President Fox steps to the stage and taps a microphone.

  "Welcome, welcome. Here we will be making a few announcements, stay tuned for the third place winner.

  Ahem. So, the Gamemakers have created several different altered videos for you watching at home, the outcome being that each of the three remaining tributes got their chance at victory. Here's how these will go, but know that the real Victor will be announced as first place. Enjoy the show." She whips around and struts away, allowing the Gamemakers their chance to pull up the clips.

(actually, the Gamemakers didn't do this, the tributes themselves did. Cheers to them for sticking it through thus far, you're all very brave, and equal victors in my sights, [except for you Sapphire Gold. I hated you.])

Taystarian Gray, wrapping it up in third place, good job bro. ;)

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We were going to die.

There was absolutely no way around it. After those... those /things/ chased us into the cave, we tried to find an alternative exit, but there was no way.

"Aug, I'm so sorry," I consoled the twelve year old, running my longer stub down his shaggy hair, which had grown significantly throughout the duration of the Games.

"About what?" He replied, looking up at me with his innocent eyes.

I didn't reply. I couldn't. I just hugged him tightly and tried to remember if I had any way out of this mess. If we had any way out of this mess.

Abruptly, I released August and pressed the button with one of my nubs to release my waist backpack. Then I began to rummage through it with my stumps until multiple thin Boomhog bodies lay open for August to see.

"How..?" He wondered.

"When Kaleb" I choked a little on his name, remembering how that... creature was not him "was hunting, he killed these bastards before they saw him and decided to blast his head off. Kaleb gave them to me, hoping I could make some sort of bomb from them."

August gave me a funny look.

"I'm an inventor, remember? It's more than traps."

I spent the next two hours carefully wrapping the bodies in leftover leaves Aug had from the Trap Day. It the single most strenuous thing I had spent my time building, but once I was done, we had twelve death machines waiting to be used.

The scariest thing, though, was that we didn't know if they would work. If the mutts hadn't exploded when they were killed, they might not explode upon heavy impact to the ground. However, it was our only chance.

"August," I ordered, nudging a Boomhog bomb toward him with my toe, "go halfway between here and the cave opening and throw the explosive Bombhog best as you can into mob of mutts."

Aug did as I said and cradled a bundle in his arms, slowly slinking toward the entrance. Once he got to the point, August took a large breath in, positioned the package in his hands and chucked it into the creatures.

I held my breath, but nothing happened. Curiously, I turned my head around the corner to see what went wrong when suddenly

BOOM!!!

The heat from the explosion tickled my face and rotting flesh and silver spider legs flew through the air as five zombies were blown to bits. Grimacing, I kicked away a nearby deformed arm and rolled to my feet to greet August, who was staring ahead in shock with small streaks of silver liquid dripping down his face.

"Okay, Aug, I'm sorry, but here's the point where we have to split up." I said and looked at my feet as I kicked some dirt.

"Wait, what? But Tay, you can't leave me! There are those things out there, and... and... and" -the little boy broke down into sobs- "you're all I have left! Please don't leave, Tay! Please, I'm begging you!"

I rested my chin on his head. "August, don't worry. You're going to be fine. And no matter what happens, I will always be your sister, Kaleb will always be your brother. We will be wherever you need us whenever you need us. But I have to go now because, well, Corio is out there waiting. If we happen to kill him, it's just us, and I know I can't kill you." I knew it didn't occur to him yet what I meant, and that was all I needed to ensure August's safety.

I slid five Bombhogs over to August with my foot. August just stared before gently stuffing four in his backpack and holding one in his hands.

"Be careful with these, I don't know if they can be mishandled and not blow. I have no idea what their limitations are, so don't even drop one from a half inch above the ground, but they're packed tightly enough in your bag that you could fall off a cliff and they wouldn't go off. Use them on the zombies only, and Corio if he chases you. And use them sparingly. These mutts... they won't just die. You can't

cut them up, those spiders will patch them back together. You've got to kill all the spiders at once to get an advantage with time. August, you've got this. You're a bright kid, you'll live."

Aug assisted me in packing all six of my Bombhogs into my pack and we approached the opening to the cave where I turned to him. August threw his arms around me and squeezed. I couldn't do the same to him, but August knew I was mentally hugging him. Finally, he released and waited in the shadows.

Our plan was carried out flawlessly. I trekked to the left from the cave, on the side of the mountain, leading the mutations away while August slunk away in the shadows. I told him not to camp anywhere and leave his scent for a long time, just in case the mutts had heightened senses.

As I ran along the rocky terrain, I saw two zombies out of the corner of my eye turn their heads and stumble after me. I moved over the mountain with the agility of an armless girl, trying to keep my balance as I scurried.

August was safe.

I kidded to a stop and almost fell while rocks skipped away from my sudden pause. A goat was a mere fifty yards away from me, further up the mountain. Although it seemed like a normal goat from afar, it was ginormous and I knew it had to be a mutt.

Keeping my distance, I arched around the goat, trying my hardest not to make a sound and let it see me. But with a single misstep, I slid down a few feet and the devilish mutation turned its beady eyes on me before leaping.

