The truck slowly switched lanes as it powered along the highway. After another pedal press, it jolted forward a bit and began to overtake the black SUV alongside. A few seconds later, it merged back into the right lane as it picked up speed. The radio quietly played and filled the cabin with a slightly soothing atmosphere - drowning out the thoughts of either of the girls sat inside.
Chloe kept her eyes on the road as she periodically switched gears, keeping the pedal pressed down. Shooting a quick glance in the rear-view mirror she saw as the black SUV started to slowly fade away with each passing second, signalling the punk to ease up on the pedal a bit. She looked back over to her right, towards the brunette girl that was wrapped around in a blanket as she gazed out the window. Her eyes weren't frozen anymore, staring at nothing as they had but a few hours ago, instead following the scenery as it came and went by the truck at some speed. Chloe kept silent as she turned her eyes back to the road and watched a few cars begin to merge from an on ramp - instinctively slowing down to let a few in front of the truck.
After a while the bluenette punk reached over to the small shelf below the radio, moving her hand about a bit as she tried to track down her phone. Her grip tightened around the old smartphone and she pulled it up, tapping away at the screen as it lit up. 7:47PM. She let out a quiet sigh as a wave of fatigue washed over her, following it up with a yawn. Max stirred next to her when she heard the yawn, shooting a glance at the punk quickly with a blank expression. Chloe raised her gaze back up to the road as she didn't notice the brunette moving, focusing herself on driving the truck. She saw the oncoming headlights on the opposite side of the road, switching between long beams and short beams as the Ford itself approached.
"Chloe..- Pull over. You need to sleep." Max croaked out, her voice meek and quiet. Her sore throat could no longer take the constant abuse as it punished the girl, shots of pain working their way up when each word rang out in the quiet cabin. She'd been crying to herself for the better part of the day, trying to not linger on the thought of everyone she sacrificed, everyone she killed. It only made her cry louder. Chloe jolted up in her seat as she heard Max and then looked over.
"Don't worry. I got a few hours left in me." Chloe spoke back as she looked over the brunettes blank expression, the punk holding the best smile she could muster given the situation. She saw the signs coming up in her peripheral vision as her smile turned to a grin, lifting her hand off the clutch as she nudged the girl slightly. "Besides, take a look. We're only a few hours away at best."
Max's face scrunched up in confusion, tilting her head towards the windscreen and looking at the signs with her own eyes. Her stomach completely turned over as she saw the writing, prompting her to quickly sit up in panic. She didn't want to go there, not after everything she did, after everything that happened. Not yet, at least.
'WASHINGTON STATE WELCOMES YOU! CAPITAL - SEATTLE.'
"Stop. Pull over." Max quickly croaked out again, trying to ignore the pain in her throat. Her body trembled under the blanket a bit as she tried to calm down, tried to stay level-headed whilst talking to Chloe. Her guilt made its sickening way up her chest, threatening the well being of the girl.
"What? I told you-.." Chloe began but was interrupted.
"I said pull over the damn truck!" Max heard herself shouting at the punk, followed up by a shot of pain in her throat. Guilt was bearing down on her now - the feeling bubbling up in her stomach, sickly twisting and turning inside. Chloe winced at Max and then switched her gaze back to the road quickly. She eased up on the pedal as she saw an oncoming off ramp into a forested parking lot. After a few moments, the truck turned into the off ramp and made its way down towards the completely empty parking lot. Slowly it rumbled to a stop in a space, filling the cabin with silence. Max threw the blanket off herself as she felt sick, opening the door and jumping out quickly.
Chloe shot out the other side as she heard the brunette begin to vomit behind the truck. She quickly ran over to her and placed her hand on her back, giving it a rub as Max vomited out an array of liquids - mostly stomach acid - as neither girl had eaten since the day before. Max's throat burned at the sensation as she felt the queasy onset of nausea in her head, spitting out the last few remains of whatever she threw up, her hand running over her mouth to try and wipe away the bile. Chloe was looking down at the girl with a worried expression, still rubbing her back as the brunette came up.
