savages.

seven.

Eleanor

When the sun rose, Eleanor was simply grateful for her life. She had found Danielle and Leah who were exchanging items in a concealed alleyway, and they'd found a place to camp for the night. Eleanor had managed to grab a fairly sizeable backpack containing some dried food, a large (but empty) water canister and some purifying solution, a thin yet insulated sleeping bag and some basic medical supplies, all of which she knew could be the difference between life and death. They also had a bow with twelve arrows which Danielle had managed to retrieve, as well as a small knife belonging to Leah. The three of them had shared the sleeping bag and honestly, they were feeling more hopeful than expected.

The only problem was they hadn't found Alice yet. Leah mentioned catching a glimpse of her wrestling with a ginger boy, but since her photo didn't appear in the sky she had supposedly escaped. Nonetheless, she could be seriously injured or on the verge of death, and that was certainly cause for concern.

Hoping they'd stumble across her before anyone else, the three girls decided to pack up their things and search for a while, both for their ally and a water source. As they walked, keeping close to the buildings in hopes of being concealed by shadows, they quietly conversed, fondly reminiscing on their old home lives at their own districts. Leah spoke fondly of her family, but was sure to not linger for too long, and Danielle spoke of how her district sometimes desired to be as loud as the clothes they produced, leading to bright memories.

Just as Eleanor began to retell the story of a power surge at her district, they heard footsteps. Immediately, the trio halted, frozen in suffocating fear. Thinking on her feet, Danielle grabbed Eleanor and Leah by the shirts, yanking them into a nearby alleyway and they ducked behind a pile of rubble.

Although her vision was highly obscured, Eleanor could just about peer through a few gaps in the rubble. She waited in tense silence as the footsteps grew louder and heavier, until a tall figure stumbled around the corner of the alleyway, slamming their back against the wall in attempts to conceal themself. Eleanor frowned slightly, attempting to focus on them as best as she could, which was when it hit her.

It was Alice.

"We have to help her," Eleanor whispered, glancing over to her allies who both looked terrified.

Clearly despairing, Leah shook her head frantically. "She could be hiding from careers! We can't take them!" she exclaimed as quietly as she could.

Danielle shot her a pointed look. "Do you not remember training? We have to look out for each other, especially against them," she insisted, and Eleanor nodded her head in agreement.

Although reluctantly, Leah signed and nodded. "Okay, but if this goes wrong we can't stay. Danielle, are you any good at using that?" she questioned, gesturing to the bow on her back.

Nervously, she weighed it up in her hands. "I... I have fairly good coordination from working at my district. I think I could make a good shot," she muttered, attempting to muster up all the confidence she could.

With shaky hands, she lined up an arrow and crouched behind the rubble at an angle where she could see her target while being concealed herself. Painful seconds of silence dragged by, and Eleanor couldn't help but think about how they'd really overestimated how fast the careers were. Then, all of a sudden she heard them.

"Ugh, come on! She can't have gone that far!" a female voice roared.

They were coming. Eleanor subtly placed a hand on Danielle's arm in attempts to steady her, but she didn't seem to feel it. All of a sudden, they came into view. It was the District One tributes, Tom and Sarah. Eleanor could've sworn she made eye contact with Tom, but she forced that idea out of her mind for the sake of her sanity.

Nonetheless, he nudged his ally, pointing down the alleyway. Brimming with pity and anxiety, Eleanor glanced at Alice, and she swore she had never seen such overwhelming trepidation in a person's eyes, and she doubted she ever would again.

A sly, chilling grin spread across Sarah's face as she turned and began to stalk down the alley like a predator hunting its prey, her taller, broader counterpart close behind.

It all happened in seconds after that. Time seemed to slow as the pair of careers reached for their weapons, but Danielle was one step ahead. Trembling, she released the arrow, and it speared through Tom's arm. Realisation dawned across the three on the other side of the rubble, and an indescribable mix of dread, relief, and terror spread across Alice's face.

Sarah locked eyes with Danielle, fury pouring out in the screech she released. The knife in her hand was suddenly flying, slicing through the air before lodging itself in Danielle's chest. Not wasting a second, Alice bolted down the alleyway as Sarah turned to Tom in a hurry, inspecting her arm. He lightly pushed her away, shaking his head hurriedly. "Don't let her get away!" he insisted, although his voice was strained in pain.

"Oh my god," Alice breathed, staring down at Danielle's body.

When Eleanor said she would never see such fright in a person's eyes as Alice's, she had lied. The expression of someone whose life is draining out of them uncontrollably is unforgettable, and more potent than any other.

In a heartbeat, the canon sounded indicating Danielle's death, and Leah was shoving Eleanor into a small passageway in a wall. She suddenly came to her senses, and heard Tom screaming at Sarah to come for us, and it hit her that she would be next if she didn't move. Hurriedly, she bundled herself up and crawled into the gap, finding herself in a rundown kitchen.

Alice was standing there, her face painted a grotesque shade of green and tears in her eyes. Rushing over, Eleanor grabbed ahold of her before she could collapse, rubbing her back as she vomited all over the floor. "Where's... where's Leah?" Alice mumbled, wiping her mouth.

As if on cue, a scream erupted from the other side of the wall, followed quickly by a canon. Eleanor's blood ran cold at the thought of two of her allies laying dead just a few feet away.

Immediately, Alice fell to the floor, her head in her hands. "I can't do this," she choked out.

Eleanor didn't know what to say, and instead collapsed onto her knees beside Alice, staring with despair at the passage that led back into the alleyway. This wasn't supposed to happen. All of the hope from the morning poured out of her, and the never-ending dread of the hunger games truly dawned on her.