Day 14- Don’t Close Your Eyes

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Frosty air scraped across any skin left bare, turning it blistered and red. My eyes stung as I fought to stay awake, alert. I brought my knees to my chest, struggling to retain heat. Slowly, slowly, slowly I lost my surroundings. My eyes grew heavy and were sealed shut.

Blood, screaming and horror screeched through my thoughts. I couldn’t awaken no matter how many times I told myself to; my eyelids were stapled down. Each death reappeared before me. Twenty-one cannons make my eardrums ring. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

With a flash, I was back at my house. Waves of heavenly scent broke through the kitchen door, like a criminal breaking free from gaol, as I wandered through the halls to the room glowing white. My father was now sitting next to me with a half empty scotch glass resting between his quickly aging finger tips; his usual position for the evening. I could hear pot and pans clashing behind concealed doors. Warmth flooded through my chest; but the fire was not on.

The world began to distort around me. My heart thudded in my ears. I fell down, down, down into the earth.

I woke without air in my lungs as I lay in the cold, wet white. I propped myself on an arm and realised where the warm sensation came from. Before me stood a superior creature; baring its blood covered fangs.

The beast had put its front legs on the tree trunk and thrown me to the ground like a ragdoll; its teeth marks still embedded my side. The warm blood coated my chest; not the warm fireplace of my home before the games. How I long to return home; how I long to get out of this hell hole. Unable to get to my feet to fight, I drew my blade and pointed it to the horror before me. Curled horns propped on its head glistened as the snow fell onto it giving me a false sense of safety. In the blink of an eye it lunged into me. Stabbing pains shot through my chest as it withdrew its dagger. A huge gaping hole in my chest splattered blood onto the glistening ground. Red covered me. I lay dead but alive in the snow; here but gone; waiting for the end. With a sound of accomplishment, the beast turned and left for its next victim. As the life drained painfully out of the remains of my weak body, I could hear screams bouncing off the white ground.

Not my life, but the deaths of the tributes, flashed as the familiar darkness consumed the world I was leaving. The deadly horn had not only punctured my chest but had also torn my lung in two. Pain boiled through my bones but i did not move; if i did the predator will finish me off.

I didn’t show emotion; I will not give the Capitol that luxury. I lay breathless, emotionless, and lifeless. This time it won’t be me escaping with my life.

Day 13- Death Of Mr Game Maker

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Mr Game Maker, or should I say Ex Game Maker, has made these games reasonably entertaining but has started to let down the audience.

For the past few days I had been making my way to the cornucopia. There must be action there; or at least a fight for me to join. Perched high in the trees I remained so that I could keep a visual of the world around me. I lay on my belly and used my arms to creep up to the end of the thick branch of which I rested on. The cornucopia stood in the middle of the bear grass, its majesty and splendour was astounding. I could hear a humming sound from above. My eyes shot up and searched the higher branches for humming birds with deadly beaks or for more horrifying trackerjackers. To my surprise there were none. Only a small moment passed before the humming was turned to a roar; and that roar to thunderous rumbles. In a blink of an eye it was revealed; a steel beast settling down from the sky and next to the cornucopia which now sat adjacent. It didn’t land. Around two metres off the green, it came to a halt and dropped something out of a hatch underneath the metallic wings. It fell, down and down, like a rag doll. With a yelp of agony it met the ground with a thud. Arising slowly, wounded from the decent, his face was revealed.

Mr Game Maker stood shakily in the open green of the cornucopia. The grass was still stained with blood. His face conveyed fear; he must have been scared out of his mind to be thrown into the blood splattered arena. Dead.; they must want him dead. Why else would the capitol send him into an arena where people hate his guts? He sends plagues, natural disasters and general horror among the tributes; upon me. I scrambled towards the trunk and made my way down to the ground. Before I placed my foot on the ground, I remembered the sink holes. I tore a piece of vegetation, from the tree that wedged itself next to the tree where I was, and threw it forcefully towards the dirt. It didn’t sink, at all. I jumped to the ground and concealed myself in the bushes on the outer ring of the cornucopia.

With great speed and precision I drew and threw my blade with in a second. It hit the former Game Maker straight in his thigh; he clenched his bleeding leg as the blood coated his pants with glorious red. Terror, confusion and pain danced across face; this made him an easy target. Keeping low to the ground I ran, after I had made sure the coast was clear, and knelt to the Game Makers side. Mercy; he begged for me to save his life. Bribery; he tried to buy his life. Neither of these tempted me. He murdered my partner in cold blood and that is what I did to him; only a hundred times worse.

