Young Writers Society

Rema- District 10

I began limping along, my eyes never wavering from the mountain. For some reason it seemed like a beacon... maybe of hope? No, there was no hope in the forsaken place. Only death or waiting for death.

What snapped me back to my thoughts was a rustling sound beside me and the cracking of twigs. It sounded like when one of our lambs was running through the woods. Light but still present.

I fell back as gently as I could behind some bushes, my spear at the ready. Whatever it was, I didn't want it to find me. The leaves trembled a bit with me weight, but I thought I was safe for the moment.

"AAH!" I screamed as a blast of pain flew into my leg and burst through my body. I looked down and saw another spear, in through one side of my leg and down into the ground on the other.

"Aa- aaah," I gasped, trying to pull it out, but the effort just shoved the arrow in my shoulder deeper. Out of the bushes came a boy, another tribute. I tried to tell him to finish it... to stop the pain but all that came out was blood. I choked and gagged to make the horrible taste go away, but more came out. All I felt was a pinprick compared to all of the other pain I had gone through, but it was enough.

Thank you.

Alexis Windfield- District 6- Health /81/ Hunger /96/ Thirst /100/
I woke up in the morning hoping I was alive and I was. It was early in the morning I don’t think anyone would be awake. I packed all my supplies as soon as I could so that I could try to kill someone while they are sleeping. I heard a few footsteps behind me. I took a deep breath and but I didn't want to make noise so I held my breath after that I the noise had left. Go
While I was walking through I saw some tributes sleeping in a tent. I first recognized the two girls and they were the girl from district 1 and then the other girl from district 2. I slowly went inside their tent and tried to get their supplies but before I could the girl from district 2 got up I ran out of their tent and into a bush. I think she saw me saw I took my sword out waiting for her to find me then she came up to the bush than I was hiding in and I think she recognized that I was hiding there, I was thinking for so long she cut me with her knife after that I reacted really quickly and stabbed her in the stomach and cut her throat. I threw her body in the bush before someone woke up. I heard the canon and started sprinting before anyone woke up.
I didn't know what to do so I went hunting but I couldn't find anything so I just sat down waiting and waiting until I heard one more cannon and the body was close somewhere here so I started running again. I didn't know why I was running I could have just taken my sword out.
The sun was setting and now I knew I have to find shelter or at least find a hideout or something like that. At last I found an area where I could put everything behind a huge rock. A few minutes later I heard a mocking jay it played a familiar tune. It reminds me of my childhood. I heard the same tune that played at the time my sister was being killed. I never got see my sister even when I was a baby.
I started to get hungry I start searching desperately but I just remembered I could go back and get the food from the district 2 girls tent. I started running but by the time I get there I don’t see anything I think they left because of the danger after seeing the dead body. I had no choice but eat the peanuts but when I take my bag to take it I can’t find it I might have left it somewhere. At the end of the day I found one squirrel. It all ended with the anthem and we had been shown the dead people.

Andrew Lare / District 11 // Health /90/ Hunger /85/ Thirst /80/

The last thing that I remember is that I was running through the forest, the grass and the sand was running under me as I sped away from the blood-bath of the Cornucopia with the backpack that I did check. And then tree.

I awoke only minutes ago, covered in grass and what not. I can tell by the light that I've been out for some time. I certainly hope that I haven't been out for that long.

What if I've missed everything?!

Wait...

Why hasn't anyone killed me??? How am I still alive?!

I sit down by a fallen tree and look at the contents of my bag:

- Two knives with serrated edges
- A Heat-Reflecting sleeping bag
- Container of peanuts
-10 ft rope
- a full container of water
- one pack of matches

And laying on the ground near me was a short sword that I had forgotten that I picked up.

Not only have I missed an unusual amount of time sleeping, I've hit the jackpot of a backpack....

I laugh, and get up. I walk through the forest for some time. I don't see anyone, or hear anything. Hopefully I can find another tribute to ally with, learn who's dead, and how I can stay alive till the end...

