The Shoot from the Hip Hunger Games Day 1 - The Bloodbath
Masterpost (<-START HERE! the posts are best read in order)
Content Warning: descriptions of violence, blood/injury, and major character death
The sun rises on the first day of the games, and as the cornucopia glints in the morning light, twenty-four tributes prepare themselves for what’s ahead. As they rise onto their platforms and survey the arena, the one minute timer begins to count down. The camera sweeps around, showing you their faces as the seconds tick away. Some of them, like Juliet, look confident. Others, like Robin, look grimly determined. Some appear to be eyeing specific supplies scattered around the cornucopia, while others are looking at each other.
The camera zooms in on Janae, who is staring across the field at his brother, mouthing something silently. The microphones do not pick up any sound and lip reading is difficult, but you think it may have been “it’s okay.” Panning to the right, you see Caesar staring at Juliet, a frown creasing his brow. She is not looking at him: her eyes are glued to a sword near the center of the cornucopia. The camera moves around and you see Jasper swiveling his head back and forth as he takes in the arena, John Junior crouching low on his podium and looking at the ground, and Inga rolling her neck and shaking out her shoulders.
The camera rises up, showing an aerial view of the cornucopia and the tributes in a circle around it. The timer ticks down to zero, and the sound of the horn echoes throughout the arena.
Let the Hunger Games begin!
The tributes immediately spring into action. Jasper turns and runs directly away from the cornucopia, avoiding the fray altogether. Clarissa, Peter, and Chip each take a moment to run for one of the small supply bags at the edge of the ring before they too flee into the wilderness. Johnny starts to run towards his brother, but Janae shakes his head at him, and after bending down to grab a jug of water, takes off in the opposite direction. Johnny takes a step after him, but the sight of Michael barreling towards him makes him turn, snatch a backpack off the ground, and run.
The camera cuts and you see that some smaller scuffles have broken out between the tributes going for supplies. Marty and Jimmy are grappling with one another, a basket of bread on the ground beside them. You see Marty’s fist swing hard and Jimmy screams, blood spurting from his nose. He rolls away from Marty, who leaves him in favor of grabbing the bread and making a retreat.
Michael has made it to the center of the cornucopia and is scuffling with Robin over a mace. Robin is much shorter than Michael, but he is faster and manages to avoid Michael's stronger blows. He takes hold of the mace and Michael is forced to back off, but as he retreats he gets his hands on a small knife and a supply pack.
Pinocchio has gotten his hands on a spear, but the weapon is large and clumsy in his hand. He turns back and forth, as though unsure of where to go next. Caesar rushes past and Pinocchio lunges in an attempt to stab him, but he is much too slow. He misses Caesar entirely, and instead the tip of the spear is embedded in the stomach of the next closest tribute...Maria, who was running towards Pinocchio with a bag of food in her hands.
Maria falls to the ground, her eyes wide, and Pinocchio rears back, shock and horror written across his face.
“Sister? Sister! No! NO!” he screams, dropping to his knees beside her.
Maria’s eyes fill with tears, and she reaches up and cups her brother’s cheek.
“Whatever it takes, fratellino mio,” she whispers. “Do whatever it takes.”
Pinocchio clutches her hand desperately, pressing it to his forehead as tears of his own stream down his face.
The camera suddenly cuts away to follow Jimmy. His nose is broken and bleeding, but he’s back on his feet and running straight for the pair of District 11 tributes. Taking advantage of Pinocchio's distraction, he dashes past and grabs the bag of food that has fallen to the ground beside Maria's body. Pinocchio jerks up, shouting as he tries to grab the bag back, but he's too late: Jimmy is already out of reach and running towards the treeline.
Pinocchio's face twists into a grim expression, and he looks back down at Maria's body. He plants a final kiss on Maria's knuckles, then he lets her hand fall and staggers to his feet, leaving the spear behind as he chases after Jimmy. As he runs, he manages to grab one small pack of supplies before disappearing into the forest.
The camera cuts away again to show a series of other tributes in quick succession:
Hugh gets his hands on a slingshot, Sally acquires a long, sharp looking sickle, and Priscilla grabs a bow and arrow set before they all dash in different directions to find cover.
Alexa and Benjamin both run for the same axe lying on the ground, but Alexa reaches it first by a fraction of a second. She looks between the axe and Benjamin, her eyes blown wide with terror, and Benjamin freezes.
Before either of them can act, a shout rings out and they both turn: ten feet away, Inga has caught Jim off guard and sent him sprawling with a well placed kick. There is a knife in her hands, and the sunlight glints off the blade as she brings it down into the boy’s chest.
Alexa lets out a scream at the sight, and Benjamin chooses that moment to scramble away before Alexa has a chance to decide whether or not to swing the axe. Inga looks up from Jim's body and locks eyes with Alexa, who promptly turns and runs in the opposite direction.
The camera zooms in on the cornucopia itself, where two pale faces are visible peering out from the dark. Julian and Janusz have both had the idea to try and run past the other tributes and hide inside the cornucopia, but in doing so, they have inadvertently trapped themselves.
Juliet and Caesar have gained control of the ground surrounding the structure, chasing off other tributes and amassing resources, and now they are closing in on the pair inside the cornucopia. Juliet is wielding a sword and Caesar is armed with a trident, and the two boys clearly have no way to run past the more experienced fighters without being struck down.
Suddenly, a huge explosion shakes the arena, sending all four tributes sprawling to the ground. The footage freezes, and then cuts to show you a replay from another angle.
While everyone else was fighting and gathering supplies, John Junior was attempting to dig up the land mines surrounding the tribute platforms. However, he is unable to extract them successfully without setting one off, which kills him instantly.
The camera cuts back to the cornucopia, where Julian and Janusz both are scrambling to their feet, taking advantage of the opportunity to escape before they’re killed by the power couple. Janusz runs in the same general direction as Alexa, calling out her name, while Julian goes the other way.
Caesar is the first of the couple from District 2 to recover, getting to his feet and picking up Juliet’s sword from where she dropped it. She gets to her feet a moment later, and after looking around and seeing they are alone, she pulls Caesar into an embrace.
The camera zooms in on her face, and you see the exact moment her relief turns to shock as Caesar plunges her own sword into her chest. She coughs and blood bubbles from her lips, and Caesar reaches up and cradles the back of her head.
“I’m sorry, my love,” he says in her ear. “But I cannot allow you to take Rome from me. I’ll give your regards to Maximilian.”
He pulls the sword free and Juliet’s body goes limp, her eyes wide open and glassy.
Caesar lowers her to the ground, then stands and surveys the empty field around him. He takes a moment to gather up the remainder of the weapons and supplies worth collecting from the cornucopia, before he too heads out into the trees.
This broadcast will now break for commercial. Please tune in again soon to see what else will become of our tributes on the first day of the games!
— — —
Day 1 - The Remainder (next)
Game Summary:
Deaths:
Maria was killed by Pinocchio
Jim L was killed by Inga
John Junior was killed by a landmine/himself
Juliet was killed by Caesar
Kill Counts:
Pinocchio: 1 (Maria)
Inga: 1 (Jim L)
Caesar: 1 (Juliet)
Game Meta
The following is a series of screenshots depicting the events of the bloodbath as they were revealed to me. I actually ran multiple simulations to find one that would be the most entertaining/dramatic (the first one I ran was going fine, but then the final tribute death was environmental....and so was the final death on my second attempt. That's when I resigned myself to simulating multiple times to find the best possible run). I ran a few more simulations after this one, but I gotta say, with these set of first kills, I knew that this would be the run. The drama was too good to pass up, and I'm happy to report that it maintained a satisfying level of excitement through the whole run (other simulations started exciting but then had multiple simulated days of nothing happening but minor environmental effects)
As you can see from these screenshots, the way that I'm going about this is I take all of the events from the simulation and convey them to you in the order that is the most dramatic. The simulation always tells you the day's kills first, and then all other events/interactions from the day, but that's not good narrative structure! So I eased you in with a few minor supply runs, then escalated with a few minor scuffles before dropping the bombshell of 'Pinocchio spears Maria Clarissio in the abdomen.' (when I tell you I gasped reading that for the first time!)
Now, if you're particularly sharp eyed, you may notice a few tiny changes I made. Mostly I just gave a few tributes some minor supplies that the simulator didn't explicitly say that they had, but later simulated events implies that they do. The biggest change I made to this round was the simulator said that both Robin and Michael got the same kind of weapon, which I changed into a fight over one weapon.
Going forward, you can expect those types of changes between the screenshots and my narration, but NOTHING major. I will never alter a death, major encounter, injury, or alliance. I will occasionally omit superfluous interactions (for instance, several days in two tributes who haven't interacted at all for the whole game and proceed to never interact for the rest of it apparently spend the night holding hands...I cut that for simplicity's sake) or make some additional interactions up to strengthen the narrative weight of major events, but the vast majority of events were all generated by the simulator, the only thing I'm toying with is the order.
One final note: the bloodbath is technically also on the first day of the games, but it given its own simulated 'day,' so I will be posting the rest of "Day 1" tomorrow. Going forward, each day will get two posts, one for the Day simulation and one for the Night simulation (so tomorrow will be Day 1, the day after that Night 1, the next day Day 2, and so on)
Starting tomorrow, there will be a "Fallen Tributes Broadcast" at the end of each day, and when we reach the final 8 tributes we will see a return of Andre Beetroot, conducting family and friends interviews for the loved ones of the top 8 tributes!
If you haven't voted yet for who you hope will win, there's still two days left on the poll! This has no bearing on results, as they are already generated, it's just to see who folks are rooting for. I may use some of that data for dramatic purposes when conveying the fates of our beloveds ;)
HA-HIYA! Welcome to the first ever Shoot from the Hip Hunger Games TRIBUTE INTERVIEWS, hosted by ME, the one and only ANDRE BEETROOT! Hooo, ladies and gentlemen today's gonna be a great day, it's the day before the greatest competition that you have ever seen, and we're gonna sit down and talk with each of our incredible tributes tonight!
First up from the beautiful luxurious District 1, we have Janusz and Alexa!
AB: NOW, the two of you hold the distinction of being two of our youngest tributes this year, can you tell me all about yourselves and what skills you're bringing to the competition today!
Janusz: Um, I don't really know, I'm just a janitor's son...Alexa, she is the one with the skills and the talent.
Alexa: But I don't think dancing will really help in this case...besides, I don't want to hurt anybody! I didn't want this!
AB: Ah, but the two of you are very cute, and who knows, if the audience falls in love with you, they could shower you in enough gifts that you come out on top!
Now, for our next tributes tonight we have THE Power Couple of the century, from District 2 please welcome Caesar and Juliet!
AB: Now, the two of you are MARRIED, how does it feel going into the games with that weight hanging over your heads?
Caesar: Yes, of course it's devastating, but we are going to stick together no matter what.
Juliet: We will not allow Rome to fall without us, whatever it takes. I made a promise to Maximilian that we would overcome the odds and do whatever it took to preserve the empire.
Caesar: ....wait, what do you mean you promised Maximilian?
AB: UH OH, sounds like there might be trouble in paradise! Keep an eye on these two, folks, they're sure to deliver on the battlefield!
Coming up now from District 3, we have quite the peculiar pair, let's get a huge round of applause for Janae and his older brother Johnnyyyyy!
AB: Now Johnny, I hear you have an incredible gift, please, tell the audience all about it!
Johnny: I, um...I have these dreams sometimes, and um...well, you see, um...what happens is....
Janae: My brother has supernatural premonitions, and acting upon those premonitions allows him to alter the future before it becomes fixed in time! So good luck trying to get anything past him, he'll always know exactly what to do to keep himself alive!
AB: You're lucky to have such a powerful brother looking out for you! Let's hope the future holds good things!
