the fangs of greed // mystery inc vs. gulpers, day two

"It would be smartest to stay near the lake."

It meant a constant water source, and their canoes were a quick escape route no one else seemed to have if it became necessary. And Willa knew it was only a matter of time until escape was necessary. She'd been lucky enough to survive, but it had certainly come at a steep cost.

Today, her legs were sore, her head throbbed seemingly with every beat of her heart, and she already felt tired enough to take another full night's rest by the time she'd exited her tent and eaten a handful of her trail mix for breakfast. She just. She couldn't do it. And fighting was delaying the inevitable, she knew that, and maybe the best thing she could do for herself when they came for her was let them. At least, if they had any decency, they'd make sure she didn't suffer.

But there was that stubborn part of her. The part that existed before. The part that might've had a chance. And she didn't want to give up, recklessly clinging to the hope that maybe, just maybe, if she'd made it this far, she'd make it even further, and even if it seemed entirely inconceivable at this point, maybe the finish line wasn't as far away as she might've thought.

She rubbed her eyes to force them awake. Sipping from her canteen, she stared at the smoldering coals of last night's fire. She'd slept through her entire shift, but no one had noticed and she wasn't going to draw any attention to it. The stupidest thing she could have done was make the few people who'd taken pity on her change their minds.

Even Nora would've won against her if it came down to it, and Willa saw the same terrified fate awaiting the girl from Twelve as her own. She wondered if people like them could always tell in the games, or if they were delusional enough to think differently. Maybe Willa and Nora were smart, or maybe they were too smart. Maybe their belief that they'd die was the exact reason they would.

She tried thinking about what winning might mean, and the thing that hurt the most was that she could hug her mom again. Her mom had always been a lovely hugger.

"You guys!" Nora called, a beat too late as three nightmarish creatures closed the distance to them, perhaps out of thin air. They were vaguely canine-looking, with strangely humped backs and mouths lined with impossibly sharp teeth. She'd seen them before in the games, she thought. They were known for having some sort of mechanic involving the jaw, if she remembered correctly, but she couldn't place the name.

One of them lunged at her in the instant after she'd drawn her sword, and it was all she could do to hold the blade up and block the attack. The force of the thing slamming into her was still enough to send her crashing to her ass and she grunted, scrambling backwards before it took advantage of her being prone.

"No, no, no."

Without meaning to, she'd crawled almost directly into the ashes of last night's fire, burned one of her palms in the process but the creature didn't seem interested in following her lead, which gave her just enough time to climb back to her feet. It circled the fire toward her, and she closed her eyes and swung.

At dawn, the lake is quiet.

I'm one of the first to take down my tent. Early mornings aren't really a new thing for me, but considering the rush of adrenaline still pumping through my system, it's commendable enough that I can still see the outline of shapes around me when I wake up. It doesn't do much for comfort, but I start to calm down when I return to consciousness. Like if something comes after me, I'll be ready to fight back. Maybe it's a coping mechanism.

Either way, it just feels like the most logical reaction. When there's less variables, maybe then I'll be okay with leaving myself vulnerable for a couple hours, but right now I'm too on edge. Honestly, it's not even as bad as I'm making it sound. I'm good. Before I forced myself to attempt a good night's rest, I set my nose. I popped a mouthful of trail mix, and for the next ten seconds, I choked on a scream and chewed those fuckers down to dust.

Fortunately, it had done the job, and I was able to zone out long enough to quiet the stinging across my body to a dull throb. Even now, sitting in the fog shrouded sunlight, I can convince myself I'm okay if I just focus on what's in front of me. Familiar trees, and the way the lake almost looks like it's sparkling. If I turn around, I'll see the carnage that happened here yesterday. If I look down, I'll see the scars through the holes in my shirt.

And if I look anywhere away from myself, I will see the people who are sharing this torture with me. Constant reminders that I am a victim. Mighty as I like to think I am, locked and loaded to take down anyone big or bad enough to stand in my way, I'm still here. There's still twenty-two other tribute that have to die for me to go home, and if I get my way, I'm staring at three of them right now. For me to survive, I have to be okay with knowing they won't.

I'm not, but I'm smart enough to know I need to be, so I just try to turn off my thoughts for as long as I'm able. Pack up my shelter, and take count of all my belongings, do a few exercises by the shore just to keep my body limber. This is a bad place to get comfortable. I'm afraid, but that makes me all the more of a contender. As much as the rest of us are. Quiet little lives, begging for permission to keep going.

Gotta find the power to keep on screaming.

Silence doesn't suit me.

Maybe, if we choose to ignore the fact that my eyes are wide with panic, that's why I yelp when the creatures ambush us at our camp. I had been crouched to the ground, and by the time I shoot back up to my feet, gnashing teeth are narrowly missing Willa and Nora, and a set of claws has dug itself into Reece's leg. Right in the calf muscle. I snatch up my spear, jogging over as the first round of counter attacks are dished out.

