The two girls were silent. There was simply nothing to say. The shock over what had happened only a few hours ago still sat unsettled in each of the girls' stomachs.
Arcadia Bay. Destroyed. Everyone. Dead.
Chloe kept her crystal blue eyes on the road. The shock of everything hadn't totally hit Chloe. At least, not yet. She mostly felt nothing as she drove on the winding road, away from the only home she knew. She knew her mother was dead. Along with her step-dou… er.. step-father, Justin, and all the other people she cared about. And Rachel. She still wasn't over that. It was going to take forever to find peace with that. But for right now, she was trying not to think about all those people, or her house that was destroyed, or all the memories that were made when she and Max were kids that were now shattered along with the town.
Talk about turned to fucking glass, Chloe thought to herself. Be careful what you wish for…
But it didn't matter now. The past is the past, even if Max could have changed the fate of Arcadia Bay. None of it mattered. What matters now is that Max was with her, and they were safe.
Max also stared at the road. However, her mind was reeling, a thousand thoughts bouncing off each other like a game of air hockey. Max and Chloe loved that game when they were kids. Chloe always won-her arms were longer. But Max never cared. She loved hanging out with her best friend.
What have I done? Max thought. Did I really do the right thing? Ugh, don't think that, Max. Chloe is sitting right next to you. Of course you did the right thing. It was destiny to save Chloe. Why else would you have your power in the first place?
But there was this constant gnawing in the back of her mind that maybe it really wasn't destiny to save Chloe. What if Max made the wrong choice?
"Why don't we turn on some tunes?" Chloe said, finally breaking the eerie silence.
The words startled Max, bringing her back to reality. Her zombie eyes broke off of the road and looked around crazily, Max familiarizing herself with Chloe's truck and Chloe and herself.
Chloe's slender hand reached towards her radio, and she turned the knob. There was some static at first, but it was soon replaced by frantic voices.
"-cannot believe what happened here in Oregon just a few hours ago. The small town of Arcadia Bay has been destroyed by a-"
Chloe changed the station, but it didn't matter. Every one was the same.
Arcadia Bay. Storm. Destroyed. Small town. Tornado. Gone. Not a trace.
Discovering that this was going nowhere fast, Chloe shut it off. "Maybe not the radio." Max looked up and met Chloe's eyes with her own, each of the girls sharing a grim look.
"What about a CD? Why don't you check the glove box? I should have something in there."
Max leaned forward and opened the compartment. As soon as it was opened, a plethora of old papers, parking tickets, and candy wrappers spilled onto the truck's floor.
"Yeah…." Chloe said sheepishly, realizing too late that that was bound to happen.
Max couldn't help but smile and shake her head at the older girl. She bent down and picked up the papers and shoved them back into the glove box. She carefully reached in with one hand to find a CD case or something of the sort, trying to avoid more junk spilling to the floor.
At last, Max discovered a thin CD case, and pulled her hand out.
"Oh hey, that's my metalcore CD!" Chloe said happily. "I was wondering where that thing went."
"Metalcore huh?" Max said, skeptical of the genre. Still, she opened the clear case, popped the disc off, and inserted it into the slot in Chloe's radio.
"C'mon girl! You gotta broaden your music taste. This type of music is hella awesome."
The song started, opening up with heavy guitar chords and fast drum beats. It was something that Max was certainly not used to listening to, but as the song went on, it started to grow on her.
Chloe was bobbing her head to the beat, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel, and singing softly along to the singer's screaming vocals. Max could picture Chloe moshing to this. Before Max knew it, she was bobbing her head along to the beat as well.
Soon enough, the song came to a close. Chloe glanced at Max. "So… It's good huh?"
"It's good, but, my music is better," Max replied, smirking.
Chloe shook her head. "You and your hipster acoustic music. Can't complain though. That's some pretty good shit. At least you aren't into pop or country." Chloe shivered.
Max chuckled. "You know, we were into pop and all that when we were kids."
"Please don't remind me. Fuckin' boy bands."
Max laughed even harder. And that's how the short time after the destruction of Arcadia Bay went. Max and Chloe talking about music, and listening to Chloe's CD. They weren't happy, necessarily. Just avoiding the truth.
"Okay partner in time," Chloe remarked as she parked the truck in an empty parking lot. "What are we gonna do? We got half a tank of gas and nowhere to go. Oh yeah. Not to mention both of us are broke as fuck."