Let's hear it now for our next tributes coming from the deep blue waters of District 4, it's Julian and Jasper!
AB: Tell me gentlemen, do you have any strategy going into tomorrow's games?
Julian: Um, I'm just hoping not to get in any of the more dangerous tributes' way, I suppose...
Jasper: Well, this isn't the first time that I've dealt with someone trying to kill me, so if I just do what I did last time then I'm sure I'll be able to come out on top!
AB: HAHA, confidence! I like it!
Next up we have a real ELECTRIC set of tributes, from District 5 we have two young men sure to spark your interest, it's Jim L and John Hobson Junior!!!
AB: So my friends, tell us, why do you think YOU will be the one to take home the ultimate victor's crown in these games?
Jim: I know I don't look it, but I've got a temper and I know how to use it! It's probably better for people to just avoid me in the arena than to get on my bad side.
Junior: I'm a problem solver, and I also know to never underestimate the power of an alliance! Working together is always smarter than trying to do things all on your own.
AB: Only time will tell, my friends, only time will tell!
OKAY everybody I want you to give me a huge WOO HOO CHOO CHOO for our incredible tributes from District 6, Clarissa and Benjamin!
AB: How does it feel coming out SMACK in the middle of the night's festivities? You've seen half the tributes speak before you and now half will speak after.
Clarissa: I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, but I think that the young man earlier was right, alliances are key. I definitely have some tributes now I'm thinking of approaching in the arena.
Benjamin: Not to mention some tributes that it'd be smart to avoid...I certainly know who I wouldn't want to cross.
AB: Yeah yeah yeah, I bet you do!
Speaking of people you wouldn't want to cross, coming up here from District 7 are two tributes who are no strangers to dealing with the extreme dangers you may find in the arena, we have Michael and Priscillaaaaa!
AB: Each of you has faced down certain death before, is that right?
Michael: I have, and everything I went through taught me lessons that will serve me in that arena. Working with others, being resourceful, keeping your wits about you and making hard choices...all of that is key to survival.
Priscilla: .....yes, what he said. Especially the part about working together. I think that sticking by people who have your back is very important.
AB: Well we'll certainly be watching closely to see if that holds true!
Now folks, put your hands together for our sensational tributes from District 8, we have Jimmy and the one and only Robin!
Robin: IT'S SCOTTISH ROBIN TO YOU, YOU POMPOUS SHITHEAD!
AB: .......Ah. I don't like you.
Jimmy: Well that's not fair! What'd he do to you?
AB: Just super annoying right out the gate, isn't he?
Robin: OH I'M THE ONE WHO'S ANNOYING? NOT YOU, WITH YOUR STUPID FUCKIN COAT AND VISOR?
Jimmy: Yeah! Honestly, your outfit really could use an upgrade, I know a great tailor actually, if I can just figure out how to get into his shop-
AB: ALRIGHT THEN, that's enough of these two, out you get, go on.
NOW, to represent District 9 we have the beautiful blue-eyed Hugh and the lovely lady Inga!
AB: So how does it feel to be here on the day before the games finally begin?
Hugh: It's all a bit overwhelming to be honest...I don't really know much outside of plants, but that does mean I know how to survive in the wild. And I'm brave! I won't just lie down and accept my fate.
Inga: I also know how to survive in the wild, to forage and hunt and find food and shelter, and I even know how to deal with dangerous wildlife. I feel very prepared, and I'm certain that with some help from sponsors, I could take the entire competition by storm!
AB: WHOA, amazing confidence from the young lady, let's see if she has the skill to back it up!
HEYO everyone you've seen many tributes tonight who are compliments to one another, but get ready now to see some polar opposites, from District 10 we have Peter Steven aaaaaaand MARTY!
AB: The two of you are no stranger to hardship, do you think what you've gone through in your life has been enough to prepare you for the arena?
Peter: Well, I do like spending time outside! So it'll be nice to do some of that for a change. And there have been people on before us who seem like they'd be good ones to make allies with...but I'm no fool. I know what I have to do if I'm going to make it home to my mom, and I'm ready to do it!
Marty: If you ask me, what most of these tributes lack is the proper *cough cough* conviction. I mean, let's face the facts! Twenty three of us are going to die in the next week, and even if I'm not one of them then I'll probably die in the month after! So may as well make the most of the time we've got...if those sponsors really want to see a show, then they know who to help. I'll make sure they have a...fantastic time.
AB: ........HAHA, COOL!
Now ladies and gentlemen it's astonishing that it happened once, but the fact that it's happened TWICE, I can hardly believe. Please welcome our second set of sibling tributes, from District 11 it's Pinocchio and his sister, Maria Clarissio!
AB: Maria, as an older sister, how does it feel knowing you may not be able to protect your brother in the arena?
Maria: Well...I've already failed him once before. And living with that failure hanging over my head these past months has been more than I can bear. You have to promise me something, Pinocchio. Promise me you'll do whatever it takes to win the competition and get home to Papa.
Pinocchio: But sister, what about you?
Maria: It doesn't matter what happens to me. Papa nearly lost you once, and it almost destroyed him. Don't let that happen again, okay?
AB: OH MY GOSH, you two are gonna make the waterworks come on all across the audience!
Now finally tonight we have our amazing tributes from District 12, we have the rock solid Chip and the salacious Sally Xavier!
Sally: Hey! I'm only 17, don't be weird, alright? I've had enough of men being weird in my life already.
AB: ANYWAY, tell me what your strategies are for dealing with your fellow tributes!
Sally: Well, I know I don't look very strong, but I do know how to work well with people, and I have a few tricks up my sleeve that could surprise you. Don't count me out just yet!
Chip: Look, telling you while they can hear me doesn't sound like the smartest move, to be honest. If I tell you my strategy now, then they could make a plan around it. I'll keep those cards close to my chest for now, thanks. I'm here to try and win, not make friends with someone I'll have to turn around and kill.
AB: Ah, a social butterfly versus a lone wolf! We'll see who fares better tomorrow!
Ladies and Gentlemen and ALL other configurations of being I hope you had a FANTASTIC time watching our show tonight! I hope you got to know our tributes a bit better, and are ready to place your bets on who will be the one to be crowned the victor! We here at Capitol TV want to know your thoughts, so share them with us below or in this poll!
Once again I have been your incomparable host ANDRE BEETROOT, and the Shoot From the Hip Hunger Games begin TOMORROW! Good luck to all our tributes, and may the odds be ever in your favor!
WELCOME one and all to the first ever
Shoot from the Hip HUNGER GAMES
All credit to this post from @suggestegg for this idea! Let's see what happens when we put the SFTH children into a Hunger Games simulator...who will come out victorious?
Notes on methodology and how to follow along are under the read more
THE REAPING
From District 1 (Luxury Items), we have Janusz and Alexa!
From District 2 (Weapons & Military), we have Caesar and Juliet!
From District 3 (Electronics), we have Johnny and Janae!
From District 4 (Fishing), we have Jasper and Julian!
From District 5 (Electricity), we have John Hobson Jr. and Jim L!
From District 6 (Transport), we have Benjamin and Clarissa!
From District 7 (Lumber), we have Michael (And So it Begun) and Priscilla!
From District 8 (Textiles), we have Jimmy and Scottish Robin!
From District 9 (Grain), we have Hugh and Inga!
From District 10 (Livestock), we have Marty and Peter Steven!
From District 11 (Agriculture), we have Pinocchio and Maria Clarissio!
And finally, from District 12 (Coal), we have Chip and Sally Xavier!
Who will fall? Who will triumph? Follow along and find out!
Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor!
Tribute Interviews (next)
Masterpost (full story)
More info below:
How this works: The hunger games simulator generates random events/deaths on an in-game day by day basis. I have not altered the settings of any of the characters and left it totally up to chance.
I'll be making a new post for each "day" of the games where I reveal in written form what the fate and status of each character is. Each post will have the previous days linked, and eventually I'll have a masterpost of the whole games for easy access.
Methodology: There are lots of different simulators out there, I used this one from simublast because it was easy to use/understand.
For assigning characters to districts, I followed a rule that if the characters came from the same longform, they'd be from the same district, and then I assigned everyone districts based on what tied in the best to their respective characters/longforms. If anyone's curious about why I chose the districts for each characters, let me know! Maybe I'll write a little explanation post if enough people are interested.
Now, that being said, a standard hunger games roster is 24, and to my surprise, there are actually over 24 SFTH characters who are 18 or younger, so I did have to leave a few out (such as the bartending son from Death for a Dollar, Sam and Justin from Beetroots & Murder, or the siblings from Too Big to be a Jockey), so if anyone else would like to do something this themselves, please do so, and tag me because I'd love to see it!
Let me know in the comments who you're rooting for to win!
Masterpost (<-START HERE! the posts are best read in order)
Content Warning: descriptions of violence, blood/injury, suicide ideation, major character death
It is the third day of the Hunger Games, and as the Capitol TV logo flickers to life on the screen, a low, menacing growl sounds through the speakers. The logo fades away to reveal a large, wolf-like animal prowling through the woods. But it is no ordinary wolf; it is a muttation, genetically engineered by the Capitol game masters to add extra excitement to the arena.
The mutt stops at a stream, and as it drinks its fill, the camera zooms out to reveal Jasper heading towards the spot with an empty canteen in his hands. He stops short when he sees the animal, and ducks quickly behind a tree. Peering around the trunk, he watches until the creature leaves, then he hurries back to the camp where he and his team have spent the night.
"I didn't sign up to play nursemaid," Caesar is saying to Julian, but Jasper cuts him off as he approaches.
"There's a mutt down by the stream," he says.
"A mutt?" Julian repeats, his eyes widening, and Caesar curses.
"That's all we need right now. That settles it. I'm not hanging around near that thing, and he can't move."
He gestures to where Chip is lying on the ground, his jacket draped over his body like a makeshift blanket. His face is flushed with fever, and he doesn't react as the others talk.
"His fever isn't as bad as it was a few hours ago!" Julian protests. "I think he's getting better-"
"In case you haven't noticed, this is the Hunger Games!" Caesar snaps. "He's probably gonna die anyway, just like all of us are unless we're willing to do what needs to be done! As far as I'm concerned, we should just put him out of his misery and move on."
He draws his knife and Julian takes a step back, but Jasper reaches out and grabs Caesar's arm.
"The scent of blood might draw that thing closer before we're able to get away."
"You're not suggesting we try to take him with us," Caesar scoffs, and Jasper glances at Julian as he responds.
"No, but I'm saying don't kill him here. Let's just leave, and fate can decide what happens."
Caesar rolls his eyes, but he does sheath the knife.
"Fine. But let's pack up and go now. I don't want that mutt catching us in the middle of breakfast."
The three begin gathering up their supplies, and as they do, Jasper carefully makes sure that there's enough food and water in Julian's pack. When the camp is broken down, Caesar heads off into the woods without a second look back at Chip. Julian hesitates, and Jasper leans closer, speaking in a low voice.
"You can stick with Chip or you can go off on your own, it's your choice. But I don't think you should stay with Caesar. He's not safe to be around."
"But you're staying with him," Julian points out, and Jasper gives him a half-hearted smile.
"He respects me...for now. I'll figure something out for when that changes. Listen, I'm letting you go this once, but...half the tributes are gone. I can't promise that I'll do the same next time we meet, alright?"
Julian nods.
"Good luck out there," he says, and Jasper takes his hand, in a quick, firm grasp before letting it go.
"Same to you."
He turns and follows Caesar into the forest, leaving Julian looking down at Chip's shivering form, a thoughtful expression on his face.
The camera cuts to show the mutt, once again moving through the woods. It pauses, sniffing the air, then it moves forward more quickly, a growl rumbling at the back of its throat. The camera follows along the path its walking, then moves forward, zipping past the beast and following its trajectory until it reaches another campsite.
