This Is All Just A Game [The Hunger Games]

16 - Burning For Revenge, Dying Within.

Chapter 16: Burning For Revenge, Dying Within.

“Ivan, Ivan, Ivan,” I sobbed, cradling his body where we stood. “No... no... no... Ivan...” I felt his back again. When my fingers brushed the arrow that had ended his life, buried deep within the flesh of the heart, I wept and pulled it out with both hands.

Fresh blood ran down his back, coating my fingers with the red substance.

“NO!” I screamed and collapsed into a heap on the ground, holding the boy to me as if he was my lifeline.

A laugh lit up the hell I once called a paradise, full of delight at my close-to-a-brother’s death.

I growled at the direction of the laugh, burning from within with the wish to torture his killer.

I will kill her, I will make her pay, I will, I will get revenge... I chanted. I wasn’t sure if I said it aloud or not, but I’m sure the dark cloud that loomed over my face tuned onlookers in on my rage.

“You! I hate you!” I screeched, wiping my face to clear my tears.

“Good, good,” her voice taunted from the opposite direction of where I was facing. “I’m glad I saved you for last. Hate is always something that keeps people rolling.”

I stood, slowly cradling Ivan’s head till it was safely on the ground. I pressed my fingers to my lips and then pressed them to his brow. This wouldn’t be goodbye just yet.

Then, I spun to face the girl hiding in the shadows of the night. “No, you’re wrong. Revenge is the thing keeping me standing as of now.”

“Either way, you do know what’s going to happen, right?” her voice, always taunting, had taken on a new tone of loathing.

“Yes...” I murmured, picking up my whip and holding it ready. “You’re going to die!”

White teeth glinted, giving away her position, so I ran forth into the darkness and struck out. First came the fist, then the whip.

Revenge burned in my veins, filling my vision with blood red.

We collapsed to the floor as one, my body on top of hers, as she struggled to shield herself from the harmful blows I threw at her.

She grabbed my weapon hand and twisted painfully, giving a sharp tug, when I showed this. With my other hand I swung my fist at her face, dropping the whip on the ground as that hand was now useless.

We rolled. At times she was victorious at holding me down. Once or twice she bit into my shoulder, where the tender flesh of the lower neck was, and drew blood before I knocked her over. My body ached as we fought, yet I continued on with the blood stains, bruises, exhaustion and broken bits.

“You,” I spat in her face once. “Will.” Twice. “Pay!” I howled and slammed her face into the bloody dirt.

The girl gasped for breath and instead I filled her mouth with fistfuls of dirt. Without hesitation I scrambled to my feet, seeing Ivan’s body gone as well as the table of empty food. I had rolled us a good classroom away from where I had first lunged.

Realization dawned on me.

We’ve rolled closer to the camp for the Careers...

I turned and sprinted for it, knowing there will be weapons there to help me with my revenge.

As I drew closer, I noticed a pack of weapons sprawled out on the ground by the first tent. Obviously someone had been trying to open the bag before death as the grass was stained.

I slid down on my knees towards the weapons, fumbling for something I had some ability to use.

Before I could find some of use to me, though, I was pushed to the ground with the breath knocked out of me. Then came the obvious pain, as I had landed on various amounts of sharp objects I had recently searched through.

The girl I had just knocked down was back, clawing at my face with vicious fury.

Desperately I attempted to lift her off me and roll off the weapons which cut into my already-scarred and bloody spine with each merciless push downwards.

She didn’t allow it, thrashing me about and around like some rag doll.

It hurt. So much. I felt like dying already.

Another stab into my spine, this time brushing bone and a nerve.

So I screamed, arching my back from the bloody dirt and letting a tear roll down my cheek. The sound was so unnatural from me – unexpected – that the girl from 12 let go of my shoulders as if shocked.

I took this chance to knock foreheads with her, pushing her off in the process. In just those few seconds she fell off, I was up, almost yelping from the pain it caused me in the process. Never-the-less I bent down swiftly and grabbed whatever weapon my hand found.

It was a heavy axe. I felt a pang at the memory of Marinie and Tosh, telling me of their struggles with weapons even if they grew up around them. Another wave of courage made me stagger forward, axe almost slipping dangerously from my grip due to my blood covering it.

Hamney shrieked, covering her forehead. A tiny bit of blood seeped through her pale fingers. She got to her feet quickly, dropping her hand and letting the wound show. From her ripped sleeve she drew an already slightly bloodied knife, sharp as all hell.

“I’ve had enough,” she grunted.

“Oh, join the club.”

That said, we lunged for each other at the same time, weapons pointing at fatal marks.

All I can say is... it was quick.

Death is swift like that.

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Ouch. That's gotta hurt. I miss Ivan :'(

Sorry it's short! But the story is drifting off to an end. *sniff*

I'm now off to Youth (: