The Crescendo of Demise [Arbor vs. Anastasia]

[aya]

Halt, Arbor C.

With only six tributes left in the arena, Arbor's alliance had deemed it best to disband. It was easier to simply go separate ways, rather than wait for someone to wake up with a knife in their throat. He wasn't sure where the others had gone, but Arbor himself had taken his share of the wealth and stayed on the frozen lake, where there were few obstacles to interfere with his sense of navigation.

Yes, he was just wandering blind. No, he wasn't really sure where he was, where he was going, or what he would do when he got there. Arbor wasn't sure of anything anymore. He didn't know whether or not he actually wanted to win the Games. He didn't know why he did anything that he did. He even began to question his own existence.

What does it mean to be? he pondered. I am. I can walk, I can talk, eat, breathe, run, jump, think. But what if I can't? This could all be an illusion. The universe is vast. But what if it wasn't? What if it--what if all of it didn't exist? What would there be? Absolutely nothing. Not some big, black, emptiness. Just a while lot of nothing.

He stopped for a moment, trying to wrap his head around the concept. It wouldn't be an unending blackness, like Arbor's world was. It would be nothing. An infinitesimal nothing. Immeasurable. Non-existent. Nothing to hear, nothing to feel, naught to taste or smell. Nothing to see.

His head reeled from the thought of it. The world began to spin. Dizzy. He staggered forward a few steps, no balance whatsoever. Arbor started to chuckle. It was small in the beginning, a snort barely more audible than his own breathing. That didn't last. It grew louder, louder, more violent, more maniacal, a final indicator that something was really not right within him. He grinned his bloody, contorted battle smirk. He was a wolf, and the world was his piece of meat.

"LIFE!" he roared. It felt so good, so natural to yell. "DEATH!" The shouts echoed off the flat land. "NOTHING! ALL OF IT, NOTHING!"

He pulled out his only companion, his hunting knife. He drew the blade across his left palm, smearing the weapon with his blood. He shook it at the sky.

"YOU! COME AND GET ME!"

[Tori]

Anastasia Estrange:

Rocko is dead. Ismene is dead. So why aren’t I? All I had been doing these games was trying to protect them. And this is how it ended. They had died, and I was still alive. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. As soon as Rocko fell I had run away. I was a weakling. Scared and confused. I knew his body was lifeless before it hit the ground and I couldn’t take it, so I ran. Leaving all of his belongings to the alliance that had killed him.

It had been a day ago. And I still hadn’t grasped it. Light was just started to fill the sky, but it was still quite dark. Suddenly, I heard screaming. No longer caring what happened to me, I wanted to find out who was the source of it. Within a few minutes, I knew. Arbor.

The boy who had helped kill Rocko. The boy who claimed he wanted to die in these games. If he wanted to why was he killing others instead? The boy I suddenly hated. I felt my jaw tense, and I wanted to attack him. Kill him. He had said he wanted to die, but he was still here, in the games. He looked awful, crazy even. As if he’d finally broke. And I felt as though I might too.

I decided it wasn’t my time to die yet. No. I was needed for a few more things. My new reason for living. Not to protect, but to kill. Arbor was a killer. He was no longer handicap in my eyes. He was a heartless monster. And I was willing to become one as well. I walked towards him, throwing my backpack to the ground next to me, alerting him of my presence.

I gripped the machete in my hands with a new feeling. Revenge. I was going to kill. Not only Arbor, but his alliance members as well. This was my new reason to living. I would kill them all. Take their lives like they took Rocko’s and Ismene’s. Like this game had taken all of ours. I smiled to myself, finally realizing what had happened to me. I had conformed. I had given in to what the game makers wanted me to do. I was their tool now. And I liked it.

“Guess who?” I laughed. Raising my weapon, I ran straight at Arbor for the attack.
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[aya]

Halt, Arbor C.

He had been so caught up in his rant that he hadn't even noticed the girl--that one girl that he seemed to run into over and over--as she approached. It was that one girl, the one that was with the boy they had killed yesterday. And she didn't seem too pleased to see Arbor, either, although that was to be expected. They had killed her ally, after all.


"You want me to guess?" he asked, tone so completely conversational that it would have fit in better at a book club or over morning tea. For the moment, it was completely out of place. For Arbor, it was completely out of place. "It's gotta be dead-boy's girl. Dead-boy from yesterday, yea?"

His hunting knife was already drawn, already set to strike. Arbor had passed the breaking point so long ago. He was unstable, a reckless tribute. Completely gone from his head. He'd checked out, and it was difficult to say if he'd ever check back in. By the end of the day, certainly not. By the end of the Games, no. If, by some stroke of luck, the sky he'd just cursed was feeling ironic instead of vengeful-- if by some stroke of luck, he made it out of the Arena without a cannon to fire for him? Who knew?

To Arbor, it didn't matter. Nothing mattered. Not his health, not his safety, not his life, no family, friends, home. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Certainly not this recurring nuisance. He brandished his knife and lashed out at the girl, marking the start of their third bout to date.


