A small foreword & an even smaller disclaimer
Welcome to this little story of mine. This work is one born out of passion for the game, and by sharing it with the world I hope that I can brighten at least a few days. The goal of the following story is to give the characters of Max and Chloe, as well as the people in their lives, a form of closure that many of us can agree the game was lacking. It is a story about two young women who, in the aftermath of terrible experiences, find comfort in each other while trying their best to cope with what happened. It is a story about life, and the people in it, not about world-altering events.
While by now fairly confident in my writing skills, English isn't my main language. So expect typos and grammatical errors to, on occasion, rear their ugly heads. If you spot one or more that are particularly bad, please let me know and I'll try and fix it as soon as I can.
And as a small final word: It means a lot to me that you have opted to give this story a try, and I hope you enjoy the stories and chapters that are to follow just as much as I enjoy writing them. In other words: Thank you very much for reading. I'll do my best to reply to your comments, even if I may not always be able to do so in a timely manner.
But enough from me, and onward with the story. Have fun!
Chapter 1 - Prologue
Chloe's old truck barreled down the road that had led out of Arcadia Bay. Now heading northward, along the Oregon coast, it was guiding them to an uncertain destination, and an uncertain future.
The dense forests escorting them were only occasionally thinning out, allowing for short glimpses of the now peaceful sea. The dark and looming clouds that had rolled over Arcadia Bay had long since vanished from the rear view mirror. A clear blue sky had taken their place, and as the day grew older the soft glow of the evening sun began to ever so gently illuminate the road ahead.
The drive offered no comforts, no reason to cheer. Neither Max, nor Chloe had spoken a word since their departure. Over the course of many hours, Max had slumped into her seat, resting against the passenger side door, and all but melting into it. Her trusted old camera bag was sitting on her lap, and she was clutching it to herself in a vise like embrace. She was facing away from Chloe, staring out of the window and into the distance. The landscape passing her by was but a blur.
While Max seemed to have been lost in thought, Chloe was trying her best to keep her eyes on the road, and failing to do so. She kept throwing glances at Max, hoping for any sign of improvement. Max's demeanor had not gone unnoticed, and with each passing second Chloe more and more struggled to keep her focus.
And indeed, following another series of long minutes, it was Chloe who first broke their silence. "Look Max, if..." she said, but her voice trailed off right away. She was carefully considering her next words, feeling out of her depth. "If you need to talk… Or if you want to talk… Shit I don't know…" She shook her head and slowed down, tearing her eyes off the road, and instead looking at Max. "I'm here for you, okay?" With a tiny smile she placed a hand on Max's arm, rubbing it lightly. "I just want you to know that."
Max, still facing away, simply nodded in response. It was a weak nod, barely qualifying as one, but it was the first sign of life in hours. Chloe hesitated, letting her hand linger on Max's arm for a moment longer. "Thank you," she said, before bringing her attention back to the road, firmly putting both her hands back on the steering wheel.
Silence overtook the cabin once more, but after some time, Max at long last stirred. She shifted, pushing herself to sit up straight. Chloe threw a glance at her, only for worry to flood back in. Max's eyes were puffy and reddened, and as she noticed Chloe's gaze, she quickly wiped away any tears still making their way down her cheeks.
"Chloe?" Max asked. "Can we stop for a moment?" She sounded fragile, her voice was trembling with every word. "I… I'm not feeling so well."
"Are you okay?" Chloe cringed as she asked the question. The answer was obvious. "I mean, do you need anything?"
"No… No, I'm fine." Max looked down at her hands, trying to avoid Chloe's gaze. She pulled her bag even closer. "I just need some fresh air, that's all." Her breathing was slow and heavy as spoke. "Just for a few minutes."
Chloe took a deep breath herself. It was not what she had hoped to hear, but after all these hours of silence she finally felt some relief. "Of course," she said as she stepped on the accelerator. "I'll pull over as soon as possible."
"Thank you," Max said, once again leaning back into her seat.
It did not take Chloe long to find a suitable spot for them to stop. She pulled over at a small and quiet rest area near the forest. A handful of other cars and trucks were already present, but there were no people to be seen. Nevertheless, Chloe parked the truck a safe distance away, near an old and weathered picnic table. The area was covered in countless leaves of various shades of yellow and red, and large trees were preventing any sunlight from reaching the ground.
