn't a joke. This time, we were deadly serious. This was the end. Within the next few hours we'd either be safe in the Capitol, or dead. This was go time.
Daphne and I released one another and stepped back. Phillip and Thomas exchanged an awkward handshake, with mutters of "good luck" and "see you on the other side, man" before stepping back too. I stood next to Thomas, letting out a deep breath.
"Take care of yourselves," Phillip said, shooting us a small smile. I nodded, tightening my grip on my backpack straps, then watched as Phillip and Daphne turned away and, with a final over-the-shoulder glance, disappeared into the trees.
Arwin Yates POV
I was still in shock. I still couldn't believe it.
Fern murdered Benji. She killed him.
I hated her.
I trudged through the trees, goosebumps racing up and down my arms as a cold gust whistled through the leaves. I rubbed my cheeks fervently, attempting to restore some warmth in my face. It didn't help much.
I began to wonder for a moment. What would have happened if, way back at the District 3 reapings, I had never volunteered for Mia. I wouldn't be here. I would be at home. Maybe Mia would have allied with Fern and Benji.
Or maybe she would have died on the first day. You can only go so far with a crippled leg. I wondered who she would have allied with. Would Benji still be alive now? Would Shane and Eve still be alive now? What would have changed?
No, I didn't regret volunteering. But I just wished these games never existed. Then everyone would be alive, and I'd be at home, and everything would be OK.
I heard the crunching of leaves underfoot.
I spun around, my eyes peeled. In the trees about 10 metres away with a blonde girl, trudging through the underbrush slowly. I stepped closer. It was Camille Garza, from 12. Where Rudy was, I wasn't sure.
Snap!
I froze as a twig beneath my foot snapped in two. Camille's eyes darted up to meet mine, her gaze full of panic. Both of us stayed stock still for a moment, not daring to make a move.
Then Camille walked forward, and I loaded an arrow into my bow and aimed it at the girl. She continued to approach.
"I'm not gonna kill you, so you can calm down," she snapped.
I hesitated.
"Um," I glanced around at our surroundings, then back at Camille, "W-Where's Rudy?"
Camille's face froze, "Excuse me?"
I realized my mistake a moment too late, "I'm sorry, I-" I never finished the sentence. Camille flew towards me, drawing a knife from her scabbard and holding the blade against my throat. My bow clattered from my grip and to the floor.
"Don't you dare mention him again," she hissed.
"I didn't mean to-"
"SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH" Camille screamed. I shuddered and looked away, my hands trembling. Camille wouldn't kill me. She wouldn't. Would she?
Camille's hands shook, her eyes beginning to well with tears. I wanted to say something, to try and comfort her, but I had a feeling that would earn me a knife to the chest.
Camille's lower lip began to wobble, her hands trembling wildly. Then she stepped away, breathing heavily and releasing her grip on me. She stood there for a moment, her eyes locked on me.
"I don't want to fight you," I stated, "I'm just really tired. So can we truce until the final fight?"
Camille didn't answer.
"Please," I murmured, "I can't fight you, not now. I'm exhausted."
Camille stared down at the ground, sniffling under her breath, then looked back up at me.
"Fine. But once we get to the final fight," she stepped forward, "I won't hesitate. Know that."
"I know," I said coolly, meeting her gaze, "Neither will I."
Daphne Floyd POV
I glanced up at Phillip. He was staring straight ahead, stone faced.
"Are you-"
"I'm fine."
I nodded, gnawing on my bottom lip.
Phillip had gone stoic since Tatiana's death. I knew it was hard for him. For both of us. But I was afraid I was losing him.
"Phillip, I know you're-"
"Don't talk about Tatiana," Phillip said, his voice wavering slightly, "Please."
"Phillip..."
"I don't want to talk about her." Phillip snapped. I went silent, and looked up at him. He was stone-faced, but I could see a flicker of something in his eyes. Pain.
Then suddenly, it hit me.
"You loved her," I said, "You loved her, didn't you?"
"Let's keep walking," Phillip grumbled. He stomped ahead and I walked alongside him.
