Lost

Twenty

Louis;

For a moment, no one does anything. Everything is still, all of us simply staring at the lifeless form of the man who had tormented us all for months, as if we can't quite bring ourselves to believe he's finally dead.

It's me who breaks the silence.

"Well, don't just stand there! Niall, Liam get Harry and Zayn out of here!" I yell,

Liam jumps into motion, running over to Zayn where he's propped up against the wall, still unconscious. He throws Zayn over his shoulder before coming back over to where Niall and I stand.

"Louis.." Harry says weakly, trying desperately to stay awake. Niall adjusts his hold on him, supporting him better.

Any other time I would be highly uncomfortable with anyone touching Harry, but Niall is my best mate, and I'm trusting him now to get Harry out of here alive.

"Louis.." Harry repeats, weakly grabbing at my shirt. I put my hands on his, looking into his half lidded eyes.

"The bomb.." he says, barely above a whisper, "it's upstairs, in the bedroom.."

I bring my hand up to hold Harry's face as I lean forward, pressing my lips to his forehead.

I pull away and push him and Niall in the direction of the door, where Liam waits still carrying Zayn on his shoulder.

I may not make it out of here alive but I'll sure as he'll make sure Harry does.

"Go!" I yell, waving my arms urgently.

They hesitate at first but do as I say. They run out the door as I rush up the staircase.

I dash down the hallway coming to a halt in front of the bedroom Harry was talking about. I see the bomb in the corner of the room. Dropping to my knees in front of it, I see that there are only five minutes left.

I glance up and out the window then. True to Leyton's word, I can see the boys nearing the end of the long, windy driveway. Judging by the size of the bomb, I'd say they're a safe distance away.

I tear my gaze from the window, turning back to the bomb. I flip it over and over in my hands, searching for a way to disarm it, but I find none. I turn the device back over and feel my heart jump to my throat.

There are twenty seconds remaining until it goes off.

I have no choice.

I have to run.

I drop the bomb then, racing down the stairs and out of the house. I'm halfway down the driveway when the bomb goes off.

I hear it before anything else. The noise, sudden, and nearly deafening, is the first thing to alert me that I'm too late to avoid the explosion.

The next thing I feel is the blast of heat and flame that hits my back, propelling me into the air. I feel myself flip several times in the air, and I lose track of which way is up and which is down.

I crash to the ground, landing on my back and all I can focus on is the pain. I try to move, to somehow get up to find a way to make it stop but I can't. The agony consumes me, becoming greater and greater until I can't take it anymore.

And I finally give in to the darkness.

Harry;

Niall half drags me out of the house after Liam and Zayn as I watch Louis run up the stairs. The four of us stumble to the end of the driveway and then stop, turning to face the house.

As we stand there, I cling as closely as possible to Niall, attempting to stay warm and put an end to my uncontrollable shivering.

I feel my body growing weaker by the second, and I know I won't be able to stay conscious much longer. Right now the only thing keeping me going is that I refuse to rest until I know Louis is safe.

We watch the house in agonizing silence, waiting, praying for Louis to come out of it.

After what seems like a lifetime, he finally does, but it doesn't bring the relief we had hoped for.

Louis comes bolting to the front door, throwing it open hastily, not caring that he nearly breaks it off it's hinges. He has a look of pure panic and terror on his face.

And that's when I know.

That's when I know something terrible is about to happen.

Everything seems to go in slow motion. Louis pumps his legs as hard as he can, putting as much distance between himself and the house as possible, but it's not enough.

I see a light ignite in the bedroom of the house, and in the next second an earth trembling explosion erupts, completely engulfing the house in flames.

The blast sends Louis flying through the air, flipping over and over until he finally lands about twenty yards in front of us. Some parts of his clothing are aflame and I watch, horrified, as his arm twitches and his head lolls to the side before his body stills completely.

"Louis!" I shriek in absolute terror, the tears beginning to stream down my face.

Using my new found surge of adrenaline, I rush forward, sprinting to get to the man I love.

I drop down to my knees next to him, scrambling to put out the flames on his clothing. I burn myself on the process, but I don't care.

He's got burns all over, and blood trickles down from a large gash on his temple. I know he must have several broken bones too, as the explosion sent him flying through the air for nearly 30 yards.

"Louis!" I call out again, pulling his head up onto my lap.

He doesn't wake.

I stroke his cheeks and comb my fingers through his hair, attempting to remove some of the ash and dirt. My teardrops land on his face, washing some of the grime away as I weep helplessly over him.

"Louis!" I sob weakly, folding my body over his, hugging him tightly to me.

I can feel him breathing shallowly, but it does nothing to ease my panic. He could die at any moment.

I hear the faint noise of an ambulance's sirens in the background, steadily getting louder until they blare painfully in my ears. Their noise pounds through my head, and I just barely hear someone calling out to me.

The same person starts shaking my shoulder, trying to pull me away from Louis, but I don't budge. My breathing picks up as I go into hysterics, and I lash out in an almost animalistic way at the paramedic attempting to take Louis from me.

"No! I won't leave him!" I scream, tears flowing down my cheeks, "You can't take him from me!"

"Harry please, they're only trying to help!" Niall calls from behind the stranger eyeing me sympathetically.

I narrow my eyes at the man, becoming more defensive. I don't trust anyone right now, least of all a stranger.

"No!" I hiss, pulling Louis tighter to me.

The man seems to deflate as he reaches into his pocket for something.

"I'm sorry to do this to you, son." he says sadly.

Before I can question what it is he means, he pulls the object from his pocket, and I feel a sharp prick in my neck.

I feel my lids start to get heavy, and I slump to the ground next to Louis.

Three paramedics load him onto a stretcher as the fourth, the stranger who pricked me with what I assume must be a sedative, picks me up carefully.

I struggle to stay awake, not for the first time tonight. The paramedics load Louis into the back of the ambulance, and I start to panic at the thought that I won't be with him.

"Shh," the man carrying me says gently, looking down at me.

"It's ok, kid. You're going with him."

The man then steps up into the ambulance and lays me down on the stretcher with Louis. I reach my hand out and grab his tightly before I feel my grip on consciousness slipping, and everything fades to black.