Let Your Good Heart Lead You Home (Zarry AU)

Part 17

It's nighttime. That's the only thing he knows.

Harry's standing in a small unknown town square, facing an old wooden church with battered doors and dirty windows. Behind him is a small fountain, although the stone is worn and it contains no water. The houses surrounding him look plain and empty.

Where is he?

It looks abandoned and he doesn't see how he could have gotten here. He's still in his pajamas. He'd never go somewhere undressed. What is going on?

His breathing speeds up, and he stumbles around on his bare feet. The rough stones feel cold and the moon above him doesn't provide him with any warmth. Harry's growing anxious; inspecting the houses doesn't help, nobody is home. Just as he expected.

''Hello?'' he calls out, but his voice sounds incredibly soft. He can barely hear himself, the only thing he can hear are his thoughts, loud and clear in his head. And the ocean. It's getting closer, the rushing waves are getting louder, the noise beating against his eardrums. He can't hear anymore, it's as if his ears are full of water, everything is muffled.

''Hello?'' he tries again, but this time he hears nothing. Or maybe his voice stopped working? He doesn't know anymore. He's slowly losing all his senses. He can only feel the cold stones against his feet and the goosebumps tickling his arms.

Harry walks back towards the middle of the square, to the fountain. He could sit here and wait, wait until dawn. Until someone finds him. If someone finds him. This place is desolate, he's the only one around and the only one stupid enough to visit here. The stone of the fountain is cold, too cold. He can't sit down; he has to keep moving or else he'll freeze to death.

As he paces back and forth, something catches his eye. Something glimmering behind the church, something massive. Harry turns, and holds his breath. He found the ocean. Or is it looking for him? It's coming for him at rapid speed, the wave towering over everything. The ground is shaking, the fountain slowly breaks apart, loose bits of stone skittering across the square.

Suddenly, a warm hand envelops his own. When he looks to his side, he sees his sister. She's wearing her white nightgown, but it's red. Covered in blood. She doesn't seem to mind, because she's smiling at him. A warm, genuine smile. It makes her look so much like their mother. Harry feels a pang in his chest and his breath stutters, but his sister squeezes his hand. It's comforting.

The large wave swallows the church, the moon and the stars, but it doesn't take away the warmth blooming through Harry's chest and the feeling that somewhere out there is a home waiting for him.

Harry wakes up in a cold sweat, shivering under his sheets and unable to open his eyes. His brain is in shambles, and it takes him a while before he remembers what day it is and what just happened. He had a call with Liam and then went to sleep. One look at his alarm clock reveals it's probably too early to get out of bed.

However, no matter how hard he tries, he can't fall back asleep. His feet are cold and it sounds like someone put washing machines in his ears; a weird, churning echo that makes him want to yell and possibly throw something. He thinks of how satisfying it would be to throw a vase, only to realise he doesn't have one. How could he not have a vase? Perhaps he should try to decorate more. This new sudden train of thought prompts him to text Liam:

Harry: Do you think I'm single because of my tasteless decorating?

Liam: yeah. stench doesn't help either.

Liam's reply comes almost instantly, and Harry bites down on his bottom lip, feeling somewhat guilty for maybe waking him up.

Harry: Wow, thanks. Why are you awake?

Liam: fire is still a thing.

So he- of course. Harry remembers that Liam had a very early shift. He's still groggy and tired, his eyes stinging with sleep.

Harry: I remember.

Liam: congrats. want cake? lol

Harry: You know your birthday is coming up soon so you better be nice!

Liam: omg go to sleep harold.

Harry: Please not you, too.

Liam: deal with itt.

Harry throws down his phone somewhere on his bed and rolls over. He puts his feet in the warmest corner he can reach and buries his face in his pillow. The nights are getting colder, a cruel reminder that summer is almost over and the year is coming to an end. Harry likes warm weather. Not hot, just warm and sunny so you can still walk around in a T-shirt and don't have to worry about layering. He always manages to get cold.

Thinking about cold reminds him of his dream, and he wonders what it was about. He saw his sister, and she smiled at him. But it wasn't her smile. It was his mother's, because he can't remember what his sister's looks like. Harry swallows the lump in his throat and focuses on his breathing to dispel the bad thoughts, the ones that make him sad and anxious.

Before he falls asleep again he sees his sister's face, or he thinks he does. Just a flash, a blurry image behind his eyelids, but it sticks in his mind like glue.

Why can't he remember her smile?

Another sad chapter.. oops. Hope I'm not boring you guys :) Next update on Saturday!

All the love xxx <3

ps. Happy new year! May 2016 bring you many good things!