He was hardly in a mood to be civil, but I wanted someone to talk to right now. I needed someone to talk to.
My mind was racing with the events of the games. I felt overwhelmed, suffocated. And then there was... last year. What happened last year. I glanced up at Phillip.
Did he remember that? Remember what I'd done?
"Do you remember much from District 10?" I asked quietly. Phillip frowned.
"Pieces," he murmured, "Why?"
Of course, his amnesia.
"Nothing," I muttered. I moved to walk ahead, but Phillip grabbed me by the wrist.
"Daphne, what's wrong?"
"It's stupid, Rosalie and Will wouldn't have known, the only person in the game who might have remembered it is Shay and she's dead, so," I turned away. Phillip stepped in front of me and placed his hand on my shoulder.
"Daph,"
I bit my lip as a sob threatened to escape, "It's nothing-"
"Bullshit. Tell me."
"You'd hate me."
Phillip paused. His brow furrowed, but as my expression remained still he crouched down to my eye level.
"No," he affirmed, "No I won't. Tell me."
"Okay," I muttered.
"So back in the Districts, my best friend was called Sam," I said slowly, my voice already beginning to shake, "A lot of the kids in my school were really cruel and had bad home lives, so they targeted a lot of their anger towards other people. Sam was one of them. Shay was another, the other 12 year old from our District."
Phillip nodded slowly, "Okay,"
"I always defended Sam, whenever the bullies would attack him. He always said that without me, he thought he might have done something..." I hesitated, "cowardly. Then last year, since Shay and Sam always got bullied, they bonded and they got closer. He started hanging out with her more than me." I sucked in a deep breath. Phillip continued to listen, his gaze calm.
"I... I got jealous. I got really jealous. Sam was my best friend," my voice broke, "Not Shay's. So I started distancing myself from them. I stopped hanging out with them as much. I felt like I wasn't needed anymore. Whenever I went to defend him from bullies, Shay was always there to defend him now. Not me."
"Then one day," I stopped, my heart beginning to pound, "I-I can't do this."
"Yes you can," Phillip rested his hands on my shoulders, "Just tell me."
"Shay wasn't at school," I spoke slowly, "So all the bullies were focusing on Sam. I went to defend him and then he just... starting screaming at everyone about how no one ever defends him and how everyone is against him and that he hated everyone, a-and I knew that it probably wasn't at me, but..."
"What?" Phillip asked. I bit my lip.
"I don't know why I said it," I murmured, "I was just... jealous of him and Shay, and I was angry because I felt like he was ignoring all those times I stuck up for him, and I just..."
Phillip remained silent, gazing at me.
"I told him," I swallowed hard, "I just snapped at him 'Would you just shut up already?' I-I don't know why I would do that, but... his face. God, his face. He just looked so... betrayed. I felt so bad. But I couldn't say anything anymore."
"Then what happened?"
"T-The next day, he didn't show up to school," my breathing wavered, "I went to his house after school to apologize, and..."
Tears began to leak from my eyes. I shook my head slightly, my shoulders beginning to heave with sobs.
"His mum answered the door, and," I sobbed again, "She told me he had k-killed himself the night before. He slashed his wrists in the bathtub."
"Daph..."
"I always thought it was my fault," I whispered, my voice thick with tears, "Everyone started saying that it was my fault. Everytime someone went past they'd whisper 'bitch' in my ear. I started having nightmares of him, where he'd tell me it was all my fault." I began to cry harder, my shoulders shaking, "I killed him, I killed Sam."
"No," Phillip said gently, "You didn't kill him. It's not your fault, Daphne. You need to know that."
"TRIBUTES!" The voice of Dravius Flamingboul sounded through the arena. I sniffled and looked up, wiping my eyes.
"There will be a feast at the Cornucopia in approximately two hours," Dravius' voice boomed, "We do hope you all join us. Things will get... interesting... if you do not. Anywho, good luck!"
"The feast," Phillip murmured, turning back towards me, "Now what do we do?"
"Now," I sniffed, picking up my daggers. I turned back to Phillip, setting my expression into a stony one.
"Now we go to the feast, find the others, and we finish this shit."