The 1st Annual Hunger Games: POV

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The 1st Annual Hunger Games took place in 1ADD (meaning, 'after Dark Days', a rebellion which ultimately lead to the creation of the Hunger Games) when the Treaty of Treason was written and a new era was born. The Hunger Games were brought forward as a form of punishment for the rebels and and a reminder of the Capitol's dominance over the Districts. Each year, the various Districts of Panem are forced to offer up in tribute one young male and one young female between the ages of 12 and 18 to fight to the death until only one remains. The lone victor, whom would be showered with wealth, would serve as a reminder of the Capitol's generosity and forgiveness. The Games were to be broadcast on live television, as a form of entertainment for the Capitol citizens.

Bloodbath
 Dimity Mexx | District 1 | Tribute Plate 

15 seconds. That's how long it takes for the metal disk I'm standing on to raise me up into the unknown. The concrete walls blur past me as if I were back on the high speed Capitol train, looking out the windows to see a flurry of green and blue. A lump forms in my throat as I think of this; when I still had days of life left. Now I had merely seconds. I know I won't get far in these Games, no one will. In two weeks, all but one of us will have cold skin and hollow chests. I close my eyes and try to think of my mother, my father, my brother who I will be with in minutes. I feel my plate lock into place, and breathe out a sigh. Then I open my eyes.

 Birch Wyatt | District 8 | Tribute Plate 

My eyes dart around the arena, only having moments to focus on one thing before moving towards another. It's dark, that much I can confirm. I could've sworn my mentor had said the Games started at midday. Maybe we're so far out of Panem that we've hit a different time zone. I shake my head. That's rediculous.

 Meeka Silver | District 4 | Tribute Plate 

A lump grows in my throat. I've seen this place before. I know this fog. We're in District 13. I gasp aloud as if I have been hit on the back. This couldn't be right! I was sure they'd blown this place off the map. Maybe this was just a sick joke on behalf of the Gamemakers. I let out a long, exasperated sigh. Beside me, the boy from 7 flicks me a nervous glance. I turn my head tightly, as if any sudden move would kill me on the spot, and mirror his expression. We meet eyes for only a moment before I jerk my attention back to the silver horn of the Cornucopia. Objects spew from its mouth, I can make out a yellow back pack a few metres in. Above the pack, on the roof of the Cornucopia, a golden hologram informs me that I have 34 seconds until the Games begin. My palms begin to sweat. I shut my eyes.

BOOM!

 Diaz Fletcher | District 10 | Tribute Plate 

I crouch down on my plate, coving my face with my hands as dirt and ash spray against my body. Someone far off screams. Another joins in. My heart thunders against my chest. When I feel the shower of debris subside, I know the worst is over. With timid, unsteady movements, I pull myself upright once again. The podium where Purity Owper, my District partner, once stood has been reduced to a charred pile of blackened ash. I spot a pool of blood on the ground, and in that instant, flick my head away from the mess beside me. The countdown for the Games have paused, we had 28 seconds to go.

 Nyx Vexon | District 3 | Tribute Plate 

I feel sick. I'm scared. The cool wind laps against my face, only adding to my growing nausea. ''Whatever you do, do not look at that plate. ''I'd been staring her right in the eye only moments before the explosion. Had she fallen? Did she drop something? Did she do it on purpose? For what ever reason, Purity was out of the Games.

One down. 22 to go.

The gong sounds.

 Coil Burr | District 9 | Cornucopia 

My hands shake in anticipation. All these weapons! Sickles! Spears! I grab as many as I can. I was one of the first to make it to the Cornucopia, and the extra stamina needed to get me here was worth it. I sling a pack containing various weapons, food and supplies over my shoulder and prepare to make an exit. That's when I hit a problem; others have started collecting tools around me. Sucking in a deep breath, I ready myself for the worst.

Adrenaline overwhelms me, it's as if everything has blurred and I am within a bubble of stillness. Every move someone makes, every scream I hear, seems to be 100 times clearer than anything before. I'm only halfway out of the Cornucopia when I see a figure crouched over a crate of supplies. Without thinking, I slice the edge of my sword against the skin of their legs. They cry out in pain and keel over on the grass.

I don't stay to watch; these Games have only just begun.

