like oil and water // roadkill v mutts, day 2.

Radiation poisoning is already hitting me from every angle. My big head feels heaver than usual, I spend most of the time resting it in the palms of my hands. I fumble with the pill bottle, politely labelled ’radiation poisoning pills’. Really what the hell are they? A pill is not going to combat radiation. I need to be hooked up to an intravenous drip to even budge the damage that has been done. Maybe it will settle my pounding head and stomach that groans when ever I eye the tin of anchovies that the gamemakers have so kindly left out for us. Fish next to the stench of the sewage lake is going to make me regurgitate the buffet from two days ago.

Instead, my feast is dry swallowing the large pill from bottle. ”Here goes.” I say to myself. My mouth is so dry, I can feel the pill move down every length of my oesophagus. I can maybe go a few days without needing to peel open the tin of fish, but water really needs to get to the top of our agenda.

I sit not too far away from a set of pipes that are likely pumping the toxins into the lake. A parachute lands a few inches from my feet. 6m, is labelled on the rather large package. Instead of the much-needed ice cold drink, a radio is what someone has decided to gift to me. Well, that is great. Really what use is a radio? So, am I going to get a broadcast of the games? I have seen music played through them in the Capitol. I guess I can hear what is going on at the other side of the arena. I twist and hit all the buttons. Nothing coherent broadcasts from the radio but a static noise.

”Ffff-ff—lynn”

My name. But it is not entwined with the static coming from the radio. It is the pipes. The radiation poisoning is really knocking me out. Or maybe those pills are hallucinogens.

”Ffff-ff—lynn”

Again. It is coming from the pipes. I get up. Maybe it is another rat that wants to feast on my fingers or a trap from the gamemakers. Or maybe another gift like the medical kit. I walk up to the left pipe, the one nearest to me, booting it with my toes. ”Hey ghost in the pipes, what do you want?” Nothing but a breeze catches my ears, another whisper of my name. ”Oh just come out with the jump scare already.”

Something bright pours from the middle pipe. Another deadly toxin ready to attack my nervous system. I get a little closer, careful not to get the residue on my skin. I bend my knees slightly, hands on my legs and peer into a pipe. A mask. A gas mask. Oh thank ripred, something to hide away from this smell under. I carry it away to my bag, tucking it in to save for another day.

Now it is time to sleep. I switch off the radio, the disappearance of the eerie static noise making the conversation between Nan and Langley quite loud. They talk of life back home in their districts. I would join in, but tiredness is beginning to infect me. And well, there is nothing interesting about my story back home. Not like the horse girl and shark girl and whatever Revan is.

My head hits the bag, a makeshift pillow that rests on the moist earth. I have a watch booked in tonight, I cannot sleep through it… or maybe I just will.

---

Yes so, I slept through my watch. Nobody woke me up. Fuck. The sun really hits my face and Langley is already on her feet as my eyes finally adjust to the new day.

There is no cold milk to wake up to. Not freshly baked hot bread to accompany the breakfast meat. No newly stocked fruit bowl to grab from on my way out of the house. Instead, the stench is stronger. My mouth is dryer and my stomach growls so loud. I really sacrificed everything for this. And those who I did it for, I do not even think they even know.

”Good morning everyone, did we all sleep well? I will cook the eggs…” I say as I pack everything into the bag that I swing onto my shoulders. I keep the rusting knife in my hand. I really need something a little longer and pointier, a bit like the spear that Nan carries. I will need to get close to things with this knife. ”There are no eggs. I am sorry. I mean if any of you are desperate, there is always the lake. It smells like eggs…” Eggs that are beyond rotten. Like I do not even know what would have happened to eggs to smell anything like that.

Langley takes the lead as we finally depart from the dumpster. The smell does fade but it has taken a hold of my nostril hairs. I will never be able to shake it away. Ever.

The flat land begins to fill with old machinery. Machinery nearly as tall as the tower from yesterday. I have never seen anything like the before but the sparse black puddles at their base may identify them as some oil thing. If that is oil and not some other disgusting rotten residue.

"Hot damn. Nan! Rev! Look alive!"

I guess I already look alive or Langley does not care to warn me of the two beasts that have jumped onto us. Both take a swipe at Revan and Langley, blood already dripping from their arms. I am really going to have to stitch those two up after this…more bandages. Again!

”What do I do?” One beast carries four antlers, two heads. It must have had a drink from that dumpster lake. Its butt is facing me, so I take a plunge with the dry knife.

It was the fifth time that Revan's ass decided to sing. I was tempted to whack him over the back of the head, but instead opted for fishing into my pocket for the cellphone that my stylist had slipped in before entering the tube. Flicking through the contacts I find Cassidy's name, I click on it:

Did u know revan farts when he sleeps? Didn't know anything could smell worse than this arena 🤢

Clicking send I hold the phone to my chest, my back to the trumpet ass behind me.

