Post by Vivica A. Fox on Aug 8, 2016 2:58:36 GMT
THE HUNGER GAMES: BENELUX
"Come on in, guys. Amber voted out from the Amsterdam tribe, Tom and Jon voted out from the Luxemburg tribe!" Katia announced. She had an evil smile on her face. "You're all in for a surprise!"
Everyone looked around at each other confusedly, but only for a few seconds before they found themselves falling into unconsciousness. When they woke up, they found themselves standing in a circle on raised platforms. Nikki's grating voice greeted them over a PA system.
"Welcome to the Hunger Games of Benelux! 23 of you will die here!" Nikki squealed with malevolent glee. Shock and awe flashed across the faces of the 24 contestants.
"I didn't sign up for this shit!" yelled Ricky Williams, making a move to step off his platform.
A high pitched giggle emitted from the PA. "Not so fast, Ricky! If anyone tries to step off of their platform before I have counted down from 10, you will be -”
Nikki’s announcement was interrupted by an angry roar.
“There is NO WAY this is real! Look, you guys–“ started Holly as she jumped off her platform.
She was promptly disintegrated.
Ricky gulped and quickly re-steadied himself on his platform, cursing under his breath.
“Our first victim!” The contestants could hear Nikki clapping her hands through the PA system. “Only 22 losers left, now! I will count you down from 10 and then you are free to kill each other. There are supplies and weapons available in the cornucopia in front of you,” Nikki continued. Jaclyn made a face, clearly disgusted at how much joy Nikki seemed to be getting out of the whole ordeal.
The contestants looked at the large metal sculpture in the center of the area, and then around at each other. Some had fear in their eyes. Some seemed to have a lust for blood and death. But everyone had one thing on their mind: the title of Sole Survivor of the Hunger Games of Benelux.
BLOODBATH
As Nikki’s countdown concluded, a loud airhorn blast sounded. Some of the contestants remained frozen in place, clearly in disbelief. Others made a mad dash for the Cornucopia, hoping to grab something good, while still others fled away from the arena into the woods, seeking safety. Ian and Vivica could be seen retreating together at speed, as could Cody and Tim.
Glyn was running full bore towards the Cornucopia, yodelling some kind of Welsh war cry. Simon, Dorothy and Dustin followed him. Tiffany could be seen sneaking around the back, careful to avoid attention. She discovered a package of explosives and some water and began slowly making her way towards the woods surrounding the arena.
Meanwhile, Daniele had scooped up a bow and arrow and quickly armed herself. She noticed Dustin attempting to escape the arena holding a machete, with Dorothy by his side. Steadying her bow, she launched an arrow and caught him square in the back. Dustin fell to the ground, and Dorothy stopped in her tracks, looking around at Daniele in horror.
Now that Dorothy was aware of the threat of Daniele, she could likely easily have run in zig-zags and avoided an arrow to the knee through the heart, but apparently she was suffering from the dreaded Rickon syndrome. Dorothy began to sprint, but she had barely made it five meters before Daniele had sent her second arrow flying, sealing Dorothy’s fate. Daniele smiled and began making her way out for cover. She could hear steel clashing on the other side of the cornucopia, and she didn’t want to be attacked by anyone at close range.
Speaking of the other side of the cornucopia, Steuart, Glyn and Simon were engaged in the exact kind of combat Daniele had wanted to get away from. All three of them were holding swords, and Steuart and Simon were swinging theirs madly at their foes while Glyn bounced around deftly with his like a Welsh Syrio Forel, singing all the while. Suddenly, Glyn ducked in between Steuart and Simon, causing them both to rush to swing their swords at him, but before they could land a hit on him, he had moved again, causing them to stab each other. Glyn laughed and turned to run from the Cornucopia, only to find himself face to face with Mackenzi, who was wielding a battle axe that was surely twice his size. He looked ridiculous.
“How about you drop that, man, and we find something that’s more your size?” said Glyn. He wasn’t worried. Mackenzi looked like he was about to cry, not like he wanted to kill him. Mackenzi nodded. Glyn quickly defected back to the Cornucopia and found a dagger for Mackenzi, and they both made their way off into the woods together.