Nothing too crazy, I think, given how suddenly our environment has shifted around us — but then a still twitching head rolls away from the space ahead of Willa, coming to a stop beneath Reece's heel. I stumble for a moment, swallow down all of my apprehension, and charge with everything in me at the one who had torn into my district partner. "This isn't personal!" I shout, almost implying that hurting this monster makes me feel sentimental.

No. I'm still pissed at my ally for basically telling me he wished the girl from One would have killed me — and as much as I can't stop my body from trying to protect him, it's wired into me. I have to help, and maybe that's part of why he stabbed Emerson through the throat in front of me. Maybe that's the purpose for this taste of blood I still can't get out of my mouth. He wants me to die, and the feeling is mutual. My friends can't leave this place.

I should stand back, and just let this happen to them.

I don't, of course, but y'know.

In retrospect, or whatever.

Nora doesn't notice that she's crying.

It happens between one second and the next, the terror coming over her again in waves like it did during the bloodbath, panic creeping up her throat, making her feel like she's suffocating. She doesn't really know how to make sense of the creature, doesn't know how to calm her thoughts and settle her mind and come up with a plan of action here. She's too methodical, needs too much quiet—this place, this moment, this is not what she was built for.

And she's going to die because of it.

Her chest is heaving with the effort of jumping out of the way of the first one's jaws, the thing only narrowly missing her. She's felt the air change and it jumped past her.

She doesn't even see it when Willa cuts of the second one's head, has her back to them from dodging the first one and she doesn't know how to make sense of it when she catches sight of the thing lolling around on the ground, blood and gore leaking out to match what's on Willa's machete now. "Willa," she says, quick, her voice broken. She doesn't even know what she wants to say, doesn't know what there is to say, just that in another life something should have been.

Here they sweep past death like dust.

She can't make sense of it.

But Reece is proud, and Aspen is apologetic, and Nora doesn't have time to sort it out between one second and when the third one is leaping towards her. "Ahh!" she screams, ducking out of the way of the terrible, terrible thing. She flings her machete above her as she crouches down, maybe as intended protection or maybe in carelessness she honestly isn't sure, but she knows that the force of the thing gouges her machete into the things arm, yanking her with it. She doesn't think, just moves, yanks her machete towards her and stumbles backwards away from the thing.

Nora doesn't notice the things blood on her face.

This isn't personal!

Reece audibly scoffs, rolling his eyes so hard a viewer with the right angle might think his baby blues are going to pop right out of his skull. They don't, obviously, but this girl from Seven - despite being a damn near stranger - already knows how to tap dance on his last nerve. It's annoyance he feels now, as he wipes sweat from his brow and re-positions himself while the creature goes for another strike on Aspen this time. 

It makes contact and it takes all he has in him not to smile a little. Not because something is trying to kill her like yesterday, but because she's going out of her way to make it seem like she doesn't care. It's adorable almost. Endearing, really. Reece's chest swells a bit as he watches her lunge for the ugly thing that just gouged out a piece of his leg. Even after how cruel he was to her, she still - for some unknown reason - thinks his life is worth saving. He doesn't think he deserves such a kindness, but he'd be a downright villain not to return the favor. 

Eventually it would be her or him. Maybe not literally; he would probably die to those careers any day now, but there would only be one winner of the 88th Hunger Games. Today, however, they could win this fight. If Reece swallowed his pride and contempt and anger. If he could stop being so damn selfish and only thinking about himself and how he's feeling. 

He looks to Aspen and silently curses her for softening a very small piece of his heart. Fuck you, he thinks as he sees her in a new light for the first time. Not as a girl who's only goal in life is to become the very thing Reece detests more than anything in this world. But as a young woman who would do anything for the three people surrounding her.

She was strong and capable of far more than he ever gave her credit for. He'd written her off so many times, ignoring the fact that he really liked how when she smiled little dimples formed on the sides of her mouth. And refused to acknowledge how much he loved that her hair was so long and golden and looked like it would feel softer than silk if you touched it. And he definitely willfully overlooked just how skilled she was with a spear. Mostly because he hadn't wanted to think about how easily she could use it to stab him through the chest. 

It wasn't until today that he'd considered she could actually protect him, too. 

"Hey!" He grunts, knowing he shouldn't even bother. It would be so much easier if that creature just stabbed her in the stomach so he wouldn't have to. Because now he's not so sure he could anymore. "Over here, you ugly bitch!" He taunts the thing, hoping to pull its attention from Aspen toward him. "Hit me not her!" He fakes left and then rears his axe back and lunges right with another hefty swing and a twinge of regret in his heart. 

( reece attacks the first, axe )

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[ sc - 3.5dmg ]