Jan. 19, 2014, 6 p.m.
Against All Odds: The Arena
M - Words: 889 - Last Updated: Jan 19, 2014 Story: Complete - Chapters: 37/? - Created: Dec 18, 2013 - Updated: Dec 18, 2013 149 0 0 0 0
Love it? Hate it? Let me know!
Blaine started moving as soon as the timer hit zero. He watched Kurt through his peripheral vision as he made his way to the closest doorway. He hoped Kurt would keep running and trust that Blaine would catch up with him as soon as he could. Meanwhile Blaine sprinted toward the cornucopia. He knew that they would need weapons and supplies if they wanted to last more than a day so he pushed himself to run faster than he ever had before. Blaine was one of the first tributes to reach the weapon pile and was surprised to see that the blonde boy from 6 with the huge lips got there at the same time as him. Blaine grabbed a short sword just in time to fend off an attack from the boy from 1, Karofsky, who reached the cornucopia seconds behind him. He hadn't even grabbed a weapon yet and simply charged at Blaine in an attempt to throw him off balance. Instead Blaine hit him with the flat of his blade, knocking him away. If he hadn't been so startled by the larger boy's speed in reaching the cornucopia, he would have struck to kill. More tributes had reached the weapons cache and the fighting had begun with Blaine right in the thick of it.
Kurt hated himself for running as soon as the gong sounded, but he knew Blaine was right. He would be a liability to Blaine if he had stayed to fight for the supplies. He had seen too many tributes die because they didn't have the common sense to run. His father told him once that ‘sometimes the best offense is a good defense.' So he took off toward the doorway. As he ran through it he found himself in a stone hallway with a 90 degree turn about 10 feet away in either direction. After a second's hesitation, Kurt ran to the right and turned the corner, only to find another hallway with even more corners. The walls were too high to see over, so he had no way of knowing dangers he might encounter. It wasn't like any arena he'd seen before. He had no idea where he was going, or how he was ever going to find Blaine, but he knew he had to keep moving. The initial fight would be over soon and the winning tributes would be on the move tracking down the ones who ran. So Kurt kept running, taking turns at random, hoping his path wouldn't stop at a literal dead end.
Meanwhile Blaine had managed to secure a couple of weapons and a large supply pack. He had no way of knowing what was in it, but if it was in the center pile at the cornucopia, it had to be useful. The career tributes had all run into the fight which meant that they weren't chasing after Kurt. Blaine saw Sebastian grab a weapon and a small pack and take off through one of the doorways. He was surprised by that since it had seemed like he was in an alliance with the others. But at least he had gone in the opposite direction of Kurt. Karofsky was clearly the leader of the pack as they took out several of the slower, weaker tributes. At least for them death had come quick. Blaine knew that when they weren't in a hurry to gather supplies, the career tributes usually liked to torture their opponents before killing them. He supposed it was more entertaining for the Capitol, but it had always made him sick to watch. He started trying to make his way out of the fight before the careers ran out of easier targets and honed in on him.
Kurt heard quiet footsteps nearby as he turned another corner. He stopped running and crouched down in the corner, hoping that whoever was running past would take a different turn. As the footsteps drew closer, Kurt looked around desperately for a weapon. There was nothing. He knew he wasn't strong enough to kill anyone with his bare hands, but there was nowhere to hide. Kurt held his breath as the other tribute slowed to a brisk walk. And then to a slow, tired sounding pace. They were on the other side of the wall. All they'd have to do is turn the corner and find Kurt unarmed and unable to defend himself. He heard a sharp intake of breath that told him the other tribute was injured. Kurt heard the other tribute slide roughly to the ground where he or she struggled to catch their breath. He contemplated sneaking away the way he had come, but that meant going back toward the cornucopia. Before he'd summoned the courage to move, Kurt realized that he had a chance right now to take out a competitor. He didn't know how injured the other tribute was, so there was no guarantee they'd die on their own. Meaning if Kurt wanted to keep himself and Blaine alive, he needed to take matters into his own hands. He didn't have a weapon, but he could bash the other tribute's head into the stone wall before they even knew he was there. He definitely didn't expect the sight he found when he turned the corner.