I hear a soft snicker and my lips pull back into a small smile for the first time all day. Rolling over I see her silhouetted against the toxic sky line, watching the world around us. Pulling myself to my feet I shuffle over to her, I take the seat beside her, hugging my knees to my chest I rest my chin on my knees.

"So whats your story, shark killer?"

"Shark Killer?" I chuckle, turning my head so that my cheek rests on my chin, my eyes examining the girl beside me. I felt bad for how I acted early during the day. She had been scared and injured and the way Revan and I had fucked had definitely not helped the situation. I wanted to apologise, I should apologise, but instead I say, "I like that title." I give her a small smile, turning to face the festering lake a short stance ahead of us.

"My story, huh? What do you want to know?" I almost begin to fidget uncomfortably, I was tired and exhausted. And agitated by the day, and overwhelmed by everything. I almost felt as though I was drowning. I was fortunate that I was a good swimmer.

"Not trying to dive into the skeletons in your closet, but like, you’re in the Games. Why?”

I wanted to push the question away. I didn't want to think of home. Think of mum. Of my reasons for being here, my reasons for fighting. I was scared that if Langley pushed too hard that I might unravel slightly, that the pressure of the day and me revealing parts of who I am to a girl who may as well be dead, attached an anchor to my ankle and that the weight might be too much and that I might drown, no matter how good of a swimmer I was.

But I was strong. I was stronger than that. So I take a deep breath, allowing Langley to see me, look into my life- just a little.

"I was reaped. I'm a Career, it's expected of me. It's what I've trained for my whole life - I guess I choose it in a way. Have you ever heard of Nanette Emsworth and Dustin Carter?" A story that I knew like the back of my hand, one that I knew I would never forget. It was because of the way that they were slaughter that I followed the path that I did. It was because of them that I choose to become a career. Choose to learn how to fight. How to kill. How to survive. I always told myself that it was just in case- just in case- I found myself in their position.

Ha. It would seem like the Capitol would take another Carter from this world. At least I would be the last for now. Until Callan decided to settle down, have kids.

"They were tributes in the first Quell. Distant ancestors. They died by getting ripped to shreds by mutts. They loved each other, and they died in each others arms, not trained to fight back.... Mum often tells me this story and I promised myself that I would never be defenceless. That if I ever found myself in their position that I would know how to fight. How to defend myself." I pause for another moment, thinking of my mum, "mum named me after Nanette cause she had a kind heart, and gave her life for Dustin." 'A heart of a warrior, she would say.

Cassidy asks playfully knocking me in the shoulder if I was going to die for someone then, that perhaps they had been lucky to ally with me, that I might sacrifice myself for one of them. A chuckle escapes my lips and I stretch my legs out before me, using my arms as support as I press my palms into the ground and lean back into them, looking at the sky. "Sorry, Cassidy, but I don't plan to die like them. I plan to live."

"You do know that's my last name right?"

A shit eating grin splits my lips, my eyes drawn back to the girl beside me. "I know, but I like Cassidy." I pause, my grin grows, "plus Cassie rhymes with gassy and I am almost certain that you, Miss Cassidy, with be a Gassy Cassie in a matter of days." I was no scientists but. didn't have to be to know that not only were the tributes in the arena trying to kill us, the Arena itself was. Radiation poisoning.

Another thing to add to my list: the fear of shitting myself to death.

"What about you, what's your story? What do they say about you back in district ten?" I ask in a way of distraction. Langley inhales sharply, her face playing an array of emotions, one I could distinguish as surprised. Maybe she and I were more alike than I originally thought. 

"Mmm, we raised horses, so you know, horse girl was always the joke. Which, after sixteen years, isn’t really that creative. I always wanted to get away... So this was my ticket out... and I guess it’s either eternal glory or death. But at least I’m not there.”

My ticket out.

I have to look away. She was reaped, yet, she saw this an a ticket out. Like Turner did even though he refused to admit it. He didn't outright tell me it was because he was bored, because he wanted more. Maybe Langley Cassidy really was more alike to me than I could ever admit to myself. More like Turner and most likely the other Careers that lurked in the trenches of this arena. "That's one risky ticket. Death or Glory, you sound kinda like a career when you speak like that. I think that many of us would prefer to come home dead than come home a loser."

I lower myself to the ground, the words hanging in the air between us. That was enough for tonight. Mumbling a goodnight I lay down beside her, watching as she does the same. I watch for a long while, silently listening as her sleeps deepens. I think- I think she is braver than I originally thought her to be. Or maybe it just that I needed her to be braver stronger, I needed all of them to be because I was not going to die. I couldn't die.

Mum had always told me that I was selfless. But right now, right now I had to be selfish.

