#acpday4

After the crowd disperses, you notice that before each of you appears to be Agatha. Of course, you realize that it can't actually be her, just another Capitol trick. Plus, Agatha can't be in two places at once (or can she?). She's dressed in a long black robe with a dainty, square hat settled atop her neatly combed ginger hair. A series of cords, ribbons, and ropes hang from her neck as she walks forward, grabbing you both by the arm without saying a word. 

Your respective Agatha drags you into the college causing two things to happen. For one, you notice who the other final tribute is after catching a glimpse of him. Two, you are immediately surrounded by members of the football team. They drag you away into a mysterious room and start to tend to your wounds. Strange, huh? A football team actually caring about someone other than their lays and their own selves.

After they vaguely patch up your injuries, you turn to see what's going on and find that they've vanished. In their place is a coat hanger hanging on the wall. A cap and gown, both black with turquoise ropes on the hat, await each of you. It appears that it's time to begin the graduation ceremony. Just as you put on your robes, which is what you assume is expected of you, the door slams open and Agatha re-appears. She looks at you, smirks, then grabs you by the arm and drags you out.

Upon exiting the college, you notice that everything has completely changed. The night sky has started to vanish, instead being replaced be a new dawn accompanied by a slowly rising sun that illuminates the sky in a medley of warm colors. The pathway to the courtyard is lined with other, random college students, all wearing the same thing as you. The only difference is that the ropes on their hats are gold, not turquoise. As you are escorted to the courtyard, they all cheer for you, wave, and offer words of support. Some even clasp you warmly on the back. They seem happy for you...

Well, only one of you. After all, only one of you will see this graduation ceremony to the end.

Eventually, you arrive at the courtyard to find that it, too, has changed. Everything has been decorated to resemble a graduation ceremony. Instead of the golden cornucopia in the center of everything, there is a black stage with black curtains hanging off the side to give it a regal look. A set of stairs awaits you as both Agatha's usher you up. It all seems so surreal as you march alongside each other. It appears that you're nothing more than friends who get to share a fond, everlasting memory together. Well... that's almost true.

When you finally step onto the stage, the real Agatha's voice booms across the arena.

"Welcome, welcome, to the graduating class! You should both be extremely proud. You've managed to make your way through all the school had to offer and, now, you're only one step away from graduating with honors, flying colors, and in one... or so, at least, pieces. There's only one thing left to do before one of you can officially graduate... and I think you both know what that is. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor!"

Then, moments later, the applause from the other students begins to erupt across the entire courtyard.

This is it, tributes. This is the final battle. You both are dressed in your regular uniforms with the robes and hates atop them. You have all the items you did when you finished your last kill. The stage you stand atop is a mixture of plastic and metal. The stairs have been taken away so there is nowhere else to go but the stage; it shall be the resting place for one of you. The stage is fifty feet wide and around 100 feet long. Your injuries, while still present, have been patched up slightly so that you can both look a little more presentable for your graduation ceremony.

You both have until Friday, August 26th, at 11:59pm PST to post a oneshot of your reactions to the events post-last kill up until Agatha's announcement, a status update, and submit your kill story. If you choose to do the oneshot, you cannot do anything drastic that will affect the kill story so that the other tribute does not have to restart their ks should they start early. You can also coordinate because you both know each other.

THE FINAL BATTLE KILL STORY HAS A WORD LIMIT OF 4000 WORDS. DO NOT GO OVER IT OR YOU WILL DIE. PERIOD. POINT BLANK.

Slipped in and out of consciousness. Was lying on something hard, must be a table, must be in the cabin. Tried to steady breathing but oxygen kept escaping me in quick, sharp gasps. Tried to ignore pain. Couldn’t. Agonizing. Heard mother and father speaking, sounding panicked, but couldn’t make out their words. Sounded very far away. Felt mother holding my hand. Father was pale.

“Dad?”

“Shh, it’s okay, baby girl, it’s okay.”

“I can’t feel my arm. I can’t feel my legs, either.”

Pull needle and thread through skin. Over. Under. Black stitches in neat rows, like pace marks on a map.

“Dad…?” Could barely hear my own voice. He hushed me. Looked at his hands and they were coated in my blood. Felt searing pain on my left arm. But realized then that it wasn’t my full left arm. Only half. Smelled burning flesh and realized my arm was being cauterized, melding the skin over the open wound.

Father began suturing my skin. Clinical. Unemotional.

Worst part is next. Get firm grip on the end of my left arm.

Days later, lay curled up on hearth, shaking and dizzy with fever. Was right next to fire but still freezing. Watched the flames dance, lick at the sides of the chimney, twist around each other like mercury in water. A sudden weight fell over my body and I realized it was a blanket my father was placing on me. Rolled over to face him and head spun. Father must have seen how pale I had become, because he walked off and returned a moment later with a cold, damp cloth, pressed it to my forehead. He pushed my hair out of my face, kissed my head, then pulled up a seat. Grabbed his book from the table nearby. Father loves books, always has.

Asked him, “What are you reading?”

“1984.” Father replied. “Have you heard of it?” Shook my head. “I think you’d like it. I’ll lend it to you once I’m through.” He smiled at me and it reached his eyes beneath his glasses. “Your mom told me you took out your stitches yourself. I’m proud of you, kiddo. You’re really brave, you know that?”

