She woke up in a dark place, opening her eyes to see nothing but pitch-black all around her. The terrified girl slowly stood up, noticing her clothes were drenched by some liquid.
Calm down, Max! This is just water, right? Fearing from the worst, she raised her shaky hand to her nose to have a scent. But it had that awful smell of metal, which she experienced so much ever since her very first rewind.
"This is blood… fuck! What the hell is going on? Where am I?"
Okay, I have officially gone crazy.
The last thing the brunette remembered is that she left the classroom, in a hope of saving Chloe for good.
Where did I screw up again? She was thinking about where her plan went wrong, when the idea clicked in, resulting in a facepalm.
I shouldn't have encouraged 'Other me' to use her rewind. And the part about the 'universe can't be more fucked up' is obviously not true. Good job Max!
The small girl half expected to hear that distinct, evil voice again but everything was deadly silent this time. The best she could hoped for, that this was another nightmare, like the one she had before sacrificing Chloe. Even that one felt so real but this was on a totally different level, like if she would hopped to a long forgotten dimension. As she made the first step ahead, she could hear a loud splash under her feet.
"No, this cannot be real! I'm standing in a pool of blood." Overwhelmed by fear the girl frozen in one place. She didn't know what to do, her mind was clouded by the endless possibilites of whatever this dark place may represent. It could have easily be her guilty conscience or maybe she was lost in time for good.
"Don't kill us Max!"
"I guess I'll never dance again Max."
"Right when I was about to start a new life in California…"
"Shit, Max! I thought we were on the same team… Now I'll die alone."
"It's ok if I'm gone. I paid my dues. Time to pay yours!"
"So this is how Max gets her revenge on."
"Please, don't le me die like this. I'm only eighteen."
All the voices of Arcadia Bay were haunted her. Their words echoed in her head as she stood blindly in the blood. Then she felt an irresistible rage that was boiling up inside her, ready to explode like a time bomb. It was there growing for a long time, but she kept it under check until this point.
"Fuck the storm! Fuck the people! I don't give a shit about you anymore! In fact I never did!" Screaming with open arms reaching out to nothingness.
The anger went away as quickly as it came, replaced by desperation. Completely broken, Max dropped to her knees with teary eyes, her voice being barely more than a whisper.
"That's what you wanted to hear right? Haven't I suffered enough?"
"I guess not, otherwise I wouldn't be here…" The broken girl let out a sarcastic laugh.
It was like saying the magical words in a fairy tale to open a secret passage. All of a sudden she heared a cracking sound and the fabric of space shattered like broken glass in front of her, making the outlines of a door with blinding white color pouring out from it. The time traveler closed her eyes because she couldn't handle the immediate light. When she opened them again, all she could see was a silhouette of a woman reaching out, pulling her by the hand, towards the light.
The hipster couldn't believe her eyes at the sudden change of scenery. She was sitting alone in a booth in the Two Whales Diner, her clothes were nice and clean, not being a bloody mess than before. And there was an old catchy song played by the jukebox, which the girl knew was a big hit from the 80's.
Where is that lady who brought me here? But then, her attention was drawn to the music, which sent shivers down her spine in a bad way.
"'Shake it up is all that we know'"
"'Using the bodies up as we go.'"
"'I'm waking up to fantasy.'"
"'The shades all around aren't the colors we used to see.'"
Maybe in an another time the girl would have enjoyed listening to it, but she couldn't shake the feeling that the song was about her, manipulating time and space to escape from the mistakes she made.
This must be another messed up reality, or a piece of time that I got stuck into.
The place was so familiar yet alien at the same time. She looked around, wondering who put the music on, but there wasn't a single soul nearby. The diner always looked so full of life with Joyce making pancakes or taking orders and occasionally scolding some rude truckers. Her warm greeting whenever she saw Max around was something the girl missed gravely now. But in this reality, the whole place was empty like a church on Monday morning. The hipster was shocked when the refrain of the song finally clicked in.
"'You're out of touch.'"
"'I'm out of time.'"
"'But I'm out of my head when you're not around.'"
