The Fourth Hunger Games Chapter 18: Storm

“After a storm comes a calm.” - Matthew Henry

“Human misery must somewhere have a stop; there is no wind that always blows a storm.” - Euripides

Ezra's relief of having slipped passed Tiara had quickly faded after being faced with the snow. At first it had seemed easy enough to handle. He'd dealt with snow his entire life in District 10. Then, the snow worsened, and although still comparable to District 10, Ezra realized that this time he didn't have any shelter to which he could escape. He was alone in what was quickly turning into a blizzard. He didn't understand why the gamemakers wanted to do this so close to the end. Wouldn't it just make it more difficult for them to fight? But Ezra had given up understanding the gamemakers long ago. For now, he had more important things to worry about.

XX

Jocelin gripped the light jacket that had been a part of her tribute uniform tightly to her. It wasn't helping much anymore, but even a thin layer was better than nothing. The only bright side to this storm was it was helping her forget about how dirty her skin felt. Now, she was consumed by cold. She shivered as she looked around the arena. Jocelin hoped it ended soon.

XX

Coale had managed to forage enough food for a couple of meals before the storm picked up. He was suddenly thankful for the cold District 12 winters as he walked with his back toward the strong breeze. The one advantage of the wind was that it now provided sufficient disguise of his footprints. No longer having to worry about leaving an obvious trail, Coale began to head in the direction of the cornucopia. He wanted to end this as quickly as possible.

XX

“Oh, look,” Tiara smirked maliciously. “It's little baby Ezra.”

Ezra had seen Tiara in this state before, but never had he been on the receiving end of it. He'd been so careful when escaping the alliance with her, but the storm had caused him to drop his guard. He'd been so concerned with protecting himself from the elements that he hadn't protected himself from the biggest danger. He shouldn't have been surprised when Tiara cornered him.

“Don't worry,” Tiara reassured him. “I'll make it quick. After all, we were friends, weren't we?”

And quick it was.

XX

Tiara watched as Ezra's body was removed from the arena. Minutes later she could see the snow start to lighten. It became easier to see, and Tiara felt as if she could detect just a minuscule rising in the temperature. They'd gotten one death, and apparently, that was enough. With just three tributes left, the rest of the games would be eventful even without the severe weather. Tiara smirked as she thought of how close she was to winning. Just two more deaths to go.