Hope

Chapter 4

"Are you guys ready?" Liam asked and Harry and Niall nodded. "Let's get going." The three of them left the next morning with the supplies they packed. They didn't really know what they were in for, but they knew that it probably wouldn't be easy. There is a lot that they don't know, but they do feel a lot more confident with their powers than when they left. The past year has really allowed them to be able to learn to control their powers and learn more about what they can do. Hopefully, that will be enough to help them.

When they got to the border of their hometown, they stopped behind a car that looked like it had been parked there for a long time and looked around to take in the scene. Everybody they saw walking around looked zombie like with their blank stares while walking. Niall noticed what was on the back of their necks. It looked like what he saw on the back of Louis and Zayn's necks. "Look at the back of their necks," Niall whispered to the others. "I think that's what's controlling them. If we can get it off of them, I think they'll turn back to normal."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Harry asked and got ready to go start removing the mind control devices.

Liam held Harry back. "We can't yet," he said. "It'll be too suspicious if there are people not under mind control all of a sudden. We need to start by freeing Louis and Zayn and then we can deal with Serena and free everyone else."

Harry deflated but agreed. It would be too risky to start freeing people now. "Well, what is the plan for now?" Harry asked.

"We have to get to the research facility," Liam told them. "We have to try to find Louis and Zayn." The other two nod and they start to walk around. They didn't want to cause attention to themselves, so they agreed on no powers for now. They had an idea of where the research facility was, but they had to stay low and not draw attention to themselves. There's also a chance that Louis, Zayn, and Serena might be able to sense that they're there but hopefully they won't. They continued walking for a while until it started getting dark. Liam looked around and realized where they were. It was a block away from the abandoned warehouse they trained at. They needed a place to camp out for the night but also shouldn't be out in the open. "This way, guys." Harry and Niall followed him and felt relieved when they saw the familiar building. They got inside, put their backpacks on the floor, and then sat down on the hard floor. They didn't really care though. They had been walking for hours.

"We can finally rest!" Niall said as he laid down on the floor.

"Says the person with healing powers," Harry pointed out.

"I can still feel the pain at first. It will probably be gone though in the next hour." Niall grabbed his backpack and put it under his head to use as a pillow.

"I can take first watch," Harry volunteered.

"No, get some sleep," Liam told him. "I'll take first watch."

Harry was about to protest but felt a tap on his back. He looked back and saw Niall had moved Harry's backpack next to his and was holding out an open arm to his taller friend. Harry hesitantly laid down and cuddled into Niall's side.

Liam smiled slightly at the sight. Niall looked up and gave Liam a slight nod. The only ones who understand what happened this past year is each other and will only be each other. Liam knows trying to get Louis and Zayn back and stopping Serena will be hard, but he knows what comes after will be just as, if not more, difficult. Acting like nothing this past year happened. They all changed. Liam thinks that himself and Niall have a chance of pulling off acting normal. They can probably act normal enough to not alert anyone that something has happened. Harry, on the other hand, is a different story. He hasn't really been the same for the last three months and Niall and Liam are the only ones who know why, and they want to keep it that way. They're not even planning on telling Louis and Zayn about it after they save them. They won't tell anybody unless Harry says it alright. It's Harry's story to tell, not theirs.

Liam stayed awake for a few hours, but he eventually felt his eyelids drooping and he knew that he needed to get some sleep too. He moved over to the two boys and gently shook Niall's shoulder. Niall groaned at first and Liam shook him a little harder. Niall groaned again but opened his eyes this time and looked up. "It's your turn," Liam whispered. "I'd rather let Harry sleep."

"OK, but we need to try to switch places without waking him up," Niall said. Liam nodded and very carefully, but also very awkwardly, switched places. Neither wanted Harry to wake up in the process and, luckily, he didn't. Once Liam was situated, he fell asleep pretty quickly and Niall stayed awake to keep watch. Niall decided to just take a peek outside for a minute. The city looks different from when they left. When they were walking around, it wasn't busy like it normally was before. The people didn't look lively. It's sad that all of this happened while they were gone. Why couldn't they have come back earlier? Niall knows he was hesitant when Harry brought it up, but now that they're here, he just wishes they had come back sooner. This is their home, and they didn't protect it. What good is having powers if they can't protect the people they care about? Their families have been under mind control for a year while they were living life somewhere else.

Niall looked up when he saw a weird light in the sky. It looked like a fireball and Niall knew what or who it was. It landed in front of him, and he was face to face with someone he was hoping wouldn't find them yet. "Miss me?" Louis taunted.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed!