alive ↠ hs

.18

Harry's POV

Asher and I followed her through the trees. Watched as her heavy footsteps echoed through the quiet forest. 

I could hear Asher's sniffles beside me. I reached over and put my arm around him, providing what comfort was needed.

Saige stopped once night fell, effortlessly starting a fire. Asher set up the tent before hiding himself inside. He was anger, upset. Underneath, so was I.

I watched as she felt pain but quickly pushed it aside. She was training herself to be cold.

She just turned on us. She turned cold and hard, the one thing I was afraid of becoming myself. She was training herself not to feel.

She sat on the ground in front of the fire, staring into it, her jaw clenching. She was lost in her own thoughts.

She winced as she moved around and I realized we hadn't properly tended to her wounds. I pulled the first aid kid from the bag I packed, going to sit beside her.

She didn't look at me as I stared at her, setting my hand on her arm. She jumped softly before turning to look at me, her eyes hard and cold as she pulled away from me.

It was hard to think that just the other night I was kissing her and holding her and now she wouldn't even look at me. 

"Saige, let me fix you up."

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not," I sighed from beside her. "Don't do this to yourself. Don't push it away."

"It's better this way," she said, snatching the first aid kit from my hands before getting up, her back facing me. "Go to the tent, I've got first watch."

I hesitated before going to the tent, where Asher laid alone, crying. I rubbed his back as he cried into the jacket he called his pillow. 

He sniffled, turning to look at me. "When I met Saige, I had been on my own for a while. Months."

I leaned on my elbow, listening to him. "I was starving, I didn't have any proper training with the whole three bullets I had left. It was the end of the road for me. I was going to kill himself."

I nodded, understanding him. "When I saw her, I knew that it wasn't the end. She was so broken. She was dead. I watched her slowly come back to life, find peace with the things she's done. When she found you, Harry, she came alive again. Full heart and ready to fight."

I shook my head, turning away. "That wasn't enough."

"I tried to kill myself, I had the bullet ready in the gun, the note for her, everything," he said quietly. "I was going to do it, but she caught me. Told me that as long as she's making it, I have to make it."

He looked up at me, his blue eyes glistening with tears in the dark. "How am I supposed to make it if she's not?"

I reached out, squeezing his shoulder. "You have to make it for her this time."

"I've done what she's doing to herself," he said quietly. "Pushed away any feelings, made myself go cold and hard. I can't help her, but you can."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What?"

"You and her have something much deeper and her and I have, she's like my sister, but you," he said. "You and her have something different. Like an emotional connection."

I started to shake my head. "No, we don't. She won't even look at me."

"Because she can't," Asher said. "If she looks at you, she caves. She feels something."

"Go to sleep." I said quickly before turning over, closing my eyes.

You can't reach someone who doesn't want to be reached.

Saige's POV

I could hear Asher and Harry talking in the tent but I was too caught up in my own thoughts to listen. 

Once they stopped talking, all noise ceased. Just the sound of the crackling fire.

I had been about four hours when I heard it. A stick cracked underneath the heavy weight of whoever had found.

At first, I thought it was a Z, but when strings of curses filled the air instead of growling, I knew what it really was.

They shamelessly appeared out of the dark, three of them. Tall, build, angry men.

"There you are sweetheart," one smirked, grabbing the knife from his belt. "We've been looking for you all night."

I smiled, throwing my arms out. "I'm right here."

One came at me as I pulled the knife from my belt, embedding it in his eye. He fell to the ground, dead.

The last two ran towards me, throwing me to the ground. I grabbed Harry's knife from the ground, shoving one to the ground while I shoved the knife into his neck, watching as he choked on his blood.

The last man stood there, a knife in his hand, a knife in mine. Blood was trickling through my wounds that reopened, mixing with blood from the other two guys.

I ran forward, a growl coming from my throat as I tackled him. He pushed over me, pressing his knife against my throat. 

"Saige!"

Asher was fumbling around with his gun, Harry coming over to us. I pushed the man over, standing up and over him.

Harry grabbed my arm as I spun around, accidentally slicing his arm.

He took a step back, hissing at the pain. 

The man underneath me grabbed my legs as I fell on top of him, pulling my knife across his neck.

Blood poured from his throat, pouring over my hands, my knife sliding from my hand as I watched him die.

I stood up, blood dripping from my fingertips as I turned around, meeting Harry's eyes.

There was blood coming from his fingers, where he covered his wound. The wound I gave him.

Instant regret filled me as I took a step forward, reaching out to him. He took a step back, his eyes frantic.

"Don't touch me."

I opened my mouth to say something when Asher stepped in front of me. "Don't."

I grabbed Asher's hand before he snatched it away, turning his eyes away from me.

"What's going on?" I asked them.

Asher looked at me, hate in his eyes. "He's scared of you, Saige," he spoke firmly. "We're scared of you."