HOLLOW » Zarry ✔⚠

80

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Zayn casts his eyes over the burnt field that is painted with ashes. He's short of breath for some reason, almost like he's been exercising. So he bends over and places his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

"Glad you finally decided to stop, Zayn. Because I was going to suggest we stop here anyway." He hears and the voice sounds awfully familiar. So he turns round toward it. It's the figure.

He forgets he's out of breath and he starts to back away slowly. "Get away from me, Harry. I know it's really you in there. He starts to look around for the six unidentified men in case Harry brought them with him again. But the figure says something to grab his attention. "No. You're wrong. I promise you I'm not Harry this time. He was pretending to be me."

"Who are you then?"

"I'm the real one. I just rescued you, remember? Why would I rescue you from Harry if I was Harry?"

Zayn thinks about it. He won't state an answer. But it does make sense. However, he wants to know how this figure he's been seeing in his dreams since he was thirteen, rescued him from Harry. "What do you mean you rescued me from Harry?"

"I found those men right before they were about to hurt you and I took you away. We had been running away from there until you just stopped."

They had been running? Now Zayn understands why it's hard to breathe.

"Why?"

"Why were we running? To get away."

"No, I mean why did you choose to save me from Harry? And why were you going to suggest we come here?"

The figure walks over to Zayn and stands beside him. "One answer satisfies both questions, actually."

"And what is that?"

"I wanted you to be able to say goodbye. The things you love should always get a goodbye before you go."

Zayn's eyebrows crinkle. "What do you mean?"

"This is the place you love. This is the only thing you've come to love as a kid. I know it's burnt and I know it isn't as beautiful as it used to be. But you should at least be able to see this place one last time. At least."

Zayn bites his lip and nods. No it isn't beautiful in physical appearance at all. But it's still beautiful to him. It will always be the place he escaped to when he wanted to get away from the real world.

"I won't say goodbye." Zayn says as he scrubs his feet on the ground just to get more ash on the bottom of his shoes. "I'm not ready to say those words."

"Why not? You are aware this is the last time you'll see this place, right?"

Zayn nods. "Yeah, I know. But I don't want to say goodbye."

"What do you want to do then?"

"I want to sit down here and I want to enjoy it one last time. Then I want to walk away and never look back."

Zayn hates the figure doesn't have a face, so it can't have any expressions either. But he guesses it's confused. "Are you sure that's all you want to do?

"Yeah." He sits down, ignoring all the white powder coating his pants.

"You just want to sit here for a while, then walk away from it?"

"Yep, that's what I want." Zayn agrees and for some reason he's smiling very big as he takes in a chest full of the smoke scented air.

The figure doesn't say anything more after that. It doesn't do anything more either. It just sits down beside Zayn and follows his eyes out into the distance. Like Zayn, it decides it will take this all in as well. Because without the dark haired boy, this is going to be the last time it sees this place too.

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