Harry
"Lift it a bit higher, yes that's right. Shoulders back, foot out. Good, now take a deep breath and focus on the target, alright? Focus on where do you want the blade to go." I watch as Elena gives instructions to Tommy, standing behind him, her hands on his shoulders.
We came to visit him and the rest of the kids in a special sanctuary hours away from Hazard, secluded and protected perfectly. It's been a while since I last saw them and I missed them. Their elated faces when they saw us were priceless, the biggest grin appearing on my face. Each of the little ones hugged me, but there was one special person missing, a dull ache spreading through my chest at the mere thought. My Little Dove.
"Well, it's official," Tommy says once he throws the knife and it doesn't even reach the target, falling a few metres away from it. "I suck at this."
"It takes practice, this time it almost hit the target," Elena comforts him as she picks up the knife. "Wanna try again?" She hands him the knife and he continues with the practice, his smile plastered to his face.
I walk toward them, the back of my hand brushing against Elena's, making her take it, slipping her fingers between mine. I glance down at our hands before a small smile spreads over my lips, my eyes gazing up into hers only to see she's already looking at me. "Tomorrow. . ." I mumble.
"I know," she says. "Have faith, Harry."
After we're done here, Elena is going to leave to Vortex, doing her part of the plan. I wish I could be there with her to make sure nothing happens to her, but I have my own duty to take care of. Our future depends on whether or not she succeeds into convincing Isaac she's on his side. But I trust her, I know she can do it. It's just my irrational paranoia that's wiping away any positive thought I might have, only the worst case scenarios running through my head.
Elena places her free hand on the nape of my neck, pulling me toward her, her lips pressing to mine while our hands are still linked. A sense of relief and calmness rushes through me at the gesture, my lips moving softly against hers. I know she's trying to comfort me, knowing I need it now more than ever. What happens tomorrow won't be just another fight, it's going to be a real war and whoever is the last one standing is the winner. Whoever is left is going to decide what happens to this country and all the people in it.
And we'll make sure it's us who get that choice. We'll make sure we bring the war to its end, we'll make sure we get a taste of what peace feels like, of what is like to wake up knowing you don't have to worry about grenades dropping out of nowhere, destroying everything. I want to wake up without that feeling in the pit of my stomach reminding me I could lose everyone I love with just one unexpected attack, just a few bullets, a few grenades and they're gone. We deserve to know how is to live in peace, we deserve better.
"I want a special invitation for the wedding," David says, making us look at him, a smile on his face, blue eyes flicking back and forth between us. "I'm so proud. Not only of you Harry, but you as well, Elena. I have to say I underestimated you and misjudged you, and I'm sorry for that. You are your father's daughter and I don't think my son could've found a better person to share his life with."
I look at her, seeing a shy smile appear on her face. She lets go of my hand and steps closer to David, her arms wrapping around his shoulders. "Thank you for giving me and my brother a chance, David. None of this would be possible if it weren't for your trust."
My smile gets wider when I realise she's right. If David had listened to my constant pestering to throw Elena and Alex out of the base, who knows how would my life be at the moment. I don't even know if I would be alive considering the number of times Elena saved my life. I owe her so much and I'll spend the rest of my life trying to repay my debt.
Elena pulls back and I immediately hug David, surprising him momentarily but he quickly hugs me back. "Thank you, dad. For everything. I. . . I love you," I say quietly, feeling him stiffen then relax suddenly.
He pats my back and we pull away, his hands on my shoulders. "I killed a lot of people, destroyed a lot of things in my life, but I did one thing right. I raised you well, Harry. I watched you transform into this amazing man you are today and if I died right now, I wouldn't have any regrets, son."
"I need to cut something, I'm getting emotional," I hear Elena say behind me, making me and David laugh.
