Chapter ELEVEN: Lost

It was around 8:00PM when Max, Chloe and Frank drove down a deserted road surrounded by a thick forest. Max and Chloe were in Chloe's truck and Frank was following on his RV. For anyone driving by, it was in interesting site. A beaten down truck hiccuping down the highway closely followed by an equally beaten down RV. For a few days now, Chloe's truck had been making some peculiar noises, sounding more and more like death each time. Chloe was a decent mechanic by now and could identify most problems associated with her old truck but she had to admit, this time she was confused as fuck. The sound coming from her old friend sounded like a mix between failing farm equipment and a ruined toaster.

After driving over a large stone, Max heard another noise, this time far louder than the last. Max loved this old truck. It had been their trusty steed for the whole trip so far not to mention throughout the horrors back in Arcadia Bay. Sure it wasn't always comfortable. Sure, it leaked a little and could give of a smell that Mother Nature herself couldn't identify and squeaked more often than a singing mouse but...it was trusty...no not all the time actually but...it was almost like home for her and Chloe. They had cried, laughed and spent many long hours talking and showing their love in that truck. Not to mention the heroic story of how Chloe found the ancient vehicle in the first place. Abandoned in American Rust and restored by the young punk herself during a hard time in her life, it meant so much to Chloe. More than Max could ever know. Chloe put on a brave and tough exterior but inside, she was a very sentimental person and this truck was special to her. A few minutes after driving over the large stone, Max broached the subject to Chloe,

"Chloe, can I ask you something" asked Max sweetly.

"Sure, ask away Super-Max"

"Well...I love this old truck, you know that. It's super retro and it has carried us this far but maybe it's time someone had a look at it at least. There's clearly some kind of problem with it" explained Max.

"The only problem with this truck Max is a wear and tear. I did find it in a junkyard after all. And how will someone else looking at it help? No one knows this truck like I do and I can fix it fine. Plus, if we take it to a garage or whatever, we'll only end up letting some fat sweaty bald dude get his hands all over it and just tell his it needs a new spark plug or battery or he'll probably take one look at it and fall over laughing his ass off. No one will want to fix this Max, it's probably too old" explained Chloe.

Max didn't look all that convinced so Chloe grabbed her hand,

"Trust me Max, this old thing has a good few miles in it left. I don't think it'll ever break down"

A few miles later, the truck broke down.

It was around 8:30PM when the truck began to seriously slow down and stutter. Thankfully there was a little layby rest area leading to a small path into the forest so Chloe pulled in there and Frank pulled in a little further down the road. By this time it was getting really dark out and there was a small breeze blowing through the trees, making them sway ever so gently in the night sky. The rest area had a little road light so thankfully it wasn't completely dark.

Chloe hopped out of the truck and slightly slammed the door out of frustration. She loved her truck but man could it be a stubborn asshole. She trekked around to the front and popped the hood. As she did this, she heard Frank exit his RV and make a walk around to her and Max, who had now joined her wife.

"Well, shit!" exclaimed Chloe, examining the engine.

"What the fuck is the problem now?" asked Frank.

"I think Chloe's truck has passed out" joked Max.

"Hardy ha ha very funny Maxine. No it's actually a little more serious than that. The battery is completely fucked"

"How fucked are we talking about here" Frank asked,

"Roy Batty fucked! It's totally dead, we need a new one or we aint going anywhere" explained Chloe.

Max rubbed her arm. It was pretty cold out and they were pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Somewhere between The Shire and The Shinning. Max didn't know all that much about how cars work but Chloe was pretty much an expert. Other than her tattoo and street art, it was one of Chloe's biggest talents and everyone they knew were trying to convince her to make some kind of career out of it. Chloe currently had a job as a tattoo artist with some great people back in LA and she was so proud of it. Chloe had changed so much since getting that job but it always helped to have a backup in case anything happened. Still, as good as Chloe was, she couldn't conjure up a brand new battery out of thin air.

"What are we going to do then?" asked Max, " I mean none of us have a spare battery" said Max.

Frank looked at his feet in frustration and bewilderment. How the fuck old was that truck anyway? Did it even have a manual or some shit with it? Frank wasn't too bad with mechanics but he knew Price was better. That woman could bring an old Golf cart back to life. But Max was right, they needed to do something or they'd be stuck there for fuck knows how long. An Idea came to him.