Sally and Alexa are kicking sand over their campfire, extinguishing it for the morning.
"What are we going to do today?" Alexa asks as Sally begins taking stock of their supplies.
"Well, we're okay on food for right now," she says. "Thought it's probably a good idea to gather more anyway. We want to avoid the larger groups of tributes if we can, it wouldn't be safe...to..."
She trails off, her eyes fixed on something in the distance, and Alexa tilts her head.
"Wouldn't be safe to what?" she asks, and Sally sucks a breath in.
She drops to one knee so she's at Alexa's height and grabs her by the shoulders.
"Alexa, listen very carefully," she says. "I need you to take our supplies, and I need you to start heading north, and I need you to move as quickly as you can, but also as quietly as you can. Can you do that? Can you be quick and quiet?"
Alexa nods, though confusion is written plainly on her face.
"I can, yes. I am very light on my feet, Madame Romanoff even said so."
"Good. Then I need you to go, now, and no matter what you hear, don't stop and don't come back, alright?"
"Why not?" Alexa asks, but Sally just shakes her head.
"There's no time. Go now, and remember what I told you."
"Not to look back?"
Sally smiles sadly, and she takes Alexa's hands in hers and squeezes them.
"To keep fighting, as hard as you can for as long as you can."
Alexa nods, her little face solemn.
"I will."
"Good. Now go, hurry!"
Alexa turns, quietly hurrying away, and Sally straightens. Swallowing, she turns and faces the mutt as it comes into view. The two regard each other for a moment, Sally taking a deep breath and the hackles on the creature's back rising, then Sally lets out a defiant cry and runs into the trees, deliberately leading the mutt away from Alexa.
The creature bounds after her, and the camera follows the pair, predator and prey, as they sprint through the woods. Sally tries her best, zigging and zagging where she can to try and put some distance between her and her pursuer, but she's no match for the Capitol's engineering. It isn't long before the mutt slams into her, sending her crashing to the forest floor. The camera pulls back, flying up above the treetops as her screams echo through the arena.
The cannon fires, and the camera cuts back to Caesar and Jasper walking through the woods.
"Let's cross here," Jasper says, pointing to a shallow spot in the stream. "That will help us mask our scent."
"We should set up a new camp as soon as we've put enough distance between us," Caesar says as they splash their way across the water. "I want to scout around for signs of the other tributes, but I don't want to lug all this gear while we do it."
The pair begins setting up a campsite, and as they work the camera zooms out, revealing a third figure crouching in the bushes nearby: Benjamin. He watches silently as the two dig a new fire pit and stow their extra supplies under piles of dead leaves.
"That should do for now. I say we follow the stream further east and see whether there are any encampments nearby. We're likely to find people near a water source," says Caesar.
"I was thinking we should head north, actually," Jasper says, pointing. "There are some tall firs over that way that could serve as a good vantage point."
Caesar makes a face.
"I'm no good at climbing trees. I think we should follow the stream."
"Well, why don't we just do both then?" Jasper says. "You follow the stream, I'll head north, we'll report back at the end of the day."
"Fine, if that's what you want," says Caesar, and after a few more minutes of preparation, the two head off in their respective directions.
The camera zooms in on Benjamin hiding in his bush. He waits until the sound of both Caesar and Jasper's footsteps have faded, then he darts out from his hiding spot and begins digging through their supply packs. He has just pulled out a utility knife and a length of rope when his head snaps up at the sound of footsteps coming closer. He jumps to his feet, his eyes blown wide with panic, and sprints into the trees as quickly as he can.
The camera does not follow him, but rather stays on the campsite as the source of the footsteps draws closer.
"Did you see who that was?" Michael asks, and Inga shakes her head.
"They bolted before I could get a good look at them."
"Was this their campsite, do you think?" asks Johnny.
"No...I think this is another one of Caesar's. See?" Michael says, pulling a sleeping bag from beneath the leaves. "This is what Pinocchio stole from them the other day. They must have gotten it back after they attacked us."
"In that case, let's help ourselves," Inga says.
The three spend a few minutes digging through the supplies, and Michael lets out a low whistle, pulling out a small shovel with a collapsible handle.
"Now this is a treasure," he says. "Sally was right, Caesar is definitely no survival expert, or he wouldn't have let this out of his sight."
"How come you know so much about survival, anyway?" Inga asks. "I know about plants and things from working in my father's shop, but lumber forests aren’t like real ones. They're just trees. But even though you don’t know as many plants as I do, you make decisions quickly, you don't mind sleeping rough, and you're not grumpy on an empty stomach. Not everyone would be able to handle this as well as you have. Hugh wouldn't, that's for sure."
"I thought you liked Hugh?" Johnny asks, and Inga sighs.
"I do. I just...look, we decided before we even got to the arena to try and stay away from one another. And I have a feeling he's not handling things the best."
A pop up view of Hugh appears in the bottom right corner of the screen. He is still hidden away in his berry patch, and he is tossing and turning on his makeshift bed of leaves, his eyes screwed shut and his face pinched.
The view disappears, and the camera focuses on Michael as he stows the shovel on his belt. He hesitates for a moment, then looks up at Inga and Johnny solemnly.
"Did either of you hear about...the outbreak? In District 7?"
Johnny shakes his head, but Inga looks thoughtful.
"I think so...something about a virus, right? I remember there being a lumber shortage and a planned upgrade to the town hall not happening because of it."
"Did you get sick?" Johnny asks, and Michael laughs, a hollow, empty sound.
"No...no, it wasn't that kind of virus. If you caught it, you didn't survive. It...it did something to people. Turned them into mindless monsters. There were rumors that it was a Capitol experiment gone wrong, some kind of attempt to make enhanced soldiers. All of District 7 was completely overrun. Those of us who survived the initial carnage, we had to flee into the lumber forests and try to survive. My dad and I, we spent months out there."
"Just the two of you?" Johnny asks, and Michael nods.
"Yeah...my Auntie Julep came with us, but she...well, she got the virus."
Michael sniffs, and shakes himself.
"The Capitol eventually sent soldiers to take all the infected out and get the lumber production back on track, and we found my mom again when we got back to civilization, so. It could have been worse."
"Still, it's amazing that you survived that," Inga says.
"Anyway, I'd have killed to have a shovel like this then," Michael says, patting the tool at his hip. "My dad and I, we dug these trenches and filled with sticks whittled to a sharp point. The infected would fall right into them. It was a great way to make sure we wouldn't get attacked at night while we were sleeping. But we dug them with our sticks, rocks, and our hands. We could do the same here and with this it'd only take a fraction of the time."
"Let's do that around our camp then," Johnny says. "I like the idea of no one being able to sneak up on us."
As the three continue to make plans, the screen splits into a multicam view, giving an update on multiple tributes at once. Caesar is hiking along the stream, and finds that it disappears into a cave entrance. After a quick glance around, he follows the water into the dark and disappears. Robin has left the forest behind and is tucked away at the bottom of a ravine. He wraps his arms around himself and leans back against a rock, looking up at the sky.
"Are you watching right now?" he mutters. "Cuz if you are...you were right. Doing it on my own's no good at all. I hope I get back to you soon."
Finally, Chip and Julian are foraging together. The color in Chip's cheeks is back to normal, and though they are walking slowly, they are moving.
"I can't believe they took all the supplies," Chip grumbles, and noticeably, his voice sounds different than before. The pitch is higher, and the accent has changed entirely. Julian frowns as he picks the berries from a bush.
"So you're saying that this is...your mother's side coming out?" he asks, and Chip nods.
"I know it doesn't make a lot of sense, but I only take after my mother at certain times, often after I've had some kind of episode. I guess that fever counted."
"I guess so," Julian says, shaking his head. "I've gotten as many berries as I can carry from this bush. How about you?"
"Same here," Chip agrees.
"Should we camp nearby so that we can eat them again tomorrow?" Julian asks, but Chip is looking at the large, dense bushes, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Such an obvious food source would be like a beacon to other tributes."
"So we shouldn't stick around, then?"
"Not just that...do you still have some matches left?"
"Uh...I think so, why?" Julian asks.
"Give me one," Chip instructs.
Julian hands one over, and Chip lights it, then squats down near the base of the bush. He holds the match out, and after a moment, the flame licks up the side of the bush. It moves slowly at first, then faster as more and more leaves catch fire.
"What are you doing!" Julian cries, stepping away from the heat as the bushes on either side of the first also burst into flame.
"If we can start limiting the food supply available to other tributes while keeping our own supply secure, we can try starving some people out of the games," Chip says.
Julian stares at him, his mouth agape.
"What?" Chip demands. "Don't forget what these games are, Julian. Only one of us gets to walk out of this alive."
"I know, but–"
Julian is cut off by a sudden, panicked scream.
The inferno grows larger and the screaming grows louder, and Julian looks at Chip with wide, horrified eyes.
Chip, for his part, looks stunned.
"Someone's IN there!" Julian exclaims.
He takes a step towards the blaze, but Chip grabs his arm.
"Don't! There's nothing you can do. Besides, like I said..." he trails off, and Julian wrenches his arm out of his grip.
"Don't touch me!" he says, backing away.
"I'm not going to hurt you," Chip begins, but Julian shakes his head.
"Maybe not now. But you will. I know you will. I can't...you can't..."
He turns and takes off running into the woods, and Chip makes no move to follow him. He looks back at the roaring fire as a cannon shot rings out through the arena, and squeezes his eyes shut, shaking his head rapidly. When he opens his eyes again, his jaw is set and his shoulders are square.
"Only one of us gets out alive," he mutters, and his voice has changed back to how it sounded before. "Only. One."
The camera cuts to Jasper, who is watching the smoke rise from the branch of a tall tree. He grimaces when the cannon fires, and after a glance at the position of the sun as it begins sinking for the evening, he begins climbing back down to the forest floor.
"If I'm lucky, then that was Caesar," he mutters to himself. "And if I am lucky, then I'm also fucked."
He drops the last few feet to the earth and lands with a thud, then picks himself up and lets out a sigh.
"Let's face it though...we're all fucked in here."
He begins walking back towards the campsite, and the camera pulls up, flying back along the river to the cave that Caesar entered earlier. A figure is standing at the mouth, but zooming back in to ground level the camera reveals that it's not Caesar, but Peter.
He is holding a small bundle of kindling in his arms, and the water jug strapped to his back is freshly filled. Looking around to make sure no one is watching, he carefully steps forward, and the darkness of the cave swallows him whole.
The camera cuts one last time, and shows Alexa sitting in a patch of white flowers. There are dried tear tracks on her face, but her hands are steady as she rummages through her pack of supplies, pulling out a small packet of matches.
Before she can light one, the sound of running footsteps echoes through the trees. She quickly reaches out and closes her hands around the handle of her axe.
Julian bursts into view and she flinches, but when he spots her crouching there, he doesn't run or move to attack her.
Instead he groans, and drops unceremoniously to the ground, gathering his legs close and burying his face in his knees.
Alexa tilts her head and cautiously moves towards him, and her expression turns from fearful to concerned as Julian lets out a muffled sob.
"Go on then. Do it," he says, not looking up at her. "Kill me. I deserve it."
Alexa hesitates, then sets her axe down on the ground and scoots closer.
"Why do you think that?" she asks, and Julian looks up at her, tears running down his face.
"I can't do this," he says. "I can't do it, I don't know what I'm doing, I don't know how to survive out here, and I can't...I won't..." He shakes his head, and wipes his eyes with the heel of his hand. "Only one of us can make it out, which means we have to hurt people, and I can't do that. How could anyone do that? If that's what it takes to win these games, then I don't want to win! So you may as well just kill me now!"