Looked down at floor. “What is the bravest thing you have ever done?”

Father looked deep in thought for a moment, then shrugged. “I’m not quite sure. Maybe when I was stitching you up the other day.”

Looked down and didn’t reply.

Feel out the socket. Inhale slowly.

“What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done?” Father asked.

Pulled blanket tighter around shoulders. “Getting up this morning.”

Shoved arm back into place. Hurt my throat from crying out. Keeled onto side from the pain, vision going dark for a moment, heart thrumming in my ears, blood rushing in my head. Reach out for a handful of snow, pack it onto my shoulder. Pain slowly begins to dull, like a wave retracting from sand, a pencil losing it’s point across paper.

Small package drifts down. Small gifts inside, soup and bandages. Most charitable gift, though, is the note. Hold it tight to my chest and do not cry. Tuck it away into backpack safely. Wind bandages tightly around shoulder, securing it in place. Shouldn’t use the arm, at least not for the next day if I do not want it to simply dislocate again. Best to simply not do anything for the rest of the day. Already fought for my life and killed somebody in the process.

Look at my surroundings. This is my sanctuary for now. Boy was trespassing. This place is mine, not his. This entire arena is mine. They don’t understand. I’m not locked in here with them.

Unable to penetrate through solid diamond, the mutt was bewildered long enough for Jared to swing his sword down multiple times and cut its ginormous pincer off. The appendage fell on the ground and a shriek emitted from the creature’s mouth. He groaned when his arm was cut by one of the other two and another sliced his leg. Hissing, Jared tried his best to ignore the pain and tried to keep his opponents at bay.

Before the door closed, Jared noticed that the top portion of the mutts were human and the rest of their body was scorpion. He immediately realized their lethal vulnerable parts and focused his attacks there. The blonde pierced the creature, of whom which he cut the pincer off earlier, straight through its chest with his longsword. One down, two to go.

The other mutts weren’t so happy to see one of their companions die and immediately bombarded Jared with attacks, aiming for his arms with their stingers and his legs with their pincers. Jared tried his best to dodge but was still brutally cut by the creatures. Thankfully no venom was injected into his system.

Counterattacking, Jared took yet another mutt down, similar to how Seraph killed the scorpion they faced in Day 1 by stabbing the longsword straight down through its head. The creature shrieked and fell to the ground.

A whack on his head by the third and final human-scorpion mutt brought back Jared’s concussion back. He groaned and moved his leg just in time before a stinger penetrated it.

Jared swung his longsword down and cut the venomous appendage off. Then, he used the stinger and stabbed in straight through the mutt’s chest. The creature shrieked in pain and grabbed Jared by the leg before he could escape.

But alas, the creature became weak by its own venom and didn’t have the strength to snap Jared’s foot off. Taking advantage of its feeble state, the royal delivered the final blow, piercing the mutt straight through its throat.

Panting from yet another battle, Jared didn’t let the dead creatures go to waste and collected their meat. They were half human... if he ate them, would he be considered a cannibal? He desperately needed food... and this was the only thing available. He also harvested their venom and filled the syringe.

Removing his shirt, Everest packed on snow and ice on the whip slashes, cleaning and numbing the wounds as best as he could.  With a quivering hand, he felt his destroyed eye, knowing there was nothing he could do to fix it other than packing some snow on it to relieve the pain.  He reeled at Parker’s scent on the thermal blanket, but knew he needed it to stay alive. 

Despite having learned a trick or two from his allies and their time together in the arena, Everest had realized the true value of human nature, that one’s survival is the highest priority, not unlike his youth in the wilderness.  One of these tricks being how to apply bandages.  Cutting the thermal blanket into shreds and dousing it in the cold almost-melting snow, Everest did his best to wrap slashes around his stomach, arms, shoulder, and leg.  

He zipped his outfit back up and slowly collected rocks, stuffing some in his pack while taking out the last two cooked squirrels from before to eat.  Washing the meal down with melted snow, he decided to rest early, sure that he would have to fight one of his former allies again soon enough.  As he bundled up in Parker’s sleeping bag under a tree, it was hard for him to fall asleep with the constant scent of the fallen ally plaguing his nose. 

I left my stuff under some of the leaves I’d used as a shelter. The last thing I needed was to be defenseless. I readied myself as she swooped down, axe in both bandaged hands. I’d done this before I can do it again.

This bitch is bigger than what I guessed were her children, but not the size of me or anything. She’s probably pissed about the wings on my backpack. Good. I’ll take off her head with them.

She met full on, knocking me to the ground as I tried to swing at her. She continued doing that coming down towards me then flying away. After about the third time of this I realized she was trying to lure me to the edge of the island.

I stepped back, nearer to the forest, and was prepared. I took a giant leap to sink my axe into her chest.

For a moment it seemed like it worked, and then she was flying again, this time taking me with her. My heels dragged on the ground as I tried to get my axe unstuck. She pulled me to the edge, giant wings flapping above me.

Butterflies honestly gross me out (surprise) but I do what I have to. I swing myself up and land on her back. Just as she flies over the edge, I jump off of her, hoping to take my weapon with me.

Luck was with me, and I landing safely on the island, axe in hand. As I’d pulled it away, it sliced through the rest of her body. I watched her fall.

“I hate you.”