NIGHT 1
Dusk had fallen over the arena of the Benelux Hunger Games, and all was quiet.
Well, except for Carrie. She was howling in the very center of the Arena near the Cornucopia, begging someone to kill her because she couldn’t do it herself. Some felt bad for her, but didn’t want to risk their own lives by attempting to assist Carrie’s suicide out in the open like that.
Unlike Carrie, Julia was positively chuffed. She had managed to forge deals with both Tim and Cody AND Glyn and Mackenzi, and was currently making her 4th information run of the night between the two pairs. Tim was becoming suspicious of her constant “toilet breaks”, and eventually decided to follow her.
He was hardy surprised when, after 15 minutes of trekking through the woods at a safe distance behind her, he spotted her taking her place around a fire with Glyn and Mackenzi. Of course. There was only one thing to do.
Tim stepped out from the tree he had concealed himself behind, raising his hands above his head as Mackenzi scrambled to his feet with his dagger.
“Mate, mate, I come in peace,” said Tim, waving his hands to show that he had no weapons. The look on Julia’s face was priceless.
“What’s your business, then?” asked Glyn.
“Well, it seems to me that this one has been ferrying messages between us,” said Tim, jerking his thumb towards Julia.
“No! She’s loyal to us,” said Mackenzi defiantly.
“Right, mate… How else would I know about the time you wet your pants in high school because you were too scared to ask your English teacher for a hall pass?” asked Tim.
Mackenzi turned bright red. Julia got up and started to run, but before she could escape safely, Glyn had stabbed her with his sword. Now Tim was left faced with two people holding very sharp blades. He tried to keep the fear off of his face, but he could tell he was failing.
Glyn laughed. “Don’t worry, man. We won’t hurt ya. See you some other time?”
Tim nodded and quickly dashed off back into the woods, heading back towards Cody. He reached their campsite just in time for the cannon blasts announcing the dead tributes.
As soon as the final cannon blast had rung out, Tim closed his eyes and fell asleep, exhausted.
DAY 2
As the sun rose over the arena, the contestants made their preparations. Some hadn’t stopped moving during the night, whereas others had decided to risk sleeping. Daniele was one of those who hadn’t stopped moving, and she was currently perched high in a tree above a path through the woods. She knew it wouldn’t be long before someone passed through in search of water.
Meanwhile, Cody and Tim had been awakened by Kathy, who had snuck up behind them and essentially taken Tim hostage. Cody had talked her down and convinced her to spare Tim, and then proceeded to offer her an alliance. Tim had almost snapped at that point – this woman had just about murdered him, and Cody wanted to align with her? Not on his watch. He kept his mouth shut, though.
Burnie had met up with Tiffany elsewhere in the woods and was attempting to help her rig an explosives unit that would kill anyone who triggered it. Tiffany had told him she loved blowing things up, especially people’s games, and she figured people’s lives wouldn’t be too much different. Burnie was pretty clever with technology and the like thanks to his experience with YouTube and gaming, and he figured he could rig a pretty mean explosives set up. Unfortunately, Tiffany didn’t seem that interested in his guidance. As he yelled at her for the third time to make sure she didn’t cross the black and blue wires, she did just that, and they were both blown to smithereens. RIP.
Daniele heard footsteps approaching and knew she had gotten lucky. She saw Ricky walking by below and readied her arrow, but the sound of a distant explosion caused her to slip as she fired it. The arrow struck Ricky in the leg and he yelled out in pain before breaking into a wild adrenaline-fueled run. Daniele decided not to waste another arrow on him. He’d die from the bleeding or an infection before long, anyway.
NIGHT 2
At Cody, Tim and Kathy’s camp, Cody and Kathy slept peacefully as Tim seethed silently. He ought to kill them both and go and join Mackenzi and Glyn. He had planned for it all day, but he was losing his nerve.
He picked up the knife Kathy had threatened him with hours earlier.
“It’s a devilish game…” Kathy murmured in her sleep, obviously reliving Survivor: All Stars, and Tim felt a stab of guilt. Kathy could have killed him. Cody could have let him die. But then he stabbed them anyway.