"Thank you," Max said, scrambling out of the truck before Chloe could even apply the parking brake. Leaving her bag on the seat, she made her way over to the table. Her footsteps were heavy as stone. The forest floor was damp, and a cool breeze kept ever so lightly rustling and moving the leaves around her. With arms crossed she stood there, motionless, staring into the woods surrounding them.
Chloe remained in the truck, eyes locked onto Max. She wanted to give her the space she needed, but it was not making it any easier. She sat there, fidgeting with her keychain and the steering wheel, shifting around, trying to somehow keep herself busy. But nothing was working. Feeling frustrated, she grabbed the pack of cigarettes lying on the dashboard, shaking out the last one. With a cigarette dangling between her lips she hopped out of her truck. Reaching into her back pocket, she pulled out her lighter, and lighted the cigarette. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, slowly letting the smoke escape her lungs.
As she paced along the side of her car she saw Max sit down, burying her head in her hands. "Screw this," Chloe muttered to herself. She threw her cigarette to the ground and stomped it out, hurrying over to the picnic table where Max was sitting. As she came close she could hear quiet sobbing.
She placed her hand on Max' shoulder and crouched down in front of her. "Hey…" she said, looking up at Max. "I uh… I realize now this is a dumb question, but still… Are you okay Max? What's going on?"
There was another moment of silence.
"Please, Max. Talk to me. I'm… I'm worried." Once again there was no response. "Okay," Chloe said calmly. "You don't need to talk if you don't want to, but I'm not leaving you alone here." She sat down next to Max and draped her arms over the girl's shoulders.
To Chloe, the two of them sat there for what seemed like an eternity, but in fact it could not have been more than a few minutes. Max's heavy and irregular breathing began to slow down for the better, and soon after, she started shifting in Chloe's arms. She pulled away and wiped her hands on her jeans. She glimpsed at Chloe, who hesitated a bit before letting go of her. Max's eyes were still watery, and few lonely tears kept running down her face.
"What are we doing Chloe?" Max asked, shaking her head as she did. Her voice still uneven and breaking up.
"What do you mean? I don't und-"
"I mean what are we doing here." Max interrupted, speaking up just a little and gesturing around her. "We just… left. And all those people back in Arcadia Bay… We left them all to die. Friends, family…" She jumped up, and rushed away from the table, even startling Chloe in the process. She stopped near one of the trees, keeping her back turned toward her friend. "I killed all of them," she said. Her voice had become even quieter, inaudible to anyone but her.
Chloe got up and followed Max. The rustling of leaves beneath her boots were the only sounds to pierce the eerie stillness that lingered over the forest. She moved to stand in front of her friend, putting both her hands on her Max's shoulders. She hunched down to be at eye level, peering deep inside Max. "Do you want to go back? To Arcadia? I will come with you if you want, you realize that, right?"
Max met Chloe's gaze. Tears were once more dripping down past her cheeks. "I know you wanted to leave Chloe. I know, and I am sorry. I'm so sorry. But we have no money, we have no place to go, or even stay. We have nothing. And the people back there… We can't just… I just… I just fucked everything up. I'm sorry Chloe, I'm so sorry."
Chloe took Max's hands and squeezed gently, taking a step closer. "You have nothing to be sorry for Max. You hear me? None of it was your fault. None of it."
Max violently shook her head. "How can you even say that? You saw what happened! You were there! You know what I did! I chose this… I… I chose to destroy Arcadia Bay."
"You didn't choose to destroy anything." Chloe responded. She gave Max's hands another, this time firmer squeeze. "There was no way you could have known this would happen. It is not your fault. Nothing is!" Max was now sobbing heavily, and she tried pulling away, but Chloe kept holding her hands. "You saved me so many times," she pleaded. "And I am so grateful for that. And I can't even begin to imagine what you must be going through right now, but I just want you to know that I am here for you, you understand? Whatever shit the universe will throw at you, I'll help you get through it." She pulled in Max, hugging her tightly. "We'll get through it. Together. I'm not leaving you alone with this. I will never leave you alone with this."
At last, Max stopped resisting. She buried her face in the crook of Chloe's neck, hugging her back. She tried forcing her eyes shut in an effort to stop the tears, but to no avail. All the pain, and all the hurt that had accumulated over the past week began to stream down her face, dripping onto the forest floor below.