Emilie Cray - Health 100/Hunger 100/Thirst 100

After darkness fell, Emilie left with the girl from District 1 and her district partner while the others stayed to hold down the fort. There were eight dead; sixteen left to play. There will be more more I sleep tonight, Emilie thought as she walked beside the others in the darkness, heading toward the uncharted territories of the expansive arena where tributes could be hiding out. Their weapons glinted in the moonlight; Emilie carried an axe, but she secretly hoped that a sponsor would be impressed with her performance and send her the brass knuckles she craved. With the axe she was powerful, but with brass knuckles, she would be unstoppable.

The reason they had left after the anthem was to lull the other tributes in to a false of safety. Make them think, perhaps, that bloodshed was finished tonight. They scoured the woods first, easily killing the boy from district 3 who thought he could lie in safety beside a tree as he slept. After that, though, it was harder than she thought to find tributes. No one was stupid enough to light a fire. Either most of them knew how to hide in the dark very well or they were being too loud.

Emilie scanned the expanse. She could see a beach, a mountainous area as well as a series of caves. She doubted any tributes were hiding out in the caves at this early stage in the games-- it just looked so sinister-- but there were probably a few in the mountains and in the beach.

"Let's scan the beach and the base of the mountain to see if we find anyone else before we head back to camp."

"Sounds fine to me," said the girl from District 1.

Her district partner nodded but didn't say anything.

They scoured the beach first, again, easily taking out the boy from District 10. It was a little warmer, and it almost looked pretty. There was a part of Emilie that wanted to stay there, lie in the sand and watch the water; curl up with Titus on a blanket, bu she wasn't in District 2. She was in The Hunger Games, and this was no ordinary beach; there were probably hidden dangers lurking in the shadows, and they had to keep moving, see if there was anyone else they could take out before heading back to camp.

They had started to trek into the mountainous area, but it seemed relatively quiet. They reached a fork in the road, and Emilie asked the two what way they thought would be best. When they didn't respond, she turned around was greeted by their simultaneous screams.

Emilie felt shock pulse through her body. She had no idea what was going on, what could possibly overpower them. Everything seemed normal at first, but she looked at their feet and was reminded of one aspect of the games she'd overlooked. Mutts. These were long, slimy snakes with sharp fangs. They tied themselves around their ankles; Emilie was on higher ground, so she wasn't affected currently, but she had nowhere to go.

"Help us!" The girl from district 1 screeched.

"Use your weapon," Emilie said. She started to draw her axe when she felt a snake climbing up her leg. With all her strength she was able to yank it off. A couple others tried to do the same thing, but she had to act quickly and get as far away from the area as possible. There was a second of conflicting emotion. She saw a bit of Maeve in the girl from district 1, and she didn't want to leave this girl to die. On the other, one less competitor meant closer to her victory, right? Her district partner was already lying down, limp on the ground. The cannon sounded. He was small and it must have not taken a lot to do him in. But the girl, while still alive, was beyond saving; she had been bitten, whereas Emilie had not. "I'm sorry," she said, before running back to camp.

Emilie ran as fast as she could, her heart pounding. Despite everything she had learned in the eighteen years of her life, she was afraid that something like this would happen again. And next time she wouldn't be so lucky.

The cannon sounded. She guessed the girl from District 1 had just died. After what seemed like an eternity; she made it back to camp. Even if it was only an illusion, she felt safe. The boy from 1 was sound asleep, but the boy from 4 was awake on guard.

"What happened?"

"Long story," said Emilie. "We killed two...but the girl from 1 and my district partner are both dead. We got attacked by snake mutts. I just barely made it out. We killed two others...but I got lucky." Emilie was out of breath. Never did she think that she would face death so early, feel so vulnerable.

"Hey," said the boy, "four less competitors to face, right?"

"Right." Emilie helped herself to a small bit of food and water--she was starving as well as thirsty--before crawling into her sleeping back. Despite her scare, the games were not near over. They had just begun, and the the three that remained in this career alliance would be one the others lived in fear of.

