05:  The Start

The interview passed by in a flash. Kyungsoo wasn't even entirely sure what the hell he answered. All he could remember was the blaring stage lights almost blinding him, the deafening roar of the audience, and the slightly soothing pats on the hand from the host. Also, the image of Jongin in a pristine white suit in contrast to their parade costumes sort of ingrained itself onto Kyungsoo's mind, disabling him to process anything else.

After the interview, all of the tributes along with their stylists and escorts were led to an airfield. Kyungsoo, along with Key and Taeyeon, were then separated from the other tributes and their teams, each one led into different hovercrafts which had no windows, or any other means to see the view outside. The only thing illuminating the inside of the hovercraft was a dim bluish light running all along the ceiling of the hovercraft. There were separate rooms inside, and Kyungsoo hurried into one of them, occupying the lone seat inside. He felt the hovercraft roar into life under his feet, and it took off smoothly.

He knew where they were headed. There was only one place left for them to go to. He didn't really realize it soon, but he had just been staring off into space for hours before he suddenly looked up in alarm as the door to the room slowly creaked open. He calmed down as he saw that it was just Taeyeon, probably there to wish him good luck. After all, it was finally time. Once the hovercraft landed, they would be given a few hours to prepare and then...and then they were going into the arena. To face their death.

"Hey, Kyungsoo." She quietly closed the door behind her, and Kyungsoo gave her a tired smile.

"Hey, noona."

"...are you...you know...ready?" Kyungsoo knew that Taeyeon wanted to ask him if he was okay, but that was something really quite stupid to ask. Kyungsoo smiled a little as he shrugged.

"Ready...well...I don't know. Nobody's ever ready to die, right?"

Taeyeon cringed, and he shook her head furiously as she walked closer to Kyungsoo, heels clacking against the polished ivory floor. "Now don't you say that, Do Kyungsoo. We don't know what'll happen in there!"

"Yes, we do, noona. We know that all of us tributes will kill each other in there. Only one will survive." Kyungsoo answered matter-of-factly, and Taeyeon crinkled her nose in response, but didn't say anything.

She took another step closer towards Kyungsoo, and surprised the younger man by enveloping him in a tight hug. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, but the pain was welcome, and Kyungsoo could only gingerly place his hands on her hips, melting into her hold.

Taeyeon pulled away after a short while, her eyes shining with tears. Kyungsoo blinked at her as Taeyeon cupped his face gently, caressing his cheeks tenderly and smiling softly at him. Kyungsoo suddenly felt an ache in his chest, and it was only until Taeyeon's lips met his forehead did he realize that the woman reminded him of his sickly mother back at District 12, his body instinctively yearning for his own mother's touch.

"I am very honored to be your , Kyungsoo. You are such a down to earth and humble boy...it pains me to see you enter that arena..." Taeyeon whispered sadly.

"It pains me to enter that arena, too, Taeyeon-noona." Kyungsoo replied, mocking annoyance and Taeyeon laughed softly.

"Hold on, okay? Fight, Do Kyungsoo. Don't die."

Before Kyungsoo could reply, he felt the hovercraft roar louder under his feet as it neared the ground right before a solid knock rapped against his door. Without any warning, it flew open, revealing a serious-looking Key and a group of  grim-looking Peacekeepers behind him. Taeyeon stepped away reluctantly, folding her hands above her lap and watching as Kyungsoo pushed himself up and away from his perch on the stool.

"It's time, Kyungsoo. The hovercraft will land in a few minutes. Let's gear you up for the Games." Key said quietly, and Kyungsoo felt his blood run cold.

It wasn't anything special. Kyungsoo ran his fingers over the thin material of his protective skin-tight suit for the arena which the Capitol provided. The stylists had no say when it came to the arena costumes.

It was dark, rough, and had a ribbed texture. Key had mentioned that the material was perfect for the inevitable cold nights in the arena. It was also stretchable enough for him to freely move around. Over the black bodysuit, Kyungsoo put on a pair of dark grey military pants, the ends tucked into the boots that were provided. They also seemed sturdy and stable enough, the soles made of thin, flexible rubber. Key helped him into another arena-exclusive jacket. It was black, made from something plastic and thick, the front loaded with multitudes of tiny pockets. Physically speaking, Kyungsoo felt secure.

