No Control • hs

thirty-five

(t h r e e w e e k s l a t e r)

The decision was final. He was packing up bags and moving. I don't know if it's for good or not. I'm sure it is. I'm alone now. Niall and Zayn will be targeting me more than ever this time. I can't help to think that I really could have prevented this. I'm not even sure if he is gone yet. I find myself at Harry's door, I knock, and when there's no reply I use the key Harry gave to me when I stayed when my apartment was flooded. The apartment was empty. I search Harry's room, nothing. Louis' room, nothing. They were gone. Both of them. Now I have lost both of my friends. I head to Liam's apartment. I knock. No reply. I try the door, for good measure. It's unlocked. I open the door and search for something, anything on where they went, when I realize Liam's apartment is empty as well and he is gone too.

This is a dream. It has to be. Where would they go? Why all of them? Why so sudden? I call Harry, no answer. I call Louis, no answer. I call Liam, no answer. There's only one person left to call that would know anything about where Harry would go.

Gemma.

"Hello?" She picks up. "Hello?"

"Gemma?"

"Yes, who is this?"

"Peyton Ruth, do you know where Harry, Liam, and Louis are?"

"Where they are?"

"Yes."

"They're missing?!"

"You're in London, right?"

"Yes."

"Harry said he was moving back, but that was just him, now all their apartments are empty."

"He didn't tell me he was moving back."

"Um, Gemma, I think you might want to fly to South Carolina, as soon as possible."

***

"I'm so glad you're here."
"Well, I have to find my brother."

"Yeah."
"Where should we start?"

"I'm not sure."
"Would he be at the coffee shop?" Gemma asks, not knowing he got fired from that job.

"No, he would have to be somewhere to put all the crap he had in his apartment."
"Not necessarily."

"What do you mean?" I ask.
"Someone could've taken it somewhere, he could be wondering the streets or something."

"True."
"Wait."

"What?"
"I remember when Harry first got his phone, my obsessive mom installed a chip in it to find out where he is."

"Do you have access to knowing the location?"
"I actually think I do."

"Check."
"Yeah, yes, yes I do."

"Let's go." We get in my car and follow the directions on Gemma's phone to find where Harry is, well, his phone at least. We turn around the corner of the coffee shop and it's saying the location is in an alleyway. My only thoughts is that's where Harry, Louis, Liam, Niall, and Zayn all are, together.

"I think we're here." Gemma says, unbuckling her seatbelt.
"We should just call the cops."

"No, we are finding Harry, now, not in 3 hours."
"Are you sure it's safe?"

"That's the thing."
"What."

"It's never safe in alleyways." Gemma gets out of the car. I follow her and feel like I'm going to throw up. Harry could be dead in this alley. All of them could. Thoughts go around and around in my head then we turn the corner and what we see is truly horrendous. Harry, Louis, and Liam are pinned against the brick wall, surrendering. Niall and Zayn pointing guns in their direction. Harry's eyes strain to his far right and land on me. I know what he's thinking.

"PEYTON RUN." His voice echoes throughout the alleyway along with two gunshots. My heart drops. I feel Gemma grab my wrist and pull me to the car. We get in and she drives far, far, away. I feel myself going cross eyed. There's no explanation of how I feel. Tears barrel down my face.

I didn't even get to say goodbye.
Gemma pulled me away before I could see which boy was still standing. I feel dizzy and my body goes numb. Memories of Harry flash through my head. His beautiful smile and how his dimples would carve into his face when he put on his cheeky grin. His fresh hair in the morning that was perfectly messy and shaped. The middle of the field when Louis and I had to go find him, that's where he was. The night at the lake when he planned swimming on the beach. I love Harry. I love him so much. I'm gutted, he's probably gone. But the most painful feeling is.

I don't know if he is dead or alive.