Writer Games | Masquerade of Martyrs & Family Ties

Task Two: Premature Burial - Males

District One - Cartier Graff

Ah, the Tunnels. A  classic arena, tried and true. Personally I preferred the great  outdoors- Mazes tended to have traps. Not that I had a problem with  traps- they were proven to be quite handy. However, they were another  distraction to keep in mind whilst violently murdering my companions.

I was obviously drawn to  Atticus first. His training was apparent, making him a capable ally.  Not to mention the fact that he wasn't ugly, while still being less  pretty as me. This was important, because putting on a show for the  citizens was almost as important as winning. Almost.

I would wait to see how  the others performed- Jamilla had me optimistic, but she knew how I  would perform. Just as I knew how she would. Being from the same  district meant we crossed paths when training. And having someone that  knew my fighting style could prove to be dangerous.

One of the first things I  looked for was discolouration on the ground. Any peculiar stones or  soil of a different consistency. Sure enough a few yards ahead of where I  stood was a patch of suspicious looking dirt.

Further examination of  my surroundings proved that things were a little bit different than the  traditional maze arenas. For instance, we were in a tomb and standing  atop sarcophagus'. One per person, identical red and white marble with  our names carved into the lids. I didn't like the red- too crimson. I  preferred garnet.

A canon sounded and it  began. My hand shot out beside me, grabbing the Capitol girl, Annalise,  by the throat. I jumped off my tombstone, taking her with me. Once we  were on the ground her head slammed down onto the heavy stone with a  loud crack.

"I like that sound." I  smiled, repeating the action twice. But the sound of her skull caving in  began to muffle the cracks. Pity.

Most of the others were  battling it out, but many chose to run for the tunnels. My eyes fell on  trusting Kimiko, fighting from her original platform. Unsuccessfully I  might add.

I began pushing the  heavy slab that bore my name in bold letters so that the tomb was  somewhat open. Inside I found a Bo staff, and backpack with some food  and water. Grabbing these, I went behind Kimiko's attacker, Winslet, and  threw my weapon over her head. I pulled it against her throat, choking  her.

She made little gasping  sounds, but with each tiny breath I pulled tighter, ignoring the  stinging kicks she sent my shins. "Sh, sh, sh." I whispered in her ear.  The kicks had less impact, and the breaths had greater spaces between.  "I respect the idea of cutting the fat. But really you're going about it  all wrong."

Winslet dropped to the dirt floor in a breathless lump, her eyes open and bugged out in eternal fear.

"Oh look at that." I frowned, brushing a bit of mud off my pants. "She tracked dirt. Filthy thing."

I looked up to a shuddering Kimiko and offered her my hand. "There are much safer places to be than this."

"W-where?"

I nodded over to my  still open casket. "Hide in their. I'll come for you once the bloodbath  is over. I'll protect you for as long as I can."

The girl nodded. She  believed in my honest eyes, trustworthy smile and of course in the fact  that I just saved her life. I lead her over to my tomb and began pushing  the lid over her when somebody knocked into me.

I turned and glared at  the offender. Kase Dressel then had the privilege of being whacked in  the head, knocking him out cold. An idea struck me. Why not eliminate  two birds with one stone?

"Kimiko, are you doing alright?" I asked her sweetly. She nodded. "Good. I'm going to give you a little company."

My fist slammed into her  face, and she fell into the same state of unconscious as Kase. With a  bit of difficulty, I lifted him into the tomb.