The truck came out of nowhere.

Reed didn't manage to stop in time and bashed into the pickup. His foot was pressed hard against the brakes, and judging by the way the pickup's wheels were starting to smoke, Faizah was doing the same thing.

But it wasn't enough. She didn't manage to stop in time.

The large truck rammed into their pickup and Zara, who was in the rear of the pickup, was hurled out from the impact. Her body was limp and motionless as she flew through the air and hit the ground. The pickup was still being dragged when the large truck suddenly turned in an effort to stop but only crashed into a pole, crushing the pickup in the process.

I was rendered paralysed, shock taking over my being. My breathing was too loud all of a sudden, my movements too hurried when I finally managed to move. I fumbled with my seatbelt before stumbling out of the car. My legs gave in and I collapsed to my knees, my heart and head raging. I made the mistake of looking up and taking in the wreckage. The pickup was completely demolished, and a red liquid was seeping through the deformed doors.

Blood.

A strangled sound broke through my throat and my vision burned and blurred.

Get it together, Elliot.

I took a deep, shaky breath and finally managed to get up. Reed walked past me and towards the accident, but I needed to get to Zara. I used the car as support as I staggered around it and proceeded towards her. She had been launched all the way onto the grass, and a puddle of blood had accumulated all around her head, dying the green grass blood red.

"No," I choked out. "Zara, please, no."

Hurriedly, I fumbled through my pockets and recovered my phone. I dialled the emergency number with trembling fingers. As soon as they answered I recounted the accident, and I couldn't even recognise my own voice. I gave them our location and cut once they said that they would send a team over.

I looked at Zara again and breathing suddenly became difficult. An unbearable pain clenched my chest and an overwhelming fear overcame me. I was afraid to touch her anywhere near the head as the blood kept seeping from her skull. I was afraid I would only make things worse. So I settled with holding her hand in both of mine.

"Don't be gone, please don't be gone," I begged and lowered my head against her hand, begging and pleading and praying. I didn't want to see her die. Not like this. Not at all.

Zara's hand suddenly twitched in mine, and it was so faint that I almost missed it but when I looked up at her, hot tears staining my face, I saw her eyelids faintly open to slits.

"Zara," I breathed and almost sobbed with relief. "Stay with me, please, stay with me."

Her hand twitched again but then her eyes fluttered shut, and only when she lost complete grip on my hand did I realise that she had been holding my hand the entire time. And now that she completely stopped breathing did I realise that her chest had been rising and falling the entire time, however faint, but I just hadn't noticed. But now she was still. Now she was lifeless. Now she was—

"Elliot!" Reed suddenly called urgently. I looked back only to see him trying to open the car. "Elliot, Serena...!"

That was all it took to get me to my feet. I lowered Zara's hand and sprinted toward the car to help Reed fumble with the door. Serena's strangled cries urged us on. I tried not to look at the front, at the two mangled bodies that were there and focused all my strength on forcing the door open and helping Serena. I—

I paused. A sweet yet overwhelming smell overcame my senses.

Petrol.

I looked to the side and saw the clear liquid dripping from the truck. Without taking my eyes off the liquid, I grabbed Reed's arm.

"Reed," I said quietly, my voice breaking. "Reed, we need to run."

The sun was blazing which only made the risk of an explosion higher, but if the sun didn't cause an explosion, we could. If we didn't stop, if we kept trying and trying to open the door and created a spark of any sort, we were all going to be goners. I grabbed Reed by the shoulders and forced him to face me, "Reed, there's petrol."

Reed looked at me, but he didn't look surprised. He knew. He knew there was petrol. He knew how dangerous it was to be near the car. And yet here he was, desperately trying to save Serena. Reed wasn't a crier, and yet here he was, crying for her.

"Reed," I said urgently. "We have to."

"I can't. I can't just leave her."

"We have to, Reed," it broke me to say it. Broke me, even more, when Serena's cries grew. And broke me further when I had to physically fight Reed to get him away from the vehicles. "Reed, it could explode!" I shouted but he didn't give up.

He was relentless, and I ended up having to tackle him to the ground and drag him away by his feet. An explosion wasn't guaranteed, but it was a risk, and it would be safer if we were as far away from that fuel as possible. Reed wrestled against my grip and as soon as he got a foot free he kicked me in the gut, shot to his feet and began running towards the vehicles again.

"Reed!" I shouted and ran to grab him but I was suddenly launched back through the air.

My breath was knocked out of my lungs as soon as my back collided with the ground. A sharp ringing sounded in my ears and my vision blurred and grew dim. Eventually, my senses came back and I sat up to see the vehicles engulfed in ravenous flames.

"No!!" Reed broke down, his shouts gut-wrenching and shattering.

Dead.

Just like that, she was gone. They were all gone. Up in flames. Serena, Ally and Faizah. Zara's friends... her family. This wasn't real. They were alive and happy just hours ago. Just hours ago Reed had been telling me how much he liked Serena, but now she was gone. This couldn't be real. It wasn't supposed to happen. The large truck was supposed to stop and give way. They didn't deserve this. They didn't deserve to die.

I found myself moving toward Zara again, taking her still hand in my trembling one. I shed tears for her, cursed the world for her, prayed for her and broke down for her.

I did it all for her—for them.