Despite everything that had happened, Emilie found herself facing sleep fairly quickly. She found herself dreaming peacefully, happily of home.

Angus Weavers- District 5

Health /70/ Hunger /95/ Thirst / 90/


I threw my pack down onto the hard rocky terrain. Panting, I looked up to find myself under the looming mountain, finally at its base. Digging through my pack, I retrieved a full bottle of water, tugging the lid off and chugging down a few drafts before craning my neck to stare at the mountains towering peaks. I was supposed to get over that giant alive? That was never going to happen, not with my damaged leg. Cursing, I flopped onto the ground and thought about my options grabbing the canister of peanuts from my bag to chew on. I could go back to the Cornucopia and become a human target for the career group. I could die a terrible death climbing a treacherous mountain. I could sit here until someone came along and ask to ally with them. None of my ideas sounded like good ones.
Jumping to my feet, I scouted around the nearby area. Trees, mountain, trees, mountain, trees, cave, trees... I did a double-take and gaped at the mouth of what seemed to be a tunnel. How had I missed that before? Scooting back into the forest, I grabbed a fallen tree branch and wrapped one end in thick spongy moss. Grabbing to stones, I struck them together over and over until a spark landed on the moss. Grinning, I hoped that lots of sponsors were watching, realizing that I was smart and I could win. I raced back to the cave and cautiously stepped inside after gathering up the supplies littering the ground.
My hand-made torch beamed through the darkness as the sun set lazily behind me. About fifty meters into the cave, I laid out my supplies and made my campsite for the night. I extinguished the torch as I settled down in my sleeping bag. The moon shone white and I was able to see the rays of light bouncing off the cave walls towards me. I smiled and drifted off to sleep.
Snap! A branch broke outside of the cave entrance. I clumsily searched for my knife in the darkness, breathing hard out of fright. There were small voices mumbling. Careers. “I don’t think anyone would hide in the caves this early on.” Someone piped up. I breathed a sigh of relief as the voices grew fainter and fainter. I rolled over and drifted into a troubled sleep, thinking of Harvey, Jessy, and my family back home who must be worried sick.

Jade Silverman - Health 95 / Hunger 100 / Thirst 85
While the others were gone I decided to start making some arrows, since and empty quiver wouldn't do me much good. "Could you start a fire? I'm going to make some arrows." The boy from district 4 nodded and got started while I headed out in the woods. It didn't take me long to find some thing branches that would work, killing a bird proved to be a bit harder. When I was just about to give up I saw something in the corner of my eye and instinctively threw a knife towards it. A pretty big bird was laying in the grass. I didn't recognize it, so I assumed it was a mut.

I went back to our camp, carrying the bird and the branches. The boy looked slightly surprised. "Is it eatable?" he asked.

"I don't know. Probably. I'll try to cook it as soon as I'm done plucking it."

I sat down on the ground next to the fire and started plucking the feathers. They would do nicely. Of course, my arrows wouldn't be as accurate as the ones that came from the horn, but they'd work well enough to kill someone. It didn't take long until I had filled the quiver.

"What's your name?" I said when I handed one of the birds legs to the boy.

"Tanner," he said and took the leg. I then handed him one of the failed arrows so that he could grill it. "You?"

"Jade," I said as I took the other leg and held it above the fire. "It looks okay." It looked more than okay, it looked good, and it smelled good too. I was thirsty, but I should probably save the water for later. We needed to find a spring or something.

When the leg looked ready I took a small bite. It had a richer taste than chicken, and I wanted to take another bite, but I knew I should wait to make sure it wasn't poisonous. Tanner hadn't tasted it yet, and was looking at me with mixed hope and anxiousness. How clever, I thought, reminding myself that in the end I would have to kill him or be killed by him. Minutes past and nothing happened other than my stomach grumbling for more. If it hadn't killed me yet then I was probably going to be fine, so I ate the rest of it.

