Break Me-A Harry Styles Fanfiction

Chapter 31-Found

I wake to a heavy head, temples throbbing insistently, and body engulfed in exhaustion. My blue eyes are glazed over, consciousness not yet fully prominent; a hazy blur encompassing me, leaving me unaware of my current whereabouts. Blinking a few times, I turn my head slowly, noticing how the vastness of the black sky zooms past me, the stars lining the depths of the atmosphere, and illuminating what lies above the horizon line. I squirm slightly, a leather seat cushion beneath me squeaking as I do so. I then make the connection: I am in a car.
  I glance over at the driver, their face hidden by the shadows of the nighttime; but their identity obvious to me. I'm with the only person who would rescue me; my personal savior: Harry.
  Though my vision is still slightly blurred, I smile, reaching my hand out to rest it over his large one. I feel a sense of relief wash over me, knowing that I am safe, and finally able to relax. The air around us is calmed, but something about it seems significantly off; possibly still somewhat tension filled due to our minor falling out that had occurred merely 12 hours prior.
  "I'm glad you found me." I speak up, voice scratchy and unfamiliar due to my exhaustion.
  "I always will." The driver responds, and my eyes widen; vision quickly clearing as the indecipherable profile of my company comes into view, shadows no longer shielding the person's face. My hand is speedily retracted, heart suddenly pounding heavily in my chest, as my clouded mind clarifies. It's him, it's Charlie.
  Eyes wide and mouth agape, I am unable to produce any sort of cohesive response, merely clamping my hand over my lips, and shaking my head ferociously. When tears blur my vision, and trickle down my cheeks, I make no attempt in wiping them away, allowing them to slip silently down my heated skin.
  "No," I finally choke out, blue eyes fixated on the dangerous boy in front of me. "No!" A sob erupts from the back of my throat, breaths choppy and uncontrollable, as panic overwhelms me. A havoc arises within my entirety, a tornado of frightened thoughts alarming my brain, terror electrocuting every one of my senses.
  Uneven, and uncontainable breaths tumble from my trembling lips, anxiety enveloping me in a serve panic attack.
  "Calm down!" Charlie demands, peeking over at me from the corner of his eye, then returning his gaze to the road.
  I cover my face with my hands, leaning over and resting my upper body on my legs, my entire figure shaking uncontrollably. All that I've feared manifests in front of me, my nightmares coming to life in a vivid and terrifying reality check. Charlie has found me, and taken me. I will never be released, forced to reside under his abuse, and torture. Never again will I see my family, friends, or Harry.
  The more scenarios pop into my mind, the more panicked I become, my lungs failing to keep up with my shaky breaths; heart most likely ready to burst within the confinements of my chest.
  A sharp turn of the vehicle causes a gasp to fall from my lips, as the car's movements cease, Charlie putting the ignition in park, as he turns to face me. Without warning, his hands grab a fistful of my dark hair, roughly tugging my face up from its downward position. I meet his gaze fearfully, my entire body too petrified to make any sudden movements. However, my trembling has yet to end, my frame quivering under his honey colored glare.
  I shriek in pain, as a slap harshly connects with my cheek, my neck straining as my face is snapped to my right side.
  "Enough!" He demands furiously. "I've just rescued you, and this is how you behave, you ungrateful little bitch?!" The rage in his voice is plausible, causing me to recoil further into my chair.
  I shut my eyes, in-taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm my shivering body. He's right, I need to calm down, not for his sake, but for mine; I will be subjected to more abuse if I am unable to relax.
  Breathe, I think to myself, focusing on the air circulating throughout my lungs, and pushing away all thoughts from my head.
  In, out, in, out My mind repeats, bringing me to as close to serenity as possible in my current situation.
  Once my breathing has steadied, the air around us is silent, and heavy; drowning us in an uncomfortable quietness. Tears continue to slip from my eyes as I begin to accept my fate: this is it, this is what my life has become; doomed to an eternity of unhappiness, and unrest.
  Dangerous thoughts cloud my mind, weighing down on me, and dragging me into an unforgiving pit of dejection and sadness. Feeling hopeless, and weak, I do all that I seem able to: sleep to drown my sorrows.
  I close my eyes, rest immediately engulfing me into its captivity, unfortunately, however, my dreams are haunted by the familiar face of him, and I am unable to find peace in my unconsciousness. As I drift, I find myself wishing to be permanently enveloped by an unbreakable blackness; to indulge myself in an eternal sleep, and never awaken.

