Disappearace 2

3

A couple of days later Harry was released from the hospital and taken back to the hotel. The CEO of Modest Management had arrived in Australia.

His bandmates asked if he was okay and he lied and told them that he was. The CEO called for a meeting.
"The police can't find any signs of a crime and we have to assume that Louis has left on his own."

"He wouldn't!" Harry gasped and the CEO just gave him a look of disapproval.

"Anyway, we'll be setting up a press conference at noon. I want you all to be there. Here's your statement. Memorize it." The CEO said and handed them some papers before he left the room.

Harry looked at the paper. He tossed it on the table and wrapped his arms around his legs, pressing them against his chest.
"I can do most of the talking." Liam offered.

"Yeah, you just have to hold it together, Harry. Do you think you can do that?" Niall asked.

"Yeah." Harry breathed out.

The boys shared a concerned look.
"He'll come back, Harry. He probably just needs some time. You know, it became too much. He had to get away." Niall said.

"From me too?" Harry questioned in a small voice.

"No, of course not! I ehm... That wasn't what I meant." Niall stressed.

"I would have gone with him, you know? If he had just talked to me about it." Harry muttered.

The boys didn't answer. Harry sighed.
"Well, I better take a shower if we're gonna be on national TV."

They smiled encouragingly at him. He probably stank. He hadn't showered at the hospital at all. He had mostly been jacketed on pills to calm him down. If something had happened to Louis he had no idea how he would be able to deal with that. Now he was living on hope.

He took a shower and it felt nice to finally be clean. When he had dressed and fixed his hair their makeup artist came to prepare them for the cameras. He took a seat and let her do her work.

A film crew arrived shortly thereafter and set up their equipment. Jay entered the hotel room as well. She immediately walked up to hug him.
"How are you? I've been so worried."

"I'm trying to keep it together. Any news?" Harry asked.

"Unfortunately not. His account is still untouched and he hasn't withdrawn a bigger amount of money earlier." Jay said. Harry could see that she hadn't slept much. No wonder. Louis was her beloved son. He was surprised that she hadn't ended up in the hospital with him.

They gathered in front of the cameras. Liam held the papers the CEO gave them. He looked nervous. The cameraman waved for him to begin.
"Hi, I'm Liam Payne. On the 9th of February, our band member Louis Tomlinson disappeared from our hotel. We're all worried about him. Please, if you have any information about his whereabouts, contact the police or call this number on the screen."

Harry looked up and stared into the camera.
"Louis? If you hear this, please... Just call so we know you're okay."

That hadn't been in the script but he had to do it. The cameraman turned off the cameras and they got up so Jay could take a seat. They watched from the sideline as she also pleaded for Louis to contact her if he could.

The search continued and the day passed but there was no sign of Louis anywhere. Harry was a mess. The boys talked about taking him back to the hospital but he refused.

Two weeks went by since Louis' disappearance. Their label and management pushed them to continue the tour. Harry refused at first but when they started to threaten them they would take them to court for breaching their contracts. They had no choice.

They flew to Japan. Harry cried on the plane the whole flight. He felt like he was giving up on Louis. Niall came and sat next to him.
"Harry, we have no other choice."

"I know. It feels like I'm abandoning him. What if he's hurt? What if someone is hurting him?" Harry cried.

"The police ruled out a kidnapping." Niall said.

"I refuse to believe that he left on his own!" Harry said.

"Alright, ehm, how about we hire a private detective or something?" Nial suggested.

"Yeah. I'll find one as soon as we land. Thanks, Ni." Harry replied.

He ended up hiring three private detectives but that just uppered his chances to find Louis.

They headed straight to the arena for soundcheck. Jay called to let him know that they were gonna start dragging the ocean under bridges and that made him spiraling. He almost didn't make it on stage.

Afterward, he didn't remember anything from the show but it seemed like he sang his parts. Niall had to sing Louis' parts and the whole audience was crying. This concert was nothing like all their previous concerts. Louis left such a gaping hole in every song with his absence. Niall did a great job covering for him but it didn't sound the same.

They did five more shows in Japan after that before they headed to Singapore. Harry had no idea how it made it through the shows. He didn't sleep, he hardly ate and he was popping pills the doctors had described for him to manage his anxiety and mental state. He was walking around like a jacked-up ghost. At least the pills made him feel less.

Their group dynamic hand changed. Louis had always been the glue that held them together. Harry knew they were all worried about Louis and him. Liam chose the bottle. Zayn looked like a walking skeleton. Niall was just quiet and unhappy. They were all breaking apart. After their show, Zayn threw a fit.
"I'm not doing this anymore! I quit."

"You can't quit, Zayn!" Liam slurred.

"Watch me." Zayn replied.