Immortals || H.S.

XXIV

Tina-

We took the stairs up in a hurry, shouting at everyone we ran into to escape; either by getting out of the fraternity and away from the perimeter of the institution or going up to the western wing of the building. Not so many members comprehended our evacuation orders very well until the emergency alarm went off and Zayn started ordering them to evacuate the building. Panic spread in a flash of an eye; members hurried out of the front door in a frightful rush, some followed us up the stairs and to the west, others ran off to wherever their offices were in order to grab as much weapons as they could. I wanted to shout at them not to waste their time on bringing weapons in vain, but I couldn't. In the midst of the chaos, I knew none would pay me attention or even hear me.

But there was this fact that crashed upon me; panic spreads faster than fear, and it's because when there's panic, there's the feeling of being in danger, and no human being can live peacefully, knowing he's in danger.

Harry held my hand tightly as we took the flight of stairs up, speaking no syllable and looking around us with eyes widened in anticipation but not fear or panic. His expression differed from the expressions drawn upon all the members' faces. He looked like he was awaiting something; like he knew what was to-happen and was waiting for whatever to strike in. I wanted to question him about such anticipation he beholds, but the words seemed to get stuck in my mouth, not able to escape past my agape lips.

A feeling, a rather gutting one, shoot up through my insides, alarming my mind and clenching the pit of my stomach painfully in fear. I felt scared, hurt, panicked, cautious, dizzy, and I felt lost... lost in the fires. Maybe now, in the middle of everything, Harry won't be able to recue me; to prevent me from getting lost in the fires, for I think I already got lost.

Once we were inside my office, which Zayn has assured would be secured from the damage the bomb causes; I hurried to my computer and opened the security camera's program to inspect what was happening in the lounge and other sides of the fraternity. The amount of members decreased gradually, only ten left in the lounge and approximately twenty others at the other parts of the building. The alarm never stopped a minute, and I wanted to go out and shout at them to leave, to save their lives while they still can. But I knew that they would never even hear me. I was drowning in my guilt, knowing I was the leader of the fraternity but I couldn't move a finger to help; I was handicapped, paralyzed by the circumstance.

I looked over at Harry, who was looking intently out the window and into the crowded streets of Manhattan. He was somewhat expressionless now, looking with a blank face ahead of him, with his hands folded behind his back and his pistol peeking out prominently from under the hem of his tee shirt. Silence engulfed us in a depressing sort-of way; the only audible sound was the shaky sound of my breathing. He was surprisingly well-kept and postured; his façade not cracking a bit.

"What's going on?" I broke the suffocating silence by asking, "What do we do?" He didn't reply, only kept staring ahead of him. I felt a tear running down my cheeks, which was pathetic to witness. I sniffled and wiped it away, accepting the fact that I was nearing my death momentarily; that I was about to have my life ending.

"If I die today," I started and my words snapped his attention, causing his head to whip in my direction. "Please know that I love you, and that I never felt safer than I did when I was between your arms. Know that you gave me everything I never thought I would receive, that you fulfilled me. You fixed my broken heart, and I - I could never be more grateful for someone like you in my life, Harry."

I spoke truthfully, believing in every word I let out. Harry was like the star shining among a dark and miserable night, constantly giving me hope and allowing me freedom of the mind. He helped me, and he surely did try to save us from the fires. And when obstacles often blocked our way, he'd try his hardest to perish them, and he honestly did perish all of the obstacles... until now. I think it was out of his strength, saving us now I mean, and I don't blame him. For if I ever blamed Harry then I would be doing so without a fault to blame it on him. He is sin-free, and I know I am not the most perfect human in the world, but I do deserve him. And I need him, so much that is.