"I want you two smiling and like this after tomorrow," David says. "Go on, hold hands." He nudges his chin in our direction. "Be all cute, love each other, I didn't spend all that time watching you two be miserable and almost dying more than once not to be able to gloat in seeing you together. Appreciate what you have, kids, it's rare these days. I'll go and smoke a cigar now, see you soon." He winks, the corners of his lips pulling in a smirk.
Elena and I hold hands, making him nod in approval as he turns around, walking away. My eyes meet Elena's as I turn to face her, clearing my throat. "Listen. . . I want to do this now that we're away from all the commotion, later I might not get enough time to say goodbye."
Elena frowns. "Harry, don't do this. We're going make it, is that clear?"
"Elena, I'm doing this just in case, alright? I just. . . I want you to know that I- uh. . . I'm so bad at this, bloody fuck." I smile nervously, my fingers running through my hair.
"We both are," she agrees, laughing quietly. "Let's just leave it at this. We're going to make it, Harry."
A few moments pass before I nod, releasing a heavy sigh. "Okay. We're going to make it. All of us."
We smile, wrapping our arms around each other, enjoying the little time we have left before we go into war. "I love you," I mumble into her ear.
"And I love you."
. . . .
Louis, Alex, Jess and Liam all went to Vortex wearing a disguise to join Elena who is waiting for them. The rest of us are on our way toward them, ready to attack while they take care of Isaac and his most loyal soldiers with Seth's and Ace's help. Zayn is sitting beside me in the vehicle while Tori is driving, Niall sitting beside her. My eyes are focused on the grand lake we're passing by, a rocky slope leading toward it on one side and thick forest trees on the other. A heavy silence is stretching between us, my clammy palms resting on my thighs as I keep breathing deeply, trying to ease my anxiety.
"You'll have me by your side at all times, brother," Zayn tells me, placing his hand on my shoulder, my gaze shifting to him. "You and I against them, just like in the old times."
"Yeah, and Tori and I are just for decorations," Niall says flatly while turning to look at us. "We're all sticking together, is that clear? I may not show it that much and my behaviour might be a little worrying- alright, I have my psychotic moments, but I love you all so much. You're all my brothers and sisters and I'll do anything to keep you safe. It's cute you two are reunited, but let's not forget what truly matters. Our team is a family."
"Oh my God, this is one of the best things I've ever heard in my life," Tori gushes. "And it came out of Niall!"
All of us laugh, exchanging smiles and looks, knowing what Niall said is true. Zayn and I hug, hands patting our backs, my smile stretching impossibly wide as I'm incredibly grateful to have a family like this with me. We'll have each other's backs and I'm sure we'll survive this and see the change we'll spend hours fighting for.
"I love you," Zayn mumbles, still keeping his arms around me.
"I love you, too," I say. "Always, brother."
Tori suddenly slams onto the break, causing our bodies to jerk forward. "What the fuck!" She yells when a loud blast echoes nearby, pieces of dirt and rocks flying metres in the air, surely the cause of a grenade. More blasts follow, the vehicles in front of us blowing up one by one.
"Sir!" A voice yells through the earpiece. "There are mines all around us, we're driving directly-"
"Fuck, everyone leave the vehicle now!" Zayn shouts. "I know these explosives, once you activate one of them, the rest linked up to it explode!"
We immediately scurry outside, frantically looking for a way out. My eyes widen when I see my soldiers running anywhere they can as vehicles explode, making me realise the mines are planted directly under us and they're about to activate any second. There's nothing but the slope on one side and trees on the other. I don't get to make a choice what to do when Zayn pushes me out of the way just when our vehicle gets blown up, my body rolling down the steep slope, twigs and rocks scraping my skin, grunts of pain leaving my mouth. What a fucking deja vu.
My heart almost flies out of my chest when I roll into the lake, my body slowly sinking down into the deep water, eyes widened in complete terror. My vision is blurry, water entering my mouth as I open my mouth and scream, frantically swinging my arms and legs, hoping I'll manage to reach the surface. Numerous bodies surround me, all my soldiers, some dead judging by the blood surrounding me and some fighting to get to the surface just like I am. Parts of the vehicles fall all around me, miraculously not hitting me.
