Author's Note: Hello again readers and welcome back to the Life is Strange-verse of NEKRomantik 4: Faces of Death, sequel to the first story NEKRomantik 3: Till Death. I decided to go ahead and write this sequel as I felt there was enough left in the tank to do a follow-up to part 3. I've decided to try and make a full length sequel, rather than another short story this time around.
Now, I assume that you read the first story, so you won't be lost and that you're familiar enough with the premise of the 2 NEKRomantik grindhouse films, so you know the kind of horror story that you're getting yourself into. (Although I think these 2 fanfics have quite a lot more brutal violence in em') Last but definitely not least, I assume that you're familiar with this awesome game franchise, Life is Strange! If you're not familiar with the games yet, GET FAMILIAR! The games, their characters and the storylines will change your life forever for the better, I'm telling you!
FYI, there are also a few characters from the prequel Life is Strange: Before The Storm in here as well, so hopefully you're all caught up with the first 2 games. If not, you're gonna be a little lost! (But, I'll do my best to fill you in!)
So, if you're fine with continuing this macabre storyline, then by all means, take a seat in the front row, kick back and enjoy tonight's feature! It's about to get VIOLENT!
- JMD Nelson
NEKRomantik 4:
Faces of Death
Written By: JMD Nelson
"Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live."
– Norman Cousins
Chapter 1:
Nightfall
New York City
The Streets
October
Wednesday Night
A small, lone silhouette walked through the rainy streets that late October night in New York City. Their hands were buried deep in the pockets of their coat as their breath came rhythmically out of the darkness of their hood.
Max: (Narration) "My name is Max Caulfield and it's been a little over a year since this hellish little journey of mine began. If you already knew of what happened last autumn, then you already know who I am and what I'm capable of. But for those newcomers, it all started after the death of my childhood best friend Chloe Price, who was also the love of my life…"
Max Caulfield then turned and headed into a dark alley way.
Max: (Narration) "A part of my humanity died along with Chloe that dark day. I blame the fucked-up things that Professor Mark Jefferson and Nathan Prescott did to Rachel Amber, Kate Marsh, my best friend Chloe, myself and to the many other female victims that they defiled for what started the dark change within myself. Sometimes when you survive horrible atrocities, the experience rubs off on you. And sometimes, the only way to deal with such an experience is to become part of it…"
Max walked up to a parked black 2017 Honda Civic sedan and unlocked the door. She then climbed behind the wheel and shut the door, not starting it up. She then removed her hood, revealing the sad eyed, former Blackwell student, still with the exact same bob-haircut with the thick, side swept bangs. She sighed, lowering the driver's side sun visor and staring at a few photographs of Chloe and herself. Some of the photos were of them when they were younger. Max smiled and removed one of the Chloe photos, staring at it with a warm smile.
Max: (Narration) "I swore to keep her with me as long as I could. What we'd endured together in another timeline is our experience and ours alone. After she'd passed that day, I stole her body from the wake and I placed it in storage for the remainder of my final school year at Blackwell. And then when I'd left Arcadia Bay after graduation, I took her with me. I swore to her and myself that we'd never be apart again. I will contest against anyone who tries to ruin our arrangement of what we have now. I've killed in the past, and I will definitely kill again, should anyone try to separate us. Fate had torn us apart many, MANY times before, and I won't let it happen ever again."
Max stroked Chloe's face on the photo and smiled to herself. She then dug into her handbag and pulled out 2 crumpled up, handwritten notes. One of them read: "I know who you are and what you've done, Max Caulfield. I'm watching you." Max shook her head and flipped to the other one. It read: "Watch your back, Ms. Caulfield. Justice will be served." Max sighed and dropped the note back into her bag. Who in the hell would know what she'd done to guarantee her dark secrecy, and why would they follow her all of the way to New York City?
Max then looked up as a black SUV pulled up into the rainy alleyway, immediately cutting off its lights. 2 shapes sat in its dark interior, one of them having a cigarette. Max stared at the shapes and waved, to which they waved back.
Max quickly got out of her sedan and made her way over to the SUV, to which the occupants reached over and opened the rear door for her. Max got in behind the 2 black youths and shut the door. They all shook hands in immediate recognition. The driver was a slender guy in his late teens with cornrows and a clean-shaven face. He was called Reggie Parker. The other was a bulkier guy in his early 20's, glasses, short black hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He was Duane Parker, Reggie's older brother.
Max: "Reggie, Duane. It's good to see you guys again."
Reggie: "Likewise, Max."
Duane: "Yeah Max, always a pleasure."
Reggie: "So, what can we do for you, tonight?"
Max: "Well, as you know, I'm still receiving these love letters. Someone's stalking me."
Reggie: "So, you need a piece?"