"Wait, what? I remember this song, my dad was listening to it all the time on that old vinyl record player, when I was a kid."
She felt the sting of tears in her eyes, as the song sent her mind wondering back to the days of her childhood, when she was still living with her parents in Arcadia. Max always wanted to live in the 1980s, thanks to all the good music, the movies, clothes and of course the stories that Ryan told her about what was like being young in that era. It felt like a lifetime ago that the brunette last saw her parents. But she couldn't afford daydreaming, since she didn't have a clue what's going on, and who was that woman who dragged her here. Driven by some intuition, she took the exit from the kitchen, leading to the small alley next to the diner. She felt a strong presence close by.
"You seem to be lost my child. Maybe I can help you."
The girl heared a recognizable, tired woman's voice coming from behind. She turned around, only to find out that it belong to the old homeless woman sitting at her usual place. The one who she saved once, or God knows how many times now. Everything felt distorted, like her consciousness would exist in all the timelines at once. She placed both hands on her head, feeling dizzy, as a stream of warmth were gushing out of her nose.
"I remember you… Honey, are you okay? Your nose is bleeding.", said the woman pointing with one finger at her own nose.
The freckled girl cleared her bloody nose with her sleeve, then forced out a smile.
"Yeah… I'm fine… it's just another headache and the nosebleed is… well, I got used to it by now." Yet she couldn't figure out why, because she haven't used her power. The lady just nodded as a response, all knowingly.
"You said you can help me. How? You're not just a homeless lady, are you?"
"Dear child, you're not mistaken. I hope you didn't mind the music though. Ahh… it always takes me back, to remember who I was. In times like these, I need every piece of memory that I can hang on to." Tilting her head up, she went on a nostalgia trip.
"So it was you. I was wondering who have put that on. Just who are you, really? It was you who saved me from the dark place?"
"I see you're eager to know everything young lady. I understand. But I'm afraid giving the answers that you so desire, would do you more harm than good. Believe me when I say that I lived long enough to tell apart bad decisions from the good ones. I really lost my home, you know. I don't belong to anywhere, no family, friends or lovers… I exist… outside of time. But what bothers me the most, is that you are following my footsteps. You still have the chance to make things right, my dear. You just need someone to guide you back on the right path."
The young girl's body tensed up, feeling this conversation won't get her anywhere.
"And that someone would be you? Listen, you don't have to answer my questions. Just get me out of here, please! My best friend needs my help and I'm the only one who can save her."
The old lady furrowed her eyebrows like she didn't like what the girl just said. Then she let out a sigh, standing up slowly, her expression changed to worry as she took a hand on Max's shoulder, looking deeply into her eyes.
"That friend must be very precious to your heart if you ended up here. I can see the good in you, but there's also something gloomy that I can't really put my finger on. " She took her hand off the brunette's shoulder, then reached for a cigarette from her tattered coat.
"Yes… sometimes we save our friends, until we just don't." Her voice being muffled with the cigarette in her mouth when she lit it, not giving specific attention to the freckled girl anymore.
"I suppose you don't smoke," said it with a toothful grin.
"No, I don't think that would help, but thanks. I'm messed up enough as it is." She had to smile a bit, recalling the memory of taking the blame for Chloe's joint.
"About what you said earlier. What were you referring to? Do you blame me for using my power?"
"I don't blame anyone, but myself. The people are selfish by nature, and you're no different Maxine. That's what I meant, basically."
"I know this place isn't real and since you're the only person I found here, you must be connected to it somehow. You said something about… being outside… of time, and that I need guidance."
"There's a big journey ahead of you, child. You are not who you have been and you are not yet who you will become. You're in the in-between."
"I know I'm not feeling like myself for a while, but gosh… Would you stop speaking to me in damn riddles?"
The hipster had tons of questions in her mind, but she knew that asking them wouldn't help much, as all she got so far was way too ambiguous and cryptic. Still, it was obvious that the lady knew more then she lets on.
"Because you're not the person who you used to be. You've changed. You've altered. You've seen things and met people and learned things that have impacted you, in irreversible ways. The passions and dreams you used to have in life, are hopelessly detached from the person you've become."