It had been three hours since he had been separated from Taeyeon. It had also been three hours since he last saw Jongin. They had chanced glimpses upon each other before they were each pulled away and into the labyrinthine passageways leading to their respective launch rooms.

"Are you okay in there? Comfortable?"

Kyungsoo looked up from his lap and into Key's feline eyes. "Y-yeah, I am, I guess."

Key smiled at him before pulling him up to his feet, easily doing so and also ruffling Kyungsoo's hair in the process. "Go get them, okay?"

"Is it possible to just not get them?" Kyungsoo joked around, and Key rolled his eyes before pinching his cheeks, steering him towards the large, clear tube in the centre of the room.

Inside, there was a large metal plate for Kyungsoo to step on. Key helped him up, and Kyungsoo gingerly stood in the centre. He suddenly turned in alarm as the clear glass panes closed in on him, separating him from Key. His eyes widened, and he pressed his hands against the glass, looking at Key and finally letting his wall crumble a little. Key could see how scared he was.

"K-Key-hyung, wait! Wait, I'm not r-rea-- Key-hyung!!"

Kyungsoo watched as Key only looked at him sadly. The older man then shook his head slowly, never breaking eye-contact with him as he pointed at his own ears, mouthing, "I'm sorry, I can't hear you".

From up above, he suddenly heard a cannon go off, followed by an ominous beeping sound. He could feel his fingers go cold, because he knew.

That was the thirty-second countdown until the metal plate under his feet--and every other tributes'-- would rise up into the arena.

He could feel himself trembling, and he had to take deep breaths to at least calm himself down. Looking up, the hatch was still closed, but he knew that his time was running out. Turning back to Key, he opened his mouth to say something when Key suddenly gave him a smile, raising his petite fists up in the air and mouthing, "Good luck!".

Kyungsoo took another shaky deep breath, and gulped down whatever nervous feeling he was having. Standing up straight on his own two feet, he grinned back rather shakily at Key. "Thank you."

Key waved his hand dismissively before suddenly starting in a panic. He frantically pointed at Kyungsoo's chest, and Kyungsoo followed his stylist's finger.

Over his chest and pinned onto the coarse material of his nylon jacket, was a shining, silver pin-- a tribute token from Key himself. Kyungsoo couldn't quite make out the shape, but as he looked up at Key, he couldn't help but smile wistfully, the pin finally making sense.

"You're a beast, Kyungsoo. A fierce one! Show them just how incredibly fierce you are. Just let out the beast, Kyungsoo", Key mouthed slowly but clearly, and Kyungsoo nodded with determination.

A long beep from above resonated, followed by the hatch opening. The metal plate under him suddenly vibrated, and it jerked into movement, slowly rising up. Kyungsoo turned around, and with one last look at Key, he threw away all the negative thoughts as his hand enclosed around the beast-shaped pin on his chest. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a moment as the sunlight poured from the nearing opening above, his mind focusing on one thing.

Winning.

The metal plate stopped rising, and Kyungsoo was blinded momentarily by the bright sunlight. As soon as his eyes adjusted, he could finally see the arena, and the large, golden horn-- the Cornucopia-- in the centre.

The arena was, simply put, just a large grass field as far as the eye could see. Far into the horizon, Kyungsoo could make out a forest line which he supposed might be where the arena's perimeters ended. He was confused, though, because the arena was just that-- one big, open space. He could see all the other tributes standing on their plates, frozen still and waiting for the sixty-second mark so they could all jump off their plates and rush to the Cornucopia, or away to safety.

"Don't rush to the Cornucopia. Just get out of there, and run for your life, understand? Do not, I repeat, do not engage in the initial bloodbath. The Careers will take control of the Cornucopia, but it's not worth it to risk your lives over a few weapons that you may or may not get. Prioritize your life, and your teammates' lives."

Jonghyun's words echoed in his mind, and he was torn between obeying and not. There weren't any hiding spots available, and a bow and arrow was lying undisturbed just a few feet away from the golden horn. Besides, Jonghyun had instructed them to run and hide. But where? There wasn't any spot to hide in, because the arena was just a big, flat, wide, and open grass field.

