Author Games: World Seasons

Task Two - Blood and Snow - Halloween Tributes

Shadow Ghost

Snow.

That's what I see when I first rise into the arena. It's an arena more suited to those annoying kids from the Christmas District, but hey, I can adapt.

In front of me is a giant Christmas tree, and I study it carefully as a voice tinged with the annoying Capitol accent begins to tell us what to do. I ignore her - I already know what I'm going to do. I'm going to kill anyone I can get my hands on.

Beneath the tree are little wrapped gifts, probably the things from the Cornucopia. Instead of having us just run in and get them, they have to watch us unwrap them as well, as they want us to celebrate. As long as I get a knife, I don't care what I have to do.

The counter begins to tick downwards, counting down the time until they let me loose on the arena. These tributes don't stand a chance.

As the gong goes, the sound bouncing off the snow and echoing off the trees, you can almost hear the cheers of the Capitol as we surge forward to claim our prizes.

My box is wrapped in black paper, with a black bow. It was nice of them to make it look pretty for me, but I just rip off the paper, tear the lid off the box and grab what's inside.

The first thing is a simple black back-pack. Very useful. Then an empty water bottle and some bread, which I shove into my bag. I also shove in the box and paper - maybe it will come in useful. Then, I leave my last gift out.

A knife, seemingly part of me when I place it into my hands, like an extension of my body. It calls to me, telling me to throw it, to draw blood with it.

So I do, I turn sharply and throw it at the first thing that moves - little Jemma Fools.

As the knife pierces her skull, it's clear that any tribute, even a strong one like her, can be killed in an instant. I feel no fear as I run forward to collect my knife. I also see what supplies Jemma got, but seeing as they Game-Makers only gave her ten marbles, I throw them on the floor. They are useless.

The blood from her head covers my knife, and it makes me hunger for another kill. I advance on Rudolf, who looks just comical wielding a candy cane as a weapon. As I try to stab him in the back, he turns and blocks me with his candy cane of doom. I laugh, only to make him confused and let his guard down. I kick him in the shins. Then, as he loses his balance, I shove him down on the ground, throw the knife into his chest and stomp on his sugar weapon, snapping it in two.

Rudolf's blood begins to stain the snow around him red, and as I collect my knife from his dead body, I collect up some of the snow to play some tricks on people. As they say in my District, trick or treat!

I make up a snowball from the blood snow, before throwing it right into the face of Rose Sweetheart. Whilst she is busy wiping the blood from her face, I creep up on her, wanting to savour this kill.

I push her to the ground, loving the sound of her screams. Her body begins to shiver, lying in the cold snow, but I don't care. It is more suffering for her, not me.

With the tip of my knife, I carve something into her cheek - a little jack-o-lantern, just so people know that I was here, that I killed her. I wipe away her blood to admire my work of art, and then slit her throat, before climbing back onto my feet.

For a few seconds, she stays alive, struggling for some way to just breath. But she is a goner, and despite her efforts, I leave her dead in the snow, no guilt running through my body.

By now, the field has begun to clear. Only a couple of tributes remain here to fight it out. One of them is Eve Ween, a girl from my District. I decide District loyalty will get you nowhere in these Games. Eve is as good a kill as any.