Timber

Chapter Twenty-One: Fallout

Hazel's heart pounded in her chest as she sprinted towards Senator Snow and Festus Creed. The tree's immense size meant it wasn't the only threat to them but could trigger a deadly domino effect, toppling other trees in its path. The tree's descent seemed to shift into slow motion. She could hear Leo's shouts ringing in her ears, but her focus was singular - to reach Snow and Festus in time. Her breath was ragged, her muscles burning with exertion.

Snow's eyes met hers, a flash of realization crossing his face. Hazel reached them just as the tree's massive branches began to shatter against the neighboring trees. With a force she didn't know she possessed, Hazel shoved them both, hard.

"Go, move!" she yelled, her voice filled with urgency. They stumbled backward, their movements clumsy in their surprise. Behind her, the sound of splintering wood intensified as two more trees began to give way under the pressure of the falling giant.

Hazel exerted all her strength, her arms pushing against the weight of the two men. The sound of Silus calling her name was distant, almost lost amidst the deafening roar of the trees as they surrendered to gravity.

Her heart raced with a mix of fear and adrenaline as she managed to shove Snow and Festus out of the path of the collapsing trees. Just as they stumbled to safety, Hazel felt a vice-like grip on her arm – it was Snow, yanking her along with them. A sharp, searing pain ripped across her left side as the branches, like cruel daggers, tore through her skin, leaving a fiery trail of agony from her neck down to her shoulder.

With one final burst of effort, she wrenched herself forward, using her right arm and the momentum of Snow's grip to escape the last of the malicious branches. The three of them collapsed in a disheveled heap on the forest floor, just a breath away from the massive trees now lying defeated behind them.

The sound of the trees' impact reverberated through the arena, a deep, resonating echo that seemed to shake the very ground. Hazel lay there for a moment, panting, her mind racing, adrenaline coursing through her veins.

Hazel's gaze lingered on the three colossal redwoods now resting against the forest floor.  The trees' massive trunks lay uprooted, exposing a network of roots sprawled haphazardly, their thinness and frailty catching her attention. A cloud of dust and dirt, stirred up by the trees' descent, hung in the air like a dense fog, casting a surreal haze over the scene. Hazel's eyes narrowed as she studied the uprooted base. The sight raised more questions than answers in her mind.

Hazel glanced back at Snow and Festus, finding them as looking disoriented as she felt. The trio, united in their shared brush with death, struggled to catch their breaths. Their heavy panting filled the air, mingling with the residual echoes of the trees' fall. Festus, ran his hands through his curls. "Oh my god." his voice laced with incredulity.

Snow looked at Hazel with an uncharacteristically shaky demeanor. His usually pristine blonde hair was disheveled, and his blue eyes, typically sharp, held a hint of surprise. The white flower that usually adorned his lapel was gone, lost in the chaos. He seemed to be studying Hazel, as if reassessing her. He looked as if he was about to say something to her when the sound of Silus' voice calling her name snapped Hazel back to the present. She turned to see him and Leo picking their way through the debris of the fallen trees, avoiding the tangled mess of branches and trunks. "Are you ok?" Silus asked, concern etched in his features.

"Yeah, I think so," Hazel responded, surveying herself for injuries. Turning her attention back to
Snow and Festus, who were now slowly rising to their feet, Leo looked them both over and asked, "Are you two alright?"

Festus nodded looking at her and the trees behind her still kind of dazed, "That was insane."

A crowd of peacekeepers and other spectators, drawn by the sound of the commotion, began to converge on their location within the District 7 tract.