Multifandom Crossover

Chapter 27: Hazel Grace Lancaster

An ear piercing shriek tore its way up from my throat, echoing in the vastness of the night. "GUS!"

Arms wrapped themselves around me, hugging me close, preventing me from running. My vision blurred. I wanted to close my eyes, to look away; but I couldn't.

I could only watch, helpless, as Gus walked to his death.

No! He's not going to die! They're not going to let him die!

"GUS!"

The scream didn't come from me. It couldn't have; I already felt paralyzed, numb beyond belief. Please... please don't let him die.

He was there, not too far away; if I wanted, I could run to him, hold him one last time.

"I love you." His words echoed in my mind. "Okay, Hazel Grace?"

"GUS!"

You told me that 'okay' would be our 'always'... and that means we'll always stay together... that we wouldn't ever have to live without each other... what happened?

One moment, he was there. Running away from us, in the open, grassy field. His silhouette was illuminated only by the moon's pale light; he seemed almost ghost-like.

And then he was gone. The wolves were there, viciously tearing apart whoever had taken his place. I didn't know who it was, but it wasn't Gus.

I can't be Gus. Gus is alive. He might not be here, but he's alive.

The person being eaten by wolves wasn't Gus. Because Gus was alive.

But it was Gus.

"NO!"

If we had never gone to Amsterdam, would we be in this mess?

"GUS!"

If I had never met Gus, would he still... be alive?

My legs felt like jelly, too weak to support my weight. I collapsed, relying only on the arms for support. This isn't happening. This isn't happening. You're going to wake up at home, safe. Gus is going to be safe. This isn't happening.

"Go, GO!" Someone shouted. Katniss?

The arms that were holding me up pulled me to my feet. My arm was slung over someone's shoulder. My feet moved in time with the other person's, and we ran away from the scene of horror.

"Hazel?" The person beside me panted; it was Tris. "Hazel, I really need you to focus, okay?" She said gently. Her voice was soothing, almost like a mother's lullaby. "Can you run for a bit? Just until we're safe."

I didn't say anything. Instead, I took my arm off Tris's shoulder. Tobias, who was running behind me, handed me my oxygen tank. I took it without a word and continued to move.

One foot in front of the other.

From behind us, I could hear the dying whimpers and snarls of the wolves, which were snuffed out by the thunk of an arrow.

As my feet thumped along the stretch of grassy fields, I finally began to process things.

As I realized that Gus was gone, I felt a single tear trace its way down my cheek.

==== ====

In contrast to sleeping on the damp forest floor, the warmth of the fire was a blessing.

The amber flames seemed to be alive, dancing at nature's slightest breeze. Every few seconds, embers spit themselves into the sky with a small pop, reminding me of fireworks. Shadows danced along the ground, like puppets controlled by the fire's will.

I sat a few ways away from the fire, silent in thought. Tris and Peeta were sleeping, leaving Tobias and Katniss to watch over everything.

I stared listlessly at Katniss's arrows, which lay a few feet away. Their polished silver tips were bloodied and dull. I switched my gaze back to the fire, watching the smoke waft up into the air, letting my thoughts carry me away..

Gus...

The grass shifted beside me. I looked at Tobias as he sat down beside me.

"Um, hey." He said.

I didn't know how to respond; so I didn't.

"Look," Tobias sighed. "Katniss went to go hunt for food, and she told me to talk to you, so, here I am."

"I'm good," I said politely. "If you want to sleep or just roam around the area, that's fine. I'm wake Tris and Peeta up if anything goes wrong."

Tobias shook his head. "I also wanted to make sure... are you okay?"

I took my eyes off the fire and looked at him.

"I mean, after Cale--Gus..." he corrected himself hastily.

"He's not dead." I said. "Just... gone. As long as there are people that remember him--people that love him--he won't die."

"That's... nice." Tobias sighed, a hint of sarcasm laced in his voice. He adjusted his sitting position. "Also... you remind me a lot of Tris."

I glance at Tris's sleeping form, illuminated by the firelight. "How?"

Well," Tobias scratched the back of his neck. "Really, it's just the uncanny resemblance."

"Oh."

Silence.

:Can't I ask you a quick question?" I asked.

"Shoot."

"The moment we--Gus and I--reached... reach your world," I started. "I saw your expression. It looked like... well, it looked like you wanted to punch Gus in the face." I said monotonically, seeing the memory replay in my mind.

"Yeah, well, at the time, I really did want to punch him in the face." Tobias responded.

"Why?"

"Because he looks exactly like Tris's brother," Tobias responded. "And, very often, I found myself wanting to punch him in the face."

I stifled a snort. "Well, if you guys ever meet again, just do me a favour and make sure he's not Gus, okay?"

Even in the light of the fire, I couldn't quite make out his expression.

"Okay."