"Man, this sucks," was all Max could say. She honestly didn't know what to do. How were they going to pay for gas? For food? Where were they going to sleep tonight?
"I do know that I need to call my parents. I'm sure they're worried sick," Max said.
"Yeah true. Hey, do you want to go to Seattle? I can totally take you there. And I'd love to see Ryan and Vanessa again."
"Oh, thank you Chloe. Yes please, I'd love to go see my parents," Max said, eager.
"No problemo man. Hey, why don't you call up your folks. Imma go smoke."
"Okay," Max agreed, and she pulled out her phone. It had a quarter of it's battery left. Thank god it wasn't dead.
Chloe got out of her truck and stretched her arms above her head. Seattle wasn't that far. They could get there in a couple days at the most.
Chloe walked into a clearing in the nearby woods, kicking rocks with her combat boots. Her stomach rumbled-they were definitely going to have to get some food soon. They were going to need to rent a room in a hotel too. Neither of the girls had slept all night since they were, well, waiting out a storm.
Chloe reached into her pocket and grabbed a cigarette from her pack, and her lighter. She raised it to her lips and lit it, taking a slow drag. She closed her eyes when she exhaled, the smoke dissipating into the october air. Fuck. This is just what I needed. Too bad it's not weed though…
She could see Max in her car, talking on her cellphone. Even though Chloe could barely make out Max's face through the dirty truck windows, Chloe could tell that Max was… relieved.
It must be nice, Chloe thought. To have parents that love you like that.
Well, okay. Obviously Chloe's parents loved her immensely. She knew that. Of course she knew that. She just felt so… angry that her dad left her like that. At a time when you need your father most. It was no one's fault that Chloe was now an… orphan. She just didn't know who to blame for all this shit.
Chloe took another drag.
And then there's Rachel. Oh, Rachel. God, Chloe loved her so much. Rachel was someone who was actually there for her. Whenever Chloe was feeling depressed or angry, she could simply call up Rachel and she'd end up laughing by the time they hung up. They would run away to the junkyard and stay there for days. Being away from the rest of the world, in their own little universe. Those were the best moments in Chloe's life. Well, besides when she and Max were kids.
And Max. Chloe honestly didn't know how she felt about her. There was still a little part in Chloe that resented Max for leaving her when she needed her. I mean for crying out loud, Max could have simply texted Chloe and it would have meant the world to her. But no. She just ups and leaves.
But none of that mattered now. Sure, Max was an ass. But that was five years ago. Max is here now. And she clearly cares about you you dumbass, Chloe thought to herself. I mean c'mon, she fucking let a whole town die for you. Not to mention that she already saved your life like, fifty times.
Chloe took one last puff from her cigarette before she threw it to the ground and stomped it out.
Okay, pull yourself together Chloe. Gotta be there for Max right now. She's probably going through more guilt and shit than you are.
Chloe straightened her dark blue beanie on her head, and started walking towards her truck. She heaved the driver's side door open, and saw that Max was done talking on the phone. Her eyes were red and were glassy. Aw man. She had been crying.
"Hey," Chloe said, grabbing Max's shoulder. "How'd it go?"
"Good. It went good," Max smiled. Whether it was fake or not Chloe couldn't tell. "They're uh, definitely relieved," Max chuckled. "But they're um, super excited to see us. They also said that they'll put a shit ton of money in my account, so money is not a problem. We can stay in a hotel tonight and finally get something to eat."
"Dude, that is so freaking cool! I knew I loved your parents," Chloe said happily. "So, to the bank?"
"To the bank," Max confirmed.
"Let's rock 'n' roll."
"Oh my god, dude," Chloe said with a mouthful of cheeseburger. "We have so much fucking money. We could literally do ANYTHING! We could get tats!" Chloe looked at her best friend with an eager and excited face.
Max swallowed her food. "You know, as much fun as that sounds, I really don't think we should blow all my parent's money on 'tats.'"
"Aww, why not? Just one," Chloe urged, holding up one of her fingers and giving a half-smile. She usually got what she wanted when she acted cute.
Max tilted her head and stared at Chloe, shaking her head and smiling in disbelief. "Maybe."
"Yesss!" Chloe said victoriously, making a fist. She took another enormous bite out of her cheeseburger.
