Ermagerd! Another update!(:

Muttations; the Gamemakers like to bring them out for the finale every once in a while. They're always different, and they're always terrifying.

The chosen mutts this year look somewhat like huge wolves, only they seem to rise up onto their hind legs and stand with ease. I spin around, looking behind me to find several more mutts of different colours and sizes focusing on us. I shake myself enough to continue sprinting towards the Cornucopia. Peeta has already reached the side, and Thresh is helping him to climb up through the ridges. He reaches the top and Thresh turns to me, I wave for him to go up and he nods, slowly climbing up. He isn't as quick at climbing as I am, so I try to give him some spare time by stopping and turning back to the mutts.

I pull out as many knives as I can spare, throwing them at the advancing mutts. I hit two of them, but they continue forward, unfazed.

"Alicia, hurry!" Peeta shouts. I turn and run blindly, scampering up the side of the Cornucopia. Thresh lifts me up, setting me down softly as possible. We all pause to try and regain our breath, before realizing that Cato is also occupying the roof. He's doubled over, heaving short breaths and clutching his stomach and he peers over the edge. For a moment, I abandon the fact that we're enemies and edge towards him, looking over the side with him. "They're assembling," I comment to the others.

"Can they climb it?" Cato asks.

I watch as a few of the mutts test out the Cornucopia, scratching at the metal. They seem to communicate because after a few moments they all move backwards. A mutt with blond fur strides forward, leaping up at the horn. It's only about ten feet from us. I take out a knife in case, and it's eyes lock on mine. They're human. "Oh my god," I whisper. "They're tributes."

And then I'm screaming. Because oh my god those are Glimmer's exact eyes. And then I'm screaming for a new reason, I'm being pushed.

Peeta and Thresh are yelling, I can hear them roaring things over the sound of growling mutts beneath me. I twist my head to see Cato holding me by the knees, dangling me over the edge carelessly. "You attack me and she dies!" Cato screams. He sounds completely unhinged and I'm suddenly terrified at the thought of what he'll do.

"Just attack him!" I yell, swiping my knife at a large mutt that is too close for comfort.

"You'll die!" Peeta replies. I grunt, my eyes blurring with tears. Being held upside down is beginning to make me feel lightheaded. I grab at the horn, looking for something to pull myself up with.

"Let her go, Cato," Thresh yells. Cato's reply is nothing more than a laugh. I'm lucky enough to find a reasonable place in the metal and sink my knife into it, holding on tightly.

And then he drops me.

I scream, latching onto the knife as tightly as possible, curling my legs up to my chest as the mutts begin to leap at me, teeth snapping at my clothing. Cato rushes away from the ledge and I hear the three moving around, yelling.

Holding on with all my life, I faintly feel the tears in my eyes spill over, falling down my cheeks. "Come on, Alicia," I whisper to myself. "Come on, they need you."

My legs drop slightly and a mutt snaps at my legs, ripping the leg of my pants. I kick at it, turning my attention back to the edge of the horn. I slowly clamber up, using all of my strength to haul myself up onto the lip of the horn. Gasping, I reach out, trying to pull myself up the rest of the way. Thresh rushes to my aid, pulling me up. I heave a sigh of relief, but it's short lived as Cato grabs Peeta, holding his arms behind his back and moving towards another edge. This boy seems to have a thing for dangling people in front of man-eating mutts.

Thresh rests a hand on my arm. "You two are going to go home," He whispers. I glance up at him, sniffling and confused. "You've earned it."

"Thresh? What..?"

He smiles down at me for a second, before his face hardens and he turns to where Cato and Peeta are struggling against each other. And before anything can even leave my mouth, Thresh is charging at them. "Thresh!" I yell. He ploughs into the two, ripping Peeta from Cato's grasp and pulling him aside. Thresh and Cato collide, stumbling together towards the side of the Cornucopia. I yell for Thresh again as they hit the side and fall out of my sight.

I run forward, Peeta grabs me, holding me back from the edge as I scream for Thresh. The two are holding on desperately to the cracks in the horn, trying to find a grip. Cato finds a small ledge for his hand and holds on, yelling curses. Thresh spares a last glance up at us before jumping onto Cato, dragging him down with all his weight. Cato claws at the metal of the Cornucopia, but it's useless, and they both plummet towards the ground.

And then come the screams.

I struggle in Peeta's arms, freely sobbing at the sound of the snarling mutts attacking the two below us. I can't tell if I'm screaming with them or not. Peeta won't let me look, he holds my face against his shoulder, away from the ground, but he can't stop the screaming. It rings through my head, and I know that I'm going to be haunted by it for a long time.

