asset [h.s.]

forty two // death sentence

Harry

I dive across the room in the dark, almost falling down onto my knees. My heart thumps painfully against my ribcage as my shaky hands direct the flashlight over to the corner of the room, an unbearable amount of anticipation flooding through my veins as I just hope, as I pray, that's it's really her in front of me.

Slowly, the small, familiar, figure is revealed to me, the pure sight of her stealing the breath from my lungs and the heat from my skin. It feels like my heart is caving in on itself with relief, although only seconds later, when the light encompasses all of her, my heart feels like a heavy weight inside my chest instead.

Had I only seen a quick glimpse in that direction, I would have denied it was her. What was once a perfect and unscathed face, not a hint of a flaw, is now tainted with bruises and dried up bloody cuts. In the split second that she is illuminated by the flashlight on my phone, my face falls from elation to horror and then to a visage of sickening concern.

If she wasn't visibly hurt, I'd be running towards her and wrapping my arms around her so tight she could never leave, but I can't, which just about kills me. After so long without her, I'm not quite sure what I expected when I found her again, I suppose I just hoped nothing like this would've happened, but now I see that it has. What was once my biggest nightmare came true, and I couldn't do anything to stop it.

When I try to speak my voice falters into unintelligible croaks, my heart feeling as if it's stuck in my throat and preventing me from saying a word. After finally snapping out of my daze, I begin to walk forwards, every step that I have to take towards her feeling like a marathon.

When I'm close enough to touch, I'm relieved to find her eyes are the same, still those beautiful, enchanting eyes I adore. As my own eyes travel further down her face, I can just make out the piece of tape that's been stuck across her mouth, making my stomach churn. I immediately drop to my knees, my hands shaking as I reach up to her face, ready to tear the tape off.

"This is going to hurt, I'm sorry," I murmur softly, not wanting to be too loud in case it scares her. She doesn't make a sound but her eyes squeeze shut, clearly anticipating the pain that's going to come.

I press my lips tightly together before I reach out and swiftly rip the tape off, wanting to get it over with as soon as possible. She winces in pain, keeping her eyes shut for a while and letting out strangled, desperate gasps for air once her mouth is uncovered. When she finally opens her eyes again, my heart sinks when I notice them fill with tears.

Her lips tremble slightly as she tries to say something, but no words seem to come out. "H-h-" she struggles to speak, a tear slipping from her eye and rolling down her cheek when she can't finish what she wants to say. She can't even say my name.

I bring both my hands up to cup her freezing cheeks, taken aback by how cold her skin is underneath my warm touch. She tries to speak again although nothing comes out, visibly frustrating her. "Hey, hey," I soothe her, cradling her face in my warm hands, my eyes burning into hers. "Don't worry about trying to speak right now, ok? We just need to get you out of here."

Her eyes search mine for a while, the pain in her eyes so obvious that it makes me want to look away, not sure how I can cope with seeing her like this, but I don't. She makes a small movement which I think is a nod, and I relax slightly, thankful that she's actually conscious and able to respond. I have no idea what I'd do if she wasn't.