i hate the winter / mutts v gg day 2

An apology for the scare he gave to Ginny and Luya feels inadequate, but he gives it anyway. Ginny seems to be less forgiving towards him. Ty keeps the gun stiff at his side as he backs up, still red from embarrassment. It was just an accident, the excitement of finding a weapon longer than a six-inch blade getting the better of him, but accidents don't make something any less of a mistake. What if he'd pressed too hard on the trigger and actually shot her? How could an alliance work if one member shot another within an hour? Fuck, he can't stop looking at them now.

"Damn, Ty, you got a mean streak I don't know about?" Cedric's joke doesn't make the situation feel any lighter. He shakes his head, turning back to the stack of tires. Tyrone's arms shake as he leans back in to see a few more rifles standing upright in the pile. "There's more hidden in here if you want them. Sorry, Luya, I didn't…" Tyrone says as he turns back to the group. Just for a glimpse, he sees each of them with circles of blood red in their chests. With the blink of an eye, the bloodstains are gone.

He begins to walk to the collapsed entrance, "The gasoline is really getting to my head, you guys, I'm gonna step outside. Just shout if you need me."

Ty walks along the outer walls of the building, trying to find a good place to lay that isn't completely out in the open. He hopes that they will call for him if there's trouble, but at this point, he wonders if they might pick up and leave altogether. He hasn't exactly displayed responsibility and loyalty in the waking hours of the Games. Why risk spending a night? He lets his legs crumble down inside a divet in the rubble, trying to get the image of his dead allies out of his head.

Cedric is the one who checks on him outside. He figured that might be the case: Luya and Ginny are probably still uneasy. Ty's quiet for a moment, studying his ally's face in the darkness. Everything about him today, and ever since the day that they met, has felt almost carefree. Nothing deters Cedric from his goals, but it only takes Tyrone one inconvenience.

He hesitates to ponder what's on his mind, but Tyrone asks the question anyway, knowing if he doesn't get an answer soon, he won't be able to survive much longer in the arena. How are you so calm in here? I mean, I accidentally almost shot Luya and you laughed. How can you be so chill about it?"

"That was probably insensitive, but it's because death isn't scary to me. If we die, we get to see what comes after. That's interesting, isn't it?"

Interesting? That's it, right there. The calmness and certainty in his answers. It irks Ty that he can't handle himself with the same amount of ease. "No, Cedric, that's the terrifying part. What if we don't like what we see after we die?"

Philosophic discussions like this weren't allowed back in District Eight for Ty. Do as you're told, don't ask questions, save the tears for your pillow. It takes Cedric a moment to respond. Another casual response, "Then we deal with that like we do this life. There's plenty of shit we don't like to see here too."

Just deal. It's hard to deal nowadays when a full deck of fifty-four has been cut down to just the two Joker cards: Live and Die.

"How can we face what we don't like, what we're scared of? How can I not be scared of it?"

That's what Tyrone wants to know, although he's too afraid to admit it flat-out. How can I be fearless when everything is drenched in terror? If not for his own sake, than for Cedric's, Ginny's, Luya's, or Saturn's?

Tyrone is so eager to be told the answer, but Cedric forces him to find it for himself. "I dunno. I'm just not scared. What makes you scared of it?"

He's afraid to admit his fears but he pulls them out anyways, trusting Cedric with his nervousness, anxiety, and insecurity. "Being wrong, regretting it after, failing, getting embarrassed. List goes on."

"What's so bad about getting embarrassed?"

Everything, Cedric, everything! Embarrassment catches you off-guard, pitches a tent on your head, and stays there until something worse passes along- Tyrone elects to give Cedric a less frantic answer. "Gives me knots in the stomach. Can't exactly fight for your life like that."

"You can if you ignore it."

Sure, he thinks, making spirals in the dirt with his knife. I'll try that the next time I almost get us killed.

He spends most of the afternoon out there, watching the colors in the sky go from a cool blue to warm yellows and oranges as the sun begins its descent. It's almost pitch black out when the anthem begins to play. Aurora. Iden. Anarchy. Jack. The final name rings a bell, but the District Six under his name and face confirms it: his sparring partner had died. Jack beat the shit out of Tyrone in their fight, but he couldn't make it past the bloodbath. Guess that shows the shit I've got in odds.

--

By morning they regroup, Luya and Ginny still inside the garage where Tyrone last saw them. He appreciates them staying and not leaving him behind but still keeps his distance. Their trust needs to be earned back.

They journey across the arena to a place that feels like even more of a ghost land than the garage. The burnt-out environment still warms his feet. That, combined with the burning sun, make every ounce of his chest and forehead sticky. Thankfully he isn't a big sweater. He wouldn't be too sure on how to just ignore it like Cedric said if he was. Tyrone nods along to Cedric's assessment of the muggy area. At least it's better than the nauseating gasoline smell that they spent last night sleeping next to.

"What the hell is.. that?"

Tyrone looks up to his displeasure. Mutts. Dinosaurs, to be more precise, charging in their direction. The larger one swipes with its fangs at him and Luya. It tears into the fabric of his pants, the drool from its mouth mixing a bit with Ty's blood. Its friend, a taller bird creature, buries its teeth into Ginny.

Earn her trust back, Ty.

He follows Cedric's charge with his own knife and swings at the taller creature.

Be brave.

[tyrone attacks ERNIE the Rua; knife]
vuac6zOJ4Bknife
2099 -- Deep Gash on Back of Head -- 9.0 damage

"Go for the leg! It's weak!"

It's surreal for Tyrone to be fighting something that he imagined only in his dreams and nightmares. A giant dinosaur, with sizeable teeth and a painful roar. He rips his knife out of the creature's leg, stumbling back from the brawniness of the monster. The conditions outside make it unbearable. The charred colors surrounding them seem to sizzle with every step and the heat warms the soles of his shoes.

The dinosaur chops down on Ty again, ripping deeper into an already exposed wound. He pulls his leg back, tearing a bit more of his skin off, but all he can think about is getting the mutt's teeth out from his body. Who knows where it's been or what it has been eating. It could easily get infected.

On his side, Ginny is screaming again. The dinosaurs have found her flesh more appealing like mosquitos deciding which type of blood is the best. Tyrone steps toward her, watching in horror and disgust as the dinosaur feasts on her. She's going to need serious medical attention once this is all over.

If it's ever over.

He waves his knife by his side for good luck before thrusting it back in towards the mutt's reptilian scales. For Ginny.

It's Tyrone's turn to feast.

[tyrone attacks BURT the Blood Warden; knife]
oOe|XhoZL|knife
[2012 -- Deep Gash on Chest -- 9.5 damage]