PREDATOR | THE HUNGER GAMES

ANONYMOUS ACID

"Just a little farther."

Lara had gotten up when the sun hit her eyes. It was first dawn when she carefully climbed back down the tree and began to hike-waiting around would surely trap her. Constantly moving would make sure she had a good layout of the arena to find which areas to avoid.

Tributes could be hiding anywhere.

She followed the sound of water, although it was hard to hear the trickles of streams when the wind blew so harshly. The lake on the other side of the cornucopia had fresh water and was easily accessible, but it was too exposed. Only desperate tributes would dare to head there as a first option.

It was impossible to be quite honest. The leaves, branches, and vines coated the forest ground. The dirt was barely visible, but she felt it mush beneath her feet. The trees and brush blocked her view of any incoming threats. Thick blankets of moss hung from every available branch.

She wondered why the gamemaker decided to make such a simplistic, yet complex arena. A forest wasn't anything too special, but its increasingly dense forest would make any tribute second guess going too far.

Where am I supposed to go?

A flutter came from her right. She stopped dead in her tracks and held her knife close to her chest. Her blood froze in panic, eyes swiveling left and right.

A squawk came seconds later and a cluster of birds erupted from the bushes. She stumbled back after the startle, but remained steady once she saw no threat. Her stomach rumbled and reminded her that she needed food.

She huffed and pulled her pack straps, trudging along again. It seemed the sound of water was getting closer. She kept following it for a good hour until she saw the trees ahead thinning out.

She was wary to go out in the open, but water was necessary. Emerging from the tree line, she found herself standing atop a large cliff. Below the death drop was a raging river, waves breaking against the jagged rocks.

Not an option. Fuck.

She looked across the chasm, finding an endless field rather than a forest. It looked unreal, which meant it must've been the edge of the arena. The barrier between herself and the real world was a thousand foot drop.

As she came to the conclusion, the sky immediately darkened. It was midday by now, so it couldn't have been the moon rising-which meant the gamemaker was creating a storm.

Lara glanced up and saw the black clouds swirling. The sun was gone in an instant, and so was her ease. Thunder rumbled, shaking the ground. Even more wind whipped and shook the trees.

She backed up into the tree line, anxious of being blown over the edge. It would've been a pathetic way to die.

A small patter bounced off the leaves, signaling the first rainfall. But its impact caused an immediate sizzling of the plant, deteriorating it to ash.

Acid.

Her eyes widened as she realized what was happening. The first drop hit her cheek. She screamed as her skin began to sizzle and sear, drawing a copious amount of blood for such a small droplet.

What was once a drizzle soon became a downpour. She began to run.

Find shelter.

Her legs burned from exhaustion and pain. It felt as though she was being burned alive. The trees did nothing to provide coverage despite its density. The rain hit anything exposed: hands, legs, face. It burned through her jacket and pants, leaving minuscule holes and clusters of spurting blood.