Deceived: The 500th Annual Hunger Games

Chapter 53 - The Arena: Day 3

OGILBY HAYES' P.O.V

God, what have I done?

I'm going insane. I killed Bramble. The whole Capitol want me dead now.

Persei wants me dead. Gauis will probably torture me. Orchid will try and slice my throat.

What if I swim to the cornucopia?

Obviously Arlu and Auricula would've had to have heard those cannons. Theta and Bramble's faces haven't been displayed in the sky, seeing as their deaths were after the daily face flash thing.

What if I kill Arlu or Auricula? I mean, they're the only friends left. Well, they're more than friends, but that isn't the point.

Arlu will flip if he finds out that Bramble was killed. He will be hot on my tail.

I looked down at the dried blood on my wetsuit and skin. I'm a murderer. I've killed people that didn't need to die.

It's weird, knowing the boy who broke his leg before the games is still alive. Alive and terrorising.

"Is that him?" Someone yelled. A boy. Most likely Gauis.

I held my breath and dived into the salty water around me. I need to get away from everyone. Away from myself.

I forced my legs and arms into action, trying to escape my pursuers. I could die in a few minutes. I'm not going to make it.

No, Ogilby. You aren't going to die.

My arms ached and my leg muscles throbbed as I continued to tear through the water.

I could hear the splashes of someone behind me. They sounded like they were drowning.

Good. Let them drown. These are my games.

I took a deep breath before returning under the sea. The pain in my shoulders became excruciatingly painful.

"Get back here, jerk!" A girl. That had to be Persei.

"Get lost," I yell, taking in a mouthful of water. Tastes disgusting.

I noticed a splash in the water right by my face. A crossbow arrow.

Oh my god. "Get away from me!" I scream, breathing in more water than before.

"You killed Bramble. You are supposed to be my ally!" Gauis screamed. The pain in his voice made me stop swimming and stare at him.

I took away Bramble. "I-"

"You what?" Gauis cried out. "You killed my best friend. My brother. The only person I cared about."

I couldn't listen anymore. I let the tears roll down my face as I swam away from a screaming Gauis.

I buried my face into the water so I couldn't be seen crying. I need to find an island soon.

"That is as far as you go," Orchid yelled, struggling to stay above the surface. "You deserve to die."

"What are you doing?" I ask as the three of them clutch their weapons.

I let out a menacing roar as one of Persei's weird arrows pierced my shoulder. She has pretty good aim.

Land! Come on Ogilby, swim or you'll die.

The aching in my bones was unbearable as I drove myself forward. All I've done for two days now is swim, swim and swim.

I reached the land and heaved myself up, coughing up the salty water that had got into my lungs.

This is the cornucopia.

I could hear Persei screaming at me to fight her like a man. Gauis was already at the edge of the island. Orchid just concentrated on his swimming.

I ran faster than I had run from the bloodbath. My legs felt like they were about to snap.

I had lost my trident somewhere in the water. I watched as Arlu and Auricula scoped the area. I hid behind a pile of weapons as the other three tributes joined us on the island.

I picked up a trident from the pile and threw it. Orchid looked like he was about to cry as his life was about to be taken away.

Gauis pushed Orchid out of the way and stood in front of the trident himself.

"Gauis!" Persei screamed.

"There's nothing left for me," Gauis choked, his own blood spilling out of his mouth. "Bramble is gone and so am I. Goodbye Persei."

Persei let a tear roll down her face as Gauis lost all the colour from his face.

BOOM!

Arlu spin around to see Gauis lying there with a trident through his torso. Persei was sobbing. Orchid still hadn't got up from where Gauis had saved his life.

"Ogilby," Arlu said, "I know you're here. Step out and we can make this easy."

I know I am going to die, so why make it longer and more torturous if they can get it over with quickly?

I threw my hands up and came out from behind the weapons.

"I'm here. Lets get this over with," I said.

"No Ogilby," Arlu's voice was emotionless but his chocolate eyes filled with tears. "You have to learn your lesson."


PERSEI CHAMOMILE'S P.O.V

Auricula and Orchid stepped back from Arlu and Ogilby. Ogilby was in a headlock right now.

His face began to turn blue. "Arlu," I yell. "Don't torture him."

"He's already killed me inside," Arlu said. "He killed Gauis."

"Psst," Orchid whispered. "Should I tell him about Bram-"

"No!" I say. "It'll just be more painful to watch."

Auricula sighed. "Who killed Theta and Bramble?"

I glanced at Orchid, then Ogilby, then back to Orchid.

"I did," Orchid said.

"You liar," I said.

"So Ogilby did it? Or was it you, Persei?"

"Ogilby did it," I said, crying.

