1 - Uncharted Waters [Hunger Games]

22 - Bloodbath

Chapter 22

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞

Mira had exactly sixty seconds to take in her surroundings, her heartbeat hammering in her ears. The golden gleam of the Cornucopia blinded her for a moment, its mouth brimming with weapons, gear, and supplies. Around her, the tributes stood on their pedestals, tense and coiled like predators ready to pounce. The artificial beauty of the arena only made the sinister truth sharper—the bloodbath was moments away. Finnick's words echoed in her mind: "Run straight to the Cornucopia and find Destan and the other Careers."

The gong sounded, slicing through the tension, and Mira lunged forward. Her legs burned as she sprinted, her eyes darting for Destan or any familiar face among the chaos. Screams erupted almost immediately. To her left, a boy went down as a knife embedded itself in his throat; to her right, a pair of tributes wrestled over a hatchet until one drove it deep into the other's skull. Blood sprayed, painting the grass crimson.

Mira kept running, her breath ragged. The Cornucopia loomed closer, but so did the violence. A blur of motion caught her attention—a flash of steel—and she skidded to a halt. Slate, the brutal Career from District 2, drove his sword clean through a girl's chest. The girl gasped, blood spilling from her lips, before crumpling lifeless to the ground. Mira froze, her mind screaming at her to move, but her body wouldn't obey. She was rooted to the spot, staring at the girl's glazed eyes and the pool of blood spreading beneath her.

Her paralysis almost cost her life. She turned just in time to see a girl from District 10 charging at her with a cleaver, eyes wild and desperate. Mira stumbled backward, a scream caught in her throat. Before the blade could connect, the girl jerked violently as a spear pierced through her torso, the impact knocking her off her feet. Blood spattered Mira's face, warm and sticky, as the girl collapsed, gasping for breath that wouldn't come.

Behind her stood Destan, breathing heavily, his grip firm on the spear. "What were you thinking?" he snapped, pulling the weapon free from the body with a sickening squelch. "You were almost killed!"

Mira flinched at his harsh tone, but Destan softened, grabbing her arm to pull her toward the Cornucopia. She stumbled after him, her legs shaky and unsteady, barely registering the chaos around her.

Inside the Cornucopia, the other Careers were already rummaging through supplies. Grace, her golden hair streaked with blood, was laughing as she cleaned her mace. "You should've seen his face before I cracked his skull open," she said gleefully, spinning the weapon in her hand. Suave, the sly boy from District 1, chuckled as he wiped his scythe clean of gore. The air in the Cornucopia reeked of sweat, blood, and death.

Grace turned her sharp gaze on Mira. "How about you, Mira? How many did you kill?"

Mira's heart sank as all eyes turned toward her. She shifted uncomfortably, biting her lip. "I... I didn't—" she began, her voice barely above a whisper.

Grace rolled her eyes, her smile laced with scorn. "Pathetic," she muttered, turning her attention back to her reflection in a silver shield.

Destan, sensing Mira's discomfort, intervened. "Enough. Let's set up camp. Supplies won't be an issue, but we can't afford to let anyone sneak up on us—or steal what's ours." His gaze lingered on Mira, his tone laced with warning.

Mira hung her head in shame, feeling the weight of her failure. Her hands trembled as she wiped the blood from her face, but the metallic scent clung to her skin, a grim reminder of how quickly lives were being snuffed out. She sat on a crate, her stomach churning with nausea and self-loathing. Around her, the Careers laughed and bragged, their bloodlust palpable.