The Capitol Games

Chapter 17: Horror

Black. Endless black. Black void. Silent black void of nothingness. Tears falling onto an invisible surface, splashing as they crash. Unknown voices. Calling. Crying. Begging. A deep heart beat all around, swallowing me up. Cold.
This is what unconsciousness feels like. I want to wake up. I need to. But I can't. No matter how hard I try, I can't bring myself to wake up.
It's peaceful hear. The moans and cries of the faceless voices are soothing, almost a lullaby. There is no death, no hate, no blood, only nothingness. I can live here forever, no worries or cares. I smile, the lullaby of those in anguish soothing my beating heart.
Beating. I'm still alive. A small voice at the back of my mind surges forward, it's tone becoming louder and more ominous.
"You don't have to live. You can stay here forever, and never have to go back. Just take my hand and we can be together. Forever." The voice says, a pale figure approaching me with an outstretched hand. It was a boy. Shaggy hair, big eyes, curved lips, all in tones of grey. His flawless skin is grey, his clothes as well. Everything about him is grey, though his voice seemed to ooze wonderful, vibrant colors.
Turquoise. Gold. Sunset orange. Lime green. Hot pink. Aubergine. The colors leaked from his mouth, clothing him in color. Jade eyes, noir hair, tamarisk lips. He was amazing. His royal blue clothes shift in the gentle breeze, though none could be felt. He steps forward, his pale hand still outstretched.
His smile... It's perfect. Too perfect. I stomp on his unprotected foot and run the other direction, praying to every god that I can wake up. My foot reaches thin air, and, before I can react, I'm falling. My mouth forms a perfect 'o' shape as I fall, screaming my lungs out. Soon enough, a white light replaces the dark void that surrounds me. My eyes shoot open, and I bolt up, struggling to escape. Four hands press me back down, but I still struggle to escape. I kick, scratch, and bite, doing anything I can to escape the monsters that have me.
My teeth clamp down on an arm, drawing thick, red blood. The hand retreats quickly, a sting of curses coming from its mouth. My eyes stop darting around at lightning speed to rest on a face, barely making it out.
"Dart?" I ask, voice creaky and dry.
"Hey there, Doll. Glad you've come to your senses. We've missed you. I've missed you. I thought I lost you, I was so scared..." Dart says quietly. He continues with his little speech, but I don't listen. Instead, I turn to Flávio, crushing him in a tight hug. I give him a quick peck on the lips, then hug him again, this time tighter. Silent tears stain the shoulder of his suit as I bury my face, hiding from the world. A wet tear streams down the back of my neck, Flávio crying into my hair.
"...Because I love you..." Dart trailed off, seeing the moment Flávio and I were having. I ignore his words, instead relishing in the moment. Flávio is alive and well. I didn't kill him. We can be together. All my feelings for Dart were cast away, replaced with my love for Flávio. He cares about me. He loves me.
I eventually remove my face from Flávio's neck, and he releases his hold on me. We part, and that's when I notice that Dart is missing. He's disappeared. Vanished. Gone.
Just like he should be.
Dart doesn't deserve to still be alive. To survive another day. To have a chance at winning the games.
I turn my gaze to Flávio, him looking right back at me. He is perfect. He is everything I could have hoped for. He is... Mechanical? My gaze drops to his arm, to the teeth marks, to the exposed wires.
"F-Flávio?" I ask shakily, willing this to be a dream.
"Yes, Frinchessa?" He replies, tilting my head up to meet his gaze. He's never called me by my name. Never.
I close my eyes, and reopen them to find him gone. Well, the mechanical version. Both Flávio and Dart on on the ground, sleeping. The moon casts shadows on them, illuminating the grass they slept on. Moon? The sun was up just seconds earlier. Moreover, I don't remember it raining. There's puddles in the grass, cool from the chilling temperature. One puddle seems to come from under Dart, another from Flávio.
I realize now that it's blood. They're not sleeping, they're dead. I pick myself up from the ground, and dash from the cornucopia, breaking through bushes and foliage, earning many small cuts on my legs and arms.
I come to rest in front of a cliff, the jagged edge leading to certain death. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and jump.
A crazy girl with a bloodlust addiction shouldn't win the Hunger Games anyways.