Orchid cries next to me. "I don't want to see him die so slowly," he wailed.

Arlu's veins in his arms became visible as he rotated Ogilby's head. A snap was heard as Arlu loosened his grip. Ogilby fell to the floor, tear marks on his face.

"Are you dead?" Arlu yelled at him.

"The cannon would've sounded if he was," Auricula said.

I loaded my crossbow with a new bolt behind my back as Arly began to cut open his face.

I can't deal with the torture anymore. This arena is just a nightmare.

I fired my crossbow into Ogilby as Arlu used Gauis' whip to lash out it Ogilby.

The bolt hit Ogilby's heart. He struggled to breathe in once more.

BOOM!

We killed him.

"Now what?" Auricula asked. "I'm not willing to kill any of you."

"I don't want anyone else to die," I reply, walking away. I perched on a pedestal and buried my head in my hands.

"Then lets all sit here and do nothing." Arlu and Orchid sat in the middle of the sand and threw their weapons away.

"Tributes," Jarrett's voice boomed. Jarrett? Where's Phillipe? "Seeing as none of you are willing to kill each other, we are introducing the Capitol Catch early. You have two minutes."

"Two minutes?" I yell.

The anthem begins to play and the faces of our fallen friends and foes. Gauis, Theta, Bramble and Ogilby's faces reflect off of the dome.

"Whatever this Capitol Catch is," I say, breathing heavily. "It's going to be something that can kill is easily."

"Why are you on a pedestal?" Auricula asked.

"If it's a water thing, I can leap onto land. If it's a land thing-"

Orchid screamed as his foot sunk under the sand. Auricula and Arlu leapt onto a pedestal. Orchid lost his shoe in the sand and grabbed onto the pedestal next to me.

"If you aren't going to kill each other, then maybe we'll add another Capitol Catch," Jarrett announced.


ARLU FENUGREEK'S P.O.V

I watched the three tributes screamed as a huge wave from the water came behind us.

I gripped the pedestal with all of the life I had in me. This was the end. I won't be surprised if they kill all of us.

Auricula let go of her pedestal and gurgled in the water.

"Auricula!" I cried, throwing out my hand. Big mistake.

I was thrown off of my pedestal by the powerful jets of water. I held my breath as best as I could and spiralled around in the water.

I opened my eyes, letting the salt sting them. I will go through any amount of pain to get Auricula back.

My lungs were running out of air. I swam to the surface. I can't drown. Drowning is one of the worst deaths imaginable.

"Auricula!" I screamed as I reached the surface.

I went back under the water, trying to find her. I couldn't see her anywhere.

"Arlu? Orchid?"

"Auricula?"

"No, it's Persei."

I swam in the direction I heard the voice. I could see Persei was trying to get to the surface.

She managed to reach the surface just as I got to her. "Arlu!"

"Are you okay?" I asked, pulling her wet black hair out of her face.

"Thanks. I can see now. Now we need to find Orchid and Auricula!" She dived back into the water.

I copied her and dived to the bottom of the water. I grabbed Persei's shoulder and pointed to the bottom of the pool. The pedestals.

Auricula must be around here somewhere.

We swam around for a minute or so, covering as much ground as we could, before our bodies couldn't take anymore.

We swam to the surface. "Arlu?"

"Auricula!" I yelled. I span around in the water to find her swimming our way.

I swam as fast as I could until I reached her. I hugged her right and made sure that we were going to be okay.

"I thought you were dead," she said, crying.

"Guys, I hate to break the moment, but..." Persei looked under the water again. She poked her head out and screamed. "Orchid!"

She dived back under the water and swam to the bottom of the surface. I followed her in and Auricula copied me.

Orchid was sinking under the sand. Quicksand.

Persei grabbed his hand and tried to pull him out, but it wasn't working. Persei tried to scream, but no sound came out.

Orchid's chest had just sunken into the sand. He was mouthing something.

Kill me.

Persei rubbed the young boys hair before firing her crossbow into his head. It pierced him between the eyes.

BOOM!

Even under the water, the cannon was still loud.

The water started to disappear out of nowhere. The three of us fell to the floor, spluttering and coughing. Persei let out an extremely loud scream as Orchid stuck out of the sand, bloody and dead.

Auricula pulled her into a hug. "I'm so sorry," she whispered into her ear. Persei had lost everything.

"The winners of minigame three are Arlu Fenugreek, Auricula Colbee and Persei Chamomile. Congratulations!" President Ammon's voice boomed.

The hovercraft let out its huge claw to collect the three of us. I didn't know what to do. We've all just lost people we love.

What is the point in living anymore? I almost wished that I had killed myself when I had the chance.