SILVER • THE HUNGER GAMES ¹

| 24. THE SWARM OF DEATH

BOOK ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

( THE SWARM OF DEATH )

JAMES' POINT OF VIEW

     I CLUTCHED BLAISE'S AXE IN MY PALM, stained with mahogany coloured blood dripping from the edge. I let him rest silently, as he let me overpower his strength quickly in a matter of seconds. They all stared at Silver, as she crawled across the floor, her back against the ground. She struggled to move, narrowly dodging Althea's swing. All eyes were on them. No one seemed to even care about Blaise resting on the yellowish sand, blood splashing out of his shoulder. That's when I comprehended that I was cradling a lifeless body. I dropped Blaise on the floor, his motionless corpse already cold to the touch.

     Rey caught Bella before she could inflict any pain towards Althea, knocking her trident aside and pushing her onto the sandy floor. However, their focus was not solely aimed at each other as you could tell that they were half occupied with checking if their individual allies were still breathing. Their weapons were sprawled across the floor metres away from them so the fight mainly consisted of hand to hand combat. The fight would continue to be lethal until the harsh sunlight died down, but I doubted that it would actually happen.

     The fire that surrounded the last five Tributes continued blazing until it reached the skyline of the Arena. It seemed to reflect in the distance little brown lights with golden ones underneath them, which I almost certainly imagined because that was what the insanity of the Games did to you. I slowly dragged Blaise's body away from the others and placed him by a tree near to the fire surrounding the cornucopia, his corpse wrapped neatly in sand that sticks to his blood.

     I searched my mind for an answer to the impossible question of survival: what could I do? There was only one thing that could save Silver and Bella before the time ran out; before my life ran out. I slowly unzipped my coat and peered down to the bloodshot hole in the side of my stomach. It ached like nothing else in the world. Why couldn't it just be over and done with? Why wasn't I already dead? I should have be dead. I should have be dead and gone. Dead like Freya. Dead like we were all going to be in this Arena if one person didn't prevail Victor sooner or later. Dead like I felt; I felt dead.

     Yet Silver fought on as she skilfully dodged Althea's unplanned attacks. I zipped back up my jacket and stumbled back inside the Cornucopia centre, the circle of fire surrounding us with the pedestals from the bloodbath.

     "Althea," Bella's words were stuttered between blocking Rey's assaults, "Why don't you come after me? You've got a sword - I haven't. Fight someone who you're guaranteed to beat."

     "You don't deserve to be killed by me," Althea spat, pinning Silver down with the edge of the platinum blade of her sword.

     Bella's voice became tired as Rey speed up with his punches, "Penny, Flax, Kestrel, Skye and all the others didn't either!"

     And, as Althea just began to open her guilty mouth again, Bella's hand came into contact of her trident. A large swing was heard echoing through the flames and collided with Rey's forehead. It wasn't enough to kill him, but only to knock him away and to the ground. Though, by the look in Althea's eyes, it appeared as if Bella had proven herself.

     I knew what she was doing and I wanted to stop her.

     Lifting my head up from the heat of the conversation, I saw the golden lights again. However, that time they were not only lights, they seemed to be a full, hungry flock of Mutts from the Capitol. And, they were getting closer...

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SILVER'S POINT OF VIEW

     My eyes remained only half open but fenced by soaring, violent flames. The nightmare I had dreaded all my life was coming true, although there was no way to avoid it. And in the distance I heard a male voice belonging to only one person; James.

     "Mutts. . ." he murmured, "They're here. We're dead. We're all dead —" What did he mean? "— I'm sorry. . ."

     "No, James. There is no need to be sorry. I'm not dead. You are. And so is Miss Bella, here. Let the Mutts torture them Rey." That sly voice must have belonged to Althea. I couldn't let them or the Mutts get to James. And, I was no use lying there motionless with Althea's sword gradually cutting against the side of my neck. Quickly, I checked to see if anyone is watching me. No. They seemed to be engrossed in the enclosing circle of Mutts than to be bothered that what they thought was their biggest threat may still be alive. Lifeless but focused, I staggered to my knees, only to notice various deep fresh wounds and scars that Althea must have inflicted upon me to force me to the floor. Although, as I got up, I remembered Bella. Her foul mouth and witty temper had saved my life, maybe she was a better person than I thought she was? Maybe I could have considered her as a friend?

     I began to hide behind one of the stumpy pedestals that brought me here overlooking the Cornucopia. Crawling closer to the crispy green foliage of the tropical environment, I thought. What if I had never befriended James? I would have been betraying him at a time when he needed it the most and I would ha e already been dead. I couldn't have been able to survive without his on the spot thinking anyway. No right moves. No second guessing. No survival. I would have been dead. No James.

     Checking my plan and continuing to doubt myself if I could go any further, I regained complete vision of the Cornucopia appearing blurred through the yellow, blood red and orange flickers from the fire; still stained with crimson blood from Ottilie's death almost ten minutes ago. Bad memories tormented me as began to stumble into the open. But, everyone saw me. Althea turned to face me. She thought she could kill me, but she was wrong. I had something worth living for. As I began to walk closer, knife in one hand, I heard almighty scream coming exactly from the centre of the Cornucopia.

     Bella.

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