Event After helping little ones, Malia and I went to find a place to rest. We found ourself against other tribute and had to battle for our life
Injuries; Whip mark on the arm (healing) cuts on arm, legs and face (healing/starting to disappear), sratch in the face, injury in the leg, drugged with Tracker Jacker Venom
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For the finale my things will be; Trident, Dao Sabre, the mess kit and a half empty box of matches
When Malia woke me up, the sun was already high in the sky. It was warmer than usual. She had gone filled our water bottle with fresh water and had cracked iodine in it. While she explain to me how'd she got the tablet, we ate and drank in the safety of the house. Part of me was so proud that she manage to do that on her own. I knew she was feeling weak next to me and was trying to prove the world that she wasn't. I hope she would see with what happen what I felt already; she was stronger than she could imagine.
«As much as sleeping on a bed was nice, we should move. » I said as we pack our things. «I don,t want to extend my welcome and it's the second morning with birds, let,s not have a third.» She seem to agree even if, I could see, she was reluctant to leave this safe heaven. It took me convincing to actually move. And it was in the threat of the game maker being bored and setting the thing on fire that she finally cross the door.
«What,s the plan today?» she asked me. I knew her real question was about hunting down other people. I was a career and she knew it. «We are so few.» I say as I lead the way. «If we don,t stumble to someone while finding shelter, the game maker will force us to. So let's just walk okay?» She nod and I smile. She was trying to be courageous and its all I'd ask. «Let's go.» I finally said as we enter the unknown of the arena
The sounds of familiar voices screaming for help ripped Arland, Kyera, and Nessa out of their deep sleeping. The voice that had tugged at Nessa’s mind was that of her fifteen-year-old sister, Natalie. Her screams for help filled her head. She tried to block out the ear-piercing shouts, but to no avail.
Confusion filled Nessa up to the brim. How had the Capitol captured her sister? How had the gamemakers been allowed to do that? Something just wasn’t right. Reaping kids into the arena and forcing them to kill each other was one thing. It had been established years ago, and now it was widely accepted among some citizens. But torturing the relatives of these siblings? That was unheard of. It just seemed like something the gamemakers wouldn’t be allowed to do. Were they really so cruel that they would take a child from one parents and torture their other one? Unless, they really hadn’t made her sister scream…
After making a few careful deductions, Nessa realized that the gamemakers had to be playing some sort of trick on her. They had probably somehow acquired a tape with her voice on it, from the countless interviews she had been forced into, and then had it distorted and projected in their cabin. It was still unsettling hearing the screams of her sister, still, but now that Nessa knew it was just the doing of some Capitol technology, she felt more at ease than she did before. And now, she could alert her allies, and get them all out and safe from the screams.
Arland had been hearing the voice of Autumn, the woman carrying his child. A look of terror appeared on his face as he looked around wildly, tearing the cabin apart to find her. When he could not indeed locate his lover, who was not there after all, he curled up in a corner, covering his ears as tears streamed down his face, willing the voices to just go away. “Just go away,” he murmured over and over. If Autumn was dead, or on her way there, he would have no way to go on. He had been doing this all for her. Why would the gamemakers do this to her? She had done nothing to deserve being tortured. She was just the lover of another of their little tributes. He rocked back and forth. The screams penetrated his hands as they covered his ears. There was no escaping the screams while they were still in the cabin.
Willow’s shrill screaming caused Kyera’s eyes to widen. “Willow?” she screamed. The screams were exactly like Willow’s. There was no way it wasn’t her. What had they done to her poor sister. “I volunteered for her! You can’t hurt her now. That’s not fair!” Kyera yelled, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Similarly to Arland, Kyera curled up into a compact ball in the corner. Sobs that racked her body sounded throughout the cabin. Suddenly, the screams stopped. Kyera breathed a sigh of relief. It was finally over. But then, she heard someone else’s screams: Rae’s. “No! Rae?” Kyera murmured, her voice muffled by sobs. She slammed her hands up against her ears, trying her hardest to block out the horrific screaming.
“They aren’t real, Arland!” Nessa screamed. She ran over to him, ripping the hands off of his ears. “It’s just technology! The voices aren’t real,” she reiterated.
Arland was showing no reaction, only murmuring one name over and over. Nessa grabbed hold of his arms, dragging him out of the cabin. She set him down outside, out of the range of the voices, before going back inside to gather their things and get Kyera.
But Kyera had come to a similar conclusion to that of Nessa. She knew that it couldn’t be real. It just couldn’t. There was no way. Shaken up, she slowly gathered up her things and exited the cabin. Nessa met them all outside with of their things. Everyone was improving quickly. Kyera had explained the nature of the screams to Arland.
They ate some food from their packs and drank some water, organizing their supplies. They hadn’t wanted any confrontation until it was absolutely necessary, but, from the approaching tributes, it seemed that they would have to change their plans if they wanted to survive.
When I arrived downstairs I stop on my heels when I realize it just wasn't one crow and one little person but instead a family of little people and a flock of crows going after them. Either I'm going mad or the gamemakers really ran out of ideas. I stand there, with my weapons frozen not knowing if to go after something that might not be real or to get the crows out of here and save the family of little people. For all I knew this could be another nightmare of mine; my brain playing tricks on me.
"It's a human!" I barely heard one of the little people shout as they ran around trying to protect each other from the beaks of the crows. Then one of the crows managed to grab one of the little girl and he was already flying away with her. I don't know why but I lifted my arm and let my whip hit the bird, bringing it down before throwing my knife at it. Killing it without a hesitation. If I was going crazy, I might as well embrace it.
