Run. || Alex Gaskarth A.U.

Epilogue

Jack was the one who found them.

Through the bloody massacre, through the battle of the endless corridor, the rescue team and Jack had won, only to find that they were too late. To say that what remained of Alex and Amelia was beautiful would only be a twisted lie; for what Jack found made him wish he could erase the image from his mind forever.

The others wanted to leave them there, "Let nature take care of them," they said, but Jack wouldn't allow it. So instead, they carried Alex and Amelia to the nearest water source they could find--a small lake, covered with water lilies and pretty reeds.

Amelia would have liked them.

Through bitter tears of grief and quiet sobs of loss, they cleaned the dried blood off of Alex and Amelia's wounds. It made them look better, more like they were asleep, peaceful and tranquil in a sweet slumber.

After they were finished, the argued for some time about what they should do with the bodies. Bury them? Burn them? Send then off to the bottom the lake? In Jack's opinion, none of those options were good enough for the star-crossed lovers, but they didn't have the right materials for a proper goodbye.

In the end, Jack announced that they should be buried six feet under the stars, for no one had loved the Night Sky more than Alex.

So using tired arms and hands, they dug a small, but suitable sized ditch. They then carefully placed the corpses into it, side by side.

The girls placed water lilies over Amelia's body, deciding it would better to cover the nasty hole in her chest,while Jack threw his jacket on top of Alex.

He didn't want his best friend to get cold in his next life.

They stood around the grave then, heads bowed and fingers fidgeting. A lot of the rescue team had known Alex, respected him even, and to Jack, he was a hero. But his mind was focused on Amelia, the girl who had nearly given him a chance.

He desperately wanted to know what her last words had been. He wanted to know if her and Alex had made amends. What if she had shot Alex? What if Alex had stabbed her? So many unanswered questions, never to be answered at all.

After a long deafening silence, a boy spoke up. He asked if anybody wanted to say any last words. Nobody answered him, and Jack was among the silent. He certainly didn't want to open his mouth, for he feared that if he did, he would fall apart. "Big boys don't cry." Alex had once told him, but the dried tear tracks that had been on Alex's face told Jack a different story.

It took the guts of an hour to bury them once and for all. The result was far from satisfying, but at least they were covered and safe from the world.

And so, the rescue team who had failed dispersed, leaving Jack to his own devices. They understood that he knew Alex and Amelia the best. He had travelled long enough with the pair of them, hadn't he?

But the rescue team didn't leave him because they wanted to. They left him because they knew he wanted to say goodbye by himself.

"I should have known that something like this would have happened." Jack choked out, the moon illuminating the soil that covered his fallen friends. He heaved a sigh and sat down in front of the dirt, letting his fingers trace patterns in it.

"I just wish I could have prevented this. I mean, I feel like I could have saved you--both of you. " Jack cut himself off in fear that the tears would start again. Don't cry he thought to himself. Don't cry for the lost. Smile for the living.

"I'm sorry that the plan didn't work, Alex. I know how upset you were when you saw Amelia get captured by the Government. Heck, I remember how distraught you were telling us. Did you tell Amelia that, by the way? I mean, for all you know, she could have blamed you for landing her in the arms of the enemy." Jack rambled, continuing to sigh.

"Anyway, that doesn't really matter now. I'm sure you two made up. I mean, the way his head was in your lap, Lia, and you guys were literally dead in each other's arms. You know, I always pictured that to look nicer, but Jesus-fuck, what was left of the two of you is going to scar me for life. All that blood, the sickening scent of death....it's not a pretty sight." he mumbled, raking a hand through his hair in distress.

"But anyway, I'm not going to give up, alright? I know you two had your differences, but you both believed in a better life. A life of freedom from this Hell on earth, and a life that's fear free. I'm going to try and make that happen, I think. I mean, I'm not as smart as you guys, but I think I can do it." Jack said quietly, his eyes flickering from the grave to his hands.

"Just promise me that you two will look after each other, alright? And that's kind of an order more than a wish, because you two really owe me. You've left me alone to fight. I'm not good at it, but I'm going to try. I'm going to try for both of you." he said, getting to his feet.

"This isn't the end." Jack whispered, to the wind, to the silence of the night, and to the couple buried under the stars. "I'll see you two again someday."

And then Jack left.

He didn't look back.

He never would.

~

Chapter Dedicated To: @orangejux because you are a shining star!!! Thanks for reading my fics, thanks for voting and commenting, and most of all, thanks for sticking around. Ily vvvv much x (p.s. ur gonna get a notification that I deducted this to you tomorrow, bc my laptop is currently OUT OF BATTERY BOOO)

a/n: are people going to want to fight me because of this ending?
(plz have mercy bc I'm five foot and jfc I can't fight to save my life).

p.s. anybody curious as to why Alex shot himself? I answered that question in the authors note coming up bc I thought it would be cruel not to.

Oh and also, if ya'll got any questions, just ask, bc I don't mind answering them at all! x

SEE U IN THE (TRADITIONAL) AUTHORS NOTE