Writer Games: Monsters (FULL)

Finalist: Sabrina Olive

The scarecrows were back again. Haunting my existence. Following my every move. I had already watched them pick the boy clean. Now they were after me. No matter how loud I screamed or how loud I cried they wouldn't stop.

Then I ran into a circular clearing. It was empty except for one thing. Vester's dead body and his journal laid flat on his chest. I went over to him like I had when I first saw him dead and sobbed as I had the first time.

Every time was like the first time. You just have to wish there will never be a time for those you love. Especially not because of you. Now though, the person I loved is dead because of me. I held the letter in my hands, reading and reading it over even though I had already memorized it. Then I saw the hovercraft rip him away from me and I sobbed. Then the scarecrows came again, scratching and pulling at me as it tried to eat me. I screamed as usual but it felt hollow. It wasn't going to get me much farther. The scarecrows bit at me, ate me until I can' only see the skeleton with bits if flesh. And still they kept coming. And coming and coming and coming and-

"Sabrina!" A familiar voice exclaims shaking my shoulders. I wake up with a shout as I see Vester standing in front of me, and he looked perfectly healthy, save for the missing wrapping on his arm and the purple line that surrounded his. I was overjoyed.

"Your alive!" I exclaim throwing my arms around him. My dream was just dried tears now, completely forgotten as I looked at the boy who was supposed to be dead. He wraps his arms tightly around me as well and minutes later I pull away and look at his face. A huge smile breaks out onto my face, soon copied by Vester and we stared at each other. I look away from him for a second, to look at the sky and see what time of day it was. It was late morning I figured and looked back at Vester.

"How'd you do it?" I ask him in awe.

"I honestly don't know," Vester shrugs. "I'm just glad it happened because I wanted to see you again."

We talk for what seems like hours when suddenly the Capitol anthem played. We look at each other confused. What was happening? It wasn't night so they weren't going to show fallen tributes, so what were they showing, a twist in the rules?

After the anthem quiets down Marcus's face appears in the sky.

"We are down to the last four tributes. And this year we have a finals you will never forget. One of our gamemakers is like you. A monster. A mutant. We have sent her into the games, chained to the statue of our president, with a necklace. This necklace will make you a victor, but it will only work once the other three tributes are dead. Good luck, and I look forward to seeing you on the victory tour." Marcus says before hedisappears from the sky.

"The final four," I whisper. I was so close to going home. So why didn't I want to? Vester suddenly grabs my hand.

"We have to move. If we want to get you that necklace we need to move fast before the others do," Vester says, pulling me up and starting to run. I have no choice but to follow him. We run for ages until suddenly we break free. At the same time as the other tributes.

"Work on Celina's chains!" Vester says pointing to her. "I'll stop the other tributes!" I nod, not wanting to have to kill anyone myself, and move over to Celina. I look at her with a small frown as I work on the chains. She didn't seem like a mutant. In fact she seemed like every other Capitol human.

"I am different though," she says. It was as if she could read my mind.

"I can," I pause from the chains to look up at her.

"It's sorta new. But I can read your minds. You're worried about Vester. Vester is trying to fight the two others off, and when they die he's going to kill himself so that you will win. Nymph is-"

"Shut up!" I exclaim tears welling up in my eyes. "He's not going to kill himself! You're lying! He wouldn't do that to me again!" Celina smiles sadly.

"He would do everything so that you would win. He loves you. Your his everything," she tells me and tears start falling. I go back to the chains when I hear a cannon. I turn around to see who is the fallen. It's the robot. Only Nymphe is left fighting with Vester. I look back at the chains not wanting to watch either of them die. I worked on the chains and minutes later she was free.

"Where's the necklace?" I ask not seeing it around her neck. Her hand goes to her pocket and she takes out the small necklace and hands it to me. Another cannon and I hear footsteps run towards me afterwards. I brace myself for the impact. Nymph one didn't she? And now she was going to win right? But the only thing that came was a light tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see Vester covered in blood. The knife is still in his hands though and that worries me. He touches my face gently, before kissing me long and sweet. Seconds later I hear the cannon. Vester's body fell from my touch and I screamed and cried almost immediately after. He was dead for real this time. Celina takes the necklace from me for a second. She does something and seconds later we are on the floor of a hovercraft. I hear her whisper one thing.

"I'm sorry,"

Then I cry myself to sleep on the cold metal floor.

I was the victor like I always wanted.

So why wasnt I happy?