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circensesyearone-blog · 13 years ago

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Situation 7 | | The Finale

------HERDING------ The scorching heat woke Hayley on the third floor of a decrepit skyscraper with a jolt of panic. She quickly, and sorely, ripped her jackets off as best she could, in an attempt to cool down. Sweat rolled down her bruised face, and it didn’t take long to figure it out: this was the judgment day. As she achingly rolled her pant legs up to her knees, she surveyed her medicated injuries. The cut on her jaw was healing quickly, and the numbing agent on her broken arm worked miracles, although the sling was certainly a nuisance. Her puncture wounds were still healing, but nothing she thought she couldn’t power through. Her body argued, however. The girl slowly rose to her feet, inducing a sharp headache. It seemed the arenas effects had, in fact, caught up with her. After a few quiet breaths, looking at the inside of her eyelids, the sharp ache subsided. She began to walk to the edge of the skyscraper in order to survey her surroundings. As she stepped, the dirty and cracked tiled-floor creaked and gave under her worn boots more then she recalled it had the night before. And suddenly, with a loud creak, the floor gave a bit more than it had previously, underneath her feet. She knew that it wasn’t an accident. She quickly and tactfully moved over to one of the main support columns; carefully placing her feet on the more solid looking patches of tile. Hayley gently leaned over the edge of the skyscraper, gripping the large column; and her eyes met the heat wave-blurred street, three stories down. Another louder creak demanded that it was time to descend. But as she quickly pushed off the column, the building pushed back. The floor completely collapsed beneath her, freeing the steel columns bottom-most half. Hayley pushed her boots off of the faltering floor as hard as she could, but she was in too deep. Before she knew it, she was dangling over the newly formed edge, her one good arm clinging for dear life as she watched her supplies roll down to the street. Her first aid kit, her jackets, the backpack of food, her precious butter…and her axe: all gone. A shrill creak and pop demanded Hayleys attention. She immediately looked up at the corner of the ceiling, as the rusty bolts holding the column in place began to falter and spring loose, some smacking her in the head. She shook off the small sting of pain, and as the floor collapsed further. The column began to sway, harshly bringing the floor with it, and Hayley knew she had only moments before gravity sent it in her direction. Her grip beginning to weaken, Hayley looked downwards at the floor below. If she let go, she would drop about 10 feet to the second floor. The ear piercing, soul shivering sounds of an enormous building collapsing filled her ears, her eyes, her nose, her head. Everything around her was being blasted through an enormous megaphone, piercing her ear drums. Nothing was solid, everything shook, erupted, and collapsed. Hayley attempted to weigh her options quickly in her head, doing her best to ignore the chaos surrounding her, and to find a calm within herself. Through scrunched eyes and screams, Hayley made up her mind. She had the choice. Be crushed by the column, sending her falling to the floors below, or simply jump to the floor below. She clearly chose the latter. Hayley gritted her teeth as terrified shrieks escaped her mouth. She frantically promised herself she would let go at the count of three. One. The ceiling above her began to shake, with long jagged cracks splintering the floor above her. Two. The column broke loose and began to fall towards her. Three. Hayley released her grip and there was nothing. Meanwhile, uncomfortable warmth had seeped into the quiet interior of of the Careers’ haven, waking the three violently from their slumber along the tiled floor. The tributes were no fools; the end was rapidly approaching, the heat serving merely as a warning to the imminent battle ahead. Wiping sleep from their eyes and sweat from their foreheads, Shay, Donovan, and Cassi shared a telltale glance as they reached for their bags.

Then, the sky began to fall.

Donny hastily grabbed his bag and headed towards the door. The girls were right behind him when they heard a thundering noise. "What the hell was that?" Shay turned around to see a huge chunk of the beautiful ceiling that was once above them, right behind her. Shards of marble cascaded towards the Careers as chunks of all shapes and sizes began to rain down around them. "We need to go, now!" Donny was the first to take off towards the door. The girls were right behind him, dodging death as the sky fell. The trio was separated several times as massive marble chunks transformed the shelter into a maze. Dust from years and years of neglect made sight and breathing difficult for the tributes.

The trio ducked and dived, adrenaline violently pumping through their veins. As the ground roared, one smaller shard made impact with the back of Cassi’s head, its momentum just severe enough to cause a concussion, and yet her running did not cease. She paused only for a second, as hesitation meant only death in their situation; her hair was tinted red, but her injury did not stop her from reaching the light. They had nearly reached the glass door when a loud explosion nearly stopped them in their tracks. Donny turned around to see exposed ceiling pipes burst, as steaming water shot at them. Distracted, the boy from Four slipped on the linoleum, sending him on his back into a shallow pool in front of him. He groaned at the top of his lungs as a larger chunk of marble hit his wrist, tearing at his skin.

Shay stopped at the sound of his shriek, while Cassi continued her sprint for survival. Donny looked painfully into her eyes; he could hardly move, his body finally begging to quit. It was all too much, as the surrounding scenario screamed of destruction. There was no hope in his mind as the two Careers shared eye contact. "Why would she save me?" He thought, " I left her for dead. She should just do the same." Part of him just wanted to end it all. He was so tired of all the pain, all of the suffering. He could do; just lie there and die. Suddenly, Shay burst into a sprint and reached him in only a few strides. It relieved him to see a shred of humanity left in the games. She was his only hope now. She reached for his good hand and smiled. He couldn't have been happier when she pulled up the obviously weakened shell he had left. He had little to no feeling in his right hand. He resisted the urge to look at what it had become. The water was quickly filling the space, almost at a knee depth by the time Shay reached the door.

Donny sprinted through the door, the water hardly affecting his stride, but Shay was cut short by a sharp pain in her stomach. A wayward shard of marble had lodged itself in her now bloodstained abdomen. She cried out as she broke through the door and caught up to Donny, then ripped the block from her stomach and tossed the projectile on the ground, resisting the urge to scream at the top of her lungs. The pain was slowly intensifying when Donny called out, " CASSI!" She followed his gaze to their ally, who was knelt over in the rising tide as she unsuccessfully tried to beat the current and rise. He wanted to go back, but Shay clutched his arm and said through clenched teeth, "We're going." He stole one last look at Cassi as his tears joined the shallow pool below him. Hayley’s eyes were pinned to the pursuing column above her. As she descended, it chased her. Hayley’s wailing screams were smothered and overpowered by the booming destructive chaos around her. She was sure the solid steel column would crush her. Everything slowed for the girl, as she accepted her fate, she was going to die here. The column was gaining on the falling girl, until it abruptly caught in the steel framing of the floor above her. The girl’s perceived slow motion instantly vanished and before she could feel even a sliver of relief, she hit the hard ground of the second story, feet first. But she did not stop there, as her boots broke through the floor, up to her thighs. She caught herself with her arm, her feet dangling over the first floor as she was stuck in the second. She put her weight on her numbed arm and used her good elbow to smash away at the floor, frantically trying to free herself. She continued to swing her elbow to the hard ground around her thighs, until the floor around them finally began to crack. She hit the ground harder and harder and harder until she began to see the ground below. Death by column was certainly NOT in her plans anymore. The column began to creak once more as the crumbled ceiling above her began to give to the weight. Before the girl could even muster a scream, the column broke loose and crashed upon her. The column landed over the girl’s already broken left hand, crushing it with the floor beneath her. She knew it was supposed to hurt, but the numbing medicine Sara sent was still working its magic. As the force of the column brought the floor down with her, Hayley was sent hurtling towards the ground, surrounded by asbestos, pipes, scrap metal, stone and other debris. She hit the ground, feet first, with extreme force. If she had been wearing her everyday shoes, the girl would have broken her legs, but she was wearing capitol made, supported combat boots, leaving her with merely a sharp pain running up her shins and calves. The force of her landing, however, sent her onto her back. Coughing through clouds of dust and asbestos, Hayley swallowed her fear, and stole a glance at her arm, which now looked like a used tube of toothpaste. The gruesome sight brought stomach acid to Hayley’s tongue. She turned over to her side and vomited. But she wouldn’t allow herself to succumb to the arena, she would not die in this building. She needed to move. This 20 story skyscraper was about to collapse, and she was at the heart of it, in its lobby. Hayley gritted her teeth, pushed herself up onto her feet and towards the front doors. The girl was only a few feet away when the walls collapsed around her, forming a barrier blocking the door and sending her onto her back in surprise. The pipes around her burst with water, spitting it in her face and suddenly drenching Hayley with water. Hayley stood up as the water pooled around her shins, and then her knees. The girl was enraged, and adrenaline fueled. She clenched her eyes shut and spit out a mouthful of water as she spun, with water resistance, on her heels and paced around the flooded lobby, looking for something that was not clear to the capitol audience. Hayley found what she hadn’t known she was looking for, a leather-dressed office chair. The girl pushed past the debris, and sloshed through the water, over to the chair. She threw the wooden desk aside and gritted her teeth as she lifted the chair above her head with her good arm, using the other to support it. She ran as fast as she could in the chest high water, towards a plate glass window. Hayley took a deep breath and, with a grunt, sent the chair towards the dusty glass. The chair shattered the window and smashed to the steamy streets. Hayley jumped through the window frame as the entire structure gave. The building began to collapse entirely. She wasted no time in ripping off her sling and casting it aside as she manically ran southwards, with the rest of the buildings collapsing around her. As the girl ran, she noticed that all of the buildings surrounding the arena were collapsing, with a domino effect inwards.

