Subconscious

Subconscious Chapter 8 ~ Claustrophobia

LIAM'S P.O.V

I woke to a loud bang and an angry voice.

"Damn!" Louis yelled, causing Harry to stir.

"Lou, it's okay. You just tripped; it's no big deal." Megan's calm voice made Louis giggle. 

Louis just nodded. "Breathe, babe." She cooed, looking him in the eyes. 

Zayn and Niall walked into the room, stretching and yawning. "Hey, Li!" Zayn's dark eyes lit up when he saw me. 

I yawned and tossed him a head nod. "Let's get moving." I stood up, grabbing Harry by the hand and pulling him up onto his feet. 

Harry walked into the bathroom and shook out the mop of curls atop his head. He leaned over the sink, examining his face in the mirror. He turned his bottom lip inside out and took out his lip piercing, stuffing the metal in the pocket of his grey sweatpants, earning an approving nod from me. He rolled the sleeves down on his longsleeve shirt, covering his tattoos. He smiled, his familiar dimples returning. I patted his back as he took a minute to look over himself. I felt a tear drip down my face as I watched my old best friend return to his old self. His natural chocolate hair traced paths across his forehead. I wiped my tears, hoping Harry wouldn't notice. He turned to look at me.

"Did you miss me?"

I nodded and flung myself into his arms, the faintly familiar aroma comforting me. I felt Harry's strong arms wrap around me as I cried into his shirt.

"So much, Harry." I felt Harry's body begin to quake.

"Liam, you have no idea how sorry I am. I feel like the worst person in the world. I hit Zayn and Niall, and Megan... I... Oh, Liam. I'm glad to have amazing friends like you guys. I love you all so much." Harry's voice seemed weakened by tears.

I just nodded and planted a soft kiss on Harry's cheek, walking him back into the living room. I heard a loud, collective gasp as everyone's eyes ran over Harry. Megan ran over to him and jumped into his arms.

"Harry. Why did you do this?" Her voice cracked as she broke into tears with Harry's arms supporting her weak body.

"For you." He whispered, letting Megan bury her face in the crook of his neck. 

"Harry, oh my god." I heard Zayn's voice. "You look..."

"Weird?" His face fell. "I tried to-"

"Harry, you look great!" Louis exclaimed, running over, wrapping his arms around both Harry and Megan.

"I just want to be the Harry you guys loved." He sulked, his green eyes brimming with sadness.

"We'll always love you no matter what, Harold." Niall playfully hit Harry on the shoulder. 

Harry's eyes lit up again and looked at Niall hopefully. "You mean that?"

Niall nodded, watching Louis release Harry. Megan still clung to him, not wanting to lose him again,

"Megs, babe, let's get going. We can all stay at your flat for a while." Harry suggested, prying the excited girl off of him.

She giggled and grabbed his hand. I looked over at Louis, who stared intensely at Harry and Megan's intertwined fingers. I rubbed his back and watched Zayn and Niall burst into laughter. Niall had stubbed his toe on the coffee table and hopped up and down like an idiot. He looked up at Zayn with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. Zayn snaked his arm around Niall's tiny waist, supporting him as he regained his balance. Niall thanked Zayn, who planted a soft kiss on top of Niall's head. Niall giggled and ran ahead of all of to the elevator. He watched nervously as the door opened, revealing the small room. He shook his head and stepped inside, looking around frantically. We all squeezed into the elevator, sighing as the doors slid shut. 

NIALL'S P.O.V

I felt the walls of the elevator pressing in on me. My breathing felt shallow, and my heartbeat quickened. I felt the whole room shake, the elevator screeching to a halt. The lights flickered, sending fear and anxiety rushing through my veins. I saw everything go black, sending me over the edge. I let out a yell as I hit the floor. I felt arms around me, but that didn't remedy my condition. I looked up, seeing little curls in the darkness. 

"Harry." My voice sounded frighteningly raspy. 

"You'll be okay, Ni." Harry's arms tightened around me as I hyperventilated.

Harry helped me to my feet, the elevator lights still off. I buried my face in his chest, my heart fluttering with fear. I felt my senses abandon me as I passed out. 

HARRY'S P.O.V

Niall's body suddenly felt very heavy in my arms. As the lights flicked on for a short period of time, I looked at Zayn, who looked at Niall with concern. I saw his eyes had closed, and I struggled to support the small Irish boy. I carefully set him down on the floor, his eyes still closed. His breathing had slowed, but his face still looked extremely red. 

"He hasn't gotten any better, has he?" Megan questioned, her voice teeming with panic.

I shook my head as I knelt beside the blonde boy. "I know how to wake him up." Zayn said, looking down at Niall.

Zayn knelt beside him, whispering in his ears. "I'm really sorry, Niall." He lifted his hand and brought it swiftly across Niall's face. 

Niall sat up with a yelp, tears stinging at his eyes. "Zayn?" He whimpered, seeing Zayn's hand in the air. 

"Ni, I had to wake you up." Zayn looked down at Niall, who let his tears run down his cheeks. 

"Zayn." Niall looked extremely confused. "Where am I?" 

Niall's head whirled around, his eyes finding the panel of blinking buttons behind him. Niall's tears began to fall harder as his breathing grew shallow. Beads of sweat appeared on Niall's forehead. 

"Harry, my head hurts." He mumbled in between shallow breaths.

"I know, buddy. We're gonna get help." I cooed, pressing the emergency button on the elevator, which glowed red. 

"Harry, I feel sick." Niall whimpered, his skin turning pale. 

"It's okay, Niall." Megan knelt down and ran her hands through his hair. 

Niall shuddered as a siren blared inside the elevator. The doors opened, revealing the inside of the elevator shaft. 

"Shit. We're in between floors." Liam muttered, hitting the button to close the doors. 

The doors slid shut, emitting a loud bang, startling Niall. He jumped up, his arms instantly wrapping around Louis's torso. He shook as he clung to Louis, who began to rub Niall's back. The lights came back on, illuminating the small room. Niall sensed this and looked around. The elevator lurched as it began to move, but shuddered to a halt once again as the lights went off. Niall sank to floor, his face in his hands, crying.

"We're gonna run out of air. We're all gonna die. There's no way out of here!" He yelled. 

"Niall, baby, we're gonna be just fine. I won't let anything happen to you." Zayn smiled at the shivering boy. 

"Am I gonna die, Zayn?" Niall questioned, his tears flowing.