Tanner followed my example, and soon we had finished half the bird. "We should save the rest for the other," he said, and I agreed. I was full, and I hadn't needed to use any of my resources.

"You want to take the watch, or should I?"

"I'll do it," he said quickly. Did he think that I would cut his throat while he was sleeping? It was to early for that. The careerists didn't normally start fighting until there were only a few other tributes left.

"Fine," I muttered and crawled into my sleeping bag. I knew I wasn't being careful enough, and if my father was here he would scold me, but I was tired and I really didn't think that Tanner would cut my throat yet. We still needed each other. I thought about our alliance for a while, before drifting of to a light sleep.

Candra Whey District 11

Health /100/ Hunger / 95/ Thirst / 90/

I pushed myself hard for a couple hours, maintaining a fairly quick speed through the small forest. I reached the edge in a short time and paused to sip some water. Looking up, the mountain loomed over me and the only place to go was up.
Scouting around the mountain base, I found a shallow ledge, large enough to climb up nearly thirty meters to where a path appeared up the side of the mountain. I grasped the edge of the ledge and swung up onto it. I ran to the top of the narrow ledge to a bush. Pausing behind it, I could see part of the arena in front of me. The water that I assumed was salty stretched on for a while before the island sprouted from its depth. Shining brightly in a field was the cornucopia. I could see several figures walking around, picking through the supplies. Careers. A few more figures were there too, but they weren’t moving. Shuddering, I turned and leapt nimbly up the mountain, striving to ignore the burning sensations of grief and anguish, covering them with anger.
The sun was hanging low on the horizon and the temperature was dropping. I needed a shelter. Blackness was setting in, turning the arena into a nightmare. I whipped around, knife in hand, ready to fight at every noise. I ducked under an overhang and pulled out the sleeping bag, laid it out and snuggled in. I tore off a small hunk of bread and gnawed on it for a time before I settled down and drifted off into a worried sleep.


I awoke in a cold sweat. A terrifying scream echoed over the mountain from not very far away. The careers were nearly upon me. Floundering out of bed, I hurriedly packed up my supplies and raced up the mountain. I guessed I had slept for a couple hours, which is better than nothing. I skidded to my knees, tripping, and stood to find my pants and knees run through with holes. It wasn’t major, but I could feel pebbles and dirt clogging up my wounds.
Scowling, I continued running, praying the careers wouldn’t find me. Another wail burst out of the darkness and I picked up my heels, full out sprinting. It was pitch black and I didn’t see the sharp bend rushing up to meet me. I held in a frantic scream as I felt myself falling, falling, falling in the dark. Thud. I hit the bottom of a small ravine, only ten meters high, but I was still sore and felt several more cuts and many bruises form.
I lay there, panting, unable to move. Pain seared through my left arm. Biting my tongue, I slowly sat up, careful to not move my damaged arm. The pain subsided to a numb itching. Reaching up to scratch, I pulled my hand away in disgust, feeling the splattered blood covering my arm. I crawled to my feet, cautiously, attempting to find a way in the dark to asses my lacerations, but I couldn’t help but feel that it was much worse than that.
Sighing, I dragged my sleeping bag out of my pack with one arm and laid it out on the rocky terrain. I was just about to crawl inside when I heard a quiet hissing noise to my right. Whirling around, afraid of careers, I slashed with my knife. No one was there. The noise sounded again from a few feet in front of me. My breathing slowed as I came to the cold realization that this was a mutt, a snake mutt. I could barely make out it’s form in the dim light of the full silver moon, but it was there, poised to strike. I held out my knife, fortifying myself to kill it, and maybe others.
It snarled at me and lunged. Shrieking I threw my knife, knowing that if I didn’t hit it with this one shot, I was a goner. Thunk. The knife embedded itself within the snake’s twisting body. Writhing on the ground was the snake mutt and for the first time, I got a better look at it. It was twice the width of any normal snake and at least three meters long. Green and red stripes ran down its length, interrupted occasionally by yellow spots. Pulling my knife out of the carcass, I stood, watching for more. When none arrived in the next half hour, I finally settled down to sleep, cradling my marred arm outside of the sleeping bag.

