Last Man Standing

Chapter 5

Insertion Day

(Sky's POV)

I woke up this morning with beads of sweat dribbling down my face. This was the day that I was truly dreading.

Insertion Day.

I sat up in my bed, and was surprised to see a note taped to the redstone torch next to my bed. I pealed it off the torch slowly, and held it up to the window. The words looked like they had been scribbled down quickly, as if whomever wrote was in a hurry.

Watch your back. Is all the note said. I placed the note down next to me. The uneasiness I had been feeling before had now just tripled, and I didn't know what scared me more. The fact that I already have someone targeting me, or that I don't know who its from. I tried to push the note to the back of my mind as I got ready for the day. I pulled on my usual days' outfit, and pulled my hair back in a rat-tail, fastening it with a red hair tie. I slipped on my shoes, and grabbed a banana from the small kitchenette. I then pushed open the sliding door that connected to Ty's car, and I walked inside.

Ty was sitting on his bed, his face drawn down to a small piece of paper in his hands. As I approached him, I could see the slightest tremble in his hands as he read the note.

"Hey Ty. What's that in your hands?" I asked. He jumped, and looked over at me, his maroon eyes as big as saucers. He quickly realized it was just me, and he seemed to relax a little.

"Sky! Thank goodness your here. I need you to look at this!" he said, holding the piece of paper out. I took it from his hands, and read it.

No one is your friend in this game. Ty looked at me, and though his composer was normal, I could see the faintest trace of fear in his eyes.

"You shouldn't worry about this notes Ty. I got one too last night." I said, though I think I was trying to convince myself more than Ty.

"No Sky, I don't think you get it. Someone or some people are targeting us. This is a major problem in our plan, because whenever your a target, you want to be in a group. That's what District 8 always taught us." He stuttered. "We have such a higher chance of getting killed now. Sky, you have to stay on high alert in this ok? Always watch your back." He said, and I quickly nodded.

"Come on Ty, let's go." I said, waiting for him to stand. He didn't.

"Remember Sky? We can't be seen together. It would destroy our plan." Ty said, and I nodded, just remembering. I waved goodbye, and began my way down to the training room.

As I was walking to the training room, I ran into Tiffany.

"Oh good! Sky, follow me please." she said, ushering me to follow with her hand. I stood rigid for a second, but the command-following part of me gave in, and I reluctantly followed her.

We walked down a long stretch of corridors, and a few flights of stairs, before we came upon a strange looking tube. I looked it over, and all it looked like was a glass tube that went somewhere I couldn't see.

"Well Sky, this is it. Are you nervous?" Tiffany asked me. Inside, I was a nervous wreck, full of anxiety, doubts, and tension. But instead of telling her how I really felt, I decided to slap a brave face on.

"No, I feel ready." I said, hoping to sound convincing enough. Tiffany smiled.

"I'm very glad to hear that Sky. Now, please step inside of the tube." Tiffany said, clicking some buttons on a panel. A door opened itself, and as I slowly entered the tube, my worry just kept growing. I stepped onto the metal floor, and Tiffany closed the door behind me, sealing me in. God was I lucky that I didn't have claustrophobia, or this would have been torture enough. I looked back at Tiffany, and she just smiled, and mouthed what looked to be the words May Notch have Mercy.

She then walked away, leaving me in this stupid tube all by myself.

Probably to go to her seat to watch, I muttered to myself.

I was probably in that tube for close to 45 minutes when I heard a large cranking noise, and I felt the floor begin to vibrate. I looked at the floor, and then realized that the metal floor was MOVING. I squinted my eyes to see where I was going, but the scorching light blinded me. Rubbing the spots out of my eyes, I began seeing the first signs of the Games Arena. The layers of dirt and stone were cracked and awful looking, and even through the glass I could smell something rancid in the air. It kinda smelled like rotting zombie flesh. Like, ROTTING. Finally, a large burst of light shone into my tube, and I finally got to see the map. I was encased in a small bubble, one that would most likely disappear once the game officially starts. All of the players were in a large circle, and in the center of that circle was a large cobblestone building that had mounds of chests in it, no doubt filled with loot materials. Looking at the other players, most of the faces looked familiar. There was only a few that I didn't recognize, and I had no idea where they had come from anyways.

Looking to my right and left, I realized that I wasn't near Ty. Instead, I was standing next to some guy with blue hair that wore goggles and diamond patch on his arm, and one of the two alleged sorcerers with a purple cape. The guy with the purple cape looked at me and snickered, as if he was saying "You're so gonna die." I glared at him. Looking around, I finally spotted Ty on the other side of the circle, looking calm, yet determined to win. A loud screech filled the arena, and I quickly covered my ears. Looking around, I noticed plenty of jukeboxes that were placed on top of fence-posts to create a speaker system. In the middle of the circle, where the large cobble building was, a cloud of mist began to surround the center, and then a weird looking snowman appeared from the center.

"Good morning men and women of Capital City! Who is ready to begin the Hunger Games?" The snowman called out eagerly.

"Delegates! This is probably going to be the hardest thing you will ever face in your life. Since last year's games, we have improved the game tremendously, so be ready for the thrill of a lifetime! When the buzzer sounds, the bubbles that are surrounding you right now will disappear, and you are then vulnerable, so make careful choices and strategies. Also, a special easter egg has been added this year, and it is up to you delegates to figure out what it is! To do that, you must find a player and kill them. Every player has a piece of the easter egg stored in a special watch that was implemented into your skin last night while you were asleep, and if/when you kill that player, you can scan the watch on their arm and claim the pieces that they have discovered. If you happen to discover all of the pieces of the easter egg, then the game is over and you will be declared the victor! Does this all make sense?" The snowman cheered, and we all nodded. "Fabulous! Tiffany, please set the 20 second countdown timer!" The snowman said, and a large 20 appeared over the top of the cobblestone structure. "Begin the countdown!" cried the snowman, and the numbers instantly started decreasing.

19...18....17...

I quickly surveyed the biome. It looked like full scale apocalypse had happened, with lava pool and dead or half dead trees creating a forest around our little circle. I realized that the smell I had smelled earlier WAS actually rotting flesh, due to the fact that I could see a pile of it not too far away from where I was. I gagged.

11....10....9....

I zoned back into where I was. This was do or die time. I had my focus targeted on a chest nearby me, and I was getting ready to run.

5.....

4.....

3.....

2.....

1......

BUZZZZ

Hey guys! Hope you guys are still enjoying this! I know it's more lifelike than normal, but I'll try to incorporate some more minecraft things so it doesn't seem so irl. Anyways, please like and comment, it's always appreciated!

Oh, and thanks for 100+ reads too, you guys rock :)