The Quater Quell: 50th Hunger Games

Chapter 15

          The sound of cannon wakens me. It is still dark outside so I am not sure of the time. It feels like it is early morning though. I can't see but I know from previous Games that it is never a good idea to stay in one place for too long. Either the other tributes will find you or the game makers will flush you out. I climb out of the damp cave and bid farewell to it and silently thank it for keeping me alive for my first night in the games.

        I blindly stumble through the woods. I need to search for water as Waylon said but it is too dark for that. I listen but I do not hear any signs of water anywhere close by. I walk for a few more minutes and see a light glow in the distance. A fire. My instincts tell me to turn around in the opposite direction and at first I do, but the idea that it could be Dean or Haymitch turns me around. I creep silently and get close enough to the fire to where I can make out a face. It was the boy from 7. He was asleep and cuddle up next to someone else. Probably the remaining girl from his district. I hear a twig snap to my right and duck down. The remaining Careers appear with their weapons drawn.

      Apollo has a sickle and quietly slices the girl's throat. He ushers the other tributes to hide behind the fallen tree behind him while he nudges the boy from 7's arm. Apollo dives behind the tree just in time before the boy awakes. "Claire. Was that you? Claire?" He rolls the girl's body over just enough and screams. "Claire!"

        The Careers leap from behind the tree and have the poor boy surrounded in seconds. "Awe. Is Claire dead? Don't worry lover boy you'll be with her soon enough." Demetria taunts. She raises her axe above her dead and brings it down across the boys skull. I look away in time to miss the impact but I can hear it. I shiver and look back. His brains were oozing out of the slim gash from the side of his head. I almost barf and hold back a gag.

      "We need to find them. They can't be far. That young girl from 10 was calling out for them so they have to be close by." Apollo spits. "Yeah or maybe they are long gone. Who in their right mind would ally themselves with a weak twelve year old child?" Demetria laughs. Apollo and the rest of the Careers laugh as they run off back towards the cornucopia. They killed Maizey. They are after my District. Why? I question myself but as soon as I do, I know. We have the highest scores besides them. Everyone else who scored near them was dead. Except Haymitch. I decide that they won't be coming back to the spot where the boy from 7's body lays dead so I take the time of brief safety to rest. I nap for about twenty minutes when the sound of a hovercraft approaches.

      I hurriedly pack my things, knowing that I have been keeping the hovercraft from doing his job for to long. The sun has risen so I can see my surroundings better. I was closer to the mountain side of the arena. I do not like the cold or the idea of hiking a mountain while other tributes are on the prowl so I decide to stick to the woods. I head west and continue my search for water. I use whatever mediocre knowledge I have gained, through my previous hunting trips back at home, to find water but to no avail.

       I see butterflies and lizards and squirrels too. "Ugh!" Why can't I find any water? I drop to my knees and tear at the dirt in anger. Stop it Raven. This isn't you. The dehydration was getting to me. I close my eyes and listen to the different sounds floating around me. I can hear mockingjays whistling a tune. I hear the wings of a trackerjacker buzzing above me. I can even hear the faint blow of a buck coming from behind me. I smile. It was peaceful.

      That's when I hear it. A faint trickling of a nearby stream. I open my eyes and race to the sound of the water source. I crash through brambles and bushes and finally find it. A small brook was flowing harmoniously to the sounds of the surrounding nature. A small deer appears from out of the thickets before I reach the creek. I was in dire need water but the water cold wait. How often do you see a newborn fawn drinking water for its first time? It grazes over to the edge of the water and places its small hoof into the stream. And laps up the fresh water with his tongue.

       Out of nowhere, a doe burst through the trees and cry's out. But it is too late. The newborn falls on the ground and thrashes violently while gasping for air. The fawn manages to stop seizing and takes its last breath. Blood trickles from the newborns mouth. The mother walks over to her fawn and nudges her baby with its snout. She cries and licks it before walking away.

       The water was poison which means probably everysource of water here in the arena was poisonous. The game makers were surelymaking this Quarter Quell a unique one! I curse out loud and look over to thesmall fawn. I want to cook and clean it but I can't bring myself to the act ofdoing it. "It's probably poisoned by the water now anyways." I tell myself. Ifinish off the water in my canteen and head of to the only water source I knowof that might not be poisoned. 1