Hunger Games 1

Chapter 25 Fireball (1)
My first instinct was to get down from the tree, but I was tied with a belt.In a panic, I unbuckled my belt and fell to the ground together with my sleeping bag.I crawled out of my sleeping bag and didn't have time to unpack, luckily my backpack and water bottle were packed in the sleeping bag.I grabbed my belt, put the entire sleeping bag on my shoulders, and ran like hell.

Flames were already flying around, thick smoke was everywhere, and burning branches crackled and fell from the trees, hitting my feet with flames, splashing a bunch of sparks.Rabbits, deer, and a pack of wild dogs were running for their lives in the forest. I ran behind them, trusting their instincts to be far more sensitive than mine.But they ran much faster than me, galloping lightly in the grass under the tree, but the roots and broken branches kept tripping my feet, and I couldn't keep up with them.

The heat was unbearable all around, and the smoke, worse than that, threatened to suffocate me at any moment.I pull up my shirt and cover my nose, it's already drenched with sweat, so good it creates a thin layer of protection.I ran, coughed, my sleeping bag slapped my back, the gray smoke blocked my view, and the branches kept scratching my face, but I still ran desperately.

This must not be Tribute's out-of-control campfire, nor did it catch fire by accident.The height of the flames falling from my head is unnatural, and the distribution of the fire is evenly distributed like man-made - by machines or by the organizers of the competition.It's been so quiet today, no one has died, maybe there hasn't even been a fight, and the Capitol audience will get bored and complain that it's not fun, which is something the Hunger Games doesn't allow.

It is not difficult to guess the intentions of the contest organizers.The pros on one side of the game and us on the other, maybe spread out in the arena, too far apart from each other, the fire was meant to scare us away and bring everyone closer together.It might not be the best idea I've seen, but it works very, very well.

When I jumped over a burning log, I didn't jump high enough and the back of my jacket caught fire.I had to stop, take it off, and stamp out the flames with my foot.But I dare not throw away my jacket yet, and despite the fire and the lack of oxygen around me, I risk stuffing it in my sleeping bag, hoping that the lack of oxygen in the sleeping bag will snuff out my unquenchable embers.What I have behind me is all I have, and even so, this meager thing is not enough to keep me alive.

After only a few minutes, my mouth and nose were extremely parched.I couldn't stop coughing, and my lungs felt like they were on the verge of being cooked.The discomfort turned into pain, ending with a sharp stabbing pain in the chest with each breath.Then I hid under a ledge, fell on my hands and feet, and began to vomit, throwing up my meager supper and water until there was nothing left in my stomach.

I knew in my heart that I had to keep walking, but now I was shaking, light-headed, and having trouble breathing.I took a sip of water, rinsed my mouth, and took a few more gulps of water. "You can only rest for one minute, one minute," I said to myself.I quickly tidied up my things, rolled up my sleeping bag, and stuffed other things into my backpack indiscriminately.When the time came, I wanted to continue walking, but I was so smoked that I couldn't think clearly, and those animals with flexible legs and feet that acted as my guides had already disappeared without a trace.I hadn't been to this place before, because I hadn't seen the big rock I was hiding under at this time.Where are the contest organizers trying to drive me?Rush to the lake?Or rush to another place full of dangers?This hit me as soon as I had a little rest by the pond.Is there a route parallel to the direction of the fire that will lead me back to the lake, or at least to a source of water?The flame cannot burn endlessly, it has a limit.It's not that the contest organizers don't have enough fire, but the audience complains of boredom, too.Maybe avoid the pros if I walk the route behind the back away from the flames.Just as I was determined to bypass the source of the fire and take a circuitous route and retrace my steps for miles, the first huge fireball exploded next to a rock two feet above my head.I jumped out from under the rock, filled with new fears.

Now The Hunger Games is taking an unexpected turn.The fire is there to keep us moving while spectators watch the game with interest.

When I heard the hiss again, I got down on the ground and didn't have time to look.The fireball hit a tree next to me, and the tree was instantly engulfed in flames.Standing still is waiting to die. I got up and ran, and before I could stand on my heels, I heard a third fireball explode where I had just lay down, forming a pillar of fire behind me.As I scrambled to dodge the fireball, time lost its inherent meaning.I can't see where the fireball is launched from, but judging from the launch angle, it is not from the helicopter. Maybe the entire jungle is in the precise target of the fireball. The launch pad is hidden in the rocks in the woods, and the big game The organizers are sitting in a cool, clean room at this time, pressing the button that can kill me in an instant, all they need is to press down.

