Leonardo trudged through the woods, his gaze fixed on the ground and his arms dangling limply by his sides. His large feet dragged through the layer of snow on the ground, which had gone from incredibly thick to barely existent. It wasn't a surprise to Leo-over the past few days, it had been snowing less and less, and more and more of the snow had been melting. It was like the Gamemakers' way of saying that the Games were almost over, which they were. Earlier that day, four more cannons had gone off, announcing the death of four more Tributes. Leonardo had been keeping count, and sp he knew that there were only two Tributes left-and he was one of them.

Of all the Tributes to enter this arena...how the shell am I one of the last two standing? he wondered miserably. So many of those people deserved to live more than I do. They had so much more to live for than I did!

He thought of his Career friends-they were goofy and lovable, and the guilt he had for their deaths still ate away at him inside every day. He thought of Monica, his oldest and best friend, now lost to him forever. He thought of Destiny, his faithful ally and companion, who'd been so loyal to him that she'd literally died for him. He thought of Galaxy, who'd been so cheerful and eager to work with him, slaughtered on the very first day of the Games. He thought of all the other Tributes who had been forced to enter the arena and die, and the sadness he felt was overwhelming.

I should be the dead one here.

He looked up at the sky, where he could see that the sun was beginning to set. Sunset had always been one of his favorite parts of the day–watching all those beautiful colors appear in the sky had been absolutely breathtaking for him, ever since he was young. He and Monica would often sit and watch the sun set at the end of the day, and he and Destiny had done so in the Arena as well. But with both of them gone, the sunset seemed to have lost all meaning.

The blue-masked turtle sighed, looking away and continuing on as pain gripped his heart. He was looking for a way out of the woods, trying to locate the Cornucopia, where all the madness had begun. Judging by the familiar landscape and the puddles of blood on the ground, he could tell he was almost there.

The Capitol must expect me to compete in some final showdown or something. I guess the Cornucopia would be the ideal place to do it.

His heart felt unbelievably heavy, heavier than it ever had been before in his life. Sorrow had been  ever since the first death he'd witnessed, and ever since then, his sorrow had grown more and more, devouring more and more of his soul. He'd never felt this way before–he didn't think it was possible to feel this sad.

The Capitol is sick. Saki is sick. This world is sick. Everything is sick!

He closed his eyes as a fresh wave of grief washed over him, dosing him in sadness from head to toe. A rustling sounded from somewhere nearby, but the blue-clad turtle dismissed it.

If it's the other Tribute, they can just go ahead and kill me. I've got nothing left to live for, except see Father again.

Suddenly, there was a pounding noise from behind him. The pounding quickly turned into rapid, frantic footsteps as it grew louder and louder, getting closer to him. Leonardo whirled around just as Michelangelo came crashing through the trees, sending snow flying behind him. His bright blue eyes looked ready to pop out of their sockets, wide with horror. His expression was crazed and terrified, his breathing heavy and his body shaking uncontrollably. Leonardo felt a jolt of shock.

He's the other remaining Tribute?

"RUN!" Michelangelo shrieked as he darted past, tears streaming down his freckled cheeks. "RUN OR THEY'LL KILL YOU!"

Leonardo leaped forward, skidding to a halt in front of the smaller turtle and blocking his path. He placed his hands on Mikey's shoulders, looking him in the eye.

"Get ahold of yourself!" he demanded. "What are you talking about? Who's going to kill you?"

"The monsters!" Michelangelo wailed, fighting against the older turtle's grip. "The monsters, Leonardo, they're coming! They almost got me, and they're gonna get us both if we don't run!"

"What?"

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream rose up from somewhere nearby, like a screech of pain and fury and triumph all at once. Both turtle mutants froze, Mikey's eyes growing impossibly wider.

"It's them," he whispered. "It's them! The monsters! They're coming!"

He knocked Leonardo aside, turning tail and fleeing in the direction of the Cornucopia. Confusion and fear swirled inside Leo as he stared into the forest, trying to find any movement, but the woods were stiller than ever. He turned to find Michelangelo, when suddenly a flash of green out of the corner of his eye made him turn back.

"Hello?" he called out cautiously, reaching a three-fingered hand toward his katanas.

His breath caught in his chest when a familiar figure slid from the trees. She let out that warm chuckle of hers that Leonardo had come to miss so much, her eyes sparkling.

"Hola, Leonardo," Monica said, smiling at him.

Leo stared at her in complete shock. She looked healthier and happier than he'd seen her since the Games started–her hair was glossier and shinier, her scales brighter and more vibrant, her eyes warmer. And she was perfectly unharmed, without a single scratch or blemish on her skin.

"Leo!" another heart-wrenchingly familiar voice called out to him.

A wolf-raven girl with brunette curls emerged from the snowy trees, the light in her green eyes more brilliant than ever. Except for the signature scars over her eye and on her arms, she was completely unscathed as well. She gave him that fanged smile of hers, flapping her wings a little as her tail wagged happily.

"Destiny!" Leo cried, feeling his heart flooding with joy.

"I'm here, Leo," Destiny told him. "But that's not all."

She swept out her arm, and as if on command, every fallen Tribute of that year's Games emerged from the woods. They all looked brighter and happier than ever, grins on their faces and eyes bright. There were no wounds in sight on any of them, just happy expressions–they looked like they were glowing, like a shining aura had been placed around them. Happiness made Leonardo's heart feel warmer than a fire as he recalled every face in front of him.

There's Galaxy! And Casey! And Elsie and Chris and Cara...they're all alive! They're all all alive, and they're all right here!

"It...it can't be," the blue-masked turtle breathed. "It's the Capitol, isn't it? They've revived you all, haven't they?"

"Yes," Winter answered him from her place beside Shelby. Nearby them, Leo noticed Piper and Madison standing next to each other, holding hands. Seeing it made him smile.

Maybe the Capitol isn't so bad after all.

"Is this their way of apologizing?" questions poured from Leonardo's mouth like a waterfall of words. "For the way they treated us? For everything they did to us and our families?"

"Not quite," Mona told him sweetly, flashing him a smile.

"What? Then why–?"

Before he could even finish speaking, his lizard friend's body flickered and flashed like a hologram. Leonardo gasped, stumbling back.

When the flickering stopped, Monica was gone.

And in her place was a mutilated mess of a creature, with gray, decaying skin, rotting teeth, and eyes that were sunken in, dead and lifeless but murderous at the same time. Her body became covered in crusted, dried blood, her skin torn, her hair ratty and messy, and her fingernails became savagely-sharp claws. She let out a menacing snarl.

That's not Mona! Leonardo realized with horror. That's a beast created by the Capitol. That's a zombie!

He watched, horrified, as the rest of the Tributes around him transformed into half-dead monsters, with the same rotting skin and bloodthirsty eyes as Monica. They let out low growls and moans and snarls, their hungry gazes fixed on him. Leonardo's breath caught in his throat and he backed away.

So these were the monsters Michelangelo warned me about.

Before he could even open his mouth to scream, the zombies charged.