"Well like you said, we need a new battery. If you're actually sure that's the problem Price?"

"No Frank, you see I make it a fucking habit to break down on the side of the road and then bullshit about the problem. I know this truck dude. It's the battery, care to see for yourself?" asked Chloe.

Frank inspected the engine. Good God above. It looked like the engine had had a civil war with itself and both sides lost. It was clear that Chloe had put it together herself with an assortment of parts. Some of which were of the same make as the truck. Some parts were older than others and showed signs of ageing, rust and oil outfitted most of them and a few parts looked a little loose. Still Frank had to admit, he was pretty fucking impressed. If anyone else had done the same thing to a vehicle, it would have fallen to pieces years ago but Chloe had somehow made it work and ride better than his RV. Even though it old and made up of parts from the TARDIS, it was pretty much a miracle of engineering. Frank glanced at Chloe, who by this point had her arms crossed and was scowling, and he smiled and nodded to display his approval and respect. This seemed to placate the young punk who made a little grin. Frank checked the battery and what would you know, Price was right. The battery was a complete wreck and Frank was again surprised this truck hadn't kicked the bucket long ago. Some wires had come fully loose but it wasn't a problem, all they to do was connect a new battery and it would be right as rain. The area around the battery looked solid and besides a good clean, was in pretty good condition. This truck continued to surprise him. Frank got up and closed the hood and looked at the two women and declared his idea,

"One of us needs to go on and see if we can find some kind of garage that's still open or a kind soul who isn't a secret serial killer who happens to have a spare battery they can give us. And since my RV is the only working car we have and since I'm the only one who will ever drive that, I vote me. Any disagreements?" he asked.

Max and Chloe looked at eachother. Frank was a grown dude and could take care of himself but none of them really had a clue as to where they actually were. Not only could Frank get hurt or get in an accident on the road in the middle of nowhere with no one to help him but he could be driving hours to the next town and that's even if there is a place still open. But...Chloe would never leave her truck in the middle of nowhere of the two women would ever even THINK about leaving one of them alone to stay with it. Absolutely not. Frank's plan wasn't ideal but it was the only way they were going to get anywhere anytime soon. It wasn't like they could call for roadside assistance. Not only did they not know where they were but none of their phones were charged, they had planned to charge them when they reached the next major town.

"I agree with Frank" began Max, a year ago she never thought she would every say that, "It's the literal only way we're getting out of...wherever we are" said Max, instinctively looking around the rest area for anyone or anything hanging around.

"Yeah Max is right. Even though I don't see why I can't drive that hunk of metal over there. I'd treat her with respect I promise, befitting of a lady of her...size" joked Chloe, glancing in the direction of Franks RV.

"Not a chance Price. Fine, I'll head out and see what I can find out there. Gotta be some place around here and I'm pretty sure I know what kind of battery the Price-mobile here needs" Frank whistled for Pompidou, who up until this point had been hanging around the outside of the RV.

"Listen, I know you two ladies can take of yourselves and God help the bastard who would even try anything on you two but I'd feel better knowing Pompidou was here too. He's a softy really but he knows how to fight and protect those he cares about" explained Frank.

"Reminds me of someone" smiled Max. Frank rubbed his head, pretending not to know who she was referring to and continued,

"Usually that dog never leaves my side but for you two weirdos I'll make an exception although he may wine a little. Take care of him and make sure nothing happens. Hopefully I won't be gone long" Frank gave a little stroke and hug to Pompidou and began to climb into his RV. Max kept Pompidou busy while Chloe ran over to Frank before he could leave,

"Hey Frank, let me give you some cash for the battery" Chloe said, beginning to grab her wallet.

"No need Chloe. I aint a mushy person but you two pretty much saved me back there. In more than one way. Way I see it, I owe you and Max more than I can ever give back. You're the best of us, both of you. She...would be proud of you, you know that right? Hell...so am I. I got you covered on this one Price" explained Frank, who closed the door and started his engine. Chloe was left stood there, hand in pocket, frozen in place. She hadn't expected that and was very taken aback. That was probably the kindest thing Frank Bowers had ever said to her. And Chloe knew who he meant when he said 'she' would be proud of her. She knew and couldn't help but feel emotional. She had to stop herself from tearing up and smiled as the RV drove away.