As the cannon blasts rang out, Shelli lay back in her cave and took a sip of water, Adrienne next to her. She wondered if they should move, but no one had ever come near their hiding place. What was the point, really?
DAY 3
At first light, Tim headed out of his old camp and retraced his steps to the place where he’d found Glyn and Mackenzi with Julia. They were still there, chatting as they shared some kind of large berry for breakfast.
“Hey, mates,” said Tim uncertainly as he approached them. Glyn regarded him with suspicion, so Tim raised his hands again. He realized he had left the knife behind. “Still no weapons.”
Mackenzi and Glyn seemed to relax.
“I was wondering if I could join the two of you. The people I was with… they, uh, met an unfortunate end,” said Tim, forcing a smile. Mackenzi and Glyn looked at each other and nodded, and Glyn patted the ground next to him.
A little further away, Jaclyn had located a tracker jacker nest above a path to the only water source she had found. She climbed a tree nearby and shifted herself into a position where she could reach the branch the nest was dangling from, and then she waited.
Jasmine had found Ricky bleeding from a nasty leg wound and had set out to find some kind of plant that would help him heal. She thought she could remember which one it was that was meant to work for wounds. The problem was that she was also so starving that every colorful flower looked like candy. Before long, she was salivating over the thought of finding a honeysuckle or some other edible flower.
And then she saw it. What looked like a perfect honeysuckle, hanging from a nearby vine. She jogged over to it and yanked it free, putting it into her mouth without a second thought. Oops. Her tongue went numb, and… well, you know the rest.
Ian and Vivica had accidentally stumbled upon Tim, Glyn and Mackenzi’s camp, and were now surrounded by the three men.
Ian had grown to care about Vivica as a sister. He wished for her safety more than his own. So, as they were cornered by the clan, Ian knew what he had to do. Before Vivica could say anything Ian stepped forward.
"Don't hurt her. I will help you to kill all your enemies and then lay down my life if you promise to spare her."
Tim looked at Ian with an evil smirk. As he was about to speak, Vivica thrust her sword through Ian's back and it pierced straight through his chest.
"Fuck that," she said. "I can take care of myself, you stupid wannabe white knight.” And thus, Ian's life ended. Vivica ran.
A couple of hours later, Jaclyn was getting sick of waiting for someone to pass, so she began throwing sticks and rocks at the ground, hoping the sounds of movement would attract some attention. It wasn’t long before Tim and Glyn burst out of some trees nearby, clearly searching for the source of the noise. Jaclyn waited for the perfect moment before, with one rough swing of her machete, she cut the tracker jacker nest free.
The two men below heard the frantic buzzing long before they felt the sting of death.
NIGHT 3
It had been hours since the incident, but it kept playing through her mind. Vivica had just barely escaped with her life, but she had to take one in order to achieve it. Her own friend. She couldn't even remember what had happened. In the moment all had gone blank, and she was only thinking of survival.
"How?" she whispered to herself in the coldness of the night. "How can they do this? How could they force us to do this?"
Vivica looked to the sky, the cannon blasts had sounded and Ian's picture was now staring down on her.
"No… how could I do this?"
The emotions grew in her. She was unsure what they meant. Regardless, it all exploded out of her.
"THIS IS WHAT I'VE DONE!" She had now lost any sense of calmness she once had, as she was crying and screaming into the night air. "I AM DONE! I AM FUCKIN DONE WITH ALL OF THIS! JUST STOP IT!"
In her mind, all she could think of was the look on Ian's face as he let out his last breath. This drove her to madness, as she began racing through the woods. She couldn't see anything, she couldn't hear anything, she just kept running. Running from the guilt, running from the fear, running... from herself.
That was until there was nowhere left to run. Without realizing it, she had managed to reach one edge of the arena. The large electric field stood before her, but that didn't stop her. She kept running, and running, and running. Until... she made contact with it. In a flash electricity rushed through her body. All in an instant, the woman driven to the brink of insanity, the one who had murdered her ally in cold blood. She was once again at piece.
