Chapter 12: Wait and Bleed
Chloe and Joyce waited for Max as she walked back in. Joyce sat next to Chloe, her hand rubbing Chloe's back as Chloe just sat, staring at her untouched plate. It took everything Max had just to face David and set into motion everything that needed to happen to put a stop to Jefferson before anyone else got hurt. Now, she felt like a death row inmate as she shuffled toward the table and the full plate sitting across from Chloe.
Head kept low, Max sat at her place. The courage to speak never manifested, leaving Max little else to do other than pick at her food. A suffocating silence set in. Though she dared not look up, Max knew full well that both Chloe and Joyce were staring at her, silently demanding to know the truth. The truth that would further wreck Chloe's world and send her on a murderous rampage.
"Max," Joyce finally spoke up, "what is all this about? You said that… that poor Rachel…"
"She's gone," Max said. This was exactly the conversation she'd been dreading. Chloe deserved to know. Joyce did, too. But if so much as a whisper got out about who was responsible, there would be no stopping Chloe from getting herself into another dangerous situation. Max couldn't let that happen.
The memory of the bullet tearing through Chloe's skull flashed through Max's mind.
She wouldn't let it happen. Not again.
Joyce reached across the table, putting her hand on Max's. "What happened to her?"
Max shook her head. "I… I want to say more, but things are really dangerous right now." Pulling back, Max withdrew her hand. "I'm sorry."
Chloe's hands slammed into the table, making both Max and Joyce jump. "The fuck, Max? You told me that you'd tell me everything!"
"And I will!" Max replied, looking down at her barely-touched plate. "Just… I can't right now. I promise Rachel will get justice soon. It's just too dangerous right now."
"Justice," Chloe repeated, her fists clenched tightly enough for her knuckles to turn white. "So she… she was murdered."
Max nodded, owning up to her slip. "Yes, by very dangerous and powerful people. I'll make sure they pay, Chloe. You trust me, right?"
"I do." Chloe slapped her hands on the table as she stood. "But apparently you don't fucking trust me."
"Chloe!" Max called out as Chloe stormed off. Pushing the chair away from the table, Max stood and started after Chloe. "Wait! I'm sorry!"
Chloe led Max upstairs and into her room. Knowing Max was after her, she sat at the edge of the bed and waited. As soon as Max closed the door behind her, Chloe started shouting, "The fuck, Max? I thought we were in this together?"
"We are, Chloe," Max replied. "I promise."
"The hell we are," Chloe retorted, getting to her feet. "From where I'm standing, you're just telling me shit when it's convenient for you. I deserve to know what happened to Rachel!" She stormed over to her desk and grabbed the stack of missing person fliers before throwing them at Max, sending a storm of loose paper that scattered well before it could hit Max. "I was the only one still looking for her! Fucking everyone, everyone gave up on her! Her own goddamn parents stopped looking!"
"You're right," Max replied, her voice cracking as tears slipped free. She clumsily swept them from her cheeks with a hand. "You deserve to know more than anyone. You really do. And I promise I'll tell you everything just as soon as it's safe. But I…"
"But what, Max? Huh?" Chloe bit back. Righteous anger tore through her as she clenched her fists tight. "You can't trust me? Did you ever?"
Max shook her head as more tears slipped free. "That's not fair! I just… I've seen how this turns out, Chloe! And I can't! I can't watch you die again!"
That gave Chloe pause, but it couldn't stop the undercurrent of fiery rage pulling her along. "Don't you try to pull that precognizant bullshit on me! I don't care if you do know what's coming! I deserve to know, and there's no way that just knowing puts anyone in danger!"
Max didn't respond.
"So what the fuck is this, then? Huh, Max?" Chloe pressed, closing the distance between them. "Talk to me!" Chloe put a hand on Max's shoulder, and she jerked away, tumbling back and hitting the wall before collapsing in a heap.
I barely touched her! The fuck?
"Shit, Max?" Chloe bent down, and she saw that Max's eyes were unfocused and she was breathing deep, uneven breaths. She was having another episode. Clenching her jaw tight, Chloe tired to choke down her fury.
"Max? Max, can you hear me?" Chloe asked, making her voice as soft and motherly as she could manage. Max didn't even budge. It was like she didn't hear it at all. Chloe crouched down by her and tried to wrap her up in a hug. The instant her fingertips brushed against the smaller girl, she tried to twist away, burying herself in the corner.
Chloe clenched her fists, seeing Max curled up in the corner, rocking back forth. She was broken. In just a week, something, someone broke her. And Chloe couldn't do anything to help her. "Fuck!" she shouted. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"
Since Max wouldn't let her touch her, Chloe sat on her bed, watching Max's horrified expression as she seethed. That thing that did this to Max had to be the same one that killed Rachel. Chloe didn't give a shit if that had Max terrified. She wasn't afraid. She was pissed.
