Sweetest Downfall

The rest of that day went unchanging, as did the two days that followed. We wordlessly trekked back to the Cornucopia and I could feel the weight of the Games taking its full toll on my mental health. My ankle still throbbed at night and I was still being haunted by the tributes I had killed and by the ghosts of Herring and Ari. I could feel my body rock and shake when I was caught in those nightmares but I couldn’t wake myself up from those dark, terrifying and scarring memories.

There were five left and that meant soon there would be four, then three, then the final two. Then a Victor. A Victor that would be sent home to return to their family. A Victor that would be me. I tripped over a root and couldn’t react fast enough to catch myself so I just let my body drop. We had gone a day and a half without food and half a day without a sip of water and I could feel my body shutting down. I exhaled slowly and tried to get up but I couldn’t bring my arms to do what I wanted. That’s when it happened, my eyes started to leak, and soon the leak turned into its own ocean.

I sobbed hard and felt my body shaking from the pain. I felt a hand on my shoulder, followed by another scooping under my waist. I looked through the tears and saw Emilyn’s chest and arms folding me into his body. He re-tied my ribbon around Herring’s token necklace and kissed the ring thrown to me by Ari while holding me tight to his chest. His voice came out hushed and soft, “Shh, shh…”

I couldn’t stop; I couldn’t hold it in a second longer. I hated these Games, the whole thing made me sick to my stomach. What part of taking twenty-four people who have hardly had a taste of life thrown into an arena filled with things designed to murder them was appealing to anyone with a heart? I didn’t know how much time passed before Emilyn’s word’s broke through to me.

“Shay, it’s going to be okay. I’m here, I promise you, I’ll protect you and when it’s just the two of us, you can kill me. You’re going to be okay…” He cooed and stroked my hair; much like how a father would and I finally got a hold of myself after a while longer.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked as I stood, getting out of his arms.

“Because, when I saw you before anyone else I knew that I wouldn’t—couldn’t be the one to kill you.” He whispered the words so lowly that I struggled to hear them.

He’s lying Shay, don’t listen to him. My logical voice screamed from between my ears and I almost hit myself in order for it to shut up. Play his game, Shay. Let him and your sponsors think you’re weak.

It was as if the Gamemakers planned it, a second after he spoke a small parachute floated down between us and I dove for it first and opened it slowly. Inside were two tins, one was the size of a quarter and the other was much bigger. I opened the smaller one first and inside was a necklace with a long chain and a crest on it. I looked at it in confusion and then turned to Emilyn, his face was pale and his hands were slightly shaking. I gently held out the necklace to him and he took it in his quivering fingers.

“What’s wrong?” I asked quietly.

“This was my father’s.” He said, his voice equally hushed.

“He sent you another token?”

“No, he sent me my only token.” He slipped it on and snapped out of his trance. “What’s in the other one?”

I opened it slowly and immediately steam lifted from it and we both looked at it with big eyes. Stew, mashed potatoes and green beans were waiting for us in the tin, along with two spoons. I covered it back up just as he was about to dig in.

“Wait, we have to savor it, and save it.” He nodded slowly and I put it in my bag. “And find a safe spot to rest for the night.”

As if the Gamemakers were trying to make another point the sound of buzzing suddenly became clear and we both looked at each other in fear. “Are those…?”

“Trackerjackers!” We both ran as fast as we could away from the sound of buzzing and soon I felt a prick on my elbow and I yelped. I could hear Emilyn screaming out as Trackerjackers stung him multiple times. We rounded a corner and I saw a lake and I immediately jumped right in, catching and holding as much breath as I could on my way falling in.

I could feel the ripple of the water as Emilyn’s body was sucked under. As I waited a few moments for the Trackerjackers to stop dipping into the water I could feel the effects of the venom on my system and I looked to my left to see Emilyn starting to pass out from the pain of the stings. That’s when I felt the bites along my right boot. I looked down and saw piranha’s the size of my hand biting at my boots and starting to get close to my sock. I kicked them in the eyes and swam as hard as I could over to Emilyn just as the piranhas started to swam and attack the both of us.

I shoved him up through the water’s surface and onto shore, and I held in screams as I fought the venom of the Trackerjackers and then deadly fish that were tearing away at the flesh of my legs and waist. I pulled myself up and pulled out the two stingers in my arm and neck and then four in Emilyn’s back. I put my lips around one of his stings and started to suck out the venom and puss. The taste was unbearable, but I sucked until I tasted clean blood on each of the three stings before the grass turned a pretty shade of orange and as I fell backward I looked up at the pretty green sky and passed out.