Cally Blue's P.O.V. (D5)

Nathan and I are picking berries from some bushes when we hear a snap. I turn around, meeting Nathan's gaze.

"Was that you?" I ask quietly, just in case somebody is out there. He only shakes his head and continues looking around the woods.

A movement. More than fifty yards away, I catch a glimpse of reddish-blonde hair and a black jacket. I think it was Liam. Where Liam is, Brendan also is.

I look at Nathan worriedly, "We have to get back to Vance. I think it's Liam and Brendan."

We immediately crouch below the bushes and start moving back to our campsite. We made sure we didn't wander too far away, just in case something like this would happen. We reach the campsite and I'm relieved to see Vance still there, looking around, confused.

"What's going on?" he whispers, obviously seeing that something isn't right. Nathan puts a finger to his lips and reaches for his bow. He notches an arrow into the string and waits. I find my dagger and hold it up defensively.

Another snap to our right, and one to our left. They're closing in on us. At this point, my heart is beating at a million miles per hour. Suddenly, a stick flies over our heads from the right side of us. Nathan ducks it and fires. His arrow hits the center of the stick and lands at the opposite side of the campsite. We stare at it, confused.

Then something slams into my shoulder, forcing me onto the ground. I land face first, with somebody on top of me. I can't turn around to see who it is, but I already know it has to be either Liam or Brendan.

"Cally!" I hear Vance shout when I hit the ground.

I swing my elbow back, hitting the person under their chin. They don't move though. Nathan tackles the person off of me. When I get up, I see that it's Liam.

I bend down and pick my dagger up. Then somebody else shoves me forward. I assume it's Brendan. I turn around and slash my dagger at the same time. Brendan takes a step back, avoiding the attack. Then he strikes his sword at me. It slices my jacket open, but it didn't touch my skin. I slide on my knees and slice my dagger at Brendan's leg. It tears through his pants and opens a cut, which immediately produces blood. He yells angrily and strikes his sword at me again. His blade scrapes across my forearm.

It stings every time the fabric of my jacket makes contact with the scrape, but it's not too bad. I raise my leg and drive it into Brendan's stomach. He crumples to the ground by my feet. Suddenly, he grabs my ankles and presses the red buttons. I had almost forgotten about the gravity boots. Then he shoves me upwards. Without the gravity, I will continue going up until something stops me.

No. I can't die like this. I don't want to be consumed by those poisonous clouds I watched Kierra go into.

Vance is screaming at me to grab onto the tree before it's too late. My arms frantically search for something-anything to hold on to. Every second I get higher and higher. I am almost at the top of the tree when my hand finally latches onto a branch. I cling to it like it's the only thing that is between me and death. Well, it is.

I pull myself closer to the tree. I'm so light, it takes no effort to move at all. I hug the tree trunk as tightly as possible as I press the green buttons.

Nathan Brooke's P.O.V. (D9)

My hands are locked around Liam's wrists and his are wrapped around my wrists as we struggle on the ground. Our fight has moved a little out of the campsite by now. I can feel his grip tightening and his strength overcoming my own. We roll over until he is on top of me. He releases my wrists and throws a punch at my jaw. I try to ignore it as I catch hold of his shoulders and throw him off of me.

I reach for my bow in the dirt. It's too far, but so close. I reach again, hoping I'll get it this time. Liam pulls at my ankles, dragging me farther away from my bow. Vance starts to inch his way over to my bow as Cally and Brendan fight each other.

I shake one of my feet free of Liam's hold and kick his face. He turns his head away and spits out a bit of blood.

I hear Cally screaming and see her rising through the air. Vance starts screaming at her to grab onto the tree. She does, and she presses the green buttons on her boots. Then she starts climbing back down. Brendan turns his attention to Vance, who is still calling up to Cally.

Liam yanks at my ankle again, bringing my attention back to him. I look back up to him as he starts to stand up, holding his sword. Vance tosses me my bow just in time. Liam slams his sword down on me, but I hold my metal bow above me for protection. The two metals clang together. Liam strikes again, but this time, he meant to hit the bow. His sharp blade cuts through my bowstring, making the weapon useless. I throw the bow at him forcefully. It hits his head and he topples backwards. Lucky shot, I guess. It's not the first time I've hit him on the head with something.

"Vance, look out!" Cally's voice warns from up in the tree.