"Thanks Frank" she whispered under her breath and walked back to Max and Pompidou. Even Max had overheard the conversation and had to wipe a tear away from her face whilst stroking Pompidou. Wowsers...times had certainly changed.

…

'The darkness has to rise...but the light never lies...we party, we smoke, we drink and we...ALL...RIIIIIISE'

The Firewalk song blared out of the car radio on a super loud volume. Or...it would have if the damn thing worked. Instead, Chloe found herself singing to herself and her wife. She never really thought she had that good of a voice but Max assured her it was the most beautiful sound she ever heard. Chloe responded with saying the most beautiful sound she had ever heard was Max in bed and the two laughed and huddled together.

Frank had been gone for about 30 minutes now and Max, Chloe and Pompidou had resolved to huddling together inside the truck. Both because it was cold and because it was pretty cute. Even Chloe had to admit that. They passed the time just talking and that was enough for them. Max and Chloe spent a long time apart and it was too long. They both spent nearly every minute of every day with eachother but never once got bored of eachothers company. They were literally completely in love. However what Max didn't love was Chloe trying to scare Max with spooky stories as they were currently parked in a rest area late at night. It was cold and a little fog was beginning to set in. Max and Chloe couldn't see much beyond the little rest area. It was only small, a place for drivers to rest a moment before continuing on their journeys. A few lights illuminated what little they could see and all that was, was a wooden bench made out of a log of a fallen tree and a path leading into the deep dark forest. Chloe nudged Max's shoulder and Max looked up to see a wide grin on her wife's face.

"Hey Max" began Chloe,

"Yes Chloe" replied Max, already knowing what was coming.

"Have you heard of the tale of the...phantom punk?"

"No Chloe, I have not"

"Well then spooky-Max, let me enlighten you. There was once a dude...just a regular dude who decided to go on a drive on a cold, foggy night in the middle of nowhere. Suddenly, he heard the ghostly sexy laughter of a young woman. He stopped his car at a rest area just like this one and decided to investigate the spooooooky sound. Suddenly he heard the snap of a twig and looked around and saw...nothing. He went to go back to his car but saw the ghostly visage of punk. Blue hair, chokers and everything. She had a huge smile on her face and she crept up to him, slowly and without saying a word. He tried to back away but she kept getting closer and closer and closer until...BANG! The sound of a camera flash. He turned around to see the Ghost of a young hipster, the lover of the punk ghost who had just captured his soul in that camera of hers forever! He turned around and tried to scream but all he saw was the punks middle finger right in his face. Until..."

Max waited for the inevitable bad joke or pun or….

Chloe went for Max. She grabbed her by shoulders and punched on her. Max was wondering what the fuck was happening until the tickling started. Max tried to get away but Chloe was strong and she had locked the doors.

"Chloe...CHLOE GET OFF! HAHAHA! FUCK…." Max clawed at the window to get out but no matter what Chloe would not relent.

"Nope...no can do Maxi-pad. You're going to have to say the magic word and the curse of the ghost punk will stop" explained Chloe as she increased her tickling assault.

"HAHA...P...P...PLEASE?" asked Max, roaring with laughter.

"Incorrect! Gunna have to try better than that Max" warned Chloe. At this point, Pompidou was jumping all over the place and even on top of Chloe and Max who were rolling around the entire cabin. He barked a few times and even accidentally jumped on the horn a few times.

"HAHA...WHAT...DO...YOU...WANT...FROM...ME HAHA" Max asked, sweating with laughter.

"I want you, Max Price-Caulfield, to swear undying loyalty to me and my bedroom. Say it and I'll let you go" explained Chloe who would not give up.

"O...OKAY...I MAX PRICE-CAUL...HA HA..FIELD SWEAR LOYALTY TO YOU….CHLOE PRICE….HAHAH"

"For how long?"

