THE 68TH HUNGER GAMES - Book 1: Tribute

Chapter 12 - The Split

I wake up to the sound of Ferdinand's soft voice speaking in a petrified tone in my ear. "Hyora! Wake up! Some of the careers are here!"

I jolt up and look around, but notice that only Ferdinand is in the tower.

"Where are the others?" I ask, shocked.

"They've decided to go hunting, but didn't want to wake you up," Ferdinand whispers, "I decided to stay."

I get on my feet and peep out the glassless window of the tower. Outside only a football field length away, Cassara Shine, Ryone Diamonte, Melliano Graphite and Johanna Icon are walking straight towards the ruins.

"Do you think anyone will be here?" Melliano asks the rest of them.

"Not sure," Cassara snaps back, "and it'll be best if you shut up!"

The careers continue towards the ruins, and I quickly pack anything I can grab a hold of into my bag. Ferdinand and I speed down the stairwell and out the door. We both run further up the mountain and within a few minutes, I begin to feel a bit lost.

"Where are we?" I ask Ferdinand. "Anywhere near the edge of the arena?"

"Not sure," he replies, "the mountains probably span for a couple of kilometres."

"Do you think Aisling and Hannah will find us?"

"Doubt it," Ferdinand says calmly. "They're probably being chased by the careers anyway."

We continue through the damp rainforest covered mountains until we finally reach a small stream and take a break. I fill up my bottle with the stream water and take huge gulps of it to replenish my thirst. As I'm taking sips, the ground beneath me begins to rumble and I look up at Ferdinand, who's just as puzzled.

"What was that?" he says.

Before I can reply, his question has already been answered. Further up the mountain, water is gushing down in large streams and I instantly realise that this isn't some natural cause. The gamemakers are trying to flood the middle of the arena and trying to drive all the tributes together.

"Oh my gosh!" Ferdinand shouts. "Run!"

Without even thinking, Ferdinand and I sprint down the mountain using as much energy as we can. As I run, I can hear the gushing sounds of the thunderous water behind me, getting closer and closer. I start feeling water splashing onto my shoes and realise that I might not make it. I look to my left and see Ferdinand sprinting further and further away from me. The water is driving him away from me and I. Before I know it; the water catches up to me and sweeps me off my feet. Everything becomes a blur as I'm submerged in the painfully rough water. I try my best to yell out for help, but it's no use because all that comes out is a gargling noise. I splash around for a few seconds before getting hold of a tree trunk. The water still streams down the mountains for another few seconds before finally stopping. I drop myself onto the ground and pant heavily. Looking up, I realise that in the middle of the pit, there's a stream running through the middle. I look around and notice that some of the ruins have been destroyed and the gamemakers have added a twist: there are now plant covered ancient pyramids in the centre of the arena in the pit. I look around but there's no sign of Ferdinand who must've been swept away in the floods. I wonder if anyone has died during the floods because I couldn't hear any cannon in the sounds of the floods.

I get onto my feet and suddenly feel a throbbing pain in my left leg. I look down and find a deep blue bruise; however, I get up anyway and continue down into the pit where everything suddenly becomes dark. All the plants and the grass look wet from the floods and everything looks like a mess. Leaves are strewn all over the ground, tangled with twigs. I grab out my knife in case a tribute appears, but the next couple of hours prove uneventful. As I get deeper into the pit, the ambient sounds of the rainforest grow louder and clearer. As I walk further down, I finally reach a rocky patch of land with monolithic boulders, which tower over me. Some of these boulders form caves, which will provide sufficient shelter for me for the time being. I walk deeper into the mess of boulders and finally find a cave that looks safe due to the fact that it's situated deep in the mess of rocks so no one can spot me. As I enter, I smell the scent of beef jerky and turn a corner to find Adriano Feneca sitting down by a fire and eating.