A/N: Hey, so I am trying to put these out as quickly as possible. I have basically been writing it since I woke up. That being said I may be able to get another chapter out today, but if I don't I'm sorry. I'm really enjoying this story and I've already got future plans involving this story, but I will get to those later. Here is chapter 3, I hope you enjoy it and seriously thank you all for the favorites, follows, and reviews. They are amazing!
The drive to Blackwell was a silent one as both them of looked at the destruction on the way there. The only good news for them so far is that they had not found anyone they know aside from frank and that building were standing much more frequently the farther they went into town.
"It's scary here," Max said finally breaking the silence as she looked out the window her head was leaning against. "To see our home with no one here."
"There is people here, Max. I'm sure they are just trying to find shelter for the night. It is getting colder, the storm didn't really help that either."
"Do you think Blackwell is still standing?" Max asked as Chloe nodded.
"I think that place probably had the best chance out of any."
"I feel so bad about this," Max said with another glance out the window as the truck came to a stop and Chloe took a deep breath.
"I do too, but that is why we are going to stick together, because we are the only ones that know what we're going through." Chloe felt more tears as she pressed her teeth together trying to stop them. She wondered if they would ever be able to make it twenty minutes without crying again. "Life will never be the same for us."
"I just wish there was another way where everything could be fine and no one dies."
"I do too, Max. I do too," Chloe said as she glanced up and saw the outline of something she recognized. "Our luck may have just change a little though."
Max raised an eyebrow as she looked to Chloe before feeling the truck move and turn towards a building. "This place has blankets and it is still standing, I bet they're still dry," Chloe explained as she turned the high beams on before stepping out of the truck. "Wait here Max, I'll just be a second."
Max nodded as she sat in the truck and watched Chloe enter the store through a broken window. The building was still standing but the windows had been shattered and the door had something sitting in front of it.
A few minutes passed as Max moved closer to the edge of her seat trying hard to see if she could spot Chloe, the light from the sun was pretty much gone at this point. She turned the trucks heater on and looked around, the high beams illuminating other spots of the street. It felt eerie sitting her like she was, it was dark and the city lights weren't turning on. There was no signs of life anywhere, Max cursed herself for watching the movies she did right now.
"Max!"
Max jumped in her seat at the sudden call as she saw Chloe standing in front of the truck holding blankets.
"They're completely dry, help me grab some more," Chloe said as she came around to her door and opened put the blankets inside. "The back of the truck is still wet, so keep them in here."
Max just nodded as she got out of the truck and waited for Chloe to lead her to the blankets.
"We just need a few more for tonight, especially if Blackwell isn't there anymore," Chloe said as she grabbed some blankets and handed them to Max.
Once back in the truck Chloe breathed on her hands. "It's definitely a cold one tonight."
Max nodded as she watched Chloe turn up the heat. "Thankfully the heat works and we have a pile of blankets now."
Chloe nodded, "yea, let's get to Blackwell though, it's already dark and it doesn't look like the street lights will be coming on anytime soon."
"Let's just hope it's still standing or it's going to be a long cold night," Max said as Chloe nodded in agreement.
Ten or so minutes later. . .
Chloe stopped the truck as she looked out the passenger window with Max. She could see the outline of the building everything still looked intact. She noticed that the parking lot was pretty empty though.
"Do you think they tried to escape?" Max asked as Chloe looked to her for a moment before placing a hand on her shoulder.
"They did escape, that is why we haven't seen any of them," Chloe answered trying to keep Max calm, she was feeling just as hopeless in this situation.
"Let's drive up to the dorms though so we don't have to walk very far without blankets." Max nodded as Chloe managed her way as close to the dorms as she could get. "Alright, home sweet home."
Max glanced out the window, she could see the building was still standing and even the doors looked like they were undamaged.
"Aside from some downed trees and things like that this looks alright," Chloe noted as she stepped out of the truck with a few blankets in hand. "I'll let you lead the way."
Max nodded as she grabbed a few blankets herself and entered the building with Chloe. It was dead silent and dark. The only good thing is that the light was coming in from the window at the end of the hall so max could judge where she was better.
"Do you think anyone is here?" Max asked a Chloe looked around though it was almost pitch black in there.
"I don't think so, you think we would hear something or see signs of life. It looks like this place was just abandoned."
Max took a deep breath and kept going feeling the wall on her right with her hand until she felt her dorm room door.
