Mitch's POV

The midday sun cast a warm glow on the world, but this place felt anything but warm. The atmosphere was almost dead, a heavy tension weighing you down like a suffocating fog of pressure. I shiver despite the rays of sunshine, letting Liam huddle closer to me for warmth.

"When will this be over?" he whispers. We were afraid to raise our voices in case anyone heard us. 

"I don't know. Soon, I hope" I murmur back, my mouth tickling his ear. He shuffles closer to me till he is practically sitting on my lap. He holds his hand up to the sun, admiring the gleaming metal of his engagement ring on his hand.

"Will we get married when this is all done?" he asks, his voice a bit louder. "Of course" I chuckle, kissing him on the head. "I've been waiting months and months for this wedding" he sighs. "Me too" I giggle and he grins, leaning his head on my chest.

"When we have it, it's gonna be awesome. All the guys, getting together, having a big party. Nothing can go wrong there" I smile, murmuring the future into his ear. His eyes begin to close, his breathing beginning to become slower. "We'll walk down the aisle together and say our vows, then I'll scoop you up and take you outside to eat cake and talk to everyone, and then we can dance in the moonlight and not stop until morning" I whisper, gazing at him as he begins to go to sleep, a smile still on his face. I kiss him on the cheek. "Rest well" I murmur, leaning my head on his hair.

We stay like that for a while. Then I hear the cracking of twigs behind me, and I stiffen.

"Hey Mitch, hey Liam." Jason's voice echoes in the gloom. "Hey buddy" I grin, glancing round and disturbing the sleeping figure on top of me. I stroke his hair as he stirs, stretching. Jason comes to sit next to us, sighing deeply as he rests. "How long was I out?" Liam asks. "Just half an hour" I tell him, though I wasn't really sure.

"It's been pretty quiet lately" Jason comments, picking at a harmless little daisy on the ground, plucking the petals off one by one and throwing them at us like confetti. Liam smiles lazily as I catch a few and hand them to him, whispering "we'll have confetti as well, don't worry." He nods sleepily, leaning up off me to stretch.

"Too quiet" I agree, glancing round the forest, seemingly empty and dead. Then I realize-the birds have stopped singing.

The twang of an arrow seems to burst from everywhere and nowhere at once. We stumble up, whirling around to see the target to see Martyn, sat on a tree, aiming his bow right at Jason. The second twang of an arrow sounds, and the blur of the weapon, faster than a bullet, strikes Jason right in the eye, sinking deep into his skull and popping out the other side.

Boom.

I glare up at the forest sprite, sending my sword straight at him. There was no time for one on one pvp matches, this was the survival games, and only one could remain. The very thought of that made my stomach turn. The dead of today had not been revealed yet and there had been a lot of cannons. 

The sword strikes his arm and he curses, yanking it out and sending it flying back. It catches Liam on his arm, and he yelps, staggering backwards. With a roar of fury, I jump up, grabbing the branch he sits on, and I yank it down, watching him fall to the floor. I unsheath a red matter katar that I picked up, and, with one last glare at the forest spirits emerald green eyes, scared and dead, I shove it deep into his throat.

Boom.

I stand up, running over to Liam, who had stumbled and was leaning against a tree. "Let me see" I murmur, yanking the sword out of his arm quickly. He cries out in pain, squeezing his eyes shut. I stare in despair at the wound-he would die of blood loss. There was no stopping it. I could already see his eyes growing weaker by the second, his breath becoming thick and ragged.

He suddenly unsheaths two knives with his good hand. I frown, backing away, wondering what he was doing. Then he offers one to me. 

I knew what he meant, and he was right.

There was no escaping this fate. One of us would die, that was certain. And I couldn't live without him, even if his death was temporary. We were in this together, and we would die together.

I hold a knife to his chest, and he does the same for me. I hold his hand, the hand of his weak arm with blood spurting out of the wound. "I love you" I whisper, leaning forward to kiss him lightly. "Love you too. Let's just get out of here" he croaks.

One.

Two.

Three.

We push.

Boom.

Boom.

Ridgedog's POV (YES YES YES YES YES)

Stood in the cornucopia, I rummage around the crap in the chests that had no worth for me. I wanted food, not weapons. Tia liked cake, I thought, taking a couple of slices with me, shoving them in an old potato sack I had found in an abandoned farm house on the coast near the edge of the dome. I grabbed a few extra water bottles, knowing we would need them. 

Mexxy's voice suddenly coughs into the microphone and the noise echoes through the dome. I stand up, looking at the projector in the glass.

"My, my! What a busy night that was! So many cannons...but who were they for? Let's find out..."

Note: The casualties projected are those from the last chapter only.