I rolled out of the way just in time as the goat whizzed past me and into the abyss directly behind where I lay. The Capitol should work more on accuracy with their mutts.

With the goat out of the way, the zombies were gaining on me. I swung myself to my feet and ran down the mountain as more mutation joined the chase.

I ran for what felt like forever, doing my best to stay on open land so I couldn't get ambushed.

Eventually, though, I got winded and the mutts behind me weren't showing any signs of being affected by the run. I knew what I had to do.

I ran up a grassy hill as fast as I could with a killer side stitch and dropped my pack to the ground. I had such little time before the mutations crossed the twenty yard span.

I rolled a Bombhog out of my backpack with my foot, positioned it and myself, and kicked the creation toward the swarm of zombies.

1… 2…

BOOM!!!

3.

The mutts blew up and silver spider bits flew through the air once again. I knew it was only a matter of time before more spiders took their place.

I got started, rebuilding the traps and snares in my bag, setting them carefully up in a circle around the top of the hill. This would be my base until I killed Corio- or until Corio killed me.

The silver bugs came faster than I expected, reforming the zombies only minutes after I finished setting up the final snare. I couldn't waste any more time, many more zombies were approaching me from the coniferous forest nearby.

I could see the cornucopia from upon my hill. Many forms of mutations were swimming in the lava around some obsidian spires. This year surely was different.

My five other Bombhogs were placed around the hill in spots where I could kick them onto the mutts below. What if I ran out?

Snap out of it, Tay! You knew you were going to die. You knew the moment your name got called. At least you're going to die honorably.

I kicked Bombhog after Bombhog upon the zombies below and each mutt exploded until I saw a small body rush toward me from the coniferous forest.

"Aug!" I called out. His head lifted and he stared at me. I ran down the hill until he was a mere ten feet away. "August! As glad as I am to see you, you need to go! Corio is most definitely coming, you can't be here!"

August didn't respond, just lifted his head to look at me.

Then I noticed the foggy look in his eyes. And the knife in his hand.

"August,.." I said cautiously, backing away, "are you okay?"

Again, he didn't respond.

I noticed one more thing, though.

A dart was sticking out of the side of his neck.

Stupid Capitol! Of course, the Capitol would do this! This kid was too pure to kill, to be mad enough to do so! Dammit, why would the sick Gamemakers remove the innocence of the country's favorite tribute?

"August, please don't do this. I know you're in there, you've got to be!"

August lifted his knife and charged.

I didn't know whether an instinct was put into Aug through the dart or if Kaleb's lessons actually paid off, but August swiped the blade at me with the skill of a professional.

I jumped back just in the nick of time and stared at August with wide eyes.

He was no longer August. He was a human weapon.

I ran backwards over the side of the hill. I had no idea where I was headed, but I could not look away from the boy to see.

August repeatedly jumped and jabbed at me, but I narrowly escaped each time.

Out of nowhere, I lost my solid grounding and stumbled a bit. Evil August took this chance to lunge at me. Not wanting to risk a serious injury or even death, I threw myself to the side. I had to fix August! He had to win!

But it was too late. Because I decided to save myself, Evil August inhumanly soared through the air. I watched in horror as he flew over the lava and the weird lava lion mutts. An obsidian spire pierced straight through the small body, halting its flight and suspending it in the air.

I killed my new brother... Or whatever was left of him.

I didn't move. I wouldn't move. I couldn't move. I was frozen in place, locked in by my thoughts.

There was no way I could live now.

And I didn't want to. However, damn instinct kicked in when Corio knocked me to the ground out of nowhere. He pinned me down by sitting on me and started throwing punches at my face. Corio seemed extremely pissed off, but I guess the new mutts are enough to piss anyone off. Also, as his fists continuously pounded my face, I caught a good look at his hands. They were extremely deformed. The flesh was charred, red, and blistering. He was missing a few fingers and the others were bent oddly. Also, the most gruesome part, skin was missing in chunks.

I was thoroughly grossed out and only in the mood to grieve. With some newfound strength, I twisted my body from under Corio and he rolled off me and down the steep slope, flailing himself about to avoid the lava just inches below him. Two weird lava lions leaped from the burning ocean and ripped off Corio's arms. Two more grabbed his ankles and started pulling. Finally, one more mutt crawled from the magma, wrapped its extra large jaws around Corio's head, and removed it from his body.

I turned away from the sight. I did not want to witness this.

Tears slipped from my eyes. I could not do this anymore. I could not live as a victor of this idiocy!

Somehow, my body lifted from the ground. Two of the lions had left Corio's corpse and were carrying me down to the lava.

"No, no!" I screamed, trying to escape to no prevail. Honestly, I had no idea why. I wanted to die, right? Or was it human instinct to want to survive, no matter what? Perhaps it was an external force beyond my knowledge, pushing me against my will.

I would never know.

The weird lava lion mutts carried me over the lava. I expected them to dump me in to leave my body burning up in liquid flame. Instead, the lions carried me to some sort of throne thing and gently tossed me atop.

Uncontrollable tears streaked down my face.

I had won the Hunger Games.

                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   Second and First place will be announced tomorrow. As for now, I'm going to bed.....Zzz...*snort* Ahem.

  Alchy out, PEACE. XOXO