Liam was dragged away from his peaceful dreams when he felt something cold touching his cheeks. 'Pffft, Zayn and his stupid pranks,' he mentally rolled his eyes, hoping that his friend would just leave him alone. But he didn't.
- Zaynieee, stooop! - he whined, still not opening his heavy eyes.
When the prankster didn't stop, he started kicking his legs and moving his arms lightly, to shoo Zayn away. But neither his legs nor his arms found a human body above him. He was just wrestling with the air. A few seconds later, Liam grew nervous. Why wasn't Zayn chuckling, laughing, tickling him, or telling him what a lazy dork he was? Why was he so far away and there was no warmth coming from Zayn's body temperature? Where were Zayn's protective arms that would normally be wrapped around his small body? And why the hell was his bed so rough and cold!
Knowing that to get the answers he, unfortunately, had to wake up, he groaned and slowly set up, rubbing the sleep away from his eyes.
Trees. Snow. Open air. Grass. Rocks.
Nah, nothing strange. He almost shrugged and was back to sleep again, but when he started feeling hungry, it finally hit him. Where was his bed? Where was his bookshelf? Where was his Little Prince?
Where was he?! He looked around nervously to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. No matter how many times he blinked and shook his head, he was still sitting on the cold ground, surrounded by tall firs and pines.
- Zaynie? - He tried to call, but his voice was so full of fear that even if Zayn was right there, he would barely hear him.
The tiredness was long forgotten and Liam stood up abruptly. The rocks and plants scratched his bare feet harshly enough to draw blood and mix the red liquid with mud, and the snow ruined the bottom of his sweatpants. He was shivering as he had to face the pitiless January wind only wearing pajamas. Liam wrapped his hands around himself tightly, trying to feel at least some comfort, but failing terribly. In all thirteen years of life shared with his parents, he was never alone. Louis and Harry knew that it was his biggest fear and right from the first day, they made sure that Liam felt safe and protected. Same goes with Zayn, Charlie, and Niall. Wherever he went, he had somebody to lean on. And here he was now. All alone in the middle of the unfamiliar forest, not knowing where to go and what to do.
He just walked wherever his scratched feet led him to and let the terrified tears leave his eyes.
- Daddy? Daddy! - He tried to call, looking around, hoping that Louis would come to him out of nowhere, hug him, and tell him that everything was ok soothingly. Little did he know Louis was close to having a panic attack, back at their house, and needed Liam as much as Liam needed him at the moment.
- Papa? - He continued trying.
- Zaynie? - He called, his voice cracking. Why couldn't he just have woken up near Zayn, in his bedroom, making breakfast for his parents, and having Louis tell him everything that happened back in London? Why couldn't he be in the place where he belonged to?
- Charlie?
- Ni?
No answer. No one answered his desperate calls, making his tears unstoppable and his breathing heavier. He was shivering but still kept walking to who knows where and calling for help. Daddy, Papa, Zaynie, Charlie, Niall, Uncle Chris, Uncle Tom, Zac...
- Perrie? - He whisper-yelled. At least Perrie. Nobody answered him, but Perrie was his last hope. But that hope was crashed too.
He was all alone in the woods and the only thing that kept him sane was the fact that at least there were no animals besides some squirrels and rabbits.
Liam continued walking, having given up on finding his family and friends, and sniffling once in a while. Never had he missed his dads that much. All he wanted was to wake up from his nightmare and have Louis and Harry on his side. Maybe it was from the loneliness or his headache, but he was drawn back to memories. He could still remember the first day he met his parents. How soft Louis was with him. He was so careful with every touch and every sound, making sure the little boy was comfortable and happy. He remembered how he thought Harry was a superhero, because of his strength and confidence. He remembered how Louis always fooled around with him, leaving him with no worries. When he told them that he loved them and couldn't live without them, he meant it. And this was the proof. His body was pleading to be in his parent's embrace. His ears were aching to hear their soft voices. He wondered where they were and what they were doing. And he knew very well that they were as terrified as he was feeling. He could imagine Louis crying helplessly, and Harry trying his best to stay strong for him. And that thought hurt him more than the pointy rocks under the pale and bruised skin of his feet. He took a deep breath and ignored the pain of his muscles, moving forward. He had to do his best and get back to his parents. Even if not for his own benefit, then for them.
Through his blurry vision, he noticed lights from far away and without thinking followed it. He could feel that it would lead him out of the forest, but he also knew it was too distant. His legs were trembling and his whole body was shivering uncontrollably. But he kept walking, trying to forget about the pain in his legs that could give up at every moment.
He had no idea how long he had been walking, but he could see how the sky turned navy blue and soon the moon replaced the sun. The air grew even colder and he couldn't feel his feet, fingers, nose, and ears. He had been walking since morning, without any food, water, and warm clothes.
He was about to lose his final hope of getting away from the undesirable situation, but soon unfamiliar objects sparkling, other than the stars, grabbed his attention. He could finally see the end of the woods and a few benches, tables, and fire behind the several raws of the enormous trees.
He sighed of relief and tried to gain the non-existent energy to get closer to the place. He wasn't the biggest fan of being around people, but spending a whole day in the cold and lonely forest made him realize that he'd rather be in a loud and lively town and it would feel way better.
He slowly forced his aching body to move closer and closer to the area, but his knees were too week to bear even one more step.
He felt dizzy and unable to balance his body. His head was hurting him so much that he didn't notice how he fell down on the ground, the wet grass tickling his rosy cheeks, and lost the sight of the place. He closed his eyes and all he could see was black.
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Can you imagine just randomly waking up in a forest all alone!