The Gamemakers were forcing the remaining Tributes together. Of that she was certain. She ran through the smoky, debris-filled streets, determined to survive. She desperately tried to push through the sharp pain in her lungs from the polluted air. Suddenly,a sewer cap burst upwards, and a powerful fountain of water shot from the ground. As if on cue, all of the caps around her exploded, filling the streets with water. Sewer caps, fire hydrants, pipes in storefronts, fountains, all erupting with water. Hayley looked eastwards, down 38th street and saw that the river was pouring over the barrier and crashing inwards towards her. She growled in frustration. “ALRIGHT! I’M MOVING!!” She shouted at the sky. Breathing became a challenge, though small compared to the obstacle of dodging shattered glass and fragments of brick through a shallow pool of water. She turned down a street labeled “6th Avenue”, and passed a few blocks before making it to 33rd Street. Just as she did, however, the ground collapsed, leaving a sizable pit that was too wide to jump. Hayley looked down at what seemed like an endless pit, but quickly shook it from her mind and wheeled around with confusion. All confusion vanished as she noticed where she was so obviously supposed to go: a towering building that she had only seen in ancient school textbooks: The Empire State Building.

Hayley wasted no time running to the structure, and pushing through the front doors. The girl was shocked as her eyes absorbed the beauty around her. The perfectly polished marble, the two pristine, yet extremely strange red and white striped flags hanging from both corridors, and the beautiful carved mural of the same building on the far wall. Infront of her stood a row of polished silver metal detectors, and beyond that a row of polished turnstiles, all decorated with signs. Signs with pictures of firearms, beauty tools, alcohol bottles, all with red slashes through them. There were mechanized mini-machine guns and lasers bolted to the walls, along with cameras, ensuring that these rules would be followed. Hayley laughed. Of course they wouldn’t let her have anything. This was the finale. Hayley slid her way through the metal detectors and the turnstiles, tiptoeing through the lobby until she made it to the mural. Under the large mural, were four doors. From left to right, in order of districts, were the names of the final four tributes. Each name was carved into the marble beautifully above the metal door.

Shay, District 2; Donovan, District 4; Cassi, District 4; Hayley, District 7. So these were the “Final Four”, she thought, a District 7 against 3 Careers. “Fantastic”, the girl grunted. A smile crossed her lips as she twisted the knob of her door and stepped in. The door shut behind her, and she sighed. For the first time in the Games, she truly felt safe, even though it was only for a few seconds. It didn’t take her long to look around and notice the room was a replica of her preparation room. Everything around her was chrome silver, practically mirrored. This mirror-like silver showed her the reflection of a hardly recognizable version of herself. Tired, disheveled, crushed arm hanging limp. A fleeting hope that her beloved mentor, Sara, would show up was quickly dashed; the Gamemakers wouldn’t be that kind. Hayley noticed a countertop, and a faucet and knife were sitting on it. Hayley slid her fingers into the holes of the handle, the seven-inch blade looking versatile.

She turned her attention to the faucet, and turned the handle. Nothing. “Figures,” Hayley huffed.

Perhaps Donny left because he knew that only one could go home, but after he made the decision he instantly regretted it. The farther he got away from the building, the more helpless he felt. The duo ran West as the city, once so cluttered and silent, was filled was gut-wrenching crashes as the world crumbled around them. Donny lifted his shirt to his nose due to the massive amount of dust in the air. Donny took Shay's hand for some sign of comfort. It was clear that they were being herded, but to where? As he pondered that question, Shay's firm grasp on his hand loosened. She slipped into the murky depths below, and he was finally alone. Fueled by rage, then Cassi’s progressed until she finally rose with the water, and pressed through the door to escape to the streets. Her allies were nowhere to be seen. The city, once so vast, shattered before Cassi’s eyes. The sound of her boots on the soaked pavement was drowned out by gut-wrenching crashes and booms, the symphony of buildings collapsing to their foundations, as well as the all-too-familiar explosion of pipes. All around the girl, smoke, dust, and ash mingled with the simultaneous bursting of water from fire hydrants, sewer caps, storefront pipes, and fountains. Breathing became a challenge, though small compared to the obstacle of dodging shattered glass and fragments of brick through a shallow pool of water. Before long, the sound of demolition was constant; as strong currents of thick smoke clouded each her vision, the pounding in her head and thumping of her heart served as the only sign she was still alive. With numbed senses, continuing to run was her only chance of survival. An eternity of desperate sloshing was rewarded, as the haze steadily began to clear before Cassi. The Gamemakers’ intent suddenly became clear; the tributes were being pushed towards the Empire State Building. Finally, she took hold of the handle and emerged from the flood to the lobby of the great tower. Cassi slid her way through the metal detectors, followed by the turnstiles. She was relieved when the green light flashed on the turnstile, and she pushed her way through the turning gate. The tribute made her way through the pristine lobby until she approached the far wall with the mural. Under the large mural were four doors; in order of districts, the names of the final four tributes were carved into the marble beautifully above each door. So these were the “Final Four”, she thought, 3 Careers against a District 7. She twisted the knob of her designated door and pushed it inwards, then stepped into the room, and the door slammed shut with a loud click, indicating that it was indeed locked. Cassi looked around at the room. She stared at her reflection in its mirrored walls; again, the warrior gazing back blankly was not someone she recognized, but perhaps, someone she was becoming. Cassi did not care to waste her time washing another child’s blood from the thin fabric of her clothing, or even to think of those she had killed, but her emotion was not yet gone; it had been overtaken by determination. The girl walked over to the chrome countertop. On it, was a faucet and a silver steel hunting knife. The knife had a large blade, about 7 inches long, and 4 holes in the handle. Cassi slipped her fingers through the holes and realized the blade could be used multiple ways as it rested comfortably in her hand. A perfect fit. She set the knife down and pulled on the faucet handles, in hopes of washing the signs of injury from her shirt, but no water came out. Disappointed, Cassi made her way across the room, towards the platform, surrounded almost fully by a tube. This tube brought her into the arena, and now it would bring her out, one way or another. Donovan’s mind was hollow; no thoughts of any kind were rummaging through his soaked head. His highly damaged wrist only radiated numbness as a beautiful skyscraper came into view. "The Empire State Building. Of course." He spotted a clump of hair disappear within its doors and was relieved. "Cassi!" He reached out, but knew she was way too far to hear or respond to his plea. Donny approached the massive building and went into the door and out of the wasteland that was once the illustrious New York City. Donny pondered around, alone when three signs caught his attention; all showing things that he couldn't bring any further. Depictions of weapons, drinks, and miscellaneous items were all crossed out. He went through the metal detector and it went off promptly. The lasers on the walls were trained on him when it finally hit the tribute; his boots were weapons. He slipped the spiked boots off and threw them towards the door. Donny restlessly paced in front of four metallic doors with the four remaining tribute's names. Shay, Donny, Cassi, and Hayley. These were the "Final Four". "Three of us are going down today." He grasped the handle and entered the room. Donny took a few steps when the expected sound of the door clanging shut behind him snapped him back to reality. Scanning the quiet room, he spotted a sink and mirror. The boy approached the mirror and hardly recognized himself. He was no longer the puny, little kid from District Four who lived a lavish life. He was now the warrior boy from Four. He had minor cuts and scrapes all over his body, not to mention the plethora of bruises from this morning's dash or death to the Empire State Building. This was the first time that he had had a chance to look at his wrist and assess the damages done by that chunk of marble. He touched it and instantly wished he hadn't. The pain almost immediately intensified and made him think about just chopping it off. Conveniently, there was a knife sitting next to the faucet. It would've been all too easy to just end it there. The knife was the Gamemakers' way of mocking him; showing him that they owned his life. Not that his life meant anything to the poor, destroyed boy by now. He was nothing more than a pawn; A marionette on a string. Donny tried turning on the faucet, but with his luck, nothing came out. he sighed and used the knife to cut his hair a different lengths. He wanted to look as weakened as possible to throw off the other tributes. Donny wiped blood from his right arm into hair and down his face. He practiced his blank state in the mirror for a good five minutes when he was finally satisfied. "They'll never know what hit them," he said with a smirk. Being in the launch room again had given him a new spark. "I'm going to kill them all.." He did exactly what his mentor, Elisa, had told him to do; to play the weak little boy from four and gain everyone's trust. It had worked perfectly too. He made it to the final four! That didn't happen too often for kids his size. Donny's strategy had been used several times before, so he was surely surprised that no one picked up on it. All in all, he hadn't been much of a target at all. He played it safe and now it was time for the final showdown.

