Hope In Our Eyes #GoldStarAwards2017Winner

Visions and Goodbye (Hazel)

"I told you I'd be back, scum," Ash hisses, swiping a fanged claw at me. I barely manage to dodge it, yelping.

"W-what do you want?" I whisper. Obviously, the Gamemakers created her as an opponent against Lily and me, but why make the monster another version of Ash?

She ignores me, focusing her stormy orbs on Eisley, who's panting hard as she attempts to attack Ash with her axe. I'm losing energy as well, and it's hard to see in the early dawn air. To make matters even worse, the Gamemakers are adding some mist in here, although, or course, Ash will have trouble seeing as well.

Or will she?

A claw grabs my neck, bringing me up to the air. Shrieks escape my lips, and I kick wildly, but Ash grips my throat tighter. This is it. This is the end. I'm gonna die here. No Hazel, don't think that! You will get. out. Small tears blur my vision, if it isn't blurry enough. I bring my arm up, looking at the bracelet, when ...

"Eisley! Hazel!" Lily and Aspen are rapidly racing up to us, eyes wild. 

Lily groans. "She's here again?"

"Apparently." Eisley answers. "But hey, less talking, more fighting. And also helping Hazel."

"Yeah!" I choke, but Ash covers my mouth.

"Hang in there Hazel," Aspen says. 

He grabs a knife and aims it at Ash's throat. That's when I remember how bad his aim is, but it's too late. Aspen's knife goes into Ash's leg instead, making her bellow in pain. Her grip on my throat tightens even more.

My heart pounds faster than a Capitol train. I struggle violently, punching and kicking and doing whatever I can to get free, not that it helps. Eisley, Lily, and Aspen are panicking, not knowing what to do, but they're all looking at something else. Something behind me ... and that's when I hear it.

A roar drowns every sound here, fires burning in its breath. Ash suddenly drops me, and turns to face that monster, which is the one that we faced about a day or two ago. The one that killed Mackenzie. A fist forms in my hand, and I feel my eyes blaze with anger.

We watch in awe as the flame monster and Ash battle. It's strong, she's quick. Who will win? The fire creature swings a powerful fist as her, and she ducks, picking one of her claws off-as another grows back-and throwing it at her opponent. It hits it square in the chest and burns off quickly, but the beast howls in pain. 

Then, the monster swipes at Ash again, but she doesn't move. What's she doing? The beast pauses for a moment and frowns at her with it's glowing eyes, so she smirks and runs away, attacking it again with her knife-like claws. 

Finally, Aspen smartly yells, "RUN!" And we take off.

Both mutts yowl something like, "Oh no you don't!" chasing after us. 

We run for what seems forever, occasionally looking back to see if the monsters are still at our heels and finding out that they are, and try to run faster. For some reason, I think Ash said something along the lines of, "Get rekt!"

We stumble into the snowy area, where Olive's unfortunate death took place. There's a large heap of snow ahead of us. Hey, we can use that to slow down the mutts!

I race towards the snow hill, grinning as I beckon the beasts with my hand. They follow me, as I get closer to the cold heap, pretending to run into it. But at the very last moment, I turn towards the other direction, leaving Ash and Flame Brain bumping into the pile of snow.

Everything is going as well as planned. Eisley, Aspen, Lily, and I run back towards our camp, but why do I hear a third roar far behind us? I turn back. No way, it's the same monster that killed both Olive and Alex. And it's joining Flame Brain and Ash on their pursuit to kill us.

Wait, why are they shimmering? Is that a second head on the snow monster? Oh wait, now I see it. Shit, they've doubled. And my legs are starting to slow from pain. No, it's something in the air that's slowing us. No, we're going to die here.

Sweat rapidly dripping from my forehead, I try to run faster, but it's useless. The six mutts are speeding up. They surround us, snarling. Suddenly, machine talons swoop down and snatch Eisley, Aspe, and Lily up in the air. They shriek as they're being carried away, back to where our camp was. 

I'm so frightened I can't even move. All I can do is watch in horror as the mutts get closer to me, and I can't even run or fight because I can't move. 

A fire monster picks me up and drags a claw slowly against my arm, the same place it got me before. I scream in pain. One of the Ash's grins as she stabs a metal nail deep in my chest, letting blood pour out of my heart and lips. Then, a snow mutt exhales a frost breath so powerful it sends me into a blackout.

When I wake up, the mutts are still attacking me, slowly adding more agony into me, but I'm starting to see things in the sky. There's a person around my age in an orphanage cabin with curly red hair, curled into a weeping posture. When she looks up, I'm startled by her angered gaze. Poppy almost never glares, but I know why she's furious. I didn't win the Games for her. I can't come back now.

"You little-" She shrieks, but Poppy is soon erased by another image.

This time, I see Lily and Aspen, only years older, and they're someplace else, other than in the arena. They smile at each other warmly, something squirming in their arms. A little round head, tiny limbs, a small red tongue sticking out playfully. It's a child. But how can that even happen? Only one person comes out alive.

Lily is saying, "It's over, Aspen. The Games are over. We have the right to be happy again." Then, they disappear.

Then, I see myself. Standing alone in a Capitol building, as President Snow puts a golden crown on my head to symbolize my victory. A day later, I'm back home in District Twelve, waving to the people as their first victor. Cries of "Hazel Slivers!" and "You did it!" fill the air.

These dreams ... do they mean anything? Do they suggest what could have happened, or maybe even what can still happen in the future? And why am I seeing them? How am I seeing them?

But before I can figure it out, black dots swarm my vision, dragging me away into the realm of death.