"What are you?" I tried to speak in my most calm voice as I shield their tiny bodies with my own after I ran towards them. For little people that were getting saved they didn't look very happy. On the other hand, they looked even more afraid at the fact that I was there.
"We're borrowers and you just saw us. We're not suppose to be seen!" one of them replied to me. Then everything began to make sense in my head; the sugar cubes, the empty dollhouse. Everything. And a little smile formed on my face as I shot to my feet and ran to my pack. By the time I return to the borrowers they were already running around once more, trying not to get eaten by the crows. Unzipping my pack I crouched low and place it on the ground, motioning them to get inside it.
"Get in. I'll drive them out." I explain to them. After a lot of hesitation from their part and a crow almost eating one of the little girls they ran straight into my pack, seeking for shelter. Half zipping up my pack I placed it carefully to the side before turning around to face the crows. "you know I had once loved birds. Now...not so much." I said through my teeth as I cracked my whip in the air. The noise alerting the crows they had a new threat. The hunters were now being hunted.
From my experience with the woodpeckers I knew that hitting them with my whip would only do so much and my knife was nothing when I had a dozen beaks attacking my skin once more. The familiar sting their beaks brought to my body was no longer so painful but I still flinched as they now attacked me. I was not hoping Elias had saved some of that cream he had gotten because my once healing wounds were now letting out my red blood. Staining the floor.
My eyes scanned the room trying to find a way to drive them out. I knew that they wouldn't like shinning objects but as far as I was concerned a cloud hung over us, shielding us from the sun. That only left me with one option. I guess Elias wouldn't be very happy about how I was going to wake him up.
Rushing to the little kitchen I grabbed two pots that were laying there forgotten. They were rusty and I could just feel the bacteria on my hands as I picked them up but I ignored everything else and banged both pots together. The noise making even me jump. I wasn't going to spend hours killing those damn birds so the least I could do was drive them away. Stepping over the dead bird I continue to crash both pots together, attempting to make as much noise as possible. Their beaks and feet once more scratching my already marked skin. Now and then I would grab my whip and slash at one of them. It was a constant war between us both but thirty minutes later the last crow flew out the door and I shut it close, falling to the ground. Next time I see a damn bird I will kill it.
Catching my breath I craw back to the pack and unzip it. "they're gone. Sorry about all that." I say with a little smile as I watch the family of borrowers walk out of my pack. This had to be the weirdest shit I had ever seen! Their little heads looked around the room and all of them smiled when they realize that only the dead bird remain.
"Thank you for saving us! How can we ever repay you!" the male said. Shaking my head I sat back, my arms sore from all movement I had done. "You don't have to. It was nothing."
The afternoon was almost over and the sun had us sweaty. Malia allowed -forced- me a few hour of sleep by napping near a tree. I didn't trust them anymore but the shadow cutting the sun was more than welcome and she could wake me up if needed. When I woke up, I drank what was left of our water and get some more. «Did I slept for long? Missed any cannon?» I ask as I cracked our last iodine tablet into the water. We will have to be careful now. «I kinda slept like a rock.» I said with a grin. And I did. Honestly i was sure in the arena I would sleep with an eye open. But was I trusting Malia that much? That I allowed myself full sleep. Honestly, I was surprised at myself.
I sat down and gave her half of the last cooked bird we had. «Lets eat. then we need a shelther for the night. I dont want any bird for wake up again.» I said eying the tree gloomly
My breathing was heavy and I moved around in my sleep. Just like I had predicted Roman and Fay faces were haunting my dreams. My lips rapidly move as I tried to make words and when two cannons echoed in the arena. I let out a scream.
Shooting straight to my feet, I covered my mouth and realize I was shaking. Two more people were gone and my heart was beating rapidly. The shock from last night was gone because even in Elias arm I didn’t feel safe. I don’t think I would ever feel same.
Looking at Elias with my eyes open, I began to ponder about who the two cannons could belong to. I seriously hoped it wasn’t someone I knew, I didn’t know if I could handle another death. Running my hands through my hair I took small breathes taking a step back from the tree where Elias was at. “I’m fine. I’m sorry I woke you up…”
Distant rumbling had me rolling over. “Five more minutes,” I mumbled to no one in particular, trying to fend off the tendrils of consciousness that threatened to pull me to waking. But to no avail, I opened my eyes finding them sticky as a white film obscured my vision. Panic seized as I shot bolt upright on the bed. I dragged my hand up, touching my face to find…cobwebs. Pulling them away from my eyes I looked down, finding our little friends had been quite busy during the night. I heard a faint buzzing from the corner, a winged friends spinning a web in one corner before circling back to the bed.
“North, don’t make any sudden movements.” I advised. Shifting stiffly to the edge of the bed to find my shoes filled with tiny little spiders. They’d definitely been busy last night. The two of us were practically encased in their web and their little hatchlings seemed to be ready to take up residence in whatever orifice they could find. “Seems as if we have company.”
The echo of two cannons pulls me to consciousness early in the mooring. I sit up and grin to myself as it confirms two more tributes dead. Two less obstacles in my way.
However my celebration is cut short when I feel small tickles across my legs and coming around my arms from my back. I jumped up and threw the blanket across the room, revealing a colony of those things thats were upstairs.
They were angry with me and wanted to cut my visit shirt. "Fuck!" I screamed as I noticed a bunch of little tiny bit marks on my arms. My legs were covered so they weren't bad But the was training on me once more and I had to get out.
I jumped to the other side of the couch to retrieve my quarterstaff and parachute, feeling the little bastards climbing up my leg. I shook them off as I ran for the door, slamming it shut behind me.
As I exited to building, they began to melt away from my body, disappearing again in little cracks. "God damn." I mumbled to myself turning on my toes and moving to the edge of the opening.