TURNED INTO A MONSTER → PROMPT 05.
TAGGING: Hailey Berry, mentions of Rachel Berry, Noah Puckerman, and Sugar Motta.
TIME FRAME: Day one of the games.
SETTING: The Arena.
CONTENT: Day one of the games is something as was imagined, multiplied by ten, Hailey realizes. Self-reflection ensues.
It seemed as if the thump whose origin was in the girl's chest was audible, even through the glass tube that surrounded her.
The thump refused to subside - leaving the girl shaking in place.
The foreboding dwelled in both her mind, and heart.
She'd just stepped on the platform, that would too soon lift her up, to the place of inevitable doom.
And Hailey; Hailey was terrified.
Her weary mind spun, as the brunette closed her eyes, in an attempt to settle her thoughts. But, soon enough, the platform was moving, and the rate of Hailey's heart seemed to not only speed up, but slow down at the same time. It was a strange, and awful feeling.
Her nails dug into her sweaty palms, hoping that the action would manage to stop her trembling - but to no avail. The only thing she got out of this was three fingernail marks engraved onto her hand.
As the lift rose, the questions of where her life went, and how much more could she have done, had she not been entered in the games, and even the meaning of life came up. Her time for reflection was now, or never. She had to prepare her soul, in the case that she didn't make it far enough.
It was oh too soon, that the fresh air became her surroundings, though.
The fervid light washed upon her eyes. The brunette squinted, in hopes of being released from the overwhelming fire.
Get it together, she said with discipline, to herself.
Her head frantically glanced from left to right, up and down. It seemed as if they were placed into a swampland of some sort. The female looked hard at the murky water - it couldn't have been that deep, she decided. Her only fear was the type of creatures that often resided in swamps - snakes, leeches - that sort. But, now was not the time to think about what was in the water, for she had much bigger concerns.
Hers eyes quickly scanned through the other tributes. Even when squinting, in hopes of focusing more on their faces, she couldn't tell who was who. Puck was nowhere in sight, along with his brother, Levi. Who Hailey did manage to spot, though, was her sister, Rachel. Unlike all of the other siblings entering the game, this year - Hailey and Rachel were on completely opposite ends of things. Hailey wanted this, Rachel wanted that. The ultimate decision was that they wouldn't be teaming up for the games - but it was far less civil than just that. The two of them were only being the pair that grew up together - fighting childishly. Hailey knew it, but she refused to step down, for the fear of any vulnerability showing through was high.
Her thoughts of regret began to clutter with her worry - but both could be nearly sounded out, with the ringing in her ears. The clock's time was lowering, and quite fast.
Ten.
She should have appreciated things more.
Nine.
She should have considered the idea that maybe, just maybe - not everyone was out to screw her over.
Eight.
She shouldn't have picked fights with the few people that cared for her - her family.
Seven.
She should have never filled her life with so much hatred.
Six.
She should have opened herself up to life, and love, more often.
Five.
She spent too much of her life with a void.
Four.
She screwed up her entire nineteen years of life.
Three.
And now, she was going to die. At nineteen.
Two.
The fear shook through her bones, which made collapsing, and never getting up, sound like an alright alternative.
One.
The time for reflection was no longer there. It was go big, or go die, from here on out.
One foot in front of the other, was the chant coursing through Hailey's brain. The weight switching from one leg to the other, and the bounce of running felt unnatural. The adrenaline coursed through her - from tingling at her fingertips, to the pulse in her calves. Her goal was the Cornucopia. She didn't plan on braving the games, with no supplies, whatsoever. Her direction was straightforward - get there, leave - hopefully crossing paths with no one.
Two canons went off.
Those two dreaded noises hit home.
No, Hailey probably didn't know their names, and they probably didn't even have a chance of winning the games, but it really went through to her, people were dying. These people were children, siblings, aunts and uncles. In that split second, someone lost a person they held very close to them, and there was nothing to be done about it.
Keep going, the girl reminded herself. She couldn't dwell on upsetting things like this. Death was the spirit of the games - Hailey knew it (and hated it), and that's the way it always had been. There's no changing it. She had to move on from the pain, and ignore it, like she was particularly good at, and never stop. Her eyes were set straight on the axe, placed carefully on the setup of weapons. That was, until a girl stepped in her way.
It was a fleeting moment, but it had to happen, if Hailey wished to have a shot at making it out alive.
Hailey tackled the girl, applying the fighting skills they'd learned during training. This made the other female unable to move, which allowed Hailey just the right amount of time.
Hailey didn't want to suffocate the girl to death, with her own hands, but she knew she had to get the job done, if she wished to move further. She pushed the other girl, currently handicapped, under the water. Hailey knew she couldn't survive that.
A large feeling of guilt puddled up in Hailey, but she knew she had to sweep it under the rug, for now, at least.
A canon went off. The girl was dead. Hailey Berry just killed someone. How did she feel about that? Awful.
The brunette's head shot up, searching for her doppelganger, which she previously had her sights on, but now, she was nowhere to be seen. Nor was Puck - but she was certain they'd find each other. They'd planned for this kind of thing.
The female shook her head, returning to her initial focus. The axe. By now, she was only a few yards away. Her speed increased, and she was there within a matter of seconds. As quickly as possible, she took hold of the axe, and swept a backpack that was fairly easy to carry. To East, she was headed.