"Alright… I… still don't have a clue what you're talking about. But I could really use your help now. I don't want to get stuck doing the same thing forever."
The woman shrugged as she lazily dropped the cigarette, stepping firmly on it. "I wanted you to be more comfortable before you go back. But I guess it's no use holding up a facade anymore. Like I said, there's a long road ahead of you. It was great to see you again, Max Caulfield."
The old lady stepped closer to the brunette, touching her shoulders again before she closed her eyes. The world kept getting darker around them, until there was nothing but the black void.
"Whoa! What? Why did you bring me back here?" asked the terrified girl with a shaky voice. She couldn't feel the grip on her shoulders anymore and her clothes were drenched in blood once again. The girl nearly jumped out of her skin upon suddenly hearing the voice of the homeless woman.
"Listen to me carefully! I can't stay here with you, because it's your own dimension that you unwittingly created." Her voice was getting quieter with every word. " If you ever want to get back to your world, you need to destroy it. It's the only way, trust me my child…"
The hipster couldn't believe what she just heard. "Not so long ago, I was a normal teenage girl with anxiety problems. But now I can fucking create dimensions by accident?" That was too much to process.
"But how? How can I destroy it?" The brunette was breathing quickly, started to panic.
"Please! Answer me!" But there was no response.
She reached out with her right hand, trying to rewind but nothing happened. "What? I can't even use my powers here?"
Okay, get yourself together Max! If I created this dimension, that means I'm the only one who can destroy it, right? Easy peasy!
Her brain has been swirling around to find a spark of an idea she can hang on to, until she remembered something.
Wait, my photos are still in my bag, right? Maybe I can just… hop into one of them? Then she quickly searched it through, using her phone as a flashlight, only to find that all the photos were blank.
Damn! I should have known that it won't be that easy. Even the old lady said there's no other way. And here I am, always looking for a shortcut.
Well, let's look around. Not like there's anything to see, but maybe I will bump into something. With that in mind, she went ahead hearing nothing just her own breathing and the footsteps in the blood. Somehow she managed to overcome her fears. The fact that she knew this place was her own doing, it took away from it's scariness.
I feel like I'm in a horror movie. I hope there are no monsters here, though.
The freckled girl could swear that she walked for hours now, until she finally saw the light in the darkness. But for some reason, the brightness always stayed in the same distance. In her frustration, she decided to run, as fast as she could. It's been a long time since the small girl felt this helpless, or perhaps deep down she has always been like that.
Feeling exhausted, the girl stopped, gasping for air. "Maybe it's just a mirage, like an oasis in the desert. Not like I could tell."
But the freckled girl still kept going until the sounds of high pitched laughters distracted her.
"Who is there?" Moving with her phone in the direction of the sound to light the way around. Then all of a sudden she found herself standing on a stage with spotlights directed at her, in a roar of applause and cheering.
"How nice of you to finally join us Max! We have been waiting for you, please have a seat."
The young girl who looked exactly like the time traveler, greeted her politely, pointing her finger at the only empty chair in a rows of never ending seats. There was a girl sitting on each chair, every one of them looked identical, except for their clothes and the expressions on their faces.
"What the hell? Why is everyone looking like me? So at that time… No, that can't be…" She covered her mouth in shock. She remembered that angry voice in her head, who were talking to her at the lighthouse.
"This is sick. No way I'm gonna sit here, next to a bunch of me!"
Every Max gave voice to her opinion, as the brunette walked before her 'audience'.
"No, I'm sick of you bitch! I told you girls, she still thinks that she's special…"
"Hey Maxine! Oh, look at you. I think you're ready for the mosh pit. Come here, I'm gonna rock you like a hurricane!" She laughed hysterically.
"You look like shit, photo star! Why don't you take a selfie, huh? At least I got some fame in San Francisco, while you went back to play with Jefferson in the dark room."
"It was fucking time you showed up. Look at me! I'm a corpse because of you. Jefferson framed us well, but at least you escaped right? I hope you like what you see." Her face was barely recognizable from the decomposition, revealing the empty eyesockets and the teeth where the skin was missing. She could see the rotten flesh underneath her ragged black t-shirt. Not to mention the awful smell, as the girl had to look away, resisting the urge of vomiting.
