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Title wave forces tributes into the factory....

We had been in the arena 6 days, 144 hours, 518,400 seconds and the one night I decide to camp on the warm sand by the ocean a giant title wave just happens to decide to pummel on the arena. That didn't sound like a coincidence.

Not that I was really in the state of mind to care. My eyes were bloodshot, my body was bruised, all I wanted to do was sleep. Sadly for whatever reason my body refused to comply, so I had spent night sitting on the beach thinking about how much I wanted to be sleeping right now. I loved sleep, it was like death without the commitment. The wave was actually the first interesting thing that happened all night, I stared at the oncoming death numbly. I debated whether or not to wake up my allies, I could just sit here and wait until the wave hit us....

Stone, you lazy ass, wake them up. Your time is coming, it's not now though. There is still something you need to do.

I let out a long exasperated sigh. "I had almost managed to forget about you, creepy voice in my head. Thanks for the reminder that I'm insane." I muttered, watching as the wave approached even quicker. Maybe I should wake them up, but I was just so tired. My will to live was dead, just like I would be in 30 seconds or so.

Images from my younger days flashed through my mind, me smiling, laughing and helping people. I was merely an empty shell of what I had been, a worthless shell being tossed back and forth by the winds of the world, a shell that somehow managed to get swept past the jaws of death every time I attempted to enter them.

Why were the people who didn't want to die so easy to kill, while the ones who wanted to die so hard?

Stone this isn't all about you! Alex and Aspen want to live!

I closed my eyes feeling the familiar tornado of feelings swirl around my heart. I was so gullible. With another sigh I pushed myself to my feet and kicked Aspen in the ribs with all my might. It would be a lie if I said I didn't enjoy kicking the annoyingly happy boy.

"Wake up. Theres a title wave barreling toward us." I said without much conviction. I walked over and kicked Alex next, as Apen moaned a little and screamed upon seeing the wave. I grabbed Alex's backpack and slung it over my shoulders kicking Alex again for good measure.

Aspen swooped over to Alex dragging the unstable kid to his feet. "Come on!" Alex groggily threw a glance over his shoulder a gesture that seemed to snap him completely out of his morning fog as he started sprinting.

I ran along side the two boys who were scared out their minds and fueled by adrenaline, I didn't share their apparent fear. Stopping my feudal sprint and turning to face death with open arms danced tantalizingly at the back of my mind, daunting to me to give in.

I tried to shake it free of my conscious but my resistance only seemed to make the desire grow stronger.... I pushed my legs faster on the pavement, trying desperately to get lost in the rhythm of my feet. I heard the wave rushing behind us, ravaging over the dead city, destroying all in its wake. My eyes locked on the huge grey factory. The wave was almost on us, we were going to have to take our chances if we wanted to live. No. If they want to live. You don't want to live, you're absolutely worthless, you're the lowest of the low. You killed your sister so you could live. You are so weak, pathetic and worthless and everyone knows it. Logic and memories slammed into my sanity, desperately trying to destroy it. I tried to push it out of my mind but I couldn't.

"The factory! It's our only hope!" I yelled as Aspen doubled his pace and reached the door to the factory first and throwing himself inside. Alex rushed through and I was hot on his heels, resisting the urge to stop and let the waves crash into me. The door slammed shut behind me as the entire building shook from the force of the waves.

I fell to my knees surrounded by darkness, the depression beginning to smother me. What hope? Since when was there any hope?

That was when the lights flickered on slowly one by one, illuminating the darkness. Five silhouettes were illuminated. The remaining careers. Behind them machinery began to whir as the rest of the factory, crammed with machinery began to work. I swallowed getting to my feet feeling my heart flutter in my chest, anxiety rippling down my spine.

This was going to be a bloodbath. A bloodbath between The Capital's lapdogs and the turned outer district's versus the trio of... well whatever we were. It was pretty obvious which side would win.

I yanked Alex's backpack off of my shoulders and unzipped it hastily reaching my hand in feeling around for a weapon. The bag was empty with the exception of a duck. Yes, you heard me correctly a living, breathing duck. My head snapped around to glower at Alex. "What the hell!" I yelled as Alex rushed forward and enveloped the bird in his arms. "Seriously, where the hell are the weapons?" My eyes blazed as I stared at him, mildly aware that we were being charged by a herd of careers.

