Post by Vester Lombard on Sept 14, 2014 10:37:56 GMT -6
As the hovercraft zoomed through the air, Ayla considered all she had been through in the past 24 hours. First, she had lost her friend Ox, in a very unexpected way. It was then just her and Seth. They tried to survive together, but came to the realization that either both of them would have to die, or one could sacrifice themselves for the other. Seth had done just that. Ayla still couldn't believe it. For one, she was glad to be alive, but she had hoped to enter this battle with Seth by her side. Though she had never experienced love back home, she felt that what she and Seth has was the closest thing to romantic love that she had ever experienced. As she realized how near the end of the Games were, her stomach twisted in nervous knots. All of the sudden, Ayla vomited all over the floor of the hovercraft. Despite the mess she had made, and her general feeling of weakness, Ayla stood up tall and held her head high as the hovercraft landed.
Jaffe’s hovercraft hummed quietly, it was almost a serene moment, despite the last 9 days. Jaffe’s mind raced, thinking about all the tributes she came across, most all of them dead. "Alistair wanted to die," Jaffe tried to assure herself, "He wanted Ingrid dead. It was the only way." Though deep down she knew she could have gone after Ingrid and sacrificed herself for Alistair. He would've been in her position right now if she had not been so tactical, so single minded. "I never wanted this," she thought as the hovercraft descended, "I lost this game when I started playing by their rules."
As the two hovercrafts touched down on the mountainside the lava began to rapidly flow out from top of the volcano. Parked at the bottom of the mountain was a massive Capitol Hovercraft ready to take the winner back home to safety. It appeared it was going to be a mad dash to the finish line.
Ayla saw Jaffe standing less than thirty feet away. Why did it have to be Jaffe? She had the gun. Ayla knew that making the first move was critical. Jaffe could kill Ayla in one shot. With little time to think, Ayla charged towards Jaffe with the sickle raised above her head.
Jaffe went straight to her game plan. Even though her mind was elsewhere her father’s training had given her an instinctual understanding of one on one combat. She threw down her smoke bomb and darted behind a rock.
Blinded by the thick smoke, Ayla swung too far to the left. Jaffe’s escape had been sloppy but she was out of immediate danger. Jaffe slipped her way behind her opponent, and lined up Alistair’s crossbow. Jaffe considered that it was a cursed weapon. The bow had only found it’s mark once the entire games. “I can’t miss now,” Jaffe whispered to herself. Her entire plan hinged on this very moment.
Just then Ayla spotted Jaffe creeping up behind her. "Not so fast!" Ayla screamed as she threw her own smoke bomb. There was another hiss and the top of the volcano was now complete shrouded in smoke. Scuffling in the haze, Ayla tried to grab Jaffe's gun right out of her hand.
Ayla felt the cold hard metal against her skin, the gun. She ripped it out of Jaffe's hands. "Ha! Take that, bitch!" She didn't even know Jaffe, but at the moment the only thing on her mind was winning the games and getting back to her little brother Jamie. He had already lost his mother, and he didn't need to go through that again.
Now that she had the gun, she felt that she had an advantage. She checked the gun for bullets. There was exactly one left. This was it, once chance. She aimed at a shadowy figure in the smoke and fired.
Ayla was unsure whether or not she had managed to successfully hit Jaffe, but there was no time to turn back. Ayla hoped that her efforts had been enough to at least slow Jaffe down.
The lava was fast approaching and Ayla dashed for the hovercraft, her mind racing faster than her feet. Seth, Jorn, Jamie, and Jaffe. First was the boy she had loved in lost in less than a fortnight, second was the boy she had thought would win these games - but instead she was the one in the final two, third, her sweet little brother who needed her at home... she couldn't leave him. And finally, Jaffe. Was she right behind Ayla? Was she dead? Like an Olympic runner, Ayla did not risk impeding her speed by looking back.
Her mind was focused on reaching the hovercraft first. She needed to win these games, not only for Jamie, but for Seth. She had promised that she would win and take care of Erika for him.
This game was Ayla's for the taking! She ran, using all of her energy to escape the lava, which was just a few feet from her heels. She dashed to the hovercraft and her body slammed against the metal platform as she fell onto it. The platform began to rise into the hovercraft as fireworks blasted in the air all around the volcano.
