Chapter Text
~Martyn~
Ever since himself, Apo and Cleo had allied up, everything was going smoothly. If there was any fight they needed to win, they could do so pretty easily; there were three of them after all. It was relatively quiet, and their lives were simple for a few days.
And then suddenly it wasn’t just the three of them anymore, it was eight.
Pearl, Drift, Abolish, Sausage and Ren had all found their way into the group, and now they all worked together in one big (temporary) alliance that they had named “The Militia.”
Everyone looked out for each other, and there were no worries. Of course, they would have to separate eventually as the numbers of the tributes lowered, but for now? They moved as one, and that was what mattered, especially if he had Apo, his best friend, by his side.
Martyn had been worried about what was to come. He didn’t want to admit it, not even to Apo, that he was terrified; the ideas that raced through his mind before sleep of her dying in horrible ways would make him shiver. But now with the alliance, everything felt safer. There was no doubt that they had a pretty good chance of surviving far into the games now.
They weren’t exactly sure how the other alliances were moving, however. Pyro, Shelby, Scott and Owen had all teamed up and were located somewhere to the North, remaining elusive except for the rare visit from Shelby to talk to Drift (in his opinion, they definitely had something going on, the way Drift would look at her was far too cute for a regular friendship!).
And then there was Avid and Legs, who were somewhere to the east of the Militia’s camp. They were friends of the alliance (although there was little trust between them), but had decided to be more solitary and were working on their own.
The day was drawing to a close as the sun sunk in the sky, a brilliant orange illuminating the arena in a beautiful sunset.
Martyn would be splitting off from the group later on to go and catch some fish by the lake up north. A dangerous task due to the other tributes that would surely be there, but worth the reward of fresh food to be eaten. Apo had insisted to go with him, but he denied. He didn’t want anything happening to her, not a chance.
As the moon finally climbed its way up into the sky and the anthem blared into the night, a screen shone the message of “NO DEATHS”, before disappearing once again. It had been a quiet few days. Nobody had died in the arena just yet, surprisingly.
The time had finally come for the team to split up and do their own thing. This is how they usually did it, but they always came together again quickly if someone whistled for help, and they never wandered too far from each other. Pearl and Cleo would scout for anyone near, Abolish would go on his own to look for supplies and Martyn and Apo would often stay together, then the rest would group up. It was a very functional (often boring) order, but it’s what kept them safe, and that was extremely important.
“Are you sure you’re going to be alright, Martyn? It’s dangerous out there on your own. Please try and be careful.” Apo pleaded, handing him a sword by the hilt. He swung it into his belt with the dramatic flair he always had and said, “I’ll be fine, I know how to defend myself. If I’m not back by tomorrow, then I’ll be somewhere near the lake, you can come and find me.” His reassuring words calmed her, and she grinned up at him. “Best be going, then!” She gave him a pat on the back and walked off, catching up with a few of the others.
Leaves crunched under his feet as he set off to the north, following the sound of the bubbling lake ahead that was gradually growing louder and louder as he approached. Martyn quieted his steps and listened for any signs of people, holding his breath in the dark for a few moments.
Nothing.
He set off again, pushing branches out of his way and ignoring the fact that the trees looked very ominous in the pale moonlight, seeming to twist into faces that weren’t there. It was fine, all that was there were the woods, the other tributes and himself, all which he could handle perfectly. He wasn’t scared, he told himself.
He soon arrived at the lake, which shimmered in the dim light, the tower looming over the beach. The boy decided it would be better to hide in the foliage so as to not attract any immediate attention from a threat. He scanned his surroundings for any sign of life before he heard it.
Conversation.
He whipped his head around to the left and stared onto the beach, just making out four shadowed people, standing and making conversation.
Shelby was crouched on the bank, flanked by Pyro and Scott on each side, Owen standing off to the right. She shivered in the cold night air, pulling her skirt over her bare, scraped knees. Martyn noticed that she was seemingly the only one to be affected by the breeze. He wondered why?
