Finding The Courage (a Ziam Mayne AU)

Chapter Eighteen "Horrors Of The Past"

>flashback - two years ago<

Harry's POV

Liam and I were supposed to meet two hours ago. It wasn't urgent, so I didn't worry too much. He was just supposed to be home, that's all.

I knew where to look for him, though. He'd been spending a lot of time at his girlfriend's house lately. She was almost three years older than him but he was more mature than seventeen because he had been forced to grow up faster than anyone ever should, so that evened things out little.

I still wasn't too excited about their relationship but he loved her and he seemed happy, so I was too.

When I came to the house and knocked on the door, no one opened. I tried again and then just tried to open it. It wasn't locked.

"Hello?", I asked into the empty corridor. I will admit this much: I was scared of her. Not because she was particularly scary. Just because she was really intimidating and I couldn't handle it. If Liam wasn't here, I didn't want to be alone with her.

I heard glass shattering somewhere in the flat and a dull sound like something big and heavy falling to the floor.

I followed the noises. They lead me to the living room where I again heard something shatter and then a faint cry.

Liam!

Instinctively, I ran into the room, prepared to protect my friend.

"Harry, no!", Liam shouted when he saw me. "Go away. Run!"

I looked around, my heart racing like crazy. My mind went completely blank. There were little droplets of blood all over the wooden floor, some even covering the shards of glass spread widely over the room, and a bloody knife peaking out from under the sofa.

Liam was cowering in a corner, with no shirt on, shielding his head with his arms. The blood on the floor lead in his direction.

I ran to him. "Liam, what happened? Are you hurt?" Yes, he's hurt, dumbass! He's bleeding!

"You shouldn't be here.", he whimpered, his voice weak. "You have to go."

"Not without you, I won't.", I assured him. "Fuck...", I breathed when I noticed where exactly the blood came from.

He had fresh cuts on his lower back, crisscrossed with already healed wounds that had to be at least a week old. How long has this been going on? Whenever he was with me, he seemed fine.

"Please... Harry... Leave.", he said under tears.

"No!", I exclaimed. "What's going on here?"

"You had better listened to him, kid.", a rough voice behind me muttered.

I spun around, every limb in my body shaking. Liam's girlfriend stood next to the sofa built up like a tree, staring down at us, her eyes burning like fire.

"She's got a fork.", Liam whispered behind me, his eyes empty when I turned towards him.

"A fork?", I repeated, confused. He was completely beside himself. What was he talking about?

"This fork.", she said, raising her hand so that I could see the fork she was holding.

"What are you doing?" I couldn't move. I was frozen. In shock. In fear.

"Harry..." Behind me, Liam tried to get up. "She's going to hurt you. Run!"

Now that I saw him standing up, I felt even more like crying. His body was covered in bruises, his jeans soaked in the blood, coming from the wounds on his back.

She smiled a disgustingly wicked smile. "He's right. You shouldn't have come here, kid." She came towards us, fork in hand, fury in her eyes.

"Why are you doing this?", I cried, tears filling my eyes, out of fear for my life, out of terror, out of hatred for this woman. Out of hatred for the woman my best friend supposedly loved.

"Because he is not who he was before.", she growled, her voice full of anger.

She was completely mental! What the hell was she talking about?!

When she came even closer, Liam behind me, sank down to the floor again, sobbing. I turned my back towards her and threw my arms around Liam. "I'm here.", I whispered. "I will protect you. Like we always do."

I heard her moan behind me and suddenly felt a rough pain in my shoulder. I heard myself scream, louder than I even knew I could.

I fell to the floor, watching as she pulled Liam onto his feet to punch him in the stomach, dropping the fork that was now stained with blood. "You can't even fight your own fights anymore, ey? Hiding behind your pathetic little friend?"

The knife!, a voice in my head shouted.

I crawled towards the sofa. When my hand closed around the handle of the knife I felt suddenly powerful.

"Let him go.", I said, my voice trembling, as I got back onto my feet and held the knife in front of me, the shoulder where she had hit me with the fork pounding.

She took her hands off him, letting him fall back to the floor, and turned around. "Come on, kid. Drop the knife. Don't be a hero."

I shook my head, gasping for breath. "Leave us alone."

Her wicked grin faded. "As you wish..." She ran towards me, expecting me to drop the knife. But I didn't. She ran right into it and stared at me shocked, before she sank to the floor.

I dropped the knife, not able to move. What have I done?

When I heard Liam moan somewhere in the back of my mind, I came to my senses. I started looking around, for a phone. I stumbled towards the kitchen counter and dialed.

"999. What's your emergency?"