Alexa bites her lip, looking away for a moment, then she forces a small smile onto her face.
"Well, I don't want to hurt anyone either," she says. "So I'm not going to hurt you. Even if you ask me to, I won't do it. If we cannot win their game, maybe the answer is not to play it."
Julian hiccups.
"What if it isn't that easy?" he asks, and Alexa shrugs.
"I think that nothing is easy. But I also think...that I'm going to keep fighting anyway. Because that's what the people who cared about me would want."
Julian nods slowly, and Alexa's smile widens slightly.
"My name is Alexa," she says, holding out a hand, and after a moment, Julian takes it.
"I'm Julian," he says. "Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you...friend."
The broadcast will now break for commercial. Please tune in again soon to see what else will become of our tributes on the first day of the games!
Game Summary
Deaths:
Sally was killed by an animal
Hugh was killed by Chip
Kill Counts:
Pinocchio: 2 (Maria, Jimmy)
Inga: 1 (Jim L)
Caesar: 2 (Juliet, Pinocchio)
Chip: 3 (Clarissa, Marty, Hugh)
Jasper: 1 (Pinocchio)
Robin: 1 (Janae)
Peter: 1 (Priscilla)
Game Meta
I KNOW OKAY I KNOW. I AM ALSO DEVASTATED. This damn simulator gave me Alexa & Sally platonic goodness and then ripped it away immediately and I am not okay. But then! It gives me the narrative parallels of Alexa begging someone for death to then turn around and give someone else the same comfort she received?? I am going insane. How did this happen.
Anyway, not a lot of actual structure notes to make on this one, except that I'm baffled that somehow half the tributes are gone, but this is still the longest chapter so far. That's what happens when I go in to add more backstory for some of the characters, I guess. Once again, thank you so much for reading and commenting! Let me know who you're rooting for if it's changed after today's...events.
The Shoot From the Hip Hunger Games: The Victor's Interview
Masterpost (<-START HERE! the posts are best read in order and this is the LAST CHAPTER!)
Content Warning: descriptions of violence, blood/injury, major character death
The television glows to life and the Capitol TV theme music blares loudly from the speakers. Andre Beetroot is sitting in an armchair on stage, and he waves enthusiastically to the camera, his smile stretching wide across his face.
"GOOD EVENING EVERYONE!" he cries, and his studio audience bursts into applause. "I am Andre Beetroot, and YOU are watching the Capitol TV official Hunger Games Recap show. Now, I know that I'm not the person you want to see here tonight, so ladies and gentlemen welcome into the room the VICTOR of this year's Hunger Games, Michael Wilkinson of District Seveeeeeeen!"
Michael walks out onto the stage to the raucous cheers of the crowd, and he gives a hesitant wave as he takes his seat.
"Now, Michael my boy!" Andre Beetroot says, leaning forward excitedly. "I'm sure everyone watching wants to know: how does it feel to be the Victor?"
"Well..." Michael says, swallowing. "I don't know how I expected to feel if this moment came, but what I'm feeling now is mostly relief. It's like the feeling I had when my dad and I were rescued after the viral outbreak, but a million times stronger."
"I thought from the very beginning that your experiences back in District 7 might have given you an edge. In fact, let's show that clip of our first interview together now."
A large screen behind the two lights up with video footage from the tribute interviews for the studio audience to watch, while on the home televisions, the footage takes full screen with a small reaction-cam of Michael in the bottom right.
"Each of you has faced down certain death before, is that right?" asked the Andre Beetroot of the past, and Michael nodded.
"I have," he answered. "And everything I went through taught me lessons that will serve me in that arena. Working with others, being resourceful, keeping your wits about you and making hard choices...all of that is key to survival."
"Wonderful!" exclaims the present-day Andre Beetroot as the camera cuts back to the current interview. "I think I speak for everyone here when I say that your tenacity and resourcefulness were quite impressive."
"Thank you," Michael says, and his face contorts into an attempt at a smile, though the expression looks more like a grimace.
"Now! It's time for one of my favorite parts of this job," Andre Beetroot says, clapping his hands together. "Our wonderful editors have put together an exclusive cut of the games for us to review and commentate on live for you beautiful folks watching! Without further ado, let's roll the tape!"
The screen flickers to life and shows an overhead shot of the cornucopia in the arena as the final countdown to start the games begins. The camera zooms in on Michael's podium, showing that his gaze is locked on a mace and large supply bag towards the center of the pile of loot. The horn rings out, and Michael jumps from his podium and sprints towards his target. He nearly runs straight into Johnny, but the older boy darts out of the way just in time. Michael reaches his target, but Robin has made it there first, and the two tributes scuffle over the weapon.
"Now this was the first fight you got into," Andre Beetroot says as the footage continues to play. "What was going through your mind here, when Robin managed to win the weapon?"
"Well, I was worried," Michael says, watching the screen with a furrowed brow. "I knew I needed a weapon, and it was scary to lose my best chance at getting one. But making it away from the Bloodbath with any amount of supplies was a relief at the time. There were plenty of kids who weren't so lucky."
"Now this moment here, I think we can all agree was touching," Andre Beetroot says, pointing to the screen.
The footage shows Michael opening the sponsor parachute with the picture of his family inside, and the studio audience lets out an *awwwww* at the sight of Michael clutching the photo to his chest.
"Your mother revealed to us in the family interviews that it was your family and friends in District 7 who paid to have this sent to you," says Andre Beetroot. "How did having a physical reminder of what you were fighting to keep affect your morale in the arena?"
"It meant more to me than I think I even realized at the time," Michael says, his voice slightly choked. "Any time that I felt like giving up, I would think of my mom and dad, and how they never gave up on me back home, and I'd feel that photo in my pocket...it made me able to keep going."
"Now this bit here is interesting," says Andre Beetroot.
The screen is playing the moment that Michael formed an alliance on the first night in the arena, at first with Peter and Pinocchio.
"You were part of an alliance throughout most of the games," Andre Beetroot comments. "However, it was with no one from this original group. Was working in a team always your plan?"
"It was," Michael says as Sally makes her appearance to the group. "It's something I learned in the woods with my dad during the outbreak. Trying to survive on your own is basically suicide, especially if there's something out there that's trying to kill you. My dad and I weren't on our own, we were with his sister, her friend, and a few others at first. We survived by working together, and I wanted to do the same here."
"And yet, the Hunger Games arena is a very different beast than the District 7 Outbreak," Andre Beetroot points out. "Something that the young lady here from District 12 seemed very aware of."
"What do you mean?" Michael asks, and Andre Beetroot gestures to the screen.
Michael and Pinocchio have left the group to go scouting together, and the camera lingers on Sally and Peter as she explains to him that she's breaking off the alliance.
"Michael is nice enough, but I think whatever it is he's been through has given him a hard edge," she says. "Not only that, but he hides it well, and that makes me nervous. I don’t know how long he’d be willing to play allies for."
"How accurate would you say her assessment was?" asks Andre Beetroot.
"Well, I understand where she was coming from, I guess," Michael says, his hands fidgeting in his lap. "In the arena, when you're in an alliance...there's always that knowledge in the back of your mind that it won't last forever. I guess I just assumed that when it felt like the smart thing to do, I would leave and go off on my own."
"And of course in the end, this first alliance didn't last long at all," Andre Beetroot says, gesturing up to the screen.
The focus is back on Michael and Pinocchio when they returned to their camp to find it empty. The react-cam shows Michael wincing as he watches the hunting knife fly through the air and bury itself in his side. Caesar and Jasper burst out of the trees and attack Pinocchio, and Michael staggers away.
"Now I don't know about everyone else here, but I personally was SO IMPRESSED by your feat of escape here," says Andre Beetroot, a wide grin on his face as the Michael on the screen runs bleeding through the woods. "I was certain at this point that we were about to see the end of you! How did you manage to run so fast while injured?"
Michael frowns and wraps his arms around himself.
"Honestly, I don't really remember...that whole afternoon is a blur. I remember the pain when the knife went in, I remember seeing Pinocchio fall and thinking I have to run, or I'm dead. And then I did, as fast as I could for as long as I could. I don't know why they didn't catch me; maybe I'm the faster runner, or maybe they gave up quickly. I just know that eventually I couldn't run anymore, and I sat down next to a tree and waited for them to come and find me."
"But instead of the two of them, someone else found you, didn't they?" Andre Beetroot asks rhetorically.
Onscreen, Johnny and Inga appear and administer Michael first aid, and he agrees to team up with them.
"After the failure of your first alliance, you still agreed to join a second. Why is that?" asks Andre Beetroot, and Michael shrugs.
"Honestly, at that point I was just happy to be alive. I figured anyone who wasn't trying to stab me on sight was an improvement over dying alone of infection."
"The three of you were quite the powerhouse together," Andre Beetroot says as more footage plays of Johnny, Inga, and Michael working together to build a campsite, hunt for food, and raid Caesar and Jasper's camp. "What were your thoughts on your two allies during the games versus now that they're over?"
"Well," Michael says, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "Inga was very capable. I felt better at first, being around her. I felt like I could rely on somebody who was confident in the woods and able to hold her own in a scrape."
"And Johnny?" prompts Andre Beetroot, and Michael smiles a bit wistfully.
"Johnny...he was odd, but he was sweet. I think...I know Inga mostly wanted him around because of the future dream stuff, but I actually enjoyed some of the down time we spent together. Like here," he adds, pointing to the screen, which shows the two of them arranging the spikes in their pit trap and commiserating over the loss of their loved ones.
"I think Inga thought he wasn't tough enough for this, but I don't think she appreciated what he was going through, losing his brother like that. Or maybe she did and was just trying not to think about it, I don't know," Michael says, sighing. "There's a lot you try not to think about, when you're in a situation like this."
"It was of course Inga's idea to start playing the games more aggressively," Andre Beetroot comments as the team heads out on the morning of the fourth day. "Outwardly, you agreed with her assessment, but can you give us any additional insight into your thoughts from this day?"
"I don't know," Michael says, shrugging. "Like I said, you tried not to think about it, but she was right. With so few tributes left in the arena, it was either go on the offensive yourself or get caught off guard by somebody else. And given a choice between the two, the first option sounded better to me."
"And clearly that paid off for you," Andre Beetroot says, gesturing as the screen cuts to the fight with Robin. "Was it satisfying to take out a tribute who so clearly posed a threat to you?"
Michael grimaces, and shakes his head.
"I wouldn't say it was satisfying, that makes it sound like I enjoyed killing him. I was glad that we made it out of that alive, and that we wouldn't have to worry about him attacking us first, but it didn't feel good to take a life like that."
"And that was your first official kill in the games as well," says Andre Beetroot as Inga slashes her knife across Robin's throat. "But I can assume that it's not the first time you saw a man die."
"He wasn't a man, he was a kid," Michael says sharply, and Andre Beetroot raises an eyebrow at him. "Anyway, no," Michael continues, sighing. "I...I've seen people be killed before this. And not just infected people, there were times during the outbreak when...well, sometimes the most dangerous things out in those woods were other people."
"Indeed, indeed." Andre Beetroot nods, then gasps, pointing up at the screen. "Oh, this here is an interesting moment. I do believe this is a turning point for Johnny and Inga's relationship.
Onscreen, Michael is supporting Johnny as the three of them walk back to their campsite, then Michael goes on alone to build the makeshift bridge to get Johnny over the spike pit.
Inga and Johnny begin arguing, and Andre Beetroot leans in closer to Michael as they watch.
"Now, did you have any idea that this conversation was happening?" he asks, and Michael shakes his head.
"I could tell something was bothering Johnny, he was acting really strangely, but I figured it was just because he'd been stabbed," he says. "This though..." he trails off, watching as Johnny confronts Inga.
