FIGHTING TO LIVE [H.S]

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

song: world on fire by Les Friction 

(it fits so well with the calmer beginning and more intense end of this chapter)

TORI'S POV

"How?" I stutter. "How is this possible?"

My eyes glance wildly around the warehouse at the rows and rows of supply boxes and I can barely comprehend it all.

"You're saying my camp knew about all this?" I ask.

"Mhmm." I hear either Harry or Niall mutter from somewhere behind me. I couldn't even say which one it was because my mind feels completely overwhelmed.

All at once I'm flashing back to the countless times over the past two years where we were told the camp had to skip a meal that day, or there weren't enough coats to go around so some people were going to stay cold, or even the handful of times people succumbed to illnesses like the common cold because we were told there wasn't enough medicine.

Every time was a lie.

"What's wrong, princess?" A voice breaks me from my thoughts. "Realizing your little kingdom wasn't so perfect now, are you?"

Harry.

"Fuck you." I instantly spit back at him.

People died over this lie and all he can do is make jokes at my expense.

I take a couple steps to the shelf closest to me and reach my hand up to gently run it across one of the cardboard boxes.

"These could have saved people." I mutter to myself. Part of me feels like I could cry right now but I force myself to hold back the tears.

Block it out. Block it out.

"Harry," I hear Niall say. "Medicines right here. I'll grab four cases if you can get the meal kits. Louis was going to look for any other dry goods but the kits should be fine for now."

Harry grunts in agreement and as I feel him pass me he mutters, "Follow me."

I don't know if it's the state of shock I'm in or the fact that he was right, but I do what he says without thinking and begin to trail behind him.

The lights that kicked on when we first entered the building only seem to pertain to the front half of the warehouse so the further we walk, the darker it starts to grow.

I silently keep my eyes trained on Harry's back, trying to focus on the color of his green military-style jacket so I don't lose him.

Just when my eyes are about to lose him for good, he quickly turns to the right and makes his way to the center of the aisle. As he stops in front of a shelf of smaller, flatter boxes. In the dark, I can just barely make out the U.S. government seal and a label reading, "MRE".

"Can you grab two of these while I grab a couple boxes a few rows over. Try and grab from the very back so it's less obvious there's some missing." Harry tells me.

I nod and begin to push a few boxes aside to get to the back as Harry walks off.

It takes a few minutes to reach the back of the shelf and I make my way through the boxes, I realize that Harry has left me by myself.

The thought that I could try and make a run for it crosses my mind but then I start to think that even if I do manage to make it out of this warehouse, I don't have any sort of weapon to protect myself once I'm back outside.