The Deviants | Harry Styles AU

II| The Reapers

Avery woke up from her short nap. She raised from her previous fetus position, due to the cold of winter coming in, and crunched up with her legs folded in front of her. It was now dark out and she reached for her jacket pocket to grab her flashlight. She patted the area but felt nothing. She looked down at her jacket and felt the other pocket. Nothing. "What the hell?" She murmured. She rolled her eyes and got up from the grass.

"Doing this in the dark then, great," Avery whispered to herself. She zipped up her jacket and placed her hands in her pockets as she walked towards the dark tunnel. She was unaware of the time but hoped that curfew wasn't over just yet. If it is then Brinn will most likely flip out and never let her see daylight again. She started to walk faster and got to the dark tunnel, not at all phased by the minimal amount of light.

She was almost to the end of the tunnel when a light flashed in her face. She raised a hand up and squinted her eyes as she got blinded by the light. She tried to see who was behind the light but it was too blinding. "What the heck!" She yelled. "Brinn?" She asked.

"No," A male voice replied.

"Whoever you are, can you stop shining the light in my face?" She asked, annoyed. The light traveled down her body and to her shoes. All she could see was a buff figure walking towards her. She immediately knew who this was.

This was a Reaper, it had to be.

"What are you doing out so late?" he asked.

"That's my business. What's it to you?" she barked back as she tried to move away from the figure but he just moved to blockade her from going up the ladder.

"Just wanted to know before I killed you off," his large body blocked her from moving anywhere but backwards. She didn't want to go back, there was no way out of that clearing without climbing that huge wall.

She was scared now but didn't let it show on her face. Her hands were trembling and her knees were weak but she clenched her fists and stood tall.

"Why do you guys do this?" she asked as she looked at him. His face came more into view as her eyes adjusted to the minimal light. The man had chocolate eyes and very broad shoulder. He could definitely knock her out in seconds.

"We can't have imperfects running-what?" he brought his finger to his ear and seemed to be listening through a device. "What the fuck? Are you serious? She's an imperfect?" he frowned.

Avery took this opportunity to kick the guy in the stomach. He dropped her flashlight and clutched his stomach as he leaned forward. "Son of a bitch!" She quickly grabbed the flashlight from the floor and started to run for her life. She grabbed the bars of the ladder and started climbing up, skipping as many steps as possible.

"You let her go!" the burly man spoke through the earpiece.

"No you did," a faint but deep voice is heard from the earpiece.

"Why'd you do that?" the man asked.

"Patience Liam. She's feisty and she's useful. I've been watching her, she doesn't want to be there. She can be very essential for our plans," the man in the earpiece spoke.

The burly man named Liam sighed, "You think this is the one? We've had so many of these in the past couple of years alone and they all fail."

"I know she is. She can help us."

"It's going to take a lot of convincing," Liam rubbed his stomach and looked back at the ladder. She was long gone.

"What's our motto," the man asked through the earpiece.

"Whatever it takes," Liam replied as he started walking down the tunnel to the green area.

"Then whatever it takes, we are going to get that girl. We know where she goes, we know what she wants. If we offer her a scapegoat she'll have to help us."

"We can't make promises."

"We'll use her and kill her off Liam."

Liam smirked, "Good, get that bitch back for kicking me in the fucking gut. You think she wants out?"

"I know she does."

"Right. I'll be there in a bit," Liam informed and continued walking off to who knows where.

Meanwhile, Avery continued running. She placed the dumpster over her hidden location. She sighed once she knew she is in Redeemer territory. A Reaper wouldn't dare come into it unless he wanted to risk getting imprisoned. She started to walk down the city and tried avoiding any light, in case she got caught out after curfew. She didn't want to cause a scene and get interrogated. Not again at least.

She made it to her door and contemplated whether to go in or not. She ran her fingers through her dark brown hair before going in. Brinn was nowhere to be seen but Nathaniel was by the fireplace.

He turned around and caught sight of Avery. His eyes lit up as soon as he saw her. "Avey!" he whispered and yelled at the same time. He got up and came towards her, bringing her into a hug. She remained motionless, not returning the act. He let go of her but held onto her elbows. "Where've you been? It's past curfew," he frowned, now asking the real questions.

"I took a nap at Preeya's," Avery lied. She was definitely not at Preeya's. He sighed a sigh of relief.

"I got worried," he said and looked up at her with curious eyes. Did he know she was lying? Maybe he sensed it.

"Don't be. I'm not this fragile kid Nathaniel. I'm allowed to be out. It got late, so what. Nothing happened," she pulled away from him, defensively and putting up an imaginary wall which Nathaniel knows he can't cross. When Avery was in one of her moods there was no getting through to her.

"I don't have to treat you like a kid to get worried. I just was. Like you'd be worried if Brinn was out past curfew," he looked down at the ground but not at Avery. He was so intimidated by the girl that he couldn't even look her in the eyes.

"Stop caring so much, you guys suffocate me," she groaned. She unzipped her jacket and started to take it off, throwing it on the floor. A thud is heard by her flashlight but Nathaniel does not question it. Knowing that he shouldn't question it. "Why are you here?" Avery raised  an eyebrow, suddenly remembering that Nathaniel had his own refuge building.

"It got late. I was talking to Brinn when the curfew alarm went off. She told me to stay for the night," he said and walked away towards the fireplace, feeling unwanted and rejected. He knew he was unwanted by Avery but more than welcomed by Brinn.

"Well I'm tired."

"Didn't you take a nap?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes but the walk over here killed some energy. I'll see you in the morning if you're still here by then," she said and walked away coldly. Nathaniel only nodded. "Need a blanket?" she called out to her guest.

"Brinn's got me," he called back a little lower than Avery.

"Right," she muttered and closed the door to her room in confinement and away from Nathaniel.

"Night Avey," Nathaniel whispered but it is unheard by anyone.

Avery got to her room and jumped on the bed. Causing it to squeak when she landed. She reached over for a blanket that is somewhat torn. She looked up at her ceiling, sadness in her eyes.

"Guess I can't go back there anymore," she whispered to herself, referring to the green area she visited almost everyday.

Avery wasn't a girl to shy away from danger, but she was scared of the Reapers. Their main goal was kill. Her getting away was mere luck. The Reapers killed and they never let anybody get away.

That man was her first Reaper encounter and hopefully he would be her very last.