Max's head rested against the window of Chloe's truck, the small vibrations of the engine lulled her into a peaceful sleep. A mess of blonde hair and pale skin nestled into the crook of Max's neck with a protective arm wrapped around their shoulders. Kate was just as tired if not more so than Max. The road trip to Portland had only lasted a few days, however it was enough running around to tire both the girls to the point of not being able to keep their eyes open. Chloe's eyes were heavy and dark but focused on the road ahead. It had been her idea to get out of Arcadia Bay for a few days and to head over to Portland, She'd mentioned the trip to both Max and Kate numerous times and finally found the excuse to go. The right hand window was open just enough to let a slight breeze into the truck causing strands of Chloe's hair to brush across her face.
Chloe looked over at the sleeping mess to her left, the orange light from the sun over the horizon brushed illuminated the girl's delicate skin making Chloe wanting to brush her hand across their cheeks.

Returning her focus to the road the truck came to a stop at the edge of the road overlooking Arcadia Bay. "Max.. Kate.. I think somethings wrong" Chloe leaned over to gently nudge the waking girls. Max rubbed her eyes groaning quietly as the sun hit her eyes. "What is it?" she asked in a husky just-woken-up voice. Kate hadn't woken yet, obviously the trip had tired her out way more than the other two who seemed to be more used to late nights and midnight snacks on the beach. Chloe turned to look out of the window of her truck, Max followed her gaze. "Oh shit." Max's usual breathy exclamation escaped a little louder than intended waking Kate in the process. No more needed to be said as Kate looked up.

Dark smoke erupted from various places across Arcadia Bay, even from the road above the town it was clear that the streets were a lot quieter than usual, too quiet to be right.

"Something's wrong." A serious undertone to Chloe's voice that Max had only ever heard once.
Before a reply could be made Chloe pushed the truck into gear and started towards the town at a quicker pace than she had previously been traveling. Kate gripped to the red and black material of Max's flannel shirt, a clear sign that she felt concerned and unsafe. Max lifted her arm and placed it over Kate placing her hand between rates shoulders and rubbing small circles across the nape of her neck in an attempt to soothe the worried girl.

The Drive through Arcadia Bay was quiet, no cars on the roads, no one in the two-whales diner. As peaceful as it was the town was unusually quiet and that wasn't a good sign.

The truck ground to a halt on the driveway of Chloe's house. The blue haired girl calmly clambered out of the truck and started for the front door, soon followed by Max and Kate. The white paint that covered the door was chipped and discoloured from the number of times it had been slammed and the years it had sat in the same place. The door was slightly ajar as Chloe placed her hand upon the cracked paintwork and gave the door a gentle push.

The homely smell from within the house reminded the girls of Joyce's cooking in the mornings when they'd stay together. The silence of the house carried a feeling of unease causing Kate to shiver and shuffle closer to Max wrapping her fingers around her bicep causing her red flannel shirt to crease.
Max looked across to the girl clinging to her left arm for dear life "It's okay" she mouthed under her breath "I Promise" giving Kate a reassuring smile.

"Mom?" Chloe's rough voice echoed around the hallway as she began moving further forward to investigate, the living room looked like a bomb had hit it. Shards of broken glass spread across the floor waiting for an unfortunate victim to step on them. The sliding door to the back of the hose was wide open allowing a warm breeze to flow through the house, Max moved closer to the door to investigate the back garden, who knows, maybe Joyce and David were in the back enjoying the lack of rain. However Max had no such luck. "C-Chloe are you sure they haven't gone away somewhere while we were gone?" Kate's voice was quiet a clear sign that she was trying to reassure herself that there was a simple explanation. "They wouldn't do that, they wouldn't leave without at least calling me" Chloe snapped her voice breaking at the sudden possibility of them leaving her behind. "They wouldn't" She repeated herself, almost as if convincing herself.
"I'm sorry Kate, I didn't mean to snap at you like that" Chloe's eyes filled with guilt as she wrapped her arms around Kate in a protecting cocoon and kissed the shorter girls forehead.

"But even if Joyce and David have gone on a vacation or something, what about everyone else?" Max's voice filled the room with an air of uncertainty.

"I really don't know Max. But we should go to bed, we've had a long day I'm sure we can work this out tomorrow" Chloe gestured for the girls to go ahead before turning and entering the garage door. Davids Gun rack was still full besides a handgun. Chloe didn't know how to unlock the case so instead took to breaking the glass with a nearby hammer and pulling out the remaining handgun just in case.
When she arrived upstairs, after ensuring all the doors were locked, both Max and Kate were tangled together on her bed fast asleep leaving minimal room for Chloe. she giggled softly under her breath before taking up her place on the edge of the bed next to the bundle of limbs, wrapping her arm around as much as she could with the handgun safely tucked away under the pillow.