Over the next twenty minutes, he tried several different stances with the knife. Blades were never really his thing. He preferred long distance weapons. Nevertheless, he had gutted a fish or two before, so he knew some basic maneuvers that would get him started. After awhile he started to get extremely anxious. How long had he been in there? Finally, he cracked and threw the knife into the mirror from across the room. He was tired of looking at himself. Donny wanted to get out of there and get home. The glass shattered and fell all over the floor. Satisfied with his little rebellious act, he got an idea. he could use the knife as a throwing knife! Granted, it wasn't very aerodynamic, but it was better than having to fight hand to hand, especially with his right hand being completely useless. He stood over his broken reflection and cut his shirt up a bit, so as to look even more beat up. Drenched completely, Shay emerged from the waterlogged nightmare, clutching her stomach as she struggled. The girl from Two was no fool; the towering Empire State Building before her was the clear goal to which she had been herded. Though the deep gash in her stomach continued to paint her clothing in crimson, Shay pressed on, finally emerging through the doors. With not a single weapon to her name, the girl found her journey to the doors fairly quick. Upon her entrance, she caught sight of her poor condition, mirrored several times on the iron walls as the image of her pained, wincing expression mocked her. On the counter was a dagger; in that moment, she could take the dagger to her own chest, numb the pain in her stomach and wipe her expression of its agony, but Shay merely grabbed the weapon, turning it over in her hand. The Career was not ready to die. She had business to attend to.

------THE FINALE------ The tributes each stood in their own mirror-walled cell, making final preparations as anxiety ate away at them, when Gamemaker James’ seductive voice suddenly echoed through the metallic room. “Good Morning, Tributes. As you all know, only four of you remain. I would like to personally congratulate each of you for making it this far, but your fight is not over yet. Oh no, it is just beginning. Now, if you will all please step forward onto your platforms.” The tributes took their place on their respective steel plates. “Good luck tributes, and may the odds be ever in your favor.” The glass cylinder enclosed around them; almost instantly, a song began to ring quietly through each tube, a female voice musing, “In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of...”. The tune, the tributes concluded, must have been commissioned in the Capitol, elevator music to taunt the finalists. As each tribute’s platform began to rise simultaneously, the voice became a whisper beneath the rushing wind, and they were swallowed by darkness. A dim light began to encompass each cylinder, growing brighter and brighter as thoughts and nerves frantically bounced around in the tributes’ skulls.The wind was incredible. As their eyes adjusted to what surrounded them, their mouths hung open in absolute terror, and awe. The tributes stood at what used to be the top of the 102 story, Empire State Building. It appeared to have been blown off, leaving a 35 by 35 foot, octagonal floor. The edges were littered with two feet-high debris walls. The four tributes stood atop their platforms in each corner.