"Hello dumbass! I hope you didn't think that you can run away forever. Don't you remember me? I helped you to make the right decision, until you messed up everything again."
"Oh yeah? How did you help exactly? That fucking tornado was still coming after Chloe was gone, you son of a bitch!" She couldn't stop herself from punching the other Max in the face, who fell over backwards along with the chair. The hipster looked at her damaged knuckles in disbelief. It was a strange feeling, since she had never hurt anyone, physically at least.
"Damn, you're hardcore." The other Max reached for her broken nose, as the blood gushed out of it. Then she pointed her index finger at the time traveler with an evil grin. "Nice work, beating yourself up."
"What are you…" But the real Max couldn't finish her question, because she suffered the same punch that she caused just a few seconds ago, sending her body to the ground. Her double was laughing so hard that she had to hold her stomach.
"I fucking hate you!" She screamed in pain as her nose was broken as well.
"The feeling is mutual. Do you understand now, you dumbass? As much as we hate each other, we're all connected here."
"I might be out of touch but you're out of time, bang!" This version of her was the 13 year old Max with a ponytail, wearing a blue t-shirt and playfully making a gun gesture with her hand.
"How? You're not supposed to be here… "
"Why not? I saved William. I'm a real hero!, " said the little girl cheerfully.
"Yes, you are…" She decided to play along, to avoid conflict.
"Here you are! You left me a fucking note and expected to do the dirty work for you? I can't believe you sometimes." This Max was really pissed at her, as she threw a paper ball to the girl's face.
She picked it up, carefully opened it to see what it was. Just as she feared, it was a torn out page from the journal, with her own notes on it. Her tears were pouring down on her cheeks as the paper fell out from her shaky hands.
"What have you done? Have you… abandoned Chloe?"
"What do you take me for? You have no idea what I've been through this week. And it's all thanks to you and your precious girlfriend. I had the guts to do what's right, when all you did was running away when things turned out bad. And now do you expect me, to let you take over? Hell no! I might be selfish, but not more than you. You know that… I… love her too, even if it's hard for me to admit. Before the storm came, I realized what's gonna happen to me and somehow I managed to close you out of my mind. Chloe actually named me 'Beta-Max'. Can you believe that? But then I collapsed and ended up here…"
"So that's how I got here in the first place. Listen, you're the most… reasonable version of me here. I… totally understand if you're mad at me and you have every reason for that. But I didn't know my powers were working like this. Not like I got a user manual with it, you know."
"That's still no excuse for what you have done to me, and all the others here. The only reason I'm more 'reasonable' is because I just came here not long ago."
"But can you imagine what the other Maxes think of you now? Look at them! I bet most of them would jump down at your throat if we wouldn't be all connected." The other girl waved her hand to the masses.
"They watched you all along, as you made one mistake after the other, just to use your power to 'fix' them. So our numbers kept growing and growing. Damn, you have a whole army of yourself…" The girl let out a loud snort. "I guess you can literally take over the world now."
Right when the hipster wanted to apologize, an another double demanded her attention.
"Hi Mad Max! It was so cool to see your rage earlier. You have finally earned your place among us. Just sit down and enjoy the show. It's starting soon."
"What kind of…" The words stuck in the freckled girl's throat as she saw a huge wall appearing out of the blue, back at the stage. It was covered by some grey fog, until it started to dissolve, emitting vibrating colors from it.
"It's our only way to see the outside world, and one of us can use it to communicate with the real Max through it. The one that you just punched earlier…"
"That explains why I only heard her voice in my head but not the others."
Thank God she's the only one who can contact me… Otherwise, I would have gone crazy a long time ago.
The other Max continued. "But since you're here, your physical body must be unconscious. Let's have a look."
The colors coagulated on the wall, looking like a plasma screen. The brunette saw a desperate blue haried punk, holding her lifeless body in her arms. "Follow my voice Max! I'm here for you. I… need you, more… than… ever. Please… come back to me!" Chloe's tears were dropping on the freckled girl's cheeks, but the rain quickly washed them away. The punk was at the brink of collapse herself, quietly sobbing, as she buried her face in the chest of her best friend.
