He had witnessed the beginnings of her spasm and his eyes widened—but then his vision turned white as another surge of pain rippled through him and he had to bite hard against his lower lip to keep himself from screaming, her words and anxiousness failing to reach him.

Poison. It was poison that they had given him, and to Eponine too. Still, he needed to get her to safety because maybe there was still a way to save her. Maybe he would not have to watch her die a second time. With all the strength he had left, he hauled her up (it was getting difficult to keep steady) and dragged her farther away from the Cornucopia. (Was he even walking in the right direction?)

He didn't know how far he got, but when he felt another jolt of pain he set her on the ground and staggered a few steps away and collapsed, arms wrapped around himself as he curled into a ball in a desperate attempt to fight off a seizure, black spots forming in his vision.

"Oh God..."

Was this what it felt like? Dying?