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

Chapter 32

 Pix and I trade watches during the night. I am on edge, waiting for the fire to rain from the sky, a flood to come bursting through the trees, or a tornado to appear before us. At any moment the finale could begin. I wonder who's betting on me back in the Capitol. I have a feeling Ceres is, what about Hex and Nova? I find those bizarre people I met that week in the Capitol dancing through my thoughts. Flavo, Rose, and Azure as well as their sister Purpura are probably beside themselves waiting with bated breath to see if I emerge victorious.

By mid-morning, my anxiety is through the roof. I can't take it anymore and I nudge Pix awake. She awakens with a start, ready for the finale at a moment's notice. "Sorry," I say, "I just need to start moving or I'm going to go crazy."

Pix nods and puts on her drawstring bag. We set out, walking parallel to the cornucopia clearing. If the finale does begin it usually occurs in the clearing around the cornucopia, so we want to be ready to run if there is any sign of the finale.

We walk in silence until around midday, "Amey, I was thinking last night," Pix says, looking to me. "If the finale begins I don't want to be the one to have to kill you."

I nod my head in agreement.

"Do you think it might be better if we split up? There are only four of us now, and I like you, so I don't want to have to fight if it's just us. That way, maybe we won't have to," Pix tries to dance around the fact that one of us is going to die, likely by the end of the day.

"I think I agree," I say, I don't want to be the one to kill her either, if the careers do it for me that makes my job a lot easier.

"Okay-" Pix says, she reaches out her hand for me to shake when a clicking noise catches both our attention. We both look in the direction of the noise.

Maybe from spending so much time with her, I think I notice a spot in the ground where a trap is laid. The finale. Pix takes a half step forward, and suddenly the slight bulge in the ground erupts. Jet black spiders no larger than the tip of my pinkie explode in a geyser. Crimson glowing spots light up as the spiders come to life. A dozen or so land on Pix who was extremely close to the blast.

Both of us start running as another geyser of the black and red spiders explode up from the ground. One of them lands on me this time, it bites me sending excruciating pain deep into my body. I bite my tongue to try and hold back a scream and I swat at the spider.

Several more geysers erupt, behind me Pix is screaming as the several spiders that landed on her must be biting.

It's only a short way running when the geysers stop. I take one look at Pix and I know the situation is dire, red blots have appeared all over her body. I look at my arms and see the same bites. I feel my mind growing confused as the venom that must have been in the spiders makes its way to my brain. I drop my machete in my left hand, unable to feel the tips of my fingers.

From the sky, there is a faint burst of static, and the announcer's voice echoes over the arena. "Attention tributes, attention tributes. The Gamemakers present each pair of tributes remaining one vial of antivenom. May the odds be ever in your favor," there is another small burst of static and the regular noise of the arena resumes.

A thin metal cylinder rises from the ground, and at the very tip of it is a purple syringe and needle. The antivenom. I grab it before Pix can. I'm okay, clearly, she needs it more than I do. I'm fine.

I reach out to stick her with the needle, but she backs away. "What are you doing?" I yell.

"What am I doing? What are you doing?" Pix asks, she is backing away from me.

"I'm trying to help you!" I say, why doesn't she want my help? My head throbs, "Let me save you!" I shout.

"No, you need that medicine! You have to win!" she yells back.

"I wasn't bitten that bad!" I shout back.

"Yes, you were!" Pix says, I notice tears streaming down her face which is covered in red blotches. She collapses to the ground, the venom overcoming her, "Amey, save yourself. You're the one who can actually win this thing."

"Stop, we are both going to survive," I say. A cramping sensation in my leg sends me falling to the ground, "Let me help you! We can both live!"

"No we can't," Pix pleads. "Amey, we're both going to die, save yourself!"

Why is she doing this? I am fine, I just have a headache. I manage to crawl on top of her and raise the purple syringe over my head. I plunge it down. "Stop, Amey!" Pix screams, she catches my hands and pushes them forward. There is a sharp jab in my shoulder and suddenly I feel clarity.