Sjin, killed by Martyn. Not a big deal, I didn't care about them right now. I needed to make sure my family were safe first, then I would rest easy.

Deadlox killed by Sepia, yep, not a problem.

Sepia.

Ellis.

Ana, my sister.

Ryan, my son.

Robin my daughter.

All killed by Deamon.

His name burned in my mind, and I nearly took off when the next picture was projected.

The girl was half smiling, slightly embarrased at the picture being taken. My heart stopped and every vein in my body ran cold.

Tia.

Tia.

Shouldn't have left. Shouldn't have gone.

I turned and ran.

I ran like I'd never ran before, sprinting through the forest, trying to deny everything.

No no no no no.

Deamon. Why did I trust him? Of course he was working for Mexxy. He manipulated my entire family. Tia had always been suspicious and now she knew. Now we all knew.

He was a traiter.

I ran past Liam and Mitch, both dead and bleeding on the floor, hugging each other as their bodies turned to pixels.

I ran past Martyn, dead on the floor.

I ran past everything.

I got to the tree to see Deamon leaning against the trunk. Waiting for me.

For a moment, I stopped and stared. I just stared at the blood on his hands, on his clothes, in his eyes. His whole body merged into that red liquid until I could see nothing but a blurr. I only realized I was crying when the tears fell down my face.

"You..." I start. I couldn't force the words out of my mouth.

At least they would come back and respawn, I thought. But that wasn't the point. The point was he killed my family. And Tia...

"Just kill me and get it over with" he yawns. Yawns. Yawns like it was no big deal. I saw red, and I hurled myself at him, knocking him to the ground.

Grasping a knife in my hand, I glare fiercely at him, before beginning to cut him from his middle finger. He flinches at first, groaning a little as I cut down his palm. He groans louder as I cut down his wrist, down his arm, cutting through his clothes like butter. He yells out when I pick up the pace and deepen the cuts, digging right down, leaving a little trench of blood wherever I cut. I went across his chest, and down his other arm. By the time I was done, he was a crying wreck, wriggling underneath me as he tried to break free.

I wouldn't let him. He was going to pay for the pain he caused me and my family.

I went up his leg, cutting right into his stomach, before I stop and plunge the knife into his stomach, ripping open a layer of flesh. He screams, his cries echoing across the arena. It was just me and him left, now. 

I push my hand into his stomach, and rip out his guts. He howls, screaming at me for mercy. So I just glare at him, toss his guts aside and lean in close to his ear. "This is for Tia" I hiss, before cutting his head clean off.

Boom.

Note: RIDGES BE CRAZY

I toss the knife aside, watching numbly as his body disappears. I climb up the tree to see Tia's musket laying on the floor. I glance at the wood on the wall, and I freeze.

T <3 R had been cut into the wood, a small knife that Tia had been carrying was on the floor with splinters on the blade.

Fireworks sounded all around. I was the winner of the survival games.

But I, more than anyone, knew that no one won the survival games. Only the creator. I swallowed, glancing at the knife in my hand.

No more living. No more dying. It would end with one more cut.

With one hand, I reach out and trace the letters in the wood, smiling. Tia had known when the cannons had gone that all was lost for us. I had been too busy. 

"I love you too" I whisper, leaning my head against the heart in the wood as I push the knife into my throat.

Boom.

Tia's POV

I woke up in an empty room. It was cold and dark, but I felt warmer here than in the arena. The games were over at last. 

Sighing, I stand up, stretching. As I swing my hands back down to my side again, my arms brush on the hilt of a gun at my belt. Peering down, I see the Golden Desert Eagle still fastened to my belt. I frowned-why didn't it despawn like the other weapons?

Shrugging it off, I walk through the door silently, wondering where I should go. The cannons sounded, and I watched Liam and Mitch kill each other. I smile at my brother as he drops to the floor, his arms entangled round Mitch. At least he died with his loved one. 

I carry on down the corridor, which seemed to last forever until I reach a room. I knew this room. I pause, narrowing my eyes. My hand slips to the hilt of the gun. Time to end this war once and for all.

Opening the door quietly, I see the figure with the blue coat and golden edges sat in his large chair, back to me. I can only see glimpses of his coat, but I know who it is. I huff out a breath, and smile as the chair turns.

My hand hits the trigger.

Boom.

My heart stops. 

That wasn't Mexxy.

Note: DUN DUN DUNNNN

Death count: 6

Winner: Mexxy :P

-Jason was killed by Martyn

-Martyn was killed by Mitch

-Mitch was killed by Liam

-Liam was killed by Mitch

-Deamon was killed by Ridge (YEAAAH)

-Ridgedog commits suicide