The 1st Game

9

9

“Attention, attention. The tally is about to be announced. I repeat, the tally is about to be announced.” Sam and I lie in a tree near the edge of the school. We couldn't bare to stay at the Maths block after what we saw. Neither of us have slept at all, so we're wide awake when the speakers switch on. I realise that I was asleep for yesterday's tally. I make sure I tune in to this one.

“Seven hundred and seventy-nine students were alive to hear the tally yesterday. Only two hundred and seven listen now.” I fall out of the tree. My face hits the ground and the breath is knocked out of me. “Five hundred and seventy-two were killed. That is all.”

I'm too shocked to move. There are only two hundred and seven of us left. Sam comes down and helps me back up. We say nothing to one another. We don't need to.

I am suddenly in a terrible nightmare. I dream that my brother, Jordan, is in the school with me, being tortured. He screams for me and I run, I run as fast as I can. When he comes in to view, I see Winter dangling him over the side of the Maths block. She smiles at me as she drops him. I scream.

“Mason! Mason, stop!” I wake up, sweat trickling down my back. Sam hovers over me, a panicked expression on her face. “You were screaming. We have to go.” I shake myself back to reality.

“I'm sorry, I-”

“It's fine. Come on.” We jump out of the tree. Just as we're about to sprint away, I notice a flash light in the distance, slicing through the darkness. People are coming.

We can't run now. “We have to hide,” Sam whispers.

“Split up,” I say. She nods. I find a large dumpster. Slowly creaking the lid open, I soundlessly get inside it. I try my hardest not to gag as the retched smell reaches my nose. Little insects crawl over me and I can't flick them off.

They're closer now. I start to hear one of them talking. “That was him, I promise you. Heard him scream once in maths 'cuz I threw a spider on to him.” Dale. He's alive, and he knows I'm here.

I can't stay here, I realise. I'm a sitting duck. Any moment now they're going to open up the bin and execute me. I have to get out, but their too close. I can hear that there's three boys and two girls. They're going to find me. Hopefully Sam will help me.

As soon as the lid opens, I grab the person's head and slam it in to the bin. They shout in pain, which immediately alerts the others. I swing myself out and am instantly hit over the head by someone. I recover quickly and take out an arrow, slamming it in to my attacker's neck. Blood squirts everywhere as I take off.

I barely get a few metres before a spear hits me in the back. Not enough pressure to kill me, but it causes me to fall to the ground. “Help!” I scream, panicking. I'm going to die.

I look behind and see Dale, walking towards me, sword in hand. “Please, don't!”

He smiles at me in the way a lion does before they pounce on their prey. “Your mine,” he growls. Then he is tackled by Sam. The two girls have run off, so it's just him to deal with. She slams her fist in to his face and they roll on the floor. I try as hard as I can to stand but the severe pain in my back forces me back down.

“Sam, stop!” I can see already that Dale is getting the upper hand. He slams her head in to the ground, and I see blood pour out of her mouth. “Sam!” She kicks him in the side and tries to run to me, but he grabs her by the leg and pulls her to the ground. He gets up and kicks her in the head, again and again.

She's no longer conscious. I start to cry. “Stop! Stop!” After one last blow, he turns to me.

“I wonder what I'll get for killing two top contenders,” he says, grinning. “Maybe I'll even get to win.” He starts to trudge his way toward me. I close my eyes. At least I won't have to see any more people die.

I think of my family. My brother. My parents. I love you, I think to them. I hope they find my body and bury me. Tears fall on to my cheeks. I hope I see you all again one day.

I open my eyes. I will not die with them shut. I will look Dale right in the eye as he kills me. But he's stopped. He looks up at the sky, and that's when I hear them. Jets.

I can barely process what's happening when the first bomb hit the ground.