 Derek Luthe | District 1 | Burned City 

I take shaky breaths and reduce my sprint to a slow jog. My throat burns painfully, and my chest feels heavy. After fleeing the Cornucopia, I took off into the unknown; without any supplies to get me by. Finally, when my legs feel as if they can no longer carry my weight, I slow to a stop. Taking deep, gasping breaths, I focus on my surroundings. Several burned huts encompass me, most of them having grey, eroding walls. Large black craters dot the road I stand on, obviously where bombs have impacted the earth...

Something clicks behind me and I set off again, in a frenzy to evade the noise-maker. When I think I've lost them, I dive into one of the rubbled huts, far off from the Cornucopia and all the other tributes.

That's when the canons sound.

 Dimity Mexx | District 1 | Stump Forest 

I wheeze heavily and take refuge on a nearby stump. My leg throbs in sharp, burning pulses; I can feel the blood seeping into my socks. I pull the green material of my trousers up to my knee and peer down at my calf. A quick glance informs me that the cut area is swollen and oozing with thick red blood. Rolling my trousers back down, I shut my eyes and try to take quick, easy breaths. I hearing banging in my ears, and at first I think my heart is hammering so hard I can hear it, but then I realise it is something much, much worse. It's coming from someone else. In an instant, I jerk upright and prepare myself to flee into the depths of the blackened forest, but that's when I remember about the canons. My mentor explained that each canon represents a fallen tribute.

In an instant, I've returned to my stump and began counting.

One, two, three... They go on forever. I count eight, but I could be wrong.

That's when a twig snaps behind me. I jump from my stump and jet off into the forest, not taking a single moment to look back. But my tracker is faster.

Soren appears beside me and snags my arm in his hand. I feel myself sliding into a hysteria. Could this be the boy that helped me with my snares just two days ago? Or who gave my hand a reassuring squeeze after my interview? Surely not. In this dim, frightening light, I can only make out his prominent feautres. His dark eyes and unforgiving frown.

"Ssh. Dimity!" he hisses. "Damn it! Do you want to get yourself killed?"

"What?" I mumble. I can feel myself becoming more and more lightheaded. I moan in pain as my leg sends off yet another burning throb. Soren tightens his grip on my arm. It makes the pain worse. I plead for him to stop. He notices the gash on my leg and releases my arm to examin it.

"That's a deep cut," he murmers. "Needs medicine."

"Do you have any?"

"Just so happens that I do."

He straightens up and retrieves a pale orange box from a black backpack that was slung over his shoulder. I go to reach for it, but he slaps my hand away.

"I never said you could use it."

The dizzyness has finally sunk in. I try to focus my eyes on Soren's face but they keep diverting to the nearby trees. Black blotches begin to obscure my view. My leg aches. "What?" I say, confused. I try to reach for the box again, but it has left my sight completely. "Soren?"

From behind me, a branch cracks. I try to turn but I'm frozen, I can't move my legs or twist my body. I want to cry but I don't know how. I can't blink the blotches away from my vision. A hard pound on my head sends me to the ground.

''Just kill me already! Stop this pain!''

My nose comes into contact with the marshy forest floor, I hear it crack. Blood immediatly seeps out onto the ground, stains my cheeks and blends with the blackened grass.

The last thing I hear is Soren's laugh.

 Leia Brear | District 5 | Burned City 

Derek sprints off out of sight, not once looking over his shoulder. I watch his silhouette grow smaller and smaller as he heads further away from me. I didn't mean to scare him, I was actaully going to ask if he'd ally with me.

Guess that's a no.

My stomach rumbles loudly, even though its only been an hour or so since I ate. Grudgingly, I turn on my heel and disappear into the rubbled city. After walking for a few minutes, I find a tall infastructure that has barely started eroding. I quickly survey they area around me to check that there is no one around, before I dig my feet into the sturdy concrete and make my way up the wall.

 Cyra Vonn | District 2 | Cornucopia 

I wipe the last of Allix's blood from my knife and slide the weapon back in my pocket. Already, even though it's only been an hour or so since the last death, the place reeks of decomposing bodies. Gino appears from the other side of the horn and places his sword in the belt of his trousers.

"I think it's clear," he states, taking one last look around. "We should probably go, so they can take the bodies."

"Okay," I say, picking up a few packets of dried fruit from an overturned crate. "Where to?"

"We should try the forest, I saw a few people head off in that direction." He kicks over an empty box that once contained spears. "Put this in your pack."

