Who's Afraid of the Dark?

The hallway was dark – much darker than it had been when they began walking down it – and Harry’s flashlight didn’t do much to brighten it up. It seemed never ending, and no matter how many doors Sophie and Harry checked behind, it always seemed like there were more. Louis and Lottie had to be somewhere, though, and their endless searching only made them want to look harder.

Sophie followed closely behind Harry, keeping her hand held out so she could grab him just in case. She was absolutely terrified, but she didn’t want to give into the fear just yet. She wanted to hold out a little bit longer, because she knew she’d suffer from endless pestering from Anise if she knew how desperately Sophie wanted to cling to Harry.

Harry’s flashlight began flicking on and off, and Sophie immediately reached out to him, wrapping her hand around his shirt.

“It’s okay, Soph,” Harry whispered, as he banged the metal against his hand. It continued to flicker, before shutting off completely.

“Harry,” Sophie gasped, her voice trailing off.

“It’s alright, Sophie,” Harry said quietly. “Our eyes will adjust to the dark in a few minutes.”

Harry reached his hand back and wrapped it around Sophie’s free one. The touch sent her body racing, and he gently pulled her closer to him.

“Just give it a few more seconds,” he continued, as the two of them blinked their eyes continuously. After several times opening and closing her eyes, things were finally starting to come into focus for Sophie.

Her eyes were dead ahead, looking just over Harry’s shoulder. He had his eyes locked on nearly the same space.

Sophie closed her eyes and opened them once more. This time when she did, she nearly shrieked. Further down the hallway was a tall, dark figure with bright red eyes.

Harry heard Sophie gasp, and felt her cling more tightly to him. He turned to her immediately, attempting to lock eyes with her even through the darkness.

“Soph, are you alright?”

Sophie shook her head through the darkness, and Harry placed one hand on her cheek.

“What is it?” he continued, roving his eyes over her face as they adjusted.

“I saw someone, Harry,” Sophie said, her voice quivering. She pointed down the hallway in the direction of the figure. “There was someone down there.”

“Where?”

“Down the hallway.”

“Was it Louis or Lottie?

Sophie shook her head, as her eyes began to water.

“Any of the others?

Sophie shook her head again.

“Are you sure?”

Sophie nodded.

Harry’s teeth grasped onto his bottom lip, and he looked into her eyes which were filled with fear. He wasn’t sure if her eyes were playing tricks on her or not, but he could feel the chills running down his spine, so he went with gut.

Clutching onto Sophie’s hand, he pulled her into the nearest room, shutting the door behind them. As soon as he did, he heard footsteps out in the hallway, making their way slowly towards the two of them. He couldn’t deny it anymore; there was someone out there. He wasn’t sure if Louis or Lottie, Niall or Zayn, or anyone else, but he was too afraid to find out.

His eyes flew around the room before he spotted a wardrobe in the corner. He kept his hand wrapped around Sophie’s as he drug her in its direction. Using his free hand, he pulled the handles of the wardrobe and found that it was empty and just big enough for Sophie to fit.

“Hop in,” Harry said, looking down at her.

“What about you?” Sophie asked, her eyes looking frantic.

The footsteps outside the door grew louder, and Harry placed one hand on Sophie’s hip, attempting to guide her into the empty space.

“There’s no time, Soph,” he said, pushing her forward. “Just get in.”

With the force of his hand, she fell into the space, fitting perfectly in it. Her eyes looked worried and her lips began to tremble.

“It’s going to be okay,” Harry said, as he ran one finger against her cheek. “Everything’s going to be alright.”

Harry tried to make her believe, but it was obvious that she didn’t. He thought he’d never seen someone so terrified in his life, and deep down he wondered if he’d ever see her again.

Looking into her soft, terrified eyes, he leaned forward and placed one gentle kiss against her lips. He wanted to stay like that forever, but the pounding against the door stopped him. He pulled away and she looked back at him like a deer in headlights.

Before she had a chance to protest, he shut the door to the wardrobe, locking her safely inside.
No light peeked through to allow Sophie to see, and although she was much safer in the wardrobe than she would have been out there with Harry, she thought she would have felt a thousand times safer with him than without him.

Her heart pounded in her chest, and she closed her eyes as tightly as she could. Her body was shaking. All she wanted to do was open the door and face the world with harry. She’d been denying it for so long, but she couldn’t deny it anymore.

She took a deep breath, and brought her hands to the wood, ready to open the wardrobe and jump out of the small space. Just as she was ready to press forward, she heard the sound of the door opening, and the loud thudding of footsteps tumbling in.

Harry didn’t make a sound, but just a few seconds later, she heard two thuds. The first was the blow of metal crashing with force. The second was the knock of Harry’s body hitting the wooden floor. The sound was unmistakable and the moment that Sophie heard it, tears filled her eyes.

The fear was real. The worry she’d had since the second they’d walked into the castle was for good reason. Every goose bump on her body and chill down her spine led up that moment.

She’d never felt so much fear in all her life, and as the footsteps moved slowly towards the wardrobe, the sound thudding in her ears, the fear consumed her.