.Forest Fire (Johanna Mason X F.OC).

-Needle birds-

They had crossed a huge distance in only a single day, crossing two rivers and standing on in the tree line leading into a ruined city.

"The coast seems clear." Jasmine hummed. "Are we going in?" She asked, looking at her allies.

There was muttering between them all as they through it over before Marcus let out a little yelp of pain.

"Marcus!" Paige said, seeing him swat down a little bird on the ground.

It flapped around, unable to fly away, it was bright red and white as if to show it was dangerous even if it was only palm sized, the beak tho, it shined like it was metal and it was thin.

Kai gagged when Nelson crushed it under his foot as Paige inspected the puncture wound left on Marcus's hand.

"I've heard my uncle talk about these.... Needle birds."

"It hurts!" The boy said, in more pain then he should have been in, skin swelling to form a hard bump.

"Needle bird stings hurt, neuro-toxin, like trackerjackers but it lights your nervous system on fire, making you wish you were dead as it still takes a lot to kill you, he'll be fine." Nelson calmed the panicked sister before he too looked worried.

"What is it 4?" Jasmine asked, seeing his look.

"Needle birds move in swarms." And almost as if on cue, another of these tiny demons shot out of the trees and hurdled to them, a thrown knife from Jasmine stopping it in its track.

"Now it's sure we are going in town!" Kai said as five more appeared, already running, Jasmine the second, the siblings behind her and Nelson the last, the pack sprinting through the clearing of grass and towards the town as a red cloud of 'buzzing' birds flew after them.

Paige ended up running in front by the time they got to the town, a tight grip on Marcus's and Jasmine's wrists.

They needed a place to hide where these birds couldn't get into, needing to swat a faster one off of her shoulder before it could stab her.

"Run!" She pushed her brother ahead and picked up the career on her shoulder as she was choking on air last time she had sprinted and it was starting again.

"There!" Kai pointed to a relatively good looking home with windows looking intact, this was their best shot.

She fell to the middle of the pack with the coughing girl's weight on her shoulder, seeing Kai throw the door open and go inside, Marcus soon behind him.

Paige stumbled in, missing a step but staying on her feet.

She looked over her shoulder, seeing Nelson trip but his being much more dire then hers, losing much of the distance he had with the birds.

"Nelson!" She yelled at him, almost dropping Jasmine as she let go and leaning on the frame, holding her hand to him as if it would help.

He neared, a bird shooting through his calf, another into his kidney and two others in his upper back, hand stretched out.

But not to grab her arm.

He slammed the door closed with his body.

"Nelson!" She yelled, pushing on the door but his body blocked it with its weight.

And then the screaming started.

Through the buzzing came agonizing screams of the boy.

Paige sank to her knees, hands on the door, listening to the agony in the boys voice, he was screaming so loud that his voice was breaking and it was not stopping.

It was not stopping.

For what felt like hours, Nelson's scream, only interrupted to yell one of his allies name or his uncle's, echoed loudly through the silence all the tributes sat in.

His screams ear piercing testified on the horrified pain he was put under.

And Paige couldn't put him out of his misery without dooming them all, so she sat there, listening to his cries through the door.

No one had the strength to move, this was one of the most brutal tortures anyone of them had witnessed even if it was through hearing only.

Boom.

And then silence came, the buzzing stopped, the screams ceased, the horrible silence replacing it all.

Paige was the first to stand, trying to open the door, needing to shoulder check it, hearing a crash.

Nelson's body was barely recognizable covered in blood and puffed up, eyes staring up at nothing, even the inside of his mouth, stuck in an eternal scream, filled with stabs.

Paige kneeled down next to the stiff body, pulling her jacket off and draping it over his head, a last bit of honor from district 7, laying the departed to rest with their jacket so that they can always smell the trees of their district.

She knew she would have risked keeping the door open for him if he hadn't slammed it on her.... Selfless in his last acts.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You'll never know, dear how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away." She sang softly, almost as if to calm the dead tribute from the fear he had before his dead. She felt her brother step up to her, comforted by the lullaby.
"I'll always love you and make you happy 'cause you are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You'll never know, dear just how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away. Please don't take my sunshine away."

"What are you doing 12?" She looked over her shoulder, Jasmine's voice lacking the usual snap to it, looking like this finally opened to career's eyes to what these games were really about, not the glory or fame but the murder and death for amusement of others.

Kai's thumb was holding his pinkie down with a three finger salute to the sky before dropping his arm. 

"In district 12, residents do this when they have to say thanks or just to show that the person is loved and respected by them. It's a gesture of admiration, gratitude and saying goodbye to someone you love.... He deserved it." He said. "He saved me at the bloodbath, he was a good guy."

"Yeah he was, a bit cocky but nice." Paige said with a sigh, heart heavy, she knew all needed to die for her brother but still, she is human, she cares for her allies, her friends, no matter how short their life together will be, they are her friends. "Come on.... Lets move." She said solemnly.

They all cast him a last look before following Paige, no one touching his weapon, Jasmine made sure when Kai tried to grab it, in 2, the deceased gets sent off with their weapon by their side as their form of a final honor.

And now, only twelve tributes remained.