Flashback to the Future

XIII. Crash

Selena

My shoulders trembled along with my whole body as Liz ushered me outside of the tech room where Zach and Zeus where left to themselves. She decided to take me out of the warehouse for us both to get some fresh air. Our feet got us to the parking area.

"Liz, I need to breathe." I said in between sobs. "I need to get out of here."

"Do you want to go home?" she asked concerned.

"No, I just need to drive around a little." I said meekly.

"Okay, here." Liz said, handing me over the key to Zack's R8. "I don't think he'll mind."

"Liz?" I called.

"Uhuh?" she acknowledged looking at me questioningly.

"I-I'm sorry..." I said searching for words to follow.

"For what?" Liz turned to me after she buckled her seat belt. 

"For being this... miserable." I said embarrassed.

"Shut up! I know how difficult things are with you and Zeus." she started. "And I don't know why it must happen at the same time when Zach and I are having a fab time together." she said.

"I know, that's why I'm sorry. You guys shouldn't really be dragged in to this. H-he thought Zach and I had a thing." I told her letting go of a forced chuckle.

"Why didn't you just tell tell him?" Liz waited for my answer.

"He never gave me the chance. He got all aggressive on me... again." I said as I start to rev my self up for another series of sobbing.

"Actually, we went there to share the good news." Liz said half smiling. She softly placed her left hand on mine and her Asscher cut diamond engagement ring called my attention when its reflection glistened on the dashboard.

"Oh my god, Liz!" I squealed. "I am so freaking happy for you. He meant what he said."

"You knew about this?" she asked. For an instant my troubles where replaced by happiness and excitement. My sister is getting married. At least she won't have to go through all the unfortunate events that I'm having.

"Yes! How do you think he'd figure your size?" I bragged. Oh, it feels happy to be happy even if the happiness seemed to avoid me recently. It sucks to be me, right?

"You'll be happy too." she said as she gently pressed on my hand. Liz knew me so well that even if I tried keep myself from frowning, she knew what's going on inside my head.

"Sel, remember when I was like you?" she asked looking at me. I nodded for her to know that I wanted her to go on since my eyes were locked on the the road. "miserable? and I never thought someone like Zach would come along in years?" Okay, where is she getting at right now? "This sounds crazy, I'm not into giving advises. I know I suck at it."

"Liz! Just say it please." god! You're not even good with delivery, Liz. I laughed at her in my mind. 

"I was just thinking that maybe, you should give yourself a break. Have fun! Go shopping, think of a new hobby, freshen your mind. Go abroad! Take Zoey with you." she said with a tinge of enthusiasm.

"Okay, what's your point?" I asked.

"Well, Zach has been monitoring your progress in the project and he said you guys are going faster that your timeline states and he thinks you'll get to deliver your commitment and you may do even better than what you thought you'd be. You have a pretty smart team working on it. They can pull it through even without you around. You said it yourself, they are your brain children." okay, time to butt in. She's not relaxing. I have definitely not heard her pause for a second.

"Liz! Point! Get to the point!" I reminded her to gt back on track.

"Leave! Then maybe if Zeus loves you enough, he's going to work his ass out to look and run after you. Like what I did. I remember everything that you told me. I needed to make Zach sure that I really love him and I am over the the past and yeah, going after him was the best decision I made in my life. I never thought, I'd go home with this?" she stretched out her ring finger. "We even had to cut the trip shorter because we needed to plan ASAP. He wanted the wedding this year, well we both wanted it this year." she finally finished.

"You think so?" and did she just say that she sucked at giving advises. She actually made sense.

"Well, I told you I'm not good at it but it won't hurt to try and that should tell you your place in him." that assuring smile. It just works all the time. 

"What are we freaking doing then? Get that GPS to work!" I told her as she searched for the nearest exit of the turnpike we are on. 

I'll leave and take Zoey with me first thing tomorrow. Maybe its about time I go and visit Europe. I have not gone back there since I gave birth to Zoey. 

Exit in one hundred meters

 "There!" We squealed in chorus like the GPS would agree.

Our excitement were replaced with fear in an instant when we both felt the ground shook. 

"What was that?" Liz panicked.

"Is that an earthquake?" I asked trying to calm myself down but I failed. All the cars in front of us from all for lanes were slowly being put to a halt which caused us to stop too. Liz and I looked at each other, neither wanting to display fears in our faces although they were pretty evident in our eyes. 

One by one, people started getting off their vehicles and started running towards to opposite direction, towards us! Liz and I were in shock and stocked frozen in our seats until an old man came banging our car window. I pressed the car window open.

"Get out! Run! The tanker is going to explode!" told the man.

Our bodies reacted quickly to what he said. Liz unbuckled her seat belt in a breeze as I unlock the doors. 

For some reason I can't seem to find the lock of  my own seat belt. It must have been the anxiety that caused me to see everything in black leather. I can't seem to find where the end of the seat belt is.

Liz hurriedly opened my side of the door as she got off the car. 

"Sel! Come on!" she screamed.

We heard an explosion loud enough to deafen our ears. There weren't any heat or fire but from the horizon I saw a cloud of smoke that looked more like a mushroom of grayish black smoke.

"Liz! Go!" I screamed at her.

"No! I won't leave you!" she said.

Trust me! I would have wanted her to stay but I didn't want to drag her with how stupid I am in failing to unbuckle my own seat belt.

Debris started falling and they started landing on the cars in front of us. I finally got to unlock my seat belt but there was a huge chunk of a debris that caught my attention, yes, because it was falling fast towards my direction.

"Go! Run!" I told Liz as I pushed her out of the car. She'd have the time to run away. I won't.