"I-.. Are you okay?" Chloe asked quietly as she stepped in front of the girl, bending down on her knees slightly so she could look up at her face from below. Max kept her eyes closed as she tried her best to breathe in deep, fighting the nausea, the wooziness that built up. Eventually she let out a half sigh and half whimper. She felt two arms quickly wrap around her and pull her into a hug as she began to cry for the millionth time today. Chloe quickly lowered the girls head to chest as her sobs became muffled. The two girls stood there for a few minutes whilst Max cried, the punk staying silent the entire time - letting the smaller girl let it all out in the safety of her embrace.
"I-.. I-.. don't w-wanna g-go to Sea-..Seattle." Max eventually let out a hoarse whisper through her quiet sobbing. Chloe gave her a squeeze and a kiss on the head, rubbing her hand over the brunette's back. "N-Not…- a-after e-everything…"
"W-Why not?" Chloe asked and listened closely, intent on calming the brunette by hearing her out. Max's breath hitched as she tried to catch some air, the punk responding with a light pat on her back to help her. Another quiet sob was muffled by the punks tank-top. "Shh. It's alright - tell me."
"I-I c-can't f-face them...- N-Not after y-yesterday..." Max continued quietly, her voice barely audible over the sound of distant cars passing by. Chloe understood, but at the same time she didn't want Max to take the wrong decision, to let the stress and the emotions choose for her. She knew that the brunette wanted to be with her parents - even if she said otherwise. At least Chloe hoped that was the issue. "N-Not now. P-Please..-"
"Max, it's o-okay. You'll get to your parents, they'll help y-you get back on your feet. You need t-them right now - they love you and they're probably tearing their hair out over this fu-... shit." Chloe began speaking as she was broken up by a nervous stammer, the girl mentally kicking herself for letting it happen, her hand slowly rubbing Max's back. The brunette almost instantly noticed the absence of 'me', 'we' and 'us' in Chloe's statement. Her heart thumped loudly as she moved away - her eyes glaring at Chloe who stood silently, almost surprised. Almost - the punk realised her mistake before Max even spoke.
"W-What a-about y-... you? Chloe, what are you p-planning...?" Max raised her voice, the anger starting to spill out in her broken voice, needles of pain working their way through her throat. Chloe winced a bit as she brought a hand to her own arm, beginning to squeeze her own bicep to keep herself grounded. She didn't know how to explain this to Max.
"I'll... I'll let you stay with your parents. Max, I-... I don't want to hurt you anymore than I already have over this past week...-" Chloe replied quietly as she kept her gaze on the floor. Her brain was torn between two different mindsets as they battled it out in a great clash, the punk taking the approach that had been lingering on her mind for the past few hours since the tempest. "I'll leave."
"You'll.. Chloe-.. After everything we've been through..- you're just gonna up and FUCKING LEAVE?!" Max ignored the pain in her throat as she shouted, instead keeping her focus on the punk in front of her. Her stammer disappeared as it was drowned out in the wave of anger - her body ignoring her need to cry, opting to instead vent out in the moment. The flutter of bird wings echoed out from the woods around them, Max's shouting obviously disturbing the wildlife. "After all the shit that I've done to keep YOU alive?! You're going to ABANDON me?" Max couldn't believe this.
"I-.. M-Max... don't speak like that… please." Chloe whispered quietly but loudly enough for the brunette to hear. It only angered her more.
"In case you haven't noticed, I sacrificed an entire fucking TOWN for YOU! Hundreds of people with-.. with a fucking FUTURE. Families! I fuck-.. fucking killed them all! For YOU! ..because…" Max was shouting even though her throat had burst into flames with pain. The memories of it all were brought up again, her already battered mind taking the hits again and again. She felt as the tears flowed down her cheeks, each one following its own unique path to her mouth, chin and jawline. "...because I-I love you, Chlo-.."
