savages.

five.

Alice

Alice was terrified. Today was the day. Today, she and twenty-three other teenagers would be thrown into that arena to fight for their lives, until only one remained.

In honesty, Alice wasn't sure she'd slept at all last night. Her mind had raced with the endless possibilities of what could lay ahead of her. Past arenas had been terrifying, from endless mazes, to dense jungles, to barren wastelands. The only tiny reassurance she had was the knowledge that there had to be some sort of water source, since the audience didn't get the same thrill out of watching 24 children dying of dehydration.

Once the tracker was inserted into her arm so she could be followed around the arena by the Gamemakers, Alice realised this was it. There was no escaping the games now. For her last hour of safety, she was sat in a room under the mystery arena with her designer, who she wasn't particularly fond of, and some food and drink. She attempted to force some of it down, but unsurprisingly, she didn't have much of an appetite.

The last half an hour consisted of her fidgeting in a smooth leather couch, her insides twisting as she attempted to recall all of the information she'd learnt. She would meet up with Eleanor, Leah and Danielle far west of the cornucopia. The cornucopia was full of any items the tributes could possibly need; food, sleeping bags, weapons... general items that would aid survival. The items became more valuable as you got closer to the cornucopia, but this was dangerous as it was obviously harder to escape the further in you went. If possible, she could grab some necessities if they were close enough, but she should try and avoid the bloodbath as much as possible. Essentially, she had to run.

Just as she was reciting some snares and edible berries in her mind, an announcement rang out around the room. It was time.

"Good luck," her designer offered, but Alice didn't respond. She knew his money wouldn't be on her, and she knew he'd be on the edge of his seat watching the games like they were a fictional movie.

As she settled within the machinery that was to lift her into the arena, she took one final glance at the room built by the Capitol, who were forcing her into these games, and she was filled with rage. That rage was soon overwhelmed with sheer panic though once everything went black.

Alice could hear her heart pounding in her chest as her hands trembled by her sides. She could die in the next ten minutes. She could be dead. Her brother and her parents would never see her again; she'd never be able to go home again.

The whirlwind of thoughts were cut off as she finally shot up into daylight. Her eyes took a split second to adjust, before she could take in her surroundings. The ground was dusty yet solid, made of concrete not dissimilar to that of the districts. Glancing around, she took note of towering buildings which appeared to be uninhabited. Was this... a city? It held the same daunting aura as the Capitol, but it was clearly abandoned. There were also a few patches of grass that she could see, and in the distance she could've sworn there was a small cluster of trees.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 67th annual Hunger Games!" Lowe's voice suddenly boomed out into the arena. It was beginning. "In 60 seconds, the games will commence. Please do not step off of your podium, as doing so will result in immediate extermination. With that, happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favour!"

And that was it. A holographic timer appeared above the cornucopia, beginning a countdown from 60. Frantically, Alice began to search for her companions. Danielle was a few places to her right, and she seemed to have her eye on a few nearby items. Near enough on the other side of the cornucopia, she spotted Eleanor, who was poised and ready to grab a backpack a few feet away. She also spotted Leah, not far from Eleanor.