skirmish {inbetweeners - day 3}

Her body was still when I picked her up and dragged her away. When I let her go she was cold as ice. I was never an optimist, I could tell just by seeing her wounds that she would definitely die, I just didn't say it directly out loud. Dead, dead, dead, dead, dead. Levi died and I couldn't do anything, Riot died and I couldn't do anything and they feel like two of exactly the same case. I'll always them both vividly, they were both dead, just like that. And killed by the same person at that. Marchello Donner, Ellexias Verisity, Katelyn Persimmon, Elverum Troshaldr. I notch their faces up so they stick in my mind.

I thought that would be the end of our struggle. I thought we could call it a day and I could rest, try and forget Daphne Riot ever existed, keep myself to myself. But it's clear the Gamemakers have other plans. I notice something, in the corner of my eye, a shiny thing of all sorts of different colours, like a rainbow but all squished into a ball. It's sitting in a branch and I'm tempted to climb for it but I restrain myself. No, it's too arcane to go diving in. Before I can turn and leave it suddenly falls towards me, tumbling down on me and I instinctively raise my hands and catch it. What is this?

I slowly unwrap the gift.

And I find a jar filled with a black liquid that must be tar, I grin and stick it in my backpack. I feel the material of the wrap. This isn't just an ordinary wrapping. I unravel it further and find that it's a cape of many colours. And it looks oh so completely warm. "Think this fits?" I call out to Jeff and Quartz, chuckling despite the direness of our situation. I wrap the cape around myself and the warmness envelops me and I let out a sigh of relief. I instantly stopped shivering. All because of a childish rainbow cape.

It's thigh slappingly funny.

I sit down next to a tree.

I begin chuckling to myself. A fucking multi-coloured cape could be the difference between keeping warm and freezing to death.

HAH.

But we're okay, Jeff is okay. Quartz is-

What is that on her foot?

Her foot is balloon, it's swollen so much it's as if someone went and pumped it full of water. But I don't remember anyone cutting her foot in the fight, unless something happened when I was too fixated on my new gifts. But it isn't long before a parachute lands next to her with a fancy, sciency Capitol needle and she sticks it in there, almost as if she's trying to burst her balloon foot. I stand up and walk over to her and begin checking her injured foot. “About yesterday…don’t take it personally.” I say. We need to clear the air between us, not that I trust her or anything. Maybe it was just seeing how she tried so hard to defend Riot that's caused this small spark of sympathy for her. “Thought you were coming to hunt us down.” I explain as casually as I can.

“It’s fine. You were trying to protect Riot, I understand that.” She answers.

That reply shocks me, I was expecting some sort of scowl, huff, growl; something of the sort. But she actually understands. Since I came here the only person that's understood me was Saffron. And then thoughts of my mentor come swimming through my brain which I repress. Can't be thinking of that warmness here while I'm out in the freezing cold.

A few hours later the night sky is illuminated by the anthem.

Bree Fawn, District Ten
Daphne Riot, District Four

I make out Bree's distorted face in the night sky and sigh. I'm the only piece of District ten left in this frozen hell. I shouldn't be surprised, I knew from reaping day that she was too weak. It took Mantel's death to show me that this world is for the strong to take, not for the weak to inherit. And in this frozen hell only the strongest of the strong can hold on to their lives. If Riot couldn't be that person could I really be that person? "I told you so, Bree." Is all I say to the sky with a small smile.

And with that thought to brighten my evening I fall asleep.

___

Rise and shine, Jordan.

I'm rising, but the closest thing about me to shining is my warm cape.

At least the stupidly strong wind has died down. There is less white surrounding me, I can see better and I don't feel like each burst of wind is a horse kicking me in the face. "Let's get outta here, don't like this place one bit." I say (it reminds me too much of failure).

We leave the forest, we keep trudging along until we leave the forest until we are met with some sort of white houses. "Do you think people live here?" I ask, laughing at my own stupid joke because there's no life here, there's only death. We keep trekking through it though, manoeuvring between the white houses that stand up proud around us. Each one is arcane, when I step into one there could be a mutt waiting to tear out my throat or a present like this jar of tar and cape. The present is a nice thought at least.

My eyes suddenly widen.

I hear it before I feel it.

I barely manage to spin around before I feel a dull pain on my hip, followed by a warm stream running down my leg. "Look out!" I call out but it's too late. I know I'm not fast enough because the sickening sound of flesh ripping and bones snapping surge through my ears and into my mind as I see Jeff falling and hitting the snow with a thud. His leg, his leg, his leg!

"Fuck!" Is all I manage to growl before more of them are upon us. I don't know what animals those are (I only really spent most of my life around Cows, cattle and stuff) but they don't look friendly. White fur covers them, making them blend into the blanket of white surrounding me and their killer eyes are locked onto us. What? Why? Is this some kind of punishment? Did we not kill enough? Is this because we failed to kill Marchello and Katelyn? Then they can come and get us!

I push the thoughts out of my head. Jeff's leg is laying dead on the ground and the snow around him is changing from a pure, cool white to a tainted, thick crimson colour at a scarily quick rate. "I'll give you a nice meal to chew on you cunts!" I shout before I grip the shaft of Mantel so tight my palms feel raw. How fucking dare they! I let out a wild war cry and charge the one who took Jeff's leg.

Mantel doesn't draw the blood I hoped for. I hoped to badly injure it, like what it did to Jeff. Karma's a bitch. It draws blood but nowhere near enough blood for it to feel truly effective. I didn't get the yell of pain I so badly hoped for. Die, die, die, why won't you just die?! And why do I feel like I'm the only one even trying? Quartz is stunned in the snow, lost in her own world, Jeff lays on the ground maimed and dying. "Do something then!" I hiss at the two of them.

And they do.

Despite his state Jeff takes a hefty swing with his axe and before I know it crimson sprays across the ground and further stains the snow. That's gotta hurt. And to make it even better Quartz gets up and attacks with a vigour stronger than I ever thought she could be capable of. Her knife bites into it's face and the dirty mutt flops to the ground like jelly and remains unmoving. "That's the spirit!" I call out, giving her a nod of encouragement.

I'm happy, I'm so happy that for once in this arena I feel like we're doing something right. No one has to die, we don't have to die, just them. Now it's me and Mantel's turn, two brothers doing their part in the bigger struggle.

This is a message to the Capitol.

This is a message that we're fighters, we're willing to do anything to survive. Even if it means killing their stupid mutts. I've lived with animals all my life, milking cows is all I ever did - hell I even got attached to some of them. But these aren't animals, animals are natural, animals are good, friendly, animals are life. But these disgusting abominations ain't nothing but an imitation and it makes my blood boil despite the freezing weather. These ain't nothing but the result of a bunch of fancy Capitol test tubes; that's all they are. This is a message to the Capitol that I won't put up with it.

This is a message to the Gamemakers.

I'm not putting up with their bullshit. I'm ready and more than willing to kill whatever they send at me. Me and Mantel will spear anything that comes across us.

And it's a message to Mantel.

He's here with me, I'm holding him right now. I'm showing him that if I go down I'll go down screaming and swinging with him in my hand. Cos that's how we're supposed to end, together and covered in the guts of all those who wronged us.

I grit my teeth and stab.

Don't blink, brother.