Astra Lee: Health /65/ Hunger/80/ Thirst/85/

After a fitful night's rest in yet another cave high up on the mountain slope, I gather all of my things, pack new snow on my thigh, and set off again, trudging up the slope. I am thoroughly tired. I'm not out of water, because I have been putting snow in my water bottle and drinking it once it was melted. I am hungry, but not dangerously so. Not for long, though. My supplies of food are quickly diminishing, and if I don't reach the forest by tonight, I won't be able to continue. These thoughts circle in my head, and I strain my muscles, telling myself that if I don't go faster, I will die. I will die.

The worst part is the sun. It beats down on the snow, reflecting and gaining an intensity so pure that it is ten times worse as I have ever known. I try to maneuver my jacket and leggings so that most of my skin is covered, but it's impossible. I can already see the angry rash appearing on my hands and feet, and I know the same sort of thing is emerging on my face as well. I feel a strange combination of being frozen by the temperature and baked alive by the light of the sun.

My pace increases slightly as my desperation weighs in. I am walking, walking, walking. At some point late in the day I reach the top of the mountain. I can't breathe, but I have to keep going. I see each breath in front of me, weak but there. The altitude makes me dizzy, and I stumble as I clear the last ridge, falling to the snow. I can't pick myself up until a few minutes have passed and the desperation of my situation sets me in motion once again. I slowly get to my feet, almost passing out but staying awake with an effort. My leg throbs painfully, but I force my feet one in front of the other to make myself walk across the small plateau at the top of this mountain to reach the slope on the other side. There are no caves to sleep in here. I must go on.

Once I reach the downward slope, I go more quickly at first. My legs lose some of their aching for every step I take, and my spirits are lifted. I am so close to that promising forest down, down, down below me. Then, I slip. My hope has caused me to lose caution, and the lack of upward slope has made me too reckless in footing. I gasp, but it is too late. I smack the snow, bouncing down five meters on the slope before coming to a rest in front of a small ridge of black rock. I dislodge a small quantity of packed snow on the way. If my body was aching before, it was nothing compared to what I feel now. Groaning, I try to lift my battered and bruised body up, but my arms give way.

I hear a low rumbling. Using a tremendous effort, I lift my head in time to see the snow on the slope of the mountain above me shake, giving way and breaking apart. This was the consequence of my body bouncing on the slope, loosing too much snow and now, causing a small avalanche. I try to scream, but my voice didn't work. The snow comes closer, gaining speed. I shut my eyes, curling my body into a tight ball in an effort to protect myself. My vision goes black.

I wake to find myself half submerged in snow that is tightly packed around my body up to my chest. The effect is less freezing than one might expect, more snug and warmth-conserving. But it is starting to be a little too snug, the force of the snow up the slope pressing itself against my ribcage, suffocating me. I am aching all over, and the combined force of the snow pressing against me constricts my movements. But somehow, I manage to pull myself halfway out of the mountain's embrace, my muscles screaming curses at me along the way. I look around me bleakly, seeing that I am a little farther down the mountain than I was before the avalanche. It must have borne me down the slope a little. The forest stands at the base of the mountain, tantalizingly close, rising majestically, showing off its greenery. I am covered in cuts and bruises, and my injured thigh hurts worse than ever. But I know that if I don't get myself down to the forest, I will die in a matter of hours. An image of Dad floats in my mind. Aunt Sammie quickly follows him. I wish to be with them, safe at home, so bad it only adds to my hurt.

But I pull myself the rest of the way out of the snow. I still have my backpack, though it is packed with snow like my clothes are. I suddenly realize that I must have been out all the rest of the night, because if I am able to see it must be morning. Scared, I look around me for other tributes. I see none. I am lucky.