DAY 4
During the night, Shelli had realized that Adrienne was a threat to her. Only one person could win, after all. She had taken it upon herself to gather some nightlock berries from nearby and poison the water of her companion, knowing she compulsively took a drink every morning as soon as she woke up. Shelli left early that morning, before Adrienne had stirred, not wanting to face what she had done.
Adrienne was thirsty after a long night’s sleep in the dry cave. She eagerly took a sip from her water bottle, only to start making choking noises as she gasped for air, eventually passing out and dying.
When Mackenzi’s companions had not returned by the next day, he knew they were gone forever. He yelled in frustration and decided he had to move. He couldn’t stay here alone – he would be a sitting duck.
He packed up his few possessions and headed away from the campsite he had shared with his friends.
You may wonder why Austin hasn’t been mentioned at all in this story. Well, that’s because he’s criminally boring. He had picked up a backpack from the Cornucopia on the first day and found a book and pen inside, and had spent the last 3 days working on his new manuscript from the safety of a nook inside a large tree trunk. The gamemakers had had enough. Austin, lost in his own little world, barely noticed the sounds of the muttations approaching him.
Carrie had reached the end of her tether. She had been begging to be killed for days on end, and no one was listening. Delirious from a lack of food and rest, she climbed to the top of the Cornucopia and leaned over the edge.
“I’m flying, Jack!” she squealed as she tipped forward, falling into a mangled and very dead heap on the concrete below.
As dusk fell, Mackenzi and Shelli crossed paths in a clearing somewhere in the woods, and both feeling very alone, they promised to stick together until the end.
NIGHT 4
During the night, Jaclyn slept in her hiding place in the tree next to the branch that had held the tracker jacker nest. She was awakened by a pained scream, and accidentally lost her balance and toppled out, landing amongst the tracker jacker colony still buzzing below. Thankfully, she didn’t have to endure the stings, as she died on impact. Such a UTRN ending for a CPN queen.
(For the record, the pained scream was Ricky. Dying. Because Jasmine died instead of bringing him back a cure for his infected wound. How unhelpful.
)
Daniele didn’t sleep. Instead, she shot a passing, unaware Natalie with her second to last arrow. As the cannons sounded, she realized there were only two others left. She had this in the bag, surely.
THE FINAL SHOWDOWN
With the mutations now running havock in the arena, the three surviving contestants were rushing for their lives. Unknowingly being lead straight to the center at the Cornucopia. Shelli and Mackenzi appear on the scene, and helped perch each other on the top of the cornucopia. Both out of breath, but thankful they were able to get there alive. Shelli looked up at the frail boy, sitting right on the edge of the cliff. Her mind was racing, knowing at some point if she wanted to survive, he would have to die. All it took was one push to send the unsuspecting lad plummeting into a sea of mutations. But with all of her strength...she couldn't seem to bring herself to do it.
The is when something caught her by surprised. After hearing movement, Shelli turned to see Daniele...with an arrow aimed directly at her.
"Ha" Dani laughed. "If I had only known you would come right to me. Ya know, I never pegged you to team with the weakling."
Shelli didn't know what to do. In the panic she and Mackenzi had fled, leaving all their supplies behind. She was now defenseless. She looked at Mackenzi, who was still gasping on the roof, before making eye contact with the sharp shooter.
"Congratulations to me." With that, Dani let go of the bow and her final arrow went sailing to it's target. What she didn't suspect however, was Mackenzi, with his last ounce of strength, jumped in front of Shelli and took the arrow strait into his heart. Both girls were stunned at what just happened, and the frail lad lay on the ground and smiled at Shelli before a cannon shot signaled his death.
With all the chaos, all the blood shed, and all the torture they had endured. It was now just the two girls at a stand off. Shelli, having just lost someone she had begun to consider a close friend, was filled with emotions. She bent over, closed Mackenzi's lifeless eyes, and pulled the arrow from his body. She then once again looked at Daniele, who's confidence had completely drained out of her eyes. With one switf movement, Shelli raised the arrow up and brought it down into her opponents neck, never braking eye contact. The life now draining from her, Daniele could only let out a moan of pain as she faced her killer.
"Looks like I win, bitch." Shelli grinned as Daniele dropped to the ground, a cannon signalling the final death and Shelli as the sole winner and survivor of the Hunger Games.