His eyes flicked with surprise before turning to stone again. "I needed a place for George to sleep." He said as a sledgehammer raced toward my head. I growled in frustration, ducking as the career from 6, Arrow or something, tried to smash my skull in.

Arrow swung the sledgehammer at me again, I caught it mid air, the force sending a shock through my body. I kneed his stomach and sent him tumbling backward. "It has a name?" I demanded looking at him as he fought with Caella, her face was cascading with perspiration as the two struggled through their death match. I drove my elbow into Caella's head, knocking her to the ground as the girl with the blue hair attacked me. Her spear drove its way into my shoulder, searing the flesh, I jumped back, right into Aspen. This bloodbath was too congested, I ducked under Clara's next swing. A ninja star whizzed over my head as I broke into a sprint deeper into the factory.  

I glanced over my shoulder to see if Aspen and Alex were following me. They weren't, but two careers were; Arrow and the blonde girl. I started running, pushing my legs against the concrete, ducking and dodging whirring machinery.

My breath caught in my throat as I felt the back of my shirt catch on a jagged edge of machinery it jerked me upward. Desperately I wiggled myself free from the shirt, I felt it give as I fell downward my body cracking against the hard concrete. I let out a small moan, forcing myself to stand up off of the grimy floor. I crained my neck upwards to see what I had gotten caught on.

I watched, chills riveting up my spine as the fabric of my shirt was tossed into a paper grinder.  This was not a place that I'd like to die. I heard a shout from somewhere behind me as the two careers whipped around the corner and saw me. I started sprinting again I saw the wall of the factory. I glanced over my shoulder, I couldn't go back. My eyes spotted a ladder and I ran for it as a ninja star soared past my ear.  My clammy fingers grasped the cool metal of ladder and began tugging myself upwards. My breath was ragged in my chest, why was I even doing this? Why was I running? Why was I even breathing?

I pulled myself up into the walkway that ran over the entire factory. I jumped to my feet and began sprinting down the walkway.

The answer hit a dead end, the machinery grinding beneath me.  I turned around to see Arrow and the blonde girl closing in on me.... I was mad- no furious. I was sick of being pushed around by everyone. So what if I killed my sister? So. What. A little giggle escaped my lips. I was going to make someone pay very dearly.

I felt all the fury boil over, mixing with my fear and anxiety morphing into something terrifying.

Both careers were taking their time, they knew they had me cornered- or was it I who had them cornered? I let out a warcry and charged them, red hazing the edges of my vision. I barreled into Arrow, knocking him to the ground. His sledgehammer skidded from his hands and fell over the edge into the metal monsters that waited below. I started punching him relentlessly, feeling a sense of intoxicating power hit me. I saw a katana come soaring towards my face I blocked it with my arm, loving the riveting pain that shot up my arm as the blade dug into my forearm.

Some small part of me, trapped in the deepest corners of my mind screamed at me that I had completely lost it, that this wasn't me. I barely processed it though my hand shooting forward and clasping the sharp blade in my palm. The girl tried to rip her blade free but I held tight as the blade tore through my skin. I kicked her stomach and sent her tumbling backward against the flimsy safety rail. Arrow jumped me from behind, his big hands clasping my neck, about to clack it. I ebowed his stomach and he let go with a pained 'umph'.  I spun around and sent my fist into his face, relishing the image of his body collapsing.

I felt an explosion of pain in the bony part of my right shoulder. I reached toward the pain, pulling free a ninja star. I hooked my middle finger through it stared at the reflection in the hard black metal. I smirked as I watched the blonde girl try to sneak up on me, drawing her katana back. I ducked, spinning around at the last second, thrusting the ninja star across her stomach, I watched as the blood explode, pouring into the ground in bucketloads. An entrail had gotten itself stuck in a rivet of the star, pulling itself from her stomach. The entrail burst as I yanked the star free, a smelly brown liquid leaking from it. Winter screamed dropping her sword as she stared at her entrails in horror. On an impulse I reached forward and yanked them with all my might, a large brainlike entanglement fell out.

I leaped forward as she fell to her knees and began slashing her body repetitively, mindlessly. Blood flew in every direction with each new cut I made. The most terrifying thing of it all was that I didn't care.