* * *

I wake to two parachutes lying a couple feet away. Groggily I force myself into a seated position, my hands reaching for the silvers packages. One have my name written on it, the other Revan's. I grab both, ripping open the packaging of the one for me. It was perfume. It was one of the most elegant, magnificent bottles of perfume I had ever seen. I was almost sure the bottle itself was made out of bloody crystal.

Pulling off the lid I press down the pump, allowing the scent to spray my wrist. I inhale deeply. Oh. My. God. It was amazing. Taking another deep breath I revel in the smell, after the smell of the rotting lake last night it was like a drug, filling my head and making me slightly dizzy.

Carefully I spritz my body with the fragrant perfume before stowing the bottle away in my pocket. Then I carefully opens Revan's gift, The bottle read V.I.Poo. My eyebrows raise as I pull off the lid and spray the roses scent. Then, as though it could effectively fight the war of the repulsive odour, I begin to spray down the lake. A futile attempt. After a few moment I chuck the lid back on before tossing into Revan's lap as he wakes, "seemed like you could have used his more last night. Your ass sounded like it was playing a solo choir and smelt just as bad as that damned lake."

"So fresh like a daisy?"

I raise a brow at him, tossing my pack over my shoulder, "the daisy in Eleven must be a different type."

Flynn is chirpy this morning, talking about breakfast, his hand clinging to his knife. I can't help but smile at him, and as I walk past I give his shoulder a gentle punch. "You think that shit hole smells like eggs?" I tase before falling in behind Cassidy, "Eleven has different flowers and Six has some funky as fuck eggs."

I don't pay as much attention as I should as I walk, and its not until a scream fills my ears do I jump to attention my hands shining around my spear to put it between my body and whatever had caused Langley to cry out. Two beast stood before them, both with claws dripping with blood. My eyes follow the trail back to Revan. Fuck.

I hear Flynn ask what to do, moments before he thrusts his knife into the closest beast. It strikes deep, tearing into the monster. "That's it Flynn, just do that exactly," then I am moving towards the thing that had attacked Langley. I stand beside her, barely glancing in her direction, "come on, Cassidy, got to hit it harder than that. Your bloods dripping from its body."

I had a feeling my words might provoke her, make her angry. that's good. Angry people tended to fight harder.

Well shit, definitely not two stags. Definitely one stag with two heads with massive antlers.

But she didn’t even swing at that. She swings at the massive black swirling piece of - something? What the fuck is it?

Langley flings her arm out without thinking, the warhammer flailing wildly and it cracks something. All she can hear is shattering bone from somewhere in the swirling, nebulous darkness, but the beast keeps coming forward.

Flynn rushes out and aims at the demented deer while Revan joins him. Nan jumps into action next to her and she’s smiling and how the fuck is she smiling when these things are trying to kill us?

"Come on, Cassidy, got to hit it harder than that. Your blood’s dripping from its body."

“Yeah, no shit, Four! What even is it?!”

Her voice's loud and cracking and she's afraid because all of a sudden, it’s real.

It’s not a game anymore. It wasn’t a game yesterday, but these things were standing in their way.

And honestly, does it even matter what they are? No, they’re still gonna keep coming after them. 

Touching a hand to her shoulder, the blood dripping onto the dry cracked ground, Lang turns around, watching the machinery whir to life.

Shit, did they do that? Did her blood do that?

“Aw, hell, I don’t think those oil wells turning back on is a good thing.”

The Gamemakers were probably watching them, laughing their asses off at the dramatics.

Shit, focus, Lang. She turns back to the darkness, her feet set. 

The oil wells turn on, and it instantly freaks me out. It's never a good thing when something like this happens, and it's hard not to simply run away. Doesn't help that my head is pounding, and I'm sick to my stomach. It just keeps getting worse and worse. I don't think anything will make it better. I'm just trying to remain calm since we're battling these mutts. Nanette doesn't even do much and has to attack again. "Come on, Nanette, can't you do better than that? It's standing right there." I try to hide the small burst of laughter that slips through my lips. It's not the time to laugh, but I need some fun.

Ten attacks again, and I hear the crunch beneath the weight of her weapon. She seems to be doing better than all of us. Flynn is amazed that I even attacked it without a weapon, and is betting me I can't do it again. I'm not one to turn down a bet. Anything to show off, but using a weapon might be more important. This thing is deadly, and I need it to crumble with ease. But I just can't turn down a bet.

I rub my hands together, and I take a moment to look around at my allies. "Okay, Six, you're on. You owe me some bandages if I kill it." A bet is a bet, and he best be prepared to pay up. Sometimes I feel it's not the smartest idea, but right now I have to do the best I can. I take a breath and pound my fists together. I'm not afraid of it even though it can easily kill me. I narrow my eyes and run forward. I have a bet I need to win. I just hope that I can.

A filler as I need s break from a computer screen - will fill on Thursday!

- Mad now he has to use bandages on HIMSELF
- Go girls!
- Letsa geta outta here