At midday, I find myself at the edge of the trees. I have no recollection of ever getting there, but I am grateful to find myself in the forest nonetheless. Every pore of my body is shouting out warnings to me, and finally, I must give in. I know it's a bad idea, but I am in no condition to climb a tree right now. I lie down at the base of a large tree, hiding myself with bushes as best I can, and promptly pass out.

Jade Silverman - Health 95 / Hunger 95 / Thirst 100
When I woke up that morning the girl from district 2 was back, but the girl from my district and the boy from district 2 was not. She told me the story briefly as we ate the last of the bird. It wasn't quite enough, but at least we were far from starving.

"I think we should walk toward the mountain. I saw some kids running that way," she said as we packed up the tent. We only needed one now. It was unusual for the group of careerist to shrink so quickly, and I found it unsettling.

"What about the girl on the island? She's going to win if we leave her."

"The game leader will chase her away from there," said Tanner quickly. Wasn't he from the same district as that girl? Then he probably wouldn't want to go after her. "They never let anyone stay away from the others for too long."

"Mountains it is then," I said with a shrug. I had a bad feeling about that mountain, but I wasn't sure why.

We set of and didn't talk much while we walked. We came across a spring, so I drank the water in my bottle and filled it again. The others followed my example. The sun was shining and it was actually a quite pleasant day, but we all knew that there was no such thing as a pleasant day in the Hunger Games. As we ascended the mountain the trees grew scarcer, and I felt too exposed.

There was a noise behind a stone and we all froze. The girl from district 2 signaled for us to approach from both sides of the rock, so we readied our weapons and snuck over there as silently as we could.

Emilie Cray - Health 90 / Hunger 100 / Thirst 95

That night, Emilie had a dream that she was back at home. She had just won the games. It was a beautiful summer day, and she was lying in the grass next to Titus. They had just had a hearty lunch and were enjoying the simple beauty of being together when she noticed something was wrong. A snake was slithering up his leg. Emilie tried to warn him , but he kept insisting that nothing was wrong. Another snake slithered up and bit his wrist. She screamed, but he still said that it was fine, that nothing was wrong. And that was when she watched the life leave his eyes.

Emilie awoke with a start. Jade and Tanner were already up, eating breakfast. She remembered where she was, that it was still only the beginning of the games and Titus was still alive, watching her, cheering her on. She remembered what happened last night, how she had watched her District partner and the girl from 1 both die. She had liked the girl from 1, but it just meant there was one less enemy to face, and no one back home would hold it against her for letting the girl die. As for her district partner, Emilie worried not because she cared, but because she was worried there might be people at home who knew the boy and expected her to be more protective, especially since he was so young. she quickly shrugged it off. There was nothing she could do about it now except go forward.

They ate a quiet breakfast. Jade pestered her about what had happened the night before, but she gave a half-hearted response, not really wanting to talk about it. She didn't want to have the incident plaguing her mind when she needed to focus on staying alive. Besides, she didn't know why she was thinking about it so much. Maybe because she had been so vulnerable? But it was the games. Things like this happened, even to careers. They were all only human, after all.

After breakfast, they grabbed their weapons and started to trek up into the mountains. It was a beautiful sight, and the similar geography made her feel a lonely pang for home. They stopped briefly to fill up their water bottles, and then they heard a noise come from a few paces away. They saw a boy, from District 12, she thought, walking by himself. He was young and would be an easy picking. They hid behind the rocks so he wouldn't see them.

"I got this," Emilie said, readying her axe. When the moment was right, the three jumped from behind the rock and cornered him. He tried to run, but Tanner caught him and threw him to the ground. Dust flew up into the air, and they both looked at Emilie to deliver the final blow.

This kill didn't come as quick as the others. He looked so young, so vulnerable lying in the ground. But he needed to go. One less competitor. She drew the axe into his stomach, and they progressed to look for more tributes to kill, walking silently through the mountains.

They were able to corner another boy- Emilie couldn't remember his district but for some reason his name was Xavier. She didn't want to make the kill - already so many had died at her hands, but Jade elected to instead.