~*~

*Harry's POV*

My heavy eyelids once again threaten  to droop with exhaustion, but I fight them; not permitting myself the trophy of slumber until Bella is safely accompanying me.
The daytime has vanished, infinite miles of outstretched blackness is sprawled in front of me, replacing that of the sunny sky. As I drive down the narrow path, I attempt to further suppress my ever growing worry, indefinite possibilities of Bella's unknown whereabouts interfering with my normally calm thoughts.  I am snapped of my negative mindset when my phone obnoxiously buzzes next to me, the screen lighting up to display a number that I'm unfamiliar with. Grumbling to myself, I reject the call, in no mood to have a chat with anyone. The ringing ceases, silence once again spilling into my car, weighing heavily on me, and leaving me alone with worried thoughts.
  The quiet is penetrated again by my phone ringing once more, vibrating against the cushion of the passenger's seat loudly and annoyingly. Angrily, I grab it with a frustrated grunt, and accept the call.
  "What?" I snap into the speaker.
  "H-Harry?" Bella's voice echoes through the receiver and I almost crash my car at the sound.
  "Bella! Holy shit! Where are you?" I stutter like an idiot, my voice raising in both volume and pitch.
  "H-Harry," She croaks again, and I can tell that she's crying by her shaky breaths and trembling tone. The thought of tears slipping from her beautiful blues eyes squeezes at my heart, and my desire to be near her grows stronger, my mind disregarding the fight we'd had this morning. Except it doesn't feel like it happened only this morning, it seems like it was years ago.
  "Bella, where are you?" I ask sternly, attempting to keep my prominent worry at bay. A sob escapes from her lips loudly through the base of the phone, ringing through the speaker, and my fears only amplify at the sound. "Bella." I repeat impatiently.
  "I-I'm so sorry," She cries, her words almost incomprehensible due to her outburst of tears. "I didn't mean to!"
  "Baby, shh, it's okay." I coo. "I don't care about the fight, I just need to know where you are. Let me come and get you."
  "No," She sobs. "No you don't understand. It's him, he's got me." I feel lost, completely oblivious as to what she's talking about. I hear a deep voice in the background of the call, and Bella intakes a sharp breath, then shakily releases it.
  "Bella? Who's there?" I grunt, my heart pounding faster at the thought of her being in any sort of danger.
  "I'm on a pay phone right now, but we're at a gas station off of Route 6," Her voice is hushed, panicked. The franticness of her tone matching that of the one arising within me "I'll try to stall him until you get here. Please hurry." She whispers.
  "Bella, wait-" I shout, completely bewildered yet incredibly infuriated and scared.

The line goes dead.

I swear to fucking God if anyone dares to lay a finger on that girl, I will strangle them with my bare hands. My hands grip the steering wheel so tightly, my knuckles turn white, and my foot presses so hard on the gas, it feels as though my car is flying. I'm no more than 15 minutes away from the location that Bella described.

I can only hope that I'll make it to her in time.

~*~

Pulling into the gas station, I look around. The lot seems vacant, empty, desolate. A small convenience store is perched beyond the gas pumps, its "open" sign illuminated by a bright blue light.

I wait.

I put my car in park, and scope the area out, my eyes wandering over every and anything hoping to catch a glimpse of Bella's dark hair. I begin to grow anxious, my impatience and anger only causing me to feel impotent towards the situation.

Suddenly, the door to the store swings open, revealing a tall figure stomping out. His arm is stretched out behind him, as if he's pulling something along. Then, I see her being dragged from the shop in the grip of the unknown guy. Fury builds up inside of me, clouding all other previous emotion. Her head is hanging, chin touching her neck as her shoulders shake with feeble cries.

I step out of the car.