I grabbed the rope out my bag and tied it tightly around his gasping throat. Twisting and turning it with speed created a burning sensation as the rope rubbed against his flesh. Aex died by fire; his fire. Red welts appeared as I removed the rope. Heat, burn, torture is the result of my first action; representing the pain forced up on Aex. He gasped for air and cried in pain as my fist met his chest, forcefully.

I twisted the small blade out of his red leg. A huge whole spat out blood as the blade was withdrawn. I ran the smooth side across his face and cleaned my blade, ready for my next attack. I held it like a dagger and pointed the tip at his shoulder. Using my fist like a hammer I slowly edge the blade into his shoulder making another hole in his quickly reddening body. The pain created in under 5 minutes was un-imaginable. He was emotionless, unable to move from the inflicted horror presented by myself. Once again, I yanked out the blood coated blade and made my final blow. The sharp blade met his temple. The life left him in an instant. I left my knife embedded in his skull as a warning to those around me. I pushed him over; he lay emotionless on the emerald grass. A puddle of red formed around the corpse. Dead.

I bolted into the trees and submerged myself in the shrubbery. I wasn’t venerable any more. The deed was done. I was excited to see what our new Game Maker will throw at us. Welcome to the bloodbath, Mr Game Maker.

Day 11- Staying High

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Crisp green leaves concealed the freshness of the tiger’s meat. I placed my hand, black with dirt, over the leaves and took off the first layer to reveal the cooked meat. A leaf that was un-needed was rolled in my fist to become a ball. I pelted it down the tree to see if the ground was once again safe to place my feet upon. I have been in this tree for a while now. I have plenty of water to last me for a few more days. I also have those leaves that I picked yesterday as a water supplement; I’m set for at least 3 days.

Last night, two tributes died. I have no tributes left from my district or my alliance; I’m alone and I like it that way. All in all there are six tributes left in this hell hole; the game of a lifetime.

I am about one hundred metres away from the centre of the arena; the cornucopia. This is where we first saw what the arena would hold. This is where the first deaths happened. This is where I unleashed my fury. I looked through the trees before me. Red was the grass, stained from the blood and gore which occurred since the siren first sounded.

Accidentally, I elbowed my wound. Pain shot throughout my body. I slowly revealed my now purple flesh as I lifted up my dirt covered shirt. Falling out of a tree wasn’t the smartest of ideas, I thought.

I could see the ground below me; it was still moving. The sinking holes were not a quick disturbance unlike the other dangers set to kill us. Trees were the safest option for me to take, so I took it. I had to just risk the chance of falling out of one again.

Day 10- Sink Holes

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The area I awoke to had changed once again. I knew something was different; I just couldn’t put my finger on it. Slowly, I raised my head and prepared myself for the day to come. I ate a piece of fresh tiger’s meat, which was prepared yesterday. I have lost track of how long I have been in the playing field but I know that there are around ten of us left.

Shrubs and small trees seemed to be shorter than they were when I slept. Low into the ground was where their branches started, not after a stem or trunk as usual. This puzzled me and I know that the viewers could see my confused brow. It was like everything had sunk… That’s it! The game makers had made the ground have quicksand properties!  I grabbed a stone, about double the size of a regular household brick, and threw it high into the air. It fell as if regular ground but after a minute it started to sink. I lifted a second rock and threw it in another spot. This time it sunk straight away, as if the earth swallowed it whole.

This opening of rock is my safest alternative; un-unified are the patterns in the sinking holes. Risking my life to cross this mind field of holes is sheer stupidity. I remained in my rock and settled down for an unproductive day. This is going to bore the capitol so I quickly changed my thoughts and sussed out my options. Thick vines grew from either side of the cave; they would be able to hold my weight. I reached up above my head and tugged on the green plant. All of my arm strength was used to pull myself half way. Back and forth I swayed to gain momentum. Once I had enough height and had spotted my target, I released my grasp and swung to another vine and another. I climbed higher as I travelled to another destination. I was quite high in the treetops; invisible among the leaves. Like a monkey I fly through the trees until I can’t see any more stable vines. I land on a close branch; it is comforting when it doesn’t make cracking noises.

