Rupture // h.s au

"Marianne Styles."

Autumn

I saw a figure, laying on its front, among the chaos and the barriers and the wreckage. It had Harry's shirt on. I knew that shirt. I'd put it on him this morning, as he kissed me, over and over again, unwilling to leave me for the day. That figure was unmoving, resting in a position that Harry never really liked. He'd be very uncomfortable if that was him. I silently prayed that it wasn't. It couldn't be.

They'd said they had been cultivating a road between the Chaotics' camp and the Bureaucrats'. They had said an old tunnel had collapsed and people had been stuck under the ruins. They'd said Harry had been there, and so had Niall.

A single choking breath went past me, as I clung to Louis' arms, in fear of collapsing. I couldn't do this. Panic was coursing through me, knocking against my heart, shaking all my fundamentals, all that kept me standing, kept me going. It tore at my stamina, clawing at my sanity, taking away my breath and all that came with it. I was certain I was having some sort of attack, staring at the seemingly lifeless body that resembled the love of my life.

Louis was talking. Or at least I thought he was. I couldn't quite tell. It sounded like I was under water. Or someone had a hand over my ear and was screaming out to me that Harry was gone. Harry was hurt. Harry was laying there and he was dead. That was all I could hear. Along with the pounding of my heart and my desperate gasps for air.

Louis left my side. I could feel myself losing balance, could feel it all spiraling so terribly out of control. And I couldn't do anything about it. Couldn't call out for Louis to stop, as he leaned down next to the body that morphed into everything that Harry was to me. Couldn't walk over there, and turn it myself, to once and for all, see what had been done to him. Couldn't even keep it together, when Louis breathed out in relief, shaking his head, that no, it wasn't Harry's body.

A horrible, almost inhuman sound made its way through me, as I breathed out. My knees gave out, body suddenly aching with the aftermath of sheer and utter panic. Louis caught me, right before I hit the ground. And even then, I couldn't do anything, but tremble and shake and barely not fall apart.

" Jesus Christ, Autumn, are you okay?" Louis breathed, sitting me down properly. I circled my arms around my protruding stomach. I needed to at least keep someone safe. I needed to do something.

" Harry. We need to find, Harry." My frantic eyes searched the surroundings, but everyone was running around, escaping their doom, or helping someone else do the same. It was chaos in the most explicit, raw, in-containable form of the word. It looked a lot like the world was ending all over again. Or at least, mine was.

" Okay, I can go look for him, but we need to get you back home first. I never should have brought you here in the first place."

" No, no. I'm fine. I can help. Let me help." I attempted to stand, but my legs buckled again. It was all too much.

" You're 8 and a half months pregnant, Autumn. You're supposed to be on bed rest. You can't do much for anyone if you're getting yourself so worked up."

" Louis," I finally willed myself to meet his eyes, to focus on anything other than the heaviness of my chest, and the weakness in my limbs, and the pressure between my legs.

" This is Harry we're talking about here. It's- it's Harry, Louis." And that was all the explanation he needed. It made all the sense in the world. He sighed, standing up, before helping me support my own weight. The world span a little, but I willed myself to breathe through it. I just had to breathe. And find Harry. I had to find him.