Eleven

Friendly Fire

Author's note: Nobody's here, right?  Arghh..... Gaahhh..............Mmff.

     When I wake up, my hands throb and tingle painfully. I stare up in to the night "sky", wondering how this actually happened.  It's probably 2:00 in the morning. I roll over, but suddenly I can't sleep anymore.  I slowly untie my rope and carefully finger my knife.  Sitting up, I swing my legs over and adjust my coat.  I tiptoe towards the edge of the campsite, a.k.a the wall.  I nestle my foot in the crack in between to large stones and grip a ledge.  Gasping in pain, my foot slips and I scrape my knee. Crap.  I find my place and slowly manage to climb to the top.  When I reach the tip, I hear a rustling noise from behind. I look behind.  I see nothing but darkness. I descend cautiously down.

      Once I'm sure I found solid ground, I run my hand along the wall, walking slowly, making sure my hand doesn't get stuck. I stuff a large hole in a rock full of moss and weeds so I know where to come back.  My knees feel weak and wobbly, and sometimes I collapse from stress or something horrendous like that.  I stumble over a root, and catch myself.  I exhale slowly, still reeling  from the exhilaration.  After that, I walk in to a tree. 

        My head makes contact first, my face getting shoved full on.  I experience the unpleasant feeling of a hurt nose.  I  bring my hand up and push away from the tree, gently.

       That's when I decide it's time to go back. Turning around, I begin my journey back. 

       A cannon fires just about then.

        I jump a few inches in to the air, simultaneously whipping out my knife.  Oh, right, I forgot.  It's the Hunger Games.  A cannon means tributes. I sprint towards my camp, going as fast as my injuries allow.

       I've been gone for a while, I realize.  The sun is about to rise.  In the dim light, I catch a glimpse of green in my peripheral vision.  Moss.  Clambering up the wall, I reach my camp.

          I glance around, tired and exhausted. I figure I'm safe, but I scramble up my tree for good measure. What I see makes me do a double take.                       

           It's a body. I climb back down and approach the body cautiously. It's not going hurt you, Sage. It's dead, I tell myself, but I realize it's not the body, but whose body it is.  The body has been shoved sloppily under the tree. I look and examine the body, but it's really gory and really bloody.  I gently smooth down the hair I force myself to look at it's eyes. It's Sienna. I scream.

          I scream really loudly.  So loudly I should've awaken the whole camp, but nobody but Cypress and Rylan come running.

"What happened?" Ryaln asks anxiously.

I gesture to Sienna, speechless.

Rylan daws in a sharp breath and Cypress gasps.

"No. No way." Cypress looks at me with wide eyes. I see the ghosts of tears forming in her eyes. I shrug.

"Who?" Rylan forces the word out.

Wordlessly, I shrug again.

Finally, I ask, "Where's Asher?"

     We check his sleeping spot. He's not there.  A yell coming from the supply tent tenses us up.  I share a look with my friends.

    We run.

    When we reach the tent, Ahser's there, alright, and so is Javier. Javier has  Asher in a headlock, and a knife to his neck.

"Help," Asher chokes out.

"Sorry," Javier replies, and in one fluid motion Asher is dead and gone.  A boom echoes in the distance.

I scream again. It was enough seeing my sister die, I won't see my friends die if I can help it.

"Run!" I say to Rylan and Cypress and they do.

     So do Javier and I. Except we're running the opposite direction, towards the dead forest.  I run and run and run. Never stopping.  I glance behind and Javier is there catching up to me by the second. My legs hurt more than ever and my lungs are on fire.  As I near the pool, a plan forms in my mind.  It's a risky one and a dangerous one.  But it's all I've got. I skid to a stop and in a split second Javier comes hurtling towards me.  I brace myself and with all my might, I shove him towards the pool.  His knife catches me on the arm, but it's not the time to worry about that.  He falls in with a huge splash.  His eyes widen horrifically. I watch.  Ripples appear around him and the red of blood fills the little pool.

A cannon fires.