I stared at her in fear, anxiety paralyzing my senses. The actions unraveled at my sight as if in a movie, Zara walked on the road ferociously typing on the phone, a frown creasing her forehead. I dropped my things in the restaurant and ran outside like a maniac, ignoring Harry's scream.

I tried to pass the line from the other side of the road, struggling to run fast, I saw a car speedily hit her and drove away in a blink. I was late, guilt swelled up on me. I crouched to the angelic girl, lying in her blood. People came rushing from all sides, I waited for the guy from the foreseeing to come and save her.

Harry engulfed me in a hug, I sobbed to his shirt, "we need to call the ambulance," he hastily said and took his phone out.

I searched for the stranger amidst the crowd, trying to find some hope. I stared at my best friend, blood oozed from Zara's head, Harry took my handkerchief out and pressed on the wound to stop the blood flow, while I only stayed numb by Zara's side with a tear-streaked face.

The ambulance arrived after few minutes but the stranger from my foreseeing was not among the crowd nor was he in this street. We rushed Zara to the hospital. We arrived at the hospital, rushed inside, admitted her, and waited for her parents to show up to Harry's call.

Harry stayed by my side despite all the arguments, this would shatter our secret relationship but I guess this wasn't the right time to think about us. Doctors passed by now and then, I tried to speak with them, trying to get any information about my best friend's state, although I knew she would be alright, seeing her like that, ruggedly and lifeless, lying on her blood, drained the daylight out of me.

Despair, fear, and panic settled in my senses, Harry brought us some coffee and few pastries, I refused it. Eating seemed hypocritical with my best friend struggling for her life, just a few feet away.

It took hours for the doctor to come out of the operation theatre, I hurried to him and begged "tell us something please, is she okay? Can we go see her?"

He looked at me and Harry, with hesitancy he uttered the dreaded news "she's gone, I'm sorry."

"What do you mean she is gone? She is supposed to be alright!" I screamed in disbelief.

"We tried our best miss but she lost too much blood by the time she arrived, we are so sorry for your loss," he stated carefully, pity clear in his voice, he nodded at Harry in acknowledgment and walked away.

My world stopped spinning so was I, after a moment of complete stillness, the lobby started spiraling, slowly at first, increasing its speed with time. Dark engulfed me in a torturous embrace, I could feel the echoes reaching throughout my senses she's gone, she's gone, she's gone...

I clasped my ears shut tightly, violently shaking my head to come out of its reaching echoes. The black faded away, subsiding into a light grey only to return with full force after a minute and I sensed falling into it.

I woke up in a hospital bed, I took in my appearance in the glass window to my left, swollen cheek, puffed eyes, tangled hair and I was also in a hospital gown. Harry was seated next to my mother and Anne.

"Why are we here?" I asked, my voice a little rough. I cleared my throat and waited for their reply.

My mother and Harry exchanged glances of sympathy, Anne nodded at them, probably deciding to speak, she said slowly, each word measured "Zara met with an accident."

"She will be alright, don't worry Anne," I replied softly and continued "why am I here? What happened to me?"

"She is in denial," I heard my mother mutter to Harry, I glanced confused at them, losing my patience with time.

"Will anyone please tell me what happened?" I asked in frustration, raising my eyebrows in question.

They exchanged look towards each other for the umpteenth time, Harry nodded at them and hugged me sideways, I gave him a startled look, I wondered if he told about us to my parents, it probably seemed like it.

"Zara is gone, she didn't make it from the accident," he laid it softly, holding me tightly as if I was going to run.

Memories cascaded like a re-run movie, from how Zara was hit while I stayed numb by her side to when the doctor announced her death, death sounded strange in my mind, surreal.

Fresh tears streamed down my face, I hugged Harry and sobbed "she's gone Harry, she is gone."

After a terrible hour of crying for my friend I uttered desperately "I want to see her, please."

"It's her funeral tomorrow Aini, we could go together," my mother convinced.

"How long have I been in the hospital?" I asked my mother, perplexed at the news.

"Two days," Harry answered on behalf of my mother.

"Did you see her Harry? She was in pain, I don't want my friend to look like that, she couldn't even bear a simple wound, do you remember how she threw a tantrum for a paper cut? I mean who doe..." Harry shushed my rants, patting my hair. My mother kept a supportive hand on my shoulder, while Anne was seemingly about to cry.

I stifled and sat back after hours of grief, blackness clouded my vision and I fell into blissful oblivion, leaving behind all the chaos, with my best friends' happy memories, engraved on my brain.

I woke at the start, calling for my best friend "Zara! Zara!"

I saw my mother rushing to my side, I was still in the same hospital gown. I repeated in a rough voice " Zara?"

I knew what was coming but I wanted to hear it again, latch it in my mind.

"Zara is gone," my mother repeated the news, I heard the door click, and Harry walked with two styrofoam cups. He noticed me awake and rushed to my side, sat next to me, and looked at my mother.

"She didn't go into a panic attack this time, she remembers," my mother replied to his unvoiced question slowly, Harry nodded at her and hugged lightly. I wondered since when I started having panic attacks.

"When can I get discharged? I want to attend Zara's funeral tomorrow," I stated simply.

Harry let go of his hold on me and replied hesitantly "it's over, you were out of consciousness for four days now, I'm sorry Aini."

"Zara is gone? Without a goodbye... Why? She is so young, why should she leave me with an image of pain in our last meeting? Why Harry?" I sobbed again.

I mulled over the fact that I was supposed to live without Zara throughout my life, I am supposed to eat, sleep and enjoy without my best friend on my side.

"She wanted it all Harry, she wanted to travel the world, fall in love, get married..." I broke midway, Harry patted my back in solace.

"We could visit her tomorrow," my mother said.

"Her grave?" I asked with pain and my mother stilled, unable to answer my question.

"Her resting place, she was beautiful when I saw her Aini, she was one of the most beautiful g..." He started but I cut him with a "corpse?"

"I don't want to go see her, she was supposed to be here, next to me!" I said in anguish.

"You need to let her go A," my mother laid it to me softy, although I knew it was true, I couldn't. She was supposed to be alright, saved by a stranger and fell in love with him but no, my foreseeing didn't save her at all, I didn't understand where things went wrong.

I looked at the window, mirroring my face with disgust, guilt, and grief. I accepted the fact.

Zara is gone...

A/N

Word count - 1342 (excluding A/N)

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-haf