My Hunger Games

Chapter Thirteen

"What happened?" Kendahl asked, rejoining the others with Luke. He was alright, considering what he had gone through. 

"It was N-" Ashton stutters. "N-Niall's.. weapon," he manages.

"I want him dead," Karalyn hisses. "I want him dead right now."

"Well we can't just go bombarding out into the snow," Luke shuts down the idea.

"I don't care. We're finding them, now. Luke, can you take him?" 

"Just leave..." Ashton tells us. "You'll never get there if you don't.. leave me."

"You're not dying. I refuse to let you die." 

"Take him back to the tent. I'll take care of him there," Kendahl says. "You three go." Luke and Rhett bring Ashton back with Kendahl before rejoining Karalyn and heading out to find Annie and Niall. 

"What happened?" Karalyn asked Luke through gritted teeth.

"He knew they were on us from the start. When he saw the weapon coming he shoved me aside, and I knew, that he was hit. I didn't see who it was. We know that it was Niall's weapon, but we never saw the person."

"We're finding them. He risked his life for all of us, and we're not going to let anyone else die." Both of them knew what she had said completely contradicted itself, but Luke wasn't about to correct her. They hunted down the last of the careers, and soon, spotted Annie's footprints in the snow. They hid in snowbanks, and as soon as Annie walked out, it was an ambush. 

They knocked the weapon right out of her hands and grabbed hold of her. "Niall!" she screamed. It was enough to draw him out. Karalyn had her arm around Annie's throat, her dagger held against it as well. Annie struggled little, not wanting the dagger to enter her. Niall came running out. 

"Drop your weapon!" Karalyn yelled. Rhett and Luke stood by, weapons ready. "Or I slit her throat and we all die." Niall surprisingly did as she said, and dropped the weapon he had possessed. 

"Niall," Annie cried. Karalyn tightened her hold on the girl's throat. 

"You nearly killed Ash. Now we're going to take her," Karalyn told him.

"Wait! Please!" Niall begged, stepping forward. Luke took a step forward in case he tried anything funny. Niall stepped back, raising his hands in defense.

"Look, I know you won't believe me, but I didn't do anything to Ashton. We've been here, ever since we left the careers when we first met up with you guys. We swear! We haven't killed anyone, or done anything."

'"Why should we trust you?" Rhett asks.

"It was your weapon that Ashton identified as the one that pierced him," Luke says.

"When we split from the careers, I swapped weapons and equipment. I swear, honest. Please, don't hurt Annie. All we wanted was a way to escape the games, and by letting everyone else play them out, we figured they might just end themselves. But if we all got together, and agreed to stop the games, they would have to listen." 

"No one else would have to die..." Luke whispers. 

"But if we're going to do it, we have to act now. They're coming," Niall whispers.

"Who's coming?" Karalyn challenged. 

"The wolves..." Annie gasps. Karalyn drops her, Annie falling to the ground, choking a minute. 

"Don't move," Karalyn points her dagger at Niall. Just then, a cannon goes off in the distance. "Ashton..." Karalyn's eyes widen. 

"The wolves..." Niall picks up his weapon. Karalyn whips her head to the side, glaring at him. "Do you trust me?" She hesitated until Luke took her hand.