"Come on in, guys. Amber voted out from the Amsterdam tribe, Tom and Jon voted out from the Luxemburg tribe!" Katia announced. She had an evil smile on her face. "You're all in for a surprise!"
Everyone looked around at each other confusedly, but only for a few seconds before they found themselves falling into unconsciousness. When they woke up, they found themselves standing in a circle on raised platforms. Nikki's grating voice greeted them over a PA system.
"Welcome to the Hunger Games of Benelux! 23 of you will die here!" Nikki squealed with malevolent glee. Shock and awe flashed across the faces of the 24 contestants.
"I didn't sign up for this shit!" yelled Ricky Williams, making a move to step off his platform.
A high pitched giggle emitted from the PA. "Not so fast, Ricky! If anyone tries to step off of their platform before I have counted down from 10, you will be -”
Nikki’s announcement was interrupted by an angry roar.
“There is NO WAY this is real! Look, you guys–“ started Holly as she jumped off her platform.
She was promptly disintegrated.
Ricky gulped and quickly re-steadied himself on his platform, cursing under his breath.
“Our first victim!” The contestants could hear Nikki clapping her hands through the PA system. “Only 22 losers left, now! I will count you down from 10 and then you are free to kill each other. There are supplies and weapons available in the cornucopia in front of you,” Nikki continued. Jaclyn made a face, clearly disgusted at how much joy Nikki seemed to be getting out of the whole ordeal.
The contestants looked at the large metal sculpture in the center of the area, and then around at each other. Some had fear in their eyes. Some seemed to have a lust for blood and death. But everyone had one thing on their mind: the title of Sole Survivor of the Hunger Games of Benelux.
BLOODBATH
As Nikki’s countdown concluded, a loud airhorn blast sounded. Some of the contestants remained frozen in place, clearly in disbelief. Others made a mad dash for the Cornucopia, hoping to grab something good, while still others fled away from the arena into the woods, seeking safety. Ian and Vivica could be seen retreating together at speed, as could Cody and Tim.
Glyn was running full bore towards the Cornucopia, yodelling some kind of Welsh war cry. Simon, Dorothy and Dustin followed him. Tiffany could be seen sneaking around the back, careful to avoid attention. She discovered a package of explosives and some water and began slowly making her way towards the woods surrounding the arena.
Meanwhile, Daniele had scooped up a bow and arrow and quickly armed herself. She noticed Dustin attempting to escape the arena holding a machete, with Dorothy by his side. Steadying her bow, she launched an arrow and caught him square in the back. Dustin fell to the ground, and Dorothy stopped in her tracks, looking around at Daniele in horror.
Now that Dorothy was aware of the threat of Daniele, she could likely easily have run in zig-zags and avoided an arrow to the knee through the heart, but apparently she was suffering from the dreaded Rickon syndrome. Dorothy began to sprint, but she had barely made it five meters before Daniele had sent her second arrow flying, sealing Dorothy’s fate. Daniele smiled and began making her way out for cover. She could hear steel clashing on the other side of the cornucopia, and she didn’t want to be attacked by anyone at close range.
Speaking of the other side of the cornucopia, Steuart, Glyn and Simon were engaged in the exact kind of combat Daniele had wanted to get away from. All three of them were holding swords, and Steuart and Simon were swinging theirs madly at their foes while Glyn bounced around deftly with his like a Welsh Syrio Forel, singing all the while. Suddenly, Glyn ducked in between Steuart and Simon, causing them both to rush to swing their swords at him, but before they could land a hit on him, he had moved again, causing them to stab each other. Glyn laughed and turned to run from the Cornucopia, only to find himself face to face with Mackenzi, who was wielding a battle axe that was surely twice his size. He looked ridiculous.
“How about you drop that, man, and we find something that’s more your size?” said Glyn. He wasn’t worried. Mackenzi looked like he was about to cry, not like he wanted to kill him. Mackenzi nodded. Glyn quickly defected back to the Cornucopia and found a dagger for Mackenzi, and they both made their way off into the woods together.
