The Hunger Games: Camden Shepard

Chapter 14

I lay under the weight of the two bodies on top of me. My hand was still slowly running through Jack's hair. His face had gone slack and his once brilliant green eyes were shut now- permanently. Tears were flowing freely now, completely depleting what was left of the water in my body, but I didn't care.
"I'm so sorry, Jack." I said between tears. Something deep within my heart had snapped for good. There was no saving me now, even if I did win the Games. I began to hiccup with the force of my sobs. My chest heaved with grief. I couldn't take my eyes off of Jack's face. He looked so different than the boy I'd met on the train. The boy who'd stuck up for me, protected me. He'd protected me to the very end. He hadn't deserved to die this way. I didn't deserve to live in place of him. I blinked, trying to clear the tears from my eyes, but to no avail. I looked from Jack to his killer. I placed both of my hands on his shoulders and shoved, but my weakened body couldn't push him off of me. I was stuck under Jack and Eights bodies.
Panic gripped me. How long would I be stuck here? The horror of being trapped under two dead bodies, even Jacks, caused my stomach to turn. Would I be stuck here, defenseless, for the rest of the Games? My panic at being trapped subsided as I saw the hovercraft float above me. The long arm slowly descended and wrapped a mechanical claw around Eights body. I forced myself to reach up and grab the shaft of my trident, then I waited for the hovercraft to pull his body from my weapon.
The second arm reached down to collect Jacks body and I broke into hysterics. I sobbed and clutched at Jacks body as the claw pulled him off of and away from me. I dropped my trident and wrapped my arms and legs around him, desperately clinging to him. The thought of being left alone was far worse than the thought of being trapped beneath the bodies. The arm shook for a moment with my weight and then began to swing wildly, trying to shake me off. The long arm knocked against a tree and sent me flying. I landed hard on the ground, the wind was knocked from me and I was powerless to stop the hovercraft from taking Jack from me.
I lay on the ground for a moment, gasping for air, staring up as Jack was pulled into the hovercraft and taken away from me forever. I curled into a ball on the field, once green and inviting now the scene of a horrible bloodbath, and cried until I exhausted myself. I decided that I didn't have enough energy to find a proper shelter and instead decided to camp by the field for the night. I forced myself to fill all of my water bottles in the lake and put the droplets in each. Then I filled the cuts on my body with the ointment Finnick had sent me. I did my best to wrap my arm and side with cloth strips that I pulled from my t-shirt. Finally I drank one of the water bottles, grabbed my trident, climbed under a bush and fell asleep.
I woke up hours later to the sound of the Capitol anthem playing. I peeked out between the leaves and watched the faces. The girl from three appeared. Then Jacks face appeared, strong, beautiful. His bright green eyes seemed to stare straight into mine as blinked down at me, his brown hair blowing around his tan face. My heart throbbed dully in my chest. He gave a small smile and then he was gone. His face was taken from me and replaced by both tributes from eight, followed by the boy from nine. I rolled back onto my side and waited for sleep to take me again when a sudden announcement played.
Caesar Flickerman's voice rang out across the arena.
"Congratulations to the final two tributes, from District Four- Camden Shepard. And from District Seven- Jeanette Linoa. Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor!" The announcement ended.
Somehow I had made it to the last two. Jack would have made it if he hadn't saved me. He probably would have made it home to his family, his brothers and sister. I found myself crying again and hating myself for it. I laid back down let sleep overcome me once again.