Nothing's Fair In Love And War | Zarry

Part Thirteen

The familiar scene had been living in his head day after day. Harry blinked his eyes; he knew exactly what it was going to happen. He stepped forward, sweeping his hand against the wall, feeling the fabric with his fingertips. He was in the hall again.

Harry attempted another step, but he didn't see the blood that was supposed to be around his bare feet. As he raised his head attentively, there was no dead body lying in front of him. He moved again, tiptoeing on the cold floor, filling his lungs with the clammy air.

And then the scene changed. The cold floor became a dark, infinite corridor. Harry turned around immediately, but there wasn't a sword pointing at him.

So he kept walking. The eerie peace didn't make him feel any better. He was waiting for a knife to cut his chest open so he could finally return to his bed again. Harry couldn't manage to wake himself up, and the coldness around his neck made him wonder if he would ever wake up.

He looked up when he felt wind brushing through his shoulders. Thick and warped branches covered the dark sky and the long corridor had disappeared. Now he's inside the woods, which Harry couldn't identify. He couldn't see where the moonlight came down. And the entire woods were in a hush that made him feel like he's the only alive creature around.

Harry didn't know where he's going to, and how big the woods were, but he had to keep himself moving. For a moment he was thinking about climbing up the trees, but he could tell that was a ridiculous idea because he couldn't see the top of these trees.

The air got colder as he walked deeper into the woods. Harry wasn't sure how long he had been walking, but everything seemed the same around him that he even doubted if he was actually walking. He tried to tell directions with the gloomy light, but it wasn't helpful at all. Another breeze passed by as he took a deep gulp. And then he heard something behind him. Harry turned around slowly, almost vomiting his heart out.

A faceless man was standing there, with those swords that entangled his mind every night.

"Fuck."

Harry cried but didn't really make a sound. He started running toward the endless copses, even though there wasn't any hope waiting between the twigs. The frosty solid and the sharp roots were scratching his feet, and the leaves were falling onto his face that he couldn't even see the way. He legs weakened, and his knees constantly fell onto the ground. Harry kept gulping; his heart started racing when he saw a hazy light in a distance. He stood up again, pushing away the branches and ran toward the light. There wasn't even a time for him to look back.

However, his hope died out when he finally escaped from the woods. At the end of the road it was a steep cliff, and there was no other way for him to go. His body tumbled to the ground as he realised he had lost all his strength and luck. Harry gasped hopelessly. All his messy mind could tell him was to wait for the swords to penetrate his trembling body. And then he would open his eyes again, sobbing alone in his room like a baby, because that's the only thing he could do.

The treads were getting closer. Harry raised his head once again, and then a flashing light caught his attention. He struggled to crawl to the edge of the cliff, and his brain started to function when he saw the sparkling surface underneath. There was something reflecting the moonlight: a river, a lake, or a borderless ocean, it was too dark for him to recognise. But if he must die in his dream, at least he wanted to die less painfully.

Jump. The small voice in his mind returned.

"What if there's actually nothing down there?" Harry asked silently.

Just make a little step, and everything would be normal. The voice whispered.

"What if it won't?"

You would figure it out after you jump. What are you waiting for?

"What it I won't wake up?"

Then don't. Why do you even want to wake up? It's so frustrating out there. Keep sleeping.

"It will be okay?"

Just a simple jump and it's all over.

And you can sleep forever, darling. Nothing will hurt you again.

"HARRY!"