The First Annual Hunger Games (Book 1)

18. Live or Die

Roxen and I look around, searching wildly for a clue that could give us an answer. Who just died? And if we're here what killed them? Poison? Heat stroke? Something else?

Our eyes reach each other once again.

"Looks like we won't be needing your plan," Roxen says.

"That's not funny." I run my hands down my face. You'd think one more person dying would help me, but it has only made me more confused.

"Aldera, you know what happens now."

I shake my head and look back at him. "I don't want to you to die." I take a deep breath. "Kill me," I say. "Kill me and go have a second chance with your family and live your life."

"You don't want to live?"

I don't answer for a moment. "I don't know." I drop down to the ground and stare at it. "Do you believe in heaven, Roxen?"

He looks up at the sky and then sits down next to me. "Yes."

"Do you believe people... like us can get into heaven?"

"I don't think that what we've done in this area is our fault. And I don't think that whoever decides whether we get in our not will base the decision on a couple of weeks. They'll look at our whole lives."

I nod.

"Aldera, I'm not going to kill you." He swallows. "My sister is up there waiting for me and I think she'd be very disappointed if I let you die for me." He stands and pulls me up with him.

"I'm ready. Now are you going to make me do it?" his voice falters.

"No." I take a deep breath and grasp my axe tightly. "No, you shouldn't have to."

He swallows again. "Okay put it right through my heart."

I close my eyes trying to calm my own heart. It only beats faster. I open my eyes.

Roxen jerks forward, an arrow flying through his chest. He looks at me for a split second before falling over. A cannon fires.

"Hello, Aldera." I hear to my left. I spin towards the voice and gasp. Kestrel.

I look back and forth between him and Roxen. "You killed him," I get out.

"Yes." He walks towards me lowering his bow. I raise my axe. "It was a pity he had to die before I could explain my brilliant plan, but I don't think I could have killed you both without the element of surprise."

"You, you were dead. I saw your lifeless body."

"Actually no. Aldera, tell me, did you ever hear a cannon for me?"

I think back on that night without taking my eyes off him. There was too much chaos to listen for the cannons.

"That's right. There wasn't one." He smirks. "You see my plan was to make it close to the end with just you and I and then kill you, but then this oaf," he gestures to Roxen, "came along and ruined it. When the pack came I decided to fake my death and I still can't believe I got away with it. After everyone left I found Juniper, we tracked down the pack together. Everyone died except for Galahad and I. The cannon you just heard was his."

"This is impossible."

"It's quite possible. I figured you two would be confused after hearing that and trying to decide which of you was to die, the perfect opportunity for my victory. It didn't matter whether I killed Roxen or you did, as long as there was only one left."

"But you were so nice, even in training you helped us."

"Aldera, as soon as I was reaped my plan was to win. I didn't think about the moral obligations of these games. I thought about surviving and when your own survival is on the line you start to not care about others. I made a plan to be nice in training and only reveal my real plans when the time was right."

"And that's now?"

"No. Now is time to kill you." He loads an arrow and I just have time to roll away as it flies past.

I keep moving as thoughts run through my mind. He hit Roxen right in the chest, but that may have been a lucky shot. I don't remember him training with a bow and arrow. He could be a master.

I glance back to see he's still firing. I look long enough to count the arrows in the quiver. Nine. I can hold him off that long.

I run in a zigzag fashion towards the pedestals.

"You can't run forever, Aldera."

"Try me," I say. I crouch behind a pedestal. I need a better plan. I duck and another arrow flies past. Eight. I see the pedestal that blew up and decide that's the best shot I've got. I take a knife out of my belt and don't slow down as I throw it at him. He easily dodges.

"Do you really want to kill me, Kestrel?"

"Yes." So much for that distraction.

Two more arrows fly past. Six.

I've nearly reached the bombs. How am I going to activate them?

Another arrow. Five.

I arrive at the overturned dirt and crouch behind the remnants of the exploded pedestal. I dig quickly with another knife and find a bomb. It's a small sphere the size of a cantaloupe. Another arrow nearly hits my foot. Four.

I examine the bomb and find no exterior clues as to how to set it off. Peeking around the edge of the pedestal, I see Kestrel. He fires another arrow, but I dodge. Three.

"Kestrel think about this!"

"I already have and I'm not changing my mind." Another arrow. Two left.

I take a deep breath and decide that I really do want to live. I want to see me family and the orchards of 11 again. I want to live my life. I want to find out what they did with Talon and make them pay.

Another arrow just misses the top of my head. One left.

"Okay," I whisper to myself. "Hey Kestrel!" I yell. "Catch!"

I throw the bomb over the pedestal and at the same time throw the knife. Kestrel's eyes widen and he barely moves his hands to protect his face before the knife hits the bomb.

I duck as the explosion rattles the air. I hear a yell and see debris fall around me. After a moment the only sound left is a ringing in my ears. I stand and see Kestrel's body lying on the ground, badly burned.

"Aldera," his weak voice calls. I crouch beside him. He groans in pain. "Please." I see his eyes move to the axe that's still in my hand. I nod in understanding, then stand and raise the axe. "I'm sorry," I barely hear the words.

"Me too." And I bury the axe in his chest.

Wow! So many things, what? I almost don't want to write one of these little author's note things, but here goes. Did anyone expect Kestrel to make a reappearance? What do you think will happen now? Will Aldera be able to live with herself after this? Let me know your predictions in the comments and if you liked this chapter (who doesn't love people dying?) then please give it a vote! Thanks for reading!