NIGHT 1
Dusk had fallen over the arena of the Benelux Hunger Games, and all was quiet.
Well, except for Carrie. She was howling in the very center of the Arena near the Cornucopia, begging someone to kill her because she couldn’t do it herself. Some felt bad for her, but didn’t want to risk their own lives by attempting to assist Carrie’s suicide out in the open like that.
Unlike Carrie, Julia was positively chuffed. She had managed to forge deals with both Tim and Cody AND Glyn and Mackenzi, and was currently making her 4th information run of the night between the two pairs. Tim was becoming suspicious of her constant “toilet breaks”, and eventually decided to follow her.
He was hardy surprised when, after 15 minutes of trekking through the woods at a safe distance behind her, he spotted her taking her place around a fire with Glyn and Mackenzi. Of course. There was only one thing to do.
Tim stepped out from the tree he had concealed himself behind, raising his hands above his head as Mackenzi scrambled to his feet with his dagger.
“Mate, mate, I come in peace,” said Tim, waving his hands to show that he had no weapons. The look on Julia’s face was priceless.
“What’s your business, then?” asked Glyn.
“Well, it seems to me that this one has been ferrying messages between us,” said Tim, jerking his thumb towards Julia.
“No! She’s loyal to us,” said Mackenzi defiantly.
“Right, mate… How else would I know about the time you wet your pants in high school because you were too scared to ask your English teacher for a hall pass?” asked Tim.
Mackenzi turned bright red. Julia got up and started to run, but before she could escape safely, Glyn had stabbed her with his sword. Now Tim was left faced with two people holding very sharp blades. He tried to keep the fear off of his face, but he could tell he was failing.
Glyn laughed. “Don’t worry, man. We won’t hurt ya. See you some other time?”
Tim nodded and quickly dashed off back into the woods, heading back towards Cody. He reached their campsite just in time for the cannon blasts announcing the dead tributes.
As soon as the final cannon blast had rung out, Tim closed his eyes and fell asleep, exhausted.
DAY 2
As the sun rose over the arena, the contestants made their preparations. Some hadn’t stopped moving during the night, whereas others had decided to risk sleeping. Daniele was one of those who hadn’t stopped moving, and she was currently perched high in a tree above a path through the woods. She knew it wouldn’t be long before someone passed through in search of water.
Meanwhile, Cody and Tim had been awakened by Kathy, who had snuck up behind them and essentially taken Tim hostage. Cody had talked her down and convinced her to spare Tim, and then proceeded to offer her an alliance. Tim had almost snapped at that point – this woman had just about murdered him, and Cody wanted to align with her? Not on his watch. He kept his mouth shut, though.
Burnie had met up with Tiffany elsewhere in the woods and was attempting to help her rig an explosives unit that would kill anyone who triggered it. Tiffany had told him she loved blowing things up, especially people’s games, and she figured people’s lives wouldn’t be too much different. Burnie was pretty clever with technology and the like thanks to his experience with YouTube and gaming, and he figured he could rig a pretty mean explosives set up. Unfortunately, Tiffany didn’t seem that interested in his guidance. As he yelled at her for the third time to make sure she didn’t cross the black and blue wires, she did just that, and they were both blown to smithereens. RIP.
Daniele heard footsteps approaching and knew she had gotten lucky. She saw Ricky walking by below and readied her arrow, but the sound of a distant explosion caused her to slip as she fired it. The arrow struck Ricky in the leg and he yelled out in pain before breaking into a wild adrenaline-fueled run. Daniele decided not to waste another arrow on him. He’d die from the bleeding or an infection before long, anyway.
NIGHT 2
At Cody, Tim and Kathy’s camp, Cody and Kathy slept peacefully as Tim seethed silently. He ought to kill them both and go and join Mackenzi and Glyn. He had planned for it all day, but he was losing his nerve.
He picked up the knife Kathy had threatened him with hours earlier.
“It’s a devilish game…” Kathy murmured in her sleep, obviously reliving Survivor: All Stars, and Tim felt a stab of guilt. Kathy could have killed him. Cody could have let him die. But then he stabbed them anyway.
