Final chapter :))))

PoV Scar

'NO!' I sprint to Grian's side as he collapses. 'No... no no no... Grian... why would you...'

'I...' He coughs. Blood dribbles from his mouth, 'I- didn't- want- to kill you... and- and.' 

I don't know if I should pull the trident out or not. He'd bleed faster, wouldn't he? But I can't help him if I leave it in... I can't... I can't...

'Scar...' His hand raises, wiping tears from my eyes, before breaking into another bout of coughing, 

'No... no... you're not dying... you're not... please don't...'

One hand fiddles with something on his top... a moment later the pin from Cub is forced into my hand. 

'You deserve- to- to win.' All I can do is shake my head through the tears, hugging him tight. 

'Goodbye...'

He pulls the trident from his chest. 

And a cannon fires.

'GRIAN!' 

It won't help. I just hug him, sobbing. It doesn't matter how long I spend there. There's some distant voice telling me I'm the winner. I don't care.

A capitol vehicle hums into view overhead, the noise drowning out my constant sobs. 

'Mr Goodtimes can you please climb aboard and give us Grian.' A peacekeeper demands in the background. 'Scar Goodtimes please stand up and head into the ship to be returned to the capitol and cleaned up.'

I don't listen. 

'Mr Goodtimes. We are unafraid of using force to get you to do what we want.'

I hiss at them.

'Don't- don't take him away from me.' Someone behind pulls me to my feet. I yelp as my shoulder twists. 'No- no- don't take Grian...' I can only watch as they take him away. 'GRIAN!'

'Grian Xelqua is dead. We understand your friendship with him but the games are over. You need to join us back in the capitol.'

'NO! NO DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO! I'M NOT- I DIDN'T DESERVE THIS! I DIDN'T DESERVE TO WIN!' I kick the guards away, sprinting for the trident. Grian's trident. I point it at the peacekeepers. All at once, everyone points their guns at me.

'Do it.' I laugh. 'Kill me. Try telling the CAPITOL you murdered your winner.'

'Mr Goodtimes I assure you our ammunition will not kill, only sedate you long enough to get you out of the arena. Believe me, we've faced unwilling winners before.'

A flash of memory comes back... The ending of Techno's victory. Killing Dream and... then the cameras turned off. At least he got away later. At least he's happy. 

Like I will be.

'You can't best me.'

'We've bested worse.'

Gunshot. 

Before I'm hit, I run at the peacekeepers, trident slashing. A crack rings out. A shout. I break past them, scoop up one of the bags on the ground with the trident and sprint into the trees. More shots. But I weave through trees before the can hit, never keeping the same path or pattern, never slowing.

'STOP RUNNING!'

'NEVER!' I scream back. 'YOU DON'T CONTROL ME!' 

I continue into the forest... I don't know where I'm going except AWAY. Cursing my useless left arm, I wrestle the bag over one shoulder, continuing to run... Tiredness fills me. I need to stop... I can't hear anyone behind me for a moment, so I pause, spotting the easiest tree to climb near me. It still takes too long to get up and hidden. 

My breathing slows, heart rate returns to not normal but certainly closer to. And, as I hide in a tree, completely and utterly alone, I start crying again. I huddle tight. Grian's dead. He died for me. He didn't win. He didn't get to return to his friends. 

'We know where you are, Scar.' 

My sobs silence at a voice below. 

'The tracker is still active, even though the games are over. We know you're here somewhere and will stay here until you reappear. There is no way out.'

I don't reply. Of course they found me from the stupid tracker... where did they even put it? I remember them injecting it on the journey over...

I remember. 

Lodging the trident into a tree branch, I fumble for a knife... I have to remove it. Stop them from finding me. But as I search the bag, I discover something else first.

The matches. 

I grin. 

Perfect. 

I pocket them, continuing to search for a knife... there. My hands shake as I hold it above where they inserted the tracker... it's not that deep, is it? But at least it's my left arm. I won't risk stopping both from functioning. 

5 painful minutes later, the tracker's out and my arm covered with even more bandages. The peacekeepers are still below me. Waiting. Well, they'll be waiting for a while. 

I pack everything up, tying some rope as a kind of belt. Another couple loops and I can store the trident there. I tie on the bag too and don it across one shoulder. And then it's time for the fire. 

I have to keep the matchbox still with my feet as I flick a match across it. After a few attempts and a couple broken matches, a spark of flame lights. I hold it close to my face, just enjoying the dancing flame.

I light the tree on fire and climb across to the next. There's a shout from the peacekeepers. 

'SCAR STOP BURNING STUFF!' The peacekeeper demands. 'SOMEONE GET HIM!'

I master the art of one-handed match lighting a few more trees later, dropping to the ground, breaking into another run. Let's see if the Capitol can put THAT out. 

'SCAR GET OUT OF THE TREE!' I barely hear one of them yell behind. My trick worked. They don't know I've run away.

I ensure I'm out of sight before lighting another few trees on fire. And then some more, as many as I can reach... the outer edge of the arena's been helpfully all done for me, so there's just a smaller ring of fire I have to make.

I'm a decent way around by the time the sun sets. So far around I see a very familiar area ahead.

The memorial for Cub.

But my secret's up. At the sight of a capitol ship flying into view through the smoke above me, I run the last hundred or so meters, into the clearing.

It's time.

'HEY! CAPITOL IDIOTS!' I call. 

'THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE, SCAR.' 

'BEFORE WHAT?'

Silence.

'WHAT WILL YOU DO TO ME IF I DON'T STOP? KILL ME?!'

'Any injuries you pertain in the hunt can be covered before the final show. No one will know.'

'The final show? This is already the final show!'

'Before what?'

I remove both pins. My one and what was once Cub's. Once Grian's. I bury them in the grave I made for Cub. I lay down all my supplies. 

'The final show before I lose the Hunger Games too.'

'You cannot lose. You've already won.'

'Who said I intended to win?'

They don't reply. I fall to my knees, digging in the dirt,

'I didn't deserve to win. Grian deserved to win. Grian deserved to kill me. I would've never managed to kill him in our fight. The only way it was going to end was him killing me. But he didn't kill me. He killed himself. He sacrificed himself and lost instead. And now it's my time to lose too.' My hand closes around what I nee.

'The Hunger Games needs a victor.'

I pull Cub's sword from the ground, wiping off blood and dirt. 

'Well the Hunger Games doesn't get one. Better luck next year.'

I point the blade at myself.

'May the odds ever be in your favour.'

And I kill myself.

IT'S DONE! 

After so long of running out of ideas and changing books, it is done!