"Will you turn on Michael and I after we've taken out all the other tributes, or before?"
"I have to say, this does clarify some things," he says, shaking his head. "I'll admit that by this point, I was thinking about when we should break off the alliance, but I still had it in my head that we would do it peacefully. But if Johnny was afraid Inga would turn on us, then...it makes sense that he did what he did, in the end."
"Do you suppose he was telling the truth here, when he told you and Inga that morning what he'd dreamed about?"
Michael watches Johnny startle awake from his dream, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"You know..." he says, trailing off as Johnny speaks.
"It was the kid from District 10. He was raiding our camp, and he was about to shoot Inga when I woke up."
"I think he actually was," Michael decides. "When Peter attacked me later, he had a bow and arrow, and he didn't have that when we first spent the night together. Sometime between when I'd seen him last and that final day, he'd gotten his hands on a new weapon, and none of us had any reason to know that."
"So OBVIOUSLY I have to know," Andre Beetroot says, leaning forward. "What was going through your mind when you saw Johnny kill her?"
The screen cuts to the moment that Johnny drives his spear down into Inga's sleeping form, and Michael winces.
"I mean, there's not much to tell, really. I was shocked; I never would have expected that from Johnny in a million years. Like I said, he was a sweet guy. And the other times things got violent he seemed so uncomfortable, so I would have never thought he'd take things into his own hands like that."
"I imagine you must have also felt a bit desperate by that point, yes?" Andre Beetroot asks, and Michael nods.
"We were down to only a few tributes left, and when Johnny left he took most of our supplies, so I was left with nothing but what I was carrying when I went hunting that morning. I really had no idea how I was going to make it through the rest of the games at that point."
"What's curious to me then, is that when you found Alexa near your camp, you tried to stop her from falling into your pit, even though having that there to deter other tributes was your idea in the first place," Andre Beetroot says, pointing at the screen as the soft sound of Alexa's singing drifts over the crowd. "Why was that, exactly?"
"I don't know," Michael says, looking up at the screen as Alexa falls backward. "I think at that point...I was tired, I had seen so many people get hurt or die, had heard so many cannon shots. And I remember her from her interview, how small and scared she seemed. I saw her about to fall to her death, and my first instinct was to try to save her, even though I know logically that it wouldn't have made any difference in the end."
"OH, and we had a close call here, didn't we!" Andre Beetroot exclaims as the camera cuts to the moment Peter's arrow whizzes over Michael's head. "Had you not bent down at that exact moment, I would be sitting here with a different tribute tonight! Now, obviously young Peter here is the first person you made an alliance with. Was it hard, being forced to turn on him at this late stage?"
"In the moment? I don't think I even thought about it," Michael says as the scene of him and Peter fighting plays out on screen. "I mean, he attacked me. I was just trying to survive. But that doesn't mean I didn't feel bad about it afterwards."
"Hence the mercy you showed him here," Andre Beetroot says, gesturing at the screen as Michael slits Peter's throat.
"I suppose," Michael says. "Though it didn't really feel like mercy at the time."
"Now, were you thinking about the fact that this was the second to last kill of the games?"
"I was thinking about surviving," Michael says sharply. "Nothing else. I didn't start thinking actively about trying to hunt down the remaining tributes until–"
"Congratulations District 7 and District 12. You are the final two tributes remaining in this year’s Hunger Games!" booms the announcer, and Michael grimaces.
"Until right then."
He clenches his fists in his lap as he watches his past self on the screen pull out his family photo. Andre Beetroot tries to prompt him to discuss his strategy and thought process in the final moments of the games, but he remains silent in the face of any and all questions.
"And right here," Andre Beetroot says, relentless in his attempts to keep the conversation going. "You hesitate as you aim your shot. What's going through your mind in this moment? Come on young man, the people want to know!"
"That he's just a kid," Michael murmurs, not looking at Andre Beetroot as he speaks. "That they were all just kids."
His arrow flies true, Chip's body goes limp, and the weapon drops from his fingers.
"Ladies and Gentlemen and all other configurations of being!" Andre Beetroot shouts, getting up from his chair and pulling Michael to his feet. "This year's Victor, from District 7, give a nice big round of applause for Michael Wilkinsoooooon!"
He lifts Michael's hand up in the air, and Michael stares out at the cheering crowd, his face blank.
— — —
The next morning, a special broadcast live from District 7 is played on Capitol TV. The newly rebuilt train station near the center of town is packed with people who have come to watch the arrival of the train that’s carrying their newly crowned Victor home to them, and standing at the front of the crowd are two familiar faces.
Michael’s mother and father stand on the train platform, their hands clasped tightly together as the train slowly comes to a stop. The train doors slide open, and his mother gasps, her hand flying up to her mouth as her son comes into view.
“Michael!” his father cries, and Michael’s eyes immediately fill with tears.
He rushes forward, and as both his parents crouch down to catch him he disappears into their embrace.
“Oh, sweetheart,” his mother murmurs, stroking his hair. “It’s alright sweetheart, it’s alright. We’re here.”
“I…I wanna go home,” Michael says, his voice muffled beneath the embrace, and his father nods.
“I know,” he says. “We’re going home right now, I promise. Everything’s alright now, Michael. It’s over. You’re safe.”
Michael just shakes his head, and clings tighter to his parents.
“No…” he says quietly. “No, it’s not over. It’s just begun.
Full Game Summary
Deaths:
Maria was killed by Pinocchio
Jim L was killed by Inga
John Junior was killed by a landmine/himself
Juliet was killed by Caesar
Jimmy was killed by Pinocchio
Janusz was killed by himself
Clarissa was killed by Chip
Pinocchio was killed by Caesar and Jasper
Janae was killed by Scottish Robin
Marty was killed by Chip
Priscilla was killed by Peter
Sally was killed by an animal
Hugh was killed by Chip
Caesar was killed by Peter
Jasper was killed by poison/falling
Robin was killed by Michael, Inga, and Johnny(?)
Julian was killed by tracker jackers
Inga was killed by Johnny
Benjamin was killed by an animal
Alexa was killed by Michael
Johnny was killed by Chip
Peter was killed by Michael
Chip was killed by Michael
Kill Count
Pinocchio: 2 (Maria, Jimmy)
Inga: 2 (Jim L, Scottish Robin)
Caesar: 2 (Juliet, Pinocchio)
Chip: 4 (Clarissa, Marty, Hugh, Johnny)
Jasper: 1 (Pinocchio)
Robin: 1 (Janae)
Peter: 2 (Priscilla, Caesar)
Michael: 4 (Scottish Robin, Alexa, Peter, Chip)
Johnny: 1 (Inga)
Game Meta
As far as this chapter specifically goes, I would just like to state for the record that Michael's "it's just begun" is not me implying that I'm going to write more in this timeline, it's just a reference to his final line from the longform AND to the fact that a Hunger Games victor never truly leaves the arena behind, since they're forced into being public figures and game mentors for the rest of their lives. I'm not saying I'll NEVER write anything else in this timeline, because who knows if I'll get inspired, but for now my only plans are for the "Alexa catharsis POV scene" that I've mentioned a few times.
I know I've said in a few places that I'd like to do a sequel at some point, but I've all but decided to tweak the worldbuilding a little bit and make it more SFTH based and less Hunger Games based, while still using an actual hunger games simulator for the plot. This whole "sfth characters are living in the Capitol Districts and their longforms are playing out there" world is a one and done, as far as I'm concerned.
That said, if anyone else would like to write recursive fic of this timeline, or do any other type of fan art/edit/etc for it, you are totally welcome to! I know some people feel like they have to ask for permission first, so this is me giving blanket permission: I always welcome any additional fanwork inspired by something I've done, in fact it's incredibly flattering!
And finally on a personal note, aaaaaah, I cannot believe it's done! Two straight weeks of work and 30,000+ words later, and this behemoth of a project is done. I am still somewhat in shock that I actually did this so quickly, I have literally never written that many words in that short an amount of time. It's by no means the most polished thing I've ever written (I spent way too much time up past midnight to stick to a chapter-a-day upload schedule and the grammar/sentence structure definitely shows in places XD), but it's still insane to me that I did this at all.
For context, I only have one other work on my AO3 that's longer than this one, and I've been slowly working on it for almost two years. I did a big bang fic challenge ONCE and then never again because the pressure was killing me, and that took three months and was 5k words shorter than this. (truly the pre-generated outline helped immensely, but also I can say with confidence that 22 year old me could not have done what I did here, maybe it's time to give big bangs another go now)
Thank you all so SO much for all the support on this project, I wouldn't have kept going at the speed I did if you all weren't so invested in it, and I'm so incredibly glad that you all enjoyed it. I hope that this last chapter brought some of you around to the idea of Michael as the victor, or at the very least made you emotional over the death of your fav all over again. :D
And of course, a huge, amazing shout out to @suggestegg for their initial post that I came across two weeks ago when I sat down intending to write the next chapter of my creak in the attic fic. That idle idea ended up consuming my entire day as I picked out tributes and tested different simulators, and before I knew it I'd tipped headfirst into this beautiful mess of a project. You're a real one for putting your ideas out there in the world, my friend <3
Thank you all so much for reading! Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor!
Masterpost (<-START HERE! the posts are best read in order)
Content Warning: descriptions of violence, blood/injury, major character death
The sun rises on the sixth day of the Hunger Games, and the screen opens split into three views of the sleeping tributes: one on the left of Michael, one on the right of Peter, and in the middle, Chip and Johnny. The view in the center enlarges to fill the screen, pushing the other two away.
Chip is sitting up with his legs crossed, a drawn knife sitting beside him on the ground. He is looking at the photograph of him and his father, a faraway look on his face. Johnny stirs slightly beside him and he turns at the sound. The camera zooms in as Chip's eyes flit from Johnny's sleeping form to unsheathed knife, then he looks back down at the picture of his father. Chip visibly swallows, then folds the photo and slips it back into his pocket. He reaches out and grabs the knife, and the camera cuts.
Peter is tossing and turning on the ground, his face contorted in a frown. His eyes snap open, and dark circles are clearly visible against his pale skin. He shakes himself, and pulls his spile out of his backpack and drives it into a nearby tree before setting his canteen under it. He picks up his bow and arrow and takes a few practice shots while the canteen fills, but his aim is not much better than it was yesterday. He takes a long drink of water from his canteen, then heads off into the woods, his expression grim.
The camera cuts to a view of Michael, who is sitting at his campsite with his wooden spear across his knees.
"You know, maybe I don't have to leave here," he mutters to himself. "I could just stay, and let the others all take care of themselves. I could stay here, and I'd be safe."
He casts a doubtful look around at the slim pickings of his remaining supplies.
"For how long though?" he asks, shaking his head. "I can't exactly live on leaves and dew."
He sighs, and pushes himself to his feet and makes his way back across the fortified trench, pointedly not looking at the place where Alexa fell. He hesitates for a moment, then turns and faces east.
"I thiiiiink it was this way," he muses, and begins walking through the trees.
The camera cuts, and Johnny's eyes fly open with a gasp of surprise.
"What?" Chip asks, instantly alert, and Johnny pushes himself into a sitting position.
"Nothing, sorry," he says, rubbing his eyes. "I just..." he pauses, and looks Chip over once. "Had a weird dream, that's all."
"Thanks for taking first watch," Chip says, and Johnny nods.
"Thanks for taking second," he replies. "I take it we're done now, then?"
"Yeah. How about you go one way, and I'll go another," Chip suggests. "Whatever happens afterwards is fair game. Deal?"
"Deal," Johnny says.
He stands up and slings his knapsack over his shoulder, then grabs the jug of distilled water he took from Michael and takes a swig.
"Before you go, do you want any?" he asks, holding the jug out to Chip, but Chip shakes his head.
