"You Can't Take Me Down!"

* * *

"Two people were found badly injured inside a blue sports car in the Corner Avenue Street a few minutes ago. Based on the police' initial investigation of the scene and from the statements of the witnesses, the car was running so fast and after losing its break, the driver might had no choice but crashing the car directly to the light post. Both the driver, Lance Gary and the passenger, Claire Sanchez was brought to nearest hospital and still unconscious…."

* * *

Zowie almost collapsed from what she heard on the news. She was trembling.

'Why is this happening to me? Lance ! Claire! No! That can't be! No! It's not them! I can't breath!'

"Zowie! Zowie!.. Zowie! Breath, breath deeply!" Lance' team mate Philip assisted her.

"Huh.. Huh!" Zowie deeply breathe to revive her heart from numbing.

"We need to be strong for them. Now, you have to calm yourself down Zowie." Philip tapped her shoulder to give comfort.

She was still not responding. She was brought back to how Lance and Claire made her happy a while ago but now their lives were at risk. These two were the only close people she have in this country. The happiness was instantly altered with pain and fear of losing the people she dearly loved.

Everything was too much for her to take up. She can't feel her body, her heart and her brain.

"They will surpass this, Zowie. They are still alive and they need us now. We'll be going to the hospital. Do you think you can make it there? Your presence will surely help them!" Philip tried to lift up her spirit.

Zowie came back to her senses and recollected herself. She stood up and immediately ran off to her car. But her hands were held by Philip.

" I think it is better that you don't drive. Let's get into my car."

With her unstable self right now, she also thought that it would better if she won't drive. She might end up driving herself to death so she agreed.

In no time, Zowie and Lance' team mates arrived in the hospital where Lance and Claire was brought.

They saw a policeman and Zowie hurriedly asked him right away.

"Excuse me Mr. Officer, do you know where are the two victims from the recent car accident?"

" Are you their friends? I am sorry but the couple had already gone, few minutes from their arrival. The doctor tried to revive them but... "

Zowie's hopes were shattered. But she didn't know what to feel after being disturbed by the word "couple". She looked at Lance' team mates with too much questions on her eyes.They seemed not alarmed about the policeman's words. Was it just her? Or did they know something that she didn't?

She can't help herself but ask.

"Wait? Couple? How can you say they are couple?" She patiently asked, trying not to give the officer a confusion.

While she was asking the police, Lance' team mates tried to go inside the hospital. But Zowie stopped them.

"No one's leaving here without giving me explanations!" She fiercely screamed while looking at them walking away.

This made the police puzzled while Lance' team mates froze to where they were interrupted.

" Just calm dowm ma'am. We don't know the whole story yet but we just assumed they were couple since they were found bloody embracing each other. As if the man is trying to protect the woman."

'Embracing each other.. Lance and Claire! Why? Did Lance protect Claire that much because he knew she was so important to me? Or was Claire that so important to him? Zowie think deeply! Did you slip away actions that might be the signs that were having an affair? Affair! Yes, you're most trusted people stabbed you at the back!'

Then she remembered how she asked Claire to be there in Lance' games. That moment when Lance rescued Claire immediately in a mild car accident. That time when Claire was more worried than her about Lance being hospitalized due to game injury. And that instant when she accidently saw them having an argument and hugged in the end.

'I am that ignorant and stupid!? How could I be so naive? How could I let off those acts and signs? His team mates maybe even knew it!'

"Based from our deductions, as the man noticed that the car's break was not working, he might swinged the car to side and hugged the woman before the they crashed" , the police continued to explain.

Zowie apathetically thanked the officer and walked away. She did not have to ask his friends anymore. She didn't need to add up the painful loads of her heavy heart. She didn't know what to believe anymore.

She walked endlessly, not mindful where she was exactly heading in H city. She walked in the streets and pathways of the city, stumbled at times and walked again. Then she glanced herself in glass window of a boutique.

She saw a completely messed up woman wearing an above the knee yellow summer dress paired with sandals and a sling bag. But her alluring beauty still exuded without her trying.

'This is an outfit of a total scumbag huh! Get yourself fixed Zowie!'

She went inside the boutique without knowing that there were dangerous eyes glaring at here for a while.

Zowie decided to buy and wear a white V-neck shirt and a jeans paired with sneakers. Nobody knew that this was the outfit she was most comfortable with, not even Claire nor Lance. But why did she need to hide that truth of her from them?

This is here way of cutting herself slowly out from them, from all.

For her final touch, she put a black hat, a black shades and a black backpack , her way of mourning from all the pain she suffered. But more like a goon get up though!

She was just typically mourning for herself, for her stupidity and not for the those two "traitors".

In her, they didn't deserved to be mourned for.

'I should be thankful that I busted them out before I almost married that damn cheater! Urgh! Huh! This is a total upgrade I guess!' She tried to lift her spirit up for the most positive outlook she could possible think of.

She stepped out from the boutique with a better mood.

She started walking and planned go to the corner of the street to get herself a cab.

But she was alarmed when someone suddenly covered her mouth and nose. She resisted and struggled to get by executing a taekwondo defensive move that made the man fell down.

As she looked around, she had seen a group of men coming towards her direction. They were wearing loose blacks jeans and unbuttoned black sleeveless.

She felt the danger so she ran directly away from those men. She ran as fast as she can, into the streets and into the corners.

But those men were still following her.

Her world was swaying round and round.

She could now see them getting closer to her.

She was totally dizzy.

She was slowing down.

'There must be something in handkerchief that made my body react this way! You can't take me down ! No! I should not faint! Not this time! Pleeeaaase... I can't give. . up....'

She tried to move but her body was not responding.

Zowie's world had blacked out.