The Tracker- The 43 Hunger Games

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

If I have any dreams, I can't remember. It feels like I haven't slept long enough when Talon wakes me.

"Hey, do you mind taking second watch? I'm barely able to stay awake anymore." It's not hard to pick up on the fact that he's losing the battle against sleep.

"Yeah, no problem," I say with a yawn. It seems to be around two or three in the morning. That means I slept through the anthem and missed the fallen tributes that were displayed in the night sky. Is Densper still alive?

Thinking of Densper reminds me of home and sorrow fills the pit of my stomach. I miss my family and Zander. Do they stay up late watching the Games or do they take advantage of the wonderful rest I'm robbed of?

The blue ring that Zander gave me during our goodbyes glints in the moonlight. I thought I'd be able to hold it together, but the reminder of my final day at home causes sobs to rack my weakened body.

Kenner will never take me to the bakery again and sweet little Sapph won't ever pounce on my bed to wake me up again.

And then there's Zander. We did so much together. Playing piano duets and drawing were my two favorite things to do with him. That's one reason that becoming friends was easy. We're so alike, our personalities and hobbies. The thought only pushes my tears further. I can only hope that I don't wake Talon or Saffra.

The sun is slowly starting to rise and there's a faint rustling in the distance. "Come on guys, we're not going to find anyone if we don't start moving. There are seventeen of us running around, most of which I want dead," someone says. Is that who I think it is?

"Den, we've been walking around all night. We haven't even seen one person," a girl replies.

Yep. Densper is out hunting tributes and, from the sound of it, he hasn't killed anyone since yesterday.

"Fine, let's head back to the Cornucopia. We can all hunt later." It sounds like they're all together—Densper and the others from 2, and 4. They must have made an alliance with someone else. I know that they aren't stupid enough to leave the Cornucopia unguarded.

A few minutes later, a high pitched scream echoes throughout the forest. Someone is definitely in trouble. A cannon sounds, telling me that whoever she was is now dead.

"Guys, wake up." I shake Talon and Saffra. "We need to move. We need to get out of here." We gather our items and are about to head farther away from the Cornucopia when I remember about the rabbits.

"Wait, I need to cook these first," I say holding out the rabbits. "We'll have to move quickly after I cook them. The smoke will attract people to us." They both look at me like I'm nuts. "Trust me. We'll just have to run as soon as they're cooked. Plus I need to get rid of our shelter."

I strike my match and start a fire out of our shelter. It takes me about ten minutes to cook the five rabbits. The plastic that Talon's bread came in is rather handy for wrapping the newly cooked food.

"Okay. We can go now."

We're set for food, but what I really need is water. Dying of dehydration would be one of dumbest ways to die out here. That would be weak.

Another cannon fires, causing me to jump. Fifteen tributes left. That reminds me, "Talon, who all was in the sky last night?" He has to think about it before he can answer me. We've stopped running now so we can talk.

"Both from seven, the girl from nine, both from twelve, the boy from five, and I think the girl from six." Again, I find myself glad that I didn't talk to any other tributes. It would make everything too hard.