Suddenly I felt my body tossed to one side, I tumbled over, my foot hanging dangerously over the edge of the walkway. I quickly pulled it back in, turning to look at the girl, Arrow sat over her body, hunched over grasping her hand. I watched transfixed as he begged her to stay with him, tears running from his eyes. A gurgle of blood coughed itself from the girl's throat and she stopped moving.

And it is only then that my sanity caught up with me. I gazed onward in sudden horror at what I had done, feeling bile raise itself in my throat. How could I have done that? How could I have enjoyed it. How had I gone from saving people to torturing them? I felt my hands begin to shake as Arrow turned to face me, his eyes cold. "Y-you killed her." He choked tears clogging his throat.

I shook my head guilt bombarding me, strangling me, drowning me. "I'm sorry. I-I don't know-"

"Shut up!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, storming towards me I backed up hitting the rail. I glanced behind me and I knew I was dead. There was no way I was getting out of this alive. "Shut up!" He screamed again, throwing himself at me, his hands grasping my neck as I felt myself tumble backwards over the rail and into the churning machinery below.

We landed in a huge funnel, my fingers curling around the rim as my body slid towards the center of the funnel, where whirring blades spun rapidly, ready to grind anything- or anyone -that got caught in its blades.

My heart thrummed in my chest like a bird desperately trying to break free of it's cage. I had to pull myself out of here. My eyes settled on Arrow who was a beside me, his palms face down on the metal trying to keep himself from slipping. He hadn't been able to grab the lip of the funnel like I had.

We made eye-contact, his were wide with fear. I hesitated, then reached forward and offered him my hand. "Here." I said, aware that once we got out of the funnel he'd probably kill me.

He looked at the hand as if it was infected. "You think helping me will bring her back? Do you?" He spat, his eyes blazing as tears rolled from them. "I don't need your help." He hissed, beginning to inch his way upwards, one palm at a time- I watched, heart in my throat.

Then he slipped the sweat from his palm sliding downward. I watched in horror as he cried out, his foot being devoured by the blade. Blood flew in all directions along, fainting the funnel a deep shade of scarlet. a small piece of ground skin hit my cheek as arrow was pulled deeper and deeper into the grinder. When it reached his thighs he reached his arm out toward me, as if somewhere in that inhuman wail that left his lips was a plea for help, rethinking his prior statement.

I couldn't reach him though.

And so I watched the demise of the district six career. The grinder sent his internal organs flying along with the blood, drenching me. A huge bubble of red coughed itself from Arrow's lips as he finally died, either from the pain or the bloodlust, I had no idea. I stared, still unable to move as I stared at the remains of his corpse get eaten by the shredder, the last thing I saw of him was his one pale bloody hand reaching upward toward the sky as it was too grinded into oblivion.

I stayed like that for a minute before finding the strength in me to pull myself upwards out of the funnel, I perched on the lip a second staring at the conveyer belt below me. I nearly vomited as I was a small styrofoam plate full of uncooked meat that was covered with clear plastic wrap roll out. It was labeled; Aero.

I looked away. The gamemakers were sick, God they were sick, I thought in disgust as I let myself fall to the ground feeling tears of frustration, shock, and sadness well in my eyes. I was so weak, images of Aero (I guess he spelled it weird) and the blond girl who I still had no idea what her name was flashed through my mind, taunting me. I didn't feel angry, or suicidal this time. I just felt this deep seated sadness washing about within me. I wanted to hide away in a corner and never be found.

I sigh and began walking through the machinery back toward the entrance. I stepped over the dead body of the district four girl, I stared at her body that was once full of life and vigor lie empty with a knife wound in her back. I stepped over her and continued walking forward numbly, dodging the mechanical arms of the machines.

Suddenly Alex swung around the corner of a toy making machine and nearly ploughed into me. His eyes widened a little from surprise then fell back into their residual glare. "Did Clement come by here? We got Caella, we just need Clement!" He asked, looking over my shoulder.

Aspen appeared behind Alex, a look of distrust splayed across his face. I looked down, feeling my brain jump itself, this was it. We were in the final four? I started to shake my head. This wasn't supposed to happen, I had been supposed to die. Twenty others had died while trying to survive, and I, trying to die, had managed to survive.  I looked up, my heart twisted by greif.

This was it. This was really it. I stared at my two allies, I was going to sacrifice myself for one within the next hour most likely- the question became; who should I save?

And more importantly, was I brave enough to do it?