They were too wise to jump off the platforms just yet, they knew they must wait for the countdown, for fear of what would happen if they disobeyed. Each tribute observed that that their knife was identical to the other three. As tension and anxiety rose between the four; it was evident by each tributes unique expressions, that their motives and innermost thoughts whizzed through their craniums as the countdown began.. Shays eyes had squinted shut at force of the wind, and her stomach seemed to lift as high as the building. What pep speech she had so desperately given herself in preparation had crumbled in her thoughts - That well-rehearsed encouragement was blown away just as easily as the Empire’s peak. So afraid, she admittedly was. There had always been severe doubts of her survival to the very end. Fought hard, she had. And looking back, Shay now knew she had earned every right to be where she stood. Not once had she betrayed, only had she killed in the presence of a team and had gone at it alone totally alone. Almost alone. Her eyes twitched slowly towards the slight boy across floor. “Stop it. Just stop it.” The voice in her head bashed against the walls of her mind. A desperate girl thumping until her brain felt heavy and numb. "Ten." Donny had looked over at Cassi, who was in one piece, and smiled. That was a weight lifted from his conscience. "Nine." He had glanced at Hayley, who was not in top condition. She had lacerations all over her and some of her face was ripped away. Not to mention, what was left of her arm hung limp at her side. She seemed to be the most damaged out of the group. He figured everyone would go after her. "Eight, Seven, Six." Time was ticking and Shay had a blank expression on her face. He noticed she was still bleeding profusely from her abdomen. "Five, Four, Three." Donny stuck to his original plans and looked extremely beaten up and weak. He hoped that that would make his partners take pity on him and settle their differences first. "Two." This is it, he thought. Cassi, tactfully observed her competition. They all wore separate expressions in varying degrees of desperation. Cassi’s glance immediately shifted to Donovan; his wrist was in awful shape hanging limply at his side, while blood soaked through Shay’s abdomen. As Hayley waited for the signal to get off the platform, she surveyed her opponents. Donovan sported a swollen right wrist, which seemed to be broken, and he was shooting glances at Shay. Cassi remained straight-faced, but her eyes blinked towards Donovan, holding her head as if it were injured. Shay was gripping her red-soaked abdomen. Hayley smirked at the battered love triangle. The odds were clearly in her favor, she thought. She had a mentor that took care of her by sending her medicine, and even though she was sporting a chipped jaw, a broken arm, and bruises and cuts from the collapsing building, she knew one thing: she had not given up hope. Hope was a dangerous thing in the heart of a girl plucked from her home, forced to fight for her life. She gripped the knife as she took on a poker face. With all the inner turmoil and planning clouding the tributes lightheaded minds, the gong sounded too soon, and the tributes were forced to snap from planning to action. The first to move was Hayley, who stood on the opposite side of the crumbling octagonal terrace from Cassi. She nursed a hopelessly crushed wrist along with the one side of her jaw that was chipped, the skin taken off with it. Hayley was bruised from head to toe, and her body was littered with cuts and lacerations. Cassi smirked, thinking that her injuries felt almost miniscule in compare, with only the bandaged gash on her arm that she had earned in the dirtied restroom and miscellaneous cuts and bruises littering her aged body. Shay tried, and failed, to not pay any attention to the large amount of blood dripping from her abdomen and Donny had fluids leaking from his mutilated wrist. Hayley had stepped down off the platform silently, watching the three Tributes. Donovan looked from Cassi to Shay, clearly conflicted. Cassi’s head was clearly jumbled, and Shay…Shay was in bad shape. It was most likely a miracle that she had not bled out. Hayley knew it was bound to be three against one, she needed to effectively assert her dominance, and draw them out one by one, as opposed to simultaneously. This in mind, Hayley straightened her posture and walked to the middle of the floor asking, “Who wants to die first?” Cassi couldn’t help but pull her face into an expression that can only be described as annoyance and disgust. “Well don’t you seem pretty damn confident,” she remarked, stepping out of the safety of her wall into the death arena. Hayley smirked, as Cassi took the bait, and said, “I think I already know the outcome of this fight.” “Oh, do you?” Donovan asked, now following the girls’ lead and engaging in the fight. Shay quickly scrambled to come up to Donny’s side, and Cassi rolled her eyes. Certainly she had to see what Donny was doing, right? In a way, Cassi felt sorry for the girl, but she was also annoyed with her ignorance and willing to trust anyone who says a few words and kisses her. Shay may be extremely book smart, but she definitely did not understand the simple mechanics of the Hunger Games. Rule number one of surviving: don’t trust anyone, no matter how lonely you might be. Hayley melodramatically rolled her eyes, “Of course I do. You’re already injured; both of you, pretty fatally too,” she said as she gestured towards Donny’s inability to use one of his hands and Shay’s torn open body. “Although,” Hayley said, turning on her heels to face Cassi. “You might be a little harder to get rid of.” Cassi could now tell that by the tight grip Hayley had on the knife and the way she poised it at her hip- blade pointed out and uncomfortably held- that Hayley was all talk. Cassi wondered how many lives Hayley had taken before she broke down, or if Hayley had even hit rock bottom yet. “You look like shit yourself,” Donny blurted, out of character. This caused Cassi to wonder why he was acting this way. Ever since they had boarded the train back in District Four, he had been worried. But he always watched his mouth. Even when the two were allies at the beginning of the games he tried his best not to hurt anyone; through both actions and words. He just didn’t seem like the kind of guy to hurt anyone. Cassi thought he must have been pretending the whole time, hiding his true feelings and habits until the very end, much like he was doing to Shay. The true Donny was showing himself now, cold and cut off, not caring who ends up getting hurt. Hayley snorted. “I’ve looked like shit before and it hasn’t affected my ability at all. I bet I could take on all of you.” Cassi could now confirm that because Hayley hadn’t taken another step towards anyone, she was using intimidation as her main weapon. Hayley might portray herself as invincible, but Cassi knew from experience that everyone has a breaking point. “And who have you taken down?” Shay asked, her arms gripping her crimson-soaked abdomen. Hayley grinned with a mock-wickedness and tried not to flinch from the pain in her chin. “A whole District,” she said, as a light bulb flickered on in her head. “Don’t skirt around the question, Seven,” Shay asked, genuinely curious and, although she would never admit it, a little intimidated, which is just what Hayley was going for. Hayleys eyes flickered with pride and satisfaction as she hissed, “District Five.” The wise girl from District 7 new that this would spark irrationality. She knew which pressure points to apply, and how to apply them. Hayley would get what she wanted. Control. Cassi and Donny immediately looked at each other, their faces full of contorted emotion. For Donny, worry. And for Cassi, the only emotion she had been able to feel lately: anger. “You killed her,” Cassi breathed. Again, Hayley smirks. It seems we have a nibble, Hayley thought. Come on, fish. Take the bait. “Damn right I did. That coward tried to run away from the fight. I can almost hear her crying for her mommy right now...” Cassi gripped the knife in her hand and walked towards Hayley with such determination Hayley almost thought her plan had backfired. And it may have. Cassi wasn’t irrational, but determined. Hayley needed to get her acting out of rage, vengeance. As opposed to tact. “Hamish, too. Fed him a little taste of his own medicine, per se. Screamed like a little bitch.” This just hardened Cassi’s stare. Hayley desperately began to try and get a rise out of her. When Cassi was inches away from Hayley, the District Seven girl poised her knife. “Looks like we have a volunteer!” She mocked as she beckoned Cassi towards her with a straight face but showed just enough worry in her eyes that Cassi could pick up on it. “You’re not going to run away like your little friend, are you? Uh, Jess, was it? Yeah, Jess was a real cowardly bitch. Fun to kill though.” “You would shut your fucking mouth if you know what’s best for you,” Cassi said through clenched teeth, the long hunting knife buzzing with excitement and ready to attack. There we go, Hayley thought. Now it’s time to fight. “Would I?” Hayley asked, as she swiped the knife in Cassi’s direction. But Hayley only managed to graze her arm before the District Four girl side-stepped out of the way. Cassi grabbed at Hayley’s left arm and clenched hard on her deformed wrist. “Yeah, you would.” Hayley clenched her teeth, as the numbness had worn off, and the agony of her injury began to set in. She angrily made to cut at Cassi’s hand, but Cassi beat her to it. Hayley groaned in distress as a long strip of skin fell from her forearm. Cassi didn’t even flinch as Hayley’s blood coated her knife. Cassi yanked down hard on Hayley’s other arm and the girl’s body followed it. The District Four tribute swung her legs over Hayley’s fallen stature and sat upon the girl’s stomach. “Should we do something?” Shay asked Donny in a low whisper, but the boy shook his head. ‘Let her have this one,” he explained, although he was more than willing to avenge Hamish’s death. He knew Cassi well enough that if nothing else, she needed this one kill. Hayley pushed up as she tried to free herself from Cassi’s weight, but that only caused the girl’s grip to tighten. In one last attempt, she swiftly brought the knife that still clung to her fingers into Cassi’s leg, pushing harder once she could hear the squish of the weapon entering the other girl’s skin. Cassi screamed out in pain, but she was quick to react. Gripping hard her knife’s handle, she punched the weapon at Hayley’s skull, knocking the girl’s head back with great force against the crumbling floor of the Empire State Building. “You think you’re invincible- most people do actually,” Cassi said between breaths. “But you’re not. Your only weapon is words, and it seems I’m immune to them.” Hayley rubbed her head as she layed practically paralyzed, with only one free arm, on the floor with a killer on top of her. “Here’s a lesson that you, unfortunately, will have no time to see.” Cassi twirled the knife on her fist, and slid her fingers through the holes in the handle. Hayley squinted through the stars in her eyes, at her knife, lodged in Cassi’s thigh. She needed the blade desperately. She needed a distraction, desperately. “Everyone has a breaking point, Hayley.” Hayley cleared her throat. “Too bad you won’t live to experience yours.” Cassi swung her blade over her head. Instantaneously, Hayley spit her bloody phlegm into the girls eyes and shifted to the side as Cassi’s knife hit the ground beside her. Cassi screamed in frustration and reached her left hand to her eyes. Taking advantage of the momentary panic, Hayley reached out with her right arm and fastened her fingers around the handle of the knife that was lodged in Cassi’s thigh. Hayley tightened her grip and tore the knife outwards, tearing away at the girls thigh. As Cassi let out another chilling scream, Hayley smacked her in the temple with the butt of the knife. Cassi’s eyes rolled back, the light leaving them, and she lifelessly crumpled to the floor, beside Hayley. Hayley rose to her feet, staring at Cassi’s limp body, as her blurred eyes began to focus. She turned to face the other two, shaking the stars out of her eyes. As her vision began to sharpen, she was alarmed to find that Shay was barrelling towards her, almost upon her. Hayley raised her knife just in time to counter a clumsy lung attack by the career girl. She repeatedly swung the point heftily at Shay’s head. Staggering back, she ducked the sweeping path and undercut her thigh in sharp slit. The girl cried out in pain as she clutched her bleeding leg. Shay’s breath was heavy. Wiping the blood from the blade on her trousers, she tightened her grip through the steel holes. Plunging forward into her advantage, Shay rammed the knuckle clutch into Hayley’s nose, pushing upwards in hope of breaking a bone. A responding crunch confirmed her attempt as blood gushed from her victim’s nostrils. Hayley collapsed to her knees as she screamed into her sleeve; the sound could have chilled a God’s blood. All Shay could do was stare, somewhat in despair. The soles of her feet were heavy and crying out in pain as she stepped back from the bleeding girl. Never had she desired to hurt someone else, that was never her plan. She hoped to possibly win by mistake, and nothing more. A flicker of guilt past through Shay’s chest as she bit her lip hard with regret. The wind continued to gush powerfully around the pair. Before Shay could bring sense of her thoughts, a sharp force pulled on her left ankle slamming her body into the floor. Hands crawled up her body, as her shirt was dragged down by Hayley’s weakened body. The girl’s face crept into Shay’s sight. The eyes, dark yet wide. Wide with anger, hate, and lust. The blood dripped gruesomely from Hayley’s nose onto Shay’s cheek, running down the curve of her skin. Shay’s body crumpled painfully under the girl’s tight grip, her back grinding against the rocky floor. As Hayley wiped the blood from her mouth, she spat out her final words to Shay slowly. “Such a disappointment of District 2.” As the girl slowly finished taunting Shay, she slipped her arm out in pain from Hayley’s grip and rammed two fingers up the girl’s nostrils. Her blood was warm and thick as Shay squinted and swiped her arm back behind her. A sickening tear came with the rip as she opened her eyes to find Hayley’s bloody nose tight in her grip. Collapsing in a fit, the girl flew off of Shay’s body, rolling madly on the floor. Continuously she held her face, then stared at her hands. Then held her face and back to her hands. Staggering into an offensive stance, the pool of blood was spreading dangerously around the girls. Stomping forward to finish her once and for all, Hayley spun her head around at Shay. Her face was something like a nightmare, deformed, bloody and raging just at her. As the bubbling vomit rose in Shay’s throat, her legs clumsily slid towards the girl, but she was stopped dead in her tracks by a sharp rush of air, accompanied by a brief, taut whizzing. Although momentarily shocked, Shay did not have to guess at the mysterious object’s identity for long; Hayley’s scream, an awful, tearing sound, was telltale. The knife had lodged itself cleanly in the District Seven girl’s forehead, pressing further into her skull as she slumped forwards. There was only one possible assailant. Shay spun around to the source of Hayley’s death blow, worried of what she may find. Standing mere feet behind the Career, Donny stood with his arm still outstretched, a wild stare and bared teeth painting his features. Following a sharp, shaky intake of breath, Donny let out a low, quiet mutter. “For her.”

------THE LOVE TRIANGLE------ Shay wrinkled her nose as the pooling beneath her eyes began. She took gentle, cautious steps towards the boy before they met in an embracing hug. His fingers clutched against her shirt and hers against his. His body was warm against his, a contrast against the cold wind blasting against them. His body shook against her as the sobs bore out his eyes. The pained cry was more heart-breaking, more wrenching in her heart than that she had felt before. “I owe her my life Shay, I wouldn’t be here withou-” her stammered in her ear before the whistle of the wind cut him off. A few minutes past as they held eachother. Within those minutes, it felt like only moments. The wind surprisingly began to die down, leaving only a gentle breeze and a dark sky. The strained silence of understanding between the two of them could have only be emphasised by loss of the great wind. Taking one large, long deep breath, Shay let go of Donovan’s body and pulled herself away. His hand shifted to the knife tucked in his trouser and pointed it towards Shay. “I’m sorry, but we both know this was coming. Don’t pretend like it wasn’t, cause it’s fucking hard enough.” Such paradox to their previous moment Shay pondered. Even so, she couldn’t help but smile. “Donovan, it’s not the pieces on the board who decides who wins, it’s the players that move them. You want to bathe in glory and go home, then be my guest. It’s what everyone wants. I didn’t ever expect to reach this far, and let’s be honest – You didn’t think so either.”

He shuffled uncomfortably in his place, but held the knife high up against Shay’s chest.

“And when you return home and raise your fists in victory, the blood of those fallen will rush from your hands. That pride that you so desperately long will turn into an everlasting guilt. You couldn’t have prepared yourself for this, because honestly – No one can. This blood lust we have all experienced, will truly become a part of who you are.”

“Shut up Shay. You can’t lecture me now. You’re not going to be the winner, JUST STOP TALKING!”

“Do you really believe winning these games will solve your problems? Returning home, kidding yourself that none of this wretched nightmare even happened. It’ll follow you home. You may not have tributes on your back, but you’ll forever have these… fucking thoughts and feelings of death.” As Shay stepped forward, he pressed the knife hard against her chest.