"But let's wait until we get to Seattle first," Max continued. "Right now we just need to focus on getting there." Chloe nodded in response.
The two girls were sitting in a booth in a diner they found right after Max made her cash withdrawal of one thousand dollars. Max thought it was a bit excessive, considering it would take only a day or two to get to Seattle, but she knew that her parents only wanted to make sure that they had enough. Chloe thought the amount was incredible for some reason.
Max just knew that Chloe was going to immediately fall in love with the city. The lights. The events. The people. It was exactly Chloe's style.
"So Max," Chloe started. Max looked up and met Chloe's eyes. "What are we gonna do, you know, after we go to your house and see your parents and everything's all good. Like, what's the next step?"
Max thought about it for a minute before she answered, "I honestly don't know. I haven't thought that far into the future just yet."
Chloe moved onto her fries while both of the girls thought about how different their lives were actually going to be.
"I guess I'll go back to my old high school and finish up there, and try to do something with my photography. I'm not sure what you'll want to do though," Max said finally.
"Hmm," Chloe said thoughtfully. "Yeah, I don't know," Chloe laughed. "I guess I'll have to see where the city takes me. We'll still be together though, of course."
"Yeah of course," Max agreed. "The last two survivors of Arcadia Bay gotta stick together."
"Dude, we gotta keep that to ourselves! Can't be spreading secrets like that; people could hear. We've gotta wait until the right time. Then we'll be hella famous!"
"Uh huh. Sure," Max replied, unconvinced.
"Yes we so will be. Think about it-the Prescotts. The most prestigious family in Oregon, DEAD! A whole town just, gone! And we are the last two survivors? We will no doubt, at least be on the news," Chloe said matter-of-factly.
Max thought about it. Chloe was right. People would definitely make a big fuss out of two teenage girls being the only survivors of an entire town.
"You know, I'm not so sure I want people to know."
"What?! Why not Mad Max? I think it would be pretty fucking cool!"
"Yeah maybe. But, they're going to want to know everything about what happened, and, I just don't want to relive any of it. Especially knowing that it was me who caused it in the first place-"
"Hey, we talked about this." Chloe was getting serious now. "None of that was your fault. You saved me, Max. And that was no accident." Chloe took Max's hands in hers, and looked into Max's eyes, compassion on her face. "But okay. We don't have to tell anyone if you don't want to. I totally understand."
"Thank you, Chloe. I just… I just don't want to be viewed as a hero by everyone."
"Max, you are my hero. And that does NOT mean nothing."
They looked at each other for a few moments. Max only nodded. She could feel the tears forming in her blue eyes, and tried to blink them away. Only a couple escaped, and ran down her freckled cheeks.
"Let's finish up here and then we'll hit the road, okay?" Chloe said softly.
Max nodded faster and took her hands from Chloe's to quickly wipe her tears away. Chloe eyed her best friend. Chloe was concerned. She'd never seen Max like this before, and it was heartbreaking.
They finished eating, paid in cash, and then walked out of the diner.
Chloe wrapped her long arm around Max's shoulders and Max wrapped her arm around Chloe's waist.
"Don't you worry, Maximus," Chloe said, trying to make Max feel better. "We're gonna be just fine. We're gonna kick the world's ass. Just you wait."
They were now on the highway, listening to Chloe's metalcore CD for the third time.
"Can we turn this off now?" Max asked as she looked over at Chloe, anticipating a smartass reaction.
"What's the matter, Caulfield? Sick of the badass rockin'?" Chloe said, grinning.
"A little," Max admitted.
"Soooo, do you want to talk or something? I kinda don't like the silence. I think too much."
"Sure, why not." Max turned off the stereo. "We never did really catch up since we met up again on Monday. Not enough time."
"Not enough sanity," Chloe corrected.
Max chuckled slightly. "You've got that right." She tried to think of what to ask Chloe, and settled with a simple question.
"What do you like to do nowadays?"
"You mean besides hanging out with my time traveling best friend and avoiding terrible storms? Well, I mean, I like knitting sweaters."
Max playfully punched Chloe on the arm, giggling. "No, seriously. Besides all the crazy shit that happened this week. Like, what are your hobbies?"
"Running away from home, listening to music, and smoking pot," Chloe answered.
