MPHFPC ➵ The Hunger Games AU (DISCONTINUED)

Chapter 15

.☆ POV- Emma

Here we go.

I stood on the plate, trying to refrain my legs from shaking. This was terrifying. But I was the brave one.

I needed to win.

I had been dizzily counting seconds as I let the image of the Cornucopia settle around me. We had to be somewhere near 60 seconds by now, right? I figured that by the time-

A loud metallic bang rang out and everyone was on their feet. The gong. The Hunger Games had begun. Adrenaline surged through me and I bolted for the nearest object. A backpack. Sweet findings, I supposed, compared to the empty hands of the tributes who immediately rushed into the forest to seek shelter, but I wanted more. I pushed on and grabbed a loaf of bread and a knife. Looking up, a clear path stood between me and a heavy wool cloth.

So, I did what any reasonable person would do in this situation, and I charged for it. What a convenient time to remember to look behind me.

"Not so fast!" the girl shrieked and shoved me over. She grabbed the cloth and turned around. I immediately started to jump up but her shoe had me pinned down on the ground.

My thoughts were blurry- how can I die already?- but my instincts took me as far as to pull out my knife and stab her thigh. Bright blood poured out and I shoved the weapon back into my backpack.

I took off for the forest, leaving the cries of an angry tribute behind me. Where were friends when you needed 'em? Oh, right. Where were my allies?

I pondered but never stopped running. I needed to find a water source as soon as possible, that much I'd learned from my mentor.

Within minutes of sprinting full-speed, I was panting and sweaty. "Keep... going," I growled to myself. For good measure, I added a slap to the face.

But I collapsed to the ground after pushing myself to the limit. My body was shaking with anticipation and I struggled to right myself.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted movement. Fight-or-flight response kicked in once more and I found myself standing, knife out and gaze pointed. But the person wasn't the same girl as before, nor a tribute here to kill me.

"Bronwyn?"

"Emma!" She reached out and hugged me with one arm.

"Oh, phew. It's only you. Have you got any idea where a lake or something might be? It'd be a good idea to-..." I cut myself off when I saw who was holding her other hand. Horace.

He saw me catch his stare and said, "I have an idea where one could be, if you follow us." His voice was frail and his limbs were shaking. I thought back to his fainting just a day ago and shivered. He didn't seem okay, and I quite frankly wasn't sure if I should leave Bronwyn or not just because of him.

But the other tributes were out there hunting me down, and I had a better chance 3-to-1. "Alright," I decided. "But hurry. We can't rest for long."

Horace nodded and pulled Bronwyn's arm. He sprinted and we followed after him. Minutes passed and after an unsettling dose of silence I said, "Are you sure we're going in the right direction?" If we were heading the wrong direction, it would take long to recover from such a detour.

"Yeah, yeah... I could've sworn it was this way. Or... what if..." He stopped and spun around in circles. "Hh..." Sweat dripped down his chin.

I swallowed.

"Oh!" He let out a sigh of relief and practically skipped over to a lake connected to a river going on beyond my eyeshot. The three of us stood for a moment, staring at the glistening surface. At our reflections.

This might be our last moment of peace. In our entire lives.

I was interrupted by the thudding of heavy footsteps.

I whipped around and the tip of my blade was met by the tribute's neck. "AH- It's me! Jacob!" He held his arms up in protest and I released my grip.

"Oh. Sorry."

Horace coughed importantly. "Hm-hm, how about we collect some water and find shelter before we're slaughtered?"

"I've got a canteen," Jacob said. He brought it out and filled it. "It's not much but we can always come back for more."

"Not always," Bronwyn reasoned. She pointed out into the distance where two silhouettes could be seen, slowly approaching. "Let's get out of here before they see us."

The four of us were back on our feet again and moving.

"Should we sleep up in a tree or something, or down low on the ground?" Horace asked.

"If we're on the ground we can make a fire," I pointed out.

"But we'd be easy targets. Up high in the leaves, we're harder to spot," Jacob said.

Suddenly Horace slowed down and clutched his head. "Gh..."

"Are you okay?" Bronwyn asked worriedly, holding his shoulders.

"Dizzy," he answered. He was still for another moment, then shook his head aggressively and said, "No bother. Come on, let's hurry."

"Oh." Bronwyn let go of him and we continued on our way. I occasionally glanced at him and found that his expression was nervous, like he was holding something back. Hiding something. I knew I was supposed to trust my teammates, but... the way he gritted his teeth made me uneasy.

We kept going. The day felt like it was going much faster than I was used to.

"We should settle down somewhere," I suggested. "Soon."

"And get something to eat," Bronwyn put in. "I-"

But before she could finish, a wild-haired girl sprung out from the bushes and jumped on her with a knife on-hand.