The Hanging Tree (Zianourry)

Chapter Eighteen

"Keep you frozen in time, like they do in the pictures. And if I close my eyes, will I still think of patience?" Those lyrics ran through my mind as I left Harry there. I wouldn't remember him bloody and crying. No I'll remember his beautiful dimpled smile as his slender fingers glided across the keyboard.

I walked away with nothing but pain in my heart. At first all I heard was his screams as they got closer and then nothing. He was silenced and my heart was sliced apart.

I eventually found the others, which took more than half a day. They made a camp by a riverbed and each of their hearts were mutilated once I told them.

"How could you leave him?!" Niall yelled at me. I fell to the ground, ready to accept whatever repercussions that came from my actions. "He was our friend! Our Harry!"

"Niall! Calm down!" Liam said, pulling the red faced boy away from me. Niall paced around in circles while I sunk deeper into despair.

Zayn wrapped his arms around me, whispering sweet nothings. " It's alright, Harry's still alive. I can feel it."

"That's called hope." I said back. He brought a finger to my forehead, thumping me and confusing me.

"Do you think he'd want you to be beating yourself up for his sacrifice?" He asked.

I stared at Niall as he paced back and forth in a futile effort to calm his nerves. Liam was leaning against a tree, kicking up dust with the toes of his boots, in frustration but I liked to think of it as him digging a hole to safety. Zayn leaned against me, no doubt trying to keep me sane and stop my guilt.

There was also the unspoken person in the little circle with us. I'd like to think Harry was just crouching behind some tree asleep like normally. It was something he's always do. Get quiet somewhere and sleep, though it was on my lap most of the time...

"We need to fight back." Liam said, pulling all of our attention to him. His strong arms were folded across his chest and he seemed to be at his breaking point as a vein throbbed in his neck. He stepped forward, his shadow stretching over us.

"That's nearly impossible Liam." I said, intertwining my fingers with Zayn's. "We're out manned and out gunned." I told him.

"We're smarter we can out strategic them." Liam said.

"Because that worked so well for the Spartans in 300." I said sarcastically.

"Louis is right Liam." Zayn said. "You know what we're up against. There's no way to win this fight."

"So you expect us to roll over and die?" Niall asked.

"Never said that." Zayn said with a tsk.

"Then what are you saying?" Liam asked in a serious tone.

"That we fight to our deaths." I whispered. "We're going to die so why not take out as many of those fuckers as possible?"

"Well it's never been done." Zayn said, looking at the three of us.

"Williams." I said quickly.

"What?"

"The name on the guy's vest who took Harry. Williams."

"So we get revenge." Niall said, punching his fist into his open hand. He tried to look intimidating but the most Niall could ever accomplish is looking like a child who's throwing a tantrum.

I got up and dusted off the back of my pants, revolving my wrists, the cracking sound reverberating through the air. I grinned at the thought of helping out like a badass.