Max: "You read my mind. What do you have for me?"
Duane reached down to the floor and picked up a large black gym bag. He then unzipped it and pulled out a stubby, black pump-action shotgun.
Reggie: (Holds it up) "We got this nice little ghetto piece. You can keep it under your pillow case, between your mattress and box spring or by your bed. Haha. I have one of these myself."
Max: (Nodding) "Yeah, I like it! What else?"
Reggie: (Takes out a SIG SG 552 assault rifle) "What about this big puppy?"
Max: "That'd be sweet, but SWAT would show up on my doorstep if I ever used it!"
Reggie: (Smiling) "Okay, okay." (Takes out a black sawn off, short barrelled Mossberg Shockwave 590 12-gauge shotgun) "We've also got this little beauty." (Hands it to her) "It's pretty mean and powerful. You can even hide it in your coat or your bag."
Max: (Takes it) "Ooh, I like this!" (Racks the slide)
Reggie: "That gun and its ammo come pretty cheap. We sell a lot of them 'round NYC."
Max: "I'll take it. What else ya got?"
Reggie: "Anything that you're lookin' for in particular?"
Max: "Something small and easily concealable."
Reggie and Duane both smiled at each other and dug out a black, hard plastic box which held a small, silver, black handled Walther PPK pistol.
Reggie: "007's signature pistol. It's small, but effective."
Max: "Just what I was looking for. Alright, let's talk bid'ness. I've got a large order for y'all."
Reggie: "Hell yeah!" (He and Duane fist bump)
A While Later…
Max had bought her Mossberg Shockwave 590 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, a 4-inch barrelled Smith & Wesson Model 686 Revolver, a silver Smith & Wesson 4506 automatic pistol, the Walther PPK, a black handled, silver 6-inch Buck Knife and a pair of brass knuckles.
Max had paid the boys for her new toys and had then placed them and their ammo in the backseat of her sedan. She then pulled out of the alleyway, switched on her headlights and sped off down the dark and rainy New York night.
Max: (Narration) "I know that you're probably wondering what happened to my other weapons that I had last year; Chloe's revolver, Chloe's knife and my trusty ol' chainsaw? Well, truth be told and like any smart person, I disposed of them. If I knew that this wasn't over, I would've kept them, but I couldn't risk any evidence being linked to me. Now I had to buy some new ones, and boy did I ever! I hope that I don't have to use them. Heh, I also kinda wish that I do. That's pretty sick, right?"
She sighed and thumbed the on the stereo, skipping through the tracks on the Pirate Power CD that she'd made for Chloe, wayyy back in the day.
Max: (Narration) "I know, how last generation, right? Who even uses CD's anymore?" (Stops on Barenaked Ladies' "Call and Answer.") "Ahh, there we go. Great choice, Max. One of Chloe's favorites."
Lightning flashed from high above as the rain continued to fall in buckets. Max hummed along with the song and drummed her thumbs on the steering wheel as she drove through the night, heading home to her apartment.
As she rested her left elbow on the window sill and rested her head against her hand, Max began to ponder the notes that had been left, one of them which had been slid under her door and the other which had been left on her windshield under one of the wipers. At first, she'd thought it was a parking ticket, until she turned it over and read it. Whoever it was had to have stayed in Arcadia Bay during the duration that she'd lived there. Either that, or there was more than one person responsible. That same person must've been in Arcadia Bay, had also noticed Max's odd behaviour and had investigated further into her dark secrecy.
But who could it possibly be? Max had been so careful in keeping her oddities a secret. She'd killed anyone who knew anything about her dark secret. Dana Ward & Juliet Watson were the first victims, and then they were followed by that spoiled rich bitch Victoria Chase, her right-hand girls Taylor Christensen and Courtney Wagner. Neither of Dana or Juliet's boyfriends suspected Max in either of their girlfriend's disappearances. Other than that, there were only a few possibilities of anyone who might know something.
First, there was Warren Graham, who'd been close friends with Kate Marsh and herself. Max knew that Warren had liked her from the start, but he would've said something to her if he'd suspected anything questionable from her, but he never did. He would've tried to help her, just as Kate had tried. There was also Alyssa Anderson, who was friendly enough with Max but better friends with Kate. She also didn't seem like the confrontational type, rather just a reluctant bystander. Chloe's mom Joyce Price or her stepfather David Madsen hadn't seemed to suspect anything was amiss, rather they had wished her well on her journey.
Maybe there was someone else, someone else she had missed-
The faint sound of shouting came through the sound of her music, which she then turned down to listen. Max peered through the window, seeing a car ahead of her slowly following alongside a young female who was walking along a scarcely lit street. Loud rap music thumped from the inside of the car's interior. Max turned off her music, so she could listen.
