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THE ARTIFICIAL sun beat down on Carmilla as she sat high in the tree. Sweat dripped off of her nose, and the sun made her feel sleepy. But she couldn't sleep since she got to the arena, the most she's gotten in one night was a few hours of unsteady sleep. Something that even the mentors forget to tell you is how exhausted you'll be. But she couldn't sleep now that the Career Pack was after her. It was her verses them now, all the other tributes were just canons, merely just a picture that played in the sky every night. Carmilla chose to close her eyes and plug her ears during it.
They were after her now, Creed from District 2, Bunny from District 3, and Declan from 1. The last remaining tributes. Carmilla hoped they would turn on each other before inevitably they came looking for her, but she had yet to hear any canons. She just wanted this to be over, her body and heart ached. Ached from the growl in her stomach, the hurt in her bones and muscles, but also from the blood she shed; the lives she took. And if she was being honest, she wanted them to get her if this was how she was going to feel the rest of her life. The dread in her stomach left a feeling of butterflies and lead behind. When it comes down to the end would she give up or push forward?
A twig snapped behind Carmilla, making her jump slightly. The grip on her sword could not be tighter. She slowly turned her head to see an arrow wizz right past her, barely missing her. "Here we go," she thought to herself, while standing up on the branch. They couldn't catch her if she was moving right?
"oh come on down little squirrel, Bunny's got some nuts for you," Bunny yelled in a sing-song voice. She never failed to creep out Carmilla.
Carmilla whipped her head around to find a sturdy branch to jump to as another arrow whipped past her shoulder. With a leap of faith she jumped onto the branch adjacent to her, hugging the tree tightly while trying to not drop her sword. Her heart jumped out of her chest when she looked down to see Creed climbing up the tree with pure fire in his eyes. Based on his build Carmilla knew it wouldn't take him long to reach her.
She spotted another tree that she jumped onto in one swift movement. "Come down you little bitch," Bunny screamed, taking another shot with her bow. And this time, Carmilla felt a sharp pain in her right calf. She screamed out in pain as she feel off the branch, she tried to catch herself, but it was no use as her calf burned with rage against the foreign object in her skin. The tree branches scratched her face and left bruises and lumps that dotted her back. She fell to the group with a large thump and felt the air leave her body.
Bunny's laugh rang around her as her spotty vision cleared. Carmilla inhaled and exhaled but nothing was happening, she still couldn't breath. She heard footsteps pounding toward her and let out a scream of a wounded animal when she felt a foot stomp on the back of her injured calf. Her vision became blurry with pain again. This is it, this is the end, they're going to finish her off. But Carmilla realized she didn't want to go, she still had so much more to do in life. She still had never had that cake she had her eye on in the front window of Mellark's Bakery, she still had a promise to her little brother, Xavier, to swim in the pond. All of the little things that make life worth living were caught in her throat, begging to be swallowed down. This can't be how she goes.
"Well would you look at that boys, turns out the squirrel comes down once you shoot it, isn't that funny?" Bunny said, coming into Carmilla's eye line. She could feel the air slowing seeping back into her lungs. She gripped her sword that the Career Pack seemed to have forgotten or deemed unnecessary since she was gasping for breath on the ground with an injured leg, "time for the fun part."
Declan stepped in front of Bunny, holding a dagger high over his head, ready to finish Carmilla off.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing," Creed yelled, clearly outraged that Declan was the one about to kill Carmilla, "you didn't help at all, bro."
"I think you're forgetting that i found her." Declan yelled back, lowering his arm.
"No way am i letting you kill her," Creed responded back, he pushed declan into a tree. Bunny turned her back on Carmilla and faced the boys. This was it, this was Carmill's chance. She hobbled up quietly and tested her leg. Pain shot up her leg into her hip, and she bit her lip, she would have to make this fast.
"We can't kill her if you two kill each other!" Bunny fumed, clearly annoyed by the male presence. Carmilla held the sword in front of her, silent tear flowing down her checks as she pierced the long sword into the back of Bunny. A squish noise of organs ripping apart and blood being released flooded her ears, the noise making her cringe. A canon went off instantly in the distance as Carmilla pulled the sword out of Bunny's back.
Declan lunged toward her, dagger in hand, but Creed had different plans. Creed brought down his mace onto Declan's head, and continued to until a canon went off in the distance, "I GET TO KILL HER!" he screamed over and over again, and Carmilla shook in fear. Creed had so much hate in his eyes as they turned to her, steam coming out of his ears and nose.
Creed ran toward her, but there was no where for Carmilla to run with her injured leg. So instead she stood ready to fight, not only for herself but for her family who she knew was currently watching with raw-bitten fingernails. Tear continued to stream down her face as she slashed Creed's arm with her sword still dripping blood from Bunny. But Creed barely flinched as he brought his mace down next to Carmilla, who dodged it, but the mace's spiked edges got catch in the tree trunk beside her. She bit her lip in pain as her calf throbbed from the sudden movement.
Now, now was her chance as Creed struggled to rip his heavy mace out of the tree trunk. Carmilla held the sword steady in front of her, letting out a battle cry and she ran pulling speed at Creed. lodging her sword between his ribs. Creed stumbled and dropped his mace, his eyes were glazy and looked toward nothing. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Crred." Carmilla sobbed, dropping her sword as the final canon went off. Carmilla fell to the ground, her whole body throbbed and hurt, and the metallic taste of blood in her mouth was prominent.
"Ladies and gentlemen! May I present the winner of the 72nd annual Hunger Games, Carmilla Laken!" Caesar Flickerman's voice echoed through the arena. Carmilla had just escaped deaths grip but all she could do was cry.
