1986 [harry styles au]

XXX. ORIGIN

CHAPTER XXX. ORIGIN
It was still Friday, December 19th. It was still the same day that Mrs Croft had awarded me with the gold star; the same day my parents had decorated our Christmas tree; and the same day Harry's father had stood beside me with the ice-cold blade of his knife against my neck. I said my prayers, a million thoughts racing through my head, as his knife gradually pushed into my skin; but merely enough for a small cut. The screaming never stopped shooting from my mouth and Harry's yelling didn't once suffice as he carried out his horrific act.

I had just met Harry's father for the first time and I breathed a sigh of relief once he had escaped upstairs. Soon, I feel Harry's hand at my shoulder. 'Good idea with the lying. My dad is really strict about things like that, even Kian has lied to him about that stuff.'

'That's sad.' I state. Realising that his father didn't know who I truly was, he just thought of me as another rich kid living in Danver Estate.

'That's my dad.' He shrugs, his hand guiding me towards the living room like it was nothing.

It was almost over for me, I knew it, as a chuckle escaped his lips and I feared that at any moment, he could plunge the knife deeper. I wanted to hold Harry, for his arms to hold my body and for his words to comfort my soul, like he had done so often during my time in Bridgemont Valley. Who knew that Bridgemont Valley would be the place of my death?

But it seemed that wasn't the case when a thunderous crash came from above us. Harry's father wavered and his knife edged away from my skin, though I could now feel the sting of the cut it had left. I hoped that there wasn't too much damage; that I'd be okay. Was it just a clap of thunder we heard? All three of us, even Harry's father, peered above us with puzzlement. The concept of Harry's father returning the knife to my neck loomed over me like a ghost at my bedside, and I began to scream again as he moved it back. This time, he did it in one rapid movement and I screwed my mouth shut; sobbing and still screaming with all my might. I waited for the darkness, I waited for the tunnel of light, I waited for the staircase to heaven; but it never came. Instead, his father had dropped the knife and in slow motion, it had cascaded to the floor. It bounced slightly before it flattened. My eyes peered up to him, frightened and confused, to see his stare was set on the basement steps.

Only now did I notice that the basement door had been slammed open and four bodies were clambering down the steps. A female with long auburn locks reached the basement first, and I realised it was Lana; followed by Kendrick, Dua and then Kian. They stood frozen at the sight of Harry's father, along with Harry and I both tied up under his submission. I felt a small smile tug at the edge of my lips, feeling the overwhelmed sensation of being saved; they had rescued us. But I knew I had thought too soon, as Harry's father suddenly crouched towards the knife and launched it back to my neck. I whimper as the knife scratches the skin there all over again. Dua's hands fly over her mouth in shock as she watches me, Lana's mouth is wide open, and Kian and Kendrick appear focused on a way out of this situation.

'Mr Styles, you don't realise what you're doing.' Kendrick stated, putting his arms in the air between them to signal that he wasn't here to fight.

'Oh, I know what I'm doing. You can't stop me, boy.' He replied, his other hand gripping the back of my neck and holding it tightly in place. I yelped at his forcefulness. 'At least let me make a good cut.'

'Dad! Stop this! Stop it now!' Harry weakly shouted and Kian moved closer to Harry, but his father pushed the knife towards him.

'Even think about untying him and this basement will be the last thing you see.' He warned him through gritted teeth and Kian jumped back to his position beside Kendrick. The tension in the room was now thick, a stand-off that Harry and I had never saw coming.

'What can we do for you to let Harry and Adriana go?' Kendrick asked, and another chuckle escapes his father's mouth.

'There's nothing.' He replied and my eyes found Lana's. She looked heartbroken by the sight of the knife against my neck, and I feared that all hope was lost.

'We won't call the police.' Lana piped up and everybody turned to her. 'We won't tell them to come here - if you let Harry and Andy go.'

'Bullshit.' The knife edged away from my neck slightly. 'You're telling me that you haven't already called them?'

Kendrick gulped but shook his head, I swore I could hear everybody's ragged breathing between the four walls of the basement. 'We haven't called the police.'

'Oh, and pigs can fly.' Harry's father sarcastically remarked, moving the knife closer to my skin again. In that moment, I felt an overwhelming desire to see my parents one last time. For my mother to hold me like she did when I was younger, to rub my hair behind my ears and to tell me that everything was going to be alright. Harry and I should have known that this would be the outcome of our investigation; that everything would turn to shit as soon as we found a lead. How immature of us to even consider that we could handle this. How had we been so stupid?

The silence was soon cut off by the distant sound of sirens and Kendrick's hand flew up to his head in defeat. They had called the police before they had even came down here. I peered up to Harry's father to find his eyes flash with worry, even a slither of a child-like fright, before he pulled himself together; his eyes dancing in bitter amusement once again.

'Well I guess this is it, princess. Say your final goodbyes. Hey, at least you have your friends here now.' He stated with a dark voice, a deathly tone, as his knife moved deeper against my skin and I screamed. The stinging suddenly became overwhelming as he cut deeper and I felt myself growing faint with the contact. That was until the knife was thrown out of his hands by Kendrick. I couldn't breathe as I peered to the floor to find that Kendrick had launched at him. His arms were tackling Harry's father's and trying to hold them still. I desperately wanted to reach up and hold my neck, glancing down to find that blood had began to spread through the confining material.

Dua screamed and jumped after Kendrick, but Lana held her back; Kian following Kendrick instead. The two boys held Harry's father to the ground with all their might. I thought that we may have just won, that Harry's father could have been stopped, but a piercing scream soon replaced the tension in the room. I peered over to find Kendrick now sat up, holding his side, where a deep crimson colour began to soak his shirt. Dua reached Kendrick, sobbing uncontrollably, as she too held his side with her hands. Kian took no time in grabbing the knife back from Harry's father and throwing it to the other side of the room, where he couldn't reach it to cause more harm. It is at this time that dozens of stomps could be heard above and a whole police force exploded into the room. They all held pistols in their hands and pointed them immediately towards Harry's father. 'Everybody, put your hands up!'

Everything became slow-motion all over again as Harry's father was handcuffed by a police officer and dragged up from his feet, up the basement steps and out of sight. Another police officer shouted up for a paramedic, before two men in pea-green uniforms hurried down the steps holding a stretcher. I watched the dramatic soap opera playing out before me with wide eyes. The paramedics rapidly pushed Kendrick onto the stretcher and effortlessly picked it up.

'I'll be okay, baby, I'll be okay.' He weakly repeated to Dua as she followed the stretcher out of the basement and equally out of sight.

Kian immediately stepped to Harry, cutting away his restraints, as Lana did the same for me.

'You need medical attention.' A police officer stated as soon as his eyes laid on my neck but it was the least of my worries.

'I want to see Harry.' I said, to nobody in particular, as Lana finally pulled the remaining material from me and the chair. I felt true freedom as I stepped away from the chair, only for my knees to buckle and to fall onto the hard floor like I had earlier. Harry fell to the floor beside me and I cried as soon as I felt his touch.

'I'm sorry, Andy, I'm so sorry. I should have listened, I'm so sorry.' Harry immediately stuttered, his emerald eyes brimmed with tears, and his arms wrapped over my shoulders. He brought me into a deep embrace, one of his hands reached to my hair and smoothed over it like my mother would. He whispered that everything will be alright as he did so. My breathing eventually became stable and I couldn't even feel the stinging of my neck as Harry held me; though I really should have been holding him.

END OF BOOK ONE