Darkness was all she could see as the platform raised. She expected sunlight to greet her once she reached the top, but it never came. The Cornucopia sat in the middle of a large cavern lit up from above by bioluminescence. Various tunnel and cave openings were situated around the cavern but all of them seemed to lead into darkness. Stalagmites protrude menacingly from the ground and stalactites have formed on the roof, their tips sharper than a dagger. There was an unusually short distance between the podiums and the Cornucopia. The gamemakers had crafted a beautifully dangerous arena for the tributes this year. Dahlia was glad she had spent so long working on rock climbing. It seemed like that skill would come in handy.

The countdown begins.

60...

Dahlia spots black twin blades in their matching sheaths propped up on the edge of the Cornucopia. They are the only ones of their kind in the arena. They were placed there for her.

50...

Dahlia spots Cove on the opposite side of the Cornucopia, right next to the boy from District One.

40...

Dahlia notices the boy from Twelve on her left and the girl from Six on her right. Neither are huge threats, but both seem to be terrified of her.

30...

Dahlia and Cove lock eyes. Cove subtly gestures to the Cornucopia, silently telling her ally to head in that direction. They need weapons and they need supplies, before the Careers steal everything. Dahlia nods in reply.

20...

Dahlia bends her right leg, preparing herself to run while planning her path. Grab the bag lying in eyesight, pick up the belt of knives further along and then collect her swords.

10...

Focus, Dahlia.

9...

Breathe in.

8...

Breathe out.

7...

Don't die.

6...

Fight for mother.

5...

Fight for Lavender.

4...

Fight for Rosie.

3...

Fight for yourself.

2...

Run for your life.

1.

The Black Dahlia is unleashed in the arena. Her small but strong legs move quicker than the tributes around her. The bag is snatched up first, Dahlia barely stopping as she grips it tightly. The ground is rocky and uneven, causing many tributes to stumble in their sprint. Next, she seizes the belt of knives lying against a stalagmite, not daring to pause in her stride. Her lungs start to burn and her legs scream in agony but she keeps pushing. She can't stop. Her dark eyes narrow in on her final item. The swords.

Across the way, she spots the District Two male unsheathing a large sword of his own and turning back to attack any tribute he comes across. This just prompts Dahlia to run faster than she ever knew she could. She felt like she was flying over the rocks below. To her relief, she was the first to get to the signature black blades. She clips the holsters to her back, keeping herself prepared in case of any attack. With the holster and belt attached, she finally felt confident enough to search for Cove.

Creeping carefully around the mouth of the Cornucopia, a dagger in her right hand, Dahlia witnesses the brutality of the bloodbath right in front of her eyes. The boy from Three getting his throat slit by Victoria from Two. Crystal from One sending an arrow into the girl from Seven's chest. The young innocent-eyed boy from Ten receiving an axe embedded in his skull by Ryker from Two. Caspian from Four tackling the boy from Twelve to the ground and repeatedly stabbing his body. The bloodbath was living up to its name as the red liquid stained the rock beneath it.

"Dahlia!" That was Cove.

The girl snaps out of her stare, mentally reprimanding herself. She needs to stick to the plan. There was no hope left for the others anymore. Her priority is finding her ally.

Dahlia continues round to the other side of the Cornucopia where she finds Cove struggling against the boy from One, Apollo. Cove's spear is too far out of reach and Apollo has an overpowering build. He has his hands wrapped around the girl's neck, trying to choke her with his bare hands. Dahlia had to act quickly, so she used the weapon she had in her hands. Cove had briefly taught her how to throw knives, but Dahlia's aim was never truly reliable.

Recalling every tip Cove gave her, Dahlia pinches the blade of the knife with her fingers and flicks it quickly. The blade makes its target in Apollo's neck. The golden boy from One, a favourite to win, starts to suffocate on his own blood. His grip on Cove's neck loosens as Dahlia stalks forward and gently kicks him off her ally. The blonde hops to her feet quickly and nods gratefully at Dahlia. They stand over the gasping boy as the blood floods down his neck. Dahlia tilts her head ominously before deciding to put him out of his misery. Unsheathing one sword, she makes one swift swipe to his face. Apollo falls limply to the side, a red smile carved permanently into his face. The mark of the Black Dahlia.

"Let's go." Dahlia murmurs, to which Cove nods. Collecting everything they can, the two disappear behind the back of the Cornucopia and head down the nearest tunnel. They slow down in the darkness, taking careful steps so they don't trip. Once the screams from the Cornucopia fade into the distance, the pair come to a stop, gripping onto each other in the shadows. They can't see each other clearly, but the touch lets them know that they are together. Heavy gasps escape their lips as they try to recover from the adrenaline rush of the bloodbath.

"You took down a Career." Cove pants out despite the throbbing pain on her throat from where Apollo had squeezed.

"Thanks for distracting him for me." Dahlia replies breathlessly with a teasing tone.

