Ziall - Fix you

Chapter 7 - Maz's funeral

Six days later, the day of Maz's funeral;

Niall's POV

Zayn hadn't spoken to me, or any of us for that matter, since he'd come home, other than a few exceptions. He had changed, he'd jump at the slightest of noises, he kept himself locked up in his old bedroom in the dark, he hardly slept, ate, drank, and if you spoke to him he'd just stare right through you as if you weren't even there.

And today was the day I've been dreading since he arranged it; it was Maz's funeral today, and who knows how he would be after it. People are trying to convince me that he'll get better after today, having said goodbye to his best friend. But I don't agree, because this day is closure that Maz is gone forever, and wont that just affect him worse?

He had asked if I would speak at the funeral, I had hardly known the guy, but if he wants me to, then I told him I would. He's going to talk, and sing, and i wasn't sure if his was ready, but if I try and talk him out of it, he just ignores me like usual.

I sat down on the pew that the other boys were sat on, which was four rows from the front. We were all dressed in black suits; all of us had black, thin ties on, other than Harry, who had a bowtie, black, tight trousers with a blazer, also, other than Harry, who had a grey blazer on, and white shirt. Everyone here was in black, this one of my first funerals, I'd been to one when I was very young, for my granddad, but I don't remember that.

The church was almost full, the people of the two front pews must have been Maz's family, and the ones behind them were his close friends. Everyone else was just people who had known Maz, maybe a few people from the army that had known that Zayn had managed to get a hold of.

A couple of people from the church were sat at the back, just to come and pay their respects even though, they had never met the man being buried.

I was sat next to Liam, and Harry and Louis were on the other side of him, holding hands in the space between them, they were trying to cover it, they still had admitted anything to us. Anne, Jay, Tricia and Yaser were sat behind us, neither of Liam's or my parents had come because, Liam's couldn't make it, and mine were in Ireland.

Zayn still hadn't arrived and Liam says whispering something to Louis about he'd seen him outside, looking very pale.

Before I could give it a second thought, the entry music started playing on the organ, and I slowly turned my head to face the back, where I saw the large, wooden coffin being carried by people who must have worked for the church. The coffin passed me and I faced the front again, to see a lady vicar stood at the front.

She looked about thirty, maybe a bit older. She had long, auburn hair that waved down to just past her shoulders, and a kind face. She smiled sadly as the coffin was placed down at the front of the alter.

Everyone rose, and I followed their movements, holding the small, paper memorial book that had been waiting in my place when I arrived. The vicar read something out from the bible, but I wasn't really listening. I was focused on the book in my hands that Zayn had spent hours in his room making and printing.

In bold, blue letters, it had Maz's name and life dates on it, underneath it was a picture. It was a picture of two boys, grinning cheesily at the camera, their camouflage hates lopsided as they pressed their cheeks together. It was Zayn and Maz from when they'd been in the army, how they'd taken the picture, who knows, but it was nice. It was sad to look at.

I looked up and everyone was singing a hymn from the inside of the book, and Liam nudged my hard in the ribs, and started to sing along, even though I hardly knew the tune. We sung another one after that, and sat back down as the vicar spoke some more, talking about how Marius will be missed and didn't deserve the pain he was in as he died, stuff like that.