“Don’t..” he mumbled.

“Please.”

Only guilt was felt from her lecture, but he finally had to know. He had to understand.

“Donovan, the winners of this game are those who die. The real loser is the one who is left to win. Conclusively...by God I hope you know what you’re doing.”

Her voice was exasperated and weak. Before he could open his mouth, Shay cut him off once last time.

“Do not worry. I am afraid of a lifetime of memories. I am not afraid of death.”

And with that, Shay gently placed her hand on Donovan’s wrist and slid the knife out of his hand. The metal clanged between them as she turned away to the small debris wall. Her chest felt strangely heavy – yet so light. Shay’s lips gently trembled as a single tear ran down her dusty cheek. She scanned the endless landscape of once was New York and gently turned her head back to Donovan, staring at Shay hopelessly and desperately.

“It really was a beautiful place.”

The last thing she remembered was not dying, merely falling. Endlessly falling. But where she was falling to, she did not know. Dazed and empty, Donny stumbled away from the scene of Shay’s death. It was over - his innocence, her life, their battle. Finality hung heavy in the air, but the anthems had yet to play, the hovercrafts yet to hum, and the congratulatory praise yet to echo over the arena. Before the Capitol whisked him away to treat all they could - only physical wounds could be mended, and Donovan’s were far deeper than that - the victor longed for only one thing more. A goodbye. ------THE CONCLUSION------ Slowly approaching his fallen ally, Donny crouched at her side; if he gazed only at her face, he could nearly convince himself she was only asleep. Stop being a coward. She’s dead, she’s gone and it’s your fault. You can’t pretend she’s merely asleep forever. Look at her. Look at what you’ve done. Biting his lip to bury his emotions, Donny forced his gaze downwards, to her grime-caked neck... Her chest, rising and falling...with breath. With life. No, it must have been the cruelty of his imagination, forcing him to see her as alive. He must have been hallucinating, the arena driving him to insanity already- “Donny?” Her eyelids rose, revealing eyes still beautiful, yet glazed and battle-worn. Suddenly, Donovan could not breathe. Her heart was beating, her eyes open and her pulse racing...and, in minutes, she would either kill or be killed. Either way, this time would be the last Donovan would hear her heart beating, see her eyes open, feel her pulse racing. The end had truly arrived. Donovan rose, offering a hand to pull his ally to a standing position, her face mere inches from his. They had drawn silent again as they realized they were the only two tributes left.

“We have to try and kill each other, don’t we?” Donny asked, his voice small on the windy terrace of the Empire State Building.

Cassi swallowed. “Yeah,” she said. “We do.” With the tension and weight of the situation hovering between the two tributes, Cassi gazed out at the once glorious New York City. Now they stood above miles of flooded ash and debris. Cassi cleared her throat, and looked at her ally, her friend. Tears pooled around the bottoms of his eyes as he too, peered out upon the ruined grave of 22 innocent children. Cassi bit her lip and cleared her throat a bit harsher than before. Looking around, she assumed he must have killed shay, but her body was nowhere to be found. Hayley, however, lay dead in the center of the roof. Tears began to flow down Cassi’s cheek as the gravity of her circumstance truly hit her. Donny, snapping out of his daze, turned to face Cassi once more. Cassi could see the immense pain in his eyes the second they met hers. She knew that look. Donny had truly hit his breaking point. Cassi instinctively pulled the distraught boy to her side and wrapped her arms around him. “Donny?” Cassi’s voice broke. “I’m..I’m so sorry about Shay....Really.” An awful wave of emotion rose in Donovan’s throat; as he racked his brain for an adequate response, words simply tumbled out.

“It’s okay...I uh- I don’t even like girls.” Amidst heaviness and loss, the tributes laughed, tears lining the brims of their eyes. Like old times. And with the nostalgia, Donny’s thoughts traveled to his small family back home. He remembered the conversation he and Cassi had by the fountain. She had so much more to go back to, he thought. A family of ten, if he recalled correctly. “How many people do you live with?” Donny asked. “Nine.” Donovan’s mouth stopped mid-chew. “Seriously?” He asked. Cassi nodded in response. “Yes, my parents are very active believers in the science of reproduction. There’s Ma and Pa, then Grandma, then four brothers and two sisters.” Donny’s mouth was still hanging open in shock. “Well,” Cassi added. “Ten, if you count me.” The memory stood fresh in his mind, only happening a few days ago. Both tributes were much more lively, still so naive about the consequences of merely surviving. How could he feel so old, so exposed? No kid should have to go through this, he thought. No one should have to grow up so fast. His mind raced back to Cassi. All those siblings, they needed her. They needed someone around to protect them from this sort of thing, growing up much too early. Her family didn’t have to be exposed to any of this horror, and if Donny went home he couldn’t provide that for them. His own family felt so needless to him and he wondered if he was committing yet another act of betrayal, this time against his own blood. But everyone knew that only one child standing here, on top of the Empire State Building, could go home. Cassi’s mind raced with the same thoughts, and she hated herself for it. She had to get home, she had to. She promised herself that she would get home no matter the cost, and she thought of Donny as just another obstacle in her way. She tried not to, but the thought was always prominent in her mind: I have to kill Donny. “Cassi, I- I don’t want to do this,” he said, hoping to find comfort in his district partner, as he had before, but there was none to give. Cassi didn’t say anything, knowing that Donny’s death was necessary, and hating that she couldn’t think otherwise. After what seems like an eternity, Cassi turns to face Donny and says, “You know we have to do this.” Donny shook his head, not wanting to believe that either one has to die.

“No, maybe if we-” “Donny, there’s no way out,” Cassi cut in. She rubbed her temples, the adrenaline from a high-paced fight slowly wore off and her head throbbed once again. “You have to kill me,” she said, and Donny’s reaction was immediate. “No, I am not going to do that! I will not-” “You have to!” She said, trying to tell herself that this is the right decision. “I’ve cracked; I’ve hit bottom; I’m broken.” She was saying these things, but it still didn’t feel right. “I’ve killed people, Donny. I’ve taken someone’s life and not felt anything. I can’t go home like this,” Cassi said, her voice was barely over a whisper. “I can’t go back to my family a killer.” Crying used to be easy for her. She wanted so badly to cry right then, to be able to feel anything besides hate and anger. “Look at us, Donny. We aren't who we used to be." This broke his heart. It was all true. “I don’t want to know what it feels like to kill you,” Donny said. The tributes stood, side by side, for a minute, looking at anything but each other. Cassi felt so selfish, feeling like she had to kill Donny, because there was no way he was thinking the same about her. That just wasn’t who Donny was,and if the two children were back home, Cassi would want him as a friend. The only way to right all of the wrongs she had been convicted of, was to die a martyr, but no matter what, her thoughts traveled back to her family. They would grieve her death, and she would miss out on so much. For fuck’s sake, Callee’s only three years old. I have to go back. “We’ll have an evenly matched fight,” Donny suggests. Cassi nodded and pointed to Shay’s knife that lay abandoned on the concrete. “You can take her knife, that way we’ll both have two.” Donny looked at his mangled wrist and decided it was a lost cause. He could barely lift it, let alone yield a weapon with it. Cassi nodded as she realized he wouldn’t be able to hold the weapon and dropped her extra knife to the floor, kicking it away. “You didn’t have to do that,” Donny said, but Cassi contradicted. “You said evenly matched, right?” The two tributes ended up staring at each other, neither wanting to make the first move. Finally, Cassi spoke. “You first,” she said, motioning to Donny. “Are you sure?” “Yes.” “May the odds be ever in your favor, Cassi.” “You too, Kiddo.” And with that, Donny’s good hand connected with Cassi’s nose, further injuring it. Cassi groaned and punched Donny in the gut with the handle on her hunting knife. She then closed her eyes and kicked him in his chest, with her good leg, throwing him to the floor. Cassi hastily limped to her fallen ally, or opponent, and sat on his legs, pinning him down. She gripped the knife in her hand, but didn’t dare to use it yet. Instead, she chose to focus on his existing injuries. She grabbed his mutilated wrist, holding her breath as she did, and his good arm connected with Cassi’s stomach. Donny grabbed at Cassi’s hand and twisted her arm backwards at an uncomfortable angle, causing her to cry out. Cassi took the knife and cut at Donny’s arm, not even shivering when she felt the vibration of the metal connecting with bone. Donny’s grip loosed on her arm, with a scream, and she broke free; limping to her feet and quickly lifting her elbow up before thrusting it down hard into Donny’s stomach. As he struggled to catch his breath Cassi prepared herself for what was to come. She closed her eyes, tears pouring, and gripped the knife as tight as possible. With one final mangled yell, she brought the knife down into Donnys chest, wincing as his knife sliced through her left calf, his final attempt to come out of this fight as victor. Donny’s eyes widened as the air left his lungs. His head slammed back against the gravelly floor and he lay still. Cassi’s eyes widened with the realization of what she had just done. "No, no- No, no, no." She dropped her knife and put her arms around the dying boy she had come to know as a brother. "Donny, please. Stay with me!" She put her head to his chest, not having any tears left unshed. "Are you happy now!?" She wasn't speaking to him, at all, and was sure that she would punished for the statement as soon as she got out of the arena. But she didn’t care. "Cassi..." Donny choked with a weak, bloody-toothed smile. He was still alive! “Donny! Please stay with me! Please! Don’t leave me alone!” She was pleading. Pleading hopelessly. She knew that he was done. There was no longer any fight in his soft, corrupted eyes. "Tell them I love them, okay? I- I-" He was slipping away. Losing way too much blood too fast. "DONNY!" She held him tightly, not wanting her last shred of humanity to slip away uncomfortably. She shut her eyes tightly, not wanting to be here; not wanting to be alive. She was losing function slowly. If it wasn't from the loss of one of her only true friends, it was because of the blood she was losing as well from her several injuries. "I'm so...so proud of you, Cassi..." “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” The words laid unspoken as Donny took his last breath, and the cannon pronounced him dead. Cassi dropped her knife and clutched at her sides, the blood leaving handprints on her "I love NY" T-shirt as she waited for tears to come, but they never did. What does the District think of me? My family? The slight echo of the canon and the whistle of the wind were suddenly buried under the boom of, not the capitol anthem, but the rhythmic brass of “big band”, along with the thunderous cheers of the capitol audience. “If I can make it there....I'll make it anywhere” “It's up to you..New York. “New York.” Gamemaker Morpheus’ voice boomed over the continuing anthem.