The plan of returning to the pond that had been hastily formed in my mind just now was completely wiped out in my sprinting and dodging.Each fireball is only the size of an apple, but once it touches an object, it releases a huge amount of energy.The imminence of death and the urge to live sent all my senses into overdrive.There was no time to judge which was the right way to run, and when the hiss sounded, I either got out of the way or died.

Regardless, the fireball does force me to move forward.Years of watching The Hunger Games tells me from experience that some areas are manipulated illegally to attack the players.As long as I can get out of this area, I can escape the launcher's grasp, maybe I will go straight into the snake's den, but I can't care about other things now.

How long it took me to dodge the fireball in my haste and panic is unknown, but the attack finally tapered off.very good.I'm nauseous again.This time it was a stream of acid water rushing straight into my throat and nose, I had to stop, my body was twitching, it was desperately trying to pour out the poisonous gas it had just inhaled.I waited for another sign of a run—the hiss of a fireball, but there was no sound.Vigorous vomiting forced tears from my stinging eyes, and my clothes were soaked with sweat.My nose was full of smoke and acid reflux, but I still smelled of burnt hair.I ran my hand over the braid and saw that the fireball had charred it by at least six inches, and strands of charred hair fell from my hand.I looked at my hair and marveled at how it had changed.Then came the hissing sound again.I ran away, but not fast enough, and the fireball shot past my right calf and hit the ground beside me.Seeing that my pants were on fire, I panicked all of a sudden. I screamed, landed on my hands and feet, twisted my body and backed away, trying to escape from all this horror.Then I regained my composure a little, rolled my legs back and forth on the ground, put out the hottest flames, and then, without thinking, tore off the remaining burning pant cloth with my hands.

I was sitting on the ground, only a few yards from where the fireball exploded and burned.My calf was in severe pain, my hands were covered with blood, and I was shaking all over, unable to move.If the tournament organizers want to end me now, it's time.

At this time, I seem to see Cinna holding a gorgeous dress with pearls in his hand, and his voice came, "Katniss, burning girl." The organizers of the competition must have laughed out loud when they heard this.Perhaps it was Cinna's gorgeous costumes that brought about this disaster for me.I know in my heart that it is impossible for him to predict this in advance, and he must be feeling sorry for me now, because I know he really cares about me.In any case, if I had been naked in the chariot, I might have been in a safer position now.

The raid is over.The contest organizers don't want me dead either, at least not yet.The core of The Hunger Games is that the "tributes" kill each other.Often, they kill a "tribute" to remind the other contestants that they can kill, too.But mostly, they drive the players to face each other, which means that if I don't get burned, another "tribute" will show up nearby.

If possible, I would like to run and hide in the woods now, but the smoke in the woods is still suffocating.I stood up and limped away to the distance, away from the flames that were so red in the sky.The flames didn't seem to be pressing on me anymore, but the sky was still thick with smoke.

Gradually, a soft morning light appeared in the east, and the daylight was obscured by the spiraling smoke.Visibility was poor, I could only see fifty yards ahead.A "tribute" can easily escape my sight. I should have the knife out in case something happens, but I doubt how long I can hold the knife in my hand.My hands hurt, but my calf hurts far more than that.I hate getting burned, even getting burned by a pan that bakes bread annoys me.For me, it was the most excruciating pain in the world, but I had never suffered such severe pain before.

I was so exhausted that I walked to the pond without noticing the water was up to my ankles.It was a lake formed by a spring, and the water bubbles gurgled from the cracks in the rocks, and the water was so cool and pleasant.I dipped my hands in the shallow water and immediately felt a lot easier.Isn't that what mother used to talk about?Is soaking in cool water the most immediate cure for a burn?Does cold water absorb heat?But she's talking about small burns, maybe she'll treat my hands that way, but what about my legs?Although I haven't had the courage to examine the injury, I'm sure it's a different kind of injury.

(End of this chapter)