I Want to Believe In Me (AU Larry Stylinson and Ziall Horlik)

Chapter 24 x

Chapter 24

[Niall’s POV]

To be honest, I don’t know how much time has passed. I just woke up and I feel like complete crap. My body is bruised and bloody and I think I was bleeding out of my head for a bit.

It’s surprisingly not too dark here, and I have a great view of the city. But I keep seeing numbers. Why are there numbers in my sight? Am I losing my mind? Is this how your mind starts to wither away? I still felt groggy so I kept fading in and out of sleep. Right now it’s dark so I’m assuming it’s nighttime.

I sat up and groaned a little as I held up my hand to my head. It was throbbing a little, but nothing unbearable.

“Hey.”

I spun around to the dark corner where the voice came from, but I didn’t see anyone.

“Hello?” I called out cautiously.

“Niall it’s me!” The voice stepped a bit out of the darkness and that’s when I recognized the voice it belonged to.

“Oh it’s you Zayn,” I said as relief flooded into my voice.

He kneeled down next to me and examined my head. “How are you feeling?”

I shrugged. “I’ve had better days.”

“Niall, you’ve been out for nine days,” Zayn said cautiously.

“Nine days?!” I exclaimed. I tried to get up, but Zayn placed a hand on my shoulder to keep me down.

“I don’t think you should get up quite yet. You’re still a bit out of it, but at least I know you’re alive.” Zayn gave me a small smile, but his eye twitched a bit as he did so. That’s when I actually focused on Zayn since I woke up.

He had bruises all over his face and a black eye. His arms were also covered in bruises leaving his beautiful olive skin discolored.

“What the hell happened?” I asked quietly as I looked at him with mixed emotions of melancholy and rage.

“N-Nothing,” Zayn said as he held his arms close to his body.

“This isn’t nothing Zayn,” I said as I wildly gestured to his bruised body. “What the hell have they been doing to you?” I felt so horrible that these people have been hurting Zayn and I haven’t been able to protect him.

“Niall, it- it’s-” Zayn tried to get out, but he couldn’t. Instead he broke down in front of me. I reached out and pulled him into an embrace. I sat there rocking him as he cried into my arms. I left tender kisses all over him, but I knew nothing could ever fix what had been done. I knew they broke Zayn more than necessary.

“We don’t have to talk about it,” I said softly. He was calmer after a few moments, but he still hadn’t said anything. I could still feel his hot tears through an old t-shirt they must’ve thrown on me when I was sleeping.

“Niall?” Zayn murmured after a few more moments of silence.

“Yes?” I said calmly. I didn’t think he’d want to talk because he might’ve been tired from all his crying.

“You know that this isn’t your fault right?”

I tensed up at that question. I knew it was my entire fault. I had let my guard down and now we were in this predicament. And honestly, I am lost as to what is going on.

“Niall, it really isn’t your fault,” Zayn reassured me calmly. “Besides, I know we’re going to be okay.”

As if on cue, we heard footsteps getting closer to us. Then a glimpse of red hair appeared into my sight once more.