Chloe felt as if a fully loaded truck hit her, almost visibly noticing how her heart was torn out of her chest in the moment she heard the words. She looked at the crying brunette as the girl threw her face into her hands, turning away from the punk and beginning to sob in heart-wrenching pain. The punk lowered her gaze even more, feeling the sudden guilt envelop her chest. Max ripped apart her own world for Chloe, and Chloe was simply going to leave her the moment Max was safe with her parents. She felt the wave of mixed emotions wash over her entire body, drowning her as she struggled to breathe under the tide. She told Max that she would leave her, after Max chose her over a thousand other lives, after Max made a choice so fucked up that her psyche would be forever damaged. Here they were, less than a day later, Chloe already fucking it all up again. She hurt her. Her mindset began to shift at the sight of the crying brunette.
"I-.. I-I'm sorry, Max. I can't.." Chloe started to shift as she turned around, wanting to walk around the truck. As much as she wanted to be strong, this was a whole other level of difficulty for her. She needed time to think, needed time to ponder over her own words - she needed to get herself straight before continuing the conversation, allow her mind to finally decide. Chloe shuffled herself away from the crying brunette, standing a few feet away as she pulled out a packet of cigarettes and took one out with trembling hands - lighting it quickly with her zippo and taking a drag. The smoke lingered in the air around her as she closed her eyes, the bitter taste prevalent in her mouth acting as a distraction.
"D-Don't... l-leave… p-please." Max quietly spoke in a hoarse voice, pulling her face out of her hands. Chloe took another drag as she let the words hit her, taking the time to listen to her own thoughts afterwards - periodically broken up by the crying.
She tore apart the fabric of time over and over to save me, so I could be with her. She saved my dumb ass so many fucking times over the past week, then she chose my worthless ass over a thousand other lives. Why the fuck would I even think of leaving her… Brain, are you really this doped up on my years of fuckery? Jesus. This is a one sided road, why the hell did I even bother thinking otherwise? I didn't even think of what Max would do if I left her after everything. It would break her, push her beyond the brink - this is already too fucking much for her at this point, this early after the storm. This girl loves me. I love her back. I hella love her.
Chloe spun around on her heels and walked over to Max with a determined pace, dropping her unfinished cigarette haphazardly and holding her arms out - wrapping them around the brunette. She gave her a loving squeeze as she herself began to weep quietly, placing her head on the brunettes own. Max had wrapped her own hands around Chloe as they both cried, sharing the moment together. They were both sorry. Chloe more-so than Max. They stood there and cried for a few minutes, not wanting to talk - simply hugging, holding each other and letting themselves gather their own thoughts. Eventually Chloe broke the silence.
"I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean it. None of it. I'm-.. stupid for even thinking about it. You turned the entire fucking world upside down for me, yet here I was about to fu-fucking abandon you. Never, Max. Never will my stupid ass-..." Chloe began quietly but was interrupted.
"D-Don't say that. Don't EVER say that. You're n-not stupid. I-I love you, Chloe. Please-... don't leave me." Max spoke over Chloe with her hoarse voice as best as she could, keeping her arms around the punk. She didn't want her best friend to ever say she was stupid, to ever shoot herself down like that - she wasn't going to allow that to happen. Chloe sniffled quietly and ran her hands over her nose and eyes, nodding firmly afterwards.
"I-I love you too. I'm never leaving you. Never." Chloe whispered as she held onto the brunette. She felt the explosion of feelings in her chest, all of them fighting each other for priority - trying to get Chloe to deal with them first. Anger, Sadness, Guilt, Regret, Love. Love prevailed. The warmth embraced her heart as it began to beat faster. Chloe understood and she hugged the girl tighter, sniffling again. Those 3 little words - I love you. It began innocently, something between two friends, two best friends. Right now it meant a whole lot more than a simple gesture of friendship - it was a commitment and it rang completely true from both the girls. They loved each other. The two hugged in the parking lot for minutes once again, relishing the warmth of the embrace as they did their best to forget about the bad things that happened in the past few days - the storm, the week, Max's constant rewinding after witnessing Chloe get hurt or worse. Everything that's happened was replaced with the here and now. Speaking of the here and now, the cold night air began to quietly blow onto Max and Chloe as it sent shivers down their spine.
"C-Chloe.. I'm so tired… of all this shit. It's so, so fu-fucked up. I…- killed an entire fucking town. All of them. So many people..- Kate. Warren. Joy-.." Max began to speak quietly, her voice muffled against Chloe's chest, before the punk spoke over her.
