Lacey's POV_______
All I see is blood. It's everywhere. All I hear are screams. They fill my mind and my heart beat to fast. I feel the cold ground beneath my feet. I see the tan tone become a deep ocean of red.
I fall to my knees in front of my fallen friend. Harry. He'd been hit by the bullet. My mouth hangs open and I reach for him. His eyes flutter. I hear everything but nothing. I scream at the boy who lies in the kitchen, not actually knowing what I said. Harry had me hidden behind him after he saw the gun. He knew all the risks and it's my fault he's lying here in front of me.
I feel hands pull me away from him but I fight them. I feel empty. I grab Harry's hand. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry," I say the only words that can can escape the darkness of my shock.
"Lace, please. Liam can help. He'll be fine. Lacey, move!" I hear his voice. It breaks the emptiness, my sorrow, and I see him, but only him. I hear him, but only him. He picks me up from my waist.
"Niall," I say. The only word that can escape my empty throat. My hands on his shoulders, he pulls me away and into Liam's bedroom. He shuts the door behind him as he pushes me in. Blood pours from the area above his right eye.
"Niall," I say again. My heart feels broken. Empty.
"Shh. It's ok," he says comforting me. But I push him away from me.
"No! It's not ok! That was my fault, Niall! Mine! Not that poor boy's. Mine," I say, angry with...with who? The world. Angry with the world. I grab his shirt and jerk on the end of it in an attempt to show that I wanted him to hug me. That I was sorry I had pushed away and that I needed him. His shocked face turns into an angry, but sorrowful look. His eyes close and his back slides down the door. His head lowers into the space between his folded knees. Dark red blood drips from his face.
He looks so small. So...scared. I walk over to him and I can hear his muffled sobs. I kneel in front of him. "Go," I say and lay my hand on his back. "Go help," I repeat and his drooping head leans over onto my shoulder his arms laying on my arms gently, as if not to hurt me.
"I can't lose him. Not now. Not like this," he mumbles into my shoulder.
I lay my hand on his head and answer,"Go help him. He needs you," I say, tears running down my face. I hated to see him like this.
"You're right,"he stands up and kisses me on the forehead then runs out of the room, leaving me alone in the darkness as night falls.
I walk over to the corner where I had seen the guitar last night. I pick it up and sit down in the now vacant corner. I begin to pick a few strings. I begin playing my dad's favorite song, 'Yesterday' by The Beatles. I loved the song too. He would play and I would sing. I get halfway into the chorus when I fall apart. I cradle my head in my bloody hands and I break down, piece by piece.
After about two hours of playing and crying, I stand and sneak in to the living room. The door to the bedroom Niall and I were treated at is closed and I hear a yelp come from the room. I try to ignore it even though it hurts me. I walk over to the couch and find a crying Zayn.
I sit next to him and lay my hand on his bent body. He looks over to me and wipes the tears from his face. "Do you think that he'll be okay?" Zayn asks and I nod. He'll be okay. He has to be okay.
Zayn and I talk about what happened and I tell him how I zoned out, how I could only see Harry, how Niall broke the force field. He tells me that while I was 'out' Luke was the first to try and talk to me and Liam, the second.
We talk until we hear footsteps. I look up and see a bloody Luke come from the room. He runs for the back porch without saying a word. I hear him outside, his sobs.
I lay my hand on Zayn's thigh, telling him to stay without taking my eyes off of the door. I get up and walk outside.
The cool air hits my bare arms causing me to shiver. I walk up behind him. His hands are gripped tightly around the rail and he's looking out into the sky. I lay one of my hands on his and his grip immediately loosens. His once white shirt has patches of deep red all over it. He turns and looks at me. I reach up and wipe his tears away and he hugs me tightly. "Is he alive?" I ask and I feel his nod. I feel relief run through my body. "What's the matter?" I ask when he pulls away and takes a deep breath.
"I-I was just thinking, what if-what if he hadn't have stood in front of you? That would be you lying in there. And it would be my fault," he says slowly, like he's still taking it in. Like he had lost someone he loved.
"Look, look at me. I'm here and I'm fine," I say as he turns and walks over to the swing that Harry, my injured friend, was sitting on just this morning. It's scary how fast things happen.
"I know, and you can't even imagine how happy I am. How thankful. He saved you," he talks, but it almost seems that he's convincing himself of something.
"Come on in, let's get you a shirt from Liam's room," I say motioning to the door.
"I'm not going back in there," he says and I walk over to him. I lay my hand on his and walk away, back into the house.
When I step in, Niall runs out of the room and leaps at me. He encloses me in a hug and I giggle. "What?" I say when he pulls back and I see his giant smile.
"We did it. He's fine," he says and I laugh. They did it. Harry is alive and well.
"Oh my gosh. I told you!" I squeal and embrace him once again. When we pull back again I see his beautiful eyes and I'm lost. Lost in him.
His eyes flick to my lips and he leans in towards me. I close my eyes and I feel the sweetness of his lips.