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[Tori]

I hadn’t been prepared for this remark. His tone was so normal, it was frightening. He mentioned Rocko, and me being a pair. At least he knew who I was. But his words stirred something inside me. He attacked, bruising my left leg. “Think your funny?” I growled.

He knew nothing about Rocko. Nothing about me. And certainly nothing about us. So who was he to say something like that. “I’m not his girl.” I silenced myself quickly, realizing I was speaking as if he were still alive. If I was going to go down this path, I had to forget about it all. And let it go. “Wasn’t.” I finished.

Without pausing, I continued. “But your thinking of the right girl. At least you know who you’ll be killed by.” I was so angry, I wanted to hurt him in anyway I could. “But you’ll never be able to see her face.” I attacked again, hoping my weapon would do more damage than my words.

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[aya]

Halt, Arbor C.

He'd touched a nerve, Arbor--unstable as he was--could tell, and it was affecting her fighting. She hadn't managed to land a hit on him yet. He needed to keep prodding at it.

"Funny? Me? Think so?" He chuckled, a somewhat more quiet version of the wild laugh he had sent echoing across the plain before. Quieter, yes, but still booming. "I'm downright hilarious!"

"And you, too," Arbor's voice dropped to a whisper, as he tensed up to make another attack. "See you, HA!" His volume was back up to a shout. Maybe the blind tribute himself couldn't tell, but it had to be clear to anyone watching how incredibly volatile the tribute had become.

"It's neither here nor there. Whether you kill me or not--" he struck at her again "--or whether I can see you or not. It's all no matter. Nothing matters!"


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[Tori]

He had finally lost it. And I was sick of hearing his voice. I wanted him to shut up. Since the fight started, I hadn’t been able to hit him. I was angry at myself. This kid had hit me, and he was blind. It was time for this fight to end. I didn’t want it to last forever. Besides, I had places to go and other people to kill as well.

“The only thing that matters is killing you!” With that I swung my weapon, begging it to finally make contact with this boy. I wanted this fight to be over. And I wanted to win. I had people I needed to find. And it was time for Arbor to finally die.

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[aya]

Halt, Arbor C.

Her last attack had sent Arbor backward into the snow. It was no real damage, but she had finally hit him. He congratulated her on this. "Well," he started in mock surprise, "it seems as though you've finally managed to land a hit on the blind kid. You know, instead of the other way around."

As he stood himself back up, Arbor smiled. It wasn't the hungry, bloodthirsty grin that had been plastering his face the whole Games. Had he been sane, it would have been considered genuine. This, of course, was not the case. "You know, if killing me is the only thing that matters to you, Dead-Boy's Girl, I have already invited you to try."

He feigned to the left before lashing out towards the right. Perhaps behaving erratically wouldn't come as a surprise, but it was a battle tactic that was worth a shot--though Arbor's mind hardly processed tactics. He was all instinct, all irrational insanity. "But do forgive me if I try the same towards you in the meantime."


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[Tori]

He was making fun of me. I tightened my grip on my weapon as he spoke. He was really making fun of me. "You know, if killing me is the only thing that matters to you, Dead-Boy's Girl, I have already invited you to try." The grin plastered on his face was small and happy, but words exiting his mouth did not match it. This boy had lost it. I bit my lip as he mentioned Rocko again.

He knew nothing about him, and had no right to say anything. Arbor was a killer. I ran towards him again, determined to lay a hard hit on him since I had only tripped him last. This fight had dragged on too long. He was blind after all. Am I becoming weak? As I brought my weapon down on him, I mumbled through my gritted teeth. "My name is Anastasia."

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[aya]

Halt, Arbor C.

The fight was dragging on forever. It was fun, in its own way, but Arbor was growing restless. Between his blindness and insanity and what he assumed was her nerves, neither of them had managed to land a solid hit--no blood had even been drawn. It needed to end.

"A name is just another word, Dead-Boy's Girl," he noted, trying to keep his opponent flustered. It was a strategy that seemed to be working fairly well. He had to keep her distracted if he were to win. "It is of no consequence. I'm sure Dead-Boy had a name, too. But he is of no consequence anymore."

He gritted his teeth and struck again, eyes squinted in a concentrated glare.


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[Tori]

I felt Arbor words as if they were the weapons he was using instead of the knife in his hand. Rocko had become a piece of me since training. Along with Ismene. And here Arbor was, acting like none of it mattered. "Maybe it doesn't matter to you because everyone hates you. Who could possibly love someone--something--so dispicable."

I stood my ground, my voice raising now. "How could you ever understand anything? You're a killer. Rocko, that was his name, had people to go home to. He had a sister he had to protect. He had a special someone. He had friends. And you took it all away! I have nothing to lose here. My only reason to live now, is to kill all of you." I ran forward, my machete clutched in my hands.

I'm going to make him pay. He was going to pay for everything. The marks he left on my arm and leg were nothing compared to how I would make him wish he were dead.

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[aya]

Halt, Arbor C.