Twenty, nineteen, eighteen--

Kyungsoo started leaning forward. It seemed that the Games weren't going to last a few days if the arena was like that. If the arena was just one big open space, then it was obvious-- the Gamemakers already wanted them to kill each other on day one.

Eleven, ten, nine, eight--

Out in the corner of his eyes, a sudden movement caught Kyungsoo's eyes. His gaze flitted to that spot for a second, and that was when it happened.

The launch plate beside Jongin, it seemed, exploded as the tribute standing on it lost her balance and stepped harder on the plate to regain her footing, activating the landmines underneath it. Kyungsoo's eyes widened, and he could swear that he heard Eunji scream. Kyungsoo couldn't blame her, though.

What once held a tribute on top of it now held human guts, bones, some tattered pieces of fabric, and a disembodied arm hanging precariously on the edge, the fingers almost grazing the grass below. Blood dripped from the fingers and from the edges of the plate and down onto the field, soaking the grass and soil underneath a dark, murky red. The tributes beside the bloodied plate-- Jongin and Eunji -- looked shaken and shocked, bits of human flesh, insides, and blood clinging onto their bodies.

Four, three--

Kyungsoo snapped back into attention, pushing the images in his head away and fighting back the urge to throw up. There was no time to think, and he still didn't know what to do. Their arena was downright ridiculously plain.

 Two, one-- start.

All of the tributes jumped off their plates, some tributes running away from the Cornucopia but Kyungsoo, without meaning to, found himself running towards the centre, his eyes fixed on the lone bow and arrow near the mouth of the Cornucopia. The panic, the fear, the nervousness-- they all added into one emotion which fuelled Kyungsoo to run faster, but a sudden roar from behind him made him lose his footing. He tripped, then he heard a crack and soon after felt a sharp pain shooting up from his left foot. He crashed onto the ground, his speed and momentum making him roll forward and closer to the mouth of the Cornucopia.

He tried to stop his movement, and as he did so, he rolled onto his back. He quickly tried to pull himself up, but he suddenly stopped moving, his gaze falling on someone's face. He suddenly felt the life drain out of his whole system. Standing above him, looking murderous and insanely desperate to live, was Liu Amber, the female tribute from District 10. In her hands was a large boulder, and Kyungsoo was frozen in his spot, eyes wide as Amber raised the boulder up above her head.

From out of nowhere, somebody suddenly tackled Amber, pushing her and her boulder to the side and putting Kyungsoo in a temporary safe position. Kyungsoo scrambled up, wincing as a sudden stabbing sensation shot up from his ankle and into his every nerve. Ignoring the pain, he looked at his 'savior', and couldn't believe his eyes. It was Bang Minah, the girl from District 6 and a supposed ally of their team, holding a heavy-looking axe in her hands as she straddled Amber motionless between her legs. She raised the axe high up, and let gravity do its work as she dropped it on Amber, hacking the life out of her.

Kyungsoo quickly turned away before he could see the blade reach and crack Amber's skull open. He ran closer to his target, the bow and arrows, when he realized that they were gone. He frantically looked around, and felt fear seep into his very being as he saw the Careers teaming up, dividing into two as they ganged up on District 7's female tribute, Choi Sooyoung, and that poor sickly boy from District 11 as he remained rooted on his launch plate, stricken with fear.

Kyungsoo stood frozen, watching the scene unfold when he noticed Minah standing up. Her movement had caught one of the Careers'-- Park Luna of District 2-- eyes. The small but formidable female tribute suddenly turned to their direction, her lips suddenly pulling up into a smirk. Kyungsoo didn't need to see anymore to know what was going to happen.

As fast as he could, Kyungsoo turned around, grabbed the nearest item that he could get his hands on, and ran away from the Cornucopia despite the screaming pain in his left ankle. As he ran farther and farther away, he heard Minah let out a scream, and all he could do was ignore the sour taste of bile at the back of his throat-- from having left behind a comrade and from the pain of his injury. He quickly looked around him, trying to spot Jongin-- or anyone he was supposed to team up with, for that matter-- in the mess, when it suddenly happened.