"All yours," he says, and Johnny nods.
"Good luck, I guess," he says, and heads off into the trees.
Chip watches him go, then when he is almost out of sight he goes after him. He follows silently, just out of the other boy's sight for several minutes...and then Johnny collapses shaking to the ground. Chip approaches slowly, his fists clenched at his sides. He waits, hanging back out of Johnny's line of sight until his body goes still and the cannon fires.
"Now before you get mad," he mutters as he bends down and takes the supply pack for himself. "Technically, that happened after you went one way."
He opens the backpack and quickly rifles through it, taking stock of its contents before sliding it over his shoulders.
"One down, two to go," he mutters. He looks down at the knife on his belt and fingers the handle, grimacing. "Let's see if this time I have what it takes."
The camera cuts back to Peter, who is walking in the general direction of the sun, his bow out and an arrow knocked loosely on the string. His head is practically on a swivel as he walks, looking around the woods in every direction that he can...so when Michael's silhouette comes into view several yards away, Peter notices it immediately. He takes a deep breath, brings his bow and arrow up, and takes careful aim.
He releases the bowstring and the arrow flies towards its target…who ducks down to pick something from the forest floor.
The camera cuts to a close up of Michael as the arrow flies over him and embeds itself in a tree trunk above his head. In one quick motion, he dives to the side, taking cover behind the tree and readying his spear. He peers out from behind the trunk and sees Peter struggling to knock a second arrow quickly. Michael takes a deep breath, then as Peter brings the bow up to fire again, he dashes out from behind the tree.
Peter yelps in surprise, and his shot misses Michael by nearly a foot. Michael charges towards him and Peter abandons the idea of shooting, instead gripping the limb of the bow like a baseball bat and swinging it wildly. Michael ducks under the swing, and with a cry he stabs his branch upward. It sinks into Peter’s stomach and the boy’s eyes go wide as he stumbles to his knees.
Michael takes a step back, panting slightly, and Peter reaches forward, his eyes fixed on the small hunting knife at Michael’s belt.
“P-please,” he gasps, pointing weakly. “A…kindness…”
Michael nods grimly and draws the knife. Peter’s breathing is labored, and he hangs his head and closes his eyes as Michael approaches. Walking around behind him, Michael places a hand on Peter’s shoulder, lets it linger there for a moment, then reaches out and quickly slices the knife across Peter’s throat. The boy slumps forward, and a moment later the cannon fires.
Michael inhales deeply, then reaches down and carefully slides the quiver off of Peter’s shoulder and picks up the bow from the ground.
The view on the TV suddenly cuts to a splitscreen, showing both Michael and Chip’s faces as a booming voice echoes through the arena.
“Congratulations District 7 and District 12. You are the final two tributes remaining in this year’s Hunger Games! To celebrate your achievements, you are each invited to a feast at the cornucopia tomorrow at dawn. We eagerly await your arrival.”
Michael reaches into his pocket, and pulls out the rumpled photograph of him and his parents. He stares at it for a long moment, his eyes glistening with unshed tears, then he takes a deep, shuddering breath, and slips the photo back in his pocket.
The camera zooms up to show an aerial shot of the arena, and two bright locators appear on screen. They reveal the tributes’ locations, showing that Chip is already fairly close to the cornucopia, while Michael is still a fair ways away.
Before long, Chip reaches the clearing where the imposing structure stands, and he finds a large tree to sit down with his back against. Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out the last of his poisonous berries and holds one up, tilting it so that the evening sun glints off its shiny, purple skin. Drawing his knife, Chip slices the berry in half and rubs its juice onto the blade, then leans his head against the tree trunk, staring at the cornucopia.
The camera cuts back to Michael walking through the woods, and as he approaches the edge of the clearing where the cornucopia stands, he crouches down low. Carefully, he begins making his way around the perimeter of the clearing, his eyes scanning the foliage as he goes.
Suddenly he stops, and crouches down even lower. The camera pulls back to reveal that he is only a few yards away from where Chip is sitting. Michael places a hand over his mouth to quiet his breathing as he stares at his final opponent. Slowly, he draws his bow and knocks an arrow with almost zero difficulty. He pulls the string back, aiming carefully…then hesitates. He closes his eyes, inhaling through his nose and exhaling through his mouth. He opens his eyes again and lowers the bow slightly as he stares at Chip.
A branch snaps somewhere behind Michael and Chip looks in his direction. Michael sucks in a breath, raises the bow, and fires in one fluid motion. Chip screams as the arrow strikes him directly above the collarbone, and Michael gets to his feet, already readying a second shot.
Chip looks at him, eyes wide with terror, and Michael grimaces.
“I’m sorry,” he says, and fires again.
The second arrow lands in the center of Chip’s chest, and he gasps as blood seeps from the wounds. His gaze drifts upwards as he lies there bleeding, and he tilts his head to the side, looking younger in that moment than he has in the entire games.
“Mère…” he coughs, “C’est…c’est que vous?”
His head lolls to the side, his eyes still wide open, and the final cannon of the games fires into the night.
Michael drops his bow, his hands shaking as the Capitol anthem begins to play. Johnny, Peter, and Chip’s faces all briefly appear in the sky, but Michael doesn’t even look up at the sight; his eyes are fixed on Chip’s body.
“Presenting!” booms the announcer’s voice, “The Victor of this year’s Hunger Games, Michael Wilkinson from District 7!”
This concludes our broadcast for the day! Please tune in again tomorrow for this year’s Games Recap and Victor’s Interview!
Game Summary
Deaths:
Johnny was killed by Chip
Peter was killed by Michael
Chip was killed by Michael
Kill Counts:
Pinocchio: 2 (Maria, Jimmy)
Inga: 2 (Jim L, Scottish Robin)
Caesar: 2 (Juliet, Pinocchio)
Chip: 4 (Clarissa, Marty, Hugh, Johnny)
Jasper: 1 (Pinocchio)
Robin: 1 (Janae)
Peter: 2 (Priscilla, Caesar)
Michael: 4 (Scottish Robin, Alexa, Peter, Chip)
Johnny: 1 (Inga)
Game Meta
(reminder that the simulator death attributions are partially incorrect, both because I changed a few things and because it straight up counted its own stuff wrong)
Meta wise, I don't have much to say today....I'll talk more in tomorrow's recap but thank you all SO much for reading along with this, it has been an absolute TREAT! I hope you're not too disappointed with the victor, haha 😅
Masterpost (<-START HERE! the posts are best read in order)
Content Warning: descriptions of violence, blood/injury, major character death
The sun rises on the fifth day of the Hunger Games, and the first pale tendrils of dawn have barely appeared in the sky as the camera zooms in on Julian, Inga, and Michael's campsite. Johnny's face is creased in a frown and he tosses and turns in his sleep, muttering to himself. Suddenly he cries out and his eyes fly open. He reaches out with his right hand, but stops when it finds only dirt and leaves.
"Wha–" Michael sits up, his face stretching with a long yawn. "What's happening?"
"Sorry," Johnny says, sitting up and wrapping his arms around himself. "I was just dreaming."
"Really?" Inga asks blearily, cracking one eyelid open. "Was it a future dream?"
"I do have normal dreams sometimes, you know," Johnny says.
"What'd you dream about?" asks Michael. "Whatever it was, it sounded bad."
"I...it was the kid from District 10," Johnny finally admits. "He was raiding our camp, and he was about to shoot Inga when I woke up."
"Sounds like our next target then," Inga says with a yawn. "But I need at least another hour of sleep before I can think of any plans."
"That's fine," Michael says. "I think I'll get up and check some of the rabbit traps I set around the woods. Johnny, you good?"
"I'm fine. I'll go back to sleep," Johnny says.
Michael nods, picks up one of their tree branch spears, and inches his way back across the bridge over their trench. The camera lingers on Johnny, who watches Michael as he disappears into the trees...then when the other boy is gone, his gaze drifts and lands on Inga's sleeping form.
The camera zooms in closer to her, then cuts to a similar extreme close-up of Alexa, who's asleep with her head leaning on Benjamin's shoulder. Peter is awake, watching the sunrise through the trees, so he spots the sponsor parachute as soon as it descends into view. He reaches and shakes the other two awake, pointing as the mystery gift drops to the forest floor below them. The three of them clamber down the tree, and Peter opens the package to reveal a light compound bow and a quiver of wickedly sharp arrows.
"Well, at least now we have something to use against that mutt," Benjamin says. "Do you know how to fire that?"
Peter shrugs.
"It can't be that hard, can it? Just pull back the string, point, and let go?"
"It's better than nothing, I suppose," Benjamin says.
Alexa opens her mouth, but before she can speak, her stomach growls audibly and she winces.
"It would probably be good to try and get some food today," Benjamin says. "We didn't eat much yesterday."
Peter looks between the two of them for a moment, then nods.
"I know a place we can go to get enough food for all three of us," he says, strapping the quiver to his back. "Follow me."
He heads off into the woods, and after a moment, Benjamin and Alexa follow him.
The camera cuts to show Chip walking on his own, eating a handful of berries as he goes. A rustling noise in the woods catches his attention and he stops, looking around cautiously as his hand drifts towards the knife sheathed on his belt.
Suddenly, there's a snarling sound, followed by the high pitched keen of a small animal dying. Chip's face goes pale, and he turns and hurries away in the other direction, glancing behind him every so often to make sure there's nothing following him.
The camera cuts to a close up shot of Michael, who is walking back towards his campsite and carrying two dead rabbits by their hind legs. The shot zooms out and swings around to the back of his head, so that the viewer sees what he sees at the same moment he does: Johnny standing at the campsite, one of the sharpened branches held in both hands. He's looking down at something on the ground, then he squeezes his eyes shut and lifts the branch up over his head and drives the point straight down.
The camera cuts to Inga's face as her eyes fly open in shock, a gasp of pain on her lips. Johnny staggers away from her, and she stares at him in disbelief.
"Y-you..." she coughs, and her breath comes in a strangled wheeze. "But...the future..."
"Can be changed, "Johnny says quietly.
He turns and begins gathering up as much of the supplies from their camp as he can carry, pointedly not looking at Inga as the last of the life bleeds out of her. Finally, the cannon fires, and Johnny carefully makes his way over the makeshift bridge and takes off into the forest...passing the bush that Michael is hidden behind by mere feet.
The camera cuts back to Alexa, Peter, and Benjamin, who have reached the part of the arena where the forest gives way to the rocky terrain surrounding the ravine.
"We've got to find the stream, then follow it down to a cave," Peter is explaining. "Hopefully whatever the gamemakers did to the water hasn't affected the food that's growing there."
"Are you okay, Alexa?" Benjamin asks suddenly. "You've been awfully quiet today, and I know I haven't known you super long, but that doesn't seem like you."
"Ah...I suppose that's true," Alexa says, looking down and picking at her fingernails. "I do usually like to talk, to tell jokes...I guess I was just thinking."
"What about?" Peter asks, and Alexa shrugs.
"Back before the reaping...I had this little apartment in the city, just me and Janusz. It was small, and drafty, and we only had one thin blanket to sleep on and one little candle to burn and some nights all we had for dinner was a thin cabbage soup that the lady downstairs would share with us."
"That sounds awful, I'm sorry," Benjamin says, but Alexa shakes her head.
"No...no, living in that little apartment was the happiest that I have ever been. It was the first time that nobody wanted me to be something that I was not. I was just thinking...I miss that."
"I miss home too," Peter says. "I miss my room and my toys and the back garden. I even miss my dumb old PS5." He sighs, and kicks a rock ahead of them as they walk. "Mostly though, I miss my parents."
"Me too," Benjamin adds. "And Clarissa, and all the other kids my mum and dad took in after the accident.
"Maybe you'll see them again," Alexa says, and Benjamin huffs.
