Tribute Trials - The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Jessup Diggs - D12M

My mind races in confusion. I can't hear and do anything normally. I'm not in control at all, but I feel like I am at the same time. I sprint after Lucy, why did she run away from me... Why did she leave me? My vision is disorientated, messed up. I continue chasing her out of the tunnels until we are out on the main battlefield. My limbs move in violent strokes as I slash at the air. I jump up and down, springing up from the ground. Bubbly, wet foam formed over my dry lips, dripping down onto my reaping attire.

The bite from my neck, from some animal at the zoo, still remains there, as a mark. My head throbs in the gradual confusion that rains on me. I dash across the arena, following the pretty, rainbow dress as a target.
"Why are you running LUCY?!" I confusingly scream out into the arena as she climbed up a broken wall, that led to stands near an area where commentary would be in- a press box... I ultimately follow her, but stumble on the rubble, losing balance at times. My vision grows swirly, things aren't normal. I eventually entered the area with multiple explosion, rock debris, but as I run towards Lucy, I slip on one of the jagged edges and opened a huge gash on my knee, then I fell forward once more, leaving a huge cut on my head. My blood mixes with my foamy saliva, leaving trails of blood behind me. I gave up running towards her, she doesn't want me anymore. I'm a mess. I'm a rabid mess. I stay on a piece of rubble and try to reach my arm towards her direction. My face is filled with sadness and confusion, what is happening to me...?!

Then out of nowhere, a buzzing sound nears towards me. A sponsor drone nears towards me, everything is trying to kill me, everything wants me dead. I take a broken board that remains on the ground and swing it straight at the sponsor drone. The cracked bottle had water seeping out of it in a small puddle. Water. No... Why... NO. I'm unable to swallow anything, hence the leaking saliva, the sight of the water is making me go delusional. I twitch while looking at it and then look back at Lucy Gray. She began to climb even higher up on the rubble, but she can't climb forever. I question the fact of what I am chasing after the only person I give a damn about, but it is happening just too fast. I trip on some of the rubble, but I grow faster. Lucy is finally cornered up there. My head and eyes twitch while looking at her feared expression. I try my best to stop myself, my brain, from doing this, but I'm done for. Whatever happened to me, it's going to kill me.

I continue my pursuit until I seem to be about twenty feet within her position.

"Jessup... It's me! Lucy! Please don't do this, you can calm down..." She put her hand out, trying to tame the rabid beast that I now am.

I spit out some of the salivae that leaks out of my mouth, I can't even speak. I continue chasing Lucy until she did something with her hands again.
"THERE!" She directed her arm over to another buzzing drone. The drones had bottles of... WATER. I start to freak out. I scream in fear and shake my head rapidly as I try to get away from the water. Then I felt the cold, refreshing liquid splash on my arm... The thought of the water rushes my mind and I go insane once more. I retreat down the stands until my foot got caught on one of the seats. I gasp in fear as my body starts tumbling down from the arena wall and onto the battlefield. My body remains motionless on the field, I try my best to get up, but most of my bones have been crushed by the impact. I groan in pain, but then I see Lucy make her way down to the field as she screamed my name out.
I can tell she seemed distressed. How could I cause this much pain to her... How could I be this much of a monster? Even though with the pained expression on Lucy's face, she still smiled for me and spoke, "You go to sleep now, you hear, Jessup? You go on, it's my turn to stand guard." Her voice clicked something in my mind, like a key... or the finishing puzzle for a puzzle game. I remember her saying that to me in the arena before, I remember it all. My twitching eyes stop for a moment, and I listen to her soothing voice.
"That's right. Let yourself go. How are you going to dream if you don't go to sleep?" Then I felt her hand onto my forehead, and I felt more tired than ever. Her face became blurrier every time she spoke, every time I blinked. Her voice sounds like she's further and further away each time like it's drifting away. I give a small smile before I become still.

Placement: 11th

I'm sorry if this one was very confusing, I was confused myself while writing his death because of the whole rabies factor. Sorry for this.