12 June 2012
A whooping bird call roused the girl from her sleep. Jerking upright, she found herself instantly alert: hazel eyes wide, hand swiping unruly blonde hair from her face, turning her head this way and that.
Just. A. Bird.
She sagged slightly in relief, a soft sigh escaping her mouth.
Feather stretched languidly, allowing herself a split second's worth of pleasure as her bones cracked their way into place before tensing her muscles once more and jumping from the tree branch.
The branch was reasonably sheltered, and had served a safe-as-she-was-going-to-get camp once it had started raining last night.
As soon as she hit the floor, Feather froze. Not ten feet away from her, a tall boy was crouched. He was murmuring, shifting some leaves with his fingers. Feather thought she caught a glimpse of some metal-
Traps, she thought dazedly. He was setting traps. As if he saw the other contestants as animals.
Traps.
Feather slunk back into shadows, but not before a traitorous branch splintered beneath one of her heels.
Feather froze.
Every muscle in her body sang with tension.
The boy's head had snapped up. He turned his head firstly away from her, but then towards her.
And made eye contact.
Feather's heart was caught in her throat.
She couldn't breathe.
The boy pushed a lock of mink coloured hair from his face and a sinister smile contorted his lips.
It was not a nice smile.
He straightened, and suddenly didn't seem so gangly. He seemed lithe and dangerous. Willowy.
In one fluid movement, he drew a crossbow from his shoulder, knocked an arrow and sent it flying towards her.
Too late, Feather noticed it. She dove sideways, but the bolt caught her stomach.
A slow, torturous killing blow.
A silent, scalding tear scorched its way down Feather's face.
The boy laughed a cruel, mirthless, echoing laugh. His eyes gleamed with a feral light and he turned back to his trap.
Snapping a silver sheet into place and spinning a cog slightly with deft fingers, he finished his job. Then, without a backward glance, left the clearing.
Feather's breaths came in shallow, panting gasps.
Blood leaked from beneath her hands, which were pressed to her midsection. The pain was unbearable.
It felt like a thousand tiny needles being pressed through her abdomen, then a dagger being slashed repeatedly.
White dots spotted her vision.
Her eyelids fluttered, and the pain spiked again. In her catsuit, Feather arched her back. The movement would have looked graceful and dance-like had it not been for the expression of intense agony on her face.
And then, nothing.
Battle Royale Day #2 • Opuss № I