"FOR...FOR….FOREVER HAHAHA"

"That's more like it" finally, Chloe sat back up and Max fell backwards. She had to take a breath, she laughed so much. The whole ordeal left both women out of breath and with large smiles on their faces. It was rare they had such childish and wholesome fun like this but Max lived for it. To see this funny and carefree side of the woman she had known nearly all her life was amazing and she loved to see it, despite being out of breath and in stitches from laughter. Max took a second to compose herself and made sure Pompidou was okay. She then turned her attention back to her wife,

"You are such a dork, you know that right?"

"Yeah course. But you love me all the more for it. Plus you've now literally just sworn yourself to me forever so sadly you're stuck with me. Bow"

Max playfully nudged Chloe.

"Even if I could bow to you, I wouldn't. Plus, I think I could just about manage to say with your forever Chloe" smiled Max.

"Even if we're stuck in creepy Silent Hill meets Friday the 13th town?"

"Even then. I love you, Chloe Price. Even when you assault me like that" laughed Max.

"Well I'm about to assault your face spooky Max so what do you say to that?"

"I say...bring it on" said Max in her best spooky zombie voice.

Chloe brought her face to Max's and the two embraced into a passionate kiss. Soon, the two lost all sense of time and their surroundings as they locked into pure passion. It was moments like this that they both lived for. They didn't know where the hell they were, neither did they care. They could be in the bowels of Hell itself and they would be fine as long as they had eachother and had their love. And boy, did they deserve it. They had been through so much shit, so much hurt and pain and regret. They had faced time itself and managed to win, avoiding it's fury like a plague. It was them, not only against the world, but against the sands of time and the passing of eternity. By this point, Pompidou had found himself a warm spot bellow and turned in a moment of confusion at the pair of women who were kissing and hugging. He let out a huff and returned to sleep as the two lovers embraced their love.

Max and Chloe were so into it, neither of them noticed the car that had just parked a little down the road by the entrance to the rest area with the headlights on full. Max was the first one to notice the bright glint of headlights in the wing mirror. She stopped suddenly and brought herself out of her romantic trance and nodded towards the wing mirror. Chloe looked confused for a second but glanced towards the mirror and saw exactly what Max had seen. Then the headlights went off and both women heard a door open and then suddenly shut.

"What are the chances that's not Michael fucking Myers and just some concerned citizen?" whispered Chloe.

"About as much as you'd think. What the fuck do we do Chloe?" asked Max, beginning to sweat a little.

Pompidou even noticed the sound of the door closing and was now in full alert mode, looking at the window of the truck. He was ready. Max glanced over to the dog and saw a look of pure concentration. That dog was ready to pounce if needed and protect Max and Chloe with everything he had if needed. Frank was right, Pompidou was a very loyal pet.

"I don't know Max. We know it's not Frank and...well that's about all the fuck we know. It might be just some random dude. Don't panic okay Max. You have me and Pompidou here. What could go wrong?" Chloe reassured Max but Max could hear a slight hint of fear in her voice. This was a damn scary situation. At this point, Max and Chloe realised they still held onto eachother in an embrace so pulled away and sat straight up but remained hand in hand.

The sound of footsteps and the light of a torch began to get closer. Pompidou emitted a low almost growl as the slightly large figure came closer to the window, on Max's side. Chloe gripped Max's hand a little tighter and threw a reassured glance towards her wife. The figure was close now and was almost at the window itself. Before whoever it was got to the window, Max and Chloe heard a warm, young sounding man's voice all out the question;

"Excuse me? Is anyone in there? I heard the sound of the horn a few times when I was driving down the road a ways. Couldn't very well keep driving if someone was hurt so I thought I'd see. Don't worry I'm not some creep or anything" he assured them.

Neither Max or Chloe could see the man but they could hear him alright. It was a very soft voice but loud as well and almost soothing in nature. It was the kind of voice you would expect a teacher to have when reassuring a crying child. Max looked over at Chloe and she nodded back. Max didn't 100% know if this was the right idea but she trusted her wife and she trusted Pompidou to protect them if the man was some kind of threat but even the dog himself seemed to settle down a little when hearing the voice of the man. Max slowly opened the door and got out as Chloe did the same on her own side. As soon as she got out, she glanced over to the source of the voice and finally saw the man. Max was sure she hadn't seen the man before but she had to admit, he looked harmless enough.

The man standing in front of them was on the larger side but not too big overall. He had longish brown hair and a large brown beard that covered his full chin region. He had think black glasses in front of a pair of warm brown eyes and wore a redish-brown hoodie above some kind of band T-shirt that Max didn't recognise.