To be safe, I stayed high in the colourful leaves. Placing a few fresh green leaves in my quickly drying mouth, I crush them up with my teeth and suck the liquids out of them. I saw these leaves in the white pages of the safe vegetation booklet I studied during my training. These leaves were extremely good as a water supplement. I picked a hand full or two of the smooth, green leaves and shoved them into front of my bag; you never know when they might come in handy.

Rest is what I did after this. Thoughts of how proud my parents would be swamped every inch of my brain.  I often hear the story back home of how I became what I am today. They always boasted about how their unborn son would become such a wonder. When I was discovered to be male, they applied me for a training school; top in the state was this organisation. Most families would have had to go through so much to prove themselves worthy, but not mine; my father was the most wealthy man in the district. I could picture them at that moment. They would have been in the most vibrant costumes, hosting a fancy party to celebrate my involvement in the Hunger Games. Worried about letting down the family name more than worrying about their only child’s life is probably what their conscience would have been whispering in their ears.

Day 9- Earthquake

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White covered the ground no longer so I made my way down moss covered bark. As my feet touched the soft grass; I stumbled slightly from the decent and re-examined the aspects. I traced my footsteps back through the overgrown jungle. Working my way back in time, I came across the place where I re-discovered the running waters over the smooth stone. My water bottle was filled till the point of it not holding another drop. I flung my pack of my back and reached into it to reveal Aex’s water carrier. After I filled he bottle and returned it to the bottom of the bag, I shoved my head into the running water and drunk for at least half an hour. My water bottle was bone dry for the last day or two. Thirst equals non-existent.

Cool water rushed over my face, black with dirt. Even though it was midday, I still was conscious of where I was and who was after me.  I cleaned the new openings in my flesh, those created from the environment of which I was forced into. Heat erupted as the liquid leaked into them; I bit my lip. The bag was no longer on my back but now on the rock to my left. Un-controllable were my next actions. Water submerged my clothes, making them a darker shade. Refreshing feelings overwhelmed my head and body.

Heavy were my clothes as I rose out of the cool substance. After I swung my pack on to my side I searched for game. Silent were my feet as I stalked through the vines and greens. In front of where I stood was a tiger. It was not like the others that were placed in the arena; an image of a defenceless creature was what I saw. I carefully drew my sword, trying to not make a noise as it slid from its place. I raised it above my head.  Glimmers of silver were reflected onto the vegetation around me. Fling and release. Flying high through the misty air it soared, evading obstacles in its path. With a squelching noise the blade contacted with the beast’s skull. It fell into an unending slumber. Bones were stripped bare of pink meat; they were to become my meals for the next few days. I gathered surrounding vegetation and lit a match from my supplies. Fire burst from that one little flame, engulfing the green tower. Since I had only eaten fruit and berries for three nights straight, meat was a huge energy booster for my body.

Leaves rustled; branches shook; rocks fell. The ground beneath my feet shifted with a sudden bang. EARTHQUAKE! Immediately I ran to the closest opening in the trees and kept my eyes to the sky, watching for falling dangers. I crouched down to one knee and stabilised myself from the rattling earth. Trees fell in the distance and huge branched joined them. I knew that another face would appear in the black sky tonight. The rumbling seemed to last for hours on end. When it finally came to a halt, the momentum of the swaying continued to rattle my bones.

Trees continued to collapse on the ground after the quake had ended. Snapped branches fell down from their high homes. I took shelter for the night in the cave which I found a few nights ago; I wasn’t going to risk my weight on a semi broken branch, that would mean certain death. I lied down near the mouth of the cave to take extra precautions since the earthquake. I needed to be extra wary of cave ins and falling rocks. With my stomach full and my throat moist, I saved energy and dozed off.

Day 7- Icy Waters

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Unable to remember what day it was, I awoke to the silent jungle. As my eyes adjusted to the glow of the sun the picture becomes clear. I was still in my tree. Yesterday afternoon was when I gave into the overpowering fatigue. I had slept through all night! Carefully I climbed down the trunk in my still sleepy body. I only climbed three steps when I heard the roaring waters. With great speed I flew back up the trunk of the strong tree. I sat ready for the monstrous wave to hit.

Looking up above my head I found fruit; I was glad I chose this tree to take refuge in. Extending my arm above my head I grabbed a piece of the fuzzy blue food. Bringing it close to my face, I examined it to conclude if it was edible or not. After I had decided to eat it, I placed the deed into action. Opening my jaw wide I placed the matter into my now dry mouth. The juices burst with sweetness as it coated my gums and lips. Reaching up again and again, I continued devouring the luscious fruit.

