These High Walls

Chapter 12

Niall's P.O.V.

For the thousandth time, Liam yells at me: "Why did you let him go alone, you absolute idiot!"

"I'm sorry, I thought I could trust him!" I yell back

"Guys, yelling at each other is not going to bring Louis back. If he is in danger he will click the button, okay? Niall you shouldn't stop trusting him, he is old and wise enough to be able to live on his own. He did that all the years before we kidnapped him." Zayn says calmly.

"Can you stop saying we kidnapped him?" Liam asks gently.

"Well, isn't that what we did?"

"No, we saved him, without us he would be dead."

"Oh, whatever makes you fall asleep at night. Where is Harry by the way?"

"He is still looking for Louis and I don't think he will stop until he finds him", I answer.

For the rest of the day, we all look for clues as to where Louis went. I know he probably went to his apartment, but I don't know where that is. Liam and Zayn are currently looking in the mall and the train station. Harry and I are looking where we found him a month ago. Today it is exactly a month ago.

Suddenly I see the face we have been looking for all this time. A smile, bigger than the ones I always saw, plastered on his face. He is holding the hand of a child about 7 to 9 years old. They're laughing while they cross the street. Louis has a big bag in his hand. I wonder what's inside it. I notice he looks healthier than he did just a day ago and I realize it's probably because he had a healthier meal yesterday.

I notice Harry saw them too because he starts to move out of our hiding place, which is behind a car. I take a hold of his hands before he can enter Louis' field of view.

"What are you doing? That's Louis, we have to take him back to our house!" Harry whisper-yells.

"Can't you see, he is in no danger, he is even laughing. It's obvious that he is happier and healthier, we can't take that away from him. I trust that he won't tell anyone about us. We can watch him to see that he is safe and when he isn't, you can kidnap him again, but he is safe. He deserves this freedom. He deserves to help his patients. He deserves to live his life." I urgently say to Harry.

I see him realize I am right and his frown disappears. He says: "You're right, you're absolutely right. I am going to inform Zayn and Liam and then I will come back."

He leaves as soon as he is finished talking and I follow Louis at a distance to wherever he is going.

For the rest of the week, I watch Louis' life. Sometimes one of the other boys is with me too, but right now I am alone, hiding behind a cute couple that is walking in the same direction as Louis.

Suddenly Louis looks behind him, right at the couple in front of me. I can hide myself completely behind them just in time so that he doesn't see me. Though I hear him letting go of a deep breath. I don't think much of it until I hear Louis muttering: "Of course, they're not looking for me. What did I expect? I don't mean anything to them. They are probably glad I ran away. I am even going crazy, talking to myself."

I stop walking the moment my brain registers what Louis just said. Was he talking about me and the boys? Probably, because who else could he be talking about. When I realize I am still standing in the middle of the road, I quickly catch up to the handholding couple. Luckily Louis is still walking a couple of feet in front of them, unaware of what happened just behind him. I resist the urge to run up to him and reassure him that we do care about him.