Chicago | hs au

32 - Fists

"I love you, too."

I lean in, feeling my eyes close and my lips part. My heart is hammering against my chest, like it usually does when I think of kissing Harry.

But before our lips can touch, I'm suddenly jerked away by a pair of rough hands around my waist.

I scream as I'm jerked backward off the bench completely, toppling onto the cold ground. I feel the air rush out of my lungs as my back slaps the concrete. My head snaps backwards and audibly knocks on the ground. I hear Harry yell, but the pounding in my ears is too loud for me to hear what's happening.

I open my eyes and see the dark sky above me. My coat is drenched from laying atop the snow-covered cement. My head throbs, but I turn my head to where Harry was sitting a moment ago.

I see two figures locked together, one with long curly hair--Harry--and one with a ball cap covering his short blond hair--Brandon. I suck in a shaky breath and try to sit up, but immediately crumble and feel a wetness at the nape of my neck. I reach up with my fingers and feel it--warm, sticky blood. I gasp when I pull my fingers away. I hear the fight before I see it.

Groaning, I pull myself up and lean on the bench for support. My vision goes in and out, but the sound of skin hitting skin is unmistakable. As my eyes droop, one of the figures knocks the other to the ground. He immediately runs at me after. I yell, unable to determine which of the men is standing above me.

"God, Katie, are you hurt-" Harry's voice sounds rough, "Katie, oh my god, your head-" Harry reaches a hand out but is pulled away. He fumbles on the ground. I struggle to keep my head aloft, feeling the warm blood trickle farther down my neck. Where's my phone? I draw a hand to my pocket, feeling the hard shape.

My head feels heavier with ever breath, but I mange to pull my phone out and dial 9-1-1. Unfortunately, I fall backwards again into the snow before an operator can answer. My phone skids away from me as I land. I hear the blood rushing in my ears, and suddenly I feel cold. The temperature didn't bother me at all a moment ago, but now my toes and finger tips feel like ice.

I close my eyes.

I hear Harry yelling, and Brandon returning yells, but the words are undistinguished. My body feels heavier and heavier with every passing second. Who knew a bump on the back of the head could cause this? I don't know how many minutes pass, maybe as many as fifteen, when I finally hear sirens in the distance.

I'm dragged out of my fuzzy state when two freezing hands find their way around my neck. I feel a weight on my abdomen, like someone is straddling me. My eyes flutter open and meet Brandon's. His cold, hard stare makes my eyes flood with tears. His hands tighten.

I see his mouth move, but I can hardly hear him say, "I wish you were more conscious so you'd feel this."

Where's Harry? What has Brandon done to him?

Just as my vision goes dark, I feel his hands release. Getting closer, sirens.

However, my suffering does not end then, for another pair of freezing hands touch my face.

"Katie, fucking shit, stay with me. I see police. They're coming. Fuck's sake, you're okay, you're okay, I promise. I promise-" his words fade and I can't bring myself to open my eyes. I hear other voices, but it sounds like I'm underwater. Everything is muffled. I finally lose consciousness.

The evil in Brandon's eyes haunts me as I dream. I keep feeling the weight on my stomach and his icy hands around my neck, squeezing the life out of me.

It feels like hours later when I finally begin to hear again. I can't force my eyes to open, and it feels like I'm lucid dreaming. I can distinguish between three voices--two female and one male.