The launch plates placed equidistant around the Cornucopia suddenly exploded, and from the large crater each plate made, something rose up. Metal walls-- large, grey walls designed to look like brick walls-- rose from the ground, cracking the soil and grass as it slowly rose to its full height. The walls started rising first near the Cornucopia, and halfway through, another crack appeared near Kyungsoo. He noticed it going his way, and he quickly dodged backwards and onto a spot that he could only assume was safe from the wall's wrath.

As the second wall continued on rising up, another wall rose, farther back from the second wall and away from the centre, and so on and so forth. In the midst of all this, somebody screamed, the bloodcurdling sound fading as the wall rose higher. The walls looked like stairs in their process of emergence. Kyungsoo watched the walls rise on both sides of him, leaving a space in between wide enough to fit one half of a District in it. Kyungsoo didn't make a move until he felt the vibrations under his feet stop.

Suddenly, from somewhere in the distance, a cannon went off, and Kyungsoo counted along.

"One...two...three...four...five..."

Each shot from the cannon counted one dead tribute, and Kyungsoo felt an incredibly heavy feeling in his chest. Shaking it away, he clenched his fists. With the backpack-- the only thing he salvaged from the Cornucopia-- clutched tightly in his hands, he started limping along the newly risen walls. Now that he wasn't being hunted at the moment, the adrenaline was dying down, and he was starting to feel the pain of his apparently broken left ankle. He continued limping, though, not letting it hinder his movements, and frowned as he saw that right in front of him, there was a gap between the wall he walked along, its continuation in the same line but a few feet away from the wall where his hand was placed. He frowned at the gap, stepping closer to it and that was when realization hit him.

A labyrinth.

The arena was a labyrinth.

Kyungsoo looked up, and let out a shaky breath as the tops of the walls disappeared off into the clouds, noticing how the walls decreased in size as they neared the centre. He looked to the sides, and what was once a big, open space of grass field with visible forest lines in the far horizons became a labyrinth of metal brick walls.

The way in front of him was the only path he could see. Pressing his lips into a thin line out of pure frustration, he shuffled closer to the wall and crouched down, quietly checking the contents of the bag that he got. A small box of first aid, a pair of black knuckle knives, a blanket, and an empty water jug. He quickly took out and equipped the knives, suddenly wishing that he had given the knives section a try with Jongin back during training. Quickly dismissing his wishful thinking, he shrugged on the backpack and stood up, facing the path. He limped farther into the maze and away from the centre, hoping to find Jongin, or anyone living for that matter.

Kyungsoo could guess that this was probably getting boring to the viewers, what with the tributes just walking around and getting lost in a stupid metal labyrinth. Boring the viewers would mean a decrease in the viewership ranking, so in moments like that, the Gamemakers would take it upon themselves to spice things up a bit.

This would explain the sudden appearance of a large, salivating wolf muttation in front of a limping, tired Kyungsoo as he made a turn for a new path. Cursing under his breath, he stayed still, his eyes boring into the wolf muttation's striking blue ones. The monster growled deep within its throat, and Kyungsoo didn't even dare blink, afraid that the tiniest action could set off the beast in its rampage.

He clutched tightly at his knuckle knives, his fingers and knuckles growing white when suddenly, the muttation jerked its head to something behind Kyungsoo. It happened all too fast, but Kyungsoo saw it all in slow motion.

The monster leaped up into the air, growling fiercely, slobbering saliva all over the place. He easily leaped over Kyungsoo's small figure, and Kyungsoo quickly turned around to see the monster pounce on someone. That someone managed to dodge at the last minute, sliding underneath the monster and quickly turning on his heel as he crouched to face the muttation. From where Kyungsoo had come from, another petite person ran in and towards the fight. Kyungsoo's eyes widened in relief, horror and fear.

"Jongin! Baekhyun!"

Jongin, the one who had been the muttation's target when it pounced, ran over to Kyungsoo, looking panicked and rushed.

"Give me the knives, hurry!" Jongin demanded, and Kyungsoo hurriedly tried to pry off the weapons, eyes widening in confusion.

