Rupture // h.s au

47. "I promised mum,"

Autumn

He didn't say another word. He turned, and walked away. I wanted to scream for him to not leave me alone in there, because the air was suffocating, and the voices were too loud, and I could feel myself losing it, bit by bit. I wanted to throw myself into his arms, and have him protect me from the world, that only continued to ruin me further. I wanted to tell him that I couldn't help what I had become, that I wanted him there, because it was the only way for me to not collapse back into that. I couldn't do any of that, because my voice wasn't quite there. So, I watched him, slowly fading into the corners of that morbid house, leaving me behind.

My legs crumbled, bringing me to my knees, hands falling by the corners of the pool of dried blood that belonged to my mum. I almost threw up, but I swallowed the bile in my throat, breathing in and out, willing my composure not to fade away. I had to keep it together. I had to stay strong. I had to get Harry out of here, for him to save his mother, and not turn into what I had become when I lost my own.

I could hear the door crashing, my mum, screaming for me to hide. Yells, screams, sickening laughter. Men with evil eyes, led by my very own father. Arms pulling at her frail figure. Hands holding her face, hitting her head, multiple times. Fingers pulling triggers, leaving behind that pool of blood. Her legs, dragged against the ground, as they took her away.

It was all so loud. So unbearable, I had to squeeze my eyes shut, to will the images away. The scene wouldn't stop replaying. The voices wouldn't stop screaming. My heart wouldn't stop pounding, as I watched my mother being tortured to death. I couldn't feel my own body. I couldn't feel anything, and I could feel too much for my soul to endure, all at the same time. I wanted to call out for someone to save me, for anyone to stop them, from taking my mother away.

But then I felt my body being shook, a voice screaming at me. I thought they were back. I thought they were here, to kill me too, or what was left of me. But when my eyes opened, I was met with frantic, green, eyes, and hair curtaining a face that I knew well, and loved dearly. A gasp went past my lips, as I looked around, to find myself under the table, that my mother had thrown me under, to keep me hidden from the murderous men. I didn't know how I had gotten there. I didn't know how my body managed to carry itself there, when it had felt so drained by it all. I didn't know anything, as Harry stood me to my feet, but they gave out again. This time, he caught me, holding me so closely to him, I had forgotten how unnerving my mere presence was to him.

I felt my muscles losing their stamina, my bones growing weaker, as I sank into him. He sighed, making no effort to pull away, or hold me closer. He just stood there, supporting the weight of my body, without saying a single word. I wished I could hold him tighter, to properly be able to feel him, and be felt by him. I wished my touch didn't burn holes into his soul, while his, seemed to be patching up my own. I wished I hadn't done what I had done to him. I wished I hadn't aided life in destroying him. I wished I could fix him, or myself, or the world.

" We have to go. I saw three men coming this way." He said, pulling away, but his hands held me by the shoulders, keeping me grounded.

" What? Coming here?" I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, receiving an affirmative nod, as he fully released me. I walked past him, feeling like an infant, learning to walk on their own. My legs were wobbly, my entire figure shaking, but I pushed through, standing by the filthy window, and squinting to see through the night.

" They're- there are at least five men. I don't get it. No one has ever been here in years."

" It has to be that man you refused to kill. He probably woke up, and told on us. I told you we should have killed him." He groaned, triggering his gun, as he rushed through the surroundings, searching for any objects that could be used as further weapons.

" Okay. Okay, okay, okay. I can still fix this. Go through the kitchen, there's a backdoor. I can hold them back till you're out of here. Go, now." He blinked. Once. Twice.

" What?"

" Harry, you have to make it out of here. You have to go back, to help Anne. We don't have much time. You have to go now." I put my hands to his shoulder, turning him around, and away from me. His feet moved along, but then he stopped, taking my arm and bringing me in front of him.

" What are you doing, Autumn?"

" I'm fixing what I can. They're here for me, not you. There's no way in hell we'll both be able to make it out in time, and yo- you have a reason to go back. I don't. Not really. So, go. Help your mother. Be there for her. And when she's better, make sure she never gets bad again. And- and Liam. Just- just let him help. He can do so much good if given the opportunity." His eyes moved between my own, searching for something that wasn't quite there. His features were silent, discrete, as he stared at me with such intensity, I could feel my determination wavering.

" I promised mum I wouldn't let them take you away again." He whispered, as if that was all the argument he had left.

" You didn't. This isn't on you. None of it is."

A frown settled on his forehead, as he looked between me, and the window by the front door, that revealed shadows approaching. I could hear cackling, laughter, roars, and I knew what it meant. I knew what was coming next. And it didn't involve Harry.

He looked at me, stealing a final glance, before nodding. And just like that, he turned and ran out of the back door. A breath went past me, like only now, had I remembered how to breathe. I wanted to cry, for how easily he had given me up. That was probably the last time I'd see him, and he didn't even know that I loved him. And he could no longer love me back. I wanted to cry, but I didn't. I inhaled, taking out my own gun, and triggering it, as I stood in the living room, right where my mother had stood, when they had come for her.

I took exactly two long breaths, before the door was crashed to the ground, and a sea of men unleashed into the place that I had once called my home. I hit and thrashed and kicked. I fought with every last drop of strength within me. But I was outnumbered, and my previous injuries were slowly absorbing the fight right out of me, leaving me panting for air, blindly throwing slacking punches through blurred vision, tasting blood and dust and bitterness in my mouth. Until I felt my head, grasped in an unkind hand, pushing me against the staircase for a hit. I fell to the ground, my blood now molding into my mother's, so no one would ever know which was whose. My head was taken between two hands again, hit against the ground once more, before I heard the sound of my own skull cracking, and it all went peacefully black.

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A/N: I'M BACK OHMYGOD I MISSED YOU GUYS SO MUCH!

I've been wanting to update for over a week now but my wifi crashed and I couldn't do it so I'm sorry for the delay :(

ALSO, I NEVER GOT TO CELEBRATE THIS WITH YOU BUT YOU MANAGED TO GET THIS STORY TO 50K READS I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAY, HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE

I love you guys so so much and I'm so grateful, you have no idea

Soooo, since I took so long to update and since you've all been kind and understanding and supportive, I think I'll update again tomorrow or so, how does that sound? :)

ily x