The dart pierced through to Rye's spinal column. He had time to gasp and the last clear memory he had was of Emery's warm, soft mouth on his. As the poison spread through his nervous system igniting each and every nerve ending, Rye stiffened and fell like a felled tree. He heard the announcement.<br/>â€œCongratulations on making it to the last five, tributes. Now weâ€™re going to try something new to get things going. Each of you has been hit with a dart containing a poison that will kill you within ten hours. The antidote is now being released into the air. Whoever injects themselves with it will survive. The rest will perish. May the odds be ever in your favor!â€<br/><br/>His mind was like crystal although his paralyzed body was on fire on the inside. He had control of his eyes and they followed Eden and Emery, registering the horror in their faces. He wanted to shout at them to run, to find the antidote so that they might live. Eden was small. Maybe they could share the antidote and live. Wetness flowed from his mouth. That wetness was white foam that roiled of its own accord, dampening his shirt. Rye could feel a single tear roll down his cheek.<br/><br/>He heard Emery and Eden speaking low to each other and he shut his eyes. He hoped one of them would shoot him and release him from this hell that was his body and this hell that was the Hunger Games.