Marx Hunger Games

Part 5: "Partners" (19)

Mikee spent the night in the trees, strapping herself in and thinking of the two tributes that died earlier as their images flashed in the sky along with another tribute. District 1 tribute Kath’s image flashed in the sky also signalling that she died also in that day probably because of the Game maker’s obstacles. Kath was the only casualty among 21 tributes who were challenged this morning. They managed to eliminate 3 in total for the day, one because of the challenge and two because they made them duel. Career tributes Jenica and Paul were in their hideout when they saw the surprising deaths today. Jenica and Paul was a pair starting from Day 1.

They did not join the other career tributes in their killing spree and monopoly over the cornucopia goods. They did not even bother helping their district partners. Angelo from district 10 was looking for his partner Jenica in the bloodbath that’s when a knife stroke his stomach and District 10 lost one of its tributes immediately. Paul’s partner Angeline was fine by herself when she killed all those people in the bloodbath. Jenica and Paul took off together and found supplies scattered in the woods and created their hideout out of a small cave they found in the middle of the forest. The moment they laid their eyes on each other on the first day of training they knew that they were meant for each other. Ignoring their district partners completely. They spent all two months of training together even though their mentors constantly ban them from seeing each other. They would spend the nights in the rooftop of the training center sleeping under the stars, and eating together during breaks. Most tributes call them the Romeo and Juliet of the games because of their forbidden love because they came from different districts.

Jenica from District 10 and Paul from District 7 are supposed to be opponents so they promised to spend the last moments together in the Arena. That’s why they decided to hide from the competition and make their own home in the forest which the game makers did not like. But whatever the game makers try to do to make them realize they’re in a game of survival and not some love game show they always manage to win over the challenges make sponsors love them. They were enjoying their own world together when Day 10 came. District 12 tributes Lorenzo and Jenny were in their hideout when they realized their dire problems. Even though they know how to hunt, they are seriously injured from the Game maker challenge on Day 6. Lorenzo has a cut in his knee swollen with infection and Jenny has a serious burn in her left arm and her flesh is not recovering. They know that they have not been given help by their mentor because they have no sponsors. Both of them got a low score in the training and the people did not recognize them that much so they need to do something to get sponsors. “Hey Jenny, I know a way to get sponsors” Lorenzo whispered “Popular tributes always get the best sponsors, so let’s make ourselves famous.” “How?” Jenny asked excitedly. “We need to show what we’ve got. We need to kill someone, not just anyone, but a career". “Are you serious? Can we take them? There’s like seven of them and two of us.” Jenny muttered. “No. Two of them are separated from the rest.” “Oh, you mean Romeo and Juliet?” “Yeah Paul and Jenica, Were going for them” “Are you sure we can take them?” asked Jenny nervously. “Yeah, we’ll take them by surprise. I think they’re hiding in the woods somewhere.” “Okay. We’ll start looking tomorrow.” “You’re right. It’s getting late we must rest first.” Lorenzo said as the applied crushed up leaves to his knee and looked hopelessly at Jenny’s arm knowing that it will get an infection if not treated immediately. 

They need a moment; they need sponsors, and fast. When they woke up in the morning, they set out for the woods with their weapons. Jenny holding a bow and arrow and Lorenzo holding a crossbow. They called themselves team arrow and they hope to see tributes today for a kill. Several miles away Jenica and Paul have the same thing in mind. They decided to play the games for once and look for some people to kill with their sharpened knives. Paul and Jenica were walking in the woods when they heard splashing in the water nearby. It was District 5 tributes Gerald and Ayne fishing for food. They positioned themselves concealed behind the bushes and like a sitting duck, Gerald was struck by the first knife in his chest and a cannon fired. Ayne acting quickly took a poison bomb from her pack and threw it in the lovers’ direction. “It’s a poison bomb! Cover your nose and mouth!” shouted Jenica to Paul as they dashed away from the smoke. Ayne sighing with relief can only see the forest get enveloped with smoke and hoping for cannons firing but no cannons were fired. She knew she was in trouble and quickly took off but out of the smoke a knife came dashing out and hit her in the stomach and knew pretty much it was her end. She fell to the ground as the second cannon of the day fires.

Jenica and Paul laughed at each other and hugged each other as they won over that near death experience and smiled with confidence as they made their first kill. As they were walking back to their base holding hands and happy they saw Lorenzo and Jenny reaching their base and rummaging inside the cave and the area around it as if they were looking for something. They realized that these two were looking for them. “Let them rummage through our stuff. We’ll take care of them” said Paul angrily. As Jenny was circling the rock she was startled as someone pulled her hair so tight that she felt that her scalp was going to rip off. “What cha doing here loser?” asked Jenica. Lorenzo heard Jenny’s cries of suffering and ran as quick as he could to her but he was pulled back by a strong force gripping his jacket and a fist pummelling through his face. “Didn’t your mother tell you that spying is bad?” Paul said dominantly. “I think so, but there was nothing to spy much here” said Lorenzo teasingly while wiping his mouth full of blood. Jenny continues screaming as Jenica torments her by squeezing her burnt arm. “Hey Paul, let’s finish these two off” Jenica said as she was pulling out her last knife, Paul doing the same when Lorenzo pulls a circular bullet from his pocket and throws it to the ground with all the might he has left. When the bullet hit the ground a loud boom came out from it startling the two careers and left them dizzy. Lorenzo and Jenny dash away for their lives with unaffected by the boom because of the soundproof earphones that came with it. Both of them ran in the woods and climbed separate trees hoping to recover from the vicious experience and still keep to their plan. Paul and Jenica ran for Lorenzo and Jenny in the woods but only managed to see Jenny up in a tree with no sign of the other tribute. “Hey there loser, any final words? Where’s your partner? Is he already dead? Or did he leave you like any coward would?” asked Jenica “Who are you to say he’s a coward?” replied Jenny. “Well he is! Duh. Oh well we’ll just have to finish you off first.” Paul said. As this stalling was going on, Lorenzo was up in another tree sawing a branch that contained tracker  jackers hoping that the sawing won’t be too loud for the careers to notice. He was halfway through the branch when they first threw a knife at Jenny. Luckily the knife passed by her and Lorenzo sawed faster as he does not want to see his partner falling 50 feet from the sky. As the second knife missed and the branch came crashing down as Lorenzo threw in Jenica and Paul’s socks that he got from their base with it so the tracker jackers can pick up their scent. In just a few seconds the trackers came buzzing at them and stinging every part of their body. Anything they tried to tick the bugs off was futile.

In a few minutes they lied on the ground. Their bodies were swollen up from the strings as two cannons fire. Lorenzo and Jenny had a big sigh of relief then they climbed down feeling tired and covered with blood, they saw two parachutes falling from the sky, one containing burn ointment and the other containing an ointment that can treat bruises and scars. They settled in at Jenica and Paul’s cave to treat their wounds, freshen up, and eat whatever’s left of the dead lovers’ food. As they listen in to the anthem they saw the four fallen tributes that day and closed their eyes thinking finally they’re getting some progress and they’re not the losers of the games anymore thinking back on the traumatic event today.