The driver, a decked out, baseball cap, jersey wearing black guy in his mid 30's was shouting at the short, hooded female, as he kept pace alongside her in his car. The girl was a few years younger than Max, with pale white skin, long black parted, layered hair, dark gray eyes and wore a black hoodie, black denim shorts over black leggings and black boots. She also wore wrist warmers and black nail polish.
Driver: "Yo, I'm talkin' at you, Alena! Don't you fucking pretend to ignore me!"
Alena: (The girl) "Fuck off, Levi! I told you I quit that shit. I aint interested!"
Levi: "Hey! Don't you talk at me that way bitch, or I'll bash your fucking skull in. You're an addict and you'll always be an addict, no matter what that shitty rehab tells you!"
Alena: "It's called a wakeup call for a reason, Levi. Try it sometime."
Levi: "There aint no cure for your stupid ass. The amount you still owe me for says that much."
Alena: "You'll get your money next week! Now leave me alone!"
Max: (Narration) "Huh, talk about déjà vu. Another girl owing another drug dealer."
Max quickly pulled over, yanked her hood up, put on a dark pair of sunglasses and grabbed the small Mossberg shotgun from the back seat, all the while keeping her eyes on the dealer's vehicle in front of her. She then grabbed the box of shells from the backseat, tore open the box and slipped one of the cartridges into the loading port, chambering it right after. She then began to ease forward after the dealer's car, lowering her passenger side window in the process.
Levi: "Next week aint good enough! Now get your stupid ass over here and stop makin' me chase you, or you're gonna be sorry! Real sorry!"
Alena: (Flipping him off) "Fuck off and leave me alone, you asshole!"
Levi: (Stopping his car) "Thassit, now you're gon' be sorry bitch!"
As Levi was unlocking his door, Alena took off running into a dark alleyway. Levi grabbed a Glock 19 from his glove compartment and opened his door, just as Max's car pulled up beside him, her passenger-side window wheeled down. Levi looked like a deer in the headlights as Max stared hatefully out at him, under her jacket's hood and black sunglasses.
Levi: "The fuck?" (Points at her) "Yo, you better keep drivin' bitch."
Max: (Lifting up the shotgun) "Goodnight, asshole." BLAM!
Before Levi could even react, the top of his head erupted into a pulpy, red mess of blood, brain matter and chunks of skull, which painted his car interior a bright crimson red. Only Levi's lower jaw and tongue were all that remained of his head as his body was thrown from the force of the blast into the passenger side door with a loud thump. Max then heard Alena scream as she raced off further into the darkness of the alleyway. Max smiled, with the short barrel smoking. She then cocked the slide, ejecting the spent shell casing and then lowered her shotgun, quickly pulling away from Levi's car. The loud boom had echoed through the empty street.
Max: (Shouting to Alena) "You owe me one, kid!"
Max smiled as she sped off into the night, leaving one less asshole prowling the night streets.
Max: (Narration) "Wowzer, it's been a while since I last killed anyone, yet it came back to me so quick! I have to admit, it felt great to relive that rush. And the good thing about New York is that no one even bats an eye when a street hood dies. In fact, the police just mop up what's left and file it away. Fuck people like that. I'm glad that girl didn't see my face in the darkness, as I would've hated to have to kill her right after I did her a favor."
Max slowly calmed her breathing and tried to shake off the trembling of hands from the adrenaline rush. The last time she'd felt this way was when she stabbed the ever-loving hell out of Juliet, or when she took a chainsaw to Dana as Kate had watched in horror. Max knew that she could get used to and enjoy this feeling all over again, but slowly decided that she didn't need a trail of bodies leading back to her. Lord knew that someone was already onto her.
Max's Apartment
Midnight
Max quietly entered her small, dark apartment on the 3rd floor and took off her black coat and wet shoes. She sighed aloud and rubbed her ears which still rung from the shotgun blast. Damn, that gun was loud, and had done some real damage. Max knew that it was a wise purchase, especially if someone was stalking her. A young woman should always have something to protect herself, especially in New York.
Max silently made her way to her bedroom and entered, deciding not to turn on the lights. She then made her way over to the bed and sat down on the left side, which faced the window. The curtains were closed, so Max gently leaned over opened them, letting in the pale moonlight. The storm had passed during the rest of her drive home. The clouds had cleared, and the full moon and the stars were shining. Max placed her bag which held her new weapons and then just sat there, staring up at the moon and stars, looking ghostly white in the moonlight.
"Max? You finally made it home?"
Max smiled and looked over at a small shape which was laying in the bed, buried under the thick comforter. Max leaned over the shape and a gentle smooch was heard.
Max: (Crawling under the comforter) "Yes Kate, I made it home. Sorry honey, I didn't mean to wake you up."