"It's here," Max said as she pushed open the door and felt a chill run down her spine, the window was cracked a little bit. She felt her bed for a minute before setting the blankets down. "It's dry, but I'm going to shut the window."
Chloe just nodded as she looked around and the faintly lit room. It didn't really look like anything at all happened here."
"Let's go get the rest of the blankets and something to eat. Then we can work on warming up."
"Yea, let's," Max agreed with a sigh as she turned to leave the room. This place felt different even though it wasn't. The reality that nothing would ever be the same here was sad. The days of wondering if she would open her door and see Victoria standing there were now things she wished could happen. This room was the same, but at the same time completely different. The last time she was in here everything was still alright. A time that she now wished more than ever she didn't take for granted.
"You coming Max?" Chloe asked as Max nodded and wiped a tear out of her eye. "Yea, I just… Fuck this storm."
Chloe smiled a little as Max followed her out of the building and back to the truck. "Grab the rest of the blankets, I'll get some food for us," Chloe said as she turned the truck off and took her keys.
Max waited patiently for her before heading back into the building and making their way back to Max's room.
"Let's hope it doesn't get cloudy or we won't be able to see anything," Chloe said with a sigh as Max nodded before remembering something.
"Wait, do you have a lighter, Chloe?"
"Yea, I have one, why?"
"I'll be right back, I'm just going down the hall for a second," Max said as she left the room for a minute. She walked straight across the hall until she felt Victoria's door. From there she followed the wall until she felt another door.
"I'm sorry, Kate. Something tells me that you would be alright with this though," Max said as she felt around for the candles on the floor near Kate's door.
Once she grabbed as many as she could find she made her way back to her room which was easier to see with the door open, it was a little lighter than the hallway she was in.
"Where did you go, Max?" Chloe asked as Max shut her bedroom door and kneeled down to the floor setting the candles down in front of her. "What are those?" Chloe asked trying to make out the mysterious dark figures.
"Give me your lighter," Max said as Chloe handed it to her and Max light one of the candles. "They are from Kate's room. . . I feel bad taking them, but something tells me nobody will be visiting anymore."
Chloe looked at Max for a moment before kneeling down next to her and giving a hug. It would be the first time today she could just really sit and be with Max. "I'm sure she would be fine with it considering our situation."
Max nodded as she lit the other ones and set them around the room. Thankfully they all still had a bit to them so they would be lit for a while.
"Here why don't you wrap yourself up in a blanket, you're freezing," Chloe said as she grabbed a big one off of Max's bed and put it around her shoulders.
Max looked at Chloe for a moment before standing up and moving to her bed. "Would it be weird if I asked you to cuddle with me?"
Chloe smiled as she stood herself and removed the coat she had been wearing. "Not at all, Max, you're my best friend."
Max rested her head against the wall as the words played over in her head.
"Chloe, what do you mean when you say you love me?" Max asked curiously as Chloe curled up under the blanket with her.
"I mean, I love you. What else would I mean?"
"I just wanted to know if it meant the same to you as is does to me. . ."
Chloe blinked once or twice realizing what Max was getting at now. "What does it mean to you?"
Max closed her eyes as she thought for a moment, "throwing away an entire town just so I can have a chance at living my life with you."
Chloe paused for a moment as the room fell silent, she wasn't sure what to say to that.
"Max, can I kiss you?"
Max turned towards Chloe with question on her face before nodding slightly. Chloe carefully and slowly moved in until their lips were touching. The awkwardness lasted only a few second before Chloe really kissed her.
"This is what I meant when I said I love you, Max. I really love you."
Max felt a small blush as she look down embarrassed. "So we are seeing it the same then," Max said as Chloe smiled a little. "Do you think it was selfish to destroy the town so I could possibly be with you?"
"I think there was no guarantee the other option would have worked," Chloe replied as Max looked to her. "If I put myself in your shoes, Max. . . I couldn't do it. Just thinking about waking up today and knowing that I will never ever see you again or hear your voice again."
Chloe shook her head before resting it against the wall and sighing.
"That is the stuff of nightmares and I know for a fact there are people all over the world who would have done the same thing."
"You're beating around the bush," Max said as Chloe nodded.
"That is because I don't think there is a right or wrong answer. You don't deserve to live you life feeling horrible over something like this. It's not fair."
"It's not, but I was dealt these cards."
"And you played them how you wanted, so you did absolutely nothing wrong."
Max sighed realizing there was no arguing with Chloe, but that did make her feel better oddly enough. "Thanks Chloe."