"Oh no! I have to get back somehow. Look at Chloe, she looks so…"
"Fucked up? Yeah, that's right. She was always like that though. No big deal. I just wish she would disappear from our life for good."
Her evil double was standing next to her as well, as she looked at the punk with furrowed eyebrows. The time traveler noticed her clenched fist.
Why does she hate her so much? She is like… ready to… punch her.
"Why do you hate her so much? She is our best friend."
"Our best friend, huh? So are you trying to bond with me now? Spare me your pity. My nose still hurts like hell, but at least you finally experienced the repercussions of your actions."
"Look, I won't pretend that I don't hate you. Because I do. But I hate myself just as much, if that makes any sense."
"Well, you're the source of all the messed up shit here. But all of this wouldn't have happened if you could let her go. Have you ever thought about what your life would be without her? Without all these stupid powers, messing up time and space. You could have been a famous photographer like you always dreamed of. But you gave up everything… for her. She dragged you down with herself. You'll never be the same again, and you know it."
"What if I told you that I don't want to be my old self again? I've been through so much and made a lot of mistakes, but now I can safely say that saving Chloe wasn't one. Even if it cost me dearly, before I could even realize it. But I love her… I always have. All I want is to be with her."
"You see, that's exactly my problem with you. Love makes you reckless and selfish. Maybe if I wasn't the very first who you left behind… then I could see things differently. But we can't change that now."
"So that's why you're the only one who can speak to my mind?"
"I guess. Since I was there with her… in the bathroom. Having to watch her bleeding on the floor..."
The brunette had to think for a while to not say anything that would piss her off even more. But at least she was beginning to understand the cold nature of her evil double.
"I don't have much time left… as funny as it sounds. I know that I need to go back now or else…"
"Worst case scenario is that you will end up as a vegetable. Not like you don't deserve it, but I would get hella bored if…"
"Hella? You're not as tough as you make it sound after all." Max laughed at the major slip-up of her counterpart.
"Shut up! I watched you two for so long, that it stuck on me. I still hate that word… And one day she's going to destroy-"
But she couldn't finish the sentence as the time traveler throw herself at her, holding in a tight hug.
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Forgive me… I… was so selfish. I played with my power… without ever thinking of the consequences. You only wanted to help me, and I hated you for it. But I can't let her go… not anymore… And I know that deep inside you love her too. We want the same thing right? Don't you want to be happy instead of feeling depressed forever? Come with me, she's waiting for us."
"You… won this time, dumbass. But I swear… if you ever leave me behind again…"
"I learned my lesson the hard way. Don't worry, I'll never abandon any of you again." As she spoke the words, the evil Max's body started to dissolve, until it vanished into thin air, leaving nothing behind.
She just noticed that all the other Maxes surrounded her in a circle formation. They were all puzzled not fully understanding what just happened. As they whispered to each other in fear and grief, like they would have lost a very special someone.
"Don't be afraid. She came back to me, where she belongs. You all are. You have suffered enough. It's time to leave this place once and for all."
"Is that so?" Beta-Max stepped out from the masses, looking straight into the eyes of the time traveler.
"Who's to say that you're the real thing? Because you claim to be so? Don't you think I deserve a chance with Chloe since I finished your job?"
"Yeah, she's right! Don't listen to her lies!" It seemed as if they already found their new leader. They formed a chain, every one of them were holding each other's hands.
"Why do you say that? It's not like you would die upon returning to my body, since you're a part of me like everybody here. You should know this better than anyone."
"I can't tell if you got wiser from the other you, or you just take me for a fool. I know that I will lose myself if I join you."
"Is everyone ready?" She waited for an answer before touching the nearest Max's hand at the end of the chain.
"But one smaller girl, in a blue t-shirt run to the time traveler instead. I know it's not much but I choose you. You look like someone I can trust." She took her hand strongly.
"I can't be thankful enough. You're so brave." The hipster could fondle the head of her younger self a bit, before the little girl faded as well.
