The Simpson's Hunger Games

Chapter 16

Millhouse:

We stumble along in the darkness, away from our pursuers. The power has been out for a few hours now, and I find it still hard to believe that our plan actually worked. I hear her stumble in the dark behind me. I take her hand, and say, "Don't worry, I've got you. You won't fall.". She mutters a 'thank you', before walking on. We walk along hand-in-hand along the tunnels in silence. At first, our aim was to find Lisa, but, now I realise that it's better we didn't find Lisa. Lis is too kind-hearted to leave us, and that could be dangerous for her. I look down at my cuts and wounds, as well as the bites from the Thoriumi. We're too weak to keep up with her. Lisa wouldn't be as stupid as us to go into the Hollows at night. She is safe, luckily. My companion interrupts my thoughts: "Do you think we could be the last two?", and I reply, "I don't know. Maybe.", but the voice inside my head is begging someone else to be the last one alive. My companion smiles, and she squeezes my hand. Hesitantly, I squeeze back. "Don't worry, we'll be fine", she says, and takes the lead, and I lag behind.

Lisa:

After hours of sitting on the tunnel floor, staring into the darkness, I suddenly find the strength to move again. I get on my knees, and start to crawl, carefully making sure not to crash into anything. I don't know how long I move along in the darkness, but I stop when I hear another noise. This time it isn't those creatures. I can hear voices. I move my body as close to the wall next to me as possible, and stay silent. "Nelson!", I hear a high-pitched voice shout out, "Where are you?!". The Careers. Some other voices shout out for Nelson, and I hear Terri or Sherri complaining they don't like the dark. The District One Boy snaps at them to be quiet, and I shrink further into the wall. The Boy shouts out, "Nelson! Where are you?!", and someone answers his call. "I'm here", is the reply. The problem is, the reply came from right behind me. Discreetly, I turn around, and can see Nelson's dark shape in the darkness behind me. Can he see me?! "Help me!", he shouts, "Can't anyone bring a lantern out here?!", and Sherri answers, "No, the power's out Doughnut!". Nelson snarls, and asks the other District one Boy to help him up again, more harshly this time. So, Nelson really can't see me after all, otherwise he would have told the others I was here. I breathe a sigh of relief. 

"Did you get them?", asks Terri, and Nelson answers, "Does it look like I got them?! Of course not, Stupid!", and he spits into the dirt, unconscious of me lying there just a few millimetres away from his feet. The District One boy swears, and kicks the wall, just inches from my face. I gulp. "How could you not have got them?", whines Terri, "They were literally as slow as snails!". Sherri laughs, and says, "Eww! I hate snails!". I can feel Nelson's famous death glare at them from my place on the floor, and Nelson hisses, "They turned off the power before I could get at them! I couldn't just try to fumble around in the dark looking for them with all those Thoriumi hanging around, now could I?!". Thoriumi. That must be what those creatures are called. Sherri and Terri shut up, and the District One boy says, "Oh well. If the District 5 Boy and the District 12 Girl don't die from starvation, they'll die from their injuries." Nelson laughs nastily, and replies, "You're right. C'mon, let's try and find another tribute to slaughter!". I can hear their shouts and cackles echoing around me, long after they're gone. 

I lie in the dark, too tired and too shocked to carry on moving away from Thoriumi or Tributes. Now Milhouse and Maude, the two people I actually care about in the Arena, seem to be done for, and I can't go on like this, I give up. The pain in the bites is now spreading all over my body, and I'm sure I don't have much time left. I don't care about surviving anymore. What use is it to live, when all the Capitol wants is for our lives to be a living hell? If I survive this, there is no more life outside the Games for me. Millhouse and Maude will be dead, and Mom and Bart will be in prison. Dad will be struggling to be strong for Maggie, and Maggie herself will be too confused to understand that her world will be falling down around her. No matter what I do, my life will be a catastrophe. 

A tear slides down my face, and I close my eyes. I open them again; and I don't believe what I'm seeing. I blink, and rub my eyes, but it's still there. A small ray of light has come down from the roof of the tunnel, and landed in front of me. I stare at the light for a few minutes, then look up, only to narrowly avoid being hit by a parachute. It lands in front of me, and I snatch it up immediately. I open the lid, and take out a message. 'Stay Strong' is what it reads. I laugh; a weight comes off my shoulders. The Sponsors haven't entirely forgotten about me, after all. I see what else in the parachute. There is a small container of water, which I pour into my water bottle, some matches, some more food and...some medicine.

My strength comes back, as I eat the Capitol food, which is much better than the few scraps of dried food I have left. I save the water for later though, as well as the matches. Finally, I open the medicine. The medicine is a small bottle with a blue liquid in it. I'm guessing I have to drink this. Telling myself that it'll be alright, I unscrew the cap on the bottle. I tilt back the container, and open my mouth. I drink down the medicine, taking care to spare some for someone else. Instantly, I feel a cooling sensation around my body, and the pain slowly ebbs away. The light is still here, and I look up again. I stand up; I can reach the ceiling of the tunnel, so I can reach the light too. It is coming out of a hole in the ceiling the parachute made. I put my hand through it, and feel solid earth next to the hole:a floor. I start to break apart bits of earth, and widen it, so I can fit through it. Collecting all my things, I look up at the light.

I know where to go now.