Legacy // H.S

21.

'And like the blade you stain

Well, I've been holding on tonight'

*

They were waiting for us at the warehouse, too. We drove in silence, some crying, some rocking their bodies in shock, but none of us said a word. There aren't any that can justify how we're feeling. What's worse, I'm not sure any of us know how to speak after what we just witnessed. Our friend, someone the team had known for years before I arrived, a brother and confidante, dead. Sacrificing himself for us. Sacrificing himself so we could live, and he could go home.

Louis is gone. We can never get him back. I can see on Harry's face how frozen in time he feels. How he's still refusing to accept it. Denial lacing his features, but fatally mixing with the fury that continues to grow in the quiet. He was too weak to even fight Claude after Louis left, body becoming limp and not moving until we were almost an hour into our drive when he suddenly shuffled to a corner and brought his knees to his chest.

Babz has been quiet. I watched her for a while, and I convinced myself she didn't even blink. Horror etched onto her face while Zayn simply held her and tried to remain calm. Claude attempted to speak, but he understood immediately that it wasn't the time to make witty remarks or talk about a future that will only open the doors for more pain like this. A tidal wave waiting to drown us.

And when we finally arrived at the base, more of the enemy stood with their guns drawn. They were waiting. They thought Harry had died. They thought they were about to win.

Claude's team were already fighting against them, desperate to hold the fort as an army tried to lay siege. When the attackers watched Harry jump from the van, some of them froze in their places, and it only allowed him to retaliate. He shot every single one of them that waited outside the warehouse within a minute. He didn't need help; he didn't want it. He managed it alone.

Harry completely blacked out, and when I tried to get a look at his eyes it was like his soul had been inhabited by another's. Almost like a demon had been summoned, like he'd sold his soul to the devil. Harry was a tornado, ready to destroy everything in his path. And we all let him.

It's been twenty minutes since we arrived. All of us making our way to a weapons room or being handed more guns by other team members. With protection given back to us, we were able to join the fighting but it revealed just how broken we all are.

Claude is desperate. He's livid. He shouts in his native tongue at every person that dares to come close, inflicting the worst kind of pain on them before killing them. The adrenaline has invigorated Niall, and his speed is unmatched as he swiftly moves around the lot and hits our enemies with a bat, repeatedly attacking them until they're bloody messes at his feet. Liam joined us in shooting despite his wounded arm, tactfully moving between the pillars on the second floor and shooting from a distance. Babz ran into the chaos once she heard it, and she's been seen slitting their throats with her blades.

Zayn is with me. We seem to be the only two that has any hold on reality right now. We haven't allowed the agony of this morning to cloud our minds just yet, but the storm is rolling in, and it's only a matter of time before the thunder and lightning will erupt across our skies. He leans his back against my own while we shoot from two different angles, checking in on each other every now and again and moving to hide when bullets need to be reloaded.

I can feel him flinching with every single shot he makes. When Louis threw the grenade and the bomb exploded, his hands flew to his ears, and he took a moment to re-join us. His trauma seems to be inescapable in this environment. Constant violence and death, following him like a lost dog.