The 73rd Games: A Hunger Games Fanfic [slow updates]

{6} Burnt

Gabby's pov- District 2 Female Tribute

I heard the sound of trampling feet, and from the third floor window, I saw smoke coating the entire second floor. What happened? All the tributes on this floor rushed to the window to see what happened. Ash drifted up the emergency staircase, as I smelled the acrid scent.

The smoke was spreading, through the floor.

No. I can't die this this, before the games even begin. 

With panic rushing through me, I ran to the elevator, only to see it was out of order. This... this couldn't, it wouldn't... The orderly world I was used to gave away to the truth, which struck me like a bolt of lightning. 

Sooner or later, I was gonna die.

The elavator kept flashing red, and that soft, pleasant voice repeated "Occupied. Occupied. Occupied."

It felt like it was mocking me. I was trying to escape, and it kept telling me that I couldn't. The smoke was making my head blurry, and in a daze, I whirled around to see the tributes racing up the emergency staircase to the fourth floor. 

I bit my lip, fighting the smoke as I ran up the narrow stairs, my lungs burning and andrenaline electrifying my senses. 

The air was a bit fresher here, but I barely had time to catch my breath before the smoke caught up. I flew up another flight of stairs, lunging so that my steps would cover more ground. I wish my legs were longer! I could have leapt that staircase in one stride!

I kept going up. I was fast, but the smoke was hungry, with every floor I cleared, the ashes seemed closer than ever before. I turned to see a cloud of gray behind me. There was no rescue if I slowed down, this might have even been a test to see which tributes were the best! 

After an extremely tiring dash past even more stairs, I finally reached the highest floor. There was nowhere else to go.

Both the tributes from District 3 and District 11 were gasping from the smoke they escaped- barely. A girl from District 9 with a metal hand was grabbing planks of wood, and placing them over the stairwell to stop the smoke. Of course! Why hadn't I thought of that! 

I rushed over to help, but before we could slide the entire plank over, a stranger girl's ugly, tearstained face pushed past and she ran to the end of the room, crashing into a wall in her panic. 

I ran over to see what happened, leaving the girl from district 9 to do the work alone. 

Before long, the path of the smoke was blocked, but I didn't fucking help at all- I was too busy listening to the crying girl rant.

She was from district 12, the wealthy part of district 12, and she made very little sense.

Her name was Karas. Karas Sareal. She hated her life, she hated the games, she hated the fact that some people disliked her, she hated that she was in district twelve, she hated that she wasn't smart, or strong, or fast, she simply hated everything. I could sympathize, but I had to first try to stay sane with all her senseless ranting. 

"So now what?" asked Metallica, that girl from district 9.

"We wait." I spat bitterly.

Karas broke into tears and began crying. "Oh, what about my family?" She moaned. I bet those were crocodile tears, she was sad for more selfish reasons. 

That guy from district 3, called Corny, looked around at the ropes, pulleys, and wood. "I can get us outta here with math."

I shook my head. "How do you do that?"

Corny grinned "I can make my own elevator. We can get down even if nothing else works."

Ingrid's pov- District 5 Female Tribute

I ran into the elevator first, and slammed the door, only to see panicking people barge through and push it open.

I jabbed at the buttons, begging the elevator to go down, but it kept repeating "The door is open" to an annoying extent. 

Nobody could get in, because the doorway was too crowded. "Stop!" I yelled. "Are you guys trying to fucking kill yourselves?"

Heads turned to face me. "Ok, half you you back yourselves out of here, and then you can get in." I instructed.

Several people squeezed out, and Crystal stumbled in. 

The smoke was pervading, it was everywhere, and even I could taste a hint of it in the air. Sophie tripped and landed in the cramped elevator, Jun right behind her. I stood at the door, keeping it open and herding people in. Ave walked in, dragging several people who were choking with her.

"Is that it?" I asked. Before the words were out of my mouth, Cookie stuttered in and gasped. "There's two more outside."

I glanced into the training center, trying to peer through the smoke. Just that morning, it was gleaming white and perfectly sterile. Now, it was covered in haze, and I could see toppled equipment.

"Are they almost here?" I asked Cookie. "They were far be-behind." Cookie managed to say.

The smoke had filled some of the air, and my lungs ached from all that dirty nuclear ash. Yuuki gave me a small, apologetic smile.

I had no time to say anything, because I could barely make out two stumbling figures in the smoky cloud. "Them!" Ave cried. "It looks like the two idiots are here."

Much to my disappointment, Victoria and Jacob hurled themselves into the elevator with surprising speed.. The crowd parted to let them crash onto the hard, clean floor.

The ride was painfully slow. The ash had worked its way into the gears of the elevator, and we jerked and swayed to the unnatural rhythm, crashing into each other, and getting squashed against the glass.

My greatest fear was that we would run out of air. The elevator was so obviously at max capacity, and the smoke left us all gasping for fresh air that simply wasn't there. Victoria banged his fists against the glass, and I watched him waste all his energy doing the impossible with a hint of amusement.

By the time we reached the nearest floor, some people were already turning blue. This was the floor of Crystal's room, and she invited me to go with her. Unfortunately, a lot of people who weren't invited also ran out, grateful to be out of that stuffy elevator. Jacob ran down the corridor to his room, followed by Victoria. 

With calmer steps, I followed Crystal into her room.