The Hunger Games (Writing Contest) [CLOSED]

Luca's Version

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The sun was a white light that obscured my vision, forcing me to cover my eyes. I momentarily wondered if this was on purpose; to make the tribute's eyes get blinded by the light within the first few seconds. My eyes carefully adjusted to the rays, and I examined my surroundings. My heart was lifted as the arena came into view.

I was in the center of the U-Shape of tributes, a straight shot to all of the goods in the Cornucopia. This would be an advantage, no doubt. The golden horn shaped like a cone with a curved tail seemed to smile at me, begging me to come closer. Weapons, rucksacks, boxes filled with raw goods. This would give all of us life in the arena. I ripped my eyes from the glorious sight of supplies and instead made an effort to search my surroundings.

To the east and west of me (left and right) was a jungle that looked practically identical. I could hear running water coming from the east. Perhaps that'd be a good bet, but I also noticed that the foliage was a bit thicker, the darkness shrouding whatever lurked in there. On second thought, the west jungle seemed more favorable.

Behind me, a grassland sprawled with seemingly no break. The shifting of grass in the wind showed that it would be peaceful. But it was most likely just a muse to lure tributes into it. Who knows what would be hidden in the tall grasses?

By now, nearly forty seconds had elapsed since I first caught glimpse of the arena. That left twenty to think of a plan. My eyes were gravitated back towards the haul of the Cornucopia. There were so many supplies that it was almost impossible not to get dragged into it.

I was a Career tribute, which gave me so many more advantages than the other tributes. If I dove into the carnage, I would have a higher chance of coming out unscathed. And so that was what I decided. I might as well get all of the supplies I could.

I searched in the mouth of the Cornucopia for my spears. I caught them glinting deep in the entrance. I exhaled. I was going to go into the bloodbath, but I was not going to dive headfirst to get some weapons. I could make my own spear after I escaped the first day.

The gong began to pound signifying that I only had ten seconds left. My stomach was rolling with anticipation. I had trained my whole life for this, but somehow, I was still terrified of getting slaughtered in the next few seconds.

Five seconds...

I took a deep breath, leaning forward to prepare myself to shoot from my pedestal.

Four seconds...

If I don't get any supplies, I will be so mad!

Three seconds...

I cracked my knuckles and shook them out.

Two seconds...

It's time.

One second...

Let the Games begin. The final gong sounded and I pushed forward and landed on my left foot mere moments after the bombs beneath my feet clicked off. I propelled forwards, giving me a boost that the other tributes didn't receive. I ran like hell to the Cornucopia with the other tributes racing behind me. A few dropped off, grabbing small bags and running for either the savanna or the jungle. I dodged a few swords and ended up in the golden horn.

I had overshot my distance. I needed to get out quickly before someone else met me there. My hands grappled for a sword before I turned to run a few yards away from the mouth. I paused, scanning the field for any other supplies. There! A rucksack laid next to one of the already fallen tributes. I gave into a dash, forcing my legs to work as though they never had before. I got tunnel-vision, the only thing in my sights being the khaki-colored rucksack.

As I was about to reach the backpack, I ran headfirst into another tribute. I was about to get knocked down, but caught myself before toppling. My head spun as I caught my breath, finding whoever had run into me.

A particular blue-haired boy made eye contact with me. I immediately ran through his statistics in my head. Warner Cole, District One, Career tribute, scored a five in training. I must've taken too long to size him up, because Warner kicked me in the knee, forcing me to the ground. Warner scrambled to his feet, a scowl taking over his face.

"Hello, Two." He growled, pulling out a sizeable blade.

I tried not to let fear show on my face as I kicked him in the side. I stood to my feet as Warner clutched his side. I prepared myself for a battle, raising my sword. I didn't know how District One's Training Center differed from District Two's. I just hoped that perhaps I had better training in my district.

Warner was the first to attack. He brought his machete down to my arm, but I was quick. I blocked his blow, and instead counterattacked with my own sword. I aimed at Warner's head and brought it down. Warner realized what I was doing and leaned his head back, but not far enough. The tip of my sword sliced his forehead, causing a thin stream of blood to trail from the wound. It wasn't severe, but it was enough to make him pause.

"You will pay for that, Two." Warner said.

"I'd like to see that." I spat back, reaching the sword behind my head and bringing it down again.

I made sure to catch him by surprise this time. I trained my focus on torso. There were plenty of valuable things in his chest that I could mess up. The blade of my sword dragged across his flesh. Warner didn't seem to notice it, however, he instead pounced on me, scratching at my face and body. He seemed to have lost all control. I let out a yell of surprise. His fingernails dug into my skin, forcing blood to blossom from the cuts.

Anger made my lungs fill with fire. He actually had the audacity to wound me? I elbowed him in the gut, finally releasing myself from his vise of a grip. I twisted my sword around my hand and brought the hilt down to his skull. With a crack, Warner fell to the ground. He wasn't dead, just effectively knocked out. I hoped that he would have a nasty headache when he woke. A large lump was already forming where I had struck him.

I turned around, picking up the rucksack, and ran towards the west side of the jungle, the wind stinging the cuts from Warner's fingers. That bastard. Hopefully there would be some first aid in my rucksack. I broke through the brush, which proved to be incredibly difficult. Almost immediately, all of the sounds were cut off from the outside world. The screams had ceased and the sound of metal on metal had quieted. The jungle was so thick that it blocked out all of the noise.

I couldn't tell whether that was a good thing or a bad thing as I ran through the forest. I saw a few tributes escaping alongside me as well, so I just increased my speed. My lungs burned, my legs felt like jelly, but I still bolted far away. This would be a long Games.