Heart pounding in my chest and my head pounding, I push branches out of my way, my legs carrying me faster than they've ever before as Katniss frantically tries to keep up with me. My hand finds its way to my hip, wrapping around the blade slotted in my belt as I pull it out, completely prepared for an attack. Bursting through the bushes into the clearing, my eyes frantically search for Rue, Katniss bursting from the bushes behind me.
"Rue!" I scream, spinning round to check behind me. My breathing quickens as I notice she's nowhere to be seen, instead where she sat before, her jacket now lies next to a pile of burnt wood. "Rue!" I scream again, the bushes opposite me rustling as I raise my blade, Pietro speeding to my side as we prepare for an attack.
"Abi?" asks Wanda as she steps out from the bushes, Vision close behind her. Her eyes are narrow as her eyebrows draw together, confusion invading her mind as I scan it to see where Rue is. "What's wrong?" Beside me, orange sparks begin forming, a glowing portal showing me the other side of the forest.
"What's going on?" questions Stephen as he steps out the portal, coming across towards me as the others step out behind him, the portal collapsing once everyone had arrived. Loki rushes over to me, his hands resting against my face as he scans my body for some sign of injury. When he sees that I'm okay, his shoulders relax, a small sigh escaping his lips as he pulls me against his chest, tightly wrapping his arms around me. "We heard an explosion." continues Stephen as I gently push Loki away, turning back to Wanda, my jaw locked as my muscles become tense.
"Where's Rue?" I grunt, my eyes glowing a faint yellow shade as my hands form fists, the hairs on my arms standing up on end. Tilting my head to the side threateningly, I focus my powers on Wanda, disabling her own so that if I have to fight her, she can't take me out. She was supposed to be looking after Rue so if anything's happened to her, I swear I will kill her.
"I'm here Abi." shouts Rue as she bursts out from the bushes that Wanda stood in front of, running towards me as the panic leaves my body. Dropping to my knees, I wrap my arms around her, pulling her tightly to my chest as she closes her eyes and rests her cheek against my shoulder.
"Thank goodness you're okay." I whisper against her hair as I gently place a kiss on the top of her head, pulling away from her to look her in the eyes, my own teary.
"Why wouldn't she be okay?" asks Wanda, her voice laced with confusion as I pull myself up from the floor, stepping away from Rue as a rustling comes from the bushes behind us. My head whips around quickly as we all turn to see one of the careers emerging from the bushes, spear in hand as his dark blue eyes fix upon Rue.
"That's why." I mumble as Katniss lifts her bow into the air, aiming it at his chest as he raises his spear. Releasing the arrow, Katniss watches as he throws the spear, an arrow plunging into his chest as he falls to the ground.
"Rue?" whispers Katniss as we all turn to face her, my breath catching as I see her stood, the spear protruding from her chest as she stares at it. Raising her hand, she grips the spear pulling it from its place as her legs collapse from underneath her, Katniss catching her before she hits the ground.
"It's okay," insists Katniss as she pulls open Rue's jacket to reveal a large red bloodstain on her shirt. Looking up through teary eyes, Katniss locks eyes with me, her own wide with shock as mine fill with tears, stinging. "you're okay."
"You have to win." whispers Rue, her voice quiet and shaky as a small cough comes from her throat. Grimacing, Rue relaxes her head against Katniss's chest as her eyelids begin to flutter. Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes as I walk towards her, kneeling on the floor beside her as I take her hand in mine.
"She will." I promise, my voice gentle as I place my fingers around her wrist, feeling her pulse weaken with every passing breath. Smiling weakly at her, I squeeze her hand reassuringly as a tear breaks free of the damn I've been holding up, falling down my face.
"You promise?" she whispers, her voice barely audible as the rising and falling of her chest begins to slow down.
"I promise." I mumble, tucking a strand of her hair behind her cheek as the warmth leaves her body. Placing my hand against her cheek, I feel for a pulse, desperately hoping to find one. She can't be gone yet. I didn't get to say goodbye. My hand trembles as I pull myself up from the floor, my cheeks now stained with tears as I turn to the rest of the group, my hand covering my mouth to try and cover up the sobs that tear from my throat.
"She's gone." cries Katniss as she gently closes Rue's eyes, pulling her body closer to her chest. Beside me, Vision wraps his arm tightly around Wanda, pulling her comfortingly into his chest as tears leak from her eyes. Tony, who is stood beside Peter looks down at the ground whilst Peter sniffles loudly, tears filling his eyes rapidly. Loki comes to my side, his expression sympathetic as he places a gentle hand on my shoulder, squeezing it once before he steps away.
"It's okay Abi." whispers Stephen as he comes to my side. Before I know what I'm doing, I wrap my arms tightly around his neck, burying my head in his shoulder as his arms wrap tightly around me. Stroking my hair reassuringly, Stephen holds me in his arms, his own tears overflowing down his face but neither of us wiping each others away. Instead, we stand locked in each other's embrace, momentarily shutting out the world as our minds cloud over with grief.
YOU ARE READING
Chasing the tesseract
Fanfiction"𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓲𝓼𝓮𝓼 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝔀𝓮𝓮𝓽𝓮𝓼𝓽 𝓵𝓲𝓮𝓼." • • Abigail Laufeyson has always had a chaotic life but it became even more chaotic when she met Stephen Strange. After the tesseract is stolen by none other than Hela Odinson, the two ne...