He hands me a set of glasses and waits for me to put them in my pack, before brushing past and heading into the gloom of the forest.

Violet Knox | District 11 | Justice Building

The floorboards creak as I tiptoe around the District 13 Justice Building. I tread lightly, spreading my weight evenly across the wooden panels. Twice now the boards have given in and snapped under my feet. On the plus side, it appears this place is empty.

 Heath Steal | District 4 | Lake 

It takes everything I have not to dive into the pit of black liquid.

At a first glance, it looks like a bubbling pool of thick black tar, and the smell is absolutely hideous. Curiousity got the best of me and I prodded at one of the bubbles with a blacked branch from a nearby tree. After jabbing at it a few times, a clear liquid spurted out like a fountain. I had to take deep breaths, I was so thrilled to find water. Using a water-skin made out of rubbery bark, I gulp generous mouthfuls of the cleanest water I've ever had.

 Gino Plough | District 2 | Stump Forest 

We've been walking around in here for what feels like hours and yet I still haven't found a single soul. It's probably Cyra's fault, she keeps complaining about the stupid pack hurting her shoulders.

I should just kill her now, get it over with.

But I remind myself that she will get me the Victors Crown, I just have to play it cool.

"Hey, Cyra," I say, turning around. She bumps into me and stumbles backwards, grabbing a branch of a tree to steady herself.

"What?"

"Do you want to lead for a bit? My eyes are getting tired."

Cyra considers this. "Oh, uh, okay. Sure, I guess."

She passes me the pack, which weighs no more than my sword, and begins to lead off into the forest. I trail along behind, sliding on the night-vision goggles and examining the surrounding forest closely. That's when I spot it, and I nearly trip over my feet in excitement.

 Dimity Mexx | District 1 | Stump Forest 

I'm startled awake by the sounds of heavy tread. How long have I been lying here? I could've sworn I was dead! My aching legs and arms gave me the impression that I'd been out for a few hours, maybe even overnight. I wouldn't be able to tell, although it does seem a lot darker since I last opened my eyes. Then again, half of my sight is obscured by thick black marsh.

The footsteps appear to be getting closer, and I can hear soft voices. My instincts kick in and yell at me to crawl into the wall of black moss that is a few feet in front of me. Just as I prepare myself to move, the voices pick up.

"I swear I saw someone," a male voice hisses. I can't pick up who it is, but I know that they've seen me. Any plans of escaping now would be futile. Instead, I curl myself up into a ball and begin sobbing. I don't care if Panem watches me cry. I don't care if potential sponsers forget about me.

I don't care.

I hear Cyra's voice call out from behind the male. "Can I please use the glasses now! It's dark!"

"Shut up Cyra!" Gino shouts back. I know exactly who it is. And he's already found me. The footsteps cut short by my injured leg.

"I think she's dead," Gino mutters, and I feel his fingers touch the gash on my calf. I have to bite down on my lip to stop from screaming, and I try to keep my face still. The term 'play dead' has never meant so much to me than what it does in this instant. "Take a look at this!"

I hear the gentle click of the goggles being passed over before Cyra gasps.

"It's Dimity!" she exclaims. "Poor girl."

"If she's dead then why hasn't the hovercraft taken her body?" Gino hisses. I don't hear Cyra respond. I feel someones foot come in contact with my wound; they hit it hard. I can't help but writhe in pain. "That's why."

Gino laughs maliciously. "Not for long."

The canon sounds.

 Rhea Megony | District 7 | Rubbled Huts 

Yet another canon signifies the loss of one more tribute. It sounds distant, maybe on the other side of the arena. That's nine of us gone within the space of daylight. It's taken me all day to get here; I can't even tell if it is night yet.

That's when the anthem begins.

It blares across the whole arena, enough to make my bones rattle. I sit down in the debris of one of the huts and patiently wait for the song to conclude. I notice a light in the sky, it flashes for a second before disappearing once again. Then it returns. I stick my head outside and glare up to see the face of the District 1 girl fade into the stars. I know what this is; commemorating the fallen.

She's followed by the girl from 3; so I guess both of the District 2 tributes lived. The boy from 5, the girl from 6, both tributes from 8- that means Flax survived- the girls from 9, 10 and 12. As Wren's face disappears into the night sky, the anthem dims out and the aching silence of the arena fills its place.

TO BE CONTINUED..