"What the hell is the matter with you?" I screamed. I don't scream often, but a Max suicide run is quite enough to get angry. If the kids weren't here, I'd be saying much worse. Something with f-ck in it. I've got enough sense not to be that stupid. And if Max survived, she'd kick my ass.
That's a truly terrifying thought right there. If Max survives. What if Max doesn't make it? I can't lead the flock by myself. They'd all be dead in a week, tops. No one else could lead us like Max does.
You know they say that your life flashes before your eyes when you die? Well, I swear to god that Max's life flashed before my eyes. Right there, on that bloody beach. "Are you crazy?"
"Want the chip out," she spoke brokenly.
"Look where you're cutting!!" I screamed. The younger kids were already approaching, and this looked pretty much insanely bad. Max wouldn't want the little kids to know she was losing her freaking mind. Only I was aloud to know that stuff. "You'll bleed to death, you idiot!"
I started cleaning this up, dumping half the bottle of antiseptic on her arm, ignoring her wince. She'd done this to herself. Iggy was the first to arrive, but wise enough not to ask questions. Nudge wasn't so smart about it.
Nudge's eyes got huge. Huger than they ever were. "Max, what were you trying to do?"
"I wanted the chip out," She said roughly.
That got me going. Did she really think she could go chopping up her arm, possibly killing herself in the process, and it was only about what she wanted? She's just as much our fate as she is her own.
"Well forget it!" I started to wrap up her arm. "The chip stays in. You don't get off that easy! You die when we die!" I hated to beat her down more when it was obvious to me she was almost rock bottom anyway, but there was no way I was letting her off the hook. She never let anyone off the hook for anything, not even when they had a decent excuse.
"I'm sorry," She said. Okay, I think I've only heard Max say I'm sorry once or twice, and I don't think it was ever to me, but that one definitely was. I was still pondering that when she burst into tears.