Cove lets out a wheezing laugh. "No problem." The two girls lean against the rocky walls of the tunnel, catching their breath and calming their hearts. "Nice aim with the knife, by the way. I think that was your best shot yet."

"I was aiming for his leg." Dahlia reveals, making the pair burst into giggles. "I know I should be feeling guilty for taking his life. Guilty for killing someone... But I don't. Does that make me a bad person?"

Cove shakes her head, even though Dahlia can't see it very well. "You killed him to save me. That makes you a good friend." Dahlia feels Cove's hand squeezing her shoulder gently. It would've been a lovely moment between two friends if the booming cannon hadn't interrupted. The two tense up at the sudden noise, but listen carefully for it to finish.

Dahlia counts along in her head. 'One... Two... Three... Four... Five... Six... Seven... Eight... Nine... Ten.'

"Ten?" Cove says uncertainly, checking with Dahlia to see if she had miscalculated.

"That's what I counted." Dahlia confirms with a nod before sighing in disappointment, "I doubt many of the Careers were among them."

"At least we're one down." Cove points out hopefully. "Only four more to go." Then the sound of tumbling stones reverberates down the tunnel and sets the two girls on edge. "We probably shouldn't stay here."

"Agreed." Dahlia states, slipping the backpack onto her shoulders. "We should try and find some light so we can see what's inside this bag. Then maybe find some water." With their plan settled, the two girls cautiously continue through the tunnel. Neither knows how long they've been stumbling blindly through but it seems to go on forever. What seems like hours later, Dahlia slows to a stop. "Wait." Cove halts behind her. "It's a dead end."

"You're kidding." Cove groans, placing her hand on the solid rock wall in their path. "Dammit."

"There has to be some way out of here." Dahlia reasons, beginning to run her fingers along the rough jagged walls of the tunnel. Her hands slide up the rock but never make contact with anything above them. "What if we have to climb up?"

"Climb? In the dark?" Cove asks incredulously as if the arena had already made Dahlia go loopy.

"Do you have any better ideas?" Dahlia retorts, receiving no response from the blonde. "Exactly. Now start climbing." It was a huge risk to try and climb up a wall they can barely see but it was also a huge risk to go back the way they came. The Careers had more than likely claimed the Cornucopia for themselves and, as far as they knew, the tunnel would lead them straight back there. Going up was the safest option out of the two.

"Are we nearly there yet?" Cove grumbles from somewhere below Dahlia. "My fingers hurt."

"Get in a stable position and shake them out a bit." Dahlia instructs, pausing in her climb to let her eyes search above them. "Besides, I think... I think I see daylight." Right above her head, there appears to be a tiny crack in the rock which allows a trickle of light to seep in. It's small enough to not be noticed from far away but big enough for Dahlia to know that she's not just imagining it. Reaching out with her right hand, she pushes against the roof and slowly forces it up. "It's like a trap door."

"Dahlia, you genius." Cove exclaims, as floods of light spill into the tunnel.

Dahlia laughs out in relief, glad that the climb wasn't a complete waste of time. "It's too heavy to push all the way. So, I'll hold it open for you to climb through." Cove has never climbed faster. She practically runs up the rest of the wall and shimmies through the small gap. After checking around for any danger, she holds the opening ajar for Dahlia to stumble through.

There isn't much awaiting them on the other side. Just a barren, dry landscape with a red rocky terrain. Dahlia and Cove seem to be the first tributes to make it up here as there are no signs of life anywhere. "So, rocks below and rocks above." Cove concludes in dismay as they observe the exposed land.

"Seems like that." Dahlia sighs, removing the backpack and sinking to the ground. "No signs of water but at least we found light." Cove joins her on the uncomfortable ground as she unzips the bag and empties the contents. "Some rope, an empty flask, a torch and... some crackers."

"A torch in tunnels that dark will just notify all the tributes to our location." Cove grumbles in complaint, flicking the black torch on and off again.

Dahlia hums in agreement. "Or we could use it to trick some of the Careers away. Make them walk right into a trap."

Cove smirks at the suggestion. "I like your thinking."

Packing everything away again, the two girls explore the arena above ground. There appear to be numerous hatches leading back down into the cave, meaning there's more than one way out of the tunnels. The gamemakers have purposely made the exterior of the cave very uncovered to deter tributes from avoiding the tunnels. There's nowhere to hide, nowhere to shelter, nowhere to take cover.

After a while of aimless wandering, Dahlia comes to a standstill. She had been pondering over the same thought in her head. "There were stalactites hanging above the Cornucopia."

Cove's eyebrows furrow in confusion. "There were whats?" Dahlia might well have been speaking another language to her.

"Stalactites." Dahlia repeats, but Cove still stares with a blank expression. "The sharp pointy things dangling from the ceiling. My mother told me they are caused by water dripping through the ceiling of a cave."

Cove catches on to what Dahlia is suggesting. "So there must be water above the Cornucopia?"

"Theoretically." Dahlia nods, glancing around at the vast rocky area. "We just have to find it."

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𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒂 𝒂𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒔

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