The Writers' Games: The Phoenix

Round 4: Entries

District 1

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Ametrine "Aimee" Gairnéad

 I stagger along, my brain only working at thirty percent power. I don't know if it's my breakdown continuing or if it's just from tiredness but I can't seem to function right. My feet catch on even the smallest roots, my head spinning like I'm about to collapse. What's wrong with me? It's hurting my head.

There's a crack behind me and I jump. I think it's another tribute, it must be. But is it an ally or an enemy? I haven't located any allies yet and I haven't seen an enemy since my fleeing from the Bloodbath. My heart starts pounding as I look around, trying to see what's following me. My fingers close around the knife that I had put in my pocket while I ran away from the Bloodbath. But I relax my grip, I don't want to kill anyone else.

"Whoever it is, I don't want to hurt you. Please don't hurt me." I stammer while looking over my shoulder, trying to locate my follower.

I hear a sort of snarling noise and I start shaking. That wasn't a human noise. It was nowhere near human. It's a mutt, oh gosh it's a mutt. A whimper rises from my throat and I turn around.

All I see is fire. A blur of fire behind me. The grass is ignited. The trees have started burning. And there are foxes in the fire, seemingly untouched by the hot flames. With a start, I realize that the foxes are the source of the fire. The foxes are burning. Fire mutts. Fire foxes. 

No. Nonono.

"Nice foxes... Don't hurt me..." I whisper, backing away from the flaming creatures in front of me.

The foxes look at me with curious eyes, the red iris' burning just as much as their fur. I wait for them to turn and run. But they don't. 

The lunge at me with teeth bared.

I scream, feeling rooted to the spot. I try to move but I'm paralyzed with fear. I scream louder, knowing that that's all I can do. But suddenly I find myself careening towards the ground as I tribute slams into me.

They don't seem to notice the mutts until they realize I'm screaming. I look at them and scream louder when I see that it's Marcus from D12. He and his sister scare me. They scare me a lot. There's hysteria in the scream now. 

I watch in horror as the mutts jump on him instead of me. He starts screeching as they tear at his body, ripping into his flesh and burning him. It's terrifying, he's from District 12 and he's burning to death. Doesn't that just... it's scary. I'm transfixed as I watch chunks of flesh be ripped from his body as Marcus starts to blacken from the fire. His cannon booms and the foxes look right at me like they remember I'm here. 

I scream again, scrambling to my feet and running as fast as I can away from the fire foxes and Marcus' burned, marred body. But I hear the foxes' footsteps pounding behind me. Or is that the sound of my heart thumping in fear as I run for my life? I can't really tell them apart.

I'm getting close to hysteria now. My thoughts are getting scrambled and my breathing is getting desperate and shallow. There's terror, true terror, running through my body. I can't breathe. My body and my brain are shutting down. All I can focus on is running.

I hear an anguished scream and I dare to look over my shoulder. I wish I hadn't. I watch a fox break away from the pack chasing me and tackle a girl. I don't remember much about her. Just her name. Gia. Gia, that's her name. A cannon booms. That was her name... 

My breathing is shallow as I stumble over roots. I feel lightheaded. I'm dizzy. And nothing is making sense, it's all fuzzy and confusing and the hysteria is buzzing through me like a swarm of angry bees. The foxes are getting closer, I can feel the heat of the fire on the back of my legs.