The Incoming Storm: The Tale of the 325th Hunger Games

Chapter 30

 "Hunt them?" Pix asks. "But they're so strong."

"So? We are too. This is something that I've spent too long to come to terms with, grappling as both Quin and Spoola noticed before. Something I had embraced before the explosion attack at the cornucopia. We volunteered to be here, we are just as much careers as they are."

Pix thinks about it for a minute then smiles a little, "I guess you're right, we don't have anything to lose."

We decide to hike a little further just to put some more distance between us and the careers. We find another cave, this one exactly the right size for the two of us, just as the moon peeks out from the treetops. The anthem begins shortly after and Ross's face appears in the sky. I force myself to believe that he is at peace on his way home. I hope whoever receives him back in District 8 buries him with Spoola. Such tragic love and loss. What a waste.

I let Pix sleep since I slept through almost half the day. The brief paradise from the cold winds of the night is over, and the wind blows, frigid as ever. I watch Pix sleep in the moonlight. The corners of her mouth twitch, she is dreaming.

There are five of us left, I wonder who it will be that wins. Each one of us has a shot. I think I can win, Clementine is the biggest threat to me here, followed by Phlo. Hopefully, their alliance comes to an end soon and they take each other out as Jib and Ross did. That train of thought brings me around to Pix and my alliance. An alliance this late in the games can only end badly. Will I kill Pix when the time comes? Probably. I want to survive.

But I couldn't kill her back when I barely knew her, what about now? Arguably she saved my life this morning, pulling me through the woods while I was too overcome with shock to save myself. I look at the sleeping girl. A dark voice in my head tells me to kill her now, but I don't. I won't stoop to the level the Capitol wants us to. I won't kill her, if the finale forces my hand so be it, but until the last minute, I vow to not harm this girl.

I end up keeping watch the entire night, I don't stir Pix until well after streaks of the morning sun appear. "I'm just going to sleep a couple of hours, wake me up," I say. Sure enough, in two hours Pix nudges my shoulder.

We share a small breakfast of berries and set out for the day. We also light a fire with one of Pix's matches and eat a rat Pix managed to hunt this morning. As we walk we speak in hushed tones. I recount the trap Spoola, Ross, and I had laid for the careers at the beginning of the games. Pix tries to think of new ways to trap Clementine and Phlo.

Unfortunately, any good plan would require supplies that we don't have. Of course, this wouldn't be the worst thing had there been a cornucopia to take supplies from. We could maybe get some of the stuff from sponsors, but two weeks in most things are going to be outrageously expensive. I'm sure getting us a mere bottle of water or sleeve of crackers would be years worth of wages back in District 9.

As we hike I keep my eyes and ears peeled for any sign of another being. As we turn a corner we find ourselves looking at a massive wall of spiderwebs.

We follow the wall, which protects us from one side. "We might be able to do something with my wire, like electrocute them," Pix thinks out loud. I'm distracted though, something has caught my eye. Ahead of us is an unnatural lump in the spiderwebs.

As we get closer I think it might be a deer or something that got stuck in the web. But when I am only feet away, I know it's not that. "What is it?" Pix whispers.

I reach out with my machete and nudge the mass. From the white appears a dark-colored eye. We found Lex.