The second trial was even more of a success. Claire was happy to see such progress. Even with her gone Michael can't ignore that so many people knew. The press was more than interested, swarming the courtroom and its surroundings.
This made her choice even more difficult. She had a glimpse of hope that she could make it through the trial but she knew that she held onto an impossibility.
Claire walked into the bathroom. She knew where to look and what for. A small package was hidden behind the second to last sink. She opened it carefully to find a filled syringe. It was trust in Pierre that was tested. She didn't know what was inside. Pierre told her what it should be but how could she know that he didn't want her dead too?
She looked at the clear liquid for a few moments, her anxiety and fear so intense that she thought that she might pass out.
Pierre made it clear that for the plan to work, reporters need to see it. She didn't have time to hang around there forever. She needed them to see. She needed the audience.
Claire closed her eyes as she stabbed herself into the thigh. She needed it to be absorbed slowly so she could make her way out. She disposed of the syringe as agreed and she hurried out of the bathroom and then outside.
The reporters run towards her, blocking her almost entirely. A worry that the paralytic will take an effect before she was ready was overwhelming. She carefully freed herself as the rain started pouring down.
The rain… it was perfect in some sense, but it was an additional variable that needed to be accounted for. She looked ahead, ignoring everything else, fixating her gaze on Gabriel. She smiled at him as an reassurance that all was going to be okay, but she also struggled to hide all of her emotions. She wanted to beg for his forgiveness. The bright lights shone onto her as she stepped onto the road. She was warned. She knew. But it wasn't any less scary. The paralytic took into an effect so she couldn't even run. She wanted to run. It was an instinct to want to run. The noise of the breaking, the blurred lights that almost blinded her, and then a dull pain.
She fell onto the ground, paralysed, unable to move.
She knew but it was still terrifying.
Claire watched everything as through the glass. She wasn't even able to blink.
Everything seemed to slow down. It was so excruciatingly slow.
She couldn't back out. She wanted to.
She managed to barely glance at Gabriel who run towards her before she lost control of her eyes. They rolled back. Her body wasn't responding. She wanted to tell him that she was fine. But she didn't even know if she was fine. A dull pain from the hit of the car spread through her. She couldn't move. She was imprisoned in her own body. She wanted to hug him one more time.
"Claire."
She could hear him in a distance. She could hear the humming of voices but his voice was the clearest.
Someone touched her. Someone started CPR. Someone pressed her chest so hard that she knew she will have new bruises. Her heartbeat was slowing. They couldn't tell.
She struggled to breathe.
Pierre must've cheated her. She couldn't breathe. No one told her that she won't be able to breathe.
Pierre lied to her.
She was going to die.
Her head went blank as she heard Gabriel in the distance and sirens.
She was dying.