She had done it! She had beat Jaffe and won the games. Ayla laughed, and then cried as she realized that she was rejoicing over the deaths of 23 children, some of whom had become her friends. She lay on the floor of the hovercraft as she remembered the tributes who had fallen before her.
She pulled herself together, there was one show remaining - returning to the Capitol to the applause of the masses. No, the games weren't over, they had only begun.
Jaffe’s hovercraft hummed quietly, it was almost a serene moment, despite the last 9 days. Jaffe’s mind raced, thinking about all the tributes she came across, most all of them dead. "Alistair wanted to die," Jaffe tried to assure herself, "He wanted Ingrid dead. It was the only way." Though deep down she knew she could have gone after Ingrid and sacrificed herself for Alistair. He would've been in her position right now if she had not been so tactical, so single minded. "I never wanted this," she thought as the hovercraft descended, "I lost this game when I started playing by their rules."
As the two hovercrafts touched down on the mountainside the lava began to rapidly flow out from top of the volcano. Parked at the bottom of the mountain was a massive Capitol Hovercraft ready to take the winner back home to safety. It appeared it was going to be a mad dash to the finish line.
Ayla saw Jaffe standing less than thirty feet away. Why did it have to be Jaffe? She had the gun. Ayla knew that making the first move was critical. Jaffe could kill Ayla in one shot. With little time to think, Ayla charged towards Jaffe with the sickle raised above her head.
Jaffe went straight to her game plan. Even though her mind was elsewhere her father’s training had given her an instinctual understanding of one on one combat. She threw down her smoke bomb and darted behind a rock.
Blinded by the thick smoke, Ayla swung too far to the left. Jaffe’s escape had been sloppy but she was out of immediate danger. Jaffe slipped her way behind her opponent, and lined up Alistair’s crossbow. Jaffe considered that it was a cursed weapon. The bow had only found it’s mark once the entire games. “I can’t miss now,” Jaffe whispered to herself. Her entire plan hinged on this very moment.
Just then Ayla spotted Jaffe creeping up behind her. "Not so fast!" Ayla screamed as she threw her own smoke bomb. There was another hiss and the top of the volcano was now complete shrouded in smoke. Scuffling in the haze, Ayla tried to grab Jaffe's gun right out of her hand.
Ayla felt the cold hard metal against her skin, the gun. She ripped it out of Jaffe's hands. "Ha! Take that, bitch!" She didn't even know Jaffe, but at the moment the only thing on her mind was winning the games and getting back to her little brother Jamie. He had already lost his mother, and he didn't need to go through that again.
Now that she had the gun, she felt that she had an advantage. She checked the gun for bullets. There was exactly one left. This was it, once chance. She aimed at a shadowy figure in the smoke and fired.
Ayla was unsure whether or not she had managed to successfully hit Jaffe, but there was no time to turn back. Ayla hoped that her efforts had been enough to at least slow Jaffe down.
The lava was fast approaching and Ayla dashed for the hovercraft, her mind racing faster than her feet. Seth, Jorn, Jamie, and Jaffe. First was the boy she had loved in lost in less than a fortnight, second was the boy she had thought would win these games - but instead she was the one in the final two, third, her sweet little brother who needed her at home... she couldn't leave him. And finally, Jaffe. Was she right behind Ayla? Was she dead? Like an Olympic runner, Ayla did not risk impeding her speed by looking back.
Her mind was focused on reaching the hovercraft first. She needed to win these games, not only for Jamie, but for Seth. She had promised that she would win and take care of Erika for him.
This game was Ayla's for the taking! She ran, using all of her energy to escape the lava, which was just a few feet from her heels. She dashed to the hovercraft and her body slammed against the metal platform as she fell onto it. The platform began to rise into the hovercraft as fireworks blasted in the air all around the volcano.
She had done it! She had beat Jaffe and won the games. Ayla laughed, and then cried as she realized that she was rejoicing over the deaths of 23 children, some of whom had become her friends. She lay on the floor of the hovercraft as she remembered the tributes who had fallen before her.
She pulled herself together, there was one show remaining - returning to the Capitol to the applause of the masses. No, the games weren't over, they had only begun.