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

Chapter 33

 Pix pushes the syringe all the way into my shoulder and a wave of cold rushes down my body like I am dunked in a bucket of ice water. The throbbing in my head fades and my cramping left side relaxes. "Pix!" I say.

Pix has tears flowing from her eyes, she looks at me and smiles, "Amey, you have to win."

"Why didn't you let me save you, we both could have survived?" I say. The part of my mind that became delirious from the venom is realizing that wasn't actually the case, but I don't want to believe it.

"It was always going to be one of us against one of them," Pix whispers, "It should be you, you have a family waiting for you back home. Go be with your brother."

I hold Pix's hand tight, I am crying too. I barely know her, why am I crying? "Amey?" Pix says her voice is shaking and barely audible.

"Yes?" I whisper back.

"Don't leave me," Pix says.

"I'm not going to," I say, holding her hand tight. I watch as her eyes turn red, the venom destroying everything it touches. I watch as the red in my hands fades.

"It hurts," Pix says, her breathing is labored, and she winces. "I can't see," she whispers.

I reach to my side, holding the machete in one hand, I take a deep breath. I squeeze her hand tight. "Do you want me to?" I whisper.

Pix's head barely bobs up and down, "Yes, I'm ready," she says, her voice is barely louder than a silent breeze. I slowly let go of her hand and clasp both hands around the handle. I hold it over her heart and lean forward, plunging the blade deep into her core.

Pix breathes in sharply, and then her breath leaves her mouth for the last time. A cannon fires. "I'm sorry," I whisper.

I spend the next hours wandering the arena in a delirious stupor, stumbling over logs and getting caught in webs flailing wildly. If Clementine or Phlo were to emerge right now, I'm not sure I'd be able to fend her off... to be honest, I'm not even sure I'd process the fact she emerged until long after it was too late.

There still hasn't been a cannon, both of them are still alive. But the announcer had said they present the antivenom for just one of us, maybe I misheard him. Maybe it was just a sponsor gift. Maybe it wasn't even real. Did I kill Pix for no reason?

My vision goes blurry and color begins to fade. My head spins, I think I'm about the throw-up. I get on my knees, breathe in deeply, and everything goes black.

The huge boom sends me sitting upright. I am in a pile of dead leaves and webs, I claw the sticky substance from my hair and peel it from my clothes. My mouth is painfully dry and the crust of some long dried saliva streaks across my cheek. I'm groggy, at first I think I might be in the woods outside District 9. But those are forbidden. What was the noise? A cannon. Oh... right I'm in the Hunger Games. I'm one of two people still alive in the Hunger Games.

I scramble to my feet, become light-headed, and sit right back down. I pull out my water bottle and drink as much of it as I can. I also eat several handfuls of berries, letting their bitter-sweet flavor burst from their skins as I chew them. It is dusk now, I think it is the same day, surely the Gamemakers wouldn't have let me sleep more than a day, especially at this point in the games.

I wonder who that cannon was for... it was either Phlo or Clementine. I don't want to face either of them, but if I had to choose it would be Phlo. Clementine is brutal and from my observations lacks any form of empathy or sympathy. I'm sure the crowd loves her. I doubt that the two of them sacrificed their lives for the other like I had tried to do for Pix. I wonder what was in that spider venom... what instinct did it bring out in me that I almost killed myself in order to save Pix. I didn't want Pix to die, I don't really want anyone to die anymore.

I think about how for the last 17 years I've watched the Hunger Games, with my parents and brother, during lunch at school, projected on the huge screen in the District Square... I hate myself for agreeing with this. But here I am, a volunteer for the games, what would the Capitol have done if no one volunteered? Would they have killed every last one of us? Thousands dead just for these stupid games? Surely not.

When I feel rehydrated and full-bellied, I rise slowly, holding on to a thin tree beside me for support. The lightheaded feeling is gone, I examine my arms. Faint red spots are still there from where the spiders bit me, but they are painless and clearly, the venom is gone.

I attempt to retrace my steps through the woods, but quickly realize that I am hopelessly lost. That's okay, the Gamemakers will take me where I need to go. That, or the remaining career will find me. I might also find her, I remind myself, trying to resume the mantel of the hunter.

I wander until night begins to fall in the arena. I find a nice hollow underneath a large webbed tree. Inside is a large spider, which I stab mercilessly. I remove the carcass and crawl into the space.

As the anthem begins I situate myself in order to see the portraits in the sky. Pix appears in the sky, I hold my breathing, wishing that the next face to appear is Clementines.... And it isn't. Clementine is alive. I feel a deep sinking feeling as Phlo's portrait appears in the sky and fades out to the Capitol seal. With a flourish, the anthem ends and the sky goes dark.

In all my time in the arena, even on my solo nights, I have never felt more alone. For miles and miles, there is no one. No one except Clementine, who is hunting me down at this very moment.

Since I spent most of the day asleep from the antivenom, I have no desire to sleep. I spend the night watching, waiting for the finale. I pick nervously at my nails, which only have the faint remains of my nail polish from the night of the interviews. By now it's been hours since Phlo has died, the final rounds of betting must be going on right at this moment. I wonder how much Ceres has riding on me, easily more money than I've ever seen in my entire life...

I am startled as a silver parachute lands before me, just outside my shelter. I snatch it from the ground to find a warm loaf of multigrain bread from back home. I tear into it, releasing some of the steam from inside. "Thank you," I whisper. This gift was not from a Capitol sponsor. This gift was from home, I can feel it. I eat about half of my bread and save the rest for the morning.

By the time the morning sun breaks the horizon, I'm still as awake as ever. At this point sleep will bring only death, I cannot rest until Clementine is dead.

I collect some berries and have a nice breakfast, and finish off the last of my bread. As the day goes on, I wait for the finale to come. And come it does.