As the cannon blasts rang out, Shelli lay back in her cave and took a sip of water, Adrienne next to her. She wondered if they should move, but no one had ever come near their hiding place. What was the point, really?
DAY 3
At first light, Tim headed out of his old camp and retraced his steps to the place where he’d found Glyn and Mackenzi with Julia. They were still there, chatting as they shared some kind of large berry for breakfast.
“Hey, mates,” said Tim uncertainly as he approached them. Glyn regarded him with suspicion, so Tim raised his hands again. He realized he had left the knife behind. “Still no weapons.”
Mackenzi and Glyn seemed to relax.
“I was wondering if I could join the two of you. The people I was with… they, uh, met an unfortunate end,” said Tim, forcing a smile. Mackenzi and Glyn looked at each other and nodded, and Glyn patted the ground next to him.
A little further away, Jaclyn had located a tracker jacker nest above a path to the only water source she had found. She climbed a tree nearby and shifted herself into a position where she could reach the branch the nest was dangling from, and then she waited.
Jasmine had found Ricky bleeding from a nasty leg wound and had set out to find some kind of plant that would help him heal. She thought she could remember which one it was that was meant to work for wounds. The problem was that she was also so starving that every colorful flower looked like candy. Before long, she was salivating over the thought of finding a honeysuckle or some other edible flower.
And then she saw it. What looked like a perfect honeysuckle, hanging from a nearby vine. She jogged over to it and yanked it free, putting it into her mouth without a second thought. Oops. Her tongue went numb, and… well, you know the rest.
Ian and Vivica had accidentally stumbled upon Tim, Glyn and Mackenzi’s camp, and were now surrounded by the three men.
Ian had grown to care about Vivica as a sister. He wished for her safety more than his own. So, as they were cornered by the clan, Ian knew what he had to do. Before Vivica could say anything Ian stepped forward.
"Don't hurt her. I will help you to kill all your enemies and then lay down my life if you promise to spare her."
Tim looked at Ian with an evil smirk. As he was about to speak, Vivica thrust her sword through Ian's back and it pierced straight through his chest.
"Fuck that," she said. "I can take care of myself, you stupid wannabe white knight.” And thus, Ian's life ended. Vivica ran.
A couple of hours later, Jaclyn was getting sick of waiting for someone to pass, so she began throwing sticks and rocks at the ground, hoping the sounds of movement would attract some attention. It wasn’t long before Tim and Glyn burst out of some trees nearby, clearly searching for the source of the noise. Jaclyn waited for the perfect moment before, with one rough swing of her machete, she cut the tracker jacker nest free.
The two men below heard the frantic buzzing long before they felt the sting of death.
NIGHT 3
It had been hours since the incident, but it kept playing through her mind. Vivica had just barely escaped with her life, but she had to take one in order to achieve it. Her own friend. She couldn't even remember what had happened. In the moment all had gone blank, and she was only thinking of survival.
"How?" she whispered to herself in the coldness of the night. "How can they do this? How could they force us to do this?"
Vivica looked to the sky, the cannon blasts had sounded and Ian's picture was now staring down on her.
"No… how could I do this?"
The emotions grew in her. She was unsure what they meant. Regardless, it all exploded out of her.
"THIS IS WHAT I'VE DONE!" She had now lost any sense of calmness she once had, as she was crying and screaming into the night air. "I AM DONE! I AM FUCKIN DONE WITH ALL OF THIS! JUST STOP IT!"
In her mind, all she could think of was the look on Ian's face as he let out his last breath. This drove her to madness, as she began racing through the woods. She couldn't see anything, she couldn't hear anything, she just kept running. Running from the guilt, running from the fear, running... from herself.
That was until there was nowhere left to run. Without realizing it, she had managed to reach one edge of the arena. The large electric field stood before her, but that didn't stop her. She kept running, and running, and running. Until... she made contact with it. In a flash electricity rushed through her body. All in an instant, the woman driven to the brink of insanity, the one who had murdered her ally in cold blood. She was once again at piece.
DAY 4
During the night, Shelli had realized that Adrienne was a threat to her. Only one person could win, after all. She had taken it upon herself to gather some nightlock berries from nearby and poison the water of her companion, knowing she compulsively took a drink every morning as soon as she woke up. Shelli left early that morning, before Adrienne had stirred, not wanting to face what she had done.
