Peaceful Forever [Book 1]

Chapter 10

-Amily's POV-

Hadwin wakes you up a few hours after you pass out to take over her watch. You planned on waking Darren up at dawn but a scream shortly before sunrise jolted everyone awake. Panic rises in your throat as you hear the sound of rushing water intensify. The three of you glance at each other, trying to decide if you should outrun the water or stay in the trees.

As a cannon goes off, you make the executive decision.
"We're safer staying up here in the trees," you explained. "There's no way we could outrun a current like that and the trees seem sturdy. The game makers already got a kill from the current."

"I agree," stated Hadwin as the current began to die down. "But we need to move. People know someone's out here considering there was a cannon. The careers or 10/11 might be on their way right now."

Minutes later, a hovercraft appears nearby and lifts a wet body from a nearby clearing.

Darren agrees with your plan and the three of you wait for the water below you to calm down. When the coast seems clear, you scale back down the tree and decide to head downstream, parallel to the river.

You stop for a rest around noon, sitting down on some larger rocks. Today was hotter than the previous days and you all needed water and food before continuing. The three of you talked about home. Hadwin had a younger sister and Darren was an only child. They both came from lumberjack families so they had been using axes since they were kids. They weren't well off so they often sold logs they chopped or kindling they gathered to help put food on the table. Both of them had their names in the reaping bowls at least a dozen times due to taking out tessarae. You told them about the beach and growing up with Annie.

Suddenly, you hear the cracking of branches from behind you and you quickly shush your allies. Turning around slowly, you see Thea with her bow drawn and aimed at your group. There's no way she's alone but you couldn't see the other careers. They had to be nearby.

"I finally found you," Thea remarked. "Herman is going to be so excited."

"Where are your friends?" you nervously ask as you reach for the knives in your belt. You nearly forgot that Darren had grabbed them for you at the cornucopia. Both Darren and Hadwin had their hands on their axes.

"Oh they'll be here soon enough," Thea snarled.

Before you could even register what was happening, Thea shot an arrow right into Hadwin's eye, the cannon sounding instantly.

"Run Amily," you hear Darren scream as he pushes you towards the river. Ignoring his pleas, you turn back towards Thea and fling a knife directly into her chest. She falls to the ground wheezing and you know she'll be dead soon. There's no point in waiting around for her cannon. You start sprinting when you see an angry Sapphire dash out of the woods, machete in hand.

"Darren do you trust me?" you ask as you sprint towards the river.

"Yes," he quickly responds.

"Ok grab onto my waist we are jumping into the river," you yell over your shoulder.

Reaching the water's edge, you wait for Darren to grab your waist before you hurl both of your bodies into the water. The careers could probably swim but at this point the river current would get you away faster than running could.

You couldn't even tell if you were still being followed as your bodies moved downstream. The current was a lot stronger than you had anticipated but luckily Darren also knew how to swim. Out of nowhere, your head collided with a rock and you were plunged into darkness.

-Darren's POV-

We floated downstream without any issues until Amily hit her head on a rock. I dragged her limp body from the river and found some thick shrubs to hide in. I know Blight would be screaming at me to leave her but I can't. With Hadwin gone she's the only person left in this arena that I trust. She's definitely not dead, and I was able to keep her head above water after she passed out, but she hasn't woken up yet. I heard a cannon a few minutes after she passed out but it wasn't hers. I'm hoping the careers found someone else and got distracted. Either way I haven't seen them since we jumped into the water.