A Train To Anywhere

“So,” The interviewer began, looking around at the four boys who occupied the sofa in front of her. “I've heard Liam's been quite ill these past few weeks. Is he feeling any better?”She asked. Suddenly, they were all nervous, playing timidly with their fingers or kicking at imaginary things that scattered the floor, hoping that she would just skip over the question and move on.

Harry sat at the end of the row, one of his legs pulled up while the other hung down limply. Scratching his forehead, he tried his best to remember what Simon had told him to say just in case a question like the one they were all trying not to answer came up.

“Not much.” Zayn answered. Biting at his lip, he lied, “he's actually stuck back at his flat right now so he can get better.” The interviewer nodded and like that, she continued on with the questions as if Liam's absence was no big deal. They were all holding back their anger, their frustrations; at least until they were away from the thousands of cameras and people, hidden in their own little flats where they were aloud to shout curses and break plates without being judged.

For a month now, ever since Liam went away, they all had short fuses, blowing up at each other whenever they had a chance. While in the public eye, they hid their tempers and instead, plastered on fake smiles. They were lying to everyone.

Unlike their usual after interview meetings, the boys separated, not a single word between the four as the went in different directions, off to different pubs or clubs to drown their sorrows in alcohol, drugs and the occasional one night stand.



As Liam continued throwing his clothes into his bag, Astin stood off to the side, arms crossed over her chest. “I'll be back in two days.” Liam mumbled, after zipping up his bag and throwing it over his shoulder. “And then, me and you, we're gonna get away.”

Astin nodded and she couldn't help but sniffle, “I'm going to miss you.” She walked forward, capturing Liam's lips in a tender kiss as she wrapped her arms around him.

“Me too.” He whispered, resting his forehead against hers. “And you better have that list we talked about finished by the time I get back.” He joked, pulling away and kissing the top of her head.

“Oh, I will.” She smirked, kissing him once more before pulling away completely. “See ya in two days.”Liam nodded and left the inn, heading to the train station that he hadn't seen in almost a month.



Out of all the boys, it was safe to say, Liam's leaving hit Niall the hardest. Without his best friend by his side, Niall had become depressed, helpless, alone. He had stopped eating and when he finally did force something down his throat, it was back up minutes later, settling into the toilet.

Dropping his keys onto the floor, Niall made his way through the darkened flat, lifting his hand to brush the few fallen tears from his face. Fumbling slightly with the half empty bottle of lager that sat on his bedside table, Niall took a swig before falling to the bed.

“Damn you, Liam.” He slurred, sitting up and running his hands through his blonde hair. Looking over at the alcohol, he shook his head and started to the bathroom to shower. God only knows how longs it's been since his last proper washing. As he stood in the warm water, he could hear his front door open but he didn't think much of it, figuring it to be one of the boys or maybe even his mum, since she was probably pissed he hadn't been answering her calls.

As the water ran cold, Niall decided it was time to get out, his fingers hooking around a towel and wrapping it around his waist. Ruffling his wet hair, he wiped the fog from his bathroom mirror and began to examine himself. He had thinned out, his eyes held dark circles underneath and if it was possible, his skin was paler than before.

Niall left the bathroom, slamming the door behind him and stomping into his room. He slid on a pair of boxers, sweatpants and a tee shirt and left his bedroom, heading into the kitchen. He knew he had to force himself to eat something, whether it be a piece of toast or a bowl of soup. It wasn't until the toast popped up from inside the toasted did he notice the brunette boy standing in the doorway.

“All you gonna eat is a piece of toast?” Liam asked, stepping forward. Niall stared at the boy, his mouth hanging open in surprise. Liam chuckled, smiling at his friend. “Hey, Niall.”

Niall closed his mouth, dropping the hot toast onto the counter before taking a few steps forward. Without thinking about, he swung as hard as he could, his fist connecting with Liam's jaw with a sickening crack.