I'll avenge you. Avenge Rachel. Just fucking talk to me, Max!
Shooting to her feet, Chloe paced back and forth. She'd storm off to try to find her own answers, if not for the fact that she couldn't pry herself away from Max. She may not have been any use to her, but like hell would she ever abandon her. Max would snap out of it soon, right?
What the fuck am I supposed to do?
In the end, Chloe just sat down on the floor in front of Max. As much as she wanted to reach out to Max, Chloe just knew it would make shit worse again. The seconds ticked by like hours, and just as Chloe started to consider going to get her mom for help, Max started to calm down.
This time when Chloe reached out, Max latched on, practically launching herself into Chloe's arms. Chloe wrapped her arms around the smaller girl. "You scared the shit out of me," Chloe said, her voice quiet and calm.
"S-sorry," Max muttered, burying her face in Chloe's shoulder. "Sorry."
Chloe sighed, failing to will away her anger. "You're not gonna fucking tell me about Rachel, are you?"
"I will, Chloe. I promise," Max said, clutching Chloe tighter. "Please believe me that this is for the best. I hate not telling you and I hate that I'm hurting you. But… please…"
"Damn it, Max," Chloe growled. "I'll give you twenty-four hours. Not a minute more."
Max nodded. "I hope it doesn't take that long. It'll be more like half a day. I swear."
Chloe pulled back. "She'll get justice? Whoever the fuck k-killed her will pay?"
Following Chloe's lead, Max let go and looked up into Chloe's eyes. "Not the justice you're looking for," she said, giving a shake of her head. "No more bloodshed. No one else has to die."
"Like Rachel deserved to die?" Chloe bit back.
"No one deserves to die, Chloe," Max replied, her voice resolute. "Not Rachel, not your dad… not you."
Chloe shot to her feet, glaring down at Max. "What about the ones responsible for all that? Shouldn't they die? Pay for what they did?" She paced away from Max leaning over on her desk. "Do you know how many times I dreamed, I fucking fantasized about what I would do to that motherfucker that killed dad?"
Max dragged herself to her feet. "Do you even hear yourself? How will more pain and suffering wash away yours? Theirs?"
"You don't know how this feels! Their pain will wash mine away!" Chloe barked back, turning around and leaning back on her desk.
"No," Max said, her gaze falling to her feet as she clenched her fists. "You're wrong."
"The hell I am!" Chloe crossed her arms over her chest.
"You're wrong!" Max shouted, looking back up with tears running down her cheeks. "I watched him get executed! The same one who killed Rachel! Killed you! Killed Victoria and Nathan! I watched him die and I didn't feel better! It just felt so much worse!" Sobbing, she shook her head. "You're wrong."
Kicking herself again, Chloe walked back over to Max and opened her arms. Without a moment's hesitation, Max stepped right into Chloe's embrace. "You're not me, Max," Chloe whispered as she rubbed Max's back. "You're better than me. See, I'm just a petty bitch, and nothing would make me happier than to see that guy die. Painfully. Slowly."
"No," Max shook her head as she clutched Chloe tightly. "You've never seen someone tortured. Killed. It's awful. You'd hate it, too. I know you."
"You really think that?"
"I know it, Chloe… You… once, you killed Frank. Shot him," Max said, giving her head a little shake. "You hated his guts at the time, but you were devastated at what you did! I-I had to rewind it."
"Fuck," Chloe muttered, turning around as she ran a hand through her still-damp hair. "Fuck!" A hasty gulp of air in and out did little to break the pressure crushing her chest. "How? When?" She spun back around to face Max. "Did this already happen or…?"
Max's head tilted a bit to the side before lowering. "T-tomorrow, actually." She looked back up, eyes burning with determination. "But that's not gonna happen this time!"
Chloe nodded, running a hand across her mouth. Then she swung that arm out toward Max. "You took the gun."
"That's not why I took it…" Max replied, holding her arm with a hand. "But, yeah."
Chloe sighed. Just when the shit starts to make sense, Max reveals the rabbit hole to be ever deeper and more convoluted. "Fine, Max. Whatever." Chloe sat back down onto her bed. "So, what do we do now?"
Max went over to the old desk in the corner, pulling free the cash we stole from Blackhell. It took her a minute to count out some amount, before taking the rest and stowing it in her camera bag. "We pay your debt and go get Kate. There's not much time before the storm hits."
Chloe stood. "Then why the fuck are we paying Frank? Let's just keep the dough. You said it yourself that the storm's gonna destroy everything anyway."
"I'm not going to let anyone die," Max said, her voice firm as she stared back at Chloe with an unwavering determination in her eyes. "Not if I can help it."
Max forced herself to shake away the eerie sense of familiarity as she and Chloe got out of her truck down by the beach. Frank's RV was in the same damn spot and everything. Though the whales hadn't started beaching themselves just yet. Those poor whales. There was nothing Max could do to spare their lives.
