Immortal Lovers {Run 2}

5. Run, Harry

Harry

As soon as I climbed off my bike, I ran. With so much anger coursing through me I knew I had to expel it somehow. I used all my energy to move my legs as fast as I could, the wind rushing past me and causing everything around me to become a blur. I enjoyed that moving so fast could make everything around me feel so distant and unimportant. It let my mind finally breathe.

I ran through the familiar forest, the leaves crunching under my feet as a rush of greens and browns flew past me. In that moment, I felt indestructible. Anything that I collided with wouldn't win against me. I could do anything.

The forest soon ended and I found myself quickly heading out of the trees and towards the cliff side. As soon as the trees disappeared and the sun shone down on me, I finally let myself slow down. I jogged lightly to the edge of the cliff and let out a scream that rippled through my body and made my throat burn. Birds scattered from the trees behind me and for a moment it drowned out the sound of the water crashing against the rocks below. It was as though everything inside of me could escape and the heavy weight on my shoulders eased just slightly. I screamed and screamed until there was nothing left inside of me. I fell to my knees on the grass and finally let my chin hit my chest.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Samuel grinning at me. He was gone, but he still had a permanent place in my mind. For so long I had supressed the truth of who my real dad was until I believed that it had all just been a dream. Knowing that Samuel had other children out there, unknown to me, made me feel nauseous. It was as though he had left small pieces of himself all around to haunt me even after he was gone.

My chest was heaving and I was sweating profusely. It was as though I had run out of all energy and suddenly I came over very woozy. I let my body fall back onto the grass and for a long time I stared up at the sky. The sound of the water below was comforting, making me feel as though I wasn't completely alone.

I eventually sat on the edge of the cliff with my legs dangling from the edge, absentmindedly watching the water crash into the rocks below. I had enjoyed coming here since I had been a child. The feeling of the grass and the sound of the leaves rustling in the forest behind felt like home. I could almost hear my father's deep voice as he taught me valuable life lessons as we sat here together. I only had a few precious years with him, but he had taught me about respect, loyalty and love and I owed him everything for that. He would have his heavy arm around my shoulders and would say to me, "Life isn't going to be perfect, son. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the ones that you love. I've done that many times and it's been hard, but I don't regret it. Love with all your heart, Harry."

And I took his advice. I fell for Rosie hard and fought for us with everything I had. It meant that I made the sacrifice of becoming a vampire. I didn't want to live as a human if it meant I grew old and left Rosie alone in this dangerous world. But despite my love for Rosie, there was one girl who stole my heart and refused to give it back, and that was Kayla. Her tiny fingers and wide smile gave me a reason to get up every morning. As I held her in the hospital for the first time, I knew she'd break my heart many times, but I wouldn't mind. I'd do anything for her.

I wanted to be with them right now, but I almost always let my anger get the better of me. I wouldn't allow myself to harm either of them when the dark cloud fell over my mind, casting a shadow over my reasoning and sense. This was the one place where I could express my anger and no one could get hurt. Coming here almost felt like my father's arms were wrapped tight around me in comfort and security. It always calmed me down.

Once my heart rate was back to normal and my breathing was calm again, I knew it was safe to go home. I pulled myself up to my feet and took one last look down at the rocks before turning to leave, until a very faint, but still audible scream of a woman rang around me. I looked around to find myself alone.

"Please," a shaky whisper echoed.

I spun around several times on the spot. "Hey!" I roared. "Who's there?"

Silence screamed back at me. I stood there for a long time straining to hear anything, but the noises had gone. I took one step forward, but the sound of heavy breathing encircled me. It was a male, clearly struggling against something. There were a few grunts before a woman's shaky voice could be heard.

"Please," she sobbed. "Stop."

I knew that voice. It was slightly higher pitched, but it was easily recognisable. My mum.

I started running. I didn't know where to, but I knew I had to get to her. My heart thudded hard in my chest and my anger boiled up inside of me. I was soon back in the forest, weaving my way through the trees, but whichever way I went, the voice was all around me. I wasn't getting any closer and I felt myself quickly go insane.

"Stop hurting her!" I roared. "Mum!"

Suddenly all the pained sobs and crying stopped. The forest was eerily quiet. I took a few dangerous steps forward, but stopped when a whisper interrupted the silence.

"Go," my mother's voice told me. "Run, Harry."

So I did. I ran and ran through the forest, jumping over tree stumps and dodging trees until I was back at my motorbike. As soon as I stopped, I bent down to rest my hands on my thighs until my breathing was eventually back to normal. I took one glance back at the forest. For the first time in my life, I didn't want to return there.