When my head finally dives out of the water, I inhale fresh air, coughing as water comes out in spurts out of my mouth. I sink down almost a second later only to dive back out, the process repeating a few times as I desperately try to keep myself above. I'm swinging my arms this way and that, trying not to sink again as soldiers around swim toward the shore, screams and explosions filling the air. When I start sinking again, panic takes over me as I watch the soldiers swim away, desperately trying to imitate their arm movements. I almost cry in relief when I realise I'm actually moving, water splashing around me as I swiftly move my limbs, the ground getting closer and closer.
I'll make it, I have to.
I stumble as I finally exit the water, dropping down on my knees, my lips parted as I barely catch my breath, my palms pressing against the dirty ground, chest heaving. I feel a hand on my shoulder, looking up to see Tori offering me her hand. I take it and she pulls me up, my palm pressing against my chest as my heart painfully beats, a few coughs leaving my mouth. I run my fingers through my wet hair, pushing it back as I inspect my surroundings, bodies littered over the ground while the rest of the soldiers are running toward the safety of the trees.
"Zayn, Niall?" I ask, eyes searching for them in the crowd.
"They should be around here somewhere, we all jumped down," Tori tells me, tugging at my hand. "We need to find them, come on."
"Harry!" I hear Niall calling me, my head immediately whipping to the side, seeing him running toward me with Zayn trailing behind him. Relief washes over me at the sight.
"Fucking Isaac!" Niall says in frustration, body soaked in water while dirt sticks to his skin and uniform. All four of us look the same. "He must've known we'll try something and did this! Fucker, I wish I could peel his skin off, man I would enjoy it so much. Then I'd rip his-"
"Alright, that's enough buddy," I say, still breathing fast. "We'll see what's left of the vehicles and take the undamaged ones. If there aren't any, we'll just walk toward Vortex. I'm sure their soldiers are on their way, you'd have to be deaf not to hear these explosions."
"We can always steal their vehicles," Tori suggests.
"Good thinking," Zayn says. "Now let's go, we have to help the survivors and see what's left before doing anything else. No man is left behind."
We all nod and start helping around, worry settling deep within me at the thought of our soldiers back in Vortex. I can only hope Elena is okay and everything is going as planned for them because it'll obviously be a while until we reach Vortex. But I have faith in them all, especially with Ace's help. I have to believe we're all going to make it.
. . . .
"David should be in the base right now, waiting for us," I say as I fumble with my earpiece, annoyed it's broken. Tori is driving in one of our vehicles, the four of us nearing Vortex. There are sounds of war surrounding us, explosions blaring, fire burning, smoke filling the air, bullets flying. It's something I'm used to yet the sight is terrifying each time I have to deal with it. As we expected, Vortex soldiers attacked and the final war has officially begun.
Niall is shooting out of the open window, looking quite happy to be doing it. "Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you," he repeats flatly each time he shoots a soldier.
My hand is already clenched around a loaded gun, ready to use it once we reach the base. We should meet with Elena and the rest there, after they finish taking down Isaac and the soldiers protecting him. We might have both Wildfire and Rogue on our side, but Vortex still has a strong American army protecting it, making our job harder. A lot of people will lose their lives today and we have to make sure it's all worth it in the end.
My heart starts pounding faster when I see the ruined wall that used to surround Vortex, hundreds of soldiers in brown uniforms protecting it, planes flying above us, tanks scattered over the field. Only a few buildings are left standing, the rest of them ruined during our last attack. It's a complete chaos, this is the result of the worst part of human nature, the need to own everything and destroy. I can't wait to put this to an end or die trying.
My thoughts immediately drift to Elena, my fear for her safety only growing. I don't want to believe in that sixth sense shit that some people have when they feel their loved ones are hurt or in danger, but something deep inside me is telling me I have every reason to be worried. However, I want to believe it's just my typical paranoia, I know my girl is smart and strong enough to survive.