Adrienne was thirsty after a long night’s sleep in the dry cave. She eagerly took a sip from her water bottle, only to start making choking noises as she gasped for air, eventually passing out and dying.
When Mackenzi’s companions had not returned by the next day, he knew they were gone forever. He yelled in frustration and decided he had to move. He couldn’t stay here alone – he would be a sitting duck.
He packed up his few possessions and headed away from the campsite he had shared with his friends.
You may wonder why Austin hasn’t been mentioned at all in this story. Well, that’s because he’s criminally boring. He had picked up a backpack from the Cornucopia on the first day and found a book and pen inside, and had spent the last 3 days working on his new manuscript from the safety of a nook inside a large tree trunk. The gamemakers had had enough. Austin, lost in his own little world, barely noticed the sounds of the muttations approaching him.
Carrie had reached the end of her tether. She had been begging to be killed for days on end, and no one was listening. Delirious from a lack of food and rest, she climbed to the top of the Cornucopia and leaned over the edge.
“I’m flying, Jack!” she squealed as she tipped forward, falling into a mangled and very dead heap on the concrete below.
As dusk fell, Mackenzi and Shelli crossed paths in a clearing somewhere in the woods, and both feeling very alone, they promised to stick together until the end.
NIGHT 4
During the night, Jaclyn slept in her hiding place in the tree next to the branch that had held the tracker jacker nest. She was awakened by a pained scream, and accidentally lost her balance and toppled out, landing amongst the tracker jacker colony still buzzing below. Thankfully, she didn’t have to endure the stings, as she died on impact. Such a UTRN ending for a CPN queen.
(For the record, the pained scream was Ricky. Dying. Because Jasmine died instead of bringing him back a cure for his infected wound. How unhelpful.
)
Daniele didn’t sleep. Instead, she shot a passing, unaware Natalie with her second to last arrow. As the cannons sounded, she realized there were only two others left. She had this in the bag, surely.
THE FINAL SHOWDOWN
With the mutations now running havock in the arena, the three surviving contestants were rushing for their lives. Unknowingly being lead straight to the center at the Cornucopia. Shelli and Mackenzi appear on the scene, and helped perch each other on the top of the cornucopia. Both out of breath, but thankful they were able to get there alive. Shelli looked up at the frail boy, sitting right on the edge of the cliff. Her mind was racing, knowing at some point if she wanted to survive, he would have to die. All it took was one push to send the unsuspecting lad plummeting into a sea of mutations. But with all of her strength...she couldn't seem to bring herself to do it.
The is when something caught her by surprised. After hearing movement, Shelli turned to see Daniele...with an arrow aimed directly at her.
"Ha" Dani laughed. "If I had only known you would come right to me. Ya know, I never pegged you to team with the weakling."
Shelli didn't know what to do. In the panic she and Mackenzi had fled, leaving all their supplies behind. She was now defenseless. She looked at Mackenzi, who was still gasping on the roof, before making eye contact with the sharp shooter.
"Congratulations to me." With that, Dani let go of the bow and her final arrow went sailing to it's target. What she didn't suspect however, was Mackenzi, with his last ounce of strength, jumped in front of Shelli and took the arrow strait into his heart. Both girls were stunned at what just happened, and the frail lad lay on the ground and smiled at Shelli before a cannon shot signaled his death.
With all the chaos, all the blood shed, and all the torture they had endured. It was now just the two girls at a stand off. Shelli, having just lost someone she had begun to consider a close friend, was filled with emotions. She bent over, closed Mackenzi's lifeless eyes, and pulled the arrow from his body. She then once again looked at Daniele, who's confidence had completely drained out of her eyes. With one switf movement, Shelli raised the arrow up and brought it down into her opponents neck, never braking eye contact. The life now draining from her, Daniele could only let out a moan of pain as she faced her killer.
"Looks like I win, bitch." Shelli grinned as Daniele dropped to the ground, a cannon signalling the final death and Shelli as the sole winner and survivor of the Hunger Games.