"B-but that muttation is too big, Jongi--

"Baekhyun's in danger, just give me the knives, Kyungsoo!!"

As soon as Kyungsoo had pulled his finger out of the last hole in the knuckle knives, Jongin yanked them away from him and ran to Baekhyun's aid, who was barely managing to dodge the muttation's every attempt at biting his head off. Kyungsoo watched in horror as Jongin literally grabbed the muttation's tail, used it as leverage to jump onto its back, and stabbed the monster in the back, the hilt of his knuckle knives burying deep into the monster's flesh as it thrashed around wildly, trying to throw off Jongin.

The muttation suddenly let out a high-pitched scream that reached deep into Kyungsoo's inner core, and he had to cover his ears to alleviate the noise, but something in his ears were already starting to terribly hurt. He looked at his comrades through squinted eyes, and saw Jongin shouting at Baekhyun, the both of them looking like someone was splitting their heads open.

"Baekhyun, hurry up and throw the goddamned berries into its mouth!! Hurry up!!!" Jongin yelled, and Baekhyun stepped closer but let out a pained yelp.

"I-I can't go near, Jongin, I--

", Baekhyun!! Just feed it the damned nightlock berries!! Hurry up if you still want to use your blasted ears!!"

Baekhyun gritted his teeth and quickly stepped closer to the thrashing muttation, his hand clenched around something. Whatever he had in his hand, Baekhyun threw it spot on into the muttation's open mouth. A few seconds later, the muttation suddenly stopped moving and screaming, and without a warning, dropped dead, almost crushing Jongin who was still on its back.

Kyungsoo wasn't even sure what happened. All he knew was that Baekhyun fainted as soon as the monster dropped, and Jongin ran over to the unconscious tribute, trying to shake him awake. Kyungsoo, snapping out of his shock, ran over, pushing Jongin aside and checking Baekhyun.

"His ears are bleeding..." Kyungsoo mumbled, and Jongin clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"The muttation's scream was designed to have the highest frequency the Capitol could give it. It was meant to destroy hearing." Jongin gestured towards Baekhyun's bleeding ears, and Kyungsoo looked down at the fragile boy.

"...he was the one closest to the muttation's mouth...it must have been really painful."

"You bet it was."

"...where did those mutts come from, anyway?"

"Somebody probably activated a trap in here. I don't know."

"...well, we can only hope that he didn't go deaf yet."

Jongin didn't say anything, and he only stood up as Kyungsoo did so, trying to shoulder Baekhyun's weight. He winced, however, because of his broken ankle, and Jongin was quick to notice the pain flitting across Kyungsoo's face. Hastily pulling Baekhyun into his hold, he looked at Kyungsoo.

"What's wrong, Kyungsoo?"

"I'm fine, let's go. We can't stay he--

"What's wrong?" Jongin asked again, a certain hardness edging his voice.

"...I-I think I broke-- or maybe sprained-- my ankle earlier at the Cornucopia..."

Jongin looked at him in a reproachful way before sighing, turning around and jerking his head towards the other end of the path.

"Come on, me and Baekhyun found a clearing with a forest in this damn labyrinth. We can spend the night there, we already checked if it's safe or not."

They shuffled through in silence, Kyungsoo staying alert. Any small movement from the sides had him whipping his head in that direction. Overhead, he could see the sky darkening, signaling the end of the first day. After an hour of walking, Kyungsoo finally saw the forest.

They hurried deep into the forest, and Jongin led the way. They soon found whatever Jongin was looking for-- a small hollow under a tree-- and Jongin carefully placed Baekhyun under it, making sure that their injured comrade was resting peacefully, or as close to peacefully as they can get. Kyungsoo was also sitting down beside Baekhyun when Jongin spoke up, not looking at Kyungsoo as he continued fixing Baekhyun's position.

"You shouldn't have gone to the Cornucopia. You should have followed us."

Kyungsoo didn't say anything, only opting to take his backpack off and bringing the knee of his injured ankle up to his chest.

"Jonghyun-hyung told us to leave that damn golden horn alone. Why didn't you listen?"