“Ladies and Gentlemen of Panem, I give you the victor of The First Annual Circenses Games: Cassi of District 4!” The Gamemaker proclaimed Cassi as the victor, but she heard none of it. Her mind was full of words bouncing back and forth, tormenting her, refusing to leave. She crumpled to the ground, the blood loss from her leg made it hard to stand, and she realized she could never take back what she had done. I am going home a murderer, she thought. She laid on the ground, her head throbbing,willing the pain to leave her, but thinking it was truly what she deserved. She didn’t bother to stop the blood flowing from her leg as the faint chop-chop of the hovercraft slowly came to take her away.

#circensesyearone #finale #hungergames #rpg

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circensesyearone-blog · 13 years ago

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Situation 6 | |

Bailey vs. Cassi

Bailey reached her arms out to her sides, as if they were wings, and strode gently forwards, through the high grass. She softly tilted her head upwards, almost as if in slow motion, and her eyes absorbed the beautiful, radiant, blue sky above. The girl looked out to the vast grasslands, filled with thousands of flowers and colors she had never had the privilege of beholding before this instant. She was in complete and utter awe of the sheer beauty and serenity encompassing her. Bailey parted the tall grass to reveal a beautiful Acacia tree. A tree filled with playful, chirping birds and beautiful flowers. She leaned her back against the trees sturdy trunk and blissfully slid to the ground. Smiling cheek to cheek, she wrapped her arms across her chest, hugging herself with a pleasurable exhale. Bailey was warm, she was safe, and everything was beautiful. She gently closed her eyelids. And suddenly everything turned black. Pitch Black. The insides of her eyelids illuminated to an evil red. And suddenly she was more than warm. Very warm. Incredibly Warm. No- hot. Burning. Boiling. Her eyelids banged open like jerked window shutters, shaking beads of sweat to the sizzling floor. The sky had been ripped apart, and was bleeding out. The beautiful clear blue sky was now oozing and filling to the horizon with a terrible, maniacal red. The sun was bruised, swelling up and darkening to a terrible black. The grass around her was set ablaze in the immense heat. The beautiful Acacia tree was engulfed with flames and the birds were squealing as the fire ate them alive. As the beautiful tree blackened and turned to ash, Bailey couldn’t help but feel as if her heart was suffering the same fate. She ran forward, to save the tree, but a strong hand clamped over her mouth, and a knife jabbed into her lower back. Her blood spilled down her back, melting away at her soft flesh as if it were acid. She tried, desperately, to kick herself free, but her legs wouldn’t move and her spine was flaring with pain. She was paralyzed from the waist down. A blindfold was roughly forced over her eyes, her hands were tied, and a gag was forced down her throat. Bailey tried to spit it out when a hard fist connected with her jaw, knocking every single one of her teeth out. She spit her teeth to the ground, and her acidic blood began to melt away at her gums. The agonized girl began to scream when the gag was shoved back down her throat. The attacker dropped her to the ground and dragged her by her hair through the flaming grass. The black and red flames engulfed her as her hair was pulled from her scalp. Just when she thought this dragging would never end, she was propped on to her knees, and the blindfold was ripped from her eyes. Bailey angrily spit out the gag and stared in awe as her eyes adjusted to her surroundings. Her knees skimmed the edge of a seemingly never-ending abyss, sending crumbling pieces of stone hurtling into the darkness. Her eyes followed the stones downwards, into the darkness, and panic suddenly racked her body. She immediately tried to shuffle backwards, using herr upper body, away from the ledge. But an all too familiar voice froze the sobbing girl in her tracks. “Now now, afraid of the dark, love?” Gamemaker James’ dark, seductive voice resonated in her ears and sent a cold chill down into her soul. Bailey shivered with fear and pleasure as a shriek escaped her body. She blinked the tears away, in embarrassment, and suddenly he was face to face with her, lifting the girl up over the abyss. James bit his lip and looked into her wide eyes, right through her. She cringed with anticipation and desire as his aroma filled her nostrils. He leaned in slowly to kiss the gasping girl, and every nerve in her body screamed with anxiety. As his lips lightly grazed hers, he stopped. “You know, you always were my favorite.” He bit his lip and with a heavy, hot exhale... “Such a shame”. James released his grip, sending her plummeting into the darkness. Deeper. Deeper. Deeper. Until suddenly, she was blinded by an intense light. Her pupils dilated and absorbed the extreme heat and light that drew nearer. She was about to hit earth's molten core. Bailey splashed into the fire churned molton, screaming. Everything went black. With an enormous gasp, Bailey realized she was on her back, staring up at the gorgeous moon. She was frozen on the cold pavement, fighting for her breath as the dream withered away. Her lip twitched, and she could still feel the heat of his lips in hers. This thought made her dizzy. “C’mon Bailey. He is the least of your worries right now”, the girl internally scolded herself. Thinking about the nightmare, she couldn’t help but feel the events had some significance. Maybe a hidden meaning. If only she knew what they were. Her heartbeat began to slow as she came to terms with her surroundings. But as she attempted to inhale, pain coursed through her body. Images of Chrissie, Tanner, the Bull and the flames that engulfed her began to flood her memory. Images of her soaring through the air, aflame, smacking her head against the pavement. Falling unconscious. Satisfaction and remorse pulsed through the girls cranium as she came to terms with the fact that she was the last of her alliance. Bailey slowly, and groggily, began to sit up. After a couple of minutes, she was on her feet. A harsh shiver ran up the girls back and she looked down to realize that her clothes were completely destroyed. She was completely naked. The I love NY logo, however was melted onto her torso where her shirt used to be. Her arms, legs and neck were completely red with burns. Luckily, by the time her clothes had been burned, the flames were diminished by the cold night air, leaving her with harsh burns. Yes harsh, but not fatal. Humiliated by her nudity, Bailey inched towards the fallen bull and pile of supplies. She rummaged through Chrissies merchandise bag and joy overcame her as she lifted a fresh “I LOVE NY” t-shirt and a canister of ointment out of the bag. She rubbed the ointment all over her stinging burns and relief instantly overcame even her joy. Smiling, Bailey slid the shirt over her sore shoulders and sighed with relief. At least she had a shirt, if anything. Wasting no time, she slowly sorted through the gifts her “allies” had left her. She stuffed Tanners cleaver and Emilie's electrical equipment into the NYC bag and threw it over her shoulder, along with Chrissies Ring-Blade. The girl was especially relieved to find her familiar steel hunting knife, unscathed. Pure capitol steel at its finest. Her shurikens, however were mostly a melted pile of silver, excluding two that were in pretty good shape. Looking up at the moon, Bailey judged it to be about half past 11 o’clock in the evening, she had been out for a while. Gripping her hunting knife in her prefered hand, and the bag and ring blade over the opposite shoulder, she began to walk eastwards, heading for the other side of the arena. Later on, in the United Nations, Cassi was sitting on the floor of the office. She began to notice things she didn’t before. The way that the tiles on the floor seemed to never end; that the day was not divided hour-by-hour, but by dusks and dawns, hunting and rests; the way that this burned-out city was surprisingly beautiful by day, but mildly terrifying at night as the blackness swallowed it into an abyss; that Donny and Shay’s conversation was getting more and more ridiculous by the minute. “You’ve never heard of beef jerky before?” Shay gasped, leaning over over her crossed legs to be closer to Donny. He embarrassingly shook his head, sending Shay into fits of high-pitched giggles. Cassi rolled her eyes. “I’ve really only eaten fish, actually,” he said, taking a nibble from his food, trying to ration it. Shay giggled so flirtatiously that a hole seems to form in Cassi’s stomach, sitting like a lump and weighing her down. No, not from jealousy, she had known how jealously felt, this was something different. It was a complete-and-utter-need-to-get-away-from-these-two-before-I-throw-up kind of feeling. “Is the rest of your district as sheltered and clueless as you are?” Shay said, raising an eyebrow. Cassi scanned the building, looking anywhere besides her two allies, trying her hardest to stop her ears from hearing their conversation. It didn’t work. Donny lightly tapped Shay’s knee with the back of his hand. “Maybe I was working so hard on building this buff body that I had no time to explore the luxuries of the Capitol, huh?” Cassi’s eyes landed on a door in the corridor with a chipping blue placard advertising a stick figure woman. Desperately wanting to escape the clearly two-sided conversation, she abruptly stood up. “I’ll be right back,” she said, interrupting Shay mid-sentence, trying her best to sound reassuring, but mostly coming on as rushed. The two looked up at her briefly before nodding and diving back into their conversation. How considerate, Cassi thought as she grabbed her knives, a precaution, and power-walked out of the room, the flirtatious whispers growing increasingly quiet behind her. After about an hour of walking under the midnight moon, Bailey came across a beautiful, worn building on the river. Bailey read aloud the rusted golden letters that ran along the entrance, " United Nations." She could not help but wonder if the world had once been united, or if it could be, someday. Though history had taught her different. The nations of the past were never truly at peace with one another, they just pretended they were, for the sake of their people. Countries always seemed to be able to put blinders on citizens. Much like the Capitol does with their folk. "When the blinders come off, the world will be a better place." She thought to herself. Improving the way of living for her district had been a dream of Bailey's since she was young, but improving all of Panem never seemed possible. But people had been known to do impossible things. She began to takes a step towards the front doors, but quickly realized how obviously stupid that idea was. Without her alliance she must be extra cautious, tributes could be anywhere. She snaked around the building, deciding that going through a window would be the safest way inside. Coming upon a low window, Bailey squinted her eyes trying to peer inside. Unable to see inside, she