"But the only way for me to do that is if both of you die," he says. "And the only way that Peter gets to see his family again is if we both die."
Peter looks away at that, a troubled expression on his face.
"The fucked up thing about this game," Benjamin continues, "is that even if you refuse to play, you still lose."
Alexa shakes her head.
"No...no, I don't believe that's true. I told you that I do not care about winning, but that's not quite it. I don't care about winning the Hunger Games...I have to win the fight I am having with the people who want us to do bad things. And at least for now, I am still winning that fight."
Peter opens his mouth to speak, then he freezes, staring off into the distance.
"What?" Benjamin asks, and Peter points wordlessly.
The mutt has returned, and is slowly stalking towards them from the treeline.
"Not again," Benjamin groans.
"Nowhere to run this time," Alexa says, looking around frantically. "Could it follow us if we climbed up those rocks there?" she asks, pointing at a small formation of boulders near the edge of the ravine
"Maybe?" Peter says, though he doesn't sound very sure. "You may as well try, I'll see if I can shoot it down before it gets here."
Alexa and Benjamin hurry forward, and Alexa begins climbing up the side of the rocks as Peter fiddles with the bow and arrow for a moment. He manages to knock an arrow on the string, but it's clear that he is unsure of what he's doing. He pulls the string back as far as he can, aiming his shot towards the mutt as it approaches, but the arrow flies wide and instead of hitting the creature, it strikes Benjamin in the back of the calf just as he begins to climb.
"Aaagh!" Benjamin screams in pain, stumbling forward. "Fuck!"
"Benjamin!" Alexa screams as Benjamin slides back to the ground.
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god," Peter exclaims, flinching violently. "Oh my god, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to–"
"Shoot it!" Benjamin shouts.
The mutt's attention is trained entirely on Benjamin now, its nostrils flaring wide as it prowls closer.
"Blood..." Peter says, his eyes widening. "It's drawn to the scent of blood!"
Benjamin looks down at his bleeding leg, then back to the beast as it draws nearer, and he takes a deep breath. Turning, he limps his way towards the edge of the ravine.
"Benjamin?" Alexa asks, and he looks up at her, his eyes wide with fear. "Benjamin, what are you doing?"
"You were right," he says, and he forces himself to smile. "What you said about winning. So I'm going to win, in the only way they'll let me."
He turns to face the mutt as it begins to run at him, and he takes a step back so that he's standing right on the cliff's edge. He looks up towards the sky, his breath coming in quick, shaky bursts.
"Mum...Dad...if you're watching...I'm sorry."
He closes his eyes, and as the mutt leaps forward to tackle him, he leans back. The creature slams into his body, then the two of them go flying down the ravine together. Benjamin's scream is drowned out by the monster's panicked howl, and once again, a cannon fires as a body lands at the bottom of the ravine.
Peter rushes to the edge and peers over, then looks back at Alexa.
"The mutt isn't moving," he says quietly. "I don't think it made it either."
Alexa doesn't speak; her face is white as a sheet and her hands are trembling at her sides.
"Listen, I'm so sorry," Peter says, taking a step towards her. "About everything. I'm sorry about Benjamin, and about your other friend, about scaring you on that first night when all I wanted was to ask if you would team up with me..." he trails off as Alexa slides down the boulder onto the ground, wincing as she lands on her weaker ankle.
She wordlessly walks right past him, heading back towards the forest. When she reaches the treeline, she pauses and looks back.
"It wasn't your fault, you know," she says quietly. "If you do win...try to remember that."
She turns and disappears into the trees, and the camera fades out on the shot of Peter standing alone at the edge of the ravine.
The screen fades in on a shot of Johnny trudging through the forest. He moves slowly due to his wound, and he is so focused on walking steadily on the ground in front of him that he almost doesn't notice Chip watching him from a berry patch until he's right on top of him.
"Shhhhh!" Chip hisses when Johnny flinches, and he puts a finger to his lips. "Listen, I'm going to be straight with you," he says in a low voice. "I think there's something in the woods. Some kind of wild animal, maybe a mutt. I've been hearing traces of it all day."
"Really?" Johnny asks, and Chip nods.
"You heard the cannons, we're on the final five now. I know alliances are probably all moot at this point. But I'd rather die on my feet fighting than be torn apart by whatever...thing is out there stalking us. I say we agree not to kill each other for one night, so that we can watch each other's backs and try and both get some sleep. Agreed?"
Johnny looks at Chip for a long moment, then slowly he nods and holds out a hand. Chip takes it, and they shake.
"Agreed."
The camera cuts to Michael, who has gathered as much food as he can from the forest surrounding his ransacked campsite. With his flint taken by Johnny, the rabbits he killed that morning are useless to him, and he's back on a diet of foraged berries and roots.
"Four more to go," he mutters to himself as he walks back towards his camp. "You just have to make it through four more. You can do that, can't you?"
He lets out a groan, and rubs a hand over his face before continuing through the woods.
For a time, the woods are silent, then a soft, eerie sound drifts towards him through the trees, and he freezes.
It's a small voice, singing softly in a different language than what's been spoken in the arena thus far.
"Bayu-bayushki-bayu, Ne lozhisya na krayu! Pridet seren'kiy volchok,I ukhvatit za bochok."
Michael quickens his pace, and finds Alexa walking a few yards ahead of him, in the same general direction as his campsite. Her arms are wrapped around herself and she's hunched over slightly as she walks, and all the while she sings.
"On ukhvatit za bochok, I potashchit vo lesok. I potashchit vo lesok Pod rakitovyy kustok."
She gets closer and closer to the campsite as she sings, and Michael is listening so intently that he almost doesn't realize where she's walking.
"Wait!" he calls out, and Alexa spins around, her song cutting off in a gasp of surprise. "Don't move," Michael says, holding out a hand in warning.
"What do you want?" she demands, her voice quivering, and Michael takes a deep breath.
"Nothing," he says carefully. "I don't want to hurt you."
Alexa laughs, and the sound is bitter and hollow.
"I don't think it matters what you want anymore, does it? It doesn't matter what either of us want."
"Look, just listen to me," Michael says, and he takes a step towards her.
She takes a step back on instinct, then her eyes widen in shock as the ground beneath her feet vanishes. She falls backwards, her arms flying out in a vain attempt to catch herself, and one of the dozens of branches that fill the pit surrounding the campsite pierces her through the back and sticks out through her chest. She makes a pained, choking noise, and Michael rushes forward.
"I'm sorry!" he cries out, raising his hands to his mouth in shock.
"I...I did it," Alexa says, her voice impossibly small. "Did you see?"
"Did I see what?" Michael asks, but she doesn't even look at him; her gaze is fixed upwards, and the reflection of the stars shines bright in her eyes
"Did you see, Janusz?" she asks. "I didn't let them use me...I won after all." She smiles, and a tear rolls down her cheek. "I'm coming after you, Janusz. Now we can finally be free..."
She lets out a shaky breath, and does not breathe in again.
— — —
The day ends and the Capitol anthem plays. The sky lights up with the fifth nightly ceremony honoring the fallen. The face of each tribute that died, in District order, appears in the sky. Your TV shows a brief clip of how each death occurred, though the projection in the arena doesn’t show this to the tributes.
You see Alexa fall and a spike pierce her chest, Benjamin go over the cliff with the mutt, and Johnny drive his spear into Inga's stomach.
The anthem ends, and the projection in the arena goes dim.
This concludes our broadcast for the day! Please tune in again tomorrow to see what will become of YOUR favorite tribute!
Game Summary
Deaths:
Inga was killed by Johnny
Benjamin was killed by an animal
Alexa was killed by Michael
Kill Counts:
Pinocchio: 2 (Maria, Jimmy)
Inga: 2 (Jim L, Scottish Robin)
Caesar: 2 (Juliet, Pinocchio)
Chip: 3 (Clarissa, Marty, Hugh)
Jasper: 1 (Pinocchio)
Robin: 1 (Janae)
Peter: 2 (Priscilla, Caesar)
Michael: 2 (Scottish Robin, Alexa)
Johnny: 1 (Inga)
Game Meta
MY DISAPPOINTMENT IS IMMEASURABLE AND MY DAY IS RUINED
Look. I was low(read, high)key rooting for Alexa. The whole seed, she was my favorite, the one I wanted most to win. There were other tributes I would have loved to see take it and who I was sad to see die, but I was rooting for Alexa the whole time and I almost threw the seed out when she died. But that felt like cheating, and I'm not a cheater /silly.
Shout out to everyone being like "Inga is gonna betray them isn't she" because YEAH she probably would have, had Johnny not beaten her to it. Which he only DID because he was certain that she would. That whole storyline was born of getting the incredible back to back punch of "Johnny begs Inga to kill him and she doesn't" and "Johnny stabs Inga with a tree branch" and asking the question "How would their relationship have to progress for that to make any kind of sense?" I think I like what I ended up with!
Housekeeping: Chip getting the picture as a sponsorship I put yesterday, to make it so that each tribute group got something after the interviews, and Peter's nightmares will be mentioned in tomorrow's post since I couldn't really figure out how to pace a mention of that with the last death scene.
Final four tributes now....which means why not, have another poll.
Masterpost (<-START HERE! the posts are best read in order)
Content Warning: descriptions of violence, blood/injury, major character death
The sun rises on the fourth day of the Hunger Games, and a series of rapid cuts begins the day's broadcast.
Chip sits at his campsite and ties the handle of his hunting knife to the end of a long stick.
A bush sways gently in the breeze, sun glinting off the dark purple berries that have cost two tributes their lives so far.
Jasper bends down and drinks from the stream before splashing across, heading back in the direction of the cornucopia.
The game masters' mutt, its muzzle stained red with blood, stalks through the trees.
Peter emerges from the cave, his knapsack stuffed full of food and Caesar's trident in his hand.
A large wasps nest hanging from a tree begins to buzz to life as the insects awaken for the day.
Robin, his face gaunt from lack of sleep, begins climbing up the side of the ravine, his movements slow and precise.
The camera finally settles on the trio of Michael, Inga, and Johnny, who are breaking camp for the morning.
"I think we should go on the offensive today," Inga says as Johnny and Michael put out their fire and pack away their tools.
"The offensive?" Michael repeats, and Inga nods.
"The three of us working together stand a decent chance in a fight against any other individual tribute," she says. "And if we don't start being proactive soon, we'll leave ourselves open to an attack."
"What about our fortifications?" Johnny says. "Shouldn't that be enough?"
"Those are good for defense," says Inga. "But we can't just sit around and wait for people to wander in."
"With Caesar out of the games, now would certainly be the safest time to start thinking offensively," Michael muses. "And it's likely that other tributes will have the same idea."
Johnny grimaces, and Inga folds her arms.
"What did you dream about last night?" she asks.
Johnny swallows and looks away, and Inga raises an eyebrow.
"I saw...I saw the boy from District 8," he admits. "Running through the woods. Like something was chasing him."
"If I had to pick a target, it would probably be him," says Michael. "We got into a fight during the bloodbath over a weapon."
A popup appears in the bottom corner of the screen, replaying the moment that Robin dodged an attack, grabbing the mace before Michael.
"He's fast, and he knows how to handle himself in a fight," Michael continues. "I'd much rather face him in a team than one on one again."
"I'd rather not face him again at all," Johnny protests, rubbing his shoulder. The popup view cuts to when Robin chased Johnny through the woods and dealt him a glancing blow with the mace.
"Well, that's all the more reason to take him down first," Inga says. She grabs a few of the tree branches they've whittled to a point, and tosses one to Michael and one to Johnny.
"Let's go," she says. "It's time to start these games in earnest."