Max side glanced Chloe with a disappointing look on her face. "Well, what the fuck do you want me to say?" Chloe said defensively. "That's what I do. I mean, I used to have hobbies and shit. But that was all before my dad died. I used to draw, and read books occasionally. Mostly anime. Skateboard. Watch sci-fi movies…"
"Like Blade Runner?" Max interjected.
"Yeah! Blade Runner. That's a good ass movie. The last time I saw that was with you I think."
"Yeah, I think so. We should watch that again."
"Totally. So, what are your hobbies, Max? What do you like to do in your free time?" Chloe asked.
"Well, I still watch sci-fi movies. My favorite is Final Fantasy Spirits Within." Chloe slowly turned her head to look at Max, her eyes squinted and mouth agape with an expression that said (WTF is that?!). It made Max laugh, but she continued. "I like reading. Listening to music, obviously. Taking pictures, obviously." (Chloe made a sarcastic face of surprise when Max mentioned this.) "I play guitar-"
"Wait, WHAT! Did you just say that you play guitar?!" Chloe nearly shouted. She stared in disbelief at her friend, who had a shocked expression on her face from Chloe's sudden reaction.
"Yeah," Max answered, simply.
"Acoustic, I'm guessing?"
"Of course."
Chloe was still shocked. "That is so hella fucking rad, Max. You've got to show me when we get to your house."
"Well, I would. But it was kinda in my dorm. You know, when the storm hit."
"Aw man, that sucks! Don't worry dude. I'll buy you another one!"
"With what money exactly? I hope it's not my parents."
"No no. Actually, I have no idea where I'll get the money to be honest. Maybe I'll get a job."
"Look at you! Being all productive," Max joked.
"Hey! It's just a theory. Nothing is guaranteed."
"Chaos theory proved to be true," Max contradicted.
"Yes, but a universe in which I have a job, is wayyyy harder to believe."
"True, true."
"Hey look! We're in Washington!" Chloe exclaimed as they passed the 'Welcome to Washington: The Evergreen State' sign. Chloe got more excited, sitting up straighter in her seat. They crossed the bridge over the Columbia River, crossing state lines.
Max and Chloe looked at each other, a small grin of anticipation on each of their faces.
The sun was now disappearing beyond the west horizon, displaying streaks of orange and pink across the sky like reaching fingers. The intense green of the grasses, plants and trees was becoming a darker shade of emerald. The windows in Chloe's truck were rolled down slightly, allowing a cool breeze to surround the girls.
"Keep your eyes peeled, Maxter," Chloe said, eyes scanning the buildings.
They were trying to find a hotel for the night in the small town they now found themselves in. They honestly weren't that far from Seattle, but both Max and Chloe needed some serious sleep.
"There's one I think," Max said, pointing to one building in particular.
"Nice," Chloe complimented as she drove into it's parking lot. She found an empty space and parked like a madman. Chloe looked over at Max with half-lidded eyes.
"I am so fucking tired."
"I know," was all Max could say. Her own eyes were bloodshot, and had dark circles underneath.
"Alright. Let's go," Chloe said, taking out her keys from the ignition and opening her door.
Both girls got out of the truck and stretched. The combination of stress and sitting in a car for hours made their bodies ache with exhaustion. Not to mention the fact that Max had a monster headache. For what reason, Max didn't know.
Inside the hotel, Chloe wandered around the lobby while Max payed for the room. After Max got the key, she and Chloe made their way to their room for the night.
Max opened the door and flipped on the light. Chloe made her way to one of the queen sized beds and flopped face-first onto it. Max just shook her head and set her camera bag on the opposite bed.
Chloe flipped over, grabbed the tv remote, and switched on the tv.
"I wonder how much porn costs here," Chloe said casually, flipping through the channels.
"Really Chloe?" Max whined, giving her friend a disgusted look.
"Kidding kidding!" Chloe defended.
Max changed the subject. "Anyway, I'm gonna take a shower. And then I'm going to bed."
"Yeah okay," Chloe said, getting up from her bed. "I'm gonna go smoke then I'm going to bed too."
Max turned on the hot water and checked the temperature with her hand. Satisfied, she stripped off her clothes and stepped inside, closing the curtain.
The hot water pounded on her skin, soothing her tense muscles. Max stood there for a while, comforted by the heat. A blanket of steam rose from the shower floor and wrapped around Max and enveloped her in warmth.
