SnowBaz Short Stories

The Hunted

The Humdrum's attack on Baz, from his point of view.
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Credit to Rainbow Rowell. I did use her dialogue from Carry On for this story.
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Enjoy!

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I laid awake in bed, feeling thirsty. I hadn't had a proper meal in a while. I slowly pulled my blankets aside, and crawled out of bed. I looked across the room to Simon, looking so peaceful. I knew he hated me watching him sleep, but I tried not to. My room in the Pitch house was so big, I could look anywhere else. Snow naturally caught my eyes, though. I quickly changed out of my pyjamas and into proper clothing. It had to be around midnight. I cast one last glance over at Snow. His magic was so strong, it made the large room seem much smaller. I reached the door, then paused. I quickly crept back over to Snow on the couch, and planted a light kiss on his forehead. I then left the room and went towards the woods to hunt. I was creeping up on a deer when I heard it. A rustle in the bushes. It was just loud enough to hear, though I don't think a normal human would be able to hear it. It scared the deer away, and I cursed under my breath. I didn't think it could be any sort of animal, I must have scared all of them away. No one ever tries to come near the Pitch house. I turned towards the sound, as Simon Snow strolled out of the bushes, bouncing the ball he always carried around in first year. But this wasn't right, he was so young. Then it hit me. The Veil. The Visiting. But Snow couldn't be dead. I had just seen him. He was so peaceful.
"Simon?" I choked out. The boy- Simon- merely cocked his head at me. I ducked down to be at eye level with him, resisting the urge to cry, or to scream.
Simon put a hand on my face.
"You'll do," he said. I barely had time to be confused before a feeling of pure emptiness ripped through me. Not even that guilty, hopeless feeling. It was emptiness in its purest form. My vision blurred around the edges. I bit down on my tongue, and winced. I felt around my mouth, and found that all of my teeth were like sharp razors. Another wave of emptiness tore though me. I fell to the ground. It was like the opposite of what Simon usually does. Instead of giving me magic, he was taking it away. I looked up, and Simon was gone. I stood up, disorientated. I waited for the feeling to go away, but it didn't. I was thirsty. So thirsty. For blood and magic. It had never been this bad. Never. I stumbled around, trying to shake off this feeling. This void. It was like being in a dead spot. Why would Simon do this to me? Suddenly, I feel magic nearby. A lot of magic. I'm so thirsty. I slowly walk towards the magic. I can hear talking up ahead, but it's fuzzy, like I'm hearing it underwater. I groan, hearing the talking more clearly now. I lean against the tree. I hear the voice again. I know that voice anywhere. I'm so thirsty. I don't want Simon here, I'm going to hurt him. But I'm so thirsty.
"Simon?" I call out. I look at the ground, the empty feeling overwhelming me.
"Baz? Are you okay?" I hear Simon yell back. Yes. It's him. I don't want to hurt him. What did he do to me?
"No, no... Simon!" I call back. I want to run away from him, to keep him safe, but he has so much magic, and I'm so thirsty. Simon rushes towards me, calling my name. My head is still looking at the ground. I look up, and a momentary look of horror crosses his face. I back away from him. I must look bad. I'm so thirsty. For magic. For blood. For Simon. I'm scared of the emptiness, and it hurts.
"Something's wrong," I say. "I'm hungry." For you.
"Baz, you're always hungry." Snow replies. Not like this. Not for you.
"No. It's different." I shake my head roughly. He doesn't know. He did this to me. I should go and drink from him. His neck looks pale in this light. He's so full of blood and magic- I'm not. No. I can't hurt him. I don't want to. I will if he doesn't go away. "I saw you in the forest. Just now. But you were young- you looked like you did the very first time I saw you." I had to force the words out. All I could think about now is him. And what he has that I want. "I thought for a minute that you were dead. I thought it was a Visiting," I say, trying not to break down and sob. I don't want to think about Simon as dead. Never ever.
"It wasn't me," Snow says. He takes a step towards me. Don't come near me, I think. "You saw the Humdrum."
"You touched me," I say, able to remember where his hand touched my face. "I leaned down and you put your hand on my face." I feel angry, and empty.
"It wasn't me," Simon pleaded.
"And then you pushed it into me," I say. The emptiness. He did it. Snow stumbles backwards. He's afraid. Of me. If that's what it takes for him to be safe, that's okay. But I want him closer, so I can take what he has and I don't.
"Like you do, Simon. But it wasn't magic this time. It was a void." Yes. That was a good word for the emptiness. "You pushed a void into me, and everything else left to make room." I shake my head, trying to clear my vision, to shake away the void. Simon says something, but I can't register it. I hear a noise behind me, and more emptiness floods into me. I whine, and try to stretch out, to get away from it. Simon's mouth is moving, but I hear nothing. Nothing. It's harder to control now. The thirst. Simon is so close to me. He's so full.
"Get away, Simon. I'm hungry," I say, stepping forward. Just one little bite on his neck. Then I'll be full. I don't want to hurt him. I don't know if I can control it much longer. I hear muffled noises, talking, maybe, from behind me. I keep walking towards Simon. He has what I want- what I need. Simon doesn't move. I want him to. But I don't.
"Get away, Simon," I yell. I don't know how much longer I can take this. "I'm hungry!"
"What are you hungry for, Baz?" I hear him clearly. He's so full of magic. I need to tell him. Maybe he'll back away then.
"For you!" I shout. "For magic, for blood, for magic- for everything." It was true. I'm hungry for everything. "For you. For magic." I keep shaking my head, to try to make the void go away. I look up. We've moved, and now there's a tree between us. He's so full. I need him. I throw the tree aside, and ram into Simon. I should hit him over as easily as the tree, but he is surrounded by magic. He is magic. He's so full. Simon rolls me to the ground. I try to get away, to fill the void, but Simon pushes my head down.
"I'm so hungry," I say, pleading now. "And you're so full."
"You can have it," Simon say, his voice dripping with magic. "Baz. You know you can have it." Simon holds me down by my hair and my chin. Then he starts filling the void. With magic. I start sobbing, I can't help myself. I stop trying to break free. I let his magic fill me up. Simon is yelling at something. I don't know what. I'm filled up- and now I'm overflowing. I grab Simon's arms, squeezing them hard. My insides are on fire, filled up with so much magic.
"Simon!" I yell. That gets his attention. "Enough!" I yell, and Simon rolls away from me. I stay lying down on the ground. It still hurts.
"Baz?" I hear Simon say.
"Here," I say, still burning on the inside.
"Are you okay?" No.
"I think so. I just feel a bit..." I search for the right word to describe what I'm feeling right now. "...burnt."
"Are you on fire?" Simon says.
"No," I say. "No. Burnt on the inside."
"Is he gone?" I ask. I don't want any more emptiness. I never want to feel like that again.
"Seems like it," Simon says, and I feel him fall next to me.
"Are you okay?" I ask. I don't want him to be hurt. I don't want my Simon to be hurt.
"I'm fine." He says. I don't believe him.
I reach out for him. I just to to feel him, to make sure that he's all here. I find his arm, and wrap my arm around his neck and shoulders. I use what little strength I have left to pull him towards me. I feel his face on my chest, and can't help but let out a small sigh of relief.
"Are you okay?" I ask again. I need to make sure.
"Yeah. You?" Simon replies. No.
"Tip-top." I say, letting out a pathetic little cough. It's good to feel full again.
"What was that?" I ask.
"The Humdrum."
"Simon, are you the Insidious Humdrum?" I ask. I remember him. Those blue eyes. That stupid little red ball. That was Simon. I'm sure of it.
"No." He says forcefully.
"Are you sure?"