The vehicle suddenly starts spinning after the tire gets pierced, the four of us cussing and grabbing onto anything we can to keep balance. Once it stops spinning, we exchange looks and nod our heads, opening the doors and jumping outside. We break into a run toward the base, weapons in our hands as bombs hit and shake the ground near us, dirt flying and falling all over us.
"Get down!" Zayn yells as planes fly above us, starting to drop grenades.
All four of us drop on the ground onto our stomachs, covering the backs of our heads with our hands as grenades fall on the ground, feeling the vibrations caused by them, ear splitting noises following right after they explode. We're incredibly lucky not to get directly hit by any of them, my head lifting when I realise they've stopped dropping them. For now.
"Let's go, now!" I shout and stand up, watching as they do the same as our legs carry us as fast as they can.
We're forced to run in a zig zag motion when someone opens fire at us, but we're skilled enough to avoid getting killed that way, immediately returning the favour when we find the source of the shots. When I hear a groan behind me, I turn in worry, but all three of them seem to be fine. They're probably tired and annoyed just as much as I am.
"We can make it, just a little more." I pant as my eyes focus on the base that's getting closer and closer, only a minute or two left until we reach it. Sweat is trickling all over my skin, my dirty uniform sticking to my body, mouth dry and in desperate need of water. But I ignore all that, I have to survive. That's all that matters right now - survival and victory.
I let out a loud breath of relief when we enter the base grounds, not many Vortex soldiers here since most are fighting on the field. As the matter of fact, the buildings are surrounded by soldiers in green uniforms - Rogue. A small smirk makes its way to my lips as I stop running, allowing myself to catch my breath, my whole body hot and aching all over. Zayn, Tori, and Niall are in the same condition I am, bending down and resting their palms on their knees.
"I know you're tired, but we need to go find David," I say. "Or Elena, Alex, Liam. . . any of them."
"Wait, let me fuck it up a bit more," Niall says as he takes his rifle in his hands, shooting in half circle, his fingers not moving from the trigger as he takes down who knows how many enemy soldiers. "Okay, let's go." He turns around and walks past us, ignoring our stupefied expressions.
We head toward the main building as soldiers fight all around us, most of them too busy to notice us lurking around. Anxiety is making me feel as if I'm going to burst any second, the fact I can't find out whether my friends are okay making it worse. "We'll go through each floor if we have to, Elena said she'll be in this building."
"Don't worry Harry, we're sticking with you no matter what," Tori says, making me give her a brief smile.
We manage to reach the building without many casualties, stepping inside only to be greeted with bullets flying our way. I feel a strong pain spreading over my stomach, almost knocking the air out of my chest. I glance down, noticing a bullet has pierced into my vest, luckily stopping it from ripping my flesh. However, the pain is as strong as if I've been shot and I stumble backwards, hitting the wall.
"Harry!" Zayn cries out and runs toward me, brown eyes scanning me worriedly, his hands grasping my head. "What- are you alright? Where are you hurt?"
"Zayn I'm fine, I'm wearing a vest," I mumble through gritted teeth as jolts of pain shoot through me. That's not enough to stop me, I have to reach Elena, my dad, my friends. "Let's move."
Niall and Tori have taken care of our attackers, so we head deeper into the building. The lobby seems to be clear, so we decide to move on the higher floors, having to use the stairs in case we run into one of our soldiers or even someone we know. "Elena, where are you. . ." I mumble, determined to find her, wanting nothing more than to hug her, seeing her alive.
"If we're all meant to die today, that girl is going to die last, don't you worry mate," Niall tells me, winking at me.
Zayn has the same worried expression, but he masks it with a smile when I look at him. Tori is panting heavily as we climb the stairs, using railings for support. "Fuck this, lifts are the best creations ever," she says, wiping the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand.
