The 77th Hunger Games: Up in Flames

Children of the Sea

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Morgan sat on top of a barrel staring down at the sunrise looming at the edge of the sea beyond her reach. She rose to her feet leaning against the ledge of the roof of the apartment building staring down at the harbor making out something through the morning fog.

"What the hell is that?" she asked trying to make out the colossal silhouette out over the water.

Hunt joined her, his eyes widening as the fog parted, "It's a statue. Probably was something of grandeur before the Dark Days."

Morgan cringed slightly spotting the severed head of the statue. The head lay forever still on the shores of the island, a victim to the elements.

West dumped out a bucket full of filthy water on the fire extinguishing it. He tossed the empty bucket aside and strode over to the door leading back into the building.

"Where are you going?" asked Hunt turning around at the noise.

"To my apartment."

Hunt nodded leaning once more against the ledge, staring out at the endless blanket of water.

"It reminds me of home," he said after a while.

"Me too," sighed Morgan.

"We are children of the sea after all."

Morgan nodded turning away from the ledge sparing a quick glance out at the city, "Where are you Connor?"

Morgan reached for the doorknob leading back inside freezing after hearing a girl's scream she sprinted back to the ledge peering down at the street below to see the tribute from 6 running away from another tribute.

She grabbed Hunt as he just stared vacantly down at the chase, "We have to help her!"

Morgan leapt over the ledge landing on the fire escape and kicked the supports holding the ladder in violently, feeling her stomach rise up as the ladder rocketing down towards the alley below. Amethyst limped into the alley, clutching at a fairly serious wound sliced into her right thigh.

Morgan raced over to her leaning her against the wall, "It's okay. I'll help you," she whispered whirling on the tribute, brandishing her sword as he entered the mouth of the alleyway.

Morgan sprinted forward as he lunged at her with his spear, she leaned forward wrenching the spear from his grip and rammed it into his chest pinning him against the wall. The boy yanked on the spear feebly without the strength to pry it out of both him and the wall.

Morgan returned to Amethyst and slung her arm over her shoulder helping the other teenager limp towards the side door to the building. Morgan approached the elevator just as it opened revealing West and Hunt.

"Is she alright?" asked West.

"No she has a pretty bad cut on her leg," grunted Morgan helping her into the elevator.

"There's bound to be bandages or something up in one of the apartments," said Hunt pressing the elevator for the top floor.

Amethyst leaned against Hunt breathing heavily, "Thank you," she said quietly to Morgan breaking the silence that had hung in the air for moments.

"It was no big deal."

"Yes it was, you saved my life."

"Don't worry about it," replied Morgan with a faint smile.

Amethyst nodded still leaning against Hunt's broad chest and against the elevator wall. She limped forward helped by Morgan as the elevator doors opened and Morgan guided her into the closest apartment.

Amethyst sat down on the bed waiting patiently as Morgan sifted through the medicine cabinet procuring some supplies. She handed them to Hunt and he knelt down cleaning the wound carefully. Amethyst winced a few times and Hunt sterilized it earning a whimper of pain.

"The worst of it is over," he promised glancing up at her. He wrapped the wound carefully in a thick layer of bandages.

"There you go all patched up."

Amethyst muttered an inaudible thank you and lay back on the bed. "Are you hungry?" asked Morgan.

Amethyst nodded slightly, "If it's not too much to ask."

"We have plenty to spare."

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The boa constrictor slithered across the floor. Andesite grabbed her whip, humming with electricity. The snake slithered out of harm's way. Snake sprinted forward brandishing her own unique weapon and snapped the string whip at Andesite, the venomous pins flashing past too close for comfort.

Salvation pushed the door open and Ignacio raced out along with Andesite following Salvation to get reinforcements across the street.

"Oh well," Snake cooed to the agitated snake, "We'll get them next time."

She passed out the back door of the shop quickly the snake already returned to wreathing her neck. The sound of yelling filled the area as the Careers combed the area for any sign of Antigone.

Snake turned alerted by the crackling of a twig underfoot and caught sight of two tributes passing. The girl from 3, Richelle. Snake couldn't make out the features of the other tribute to recognize the face through the thick blanket of night.

Richelle rounded the street's corner whispering to the other tribute as she walked straight into the path of the Careers. Snake squinted at the other tribute, now able to distinguish the figure as a younger girl. Richelle gave the girl a gentle shove, "Run as far away from here as you can," said Richelle firmly, "I'll catch up to you soon."

The girl nodded slightly hesitating and turned tail sprinting down the asphalt away from the Career pack bearing down on them. "Don't be so sure you'll escape alive," crowed Andesite beckoning to the others to come forward.

"The Careers always knew how to fight fairly," replied Richelle dryly.

"You should have joined us when you had the chance," snapped Salvation taking aim with her bow at the retreating form of the younger girl.

"Let her go," said Elise calmly to Salvation, "She isn't a threat."

Salvation paid no attention to Elise and moved to let the arrow fly free. Richelle reacted in an instant snatching a strange metallic hilt off of her waist. A thick steel wire sprung out of it and she cracked the whip slapping the bow out of her grip to skid across the asphalt.

"I won't let you hurt her."