"So be it. Strength in numbers right?" She touched the hand that was reaching out for her, when all of the Maxes started to disappear one by one. It took a whole minute for all of them to vanish.
"Now it's just the two of us."
"What do we do now? Fight each other to the death? Or talk until one of us dies from dehydration?"
"It looks like your sense of humour is back, I'll give you that. But I have the upper hand now. All I have to do is absorb you and I can go back to my Chloe."
"You mean… to our Chloe. Look, I still believe there's a peaceful solution to this."
"Whatever… the tables are turned. Here I come!"
From the real Max point of view, it seemed like her other self just teleported right in front of her. Before she could do anything, Beta-Max was already holding her tight with full force.
"Oh, shit! How can she use her powers here? I know I couldn't when I tried not so long ago. But since then I… changed. Still I can't use my hands like this."
She tried to escape from her grip, but all the efforts were to no avail. as she slowly felt losing consciousness. As a last resort she planned out something.
"This is going to hurt, but I'm out of options."
"Take this!" Beta-Max fell on her back screaming in pain, as her opponent headbutted her to the face.
The real Max knew there's a short delay until the damage gets reflected on her.
"Here comes nothing!"
She reached out with her right hand, until she could see Beta-Max stopped moving, still laying on the ground, completely frozen in time. The time traveler tried to move as fast as she could in this state, as she threw herself on the other Max, holding her firmly.
"How is this possible? I absorbed everyone, except for those two. And you're still stronger than me?"
Beta-Max was covered in a red aura, not ready to acknowledge her defeat yet. Even though her body finally started to dissolve.
"You still don't understand, do you? I'm not strong-" But as it was to be expected, the headbutt she gave earlier, got reflected on her. She was rolling on the ground in pain, covering her face with both hands.
"Geez, it hurts like hell! I'm sorry I did that to you… I'm sorry for everything. But you'll get the happiness you deserve, I promise."
The reddish girl could barely stand up, partly from the headbutt, but mostly from the dissolving. Her skin became like onion, shredded in layers as she approached the real Max.
Her voice sounded distorted, barely recognizable. "Please take care… of our Chloe. I won't… forgive you… if something bad… happens to her."
She reached after her with one hand to pull her up from the ground, but their hands could never meet as she vanished completely. The brunette could feel the oceans of emotions that were flowing through her soul, threatening to tear her body apart in any second. The hipster was convinced that all of her inner selfs were still fighting each other to break free. But it lasted only for a few seconds, until everything was calm and silent.
Finally the exhausted girl stood up, which took more effort than she thought, looking at her hands first, then on the screen, with a still desperate and broken Chloe on it. The lyrics of the song came to her mind.
"You're out of touch, I'm out of time."
"But I'm out of my head when you're not around."
The time traveler rushed to the screen, her heart kept beating faster, as her eyes were filled with tears.
"I'm here Chloe!" With that said, the girl touched the wall of screen, which became liquid upon the contact of her fingers. There was a small resistance, but Max could press her body through, until it swallowed her completely. The stage became like a graveyard along with the endless rows of chairs before it. The fabric of space cracked at one point, until the whole place began to break apart, like it wanted to collapse from it's own weight. After a short time there was nothing left of this dimension, and a bright white light took it's place. There was a lady in black, who stood there in the middle of nowhere.
"I see you finally managed to overcome your inner demons, young lady. I'm proud of you, but I hope we'll never meet again."
A/N: This chapter took me a lot of time to write, as I bit off more than I could chew. I didn't want it to have an abrupt ending so it ended up being much longer than I planned. I had a hard time to avoid repeating the names at some parts, because the story kinda demanded it to be that way. Also I wanted to stress out, how important was it for Max to finally face her demons in the image of the other Maxes. But her journey just started, so there will be many more exciting things awaiting for her, I can promise that. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and feel free to share your thoughts about it. I'm all ears, as always. :)
As an important note: The name "Beta-Max" was something that I have read in IsraelBlargh's fanfic, called Better Then. It's one of my all time favorites on this site, I hope it's not a sin to borrow from it. The credit goes to him of course.