Kai From Four

Arena: Day 7, Part 3

I saw her before she saw me.

The odd, twisted feeling I had in me had started to fade, but by no means was it gone. I started to feel the effects of the heat again, but my mind remained mostly clear and focused.

Two more kills to go, and you're number one on my list.

She wasn't Artemis; she was Lexyon. Either one would do. My hand itched for a knife, so I put my bow away. Maybe I can impress sponsors if I kill this way.

At that moment, to me, it wasn't even a matter of if I would kill her. It was only a matter of how I chose to end her life. Unfortunately, however, the smoke got to me before I could reach her, and although I stopped myself from coughing, the sudden breath I took alerted her of my presence. She whirled around to face me.

The game of surprise was up; I didn't mind, it was only a slight inconvenience. I twirled my knife casually, watching the firelight glint off the steel. Do you want a show, dear sponsors? You've got one.

I smiled with mock friendliness, meeting my new opponent's wide-eyed gaze. "Hello, Lexyon."

A carefully blank look overtook her features as she assessed the situation. "Kai. Don't you have someone better to fight? Like Cayden?"

I chuckled darkly as I shook my head. Artemis, Cayden, Lexyon, Sarah, and I were the survivors at the start of the day, and I knew that two were dead. It wasn't Lexyon or me, obviously, and the way she looked around discreetly, plus a strong gut feeling, told me that Artemis wasn't one of the fallen. "Taken care of." My grin widened as her face slightly paled, and I took a step forward. "You're putting up a pretty good fight for someone with one arm and a poor training score."

It looked like she was biting the inside of her cheek, but none of us paid much attention to it. Now, a distraction would be fatal. This didn't stop her for stalling for more time; for what, I had no idea, and certainly didn't care much to find out.

"Well, I have my resources, and I like to play the underdog card." She met me with an even gaze, knowing a fight was inevitable at this point. "I've gotten pretty far, and I intend to go further."

This amused me. "Well," I said softly, raising my knife. "It looks like you and I have conflicting interests. Let's see how much of an underdog you truly are." Then I leapt for her, fully ready to stab my knife deep into her heart.

She stepped aside faster than I'd expected. I rolled my neck, hearing a few low cracks as smoke shot up between us like a shield. Fortunately, Lexyon was affected by the smoke, but unfortunately, I was, too. My eyes narrowed as the smoke started to clear, and she met my stare with a defiant look.

The surroundings were starting to take a larger toll on me. No longer was I invincible, or even slightly vulnerable to the heat; I was back to my disadvantageous state. The only thought I clung to was my need to end the Games today, no matter what sacrifice they asked of me. I would give everything but my life, and that was what I thought of as Lexyon and I circled each other.

Impatiently, I moved closer. End this. End her.

"Come on," Lexyon murmured. Is she taunting me? "You know the Capitol will get bored with us if all we do is dance around each other." She started to back away slowly.

I refused to say a word, moving still closer, but sneered. She wasn't getting to me.

Lexyon nodded curtly after observing my reaction. "All right, then. All play and no talk. Got it." She was nearing the flames behind her. It was becoming a possibility that I could push her in. I just needed to get a bit closer.

When I was a foot away from her, a surprising thing happened. She dropped her weapon arm. I didn't waste a second in attacking, but she ducked and I vaulted directly into the flames. Coughing and swearing, I leapt out of death's fiery grasp and beat every last bit of fire out. Only afterwards did I notice my knives lying back in the fire.

I turned my narrowed gaze to her. "You little-" My own coughing interrupts me, but it doesn't interrupt an arrow from my bow flying into her shoulder.

Her eyes, red from the smoke, bulged at the graphic sight, and she ripped the arrow out and threw it on the ground. I was about to attack again when a hacking fit overtook me, and the next thing I knew, a fist slammed into my gut.

I bent over, wheezing for air. I was losing the fight, and I had to get out. Screw my knives, I had other weapons, and I valued my life over the burns I'd get from the now red-hot weapons if I attempted a rescue. My bow and arrows would have to do.

Recovering quickly, I noticed Lexyon some distance away, picking up her own weapons from the once snow, and once dirt, ash. I didn't waste the opportunity. It was becoming too hot for me to focus here, where fires were springing up all around us, as if they were trying to capture us in a fiery cage.

I saw one fire-less path, and ran as fast as I could away from Lexyon. Was it too much to ask that she would burn to death?

Two left to die, I told myself. Don't be next.