"What type of girl…"
Max looked at her with a raised eyebrow as Chloe considered her own words for a moment.
"Is that what we are?"
Max looked away from her for a moment before shrugging, "I don't know."
Chloe nodded, "girlfriends. . . I like it."
Max looked to her for a moment before smiling, "I like it too."
"Good then it's settled," Chloe said as she looked around the room for a moment. "We have to find my mom now so we can tell her."
"We will find her. We're not leaving this town until we do."
Chloe glanced out the window, "we should probably put a blanket up over those for tonight though. It's getting pretty cold outside at night and the heat isn't on anymore here. It's going to get cold tonight."
"I think I have something we can hang the blanket up with. If not we can just go look in the other rooms. I'm sure we could find something."
"Unfortunately my phone is dead so we will just have to use the candles if we do go search," Chloe mentioned as Max nodded, her phone had died earlier that day.
"Wait a minute, my laptop," Max said as she climbed off her bed and grabbed the computer sitting on her desk. "It almost has a full charge, we can charge our phones on this. I bet there is others here too."
"Yes, now we are talking Max. I'll go check victoria's room and see if she has a computer sitting around."
"Alright, take a candle with you, I'll see if I can't find something to put a blanket up with."
Twenty minutes later. . .
Max took a deep breath as she snuggled closer to Chloe who was sitting under the same blanket that she was. After putting the blanket up, they broke into a can of food that they had brought it and started eating. It was dimly lit in the room, but they were warm, they had food, Max's guitar, and each other.
"Max, I know we've gone over this, but I feel like I need to say it again," Chloe spoke as Max took another bite of her food. "I really do love you and no matter what happens, I will never blame you."
". . .I know, Che"
Chloe sat in silence for a moment. "I just feel like it needs to be said again."
"Thank you, it really does mean a lot."
"I would do anything for you, Max, I mean it."
Max smiled this time before glancing down the food that Chloe had, "why don't you eat up then. I know today has been stressful on you too."
"It has been," Chloe admitted before taking a bite of her food and looking at the blanket in the window to make sure it was going to hold up overnight. "I think we will really be able to sleep tonight though. It's already feeling much better in here."
"It is," Max agreed before looking down at her food. "Let's just hope we find more tomorrow than we did today."
. . .
. . .
"We will."
It was all Chloe could say because like Max she knew there was no certainty that it would be true. They hadn't even seen a single person today except for the vehicle that drove by them early that morning.
"It feels weird knowing that this will probably be the last time I am ever in this room. This feels more like home now than anything else and all the meaning surrounding it is gone now."
"That isn't true, Max. The meaning is still here. It's just like my home," Chloe sighed as she glanced around the room. "It may have been destroyed, but the memories are still there and that particular spot will never be erased from who I am."
"I just wish there was another way," Max said as she looked at her hand. "I have this power and yet I feel so helpless."
Chloe sighed, "Don't think about that, Max. Perhaps it's best if we try and get some sleep. I know we could both use it."
"You're right," Max said as she took her food and set it on the floor by her bed as Chloe did the same. She moved a little so Chloe could climb under the covers before offering her a spot. Once they were both settled Chloe wrapped her arms around Max's stomach and pulled her close.
"Try and get some sleep, tomorrow is going to be another big day."
A/N: Alright so the only thing I really have to say about this chapter is that the rescue services are not here yet, really? I'm going off the game here and they drove through the town presumably the next day with no sign of life anywhere and that is what I'm going with. That is why they are in this survival situation at the moment. As far as the weather goes, I am from Minnesota personally and I am basing it off where I live. It's not exactly warm at night here in October depending on the year. Sometimes it's fine, sometimes it's freezing. So that is that decision and why I am doing it like that. Other than that the big thing here is that a relationship has been formed.
I wanted to rush this and just have that kiss scene, but it didn't feel right and even here it wasn't a big romantic scene it was just something that I felt Max really needed to get off her chest. I'm sure, like many of you, that you want Max and Chloe to be together and that is why we all avoided hugging Warren and gave him up to the tornado. Seriously though, I believe when Chloe says I'll be with you forever is kind of their unspoken relationship forming. Again though this is fan fiction so you can disagree with me, this is just what I think of it.
So those are the thoughts I have on this chapter, hopefully you still like it because I don't think it was as exciting as the other two thus far, but I felt it was crucial and it was nice to finally have a moment for these two to really talk about things while progressing the story.
