Death Wish - The Hunger Games

Nine

C H A P T E R N I N E

T H E D A Y I T B U R N E D

Sprinting down a narrow step of rocks, I looked behind me as a boy hunted me down. The heavy thumps is his feet got closer as I travelled up a steep slope, the sand and gravel falling from my footfalls. "You can't run forever!" He snarled as he latched onto a limb from a scraggly bush.

Ignoring him I quickly trekked upward until I reached the lip of the hill. Looking down I saw that he had disappeared, obvious that he had given up. Panting, I made my way down the trail of gravel and sand as I studied my new surroundings.

Everything around me looked unfamiliar. After yesterday's bloodbath I had rested by the stream, not wanting to lose my stretch of water. That was also how I managed to run into my first tribute since then. The streams were positioned in the right places, managing to gather all the tributes into one particular area. Everyone was most likely told by everyone to search for a water source if they managed to make it out of the Cornucopia alive.

I wasn't told that, however, due to everyone expecting me to stay back with the other Careers. They may not have thought anything of my disappearance yesterday but today they for sure would know that I bailed. Besides Rouge, I was one of the strongest of the other two. But now that they knew I wasn't an ally, I was definitely their main target.

Sitting down, I went through my pack and picked out a small tin can of peanuts. Popping a few into my mouth, I looked down into it to see that I had very few left. The pack that I had stolen from the Cornucopia contained rope, matches, a water bottle, and the peanuts that I had just eaten. Although it was closer to the center it wasn't very valuable. The only valuable thing I managed to get was the water bottle and my set of knives wrapped around my waist.

My hair still rested in its usual look of a bubble ponytail, but from my sleepless night I managed to get it all tangled. Now a few strands were out of my ponytail, these strands poking in several different places.

Eventually I had to go back to the Cornucopia to scavenge some extra supplies. For sure I wasn't going to be able to just strut in there looking like I was their ally. They wouldn't trust me for a second and Rouge would undoubtedly be the one to end my life.

My safest bet is to travel around the edges of the arena in search of Freyer or Dahlia. If they managed to get together after the Cornucopia then it would hopefully be easier to find them. Before anyone else could catch up to me, I threw my pack on over my shoulder and continued my trek.

The arena was burning up inside. The rocks didn't help due to the absorption of the heat, hence they radiated it. The only source of coolness I could find relied within the shadows of the trees. My water bottle was almost empty due to me not having enough time to grab another bottle full. Last night I had to rely on a technique of filtering water through my pants. Although it was disgusting and the water only tasted of mud, it proved useful. But later I most definitely had to rely on a fire to be able to purify it. But this method was a dangerous one. The smoke from the fire could attract those around me. And I definitely didn't want to fight anyone.

Up ahead, the waterfall that can be seen from the Cornucopia comes into view. Carefully making my way over to the rushing water, I look down over the rest of the arena. From afar you could see the silhouettes of the Careers in the center. They had gathered all of their supplies together and now they rested in a pile in the center. From here you could see everything in the arena, along with good hiding spots if necessary.

The water from the waterfall would be fresh. I knew this after learning from my parents and sibling. Although they didn't have waterfalls in their games, they did all homeschool me, making sure that I had enough time to practice with my weaponry. Putting my bottle underneath the harsh waters, the bottle quickly gathered up water and began to overlap.

Taking a long sip, I gathered more water before tightening the lid and putting it back inside my pack. I had no clue where to go from where I was now. Down below was filled with rocky terrain, thin pine trees, and scraggly shrubs. There wasn't much protection down there, hence making it the most dangerous parts of the arena.

However, there was a fifty percent chance of both Freyer and Dahlia being down there. From that one thought I knew that I had to give up my safe and secure spot for a more dangerous one.

The death toll yesterday consisted of seven tributes. That left seventeen other tributes in the arena. When watching the faces go by in the sky, I saw neither Freyer nor Dahlia in the sky. Although I had breathed a sigh of relief it also meant that I had to find them to be able to uphold my end of the promise I made to both Devina and Freyer.

Making my way back down the mountain, I looked around me. Where the boy and I separated, blood remained. Clearly something had hurt him but he wasn't dead. If he had died a cannon would've fired.

Suddenly thunder rattled throughout the arena. The sky remained clear but the gamemakers wanted to make things more interesting. Continuing to walk, I made my way over the rocks and back to where I had made camp the yesterday. Since everyone seemed to have gathered around the stream then Freyer and Dahlia had to be around here somewhere. The water was their natural habitat so even if they did want to go anywhere else this is where they would've felt most comfortable.

Looking up at the slim trees that wouldn't even stay up for me to climb, I continued to make my way down the stretch of land; following the stream. As I continued on I felt the trickle of rainfall falling on my neck. Oddly the water was a tingling cold... until I felt the burn.

To prevent myself from screaming in agony, I slapped my hand over my mouth, seeking refuge under a pine that didn't cover much sky. Around me, the sounds of screams and crying echoed as the rain continued to fall. The gamemakers indeed made a show, but instead of normal rain they decided to mix it with acid. My jacket now had holes up and down the arms, indicating where the acid drops fell before soaking into my now red and welted skin.

Although the pine didn't give much shelter, the rain didn't pour down on me. A few drops burned my flesh while others fell to the ground, sizzling. Thinking that everyone would've definitely found somewhere to seek shelter I didn't pay any attention around me, until someone decided to come right underneath the same exact tree as mine.