The Quater Quell: 50th Hunger Games

Chapter 24

       As usual, a sound of another cannon wakes me. I wiggle out of Dean's sleeping bag and stretch. I wipe the sleep from my eyes and look into the sky. It was daytime but you could still see the two bright moons in the sky. It was a little creepy. I run my fingers through my hair to de-tangle it and put it into a braid. I swig water in my mouth and wash my face, I was filthy. There was no way to bathe yourself here because all of the water was poisonous. My hands were grimy and my clothes were crusted in sweat and stuck to my skin.

      It's a good thing I am from District 10 and am used to being covered in filth and manure. Otherwise, I'd probably be dieing for a bath. Literally!

      I wonder how many days it's been since I last seen home. I have no clue, I don't even know how long I've been in this place. A week? Two? No, it must only have been a few days or at most a week. I couldn't imagine the 34th hunger games. That year, the games lasted over a month. The two remaining tributes were allies and had refused to kill each other. So, the game makers had to do it for them. They sent a bear after the two tributes and it was basically who could run the fastest.

      If they could do it, why couldn't I? I could be allies with someone until the end. Or at least close to the end. I would most likely part ways if Id make it that far. I pack up my gear and cook myself a small breakfast on a heated stone. With my belly full for the first time in days, I head back into the all too familiar woods.

       My eyes are constantly scanning the bush and trees above me. I do not want to die because of some stupid bird or animal. I'd at least want to go down with a fight. After about an hour of walking and few dead snakes, I rest find a nice oak tree to rest under and catch my breath. To my surprise, the sound of a close cannon goes off to my right. That was a little too close for my comfort.

     I sheath my sword and load a dart into the blow gun. I try my best to sneak in the direction of the cannon. When I am close enough, I hear grunting and people fighting. I float over quietly behind a large pine tree to get a closer look. I see three, no, four boys fighting. The boy with his back to me was fighting off three boys by himself. Three against one? That's not fair. But the boy seemed to be doing pretty well on his own.

         The lone fighter had already managed to kill one boy and was attempting to kill another. Wait a minute, is that, is that Haymitch? It was! I finally found him. I aim the dart gun at the boy who was running at Haymitch with a small log. I miss the boy and he crashes the log against Haymitch's face. Blood spews out of his nose instantly and knocks Haymitch down.

       But not for long, Haymitch surprisingly gets back up and continues to fight. I don't want to shoot another dart in case I miss and accidentally shoot Haymitch. The last boy left is now on top of Haymitch has him pinned down. It is a fight of strength and Haymitch seems to be losing. The boy's knife looks like it is only centimeters away from Haymitch. I have only seconds before my only possible ally and friend is dead. I load another dart and aim. I take a deep breath and shoot.

         The dart strikes the boy and he falls over dead. Haymitch grabs the boy's knife and defensively looks around to see his assailant. I smile and step out from behind the pine tree, hoping that Haymitch doesn't decide to kill me. "Allies?" I ask. Haymitch wipes the blood from his face and shakes his head. "Allies." He says in between breaths. Three more cannons erupt from behind me.

                                                                                                         ~~~~

     After I get Haymitch cleaned up as best as I can. I try to make small talk. We haven't talked to each other since the day that he stood up for me when Apollo was coming on to me in the training center. It was a little awkward at first but we were soon warming up to each other again.

      "So, how have the games been for you?" he asks while looking in the opposite direction. "Fair I guess. I was attacked by a bird with a needle as a beak. He almost killed me. Then I found the boys from my district and then the feast. Other than that, well, I guess that about sums my games up."

         "How did, uh, how did they die?" He asks, this time looking at me. "We were getting attacked by some kind of mutts in the trees, Larten was knocked unconscious and he got left behind. So, he came after Dean and I for vengeance and he knocked Dean off of a cliff and he went with him." I try not to cry as I finish explaining.

        "Im sorry. I wasn't really close with anyone in my District." I raise my eyebrows at him. "What?" he questions. "Nothing. I just thought is seen something. One night, you were asleep on the couch and the girl from your District came and kissed you." "What?" Haymitch eyes grow wide as he realizes I must have been in the stair well coming to talk to him that night. "Oh yeah. She always does that-did that. She had a huge crush on me and was always trying to kiss me on the train ride over here." "But it thought you kissed her back." "No more like throwing her off of me." He smiles and laughs a little.

      A clap of thunder bolts through the air and rain begins to pour down. Fresh water! We drain our water bottles into our mouths and rush over to nearby leaves that are dripping water. I open my mouth and lets the water pour in. I use this opportunity to bathe myself in the rain and enjoy it while it lasts.