Thunder roared as the wave rushed through the jungle. With a thud it hit the tree where I was. Leaves shook and branches fell as the tree withheld the force. The first hit caught me off guard and knocked me off the thick bough. I scrambled to grab another branch as I fell. Air flew out of me as I landed on a branch that was speeding up from beneath me. I used my upper strength to heave myself up. I peered over the side of my new perch but only to see that the wave had passed on. The forest floor beneath the massive tree was white. White! The vicious vines and plants had died and it seemed as if they were steaming. I waited a few minutes before I made my way down the trunk to let the air fill my lungs once more. Bruising started to show across by front from where the wood had broken my fall.

Slowly edging my way down the trunk I started to shiver. As I continued lower to the forest floor I began to shiver; violently. It was so unbearably freezing! The jungle vegetation was not steaming from heat but from intense cold!

After deciding not to set foot upon the ground, I climbed once again up the tree but not to the top. I had eaten enough of the blue fruit to sustain myself for a day or two. Only working up high enough to escape the cold was my goal. I found an open space for me to rest upon. I scanned the area from where the flood had hit; it was all pure white. The Game Maker’s flood must have been one containing special chemical infested water that I had seen in my handbook. Touching it would be certain death.

I lifted my shirt off and saw the purple wound. Waiting for the ground to return to its original state, I spent my time repairing and preparing myself for the days to come.

Day 6- Carnivorous Plants

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Unknown terrain, this is where I awoke the next morning. My eyes fluttered as the new day broke through the darkness left from the previous eve. I had lost all sense of location now due to my fall. I reached out for my backpack lying on the stone beside me. There was barely any water and food left, not enough to get me through the day and I didn’t want to risk eating those berries. Since the end of the fire I have been alone. I met with my allies at the cornucopia after we were pushed together by the roaring flames. That was the day my partner passed.

The wind rustled the leaves as it whirled through the branches, creating an eerie vibe throughout the arena. I heard birds fluttering their small wings in the distance, the clicking of cicadas close by. It was if I was in a peaceful dream; the kind where you never want to wake up. I snapped back to reality as the threatening sounds were made. Hisses came from behind me; it returned me to the bloody arena. My first thought was: snake. Cautiously, I slowly turned to face the new challenge sent.

I couldn’t make out what this predator was. It moved like a snake and yet it had no fangs; the size of a snake but not the body of a snake. I looked father into the pitch black created by the overseeing rock. Rustling of leaves was all I could hear, along with the rattling sound in front of me. I approached the noises with my sword at the ready, and sliced down into the black. I could see it now as the life drained out of the squirming mass. A vine! That was my new opponent? I took a step forward kept my blade moving through the plant in front of me. It hissed as a new gash was set into its outer shell. As the hissing died down, I made my way out into the morning light. Green goo oozed from the tip of my sword making me feel slightly queasy. Most people find it strange that I can gut a person with no though what so ever and yet I heave at the sight before me. I guessed that I was brought up that way.

The surprise continued as my feet exited the shelter. The plants were all snapping and waving vines every which way and that. The jungle was alive; more alive than normal. They were low at the ground level. In the canopy there were no abnormalities. I fought my way through the vines as they whipped me. One wrapped around my leg as I ran towards my ladder made of branches. Tighter and tighter it squeezed; resulting in my leg obtaining the pins and needles feeling from cutting off the circulation. Struggling to make a clean-cut, I drew my dagger from my belt. I cut straight through the thick vine and it retreated while making a sound as if it was squealing. Leaping to my feet, I continued to my goal.

The tall, thick tree stood mightily in front of me. I lifted my arm to the bough at my head height. The weight of me was easy to lift as I climbed up and up until I was submerged in the leaves. I peered through the green to the forest floor. I saw the plant missing the end of its arm. It was waving sap over the other entire carnivorous flora, making them wake from their natural sleep into the present unnatural state.

Thoughts of my parents watching me flooded my tired head; I was tired still even though I slept at least four hours last night. Settled in my perch, I shut my eyes and block out the throbbing as the blood reclaims my leg. Images of home filled my mind as I drifted into slumber. I was safe in the sky, I had no need to stay awake. Still alert of my surroundings, I rested.