Andesite slashed her own whip through the air, the whip humming with electricity. Richelle cracked her whip again slapping the whip away from her and ran forward cracking it again aimed at Archeflow nocking her bow. Archeflow cried out in pain as she activated a knob on the hilt and razor wire covered the whip slicing into her wrist.

Archeflow dropped the bow and staggered against an abandoned car clutching at her bloody wrist. Elise started forward towards Richelle but Andesite held out her palm stopping the other woman, "She's mine," she barked at everyone, "Do not interfere."

She cracked her whip and the deadly weapon flashed towards Richelle. Richelle rolled aside and the whip scorched the street in a shower of sparks. Andesite sprang forward in a merciless onslaught slashing her whip endlessly at Richelle. Richelle barely dodged every blow and dove underneath a car to avoid the last. Sparks skirted across the asphalt with a bright flash and Andesite growled in frustration sauntering towards her prey. "Why. Won't. You. Die!" Andesite screeched punctuating every word with the snap of her wrist. Richelle slipped into the protection of a doorway, the lethal whip slamming into the brick adjacent to her.

Richelle sprang into action and snapped her whip towards Andesite as the girl brought it back towards her ensnaring her own whip around Andesite's wrist, the razor wire biting into her flesh. Crimson welled from the wound leaving a trickle of blood splattering the pavement. Richelle released the whip's hold and brought it to bear again as Andesite increased the whip to maximum voltage.

Andesite slashed the whip at her throat and Richelle snapped her own into action slapping the whip into action. Richelle brought around her whip to her encircle her feet. She activated another switch raising the button to the highest notch.

Electricity coursed through the razor wire and stray bolts drifted off of the whip lighting the area between the light pooling off of both whips. Andesite cracked her whip again with more ferocity. Richelle brought her whip to intercept Andesite's and the whips collided, entangling sending showers of sparks everywhere.

Light flashed into existence repeatedly like some sort of light show. The Careers watched transfixed on the deadly dance. Andesite closed her eyes as more bright light pooled off of the lips almost becoming too intense to watch.

Andesite suddenly retaliated twisting her own whip, wrenching Richelle's wrist painfully in the process. Richelle hissed in agony and released hold of her weapon. Andesite bellowed in triumph and brought the possession of Richelle's own weapon into her grasp. Richelle backpedaled quickly tripping over a small piece of rubble in the street and fell to the asphalt in the middle of the street's empty intersection. Andesite stalked towards her jeering at her fallen foe with a malicious smile.

The cheers and hoots of the Careers echoed throughout the silent city. Richelle stared at the two whips bathed in electricity and blinked waiting for the inevitable. Andesite lashed out in a split second with a fierce cry and the whips never reached Richelle. Richelle screamed out in shock as the younger girl burst into the intersection and took the fatal blow for her.

"NOOOOOO!" screamed Richelle as the cannon boomed before the girl even struck the pavement a vacant look coming over her. Richelle lashed out in grief and rage with the knife at her waist and hurled it at Andesite, the blade puncturing her wrist. Andesite ripped the knife free and clutched at her injured wrist trying to stop the blood flow. Richelle retrieved her weapon and immediately spun on the Careers sprinting into action.

She retracted the whip back into the hilt and pointed it at Archeflow taking aim at her and pressed a button at the same time as she let the arrow fly. A small spearhead along with a foot of steel rod sprang out of the weapon and impaled Archeflow. The arrow buried itself in her left shoulder and Richelle staggered away in the chaos towards a nearby alleyway.

"Archeflow!" cried out Salvation spotting her crumpled form, she knelt by the girl screeching at everyone, "Get me medicine and bandages now! And find the bitch from 3 while you're at it," she growled menacingly. She wrapped both hands around the spear and slowly pulled it out of her chest, ignoring the gore smearing the spear she tossed it aside.

She pressed both hands against the younger girl's chest trying to slow the cascading amount of blood pooling from the wound. Ignacio sprinted out of the grocery store with his arms full of supplies.

Two Careers headed into the alleyway where Richelle had retreated and found Snake standing at the far end, "Hello boys!" she called with a cackle.

"Get her!" roared both charging down the alleyway towards them. Idiots.

Snake smiled as they drew closer and ran her finger seemingly through the air. The boys saw the wire too late as the glow of dawn illuminated the invisible wire. Snake turned away from them as they sprinted through the wire decapitating themselves in the process. Snake smiled as the bittersweet symphony of the ringing cannon permeated the early morning air signaling the deaths of two more tributes.

Snake patted the boa draped over her shoulders as it hissed in annoyance as the cannon rang again breaking the silence once more.

A/N: Sorry for the delayed update! School has started once again so I cannot update as much as I would like to. Although I hope you all won't be too mad, but I need to shorten the length of the chapters before I run out of tributes.

SeekerDraconis: The answer to your question about Elise's survival seems fairly clear now. I'm sorry if you somehow thought she died in the last chapter.

Anyway, there will be some romance in the next chapter for the children of the sea (:

I will try not to kill anyone for as long as possible next chapter because I need to count however many tributes are left. Remember to sponsor your favorite tribute in your review to give them sponsor points. For those of you that love Andesite, she could use some medicine right now for her wounds.

During the next chapter, I will do another Fallen Tribute tally to list off all of the deceased tributes so far.

Enough of my rambling! Review, favorite, follow, PM with feedback, the usual. Adieu!