If You Must Cover

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Penelope

I sprint towards the edge of the ravine, practically dragging Agatha behind me. A horrible, high-pitched tone builds with every step we take. The golden light issuing from the mouth of the ravine grows steadily brighter, accompanying the sharpening of the tone. Together, they crescendo until I am forced to drop to my knees, clamping my hands over my ears and squeezing my eyes tightly shut. I feel the impact on the ground beside me as Agatha does the same.

We're both screaming. Even though it's not doing any good, I can't stop. I feel warm, sticky blood trickle from my ears onto my palms. Even through my closed eyelids, I can still plainly see the veritable beacon shooting from Simon.

It's unbearable. And it continuously gets worse and worse and worse until I don't think I can go another second without passing out. Or being violently ill. Or both.

Just as I begin to feel my grip on consciousness slipping away, a massive explosion blasts through the forest. And all the heat and pressure and that awful noise are gone, just like that.

There are tears on my cheeks as I open my eyes, but I'm shocked to find that the blood is gone from my hands when I take them off of my ears. I receive an even larger shock when I look around us and the forest is completely gone. Vanished without a trace.

Agatha and I lay side by side in the middle of a rain-slicked road (though the sky above us is clear of clouds for the first time in several weeks). About ten feet away, I can just make out the familiar figure of Baz's aunt Fiona, her chest rising and falling slowly.

And there, suspended in a shimmering gold cloud two feet above the road, are Baz and Simon. They both appear to be unconscious, but Simon's got his arms wrapped tightly around his boyfriend. Ever so slowly, the cloud begins to descend, until it deposits them gently onto the pavement.

"Simon," I croak out, pushing myself into a more comfortable sitting position. Beside me, Agatha stirs, sitting up. Ignoring her, I call out Simon's name again.

"Here..." comes his hoarse, exhausted voice. Still holding Baz tightly against him, he makes no effort to get up.

"Is Baz awake?" I ask, trying to work up the strength to stand up.

"...Yes..." Baz's voice is a faint, agonised whimper.

"Baz? Snow? Bunce? What the fuck is going on here? Where am I?" Fiona grumbles, attempting to sit up, but dropping back onto the pavement with a groan and a quiet "fuck."

"Agatha? You alright?" I ask, turning to face the girl next to me. She only nods, her hair catching the moonlight and shining brightly. I think I see tears gleaming on her pretty face, but she turns away before I can see properly.

"Penny..." Simon coughs, sounding dead-tired, "Penny we need to get out of here... Baz and Fiona... They need help..." I think a sense a silent 'and me' tacked onto the end of that sentence. Simon's only awake because he's worried about Baz. And even then, he's fading fast. I hear it in his voice.

With shaking, fumbling fingers, I drag my mobile out from my pocket and punch in a phone number.

"999, what's your emergency?" A woman's voice buzzes out of the receiver.

"I need an ambulance," I reply, pinching the bridge of my nose in a vain attempt to ward off my mounting headache, "Quickly."

(I know it's not fanart, but I've been plotting and I feel like Baz)

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(I know it's not fanart, but I've been plotting and I feel like Baz)

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