I turn around and see Brendan standing over Vance, his sword raised. Vance is weaponless. Brendan brings the sword down, and Vance rolls out of the way, letting out a small yelp as his leg hits the ground. I scramble to my feet and rush over to Brendan. Vance is holding his leg and squinting his eyes shut. Cally is almost to the bottom of the tree.

I take an arrow from my quiver and hold it up as I run at Brendan. Brendan holds his sword up again, ready to strike Vance.

"No!" Cally screams as she jumps to the ground.

Then the sword drops, burying itself in Vance's chest. Blood splatters on me as I reach them. Cally is screaming and leaning over Vance. I keep my eyes on Brendan as I raise the arrow. His eyes go wide when he sees me, but it's too late. I plunge the arrow into his side. He screams in shock and pain and goes down on his knees, holding the arrow in his side. He starts gasping for air and coughing up blood.

"Brendan! No!" Liam shouts from across the clearing as he starts running over.

I turn away from Brendan and look at Vance and Cally. Blood has stained his whole shirt and it's all over Cally's arms and hands. Brendan's blood-covered sword rests on the dirt. Cally is sobbing while trying to tell Vance that he's gonna be okay. He shakes his head slightly, saying that he's as good as dead.

"No, Vance, just stay with me," Cally pleads, "You can't leave!"

"Win this, Cally," he whispers, "You can do it... Do it for me..."

He smiles slightly at Cally, then his eyes close and his breathing stops.

BOOM!

"Vance?!" Cally shakes her brothers lifeless body, trying to wake him up.

I turn away, unable to look anymore. Liam is helping Brendan stand up behind me. I watch them stand up and struggle out of the clearing, into the woods.

Liam Fledger's P.O.V. (D2)

"Hang in there, Brendan," I say as we stumble through the woods.

"Got it," he says, his voice raspy.

The arrow went in pretty deep. I don't even know what I'll be able to do to fix this. I'll make it work. He's not going to die now. Not on my watch.

It's becoming harder and harder to walk with Brendan. He's barely walking and his head is drooping. A trail of his blood is left everywhere we go. We are almost to the horn. I can see it. My foot gets caught on a root and we fall forward. I immediately get back up and run up to Brendan. I put my arms under his shoulders and start to lift. He's too heavy. At this point I start to feel the panic settling in.

"Brendan," I say through struggled breathing, "You have to get up! We're almost there."

I get myself under his shoulder and start to lift again. He helps a little this time, and I manage to get him to stand. We start walking to the cornucopia again. It feels like it took a year to get there, but we did.

Brendan flops onto the ground inside the horn, breathing weirdly and shaking. I dart to the back of the horn and start searching for the first aid kit in some of the bins. I get impatient and dump all of the bins instead of waisting my time. There it is! I snatch it up with my quivering hands and run right back to Brendan.

"It's gonna be okay," I say, tearing the kit open, "Just stay awake."

I put my hand around the arrow. I'm going to have to pull it out.

"This is going to hurt a bit," I warn. He nods a little and takes a deep, shaky breath.

Then I yank the arrow out. Brendan screams uncontrollably and slams his fists against the ground. It's hard to see him like this. It's horrific.

I tear his jacket and shirt off and almost puke. I force myself to keep looking at the deep hole in Brendan's side as I pour water over it. I use up two water bottles, then I start to cover his side in bandages and gauze. It's hard to get the bandages on when the blood keeps making them slippery.

I keep whispering to Brendan and myself that it's gonna be okay and that he won't die. I start to panic even more when Brendan's breathing slows and his eyes start to droop. His face looks really pale and his eyes are glossy. I keep wrapping him in bandages, trying to stop the blood, but it's everywhere. I try to stay calm as I work the bandages.

Then it stops. His breathing. His heart. His movement. He is completely still. I stop what I'm doing, too afraid to look at his face, but I have to. My eyes are already watery as I look up at Brendan's face. It's covered in a mixture of blood and sweat, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling of the cornucopia. Then I hear the worst sound of my life.

BOOM!

The sound echoes back and forth in my head, telling me the only thing I don't want to know. Telling me that I have to accept that...he's dead. My best friend. The only person I would ever want to do anything with. The person I've known since I went to the Academy seven years ago. The person who shared all my secrets. He was the brother I never had. That person is dead. Gone. How did it come to this? He was going to be okay. I said he would.

At first, it doesn't feel real. It feels like it could never have happened, but it did, and it hits me hard. I take a deep breath and let out a long, loud scream. I don't care who heard it, even though probably everyone did. I need to do something to let all of my anger and pain out.