Abandoned (A One Direction Fanfic)

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

It was cold.

Freezing.

But that was a good thing.

Why?

So the last of the boys' candy wouldn't melt.

Now that Louis was gone, they had no other food source, other than the candy they received while trick-or-treating. Harry was beginning to grow tired or Hershey's chocolate bars or Snickers or Twix. He needed a real source of food. Despite all of the calories and sugar he was consuming, he gained no weight. Neither did the other boys. They were very active. They had no other choice. They needed to keep warm somehow. The blankets Louis had gotten for them weren't enough to warm the boys during the cold winter. It was snowing already, even though it was in November. This didn't surprise any of the boys, because it WAS England they were talking about. It was always cold in England.

They were slowly running out of food. Harry knew they were slowly dying. Yet he was accepting that, because without Louis, why should he live? Liam and Zayn knew they were dying too, because the candy supply was decreasing daily. Niall didn't look forward to dumpster diving again, but he didn't care. Food was food, right?

Harry had a lot on his mind. He wanted to walk into town. He insisted on going alone, but Zayn wouldn't let him. He wanted to go with him, and wanted to leave Liam and Niall alone. Harry agreed when he realized what Zayn had planned. Besides, he didn't really want to be alone anyways.

"So, how are you, Haz?" Zayn questioned. "With Louis gone and all..."

Harry gulped. Wiping his eyes, he muttered, "Horrible. But I'll find a way to get through it." He rubbed his bony arms and shivered. He saw his breath as he exhaled. Harry knew it was cold. He just didn't feel it.

"That's the way to think," Zayn said with a grin. Looking at the shorter boy rubbing his arms, he raised his eyebrows. "You cold?"

Teeth chattering, Harry replied, "No." He knew it was cold outside, but he didn't feel it. He was numb.

"You're lying," Zayn said, worried about his younger friend.

Again, Harry shook his head. "No. I'm fine."

Zayn didn't feel like arguing and shrugged. They walked through the town, seeing shop after shop already decorated with Christmas lights. The street lights weren't on yet, but they had a tint of either green or red to them. Normally, Harry would have been excited for Christmas. But this year, he wasn't. Zayn wasn't either. He wished Louis would come back but he couldn't. He was in jail for two whole years. He sighed, also seeing his breath.

Harry slid his back down the window and sat down on the cold snowy ground. Zayn sat next to him. He looked at Harry, whose face grew pale but his cheeks and nose were rosy. His ears were red, too.

Many people walked by, watching the two homeless boys shiver and starve. One nice man bought the boys a warm quilt that would fit all four of them when they got back. They silently thanked the man and enveloped themselves in the blanket. A woman gave them each a warm biscuit, which they greatly appreciated.

Jokingly, Harry said to the woman, "Finally, something that isn't candy!"

She chuckled and ruffled his and Zayn's hair then walked away.

"See, Harry?" Zayn said to him.

"Mm?" Harry mumbled, his mouth full of bread.

"There are good people in this world."

Harry grinned and inched closer to his friend for warmth. Maybe he was right.

Or was he?

A few minutes after that, a small girl in fuzzy winter boots and a leopard print fuzzy coat walked past. Seeing two boys her age sitting against the bakery window, she stopped to talk to them.