Hunger Games Entries

Task 8 - The Final

So this is the final task! :O I'm very grateful that I've made it this far. Thank you all for your comments and interest in my entries :D As a heads up, Carina is back again in this entry. Well, here goes. Hopefully you enjoy it! (And I win *fingers crossed*) Don't forget to leave comments and maybe vote! :)

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Mom's always said that while mushrooms are abundant in forests, not all are safe to consume. Stay away from the ones that turn purple with white spots under direct sunlight, she constantly cautioned.

My hands pull out two big mushrooms from the ground and throw them inside my dry mouth. Munch. Gulp.

I didn't even bother to look at it whether they would turn purple under the sunlight. To my famished body, it's just food.

I've been starving for two days, although I have a reliable water source. We're all on our toes, running away from Amanda. Being constantly on the move, a lot of stamina is always used up, and therefore a lot of food. It's worse because we weren't able to replenish our supplies at the feast of kin letters. At this rate, none of us will be able to survive for long.

All of a sudden, my body shudders and I fall sitting on the ground, my legs spread out in front of me. The world begins to spin, and a distorted moaning sound comes out from my mouth.

"Oh, look. It's a butterfly," I utter, grinning like a child at the sight of a big black-winged butterfly fluttering its wings in front of my face. "Come here pretty butterfly!"

I get up and hop around, trying to catch it in my hands. Four striking green eye-like patterns adorn its black wings. As it flies closer to me, I see that the "eyes" blink. They look so real, that it feels as though they are alive and staring deep into your soul. What a mesmerizing creature.

"You're so pretty. Do you have a name, fancy butterfly?" I ask, batting my lashes back at it.

"What?" asks the butterfly, tilting its head to one side. It lands on the tip of my nose, and I giggle.

Suddenly, it enlarges dramatically, grinning with human-like teeth. Its wings expand rapidly in size, and they wrap around me tightly, nearly constricting my neck.

"Hey!" I grunt, trying to make my out of its deadly embrace. But its wings are too strong.

"Stay still, will you?" it commands me while trying to constrain my flailing arms. "So I can end this quickly."

Then I stare at the butterfly's face, and see that it has the exact same eyes as the patterns on its wings. Bright green circles on a black head. Its scrawny upper arms grab me by the collar, and it produces a serrated dagger from behind its abdomen, bringing it close to my neck.

When its head comes closer, I slap my hands on its cheeks, taking hold of its face. Then I launch my head towards it, and our foreheads collide, causing the butterfly to back down. The dagger escapes from its hand in the process. I hear the sound of something splashing into water.

"Damn it," I hear the butterfly curse as it releases its wrap around me and flies away to retrieve the weapon.

No longer covered by the wings, I see a whole new universe - a fiery red sky, and under it is a wide, raging sea with many tall, narrow amber-colored rocks scattered all over it. I myself am on one such rock. Below is nothing but deep water, its giant waves clashing hard onto the lower half of the rock every second. A big dormant volcano stands far in front of me.

The butterfly reappears. It lands on a tall boulder to my right and exhales deeply. My jaw drops as its lower side begins to develop a mile-long tail and some one hundred extra pair of legs.