Outlaster- A Hunger Games Tale

Chapter 14- I'll Kill

Ximena looked fondly at Haliey, who was now laying by the supplies. The sun was completely gone and the first night had come upon them.

All three of the tributes were quiet until they heard the screams of a young boy flood the cornucopia. The noise seemed to be coming from the area closest to the mountaintops. Following the scream, a cannon shot sounded.

"It seems we have a murderer," Diego said, smiling thinly.

"Yes, indeed." Ximena took the knife they were fidgeting with and stabbed it into the rock in front of them, causing a sharp scratching sound to bounce around the cornucopia.

"Come on, that boy sounded young. That was a terrible thing the person who killed him did," Haliey remarked, squinting her eyes with disappointment.

"It was going to happen eventually, you know that." Diego stood up from his perch and walked over to the stash of food.

"I mean," Ximena paused for a moment. "He's not wrong, babe." They scooted over to Haliey and settled next to her.

"Well, it's still sad. Just... give me a moment," Haliey replied, studying the mountain range. The group sat in silence again. Diego glanced over to the two District 1 competitors, who were now sharing an apple.

"I think it's clear here I am the odd one out," he said, peeling an orange with his dagger. "So why am I not dead?"

"You seem useful," Ximena stated.

"Because we're nice - and you can fight. We saw you during training. We would have killed you if you didn't have something we needed," Haliey told him, nudging Ximena.

Diego nodded. "Makes sense."

"Okay, let's make a truce. I'm in, who else?" Haliey stood up and looked at the two, who were sitting comfortably, munching on their food.

"Sure," Ximena replied, still eating their apple. Diego smirked, then winked at Haliey.

"Whatever you wish, m'lady," Diego added. Haliey looked at him as if she'd just seen a ghost.

"Did you just wink-" she paused in confusion. "...Nevermind." Ximena looked at her, raising an eyebrow. After a moment, they all shook off the awkward tension.

Hours passed before they finally got to gathering items and setting up traps. The sun began to rise and they prepared themselves for a hunt.

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Maliery sat up, back against the wall, after waking up from her nap. The sun was starting to rise. She pulled up her hood and looked at her allies, who were still sleeping. The small girl decided to go outside and look for food.

She made her way to a valley not far from their camp and started to collect the berries. She had studied plants and animals back in District 12, so she remembered that the berries she was picking were edible. After Mal had collected about a handful's worth she headed back to the cave to find Q'uira and Jay starting a fire.

"Wait!" she called. "Don't do that! You'll attract attention from the other tributes. Make a smaller fire - excess smoke won't help us stay hidden." Mal stepped on the tiny spark to make it go out.

"Well look who's thinking smart," Q'uira laughed, taking the stack of berries and placing them on top of her backpack.

"I'm going to scout out the area. Maybe there's a good hunting range or a riverbank nearby," Jay commented, grabbing his spear.

"There's a beautiful valley by the mountainside just north of here. I gathered the berries there." Mal pointed to where she'd come from. Jay nodded and left camp, while Q'uira and Maliery cleaned off the resources they had. After about two hours, Jay returned with a bag full of fresh fruit and mint leaves.