Satan and St. Paul (Hunger Games OC x OC)

13.

As Boaz and Maggie approached the Cornucopia, the eerie silence was shattered by a piercing scream. They froze, exchanging a tense glance before darting behind a large boulder for cover.

"Two left," Boaz muttered as another cannon sounded.

Maggie's breath came in short gasps. "Boaz, I-"

"Shh," he hushed her, peering around the edge of the boulder.

Two figures emerged from the treeline - a hulking boy from District 2 and a wiry girl from District 5. They circled each other warily, weapons drawn.

"We have to move," Boaz whispered urgently. "While they're distracted."

They crept forward, using the uneven terrain as cover. Suddenly, Maggie's foot slipped on loose gravel. The sound, barely audible to them, was enough to alert the other tributes.

"There!" the District 2 boy roared, charging towards them.

Boaz shoved Maggie behind him, raising his axe. The clash was brutal and swift. Boaz managed to dodge the first swing of the boy's mace, using his axe to deflect the blow. But the backswing caught him in the ribs. He stumbled, gasping for air.

Maggie screamed his name, her voice raw with fear. The sound seemed to jolt Boaz back to his senses. With a roar of his own, he lunged forward, swinging his axe in a wide arc. The blade connected with his opponent's arm, causing him to drop his mace. He wouldn't die, not when he had come this far.

As Boaz grappled with the District 2 boy, Maggie found herself face to face with the girl from District 5. The girl lunged at her with a short sword, but Maggie's countless hours of training kicked in. She ducked under the swing, rolling to the side and coming up with one of her throwing knives in hand.

In one fluid motion, Maggie let the knife fly. It whistled through the air, embedding itself in the girl's shoulder. The District 5 tribute cried out in pain, dropping her sword. Magnolias eyes widen in shock, she had actually done it.

Meanwhile, Boaz had managed to overpower his opponent. With a final, devastating swing of his axe, he ended the fight. The cannon boomed, signaling another fallen tribute. Boaz eyes scanned the body, wide eyes, almost shell-shocked.

Maggie turned to see the District 5 girl pulling the knife from her shoulder, her eyes wild with pain and desperation. She charged at Maggie, who barely had time to draw another knife. This made Maggie yelp before they collided, grappling on the ground. Despite her smaller size, Maggie fought with a desperation born of survival. She managed to get her legs under the other girl, using her momentum to flip their positions.

For a moment, they locked eyes. Maggie saw her own fear and desperation mirrored in the other girl's gaze. But there was no time for hesitation. With a choked sob, Maggie drove her knife home.

The final cannon sounded.

"I'm sorry," The girl repeated quietly, over and over, before removing herself from the girl's body.

For a moment, they stood there, panting, covered in blood and grime. Then Maggie stumbled, the adrenaline fading and the reality of what she'd done setting in. Boaz caught her, his injuries forgotten as he steadied her.

"We did it," Maggie whispered, her voice trembling. "We actually did it."

Boaz nodded, unable to speak past the lump in his throat. They had survived, but at what cost? The faces of those they'd killed, those they'd watched die, flashed before his eyes.

Before Boaz could respond, a voice boomed across the arena. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victors of the Hunger Games, District Seven's very own, Boaz Thornwell and Maggie Beauregard!"

The sound of approaching hovercraft filled the air. Boaz pulled Maggie close, his body tense, still on guard despite their victory. His axe was still clenched tightly in his free hand, and he noticed Maggie's fingers were wrapped around the hilt of her last throwing knife.

"It's over," Maggie murmured, her face buried in his chest. "We're going home."

Boaz looked down at her, this girl who had somehow become his lifeline in the midst of hell. Her skill with those knives had saved them both, And his strength, his prowess with an axe, had been the perfect complement to her agility and precision.

"Yeah," he said gruffly, his arms tightening around her. "We're going home."

As the hovercraft descended, Boaz knew their trials were far from over. The Games might be finished, but their fight for survival - for sanity, for a life worth living after all they'd been through - was just beginning.

The nightmares would come, he knew. The faces of those they'd killed would haunt them. The Arena had changed them both, hardened them in ways they were only beginning to understand. Maggie's innocence, that quality that had reminded him so much of a gentle rabbit, had been tempered by the harsh realities of survival. And his gruff exterior had cracked, revealing a capacity for care and protection he'd never known he possessed.

But as he felt Maggie's steady heartbeat against his chest, he allowed himself a moment of hope. Whatever came next, they would face it together. They had forged a bond in blood and survival that went beyond mere alliance. It was a connection that ran soul-deep, born of shared trauma and mutual reliance.

The ladder dropped from the hovercraft, and Boaz felt Maggie tense against him. He understood her hesitation. After everything they'd been through, it was hard to believe it was really over. Hard to trust that safety was within reach.

"Together?" Maggie whispered, looking up at him with eyes that held equal parts fear and determination.

Boaz nodded, a breathy laugh leaving his lips, his jaw set in a determined line. "Together," he confirmed.

With one last look at the blood-soaked arena that had nearly claimed their lives, Boaz and Maggie stepped forward. As they grasped the ladder, feeling the electric current freeze them in place, Boaz allowed himself one final thought before they were lifted into the hovercraft.

They had entered the arena as strangers, as mere tributes. They were leaving as survivors, as victors, and as something more - something that didn't yet have a name but was as vital to their survival as the very air they breathed.

The Arena was behind them, but the real challenge was just beginning. As the hovercraft door sealed shut, Boaz and Maggie prepared to face a world forever changed by their experiences in the Hunger Games.