Burning Skies » larry

Chapter 26

Harry was woken by the feeling of his wrists being uncuffed from the bed. He blearily blinked up at the person standing by the side of his bed, realizing it was the blonde shapeshifter, Tyler.

"Boss wants to see you. You try anything fishy and you'll get something much more painful than that modulator, you hear me?" Tyler said sternly.

Harry could only nod as he felt his heartbeat pick up. Reid wanted to see him. He was going to be brought to him right now. There was no way out.

After handcuffing his hands behind his back, Tyler roughly yanked him off the bed, making him stumble as he tried to find his footing. Tyler was behind him, threateningly holding a knife to his back as he urged Harry to walk forward.

"No funny business," Tyler reminded him again as they stepped out of the room.

Harry squinted at the harsh, yellowish light in the hallway. He had no idea where they were, but it seemed like it could be one of Reid's many houses. Harry tried to take in as much of the place he could lest he eventually escaped, taking note of the doors they walked past and the wooden staircase they climbed, as well as the windows along the wall, revealing a land of green grass with not many buildings or helpful landmarks to see at all. It seemed that Harry had been in one of the basement rooms, because only when they went up the stairs did he find those windows.

Tyler had a firm grip on his upper arm while his other hand was holding a blade to Harry's back. If it wasn't for the modulator attached to his neck, taking this man down would be a quick job, and then he would be well on his way back to Louis.

As it was, the constant pressure and subtle vibration of the device was a reminder of his harsh reality. 

They walked down a long corridor passing wooden doors and finally entered a wide space with couches and armchairs littered on top of the carpeted floor. The walls were colored deep maroon, decorated with large paintings that took up most of the space. There was a furnace in the center, its fire strong and warm. There was a single armchair right in front of it, facing the fire. Harry could make out the outline of the back of someone's head peeking over the backrest, the person seemingly staring into the fire.

He groaned when Tyler dug the tip of his blade into Harry's back, enough to make it hurt but not enough to actually cut through his skin. This made him quickly move and walk towards the furnace where a person had his back to them.

Even so, Harry already knew who the person was. He took a shaky breath and tried desperately to steel his nerves as he approached him. Tyler pressed down on his shoulders so he'd sit down on one of the armchairs at the right side of the furnace.

Tyler stood right next to him, his knife still held threateningly close to Harry's neck. Harry didn't dare make a sound as he stared at the person in front of the furnace, waiting for him to turn around. He ignored the dread filling up in his gut as he sat there, waiting. 

This was it. Reid had found him and was here to take revenge. Harry was going to die in this unfamiliar house filled with strangers. Reid wasn't going to take it easy on him. Harry wished Louis wouldn't have to find his remains afterwards. He wished with all his heart that Louis would learn to live without him.

The thought of Louis made tears spring to his eyes. He swallowed the lump in his throat and clenched his jaw hard as tears threatened to spill over his cheeks. Harry didn't want to cry as he died. He didn't want to give anyone the satisfaction. Louis had so much faith in him, had told him that he was powerful and strong—yet here he was to let him down, trembling before the man he thought he'd killed years ago.

The constant and loudest thing in his jumbled, messy head right now, was that he wished he treasured the time he had with his loved ones. Niall. Anne. Louis.