stepped back. At first she thought the darkness was from the inside of the building, but now she noticed that the window was actually tinted black, making it unbelievably hard to look through. The window had also been badly charred, from some sort of explosion perhaps. Images of a city burning flood her mind. People run from bombs that drop from the sky like rain, destroying everything in their path. Melting faces, of men, women, children. Then to herself, screaming as she falls into a boiling mass of molten rock; the earths core. Bailey shook her head, disgusted that her nightmare still lingered. With the butt of her knife, Bailey shattered the window and swung her legs on the inside of the window ledge, with her bag on her lap, and her knife in her right hand. Cassis footsteps had echoed in the corridor as she passed by crumbling office doors. She pushed the doors aside and stepped into the restroom. Suddenly, she was assaulted with the vile stench of water damage and old sewage that not only coated the floor, but also the walls. I see somebody’s really kept up with this place, she thought while examining the mold-laden structures and corroding tiles. They could have been luxurious, beautiful even, if the mildew and feces had not gotten to them. The rutts in between each tile were overflowing with the substance that was caused by a disaster unknown by any of the tributes. Cautiously, Cassi emerged from the maze of stalls only to find herself facing her reflection in a wall-sized mirror, glass missing from the corners and the intricately decorated edges covered in rust. At first, she did not recognize herself; her once glowing, sun kissed skin was now aged and covered in a fine layer of grime and blood. Her dark brown hair was matted down unevenly, and more frizzy than it ever was on the most humid days at home. Dirt was embedded into her fingernails. Well, she thought, dirt and blood. One thing that scared Cassi was the fact that is was not just her own blood she was coated in. She thought of Adrienne, and her body fluids becoming projectiles as they flew out of her neck and onto Cassi’s skin, the way Cassi could not bear to hear her screams so instead brought the cleaver down into her body more than necessary. Cassi also thought of Tanner, how his stomach bile painted the cement floor after she swiped her knife across his abdomen. She thought of Tyrell, how his blood was on her hands after stripping him of his weapons. The thought that she had caused the demise of other children scared her and she questioned how she will have changed once all this is over. If I win, she thought, will I be labeled a murderer? “No,” she said out loud as she watched the stranger reciprocate her moves. She could no longer think of this person as herself, for this reflection was not her, but something she has become in spite of the need to survive. Murderers are the ones who kill for the thrill of it, and I am not that. I am killing for Ma, for Callee, for Cody, for all of them. There’s a difference. Everything I do is for them. Cassi’s ears picked up the sound of breaking glass and she could just make out barefoot feet sliding ungracefully down the window sill through the corner of the mirror. The girl dropped to the floor and swayed when her feet touched the thick sewage. The tribute picked up her bag that was now soaked through with God-knows-what and entered the main part of the restroom, stopping in front of the rows of sinks. A smirk played on her face as she saw Cassi in the corner fingering the handle of a knife in her belt loop. “Hello,” Cassi said, observing the girl she now recognized as Bailey from District Nine. A little unsteady, probably a blow to the head, she noted. “Hey,” Bailey said in response, taking careful note of her surroundings. She might have had the element of surprise, but Cassi had been here longer and might know the layout better. Both tributes were aware that they would have more blood on their hands. As Cassi pulled the Chinese knife out of her belt and felt to make sure there was still one in her back pocket, she noticed Bailey inching a hunting knife out of her bag. “You seem to be in pretty good shape,” she remarked to Cassi, who was tightening her grip on the knife. “Wish I could say the same for you,” she replied. Bailey rolled her eyes. “If you’re thinking about going easy on me, forget it. I’m feeling fantastic. I could beat your ass with one arm cut off.” Although, she knew that was a lie. The cloud in front of her eyes never seemed to go away, albeit it switched positions every once in a while, shifting the pain to another part of her head. “That can be arranged,” Cassi said as she twisted the knife in her grip, although she didn’t charge yet. Her first instinct was to move fast, thinking Bailey’s head did not have all its screws in the right place, so to speak. But she had to admit Bailey looked like a good fighter, and injuries could be fatal. She decided to let Bailey move first and then go from there. “You ready?” Cassi questioned. This kid. Bailey rolled her eyes. “Shut up and fight.” Cassi shrugged and muttered, “Just trying to be considerate.” Rolling over and dying would be pretty considerate… Bailey bit her tongue, stopping herself; there was no time for childish arguments. It was time to fight. “Well?” Bailey asked impatiently, motioning to Cassi before rolling her eyes and muttering, “I have to do everything myself.” Bailey whipped a shuriken that was concealed in her back pocket and threw it with great accuracy at the mirror behind Cassi, leaving the pieces to float in the sewage below, but not before inflicting small cuts on Cassi’s arms and legs. Without hesitation, Bailey charged full speed through the mess towards Cassi, pushing her against the mirror. Cassi gasped as the wind was temporarily knocked out of her. Bailey grabbed Cassis shoulders tightly and slammed her hard into the mirror once again, but this time the glass around them shattered. Little shards dug into Cassis back, seeming to wake her from her stunned state. Her knife still clutched in her hand went for Bailey, slicing her stomach. Bailey winced from the stinging pain, and felt blood trickle down her side. Cassi was not a rag doll anymore, she was a ferocious, violent, tribute. Cassi threw her body at Bailey, knocking her backwards, to the ground. “You bitch,” she said, kicking up slush in Cassi’s face as a distraction and reaching out for Chrissie’s ring blade to her left as the blood from her hand pooled on anything it could touch. She got back on her feet and held the blade awkwardly in her left hand out towards Cassi, who was now approaching the District Nine girl. She swung out at Cassi, missing the girl’s figure by a few inches. Swearing under her breath, she wound her arm back and took another swung. This one connected with Cassi’s arm a few inches from her wrist and stuck to the bone, not having enough momentum to go through, at the same time Cassi’s knife slid into Bailey’s lower stomach. She doubled over as Cassi screamed and backed away into the maze of stalls, her feet swishing in the slush. Bailey pressed what little fabric she had onto the gash in her stomach and looked up to search for her opponent. She was disappointed to find that Cassi had melted into the maze of stalls, the poor lighting no help in her search for the District Four tribute. “Running away from me now, huh?” she called out into the tiled mystery only to hear her voice echoed back to her. Cassi hid in a stall pressed against a broken toilet and the cold, metal door.”Guess you’ll have to come and find me,” she called out, trying not to give her position away entirely. Bailey already had her surprise entrance, now it was Cassi’s turn to use the element. A soft swishing could be heard echoing throughout the ruined room as Bailey slowly checked stall from stall, her vision clouding with every quick movement she made. Suddenly, Cassi could no longer hear the squish of Bailey’s bare feet and legs in the sewage. She peered out of the space between the door and the walls that confined the stall, and could see Bailey hovering over the top of the stall two down from Cassi’s, as if she were a spider. Bailey tried her best to focus on something other than the constant throbbing in her head as she went from the top of the stall to the other, blood dripping down anywhere her stomach or right hand touched. As she went to grab the top of Cassi’s stall, her left hand was pierced through with Cassi’s knife. Bailey cried out but then concealed her pain and she fell stomach first into the sewage. Cassi ducked under her stall to the one that Bailey fell in and grabbed the District nine tribute by her hair. She dragged her through the slop and then with a forceful thrust, slammed her head down onto the toilet seat not once, but twice. Bailey’s eyes rolled in the back of her head, but she was not yet ready to let go of her life. Barely conscious, Bailey was dragged by her feet into the open space outside of the stalls, her body coated in grime and her hair gathering chunks hidden in the vile liquid. Cassi didn’t have it in her to end Bailey’s life just yet, she needed to settle the score, so to speak. Sitting down next to the tribute’s dying body, she said, “You’re a pretty good fighter, you know.” Bailey was able to choke out a reply. “I watched the best.” “Doesn’t mean you are the best,” Cassi said, trying hard not to be annoyed by the arrogant tone in the girl’s voice. “You’re kind of a bitch,” Bailey said, her breath sharpening. “I just killed you, didn’t I?” Cassi asks, a lifeless chuckle escaping with the words. Bailey shook her head slightly with a genuine grin. “Not yet.” Cassi could feel the sewage leaking in through her pants, infecting her clothing further with its stench, but she couldn't bring herself to leave Bailey's side. The two girls sat in silence for a little while, but it didn't take long before Baileys breaths became desperate, her throat aching with each gulp of dwindling air. Cassi watched as Bailey slipped away from the world, intent that she was now a murderer. But this time she didn't feel anything when the words were bounced around in her skull. She looked up to the large mirror and studied her reflection yet again, but felt completely detached from the person looking back at her. Cassi's attention was drawn back to Bailey as her voice croaked , "If you see my family..." Cassi's stomach turned as she watched Bailey struggle to keep a hold on her life, but failing as it slipped through the cracks in her fingers. "Tell them... Tell them I'm..." but Bailey died before she could finish the sentence. Cassi felt empty and incomplete- she could kill this girl but not fulfill her dying wish? Cassi stood up and walked to the mirrors. She had felt like she failed not only herself, but Bailey too. Complementing the dying girl on her fighting skills did nothing to justify Cassi's actions, and she felt like a fool for thinking it would. She tried her best to ignore the canon sounding outside and walked back into the corridor. I am no longer Cassi from District Four, she thought as her sewage covered heels thumped across the plush carpet. I am the blood-thirsty killer who is going to get out of here, no matter the cost.

