Chapter 29

Blake needed to find food, anything. She didn't feel like hunting, berries would do just fine. Blake knew her fair share of plants since her brother Glenn enjoyed studying plants and nature when he was younger. Maybe he still studies them now, Blake couldn't remember the last time she saw him pick up a science book. It has been so long since she has seen him. She examines every plant that contains berries, all of them were poisonous. She would have to hunt. The rabbits usually would hang out by the pond, the question is if anyone is near there. Blake starts for the pond, making her feet as quiet as possible. When she got closer, she could hear a panicking voice. It was Ottilie's, she sounded as if she was dying.

"No! No! You can't be dead! Oh no! Lalo's gonna kill me...." She wails. She pauses, Ottilie comes up with an idea.

"I am so sorry Marilyn" Ottilie takes her knife and stabs Lalo in his sleep. She holds the knife in his chest, instant regret fills her body.

"No! No!" She pulls the knife out of Lalo's body. "Wait Come back! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it." She tries to stop him from bleeding out by putting pressure on his wound.

"Ottilie..." Lalo says softly, confused by what is going on.

"Lalo! I am so sorry! I didn't mean too!" Tears were streaming down her face, her voice getting raspier each second.

"Ottilie, what did you do?" Lalo slowly fades, not realizing what's happening.

"No! Lalo, stay with me! You can't leave me!" Ottilie screams at him. She holds his head up, hoping to give him more time. Suddenly, a cannon goes off.

Ottilie's face drops, "No! No!" she uncontrollably screams and wails.

"Come back! No!" She cries into his chest. She hugs his dead body tightly, until a carrier arrives to take his body out of the arena. Soldiers come out of the carrier to grab Lalo's body.

"No! Don't take him, please! No!" She refuses to let go of his body. The soldiers hold back Ottilie, they are then able to retrieve Lalo's body. Ottilie cries into one of the soldier's arms.

"Please let me go with you, please!" They toss her out of their arms and board the carrier. She collapses to the ground, shaking intensely. Blake knew she shouldn't stay to watch her cry. Blake wipes the tears from her eyes and swiftly and quietly takes off into the dead forest.

Blake sleeps in a cave that night. She watches the hologram appear in the sky. Lalo from one, Eloi from two, Files from six, and Maine from seven. Blake realizes that she witnessed all of their deaths. Blake didn't know how to feel about Ottilie's betrayal, the trauma she would have to endure when she returned to her district would not be friendly. Her sister would never forgive her. Perhaps the reason Ottilie killed Lalo was because she was worried what he would think of Eloi's dead body.

Blake is taken off guard when a cannon goes off, It had to either have been Conroy or Ottilie. They were the only three left. Blake needed to know who it was.

She sprints to the woods to where the carrier is heading, hoping to get a glimpse of the tribute who didn't survive. She had to keep running, her legs are slowly giving out, but she had to keep running, no matter what. Finally, she reaches the carrier's future landing location. She could easily tell who it was, Ottilie. She is laying down, lifelessly with berries in her hands. She knew what the berries were, she killed herself.

The carrier takes Ottilie's body to the carrier and flies off with air blowing in every direction. Blake's mind hasn't registered what this meant. She is in the final two. That only meant one thing, she had to kill Conroy.