Life Inc.

Louis had tears streaming down his face as he watched the boy he had loved for so long walk towards him to kill him. He sobbed, knowing that this could be the very worst way to die. He remembered the first time those green eyes met his after Harry had hit his head and the way they had thrown him into disarray and his life into the best kind of chaos. He remembered how Harry had never minded that Louis was a wreck and had held him so tight as he sobbed, he remembered their first kiss and the many nights since then they had spent in each other’s arms. And now Harry was going to kill him.

Harry reached down and yanked out the blade that was still lodged in Louis’s leg and Louis had to press his lips together to muffle the scream that accompanied the messy, harsh extraction. His trousers were soaked in blood by now and he was worried that he was going to start feeling faint if he lost much more. Harry pressed the blade to the base of his throat and Louis whimpered slightly.

“Harry, please don’t, please wake up. I love you, please stop.”

Harry leaned in closer so that the knife-edge pressed harder into Louis’ throat, breaking the skin along the length of the blade, crimson droplets seeping beneath the steel, running over his collarbones. Louis could distantly hear Niall and Zayn yelling at Harry, but all he could hear was the sound of his own deafening heartbeat and all he could feel was the tears tracking down his cheeks, the cold against his throat and the piercing, burning pain in his heart.

Harry’s arm tensed and swiped down and Louis flinched as he sobbed, expecting his chest to be cut open by the boy loved and adored and cherished. Instead, Louis found that his right hand could move, quickly followed by his left. He had very little time to register before he snapped into fight-or-flight mode, adrenaline instantly pumping through his system. He reached out to grab his other blades that had been left naïvely close to him, launching three into the necks of the guards now aiming their guns and him and Harry. Louis’ priority now was Harry; keep Harry alive and unharmed. His next priority was the safety of Niall and Zayn. Harry ducked and cut free Louis’ ankles, allowing Louis to reach across and grab his gun and cover Harry as he hurried across to free a surprised Zayn and Niall.

Mrs Andrews, who had been too stunned to react to the sudden change of events at first, stalked forward fearlessly, despite Louis being armed, and hauled Harry up by his collar, holding him in front of her like a human shield, pressing a gun to his temple. Louis swore and dropped his gun, easing back into his seat. Zayn and Niall were free, but not stupid enough to try anything.

“That’s impossible. How did you do that?” she drawled in Harry’s ear furiously. “And how far did you think you were going to get?” she snapped at Louis, who was grimacing in pain again now that he wasn’t as distracted. Harry started to laugh and they looked at him in surprise. He was staring at a clock on the wall.

“Five, four, three, two…” he counted down, and they all looked confusedly at him. “…One.”
In that instant, the room descended into chaos. Keeping the gun pressed to Harry’s head, Andrews demanded to know what was going on. Computers had shut down, the big screens that lined the front of the room switched to white noise and the lights even started to flicker and Harry smiled at the added effect. Louis stared at him in worry, disbelief and confusion, wondering what the hell was going on and how Harry knew about it but he didn’t. Harry couldn’t help but laugh again.

“What the hell did you do?” Andrews demanded. Harry shook his head as best as he could with the gun pressed against it. She growled and pointed the gun at Louis instead and Harry’s face instantly became serious.

“We knew you were too confident for your own good. You were so sure of your own power…” Harry chuckled.

“Tell me what you did!” she yelled, clicking the safety back. Louis flinched.

“He did nothing; he was a distraction,” a new voice announced. Niall gasped and his eyes widened and Zayn chuckled in glee, but Louis was too distracted by the gun pointed at his head and his concern for Harry to turn and see Liam entering the room. “I knew everything. I knew you could see Harry even when he was switched off, I knew you hacked into our tech.”

“So?”

“So, it was sloppy. I knew you would be so full of yourself that you would believe I was dead, especially if everyone’s reaction was genuine. All Harry needed to do was distract you for long enough, which would give me the freedom to break into your system and shut it down.”

“Wha – shu – you shut it down?”

“Yep; starting with Harry, and then everyone else was switched off.”

“But how did you do it?”

“Luck mostly,” Harry grinned. “I’d drop the gun.” She pushed Harry away and stalked forward, pressing it against Louis’ forehead.

“I’m still going to kill you, even if they kill me. I’m going to make them all watch your brains splatter across the floor.”

“Or you could just drop the gun,” Zayn reiterated, picking up the gun Louis had dropped.

“But this is this is three hundred years of work. This is my everything, my life.”

“And now the human race has their life back.” She looked torn and frustrated and she felt like maiming and killing something and wiping that smug smile off Harry’s face and there was one knife left and she could easily use it on the bleeding, nervous boy sat at the end of her gun. Without warning she reached across and grabbed the blade, swiping it across Louis’ chest down to his navel. It made a deep cut, but a bullet from Zayn’s gun shattered her skull before she could do any more damage. She fell instantly, and Louis slumped forward. Harry ran forward to catch him before he could fall and cradled him in his arms, smoothing his hair.

“Baby, I’m so sorry I hurt you, I had to play along. I love you so much. Lou, I’m sorry,” he murmured.

“It’s okay, I love you too,” Louis sobbed. “Hush, give Liam and Niall their moment,” he said, kissing Harry. Niall was staring at Liam with disbelief. He walked forwards slowly, reaching out, as if to check he was real. His fingers just grazed Liam’s chest, then he punched him hard. Liam recoiled, clutching his jaw, but knowing he deserved it, said nothing.

“You son of a bitch! I thought you were dead! I thought I had lost you! I love you, you son of a bitch!” he yelled, pushing Liam again. “How could you do that to me?!” Then Niall softened, straightening Liam up and replacing the hand on his jaw with his own. “I love you,” he said with a small frown. Liam smiled slightly, hugging Niall tightly.

“I never wanted to hurt you. I had to do it. I love you too, you know I do.” They kissed and their friends smiled.

“I hate to ruin the nice moment, but we really ought to get out of here,” Zayn said reluctantly. “Louis needs patching up.” Liam nodded and kissed Niall again.

“I’ll start in the van. Can you walk Lou?” Niall asked.

“Probably not, getting a bit dizzy,” he said quietly, clinging onto Harry, who helped him stand. Harry’s hands were covered in blood from Louis’ chest and he shared a worried look with Zayn. Louis buckled.

“Lou, you have to stay with me baby, okay? Stay awake, please, you can’t leave me now.”