Donny & Shay

As the door clicked shut behind Cassi, Shay turned her head back to Donovan. In a hushed tone, she slowly began to speak, “Your friend doesn’t particularly like me, does she?” Donovan smirked, “What did you expect, you did attack her.” “Ah-ah” Shay lifted her finger to Donny and raised her eyebrows, “We mutually fought out our differences.” He let out a muffled laugh, shaking his head at the thought as he leant back on his hands. “Really though, what’s her problem?” The career didn’t like the idea of an edgy tribute treading ground around her. A nervous one, she could handle – But temperamental. That was different. Donny on the other-hand, was elated to finally be reunited with Shay. He had wanted her to come with him and Cassi from the beginning, but apparently, fate had chosen otherwise. Or, maybe it was the giant pack of mutant rats that did the trick. Nevertheless, they were all together now and he couldn't be happier. “I dunno, you’re new to her. No one likes change, especially in here.” The boy shrugged his shoulders heavily. “Plus you’re kitted out with all sorts of lethal things over there. It’s intimidating for anyone.” Shay’s eyes followed his gaze directly to the Crossbow sitting neatly in her lap. “Found a fancy to something?” His eyes flicked back up, shaking ever so slightly. “Looks expensive. You’ve got good sponsors..” Admiring the crossbow in her grip, she ran her fingers along the metal, “Everyone’s got good sponsors at this stage. They’d have to. Or we wouldn’t have made it.” Donny looked down at his brand new kicks and nodded. Elisa had been doing a wonderful job with sponsors. He gently grazed the spikes and said, " Shay, I know that you're probably still a little bit mad at me, but I really am sorry..." The silence between had grown back again, this wasn’t the first time he had apologized – and the girl betted it wasn’t going to be the last. With a sigh Shay frowned and leant forward, " Donny it’s alright, I get it okay? Everyone makes dumb mistakes from time to time.” Her voice was cold and empty, echoing the annoyance at his persistency. Donovan dropped his eyes to the floor. Awkwardness was all he felt as a warm flush began to grow in his cheeks. “You're just lucky that I'm still alive." Donovan carefully lifted his gaze, only to be met with gentle eyes with a cheeky twinkle. Confidence growing back, he sat up with broadness. "And why is that, Mrs. Big, Scary, District Two?" Looking her right in the eyes with a devilish stare, he jumped forward flinging his arms in the girls face. “Holy sh-?!” as Shay collapsed off her chair. Donovan clutched his stomach as he roared with laughter. Unimpressed, Shay curled her lip and slammed her foot into the leg of Donovan’s chair, sending him flying to the floor next to her. A squeaky squeal against the floor as Donovan slid paralysed parallel to Shay. The two tributes stared at one another in silence, catching their breath in the shock of the moment. Shay’s lip began to quiver as a muffled laugh squeezed out her mouth. Suddenly, both collapsed again in laughter, tears streaming down their faces. Only happiness crossed their thoughts as violence and death blissfully slipped away from their minds. Shay regained her composure and brushed her hair out of her face. "S-sorry." The boy was shocked. It was the first time that he had seen a kind of weakness or more – a gentleness from her. It was apparent to Donovan that Shay was in fact human. Like himself or Cassi. She probably had friends at home, loved ones, hobbies and who knows what else. Her embarrassed smile made him somewhat giddy. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen a smile like that before, he had many a time. Perhaps it was her, Shay. This girl. As isolated and derogative she admittedly could be - He really, really liked this side of her. Dragging himself back to reality, his sudden unease had already been shown. As he tried to help her back up, his fumbled words were lost in the euphoria of his realisation. "Shay, I-" She put a gentle finger to his lips and smiled. Donny slowly moved away her hand and inched closer to her face. Their lips connected softly and soon things took a more compassionate turn as the careers laid out on the couch. He let his hand gently move its way down her side and into her pants. Their emotions were flying everywhere and it took Shay a few moments to figure out that he was actually sobbing. She took his face in her hands and kissed his forehead. " What's wrong?" Donny sat up, knees clutched to his chest and quietly said, " I'm scared of dying. I keep trying to get it out of my mind, but everyone around us is slowly disappearing. There aren't very many of us left and soon we'll all have to fight. I just don't want things to come down to us." Shay got closer to Donny and gave him comforting words. " Donny, you shouldn't worry about things like that. There isn't a dammed thing that you can do about it. You just need to man up and face the facts. Even so, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't enjoy the present, okay?" She sat back and sighed. Everything he was saying was true. It hadn't exactly escaped her thoughts either. "Hey, Where's Cassi?" The boy from Four was a little worried but knew that Cassi could handle herself if she had to.

Shay was lost in thought as Donny sat down and tried to be patient.

Hayley

Hayley headed eastwards, just wanting a night of rest. Her medicine was starting to wear off, and she knew she’d have to tend to them ASAP, to avoid the pain becoming unbearable. She wasn’t stupid, though; rest in the Games was almost impossible. Even though she wanted to stop, she knew she had to keep going. She needed to find shelter, and hopefully NOT run into other tributes. Being in the top five meant that the other four were still alive for a reason, and she didn’t want to see what tricks they had up their sleeves just yet. She pushed through the Central Park gates, and couldn’t help but look back at the park where she had watched three human beings and a robotic wolf die, three of the four by her own hand. She could hear Thomas’ voice and laugh in her head, hear Hamish’s screams of pain, hear Jess’ head thud to the ground. She shook off the memories for now, burying them in the back of her mind for another time. Now was not the time to get emotional: there was a very real possibility she could make it out alive, and she knew that one tiny slip-up could mean death. She continued eastwards, looking for a building to take shelter in. She found a dilapidated skyscraper, and used a long, broken pipe to test the structural integrity of the building, like she did the first day of the Games. Seeing that the building was safe, she climbed in through the window and up to the third story of the structure. She leaned against the wall and sat down, using up most of her medicine to re-dress her wounds, which were healing extremely well. A small rumble in her stomach signaled that it was time to eat, and she drank some cold broth and water as she thought about home. She could almost smell the woods, taste the fried bark, hear the leaves crunch under her feet in the fall. She could hear her brother’s deep laugh, feel her mother’s embrace, smell the sap on her father’s clothes. Hayley would be lying if she said she wasn’t homesick. When she was satisfied with her dinner, she pulled the throwing knives out of her sling and spotted some rotting wood not too far from her. She played target practice with them, placing pieces of wood around the structure and sending knives at them. It seemed so long ago that she was in the private training room with her tomahawks doing the same thing. It was nice to do something familiar again, something she was good at. After some target practice, she brandished the axe, swinging it around a bit, getting used to using it one-handed. She was careful to avoid anything that could bring the building down, showing her District 7 expertise with it. She privately wondered what the other tributes were doing, what the cameras were showing right now. Whether they were fighting or trying their best to wait it out like she was. She knew it was only a matter of time before she found out; there couldn’t be many of them left now. And Hayley knew the Gamemakers had to have something up their sleeves. When she finally felt tired, Hayley laid down to sleep, wrapping herself in the two spare jackets. Her hand was wrapped around the axe handle, ready to defend herself if someone came her way.

#circensesyearone

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