"D-Don't. Max, stop. Don't t-think about it. Don't think about it, at all. Y-You didn't kill them, its was that fu-fucking storm. Not you." Chloe spoke with a stern tone as she pulled the brunette closer to her, her stammer still breaking out in a few places. "Don't ever think about it. You were forced to choose between-.. Arcadia and somebody-.. you love. Nobody should have to make that decision." She continued as she squeezed the brunette. "I-.. thank you. Thank you for choosing me, Max."
"Chlo-... I'll always choose you. I-.. just wanna get away. Away from it all - forget everything." Max let out a hoarse whisper as she lifted her head off Chloe's chest, looking at her. "Please… take us away. Away from Arcadia. Seattle. Away from all t-this."
"Max..- what about Ryan and Vanessa? You should at least say something, show yourself or call..-" Chloe spoke as she looked down at the brunette. The bluenette knew that Max loved her parents, even after their decision to leave Arcadia all those years ago - this was only the nerves, the stress, talking. At least she hoped it was.
"Chlo, I c-can't deal with t-talking to them, n-nevermind f-facing them right now. Fuck everything for n-now - I want to j-just leave a-and relax, forget a-all of it." Max finished as she kept her eyes locked with Chloe's. The two girls stood there for a second, reading the emotion in each others eyes. Max had no idea what the hell she was saying, what her brain was even thinking. She didn't admittedly care enough right now about any of it - she was completely and utterly lost in the presence of the girl holding her. "Please. Take us away."
Chloe let her thoughts gather around for a few seconds as she tried to sort it all out. It took her a moment to make her decision, even if it was a monumental one. Price, this is the big one. All those years you spent saying you were going to haul ass out of that hicktown, all those years you kept saying you'd travel down to Big Sur and beyond. Take the damn chance! Max will tell you when she's ready to head to Seattle.
She heard her thoughts, the simple things clouding her better judgement - Chloe nodded firmly and then pulled the girl into a hug again. Max quietly sobbed tears of mixed emotion as she let her head fall back into the punk's chest. She felt relieved that Chloe was here, helping her deal with this. She felt angry at the world for forcing her to choose. She felt guilt for all the lives that she put an abrupt end to, all the dreams and desires of nearly a thousand unique individuals. She felt sadness at the fact that she'd be leaving behind her parents - she loved them and would miss them more than anything, but she needed this break. She felt love and happiness - Chloe was here after all those retries, all the rewinds, and she was here to stay with her forever. She hoped, at least.
"Let's go. It's getting cold and I'm hungry, tired too." Chloe eventually spoke up as she moved out of the embrace, looking down at the brunette - letting a smile form on her face. "Tomorrow we're heading out on a roadtrip - the world is our oyster girl." Max nodded quietly and looked up at the punk - her eyes full of hope. Chloe smiled even wider as she saw the deep blue orbs draining of all other emotions, focusing on the hope that tomorrow would be a better day, the hope that their life now would just improve ever onward. Chloe hoped herself that it was going to be true, it was the least she could ask for after living such a shitty life up to this point.
The truck quietly rolled out of the parking lot, merging back into the highway lane smoothly. The roads were quiet at this time of night, especially in the middle of nowhere on the Washington state border. The sound of tires against the asphalt filled the quiet cabin, breaking up the eerie silence as it acted like a white noise to the two girls.
Chloe kept one hand hand on the wheel, gripping it so tight that her knuckles were turning white - her other resting on the clutch lazily. She felt her eyelids feeling heavy the further she drove on, but she distracted herself by allowing her eyes to dart around the different scenery alongside the road. She occasionally shot glances at Max sitting beside her, leaning against the window as she was lost in thought. The brunette was already looking better than in the morning - perhaps it was because she was doing her best to forget about the past few days. Perhaps it was because Chloe was there. Perhaps it was because she was thinking over their plans for the getaway, together, away from everything that happened. Chloe didn't care for the reason, she smiled as she saw the brunette doing something other than crying and beating herself up about her decision. Her gaze shot back towards the road.