The girl's machete came down hard, leaving a deep gash across Arbor's chest. He hissed, blind eyes watering from the wind and the pain. There was the blood! It didn't matter that it was his own--Arbor had the lust for battle, and here was battle. Volatile and erratic as he was, he couldn't pretend that he wasn't in pain. The frozen wind made it feel as though his chest was literally on fire, chilling the warm, sticky blood as it poured from the wound.

He would have to fight harder. "I have been loved!" barked Arbor. Tears poured from his eyes, from the pain in his chest, from the verbal blow to his cracked and mangled heart. "I have known love! But the very Games themselves took that away from me, you know what that's like, Dead-Boy's Girl, don't you? Rocko. They took my love from me several years ago. Shaw. They made me take my friend. Archer. And now they're taking me, too. Arbor!"

His shaky voice grew to a shout with his own name, coupled with a jab at his opponent. He was losing. But he maybe could change that.


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[Tori]

Shaw? A boy? Arbor certainly had more secrets than he let on. I wondered how many people he had shared this with before, because he just announced it to the whole world. No doubt the cameras were on us right now. I wondered if Rocko's girlfriend was watching. I would take revenge since she could not. This thought brought something new within me. I had to help her, take control. She knew exactly how I was feeling. Even though I didn't know her name.

Arbor's knife came down on my torso. He fist was what connected more than his knife and I heard a familiar snap. I gasped loudly, clutching my side. I didn't need someone to tell me that that was my third broken rib since the games. "B*st*rd." I whispered to myself as I tried to stand up once again. The pain flowing through me brought tears to my eyes, and my vision began to blur.

"Shaw?" I asked, regaining my composure. "It is but a name. It is of no consequence. He is of no consequence anymore." I spoke the words slowly, hoping he'd recognize them as his own. It was my time to hurt him. Make him pay. He didn't understand. He'd never understand. But he did understand one thing. This was the capitol's doing. I'll have to kill them too. I swung my weapon once more.

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[aya]

Halt, Arbor C.

Their duel had turned ferocious and dangerous quickly. Both the psychological battle and the physical brawl had increased in intensity by a tenfold. It pained Arbor to think of his love as of no consequence, but if he let himself dismiss Shaw for the moment, he was. He was dead and he was gone and he couldn't do anything about Arbor's fight. No consequence. Even so, he had to return fire. Mental warfare was working.

There was no way that the cameras were anywhere else. But throughout the entire Games, Arbor had managed to not worry what the general population thought of him. They couldn't touch him anymore. It didn't matter if they liked him or not. It didn't matter if they were rooting against him, cursing him. They couldn't touch him.

"Aye, it is but a name. Shaw is the past. Dead-Boy is the past. This, though--" he struck out at her again, hoping to do some better damage "--Grrraah!--is the here and the now. And tomorrow is the future. And one of us won't live to see it."


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[Tori]

His words hurt, and his weapons hurt. He brought his knife down on my face. And I felt it dig into my flesh. My face suddenly grew wet, and I could no longer see. I heard my scream pierce the ension between myself and arbor, and my hands flew to my face. "YOU!" I screamed, starting to cry. "Your going to pay for everything."

My tried to wipe the blood out of my eyes, but more just kept coming, so I swung my machete at him. Blindly. I didn't like not being able to see. I didn't like blood gushing from my face. I didn't like the pain in my torso. He would pay for everything I disliked. Because more than anything, I disliked him. "Your the one who will die, not me. I wonder what your beloved Shaw thinks of you now. Maybe he likes monsters, I don't know." I spit the blood out of my mouth, praying for this fight to end soon.

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[aya]

Halt, Arbor C.

Arbor had landed a hit on her face, and from the sound of things a bad one. It seemed as though her vision had been pretty badly impaired, based on how badly the girl's next attack missed by.

"Ah, now here's an even match," he observed. "Having trouble seeing? Or have I just impaired your thinking?" Despite the blood staining his chest from his previous wound, Arbor's confidence was bolstered with his latest hit. "Because I know no logical person, no sane person--" he spat the words forcefully, as though they'd scalded his tongue "--would ever consider the possibility that the dead had any presence among the living."

He paused, lingering on his opponent's last commend. "I don't know what Shaw saw in me," he murmured, "even when I was more... innocent." Arbor cleared his throat. "And what did I see in him?" Smiled. "Nothing, of course." It could have been a conversation with an old friend--if he'd had any besides Shaw. "But I felt a great deal."

Arbor didn't really want the fight to end. He immensely enjoyed screwing with this one. Funny. He hadn't liked to play with his food before he ate it--metaphorically speaking--at any other time in the Games. Perhaps they had forged some sort of bond, with the insulting, demoralizing remarks they had swapped. But even as sickly entertained as he was, he knew the fun would only last as long as the fight. It had taken too long as it was.

"We're not so different, you know," he whispered. "Both just screwed over--big time--by this... And you may trick yourself into thinking you don't like fighting, don't want to be a killer." Arbor attacked the girl again. "But that doesn't explain why you've been trying so hard to get rid of me. Why you and Dead-Boy aimed to kill my ally at the Feast. You have nothing to lose, you said. So you're here to kill the rest of us."

"There is no other explanation. Any tribute who makes it so far, well, they are a great deal like me. You more than others."


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