"Bella!" I shout, and both heads snap in my direction. Bella's blue eyes widen in shock, and the unnamed male narrows his at me. As I near them, I notice that Bella's cheek is slightly swollen, a red hand print is engraved in the skin.
  Red is the only color I see, fury bubbling up inside of me, and bursting throughout the entirety of my body; uncontrollable vexation seething from beneath the surface of my skin. Without a second thought, I have the guy's collar, shoving him harshly against the side of the brick building. Bella releases a soft gasp as his grip is roughly pulled from her hand.
  "Who the fuck are you?!" I shout in his face, which is only inches from mine. The guy offers me a malicious smirk.
  "I can ask you the same question." He says calmly, only furthering my anger.
  "Well I suggest you go back to wherever the fuck you came from, before I bash your fucking head into this wall!" I growl, and his eyes widen slightly, my threat registering within him. He recovers quickly, however, pretending as though my words have no affect on him.
  "Woah, calm down, buddy." He smirks condescendingly. "Now, you better let me go before I call the cops, and press charges of assault." He states slyly. Unwillingly, I release him, my hands, squeezed into fists, are shaking with uncontrollable rage.
  "Harry, please," Bella's soft voice squeaks, sending both of our heads to turn in her direction, "just take me home." Tears are dripping down her cheeks, red rimmed and heavy. I want to reach out and wipe them away, but I fear that my heavy, anger-filled hands are too rough at the moment to touch her.
  "You're not going anywhere!" The guy, slips past me, and tightens his fingers around Bella's arm. She visibly recoils from his touch, her entire demeanor shifting once he nears.
  My fury only grows at the sight, eyes narrowing into slits as my jaw clenches. I take a step towards him, my taller height giving me the advantage of looming over him in an intimidating manner.
  "Take your hands off of her. Now." I seethe, grabbing his collar once more, and ripping his body away from hers.
  "Who are you?!" The guy's calmness has evaporated, his voice now coated with anger and worry.
  "I'm Bella's boyfriend, and I suggest you get the fuck out of here before I do something I'll regret."
  "Charlie," Bella pipes up, her voice still small, but regaining some of its usual strength. "It's over. Just go."
  His name registers immediately in my brain, recognized the second it falls from her lips. This is her ex-boyfriend. This is the prick that hurt her.
  Before I can ever think about what I'm doing, I'm throwing him to the ground, my fists pounding relentlessly into his face.
  "Harry, no!" Bella cries, her dainty fingers wrapping around my bicep, attempting to pull me away. As I become distracted by her interference, Charlie takes the opportunity to strike me; his fist connecting with my jaw harshly and forcefully. I stumble backwards, taken aback by his ability to throw such a powerful punch. Before I can advance towards him once more, Bella steps between us, resting her tiny hands upon my chest and peering up into my eyes.
  "Harry, please," She begs, blue eyes welling up with tears once more. "just take me home."
  "I'm not going to let him get away with hurting you." I growl, trying to maneuver around her, but she steps in front of me once more.
  "Harry," She pleads, salty droplets streaming down her cheeks, and splashing onto my jacket. Her bottom lip trembles as she attempts to suppress the sobs that beg to be set free.
  I break her eye contact, my gaze meeting that of Charlie's; his face bruised, and nose bleeding.
  "If you ever come near her again, I will fucking kill you. Now, get out of here." I spit, and I see Bella noticeably shiver at my threat. Charlie looks back and forth between Bella and me, obviously contemplating as to whether he should continue to fight me, or just give up. Eventually, he says,
  "I'll see you soon, Bella." And begins to stalk away. I want to chase after him, and smash fucking his face in for saying such a thing, but before I can do so, Bella falls onto her knees, sobs erupting from the back of her throat as she buries her face in her hands. I realize the amount of pain that she must be in, and her unhappiness weighs more heavily on me than my need to hurt Charlie.
  "Shhh, Baby." I soothe her, gently lifting her from the ground, and enveloping her in my arms. Her figure trembles relentlessly as she sobs into my chest, blubbering and weeping uncontrollably, and unforgivingly. All I can do is hold her, and shower her with affection. No matter how hard I try, I cannot seem to take a peak at the darkness that lies within her mind, eating away at her, and now torturing her. It hurts me to think that she's in such profuse pain, but as of right now, all I can do is be here for her.
  Because if she won't let me wander into the dark places of her mind, I have to prove to her that I'll be waiting on the other side for when she untangles herself, and finds a way out.

Hope you liked this chapter! Happy Christmas to those who celebrate!! :) xoxo

Also, please check out my new fanfic, Guarded!