Max thought about everything that happened in the last twenty-four hours. All the people that died. Because of her. No matter what Chloe said to Max, she always felt guilty about everyone in Arcadia Bay. Who else was to blame? No one, of course. I'm responsible for everything that happened. Responsible for Daniel, Alyssa, Victoria, Principal Wells, Mrs. Grant, Samuel, Frank, David, Warren, Kate, Joyce…
A huge wave of guilt and sadness overcame Max, and she began to tremble. Nothing could hold back the sobs now. Plus, Chloe wasn't here to witness Max have a meltdown, which was exactly what she didn't want. She wanted to be strong for Chloe.
Max rested her hands on the shower wall, sobs heaving through her chest. Tears mixed with water, spiraling down into the drain. Max let herself cry. Just this once. I'll only cry this once.
Chloe walked aimlessly down the hotel hallways while tracing her fingertips along the wallpaper. She found the door that led out to the smoking area, and walked outside.
The dark night loomed overhead while Chloe got out another cigarette and lit it. There was no one else outside. Thank God.
Chloe sat down on a bench and looked up at the sky while she smoked. The moon was large, casting a white-blue light down to the ground, illuminating the pathways and greenery. There was a slight chill in the air-evidence that the season was growing colder. Darker.
Chloe puffed out a plume of smoke and tried not to think of her mother. But she couldn't help it. This was probably going to be the only alone time she was going to get in a while. So she might as well let it all out.
She didn't want Max to see her upset about her losing her mother. Ridiculous, she thought. But still. Chloe did not want to make Max feel any more guilty than she already was. None of this was Max's fault. I mean, come on! Max saved Chloe's life! That has to count for something.
But in all honesty, Chloe felt like shit that she survived and everyone else didn't. They all were going somewhere in life, not her. She wasn't going to cure cancer or change the world in any way. Of course Chloe felt relieved that she was alive. To be alive with Max. But was it really worth all the pain that Max was feeling? The guilt that Chloe felt? Her parent's lives?
Chloe silently wept while she finished her cigarette, the moon her only companion.
"Max, why did you kill us?" Joyce asked. Her voice broke. "I didn't even get to see my baby grow up! I can't even spend time with David. You let me die in a diner, Max! Do you truly not care about any of us at all?"
Max stumbled around the diner, trying to find a way out. But no matter how hard she tried, new people came over to her and started to accuse her of what horrible things she's done.
"You saved my life, Max!" This time it was Kate. "Was that all for nothing? Does my life really mean nothing to you? I knew it. I knew no one cared about me. I should've jumped off that roof."
Max was panicking. She fell to the floor. But nothing could make them leave her alone.
Then David spoke, "I know I was an asshole. But I really did care about Chloe and Joyce. They were my family, Max. And you took that all away from me."
Warren. "I really liked you, Max. I thought we had something. I mean, even if you didn't think so, I thought we were at least friends. But apparently I mean nothing to you. You just let that storm come and destroy us all."
Max couldn't breathe. She held her arms above her head to shield herself from them. They were closing in on her so she couldn't move. Unable to stand it anymore, she screamed.
Max jolted up in her bed, a panicked shout escaping her lips. She inhaled loudly, trying to find oxygen. When she finally could, her breaths were quick and sharp, and there was a pain in her chest. In her head. A cold sweat covered her forehead. Just a dream. It's only a dream, Max.
"Max?" Chloe sat up slightly, looking over at her friend through the dark hotel room. "What happened? Are you okay?"
"I-It wa-was just a, a dream." Max couldn't properly form her words.
"Come here," Chloe said softly. She lifted up her covers, inviting Max to join her bed.
Max slowly got out of her bed and got into Chloe's. She was enveloped in Chloe's grasp, her arm wrapping around Max and holding her close to her body. Chloe was warm, and her grip was strong.
"Shhh, shhh it's okay," Chloe whispered, reaching her hand up and wiping away Max's tears. Tremors traveled through Max's body, and she took short, ragged breaths. Chloe tightened her hold on Max, and moved her thumb in soothing circles on Max's back. "It's gonna be okay."
Max wrapped her own arms around Chloe's body. Holding on for dear life. She buried her face in the crook of Chloe's neck. She inhaled her scent-the scent of pine and cigarettes-and it calmed her down. They fell asleep pressed up against each other. Like pieces of a puzzle, they held each other together. And nothing could take them apart.