With a sigh, Max tried to force her thoughts back to the matter at hand. "Okay, so we pay Frank off, and we leave. Do not try to confront him, okay?"
"You got it, Boss Lady," Chloe replied, as she walked in step with Max, her hands in her pockets.
Things started down a very different path as they rounded the RV. There, Frank sat in his chair, with a beer in one hand, scratching Pompidou's head with the other. He frowned as soon as he saw us, and Pompidou started to growl. Chloe and Max froze, no daring to step closer.
Frank stood, stepping in front of Pompidou. "You got my money?"
Max reached into her bag, pulling out the envelope stuffed with three grand. "Here," she muttered, holding the envelope toward Frank.
He gave a little nod as his eyes fixated on the envelope. Reaching out, he took it from Max before counting out the bills inside. Once he finished, he looked up as he stuffed the whole thing in his pocket. "All right. We're square, Price." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Now, I don't ever want to see your faces again."
"Fucking suits us just fine," Chloe said, turning to leave.
Max stood firm. "Wait. I just…" Max went back into her bag. The moment she did, Frank pulled out his knife as Pompidou started growling. "Easy. I'm unarmed, I promise." Max slowly pulled her hand free, holding out several twenties toward Frank. "I want some Xanax, and weed for Chloe."
"No. Fucking. Way," Frank ground out as he slowly put the knife away. He then pointed at each girl in turn. "I'm done with the two of you. Especially you. You tried to fucking shoot me."
"Well, at least I didn't," Max replied, sending a glance Chloe's way. Chloe held up her hands, staring back at Max with wide eyes. "Look, just hook us up and you'll never have to hear from us again if that's what you really want."
"Fuck you," Frank said, roughly slapping Max's handful of cash away.
Max put the money back into her bag. "Suit yourself." Holding out a hand, Max pulled on time. Instead of taking herself backward, she ground time to a halt, freezing everything in place. Though it didn't end up revealing any good information on how to stop the storm, practicing her abilities with Kate and Warren did at least teach Max a little more about how to control her power, even if it wasn't any stronger.
It only took her a couple of minutes to find a bottle of pills that looked just like the ones Frank gave her in the previous timeline. She also swiped one of the canning jars of marijuana for Chloe, stowing both in her bag. Returning to her previous spot, Max reversed time just a bit to find her phantom so she could reassume her pose. Time drifted back until just before phantom Max held out her hand, then Max fell into her doppelganger's position, feeling herself click in place like a magnet, before releasing time.
As far as the universe was concerned, nothing happened. "You had your chance, Frank." Max grabbed Chloe's hand, pulling her away. Once they had a good amount of distance between them and Frank, Max called back over her shoulder, "Don't come asking me for information when the shit with Rachel hits the fan, either!"
Her courage dissipated, she practically ran back to the truck with Chloe. Once she was safely in the truck and threw her seatbelt on, Max turned to find Chloe glaring back at her.
"The fuck was that last bit about Rachel?" Chloe demanded.
Max sighed, hugging herself as she looked away from Chloe. "He cared for her, you know." Sensing the conversation going south, Max dug out the bottle of Xanax from her bag. Her fingers plucked a single tablet free, bringing it to her lips for her to bite off a section.
"The fuck is that?"
"Xanax," Max simply replied as she replaced the bottle. "I gave Frank the opportunity to sell it to us. He declined, so…"
"Holy shit, Max. When did you…? How?"
Shaking her head, she dodged the question, "They help with the episodes." Then, Max pulled out the sealed jar of weed. "This helps you, too, right?"
"Is that what I think it is?" Chloe reached up, pulling the giant jar closer. "I can't believe you snagged this shit!" Too big to fit in the glovebox, Chloe set the jar down in the floorboards on Max's side. She smiled back at Max, sending her heart aflutter. "Dude, I kind of thought you were against my medicating."
Max shrank in on herself as she looked away. "We… we're wounded, Chloe. Until we can find a way to really let those wounds heal, we need… bandages." She sighed, daring to glance back at Chloe. "As long as we can throw them off when we don't need them anymore… I mean, we need them, right?"
Chloe nodded. "Yeah, Max," she muttered, her voice quiet and tired.
"Chloe," Max replied. She worried the zipper on her hoodie as she sighed. "There… there's some more I have to tell you. About Rachel."
Chloe closed her eyes and she gripped the wheel with a white-knuckled grasp. "H-hit me with it."
"Maybe, I mean…" Max's gaze fell toward the jar in the floor by her feet. "Would it be better if you 'medicated,' first?"
"Best fucking idea I've heard today." Leaning over, Chloe opened the glovebox. A few moments of rummaging around and Chloe exclaimed an "Ah-ha!" as she plucked free a half-used joint. Placing it in her lips, she lit it up and started the truck.