Anarchy Ladder - {H.S} au

Chapter 17 - A Losing Battle

Song - High and Dry by Radiohead

Lennon

Do you ever suddenly shut down to the point where time seems to be at a stand still? Nothing around you feels real but the feelings of your heart beating in your chest and the sound of your shallow breaths remind you that you're alive, that you're real.

The mind has a very strange way of protecting itself, is it adrenaline? Is it simply dissociation?

Beats me honestly.

Harry had ended up pulling into a random gas station parking lot after stepping on the gas completely and losing them for a moment. Obviously I have no clue as to what is happening, all I know is that we have somewhere to be and Harry would be absolutely devastated if we don't get out asses to this hospital fast.

It was eerily vacant, not a single street light in sight. The big glowing green neon signs from the gas station store was the only thing illuminating the surrounding area.

Parked behind the small building, I finally turned my head towards Harry whose focus was strictly on the review mirror as he aggressively chewed on the inside of his cheek.

"Look, I'm sure they were just being assholes, trying to start something, we can't sit here all night we need to get to the hospital," I spoke up breaking the silence. He didn't move a muscle, his eyes still remained glued onto the mirror as his hands clenched into fists near his thighs.

I've never seen Harry act like this, I mean of course I've seen him upset, but nothing like this. This was fear and it wasn't hard to pick up on that from the way he was practically vibrating in his seat.

"Harry," I raised my eyebrows up at him, placing my hand on top of his fist, feeling it loosen up under my palm from the contact. "You need to take a breath."

"Jesus Len," he snapped his head towards me, ripping his hand out from underneath mine causing me to slightly sit back against my seat. "Are you always this naive? This is how people get murdered, if someone is followin' you you're telling me you're just gonna ignore it? No."

"They're gone!"

"You don't know that!" He argued back, his voice raising a bit louder than mine had.

"So you'd rather sit here and wait for nothing, while your friend is laying in some hospital bed right now-

"You don't understand," he scoffed out a frustrated laugh as he ran a hand up through his hair out of stress. He was starting to scare me, I have no fucking clue what's going on and it doesn't help that I'm slightly high still from the Ferris Wheel.

"Well, help me understand damn it."

There was a slight pause between us as we both stared at each other waiting to see what the next argumentative statement was going to be, which was cut short by the sound of tires driving over the gravel in the distance.

Harry's gaze snapped back up towards the review mirror and his sudden nervous reaction was starting to make me feel more anxious than I already was. I swallowed harshly, feeling a tightness in my throat as I did so. I hate being in situations like this, I've fallen into the wrong crowds a few times back in high school and this feeling is exactly what it reminded me of. That feeling in your chest where you're about to get into some deep shit.

The blinding lights of headlights turned the corner, shining into our windows from the short distance, and bouncing off of the mirrors.

"Come on, get down," Harry hissed as he slid down against his seat, his lower body almost completely underneath the dash board. His left hand reached behind him quickly to pull against the lever to recline his seat.