The Infected

Chapter 48

~•~ Chapter 48 ~•~

The cheers and claps echoed in my ears as Harry and I joined the ring. The lights seemed to fade for a bit before returning brighter and focusing on me and him. The hint of fear inside had grown to anxiety and uneaseness. He looked pretty calm, confident and concetrated.

Show them you can win.

I blew a breath and made sure my gloves were tightly wrapped around my wrists. Looking down at my feet, I realised how much this meant to me. I wanted to beat Harry. I wanted to show him that I'm much better than he thought. Looking up, I spotted Liam staring at Harry while Niall, who was sitting on a wheelchai, was whispering to Liam something. My stomach knotted.

Everyone is watching. Your every move will be remembered.

“The match begins in..10..9..8..” the woman's voice hit my ears, making my body stiffen.

I'm not ready for this.

Yes you are.

The whole crowd started counting down along with the woman's voice, all of them pretty cheered up. I wanted to grimace. They were celebrating, instead of feeling a small hint of sadness for my loss. I didn't want their pity, but their respect. My sister had died, and she was protecting these people longer than I had. They should have been more respectful. Why are these people so careless?

With my brows knitted, I looked over at Zayn, Louis and Thomas, who are sitting at the front, talking between them. I couldn't find Chris, so I supposed he didn't come.

“..4..3...2...1..Now.” a ding was heard and I looked forward to see Harry coming closer to me, gloves on and hair tied up and blocked back by a bandana.

We bumped our fists before taking places. My stomach tightened again. He was moving slowly in circles, across from me, copying my steps, eyes drowning mine. He was serious and concentrated, something that I wasn't.

I wanted to take him by surprise, so I waited a little longer before I made the first move. I aimed a punch to his face but he quickly dodged it. He was quick, but it looked like my punch was too slow. An “ooh” was heard from the crowd, making me feel even more uncomfortable.

I aimed another punch but he quickly avoided it. He was even closer now, forest green eyes showing determination. I didn't know why, but deep inside, I didn't want to hurt him, and I felt ridiculous for even trying to beat him. Two more punches, none of them hit him.

Frustration slightly rose up. I hated not being able to hit my enemy. I saw the corner of his lips twitch, bringing another knot to my stomach. The crowd kept chanting, demanding us to jump on each other and fight roughly.

I aimed a kick, but he grabbed my ankle and dragged me forward before throwing me down on the mattress. I fell with a small thud on my knees but I quickly rose and kicked his leg. Despite my hit, he didn't even flinch. He wasn't like Zayn, I had to remind myself every once in a while.

I aimed another kick on his side, but he avoided it. Frustration started growing stronger inside of me, and the crowd cheering Harry's name made it even worse for me.

I suddenly jumped and lunged at him, managing to punch his cheek while on air, but he was quick to wrap both arms around my waist and throw me down on the ground with force. My back hit hard the mattress, sending jolts through me. It wasn't even three days since we had returned from that sickening raid, and my body was still sore and stiff.

With a grunt, I wrapped my arms around his neck and buttheaded him, causing him to hiss before pulling away quickly and lifting me from the ground. I didn't even have the time to think, how much ignore the terrible pain on my forehead, before I was thrown on the mattress a feet away again. Pain ate my skin on my back and sides, but I did my best to ignore it.