Max heard Chloe shuffling next to her, trying to get comfortable as sitting around for nearly 12 hours was taking its toll on her body. The brunette kept her eyes focused on the scenery, barely taking note as she thought about the talk in the parking lot. She was relieved mostly - Chloe's word's had eased her mind a lot. She tried her best to ignore the potential victims of the storm, her old friends and Chloe's family, instead keeping herself occupied on anything and everything that wasn't associated with the past week. Tomorrow they'd hopefully be waking up in a motel somewhere, the first day in their trip together as they got rid of their past baggage for the short while. Where would they go? Neither Chloe nor Max had ever gone beyond the West Coast, yet it didn't seem right going anywhere further. Not whilst Max's parents were still unaware of her condition, whether she was safe or not. Her heart let out its own cry of agony as it tried to convince the girl to at least call - at least tell them something. She repressed it. A loud yawn beside her snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Chloe, find a damn motel. I don't want to wake up in a fucking ditch tomorrow. I'm hungry too…" Max looked at Chloe with a concerned expression and as if on cue her stomach rumbled when she finished her sentence. Chloe turned her head from the road and smiled, nodding. Her heart skipped a beat at the concern in the brunette's voice, the look she was received from her - Max cared.
"Alright. There's a small town coming up... Morton...? I think. I'll swing by a drive-thru first." Chloe spoke as she focused her gaze back on the road, switching gears. She let her hand linger a bit on the clutch and then moved it over to Max - grabbing her own limp hand and intertwining their fingers lazily. It made the punk feel content and complete - they never held hands like that before, yet it felt like second nature the moment she did it. "I love you." The three words slipped out of her lips, now coming easily to the once hard-ass punk Chloe Price - her exterior merely a shell that was dropped the moment Max was with her and alone.
"Mm. I love you too." Max spoke back as she squeezed Chloe's hand, smiling at her for a few seconds. Max watched as Chloe shifted the wheel around slowly from time to time to keep them on the straight road. She kept smiling as she looked her over, taking her all in. They were together - no more time travelling bullshit and storm to keep them apart ever again. She gave her hand another squeeze and got one in return, the confirmation of it all being real.
The truck slowly came to a stop outside a 24/7 fast food place in the small town beside the highway. Chloe quickly unbuckled her seat-belt and relented her hold on Max's hand, much to the younger girls dismay - reaching over to the glove-box and rummaging around inside. She pulled out a thick brown envelope with 'HANDICAPPED FUND' written on it in red marker. Max looked it over as she remembered where they got it from - Ray Wells' office. Max thought about what the money was for, Chloe's intentions to pay off Frank's debt. Her stomach lurched over as she remembered the alternate timeline where Frank died in the diner. Perhaps it rang true in the current timeline too. She quickly dropped her gaze and tried to shake off the old memories again, the thoughts of Arcadia in ruins. This would become harder and harder the further they went on, she knew that, but she didn't want to deal with any of this right now. Chloe slipped her hand inside the envelope and grabbed a few bills, the crinkling distracting the brunette sitting quietly.
"Whaddya want? I'll grab myself a cheeseburger and some fries - you?" The punk looked over at the brunette as she was still leaning over near her, putting the envelope back in the glove-box and slamming it shut. Max looked back up from her thoughts and smiled.
"Anything. Seriously, I'll eat whatever." Max replied as she kept her smile, curling up her legs beneath her as she sat up slightly. She wasn't lying - neither of them had eaten since yesterday and it was nearly midnight by now, her body was definitely feeling malnourished at the moment. Chloe nodded and began to move over towards her door before Max quickly grabbed her hand, keeping her back. "Please be quick…"
Chloe giggled and nodded, opening the door and jumping out of the truck as Max let go of her hand. She watched as the bluenette made her way towards the small building and disappeared inside after a few seconds. The brunette sat in relative silence and then reached over to the radio, playing around with the dials until a quiet song filled the silent cabin. She sat back and placed her elbow against the rim of the truck window, leaning her head on it.
** ...Sitting on the bed
Or lying wide awake
There's demons in my head
And it's more than I can take
I think I'm on a roll
But I think it's kinda weak
Saying all I know is
I gotta get away from me... **