Hall Of Heroes

Chapter 18

Bright lights flashed above Louis' as he felt himself being carried to a room which smelt of disinfectant and another odour which Louis found hard to place exactly what it was; it wasn't pleasant though. His eyes were closed but he could sense commotion around him. He had no energy and was struggling to stay even slightly conscious.

"Will he be okay?"

Louis heard the voice of Harry, wobbling with fear and anxiety. He wished with all his might he could reach out and hold him and tell him everything was going to be okay. But he couldn't. He was lifeless, and could feel himself slipping away.

"Harry, just leave us to it. These doctors are on our side from the hospital. Let them work."

A slightly unfamiliar voice... Selin. Their mission director. She was the one that sent them on the task. She's the reason why Louis was in this state.

Louis was becoming tired. It was a struggle to keep thinking and trying to figure out who all the voices belonged to.

"We're losing him!"

A shout from an unknown voice. A shuffle as people entered and left the room. Soon the noise faded out and Louis felt himself drifting back into darkness.

"You lost Niall..."

Harry, Zayn and Liam stood outside the room where Louis was battling for his life and doctors worked to save him. Zayn, although in pain from his shoulder, waited for the doctors to finish their most important task. He didn't mind holding his shoulder and waiting. Not when his best friend was on death's door. Harry could hardly concentrate; his hands were shaking as he nervously bit his nails and he fought back tears of fear. Louis was more than a best friend to him: only an hour ago had they both proven that. And he didn't want to lose him right now.

"We tried... the woman..." Liam gulped as he struggled to explain what happened, "this woman was multi-powered and threatened to kill Niall if we came any closer. We tried, but we lost him..."

"We need to get him back." Zayn spoke, his voice strong with definition.

"We do, but the fact we lost one man and have one about to die may prove that we weren't ready." Selin stated plainly. Harry winced.

"We can't leave Niall." Harry whispered. He'd broken his promise on not losing a second best friend in the same day.

"I agree. We have to go get him." Liam said.

"We can't." Selin snapped.

"Look, I don't care what you say," Zayn started but was quickly interrupted.

"It isn't happening. We'll talk later. I have to sort out business." Selin said as she walked away.

Harry stood against the blacked out window and placed his palm against it. He stared into the room despite the fact he could see nothing. His heart was in his mouth, beating quicker than it had ever before. He felt like he was about to throw up. He didn't want to lose Louis. He couldn't.

"How's your hands?" Zayn asked Liam. Liam raised his fists to reveal blackened knuckles.

"That woman burnt me. They're stinging but I'll live."

"Come on Louis..." Harry whispered, a single tear rolling down his cheek. Liam and Zayn looked at Harry with a concerned stare.

"Harry, what exactly happened?" Zayn asked, disturbing the silence.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"With Louis. When we came round the corner... I don't know, it just..." Liam struggled to find the words he needed to say.

"It looked like you were kissing." Zayn said. A small gasp came from Harry as he let go of a breathe he didn't realise he'd been holding.

"Yeah, kissing." Liam repeated in agreement. Harry shuffled his feet and looked at the ground, unsure of how to reply. Luckily though Harry didn't have to explain himself when a doctor came out.

"Is he okay?" Harry immediately asked, desperate for information. The doctor raised a hand as a sort of signal to stay calm, and Harry took a step back and waited for him to explain.

"We've done what we can. It was life or death, but thankfully we managed to save him. He's sedated right now, but he's going to be okay."

Harry collapsed to his knees at that point and pressed his hands against his face, struggling to hide the smile behind his palms and the tears rolling down his face. Zayn patted him on the shoulder and gave the doctor a nod of thanks. Liam leaned against the wall in a state of relief.

"We can now look at any injuries you have. If you'd like to step in to this room..." Liam and Zayn followed the doctor while Harry remained in the hallway. He was left in silence, his thoughts now less confusing and desperate.

He's okay, Louis is okay.

I don't have to worry anymore.

I can't wait to see his face.

I can't wait to kiss him.

At least that's what he was hoping to do. What if Louis suddenly didn't want Harry anymore? What if everything he said was out of fear of dying, and he didn't mean any of it? They'd kissed though. That was certain. Feelings can become cluttered though when you're on the brink of death...