We go through a few floors, not finding anyone worth mentioning, taking down random Vortex soldiers. I'm getting more scared and angry with each step that I make, not knowing what went wrong around here. I barely gulp when we're greeted with blood staining the floor, making a trail as if someone was dragging themselves after being hurt. Heavy pressure forms in my chest, shaky breaths leaving my mouth as I think it has to be someone we know. When I look at Niall, Zayn, and Tori, I just know they're thinking the same.
We follow the bloody trail, my heart pulsing in my ears, gun shaking in my hand. When we turn around the corner where the trail leads us, I drop the gun, my fist covering my mouth, knees buckling. "Dad!" I shout as I run toward him, kneeling beside him on the floor.
He's sitting down, his back leant against the wall, blood staining his uniform. His vest is ripped, it seems as if someone was determined to kill him, the bullets ripping through the material and hitting his chest and stomach. I'm barely able to look at him from the tears blurring my sight, a shaky breath leaving my mouth. "Dad. . ."
His blue eyes are opened to the half, face twisted in a pained grimace, completely pale. "Son?"
Zayn is kneeling next to me, tears already sliding down his cheeks. "No no no, you have to be okay. . . no, I just got you back, please. . ."
"W- we need to help- Niall, how- how do we stop the bleeding, he needs help." I start heaving, on the verge of a panic attack, my hands shaking as I try to cover his wounds with my hands, hoping it would stop the bleeding even though it's hopeless.
"My two greatest achievements," David mumbles with a pained smile, tears in his eyes as he covers my hands with his cold ones, looking at Zayn and I. "I'm so-" he coughs, closing his eyes for a moment, a pained expression on his face "-proud . . . I'm so proud of you both."
Zayn is unable to hold back his tears as sobs leave his body, shoulders shaking as he cries. "I'm so sorry dad, I'm so sorry for leaving you. I can't lose you again, please."
Dad smiles, one of his hands coming up to grasp his shoulder in a comforting manner. "There's nothing to forgive, son." He's looking between us, struggling to speak. "Elena. . . find her, she should be around here somewhere. Isaac was trying to escape and I tried to stop him. . ."
Rage washes over me, my desire to choke Isaac to death growing. "I have faith in you, in all of you." He looks at the four of us. "You'll get through this and win this war."
"No dad- no, don't!" Zayn yells as dad's eyes lose their focus on us, appearing as if they're looking through us. Zayn clutches his shoulders and starts shaking him, but there's no reaction.
His limp hands lose their hold on me, falling to his sides. His head hangs low and the realisation he's dead strikes me like a hurricane, a shout in pain ripping through my throat, echoing all around. I'm clutching his body in my arms, my palm pressed against the back of his head, the other arm wrapped around his shoulders. "No! No no- dad, no!"
Tori and Niall pull Zayn and me in hugs as all of us cry, what just happened still not quite sinking in. The person who has been there for me my whole life is now gone, his blood all over me, lifeless body in my arms. Why did this have to happen? I knew there was a risk of losing someone today, but it's different when it happens. Another piece of my heart has been ripped away.
Zayn suddenly stands up, face red and wet from tears, sniffling and running his fingers through his hair. "As much as it hurts, we- we need to leave him and keep going. We have to find Elena and the rest. We have to find Isaac."
I know he's right, almost unbearable pain washing over me as I carefully lay dad's body down, closing his eyes with my hand before standing up to my weak legs. "Goodbye, dad," I mumble. I wipe away the blood from my hands, letting out a few more sniffles and shaky breaths.
"I'm sorry, mate," Niall whispers as he hugs me tightly and I hug him back. "He was a legend, that man. He's resting in peace now, I'm sure."
We pull away and I take a deep breath, using my sleeve to wipe my face as we decide to keep moving, leaving my dad behind, another fallen soldier, another victim of this war that needs to finally end. I pick up my gun and with firm steps and straight posture, I head forward, ready for the end.