Starve On Pixels

Chapter 8: Keep Your Friends Far and Your Enemies Farther

Sunny's POV

"Nobody will ever breathe a word of that again," I said, "Got it?"

"Don't worry Sunny, we wouldn't tell anyone that you trembled in fear," Vanessa replied sarcastically, "It would ruin your image."

"You understand!" I exclaimed, pretending to take her seriously, "Now that that's settled, what's for breakfast?"

"We've already eaten most of the rations in the Cornucopia," Emily seemed hesitant, "So we're going to have to hunt."

"Hunt?" I asked incredulously, "What's there to hunt?"

"If we wait until the burning zombies and skeletons are finished, I'm sure we could find some cows, pigs, chicken, and sheep around here."

My eyes bugged out of my head, "The world is determined to make me fat- it must be envious of my perfection! I can only eat yogurt parfaits- anything greasy will give me pimples."

"And starvation will kill you," Vanessa's patience was wearing thin, "It's your choice, but we're going hunting. If we spot any other tributes we can kill them along the way too."

Emily X perked up, "We can avenge Vivian's death too!"

"Fine," I sighed, "You're lucky I enjoy killing people so much!"

We trudged through pixelated marshland in awkward silence. After we'd caught some animals, we remembered that Emily X and I had dropped all of her firewood yesterday, and we all agreed that there was no way we'd eat raw sheep. (It causes even MORE acne than cooked meat does!) I also said that I wouldn't eat without utensils, but my 'allies' obviously don't understand hygiene problems.

"Ugh. We've been walking forever," I moaned, "Can't we take a break?"

"No," Vanessa spoke curtly.

Emily X, wisely, stayed silent. I was getting really agitated about Vanessa, and was already planning out her death in my head.

"Bu-" I was cut off.

"Shh!" Emily X whispered sharply, "Do you hear that?"

Creepy organ music drifted slowly through the trees.

Dun... Dun.... Dunnnnnn....... "We... Are....COMING FOR YOU!!!!"

Emily Z. and Ellen burst out of the surrounding shrubbery. I don't know how, but Ellen was on a spinny chair while playing and rolling an organ towards us. Emily Z. was brandishing a... large sewing needle? Zoe's carcass was strapped on top of the organ and her blood spurted out at every note.

"AHAHAHAHA, WE ARE COMING TO GET YOUUUUUUU! kILL OR BE KILLED, DIE OR BE.... DEAD. FIGHT OR BE... FOUGHT? AHAHAHA I AM SOOO FUNNY!" Yeah, Ellen didn't seem so bright.

"It's the crazy tributes from District 8! What do we do? KILL OR BE KILLED, DIE OR BE DEAD, FIGHT OR BE FOUGHT?" Emily X began to ramble in her shocked state.

"Umm... is there an option to live or stay alive?" stammered Vanessa.

"OF COURSE NOT! CHOOSE, OR ELSE YOU DIE SLOWLY AND PAINFULLY! CHOOSE YOUR WAY OF DEATH! NOW!!!" Emily and Ellen screamed in unison.

I take back what I said about a seamstress not being a threat in the interviews. These two were as scary as being slapped in the face by death. Maybe even scarier.

"Play that scene we rehearsed last night!" Emily Z cackled.

Ellen began to play a spooky chord while Emily Z thrust her sewing needle in front of her- all of us were frozen with terror. Vanessa reacted first- she grabbed my axe and threw it at Emily Z. Her head was sliced off cleanly- as cleanly as could be while oozing blood. Without a brain, Emily Z's knees buckled beneath her and she slumped to the ground; her gruesome head rolled around before gently bumping Ellen's leg.

The organ's music was replaced with eerie silence.

Ellen stared for about 5 seconds, then screamed at us, "THAT'S NOT PART OF THE SCENE!!!"

Before we could answer, she started wailing, "NOOOO! Remember all those good times?! Even back in Grade 4! We were killing since we were young!!! Emily, you can't leave me to kill everyone else by myself! We've already killed so many together!"

"What do we do now?" Emily X whispered to me.

"Um... I dunno," I whispered back.

Ellen got a scary glint in her eyes, "YOU WILL PAY!"

All of us watched, transfixed, as she lifted her organ- it must have weighed a billion tons. She hefted it onto her shoulders and tossed it at Vanessa. Ellen let out a victorious cry before all the shock and strain caught up to her, and she collapsed in a heap on the ground.

"Wow," Emily X hadn't moved the whole time.

"I guess that's two less people to kill," I took Emily Z's sewing needle and stabbed Ellen with it, "That was really poetic, right there! Her allie's weapon turned against her to spill her blood. Take that!"

"Yeah, I have a feeling you really haven't read very much poetry," Emily X interrupted my 'moment.'

"Well, I know plenty of poets like-like..." I was sure my mother had made my sister memorize poetry, "I just can't think of any right now."

"Ya right- well, I guess we'll just have to keep going without Vanessa," Emily X pointed to the crumpled pile of Vanessaness on the ground.

"What about...Right! J.K. Rowling!"

"...She's an author. Not a poet. Idiot."