"Hi" said the man, somewhat awkwardly.

"Uhh, hi dude" replied Chloe.

There was a moment of awkward silence between the three before Pompidou ran out of the truck and darted towards the man. For a moment, Max thought Pompidou was genuinely about to attack the man but was surprised when the only thing the dog did was sniff the man for a moment, seemed to have a think to himself and then proceeded to wag his tail and rub against the man's trousers.

"Oh, hey there buddy. You seem like a lovely boy" said the man, bending down to stroke the dogs belly.

Again Max glanced over to her wife who seemed equally as surprised as herself. Chloe then beckoned for Pompidou to come back to her,

"Pompidou, get back here boy. Sorry about him dude, he's a curious boy" she explained as Pompidou reluctantly trudged back towards the pair.

"No worries. He's a cute dog, I don't mind. Like I said, I'm not a creep. I heard the sound of the horn and was worried someone might be in some kind of trouble" he explained.

"That's okay" said Max, deciding to join the conversation. "Pompidou is a good judge of character and he seemed to take to you". It was true, Pompidou could tell if someone was a threat or if they were a good person.

"I have strange way with dogs. Comes with the territory of travelling everywhere. That's life on the road for you. So can I ask you something? What exactly are the two of you doing? I'm not cop or ranger but this doesn't seem like an ideal vacation spot, at least nor for me anyway" said the man.

"Actually we're kind of in the same boat" began Chloe, "We're on a road trip for our honeymoon and my truck kinda...chucked a fit and broke down. A guy we're travelling with went to find some help to get a new battery so we're waiting on him"

The man looked at Chloe and then to Max and back again. He then smiled a wide and warm grin.

"Fellow travellers then. Let me tell you, it is good to see you. Seriously! I'll explain in a second but I think you two may have actually saved me" said the man, sounding genuinely happy.

Max and Chloe both looked at the man in complete confusion, who the hell was this guy? What did he mean they saved him. Before Max or Chloe could respond, the man launched into an explanation,

"Let me explain, if you don't mind. I know this is weird and bizarre but I have this rule. My main rule. Never get cynical. I travel for a living and if you let cynicism get the better of you, you become hollow. A shadow or someone with no soul. That's something I promised to myself at the very beginning of my journey. I've been on the road a long time now and this past few months have been...hard. I was in danger of breaking my main rule and becoming like my family but I think finding you two, new travellers on a romantic trip around this country, is exactly what I need. I have water and a few snacks in my car if you ladies are hungry or something whilst you wait for your friend and maybe I could like, call someone or something and if I can be bold just for a second, can I just ask you a few questions about your travels. I run a blog see and it might make a decent article. What do you say?" he asked, sounding like a kid in a candy store.

Chloe starred at the man for a second. She couldn't deny this was a weird situation. This dude comes out of nowhere, looking like a university lecturer, and claims to be someone who travels for a living and was offering them food and drink to do some kind of interview for a blog. Plus he was claiming her and Max had saved him just by...being here. It was hella fucking strange but Chloe had a rare good feeling about this guy. He seemed genuine and Pompidou seemed to instantly take to him. He didn't look like he was trouble and Chloe was confident her and Max could take him in the event of trouble. She looked over to Max to gauge her reaction and she could tell she was thinking on the same lines. Chloe shrugged towards Max as if saying 'it's up to you'. Max also had a good feeling about this guy, he seemed like a nice man. Plus she was a little hungry and she was interested about his blog as well.

"You know what? Sure. It'll be good to talk to someone who travels allot"

The man looked like he had just found gold in a cave.

"Wow thanks! This is great, really great honestly. Let me just get my laptop from my car so I can write a few things and the snacks of course" he replied turning to head back to his car.

"Wait a second man" said Chloe. The man turned around, just before opening the car door, "I'm Chloe Price-Caulfield and this is Max, my wife" she introduced them. The man smiled back and replied,

"His Max...Chloe. My name is Brody. Brody Holloway. And it's nice to meet both of you"

With that, the man named Brody walked to his car and grabbed his laptop. Max and Chloe shrugged at eachother and waited for him to fetch his laptop.