We huddle together, trying to distract each other from the screams, but it doesn't work. I cry into Peeta's shoulder as the cannon goes off once. The anthem plays as I see Cato's face in the sky. My stomach drops, the mutts howl before stalking off into the trees as a group.

"Thresh is down there," I whisper, unfolding myself from Peeta and moving to the edge and beginning to descend.

"Alicia, don't…" Peeta calls.

I ignore his pleading voice, hitting the ground on shaky feet. I stumble, nearly toppling over myself more than once as I walk over to the mouth of the horn where I see two bodies. Cato isn't moving, and is mauled almost beyond recognition. Near him is Thresh, I fall to my feet next to the equally injured boy. "Thresh…" I whimper.

One of his eyes is swollen shut, but the other reels around, searching for me. "A…Alicia…" He chokes out. I take his hand, sniffling loudly.

"It's me, Thresh, I'm here. You saved us."

He tries to lift his head but gives up with a wince. "Alicia… please.."

"What is it? What do you need, Thresh?" I ask, fearing what it is he will say.

He then confirms my greatest dread. "Alicia… kill me."

"No. No, Thresh, I can't do that," I protest, shaking my head vigorously. "Please don't make me do that. Don't ask that."

He turns his head, I can see the soil beneath him drenched with blood. "I'm dead anyway."

A sob rips through my throat, and I fall onto his chest, crying my heart out. His hand manages to rest on my back for a few minutes until I seem to have run out of tears. "Please." He repeats.

I gather myself together, wiping my face with my shirt, before pulling out a knife. "I'm so sorry, Thresh…" I whisper.

He looks me in the eyes, and nods at me. I take his hand in mine, and using my free hand, I sink the knife into his chest.

The air rushes out of him, and he convulses for a moment, before his hand falls slack out of my grasp. The cannon goes off.

I breath a long, exhausted sigh, backing away from Thresh and Cato's bodies. I continue to back up until I'm almost at the forest edge. The hovercraft appears, lifting the two bodies into the air. Peeta joins me in looking up at the sky, waiting for trumpets and our own hovercraft to descend.

It doesn't come.

"What's going on? Why aren't we getting collected?" I ask Peeta.

"I don't know," He replies, I take a few steps forward, looking around expectantly.

We are greeted by Claudius Templesmith's voice. "Greetings to the final contestants of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games. The earlier revision has been revoked. Closer examination of the rule book has disclosed that only one winner may be allowed," I can almost hear a smile in his voice. "Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favour."

I continue to step forward, looking for an answer that I already know. They never intended on letting us both live. We're both screwed.

I hear Peeta advancing, and instinct kicks in. I spin around, pulling out a knife and holding it near his throat. Peeta stares at me in shock. "Alicia..?"

Horror floods over me, and I sink to the ground, dropping the knife. "Oh my god. I'm a monster."

Peeta is crouching next to me in an instant. "Alicia, you aren't a monster, come on, you can do it."

I shake my head, staring back at him. "I won't kill you, Peeta. I can't."

"Alicia, they have to have a victor, you know that. They need one."

My mind rakes for some sort of sane thought to hold on to, but all I can think to do is to get to my knife and end my life before Peeta comes up with any ideas on how to kill himself. "What if they don't get one?" I ask.

He stares at me, ideas seem to be running through his head. He leans close, kissing me fiercely. "You brilliant girl," he whispers. "If they don't have a victor, it's their heads."

It takes a moment to process what he's telling me, but it finally clicks. "How are we going to do it?" I whisper back. He thinks for a moment before stand up, I follow suit. He takes my hand and we both jog into the forest, running for a few minutes until we can hear the noises of the stream. Peeta looks around for a minute before spotting what he wants.

A bush of Nightlock. It's funny how something so innocent looking could make or break us.

Peeta picks a few for each of us and we sit together by the stream. "Are you sure about this?" Peeta asks me, pulling me into his lap.

"Nope," I reply. "But it's all we can do. Ready?"

He nods, holding his hand open for the cameras to see, I do the same. "One," he starts.

"Two." I grab hold of Peeta's free hand, squeezing tightly.

"Three."

We are lifting the berries to our lips when Claudius' voice is filling the arena again. "Stop! Stop!" We throw the berries into the stream, looking at each other with surprise as the trumpets begin to blare around us. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victors of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games, Peeta Mellark and Alicia Fairbaine- the tributes of District Twelve!"

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-Shinigami