The Loric Games

Chapter 27: Swarm

Marina's (Number Seven) POV

I awaken to Six nudging me with her foot. 

"Your turn." she whispers. She's hanging on a higher branch and gives me a small smile before climbing up to sleep.

I moan and stretch my limbs out. I wasn't really dreaming about  anything, but trying to forget about the situation we're in. We're scattered in the death games, waiting prey for the Gamemakers and the Careers to come and kill us. It's what Ra had planned all along and as long as him and Snow are working together, we're sitting ducks. Everything is in their control...almost everything.

I hop down from the tree, my night vision taking over easily. I start weaving through the trees, bored and still exhausted. All the info from Ella has caused me to worry non-stop and it's starting to take its toll. She is like my little sister and we promised that we'd always have each other's back. And here I am, trapped like a bug in a glass jar while she's stuck in some kind of hellish nightmare, one where we're all dead.

I wipe a few tears from my eye and check the snare that John set up before night came. Nothing and I can hear my stomach growling slightly. We didn't eat much of out rations, but my body is used to more food for energy. A lack of energy weakens our strength and in turn our legacies.

I start trekking along, hoping I might be able to find a berry bush or something that we can eat from with no avail. The edible plants station was not my strong suit. I hike as quietly as I can through more brush and around trees, not really caring where I end up as long as I don't run into anyone else.

Its about an hour or so when I start to see a break in the trees. I at first think it's the lake I saw at the start of the Games, but I see some kind of object sticking out beyond the trees. 

I realize that I've made it to the Cornucopia. There's no fire or anything. I can see some sort of base camp with objects piled high. I know immediately that the Careers have set up shop here and all that supplies is unguarded. There's no one around at all, which tells me that they are also hunting by night, maybe more than animals.

I scan the surrounding area, no one is around, camp is unguarded and the perfect time for me to strike.

I start going towards the pile, slowly and closer to the ground. I know in the open area I'm a sitting duck, so I pick up the pace. By the time I reach the pile, my stomach is growling in anticipation.

I unzip my backpack and begin looking for packages of food. I want to take entire containers of food, but if the Careers find out, something worse could happen. So I end up limiting myself to what can fit in the bag. I find a bag of apples and slip a few in. I find some wrapped packages and slip them in there as well.

I go around making sure that the supplies looks untouched for the most part.

Once I've filled the bag up to its maximum I see the sun starting to rise. The tiniest sliver of daylight can be seen in the sky. I know the Careers will be back soon, so I turn to go.  At the last minute, my foot brushes by something. I look down and see a weapon, some kind of curved tool. Not knowing  what it is, but thinking it could be useful, I snatch it and run. I just make it to the trees when I start to hear voices coming in the distance. I'm so relieved and start back towards the camp when one voice stands out to me. It sounds...really familiar.

I take a position behind a tree and stare across at the group emerging from the forest. I can pick out Cato, Sparkle girl...whoever Three likes, a girl from some other district, a blonde guy, Clove and...

My eyes go wide and I put my hand over mouth.

"Treacherous bastard" I hiss under my breath in anger.