Voices of the Dead: A Hunger Games FanFiction ©

6. Flint

The girl we slaughtered hadn't been one I'd recognized. Her face meant absolutely nothing to me; she was no more than another number in my list of kills. Bruno and I had left her body, or the pieces rather, scattered all over her campsite; we were marking our territory and leaving a mark, a warning to those who might see the blood that we were there, hunting them.

It was fun actually, to think that we might be able to mess with their minds even after we'd gone from that spot. You could beat people many ways; physically and mentally. The blood and gore was all part of our carefully calculated plan; we wanted to get under their skin, to blind them with fear.

The days passed quickly and occasionally, other cannon bangs were heard; obviously we weren't the only ones killing. Last night, after the sun had gone down and the faces had flashed in the sky, I'd counted and saw that there were only fourteen of us left in the arena.

Our days consisted of tracking the tributes that'd scattered; stupidly leaving obvious tracks wherever they went. Bruno and I had devised a plan so that we only stopped to rest when necessary, with one of us always awake and alert. We didn't have any problems with food, since we'd had our pick of the best goods in the cornucopia.

This was better than a vacation in my eyes: getting to hike up rugged terrain with your equal, roughing it up, exposed to the elements, hunting and being praised for it. I could think of nothing I'd rather be doing. Bruno was silent most of the time, every once in a while noting things, but I could tell he felt similar.

The sun was starting to disappear over the horizon and soon it'd be too dark to see much. We were close to finding the owner of the set of tracks we'd been following and decided that it would be fine to leave that kill for tomorrow. We began to set up camp, building a fire and pulling out some of the dehydrated food packets.

"We'll probably find whoever left these by tomorrow," Bruno noted as he lit a match and started a small fire.

I nodded. "Yeah, seems like it's a male this time," I added, eager to fight a better opponent. There was little fun in killing the weak. I loved a challenge.

He nodded, and I assumed he felt the same; it was a hard thing to read Bruno, certain looks he gave were the only thing that ever slightly revealed his state of mind. He was cold and stoic at first glance, but I could see the turmoil and emotion hidden behind his eyes.

I tried to sleep, but like an over-excited child, I tossed and turned until finally I gave up and went to sit with Bruno. He raised a brow, but didn't say anything.

"Too excited," I explained, holding my hands out to the little fire.

He nodded, then continued to whittle a stick he'd found. He didn't say anything for a moment, and I figured it'd be another quiet night. I was about to find my own twig to sharpen when he spoke. "Did you know your district partner died?" he asked, eyeing me curiously.

I grinned and nodded. "Yeah, wish I knew who did it so I could thank them."

He stared at me for a long moment before returning his attention to his twig. "I thought since you wanted to win this for your district you'd be rooting for her as well," he said.

I snorted and rolled my eyes. "I do want to win this for my district, and I would've sincerely supported her if she'd been worthy," I wrinkled my nose at her memory, "but she wasn't. She was weak, and tiny, and powerless. She was an insult to my home and what we stand for. Where I come from, winning isn't just a thought, it's a state of mind. It means more than life, and it's something that I've embraced wholeheartedly."

Bruno seemed to consider my words before he spoke. "I understand and respect that," he said, almost more to himself than me.

I was in the midst of carving something into my own piece of wood when I heard it; the slightest thump in the depth of the night. I cocked my head to the side and then heard a snap, followed by the sound of skittering pebbles. Someone was watching us. I glanced at Bruno and saw that he'd also become aware of the approaching noises. I reached for my spears and Bruno unsheathed both of his swords.