Don't Play Games

15

The next morning, I wake to see Ingrid peering down at me.

"Anything interesting?" I ask.

"No." She answers blankly. "I've just had a thought."

"What's that?" I ask, sitting up and stretching.

"We're in the top 8. It's only a matter of days until the Games end." She says. "I think we should divide our things and split up."

I sigh. I knew this would come eventually. "How about when there's only 6? That'd make it better and keep us safer."

She sighs. "Sure, I guess."

"The Careers will be turning on each other soon." I say. "There's..."

"Still 4. It was the guy from my District that died."

"4 left, 2 of us and 2 others. 4 against 4. It's equal and they'll probably be splitting soon."

"Which means death of at least one of them." Ingrid says, sighing. "Alright."

"Let's go." I say, untying myself. "We don't have anything to do, but oh well."

"We actually do, we need more food." Ingrid says. "All we have left is crackers. We can't divide those and they'll only last a couple days for one of us."

I sigh. "Let's test our hunting skills, then."

+

I silently sneak around the forest, Ingrid behind me. The pine straw below our feet make our steps quiet. We're currently following an unsuspecting rabbit, both of us with weapons in hand.

I position my throwing knife to throw. Ingrid just stands there with her own knife.

With a quick flick of the wrist, I throw the knife, which lodges into the neck of the unsuspecting rabbit. It dies with a small squeak.

I walk over, picking up the rabbit, and hold it up. "Cook?"

"We can't eat it raw." She says blankly.

"Given." I say, finding some pine straw. "How are we gonna cook it?"

+

An hour and piles of pine straw later, we successfully cook the rabbit. We split up the meat between us and eat a little before stowing the rest in an unused compartment in each of our bags.

The sun is beginning to shade the sky a light shade of pink and blue. In the distance, a cannon sounds. A few minutes later, a second one.

"Well," I say. "I guess that's it."

"Yeah." Ingrid replies, already opening the crackers and splitting the pile in half. "Here." She hands me the small pile.

"Thanks," I say, putting the crackers with the meat in my pack. I slip my knives onto my right side belt, with the machete in the middle. I sling the bag over my shoulder.

"Thanks for being my ally." She says, looking down at her feet.

"You're welcome, I guess." I say. "May the odds be ever in your favor."

"Happy Hunger Games." She replies, beginning to climb down the tree we were sitting in.

I watch her hit the ground and quickly run off, her footsteps fading into the forest.

I'm now alone, as it seems.

I lean back against the tree. No one is here to take watch. To alert me if there's a threat. I'm in the most danger I've ever been in.

I strap myself to the tree, staring through the leaves to the sky above. The sky lights up and the anthem begins.

The pair from District 2 flash on the screen. 2 Careers are left, Birch and Carter. There's Ingrid, Peter, and Belle left, along with me.

"I can't believe I've made it this far." I mutter to myself. "I'm in the top 6, I've been face-to-face with the Careers, I've been trapped by a rock slide, I've killed people."

I sigh. "I can't believe my luck."

-----

Short little chapter before some EXCITING THINGS!

*wink wink*

-Zane