Kate Marsh looked up at Max and smiled weakly and tiredly back up at her. She still wore her blonde hair in that messy bun hairstyle with the bangs and looked pretty much the same as she did a year ago. Max got in beside her and Kate crawled into her arms, resting her head on Max's chest. Max smiled, holding her and stroking her hair. Kate smiled and closed her eyes.
Max: (Narration) "That's right, Kate stayed by my side, even after what had happened last year. Sure, I had kept her drugged for a while, but that was so that she'd be more compliant. After Victoria, Taylor and Courtney were disposed of, I gently weened her off of what I'd been giving her. She was still afraid of me for a while, but I slowly brought her back to normal by telling her everything that I'd been through; the first time I got my rewind power, how I sacrificed my best friend Chloe to save Arcadia Bay and how I knew of what Nathan and Professor Mark Jefferson had done to her. And despite how incredible the whole story sounded coming out of my mouth, she actually believed me. She thanked me for finally levelling with her and swore to stay by my side, on the condition that I never kill again or use my power. I don't even know if I still can use it. I'm too afraid to try it and cause more damage than I did before…"
Kate: "You were out late, Max. I was worried. I tried to wait up for you, but I got too tired."
Max: "It's okay, honey. I can handle myself. I'm sorry that I worried you." (Kisses her head)
Kate: (Smiling) "It's okay, you're back now. I made you dinner. It's in the oven."
Max: "Aww, you're still the sweetest, Kate! I can always rely on you."
Kate: (Winking at her) "Always, Max. I love you."
Max: "I love you too, Kate." (Both kiss)
They both continued to gently kiss in the moonlight, moaning softly as they did so. Max then slowly crawled over Kate as they continued kissing. Max now lay on top of Kate, their lips parting as she began to kiss Kate's neck and collarbone, hearing Kate's breathing trembling. Kate laid there with her eyes closed, moaning and stroking Max's hair as Max massaged Kate's throat with her lips. Max then smiled began to undo Kate's pajama pants.
Kate: (Sitting up) "Ah Max, wait! I'm on my period!"
Max: (Still undoing her pants) "It's alright, sweetie. I don't mind if you don't."
Kate: (Unsure, chewing on her lip) "Well, uh… okay…"
Max: (Whispering) "Okay…"
Max slowly and lovingly slid off Kate's pajama pants, and then her soft white undies. Kate giggled as her undies came off, as she was a bit ticklish. Kate then removed her white t-shirt, so she now laid back completely naked. Max smiled at her and gently opened Kate's bare white legs, before taking the tampon by its string and gently tugging it out. Kate quietly gasped as she spurted out a small amount of vaginal blood onto the sheets of their bed.
Max: (Giggling) "Mmmm, steak tartare…" (Licking her lips)
Max then gently placed Kate's legs on her shoulders, then placed her mouth onto Kate's already moist clit, moaning and massaging Kate's lips with her own. Kate breathed shakily as she watched Max gently suck on the lips of her clit, and gently took Max's head in her hands, tilted her own head back and began to stroke Max's hair, moaning aloud as she did so. Max's loud slurping and sucking noises mingled with that of Kate's gentle moans and shaky breathing. Max gently squeezed Kate's legs with her hands.
Kate: "Ah! That feels good…"
Max: (Smiling with a mouthful of vaginal blood) "Mmm, aint you delicious!" (Swallows it)
Max then stuffed her mouth back into Kate's clit, as she continued to pleasure her girlfriend. Kate smiled and continued to softly moan in ecstasy, a sweaty, feverish smile forming on her sweet face. The blood smeared on the inside of her legs, Max's lower face and dripped down onto the sheets. Max was making a feast of her, and Kate was enjoying every second of it.
Kate: (Eyes close as she smiles) "Mmmmm hmmmmm hmmm mmmmm hmmm…."
Inside the closet of their shared bedroom sat a large, locked chest. Through the keyhole, one could see a gaunt, shrivelled up silhouette, curled up in the fetal position. It was the decaying, mummified body of Chloe Price, Max's best friend. It wore an outfit of Chloe's, and wore her signature blue beanie, which was planted over her bright, short blue hair. The skin had begun to wrinkle and tighten over her skeleton, and her hair had begun to fall out of what remained of her scalp. Alongside her body were a few envelopes which housed a ton of Polaroids of her, Max and Kate's nighttime activities. There were many different poses and goings-on happening within the Polaroids, too many to begin naming or guessing.
There was also an old laptop on which the envelopes sat upon. It was Max's old school computer that she'd taken after she'd left Blackwell Academy. It now held a few dark secrets which only she and Kate knew of.
Secrets that would soon become threatened once again.