The screen splits into two views, one showing a close up of Michael's face and one a close up of Johnny's. Michael's expression is one of grim determination, but Johnny looks as though he's going to be sick. Still, when Inga and Michael pick their way through their defenses and head out into the trees, Johnny follows them, his grip on his makeshift spear tight.
The screen cuts away to the other allied team of tributes, Alexa, Julian, and Benjamin, as they break their own camp for the morning.
"Does anyone here know how to hunt?" Benjamin asks. "We won't survive solely on berries forever."
"We don't have much in the way of hunting weapons," Alexa points out.
"No, but if we get a stick sharpened, I can spear fish," Julian says.
"Here," Alexa says, handing over her axe. "Use this."
Julian takes the tool from her and starts searching around their camp for a suitable stick. Alexa and Benjamin take the opportunity to gather what little berries remain from the bushes around them. Benjamin hums softly as they work, and Alexa tilts her head.
"That's a pretty song," she says. "I haven't heard it before. Is it new?"
Benjamin stops, and shakes his head.
"No...no, it's pretty old, actually. My friend Clarissa taught it to me, it's something her mom used to sing to her."
"Clarissa..." Alexa repeats. "Wasn't she the girl who..." she trailed off, and Benjamin nodded.
"We were going to team up, to try and help each other as long as we could, but I lost track of her in the bloodbath. Then that first night, I saw her up in the sky during the anthem." He shakes his head, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. "I don't even know what happened to her."
"I know how you feel," says Alexa sadly. "I don't know what happened to Janusz either."
"I'm sorry," Benjamin said. "That's not fair."
Alexa shrugs.
"My life has not ever been fair, I think," she says. "I should not be surprised by it anymore, but somehow, I still am." She looks up at Benjamin, tilting her head. "Do you think that makes me a fool?"
"I think...it makes you an optimist," Benjamin replies. "And if I had to choose between being an optimist who is proven wrong and a pessimist who is proven right...then at least the first sounds a bit less miserable."
"Ready!" Julian calls, and the two look up at him. "Let's go see what we can catch."
Benjamin and Alexa stand up to leave, and the screen cuts to a shot of Robin walking through the woods, his mace strapped to his back. The camera zooms out, showing Inga, Michael, and Johnny creeping up behind him in a triangle formation. Robin pauses, turning to look behind him, and the three freeze, ducking even lower to the ground. Robin squints at the foliage around him, and the camera zooms in on Inga, who shifts her spear to her left hand and draws a hunting knife with her right. She holds her breath as Robin takes a step closer to where they're hiding, then when he moves to draw his mace, she straightens and hurls the knife forward. The weapon spins end over end, glinting in the sunlight, and Robin yelps, ducking down to avoid the blade.
"Move!" Inga shouts, but Michael is already moving, leaping up from his hiding place and running towards Robin as fast as he can.
Robin tries to draw his mace, but before he can Michael tackles his legs, sending the pair of them sprawling. Robin thrashes, and Michael grunts, leaning forward and trying to pin more of his body to the ground.
"Back us up!" Inga yells back at Johnny as she rushes in to join the fray.
She reaches Robin just as he throws Michael off his legs. She stabs down with her spear but Robin rolls away from her, pushing himself to his hands and knees. He draws a small knife from his belt and moves to strike at Inga, but a spear tip pierces the bottom of his pant leg, pinning him to the ground. Johnny's eyes are wide and his face is pale, and he looks down at the spear as though he can't believe that he is the one wielding it. Robin takes advantage of that shock and kicks back at him, sending him jerking away. Robin throws the knife at Johnny, and it embeds itself just below his ribs.
Johnny screams and stumbles back, and Michael catches him by the elbow, steadying him and helping him sit down. Robin twists, taking advantage of the distraction to reach for the mace strapped to his back, but before he can get it fully drawn, Inga plants a well aimed kick directly at the side of his head, sending him back to the ground.
"Stab him! Now!" she cries, and Michael darts forward. Inga throws herself on top of Robin's legs to pin him again, and Michael drives the sharpened branch into the boy's stomach.
Robin lets out a strangled howl of pain, and Johnny retches, turning away from the sight.
"Get your knife," Michael pants, and Inga rolls off of Robin and searches in the ground for her dropped blade. She finally finds it, and starts to put it back in its sheath, but Michael shakes his head.
"End it for him now. It's the least we can do."
Inga rolls her eyes, but she nods and leans down, and as she slashes blade across Robin's throat, a cannon shot echoes through the arena.
At the sound, the camera cuts back to Alexa, Julian, and Benjamin, who have just reached the stream running through the arena.
"I wonder who that was," Benjamin muses aloud.
"I don't know...but I don't like how quickly we seem to be losing people lately," Julian says. He frowns and sniffs loudly, glancing around them.
"Let's focus on what we came here to do," Alexa says. "We can't change what happens to the others, only ourselves."
She bends down towards the stream, cupping her hands, but Julian suddenly darts forward, grabbing her arm.
"Stop!" he exclaims."Don't drink that!"
"Why not?" Alexa asks, and he points across the stream. Washed up on the edge of the bank are the bodies of three silver fish, and further down stream is the body of a badger.
"Something's wrong with it," Julian says, and Benjamin frowns.
"How do you know it's the water that killed them?" he asks, and Julian grimaces.
"If it was just the fish or just the badger, I wouldn't be sure. But the fact that it's both? And there aren't any scavengers that have touched either body? I'd bet that the water's poisoned somehow."
The camera cuts abruptly to show Jasper, who is still walking towards the cornucopia. Sweat is beaded on his brow, and his movements are slow and sluggish as he makes his way through the trees. His eyes have lost their keen glint, and as he walks he suddenly trips over a log and flies forward, crying out in pain as a rock leaves a deep gash in his shin. Wincing, he clumsily rips off a piece of his jacket sleeve to tie around the gash, before pushing himself back to his feet and staggering onward.
The camera cuts back to the trio at the river, and Benjamin frowns.
"It was fine earlier though, I know it was. Why would it change suddenly?"
"It could be the game masters are adding more dangers to the arena, trying to spice things up a bit."
Alexa bites her lip.
"If we can't fish here and we can't drink the water, then what are we gonna do?" she asks.
Julian opens his mouth to answer, then he freezes.
"Run!" he shouts, dashing forward and grabbing both Alexa and Benjamin by the hand and dragging them forward.
The camera pulls back to reveal Chip running out of the woods toward them, his makeshift spear in his hands. The three allies run back under the cover of the trees, but Alexa quickly begins to fall behind, her leg injury from the first night in the arena taking a silent but deadly toll on her.
Julian glances back and notices her lack of speed, and he slows to match her pace.
"What– No, hurry!" she gasps, but Julian shakes his head and puts himself between her and Chip, who is gaining on them by the second.
"Go! Keep going!" he shouts. "Whatever you do, don't stop!"
Taking a deep breath, he skids to a halt and turns around, facing Chip head on.
Chip, clearly startled by this turn of events, isn't able to stop himself in time or bring his spear up into a better position, and the two boys collide into one another, both falling to the ground. Chip's spear lands a few feet away, and Julian begins crawling towards it but Chip dives forward, driving his elbow into Julian's side. Julian cries out, and Chip lunges for his knife-spear.
His hands close around it and he clumsily gets to his hands and knees, then manages to pin Julian down with a knee to the chest. He brandishes the knife, inches from Julian's face, and the other boy goes still beneath the threat.
For a moment, the two stare at each other, breath heaving and hearts pounding. Chip moves the knife closer and Julian flinches, and Chip freezes. His knuckles go white on the hilt of his blade, then he lets out a frustrated cry and rolls off of Julian's body, staggering to his feet.
Julian stares up at him, and Chip grimaces, snapping the rest of the spear handle off from his knife.
"Chip?" Julian asks, his voice hesitant, and Chip shakes his head.
"Just...stay out of my way," he says, then he turns and runs back into the woods...in the opposite direction of Benjamin and Alexa.
Julian stares after him, then quickly scrambles to his feet and takes off after his friends.
The camera lingers on Julian running for a moment, then cuts to a near identical shot of Peter, running through the woods as fast as he can. His movements are awkward and clumsy thanks to the large trident he's carrying, and his eyes are blown wide with fear. The familiar low growling of the mutt that killed Sally can be heard through the trees, and Peter looks around frantically as he runs. He approaches a tree with a few low hanging branches, and with a quick glance behind him, he throws the trident to the ground and jumps at the tree, gripping a large knot in the side of the trunk and pulling himself upwards. His boots scrabble against the bark, and he finds purchase just in time to push himself higher up and out of the mutt's reach. He hoists himself onto a branch and looks down as the creature growls up at him.
The mutt's nose twitches, and it turns its attention to the trident that Peter threw to the ground. It sniffs at the weapon, then licks at Caesar's dried blood that stains the prongs. It opens its mouth and closes its jaws around the trident's handle, then begins dragging it away into the woods.
Peter lets out a sigh of relief and slumps back against the tree trunk. Suddenly, a sponsor parachute drifts down towards him, and he sits up, reaching out and catching the parcel. Opening it up, he finds a small metal tool and a tiny rubber mallet. He looks at it for a moment, then back at the tree he is pressed up against.
"Oh!" he says suddenly. "A spile!" He positions the narrow point of the tool against the tree, then drives it into the trunk with the mallet. After a moment, clean water begins to drip from the spout, and Peter scrambles to place his canteen underneath to catch it. He frowns, looking off in the direction of the stream.
"I wonder if there's something wrong with the water," he muses aloud.
The camera cuts once more to Jasper, who stumbles out of the woods near the ravine where Robin spent the night. His face is flush and his hair is plastered to his forehead, and every movement is made with tremendous effort. He doesn't appear to even notice as he approaches the lip of the cliff, and with a final lurching step, he tumbles right over the edge. The camera zooms upward, showing a shot of his body lying broken at the bottom of the ravine, and the second cannon of the day fires.
The Capitol TV logo suddenly appears on the screen, and a voice-over begins to play.
"Ladies and Gentlemen and all other configurations of being, we have reached the point in this year's games where we are down to the FINAL EIGHT tributes! Don't go away, because after this commercial break, I, Andre Beetroot, will be bringing you the EXCLUSIVE family and friend interviews for our final contestants of the year. It's the most exciting thing about the games besides the games themselves, and you DON'T want to miss it! I'll see you all there!"
This broadcast will now break for commercial. Please tune in again soon to see what else will become of our tributes on the first day of the games!
Game Summary
Deaths:
Jasper was killed by poison/falling
Robin was killed by Michael, Inga, and Johnny(?)
Kill Counts:
Pinocchio: 2 (Maria, Jimmy)
Inga: 2 (Jim L, Scottish Robin)
Caesar: 2 (Juliet, Pinocchio)
Chip: 3 (Clarissa, Marty, Hugh)
Jasper: 1 (Pinocchio)
Robin: 1 (Janae)
Peter: 2 (Priscilla, Caesar)
Michael: 1 (Scottish Robin)
Johnny: 1? (Scottish Robin?) (honestly I'm not sure if this really counts as Johnny's kill as neatly as it does Inga and Michael's, let me know your thoughts).
Game Meta
Today Embarks on Change. And by that I mean, I think this is the first time I have put a death in the story before it is revealed in simulator. However, I didn't make up Jasper's death out of the blue. Jasper "accidentally slips on a rock and tumbles down a cliff" on NIGHT 4, but if I left his death there, then I wouldn't be able to cleanly fit a final 8 interview session inbetween a Day and Night like this, so I opted to tie the injury from Day 4 and the death from Night 4 into one series of events. I will compensate by having Benjamin get medical supplies on Night 4 in addition to his other simulated event. (I could have chosen a different Night 4 death to move up to Day 4, but I chose the way I did because I have a feeling you guys will want said character to be around for as long as possible.)
