Hemlock Mandrake

Hemlock Mandrake is a tribute in the 211th Hunger Games, from District 4.

## Biography

### Background

Nothing of note exists in Hemlock's life until the age of eleven, where he was first given exposure to the Hunger Games in preparation of the possibility of his name being reaped.

Though he felt that it posed very little threat to him, and blew off his parents' fears in public, he began to formulate strategies for the Games themselves.

Quickly, he realized that his physical build would never be accustomed to the Games themselves, and decided instead that if he couldn't fight the competition, then flight would be just as valid of an option.

As Hemlock began to train his speed skills, he also began to awaken to the fact that his District was not quite as ideal as it seemed. Though the general population was able to access enough resources to keep themselves sustained, there was still a level of stratification within the District.

Particularly, Hemlock noticed that a disturbing amount of girls as young as his own age of 12 in District Seven were being forced into an underground sex trade, where they were often abused by wealthier, older men.

Hemlock was frustrated and distraught by this realization, and was even further angered when he watched the transaction of a small brunette, approximately his age, to a Peacekeeper in a back alley.

This drove Hemlock into a spiral, one that would last for about half a year. He would come out of it with the strong resolve to free as many of these women from this horrid fate.

He developed a set of weaponry to help accomplish these tasks, using his youth as an advantage to look like he came stumbling into the wrong place, or better yet, acting like he did indeed belong.

His murder sheet racked up kills: on average, he was able to kill one of these prostitution enablers per month, able to frequently disguise kills as accidents or sudden onset illnesses that were previously undiagnosed. If worst came to worst, he was also able to frame rival pimps for the murders that got more gruesome than he was used to.

As his rap sheet grew, he began to leave a calling card: an eagle's wing with a brassiere hung over the top of it. This became known as the symbol of The Pimp Pursuer: a symbol of freedom for the women and children who were subjected to this awful trade.

At the age of fifteen, Hemlock began to get slightly riskier, and eventually came into a close call with the same man who had purchased the brunette he saw all those years ago, the one who he had begun his spree in order to try and save.

In the midst of a public square, filled with multiple witnesses, Hemlock stabbed the man in the stomach, before slashing his throat multiple times, nearly beheading the man. He was evidently pursued by Peacekeepers, but managed to slip their chase by hiding in a dumpster.

With this close call in the forefront of his memory, Hemlock decided he would take a longer-term break from his killing spree, a week prior to the upcoming reapings. This would let the District be distracted by the performance of their tributes, and less focused on the newest "victim" of Hemlock's serial killings.

Imagine, to his surprise, that Hemlock happened to be reaped for the Games, leaving the District with, perhaps, a permanent break from who they did not know as the Pimp Pursuer.

Something was beautifully ironic about it, Hemlock thought. He would be cheered on as the representative of his District, even though his prior actions were oftentimes condemned by law enforcement and the District media alike.

### The 211th Hunger Games

Hemlock is slated to appear in the 211th Games Story.

## Personality

Hemlock is primarily defined by his quiet, withdrawn nature. He is an observer more than anything else: he looks for the weaknesses in people, trying to gauge how he can best defy the odds of killing them, even with his limited yet practical arsenal. He has a strict moral code regarding not actively seeking to hurt women: though defending himself against an attack from one is perfectly fine by him, he refuses to actively seek an engagement with them. His core tenets are firmly secured within his methodology, one that has allowed him to become the most prolific serial killer in District 7.