Rupture // h.s au

30. "We're going to war."

Harry

I opened the door to my room to find Autumn pacing the floor, stripped out of her clothes -mine-, hiding behind her sinful blue bra and matching underwear. Her hair was a disheveled mess due to her, continuously running her hand through it, I presumed. Her eyes widened slightly at my sudden, unexpected presence, her pacing coming to a halt. I closed the door behind me, clearing my throat as I released my hair from the annoying buns it was put into.

" I'll take a shower and then we can talk." I declared, taking some fresh clothes in hand, before walking into the bathroom, my eyes successfully avoiding Autumn. I took my time with the shower, attempting to manner my thoughts, process the overwhelming emotions, before having to face the one who had brought this mess upon me. I put on my grey shirt, only now, it wasn't mine, since it was hers. It almost felt wrong wearing something that held her scent so dearly, but once I had settled into its warmth and closeness, I couldn't force myself to depart it. I then put on my black baggy shorts, putting my hair into a bun before exiting the bathroom. She was sat on my bed, her eyes casted on the ground, her hands resting against her bare thighs.

" You okay? You need something to drink? Or eat? Are you co-"

" Harry." My name was suddenly a plea for me to release her of her obvious agony.

" Okay, fine. Lets talk."

" There's nothing to talk about, Harry."

" Yes, there is."

" No, you know what? We are so fucking stupid. I am Autumn Griffin, future leader of the Bureaucrats, and you are Harry Styles, leader of the Chaotics. We are only meant to meet in wars, to kill or be killed. I lost perspective, I let myself focus on something other than the task I was set to do. And I'm sorry. You're my very first failure, Styles, and you sure as hell are going to be my last. I'm giving you two choices here, either kill me, or let me go. I don't like this grey shit and I'm so tired of it all. So take your pick, because in the morning, one way or another, I won't be here."

Only then, had her tearful eyes risen from the ground, holding their familiar edge, the unmistakable firmness. But now, they held a hint of something else, something more. They were sadder, older, a lot more desperate for something I couldn't offer.

" I'm not killing you, Autumn."

" Dammit, Harry, this isn't your fucking call anymore. I'm not doing this. This is wrong, unfair and I don't know how to fucking handle it. I can control an army but for some reason, I can't seem to control myself when you're around. You make everything so fucking impossible." She rose from the bed, remaining at a fair distance away from me.

" What are you so afraid of, Autumn?"

" Bite me, Styles! Stop using your fucking psychological mind games against me."

" I'm only trying to understand."

" You always have to be so calm and contained, and I fucking hate it! You fucked me over, you made me feel... whatever the fuck this is, and you're still unfazed by it all. Why don't I have the slightest of all effects on you, Harry? This is not me, this isn't what I'm supposed to be." A stream of persistent tears slid down her face, and I had to pin my hand to my side to prevent myself from wiping it all away.

" Don't cry, please. I'll do what you want, just don't cry."

" See?! I don't cry, Harry. I don't know what the hell is happening to me." She furiously wiped at her cheeks, hateful of her sudden weakness. I opened my mouth to attempt to soothe her, but a knock on the door interrupted us. With a sigh, I walked to open it, as she took her sleeveless white tank top, throwing it over her head, before putting on her jeans shorts. I had to tame the pang of hurt at her unwillingness to wear my clothes, as I opened the door, revealing a fully changed, panicked Zayn, who held his gun upwards, his frantic eyes searching our surroundings before settling on me.

" Grab your weapons and come. You need to see this. You too." He looked past me, towards Autumn, who closely followed, without a single word spoken. I took my own gun, exiting my room, looking at the horizon to see a large crowd, with swords, guns, of all sizes and shapes, throwing grenades into the houses and pleasurably watching them burn down to nothing, killing and injuring, without a second thought.

People were running in sheer panic, attempting to save the last bit of life they could possibly hold on to. Children, much similar to Raine, hid behind their fallen parents, sobbing into their dead bodies and begging them to awake. It was all too familiar to the loss of my life; the loss that had broken me, aged me, and killed me for endless years, one day at a time.

" Bureaucrats." I heard Zayn acknowledge weakly beside me.

" Get me Louis, Niall, and as many men as you possibly can. No trainees or young soldiers, I want them experienced and wise. All children and mothers, including my own, are to hide away in shelters. Tell Rick to prepare himself, we're going to war." I blurted out, throwing my own gun to Autumn, before taking Zayn's.

" Are you with me?" I firmly questioned, my eyes locking with Autumn's. She eyed the gun, staring up at me again.

" Yeah." She whispered, triggering the gun and holding it up in preparation. Zayn warily nodded at me, before running back into town to warn the people. I hid in the shadows between the houses, Autumn following suit. She attempted to look over my shoulder, but the height difference made the task slightly more difficult.

" I know some of them." She announced, standing in front of me, her back leaning onto my chest.

" Lets move." I whispered, rushing to the other side, hiding between the bushes by the side of the road.

" What do you think is the best way to defend ourselves?"

" These soldiers were trained to use the Chaotics' techniques against them, meaning, they'll kill and butcher and spread fear and chaos, without having a proper plan. They'll take whatever comes in their way, and stop at nothing." Autumn explained, her eyes scanning all the faces she must have personally trained.

" Wait." Her eyes widened in horror, her beautiful face paling of all color.

" What, what is it?" I frantically questioned, attempting to detect the reason behind her sudden panic.

" My father and Liam are here."

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A/N: you absolutely magnificent people, how do you manage to exceed all my expectations is beyond me

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ily x