The Simpson's Hunger Games

Chapter 28

Lisa:

I'm not hoping that I wish I wasn't rescued at all. I can't afford to be picky in my situation. But I still can't help thinking that someone else could've helped me. There must be some logical explanation to this. The Careers would never help me unless they got something in return. And who is the one in charge here in the Games? Akira. And who is in charge of Akira? The Capitol. But who is in charge of the Capitol? My first answer is no one, but then I realise...The only reason the Capitol holds the Hunger Games year after year is because of the people. The people governed the Capitol's actions by rebelling and 'forcing' the Capitol to teach them a lesson. The Capitol must keep it's citizens happy in order to obtain peace. It's just that some got more oppressed than others, namely the Districts are forced through the torture of watching loved ones die, and the Capitol citizens get to sit back and watch. Do the Capitol citizens ever feel like they're trapped? 

 Anyway, whatever the Capitol citizens feel, it should be my feelings that I care about now. I have to be my first priority. I have to remember how to act around other people, after being alone for what feels like years. I can't reveal too much...

I start to wonder where we're going. If the whole of this floor is covered in water, which it probably is, then my best guess would be that we're going to the next floor, out of danger: Floor Four. I shudder, wondering what we would encounter there. 

Watching me stir, Terri remarks to Nelson that I'm still awake. Nelson glances down briefly at me to confirm this, then grunts. Terri says nothing more. We spend the next few hours in silence; enough time for me to think about an escape plan. If the Games has taught me anything, it's that it never hurts to be too careful. After a while, I try to examine my surroundings. The boat I'm lying in is very small: about two meters long. It barely fits the three of us. Lying next to my face is a backpack. I can see the labels of canned food peeping out. I look to the other side of me; there is a gun, a rare weapon in the Games, and some bullets lying next to it. I look at Terri. She has the blanket around her shoulders, and her eyes closed. In her hand, grasped tightly, is a sharp looking knife, slightly jagged on the edge. I look at her companion. Nelson is holding two rows in his hands, and is pulling the boat along. Across his lap is a long spear, with a blood-stained cloth wrapped around it. 

So, if they have the right weapons, then why haven't they killed me yet? Because I'm useful? Have they struck a bargain with the Capitol in some way? Questions fly through my head, my eyes finding small details everywhere I look. Like the way Nelson has blood-stained clothes, and Terri's are just muddy. The way the planks of wood holding the boat together look worn and old, not Capitol-made. The way that there is a half-empty bottle of water, next to Terri's foot, dust gathering around the cracked plastic. It looks like they have been travelling for days. Have they been looking for me all this time? A sharp sting across my temple brings me back to reality. Terri is leaning over me, disgust in her eyes. I frown, and look at the knife, still clutched in her hand.

At first I think she cut my forehead, but then she holds up a bottle of antibacterial liquid. She starts to clean a small cut I didn't know was there before. Terri is helping me. Nelson doesn't say anything, but continues to row the boat steadily. Terri turns me over, and takes off my backpack, still attached to my body. Once she has done that, she lies the bag carefully on the boat floor. She takes off my jacket. With her knife, she rips the fabric of my t shirt in half, down the length of my spine, revealing my back. Judging by the gasp of horror she makes, the wound the rock made is not pretty. But, she says nothing. Using the antibacterial liquid again, she pours it into my skin. It is very painful, but I don't show it, by digging my nails into my palms. Once she has cleaned the wound, she wraps bandages around it, but does nothing more to treat it. Wrinkling her nose, she sits back, and folds her arms. Her act of kindness ends here. Struggling to sit up, I use my hands to steady myself. This tips the boat almost upside down. Terri hisses at me, and Nelson glares at me menacingly. I put my jacket back on. 

I stay sitting still for a long time after that, looking at nothing in particular and staring into space, waiting for my clothes and hair to dry. Terri wraps the blanket more tightly around herself and Nelson rows more quickly, as we all grow more tense. I must of fallen asleep, because when I open my eyes next, it seems our journey in the boat has finally ended. Nelson is pulling the boat up onto a shore, and Terri is preparing to get out. I grab my bag, and when the boat is fully on the shore, I slowly start to pull myself out. Nelson goes to help Terri carry all their supplies, while I stretch out my limbs and look around. 

By the looks of it, we are on a completely different floor. I am standing on a tiny beach, about 6 meters long. Ahead of me, there is a high platform running along the length of the beach. I can see the platform is more like a pavement. At each end of the pavement, where the beach begins and ends is an archway, leading into a tunnel. The beach cuts through the tunnel. Although we are still underground, it seems to have a more positive atmosphere compared to the other floors. Like Floor Two, there is a permanent light source coming from lamps lining tunnel walls. There is also a more...cleaner feel to this floor. All of the tunnels look new, not dusty, or ancient, like the other floors. The colour of the walls and floor are of a soft mousy-brown. The smell is fresh, and slightly scented with a sweet perfume. I look up. The ceiling is one big window, with light streaming out from it. I can't see anything from this side of the window, but I do know that the other side is...the surface.

A sudden weight that has been on my shoulders since I have entered the Games falls off, making me feel light and hopeful. Knowing that I am only one floor away from leaving this Arena, knowing that this journey is almost over, makes me feel hopeful that I can start a new one, and leave all the memories of this place behind me. However, I have to find that map to the exit first...before anyone else. This means I have to get away from the Careers soon. I sigh, and look at them, who are also looking around. "Well, they decided to redecorate for us...", Nelson breaks the silence, a low whistle following the sentence. Terri glares at him, and doesn't look at me. She only starts to stomp towards the platform, which leads to the tunnel. Nelson follows her, and gestures for me to do the same. Hesitantly, I start to walk towards the two people which have been my enemies for so long. Have they become my allies?