Love On The Battlefield (Ziall Horlik) AU

Chapter 6

Zayn's POV

When I walked back to the tree we had hidden in all day, I saw my friends coving themselves in mud from the river. I guess they did this so it looked like they fought and didn't hide in a tree all day, but I'm still angry at them so I ignored their stupidity, even if it was kind of smart, and started back to camp.

"Zayn!" Harry yelled running up to me. He wrapped his muddy arms around me and kissed my cheek. I just pushed him off me. "We thought you were going to get killed!" He continued to say very worried. I rolled my eyes at his assumption.

"He's harmless, but you three on the other hand... you fucking held your huge weapons at him even when he dropped his!" I yelled at all three of them. Liam looked down ashamed of himself, Harry started playing with his now muddy uniform, but Louis just smirked it me.

"Why do you care so much?" The brown haired boy asked me. That was a question I really didn't know how to answer. Even when Niall asked me. I don't know why I care, I just do. Now everyone should just leave me alone.

"Let's just go back before they think we're all dead." They all nodded and followed me out of the woods.

We bearly made it five minutes through the woods before we saw our first dead body. It wasn't even a body anymore. It was just mangled flesh wearing a British uniform. I tried to pull my eyes away from the sight, but it felt like I was stuck looking over what was in front of me. Seeing a man like this and knowing exactly who did it, made me beyond angry. An Irishman did this. One of my people is dead because of one of them! I thought back to Niall, but for some reason he wasn't one of those Irish soldiers that would do something this horrible. To me, he did even seem Irish anymore. He was just Niall.

We walked around the body, only to find more and more as we made our way out of the forest. All of us kept quite, having this solemn feeling wash over us. It was like after all day hearing those loud blasting noises, silence was setting in. There were no sounds or cries of pain, just body's and quietness. But even in the silence, it was loud. It was loud because the air had an absent feeling in it.

Seeing all these men that had died while the four of us hid, made me realize what a cowered I was for making this plan. I ran away from something that I could have helped stop. Instead, I did nothing but help myself. I did nothing for anyone else, I just hid and ran to protect myself.

When we got back to the trench surrounded building, we went in to see the hospital part just as active as yesterday. Only this time, it seemed a bit more hectic because there were men coming in from outside at the same time as nurses and doctors rushing around. Last night the men had been in the two separate rooms asleep, while the wounded were getting healed. Now we were all cramming into one room to take role and it was actually pretty crazy.

I walked up to the man that was holding sheets and sheets of names of all the soldiers enlisted.

"Zayn Javadd Malik." I told him. He searched through it, placed a check next to my name, then handed me a small bowl of soup.

I ate as I walked off into the room we had slept in the night before and set my stuff down, along with the now empty bowl. I stripped down to my boxers and t-shirt I had under my uniform. I laid that out for the people to come pick it up and wash it, then just laid down on in the floor. I was too tired, confused and angry to stay awake or even care I didn't have blankets or something soft to put my head on. I just needed to sleep off this whole stupid day.

"Zayn?" Liam asked me quietly. I just kept my eyes closed and tried to get some sleep. But, when someone started shaking me and I knew I wasn't going to get out of talking to them. I rolled over and opened my eyes only to see Liam's eyes filled with tears.

"What's wrong?" I asked. He shook his head and curled up onto my chest, wrapping his arms around me as he cried.

"I don't know how to do this! I'm sorry for p-pointing that gun at him. I-I didn't even think about what I was doing! Then seeing all those people dead..." He cried. I just rubbed his back and held him close to me. He was one to make you think he was strong, but he was always the first the break.

"He's okay. He just got scared, but you can tell him sorry tomorrow if it makes you feel any better. He's going to be back in the same spot, but we won't kill him and he won't kill us. He's actually kind of sweet." I said, feeling a smile thinking about seeing him again. I just want to learn more about him. Those blue eyes held so much behind them that made me need to know.

"Why do you think that? He's Irish, it our job to kill each other." He sniffled. My smile didn't leave my face as I spoke.

"He's different. He's not like the rest of them."

Niall's POV

The next morning we were all woken up and given bread, half of a raw potato and water. This is the first meal we had been fed since we got here and I was more than happy. I'd never been so happy to get a raw potato. Usually at home I eat more than a pregnant woman, then the war started and we didn't have food, that still didn't stop my ever growing appetite.

We were told to get out to the trenches and wait until the sirens sound. But as I sat in the trench, I couldn't help but think of Zayn.

I did it know if I should go back there. What if he told someone that I tried hiding there and they'll be after me? That would mean I would have to fight them, and I don't want to hurt anyone. Hurting someone scares me more than death. I know if he told someone, they wouldn't think twice about killing me; just like his friend. That boy pointed that gun at me even when I dropped mine, so that just means Brits don't follow the rules; with the exception of Zayn. 

I knew I had to make a decision. Am I going to go back, or am I going to go somewhere else and forget about the brown eyed boy I met? His words seemed sincere, but I was raised to hate the British people. I was raised to not trust them, but something about Zayn was different. What if all those tales I was told growing up about how horrible they were, were just lies?

It seemed like I made up my mind faster than I ever have in my life at the sound of that siren. I climbed out of the trench and ran to the forest, but today, I wasn't going back to where I told Zayn I would see him.

Yes, I ran to that same area, but I went through the river once I reached it to the other side, and hid in a bush close to that same tree so I could still see Zayn and hear him. I just wouldn't be seen by him. As much as I wanted to run in the opposite direction of that place, I had this burning desire to see him. Even if it was just a glance from afar.

So, when he and his friends made it to the same tree and started climbing, I smiled because those brown eyes looked my way. He didn't see me though, but I saw him and that was enough for me.

What I didn't know was someone else was watching me, but their intentions weren't good.

A/N: ooo! Who's watching Niall? Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I kind of liked writing it even if it was kind of a filler? Are you guys seeing the difference between how the two sides treat their soldiers??? Comment/Vote!
                                - Bri;)