After his cannon sounded, they continued to walk silently through the mountains. Emilie tried not to think of home as she thought about who was left. Her. Jade. Tanner. The boy from 5. The girls from 6, 7 and 9. Both from 11. That made ten. Just ten. They just had to kill one more, and they would be down to single digits. Two more, and they would be in the final eight.

She could do this. She just had to persevere.

Cassie Thompson Health/98 Hunger/ 78 Thirst/ 29

Away from the body- the boy- that I had killed, I ran in a random direction, towards the mountain top that seemed like a beacon of hope in the midst of constant death and despair. But I knew better. There was no such thing as sanctuary in the Hunger Games. Even so, I was still drawn to the mountain, like a moth drawn to light.

Being as quiet as possible, I slipped between the gnarled trees and ran as fast as caution permitted, towards the mountain, away from the guilt that I still felt for the boy's death. But he would have killed me if I hadn't killed him, I thought. But I still couldn't stop thinking that he was someone's brother, friend, son. Stop being so sappy and sentimental, I chided myself. This is the Hunger Games. Kill or be killed. There's no alternative.

Deep in my thoughts, I barely noticed as I passed the small pond, even in my dehydrated state. I only registered it as my boots squished in the mud. I stopped dead in my tracks, stopping in mid-thought. Checking briefly for other tributes that could be hiding in wait, I looked briefly around me, then sprinted to the pond, gulping handful after handful of water, not caring that it was unpurified. After gulping down what must have been near to a gallon of water, I realized that not only did the pond have water, it had fish.

Grabbing my spear, I jabbed it into the water, at a particularly large fish (although none of them were very large). I missed by a lot, and continued for hours with no success whatsoever. I could imagine the camera zooming in on me, the people of the Capitol laughing at my failure. But eventually I was able to get the hang of it, spearing a few fish. Quickly eating the first of the fish, I stashed the other two in the backpack I had grabbed from the boy before. Packing up my things, I reluctantly left the comfort and relative safety of the pond, I left, walking towards the mountain once more, towards the unknown.

Jade Silverman - Health 90 / Hunger 85 / Thirst 85
We had managed to walk quite far up the mountain now. I was starting to get hungry, but knew better than to take any of the food in my backpack. I'd need that for later. Hopefully I'd be able to catch another bird later when we made camp. If me made it of this mountain before nightfall, that was.

It worried me how exposed we were up here. Someone with a bow could easily hide behind a boulder and then kill us of one by one. The other two didn't seem to mind much. Did they think they were invincible or something? My father had told me again and again of the dangers of being over confident. Careerists were just as easy to kill as any other person.

We passed an area that contained quite a few caves. "We should probably search them through. It's a good place to hide."

Emilie suddenly seemed worried, or at least she looked worried when she took a firmer grip of her ax. "There might be snakes in there." Right, muts. The muts that had killed the girl from my district. Not that I knew her, but her death made me acutely aware of my own situation. That girl was supposed to be better than me, and she had died.

"I don’t think anyone would hide in the caves this early on," said Tanner.

I frowned. What did it matter if it was early or late? We started walking away, but I kept turning around to glace at the caves. If we passed them on our way over the mountain, then there were probably more contestants who had done that. "I'm going back to check," I said suddenly. "You can stay here if you want."

With that I turned around and walked back, listening carefully if one of them was following. I didn't feel like getting an ax or a spear in my back. How stupid had I been yesterday when I went to sleep. Tanner had every chance to kill me back then. I wasn't going to repeat that mistake again. Next time it might cost me my life.

I went into the first cave and searched it through. It wasn't very deep, and I found no traces of anyone ever setting foot there. The second cave was deeper, and as I walked inside I thought I heard something move. I readied two knives. It could be muts or a contestant. I hoped for the latter.

Eventually I stumbled upon him. It was barely light enough for me to make out the shape of a human on the ground, but I managed. His deep breaths told me that he was sleeping. I grabbed his hair and put a knife towards his throat. Of some reason I hesitated to kill him, and his eyes opened suddenly.

