Forty-four passengers were trapped inside the bus—all of us, who minutes ago were on a trip back from Meridian Highland, the ultimate theme park that labelled as must-visit place before leaving this world. And literally, right after,  strangled cries echoed everywhere...

Hours had passed but I'd still cringe at the sight of overlapped corpses, the closest being at just below my feet. Both of my hands were limp sideway as eyes fixed at some point in distance with every muscle inside my body clenched. 

Memories of the past were becoming painfully clear in every seconds but at the same time, I couldn't seem to look away from the sight of a pair of trembling hands owned by an unknown person beside me. I gasped for breath as gulps of air raced inside my lungs only to yield a choking-like sensation. 

On the verge of readying myself into that heart-stopping moment, I was struggling with every seconds, praying that everything could have ended in a less painful way. But when I was about to close both eyes, surrendering to this tragic end, someone reached for my hand and mumbled: “We’ll survive this together. Believe me,” 

The warm touch of her hands served like a trigger for me to exhale in relief. As she gave a firm squeeze above mine, I stiffly turned to take a closer look at her—the stranger who sit next to me from minutes ago. 

Small crystal beads trailed down her cheek then dripped on the back of my hand. The smiles on her face felt so tender as it stirred up a certain memory at the back of my mind. Vaguely, I began to remember of how it used to feel when making friends seemed to be the easiest thing in world.