And then suddenly, Shelby’s demeanour changed. Her eyes, as bright amber as they shone seemed to be tinged with worry. Then, she asked in a much more serious tone than her usual bright and bubbly self;
“You guys didn’t bring me out here so nobody can hear me scream, right?” She asked in a nervous, half-joking laugh. Martyn’s heart skipped a beat. What did she mean?
The two closest to her instantly replied with sarcastic echoes of “No! Why would we do that?” The others exchanged glances and nods, then turned back to the girl standing in front of them, a sinister air around them that was felt even from the several meters away where Martyn was hiding, the branches of the bush he was in scraping at his arms.
He didn’t move a muscle even though the pang of sharp wood on skin burned. He couldn’t risk being caught, whatever was going on could be valuable information to report back.
“Because you three have been running around together lately! And-“ her face fell as they moved in closer, completely surrounding her. A malicious grin was smeared across the younger boy, Pyro’s face. The same for Scott, but it faltered, as if he didn’t really want to hurt her. Owen was as unreadable as usual, his gaze seemed cold and distant, as if he were somewhere else in his own head.
Martyn longed to do something, to help her. But he couldn’t, if he was discovered they would surely kill him in an instant. And so, he only watched as she tried to run away, crying out to anyone that could listen; desperate pleas for help.
Shelby sprinted to the opposite side of the lake where Martyn was hidden from view within the foliage, closely followed by all three of them now. The girl was panicking, a frantic look shone in her golden eyes, reminiscent of a frightened rabbit, he thought.
“It doesn’t have to be like this, Shelby, come on!” Owen groaned. He half-heartedly ran behind his other two friends, although keeping his distance from any of them.
What didn’t have to be like what? There was something sinister going on. He would go back and get the militia, then sort out whatever was happening. Yes - that’s what he would do. A sense of urgency filled his lungs with adrenaline as he was about to stand, Shelby tripped over something lying on the ground, and her chasers closed in.
Martyn squeezed his eyes firmly shut for a brief second, imagining one of the three boys pulling out a weapon of some sorts, but no.
Just as he opened his eyes, there were fangs sinking into her neck.
Fangs.
And not just any animal’s, Pyro had a firm grip of her, holding her not too close, but steadily enough so that she wouldn’t slip out of reach, even as her breath grew fainter and fainter, her complexion growing ever paler.
He was drinking her blood.
Apo was right.
A thousand blurry memories spilled over his mind instantly, a rush of incidents that just made sense now that he had brushed off countless times. The people back in district 2 going missing, attacks in the middle of the night, everyone paranoid about letting strangers into their homes accidentally. Him and Apo’s conversation a few days ago.
“Do you think vampires are real?” She had asked.
“Nah, probably not. It’s just some dumb rumour the Capitol made up to make us fear them or something like that.” He had replied.
And now he was watching Pyro enjoying his midnight snack.
Martyn felt as if a gunshot was being ripped through him in the silent dark, breaking through his lungs. He couldn’t breathe. Panic overtook him as Shelby fell entirely, leaning onto Pyro’s shoulder. He heard distant reprimands from Scott, something about “stealing his food”, but it never sunk in; he was too deep in his own terror to react.
The first thing he could think to do was run.
He had to get back to Apo, surely she would be worrying by now. He had to tell her what he had just seen, tell her the new threat that had just made itself known. She would know what to do, she always did.
The sprint back to camp was the longest he had ever taken, and yet it was over in a few fleeting minutes. Disturbed wildlife scattered at the sound of his thundering footsteps, but he didn’t dare stop, his fear that Scott, Owen or Pyro were coming up behind him was enough to terrify him into pushing himself even faster, deeper into the forest and back to safety.
A campfire was coming into view amongst the dark foliage. “APO!” He screeched, his voice cracking as he completely ran out of breath. “Martyn? What’s-“ The girl was interrupted as he came barreling into her, knocking her backwards forcefully.
“Apo, they’re real. I saw it with my own eyes!” He rushed, his chest heaving as he forced himself to breathe, crisp air crashing into his lungs. She stared back at him, crimson confusion meeting crazed blue.
“What did you see? What’s real?” She asked, concern clear in her tone.
“Vampires!”