Kyungsoo took out the first aid kid, keeping his mouth shut and trying his best to tune out Jongin.

"You could have died, Do Kyungsoo! Then what?! What about our promise of going back togeth--

"Shut up, Kim Jongin! Shut the hell up! You're not me, so you won't know what the hell I'm feeling!!" Kyungsoo snapped, glaring up at Jongin and effectively shutting the tanned boy up.

Kyungsoo took deep, angry and shaky breaths, still glaring at Jongin. Swallowing nervously, he continued, lowering his voice to an angry whisper.

"You won't understand how I felt when I was out there, seeing people our age killing each other in cold blood. Seeing them, who were smiling and eating happily while we were still at the Capitol, bludgeoning and hacking each other's skulls open just to get out alive, just to be able to live another day. You won't understand how it felt when I almost had my head crushed by a person who only wanted to live and see the next sunrise. You won't understand..."

"...Kyungsoo, I..."

Kyungsoo felt the anger leave his body, replaced by exhaustion and pain as his ankle throbbed with a dull pain. Forgetting for a moment that there were cameras, that Jongin was watching him carefully, and forgetting the fact that he should be putting on a strong front, he let the tears fall, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably with each sob. Jongin made to move forward, but Kyungsoo jerked away, whispering the only thing that has been running through his mind on repeat for the whole day.

"I'm scared...I want to go home...I'm scared..." Kyungsoo sobbed, crying softly and pressing his face onto his knee.

"I'm scared, mom...I'm scared..."

Later into the night, before the day ended, Kyungsoo's eyes fluttered open, the national anthem of Panem playing throughout the arena. Baekhyun's head was resting on his shoulder, the blanket he found in his bag draped over the injured sleeping boy's frame. On Kyungsoo's other side, Jongin was sitting on an elevated root, his feet not quite reaching the ground where Kyungsoo and Baekhyun rested. Instead of the death toll being displayed in the sky, the metal walls served as large screens.

The Fallen

Kyungsoo felt an ache in his chest, and he tried to ignore it, keeping his eyes on the screen, checking to see if any of their comrades had fallen. The first face they showed was the female tribute from District 11, the one who had exploded on her launch plate. The second one was Liu Amber, and Kyungsoo felt woozy. The next one was Choi Sooyoung from District 7, and then the boy from District 11. Lastly came Son Naeun from District 5.

Kyungsoo gasped, and Jongin also sat up straight in a start. Naeun was supposed to be a part of their alliance, and yet here was her pretty face on the screen of The Fallen. Kyungsoo felt his mind go blank, and he suddenly remembered a scream he heard-- not Minah's, but another one-- right at the moment that the walls were rising...

"The walls..." Kyungsoo whispered, and Jongin looked at him, confused.

"The walls?"

"...the walls killed Naeun...she...I heard her scream, Jongin, I hea--

Jongin suddenly jumped down from his perch on the uprooted part of the root, landing down beside Kyungsoo and throwing his arms around the smaller male. Kyungsoo let out a muffled squeak, and he remained unmoving and quiet as Jongin wrapped his arms around him tightly.

"Shh, Kyungsoo...stop...stop reliving the dark moments...please..."

"Jongin...?"

"I'm here...you'll be alright...no one can you hurt you now, you'll be safe...I promise."

Kyungsoo remained quiet, but he buried his face onto Jongin's warmth and wrapped his arms around the other boy as well, letting his feelings show in that one simple gesture.

I'm scared, but not when you're here.

Nineteen tributes left.

_{Twitter: @alevuy95 (feel free to follow me and talk to me!)}

_{A/N: I'm sorry for the super duper long wait. Oh my gosh. I don't think I announced here that I had a 2-month vacation so yeaah, no updates....and actually, I would've updated this during my vacation but at the time, I had no idea what to do about the arena like sERIOUSLY IT WAS THE ARENA'S FAULT BUT THEN BAM OVERDOSE CAME OUT AND THEN THERE WAS THE MAZE AND I JUST THOUGHT OF IT LIKE A FEW DAYS AGO so hey yep sorry for the super duper long wait}

_{Hope you enjoyed this extra long 4.7k chapter! /fingers are dying/}