"No, please. Please don't kill me."

I looked at him for a moment, not sure what to do. It had been one thing with those kids who I had killed when they attacked me. This was something entirely different. He was defenseless. Killing him would be murder, and nothing else.

My thoughts were interrupted by a sudden thump. For a moment I saw stars in the darkness and I fell to the side. The kid scrambled to get up, but before he could hit me again with that rock I stuck my knife in between his ribs. He made a gurgling sound before falling to the ground. I watched him as he struggled to breathe, and then I saw the life go out from his eyes. I really was an idiot. No one in this arena was defenseless. They were all killers, every single one. Hesitating was another mistake that I would not do again.

The sound of the canon pulled my from my thoughts. I hurried to gather the boy's supplies and his knife before heading back. My head hurt where he had hit me, but it wasn't too bad.

"You're bleeding," Emilie remarked dryly.

"Just a scratch," I said and divided the supplies between us. I kept the knife to myself. Next time I saw a contestant I'd have to remember to try out my arrows.

Angus Weavers Health/70/ Hunger/90/ Thirst/90/

“No, please. Please don’t kill me.” I squeaked under the threat of a knife. The careerist loomed over me, positioned to kill. His face was hard and cruel as he hovered, hesitant. My hand fumbled over a rock, and grabbing it, I smashed his temple, hard. I scrambled up, breathing hard and fled. Before I managed to take a single step, cold steel slashed through my ribs, making breathing impossible. I stumbled to the ground and lay panting, blood seeping slowly into my lungs. The careerist pulled his knife from my side, gathered up my supplies and simply stood there, watching the life drain out of me. I moaned and turned away. “Jessy…” my words were inaudible, but still, they had to be said before I died. “ I love you…” The world faded white, then gray, then black, and my pain ceased.

Candra Whey Health /45/ Hunger /60/ Thirst /65/


It was day two. I awoke with a sharp stab of pain in my arm; looking down to see last night’s damage, I nearly screamed. My arm was swollen purple and was still trickling blood out of several long gashes. But the worst was the bone. Twisted out of place, I could tell my bone was broken, and I knew I had to set it. Worse, I had to do it all by myself.
At least sponsors will see how resourceful I am when I make a splint, but who would bet on a girl who can’t use her arm? Grabbing my pack, I took out my water, which was disappearing much faster than I wanted. I poured some over my arm, clearing away some of the blood. I ripped open the one large sterile bandage I had and placed it over the cuts. A numb sensation flooded over the cuts. I read the white paper packaging carefully. “medicinal bandage” The inside of the bandage was layered with highly-effective capitol medicine. I nodded my head and grit my teeth. Now for the hard part.
I grabbed a nearby stick, cradling my marred arm in my lap. Reaching around, I picked up some moss and a short vine picked from the base of a close tree. I made sure to skirt the smelly mutt corpse. I nodded my head and grit my teeth. Now for the hard part. I stuffed my sleeping bag into my mouth to gag me and grabbed my hurt arm by the wrist. I have no idea what I’m doing. I yanked the bone forward and into place. I yelped and whimpered softly, tears running down my face. I looked through blurry eyes down at the supplies for my splint. First the moss. I wrapped my broken arm in the soft, springy moss. Biting my tongue, I lifted my arm and set the vine and stick underneath. Quickly, I tied the vine tightly and sat back to admire my work. My lower arm was immobilized and the pain had faded.
My stomach grumbled loudly and I reached for my pack, spilling all of the contents on the ground. Digging through my supplies, I found my food and water. For breakfast, I chose a couple pieces of dried plums and a hunk of bread. As I ate, I readied my pack. I wasn’t worried for the time being. I was under a ledge, unseen from above. I have plenty of food, and enough water to last the rest of the day. Looking around, I see I’m close to the top of the mountain, and along the ravine is a steep path up the mountain. As soon as I’m ready, I leave and begin my trek up the mountain.