Chapter 9

Max opened her eyes groggily to Chloe shaking her awake desperately. She sat up, almost butting heads with the taller girl who'd been hunched over her prone form. She instantly knew Chloe had left herself vulnerable but also knew she wouldn't care. She had a heart of gold and Max had faith that her own wife wouldn't have left her in a dangerous situation. If those things had shown up, she knew Chloe would have dragged her out of there. The lights were still on. Just. They were safe for now.

"Max, thank god!" Chloe wrapped her into a bear hug as the smaller brunette looked around to try and get her bearings on where they were. "You were dug in like a tick there!"

"How did we get out?" Max asked as she rubbed her eyes and tried to stand up. The world started to go sideways and Chloe was instantly there to catch her. She eased her back down into a sitting position and made sure she was okay, holding her close to let her know it was okay to take their time.

"That guy in the well? From what he said I think his wife might have created this hell to punish the greedy. He may not know that, but it's the only explanation for how they've got the power they have in here. The only thing I can come up with is that he somehow teleported us out of there or some shit like that. If he can rip your power out of me and put it back into you, it's not that far-fetched. Just take your time. We have plenty of it. It was a bit rough for me when I woke up too. We should have a couple hours at best before those lights go out properly."

"Okay." Max nodded as she moved her legs to try and get some blood back into them. She had pins and needles from lying still for too long and it had made her legs feel rubbery. "Still, that doesn't answer the question of how we get out of here." Wordlessly, Chloe held up the set of keys that the figure from the well had given her. Max didn't bother asking where she'd got them from. She was pretty sure she could guess. And even if she was wrong, she chose to just be glad Chloe had them rather than suspicious of how.

"I don't know what they're for." Chloe admitted. "But if it's got four wheels and an engine, we can get out of here. When Vanessa transfers the money, we can go to another town to stock up. We hit plenty on the way here and we'll get what we need as we make a break for home."

"Sounds like a plan." Max nodded. She went to stand up again and Chloe moved in to support her. Max felt her loop a hand under one arm to haul her to her feet and allow her to lean on her until she was stronger. "Let's head to the map again. I remember seeing a parking lot marked on there. That's the best place to start searching since the fog stops us getting to the service station." Chloe nodded and the two of them pressed on. They walked towards the main square again and were about to step out onto the street when Max had to pull Chloe back and motion to her to get into cover. They dove behind a nearby bush as a patrol of hooded figures moved past them. They were walking down the street despite the lights just about still being on. At their head was another figure who was different from the others. She was slender but with somehow even more of an air of menace. It was like she radiated a dark light around her. Her feet rested a few inches above the ground as she glided over the sidewalk with a sinister and dangerous level of grace.

"That's gotta be her." Chloe whispered as the group passed them and they judged it to be safe to step out. "She's got to be the one the guy in the well mentioned. He wished she had eternal life and she hates him for it."

"I remember him saying." Max nodded. "But how can we do anything about that?"

"I don't know." Chloe mused thoughtfully. "Let's just get some wheels and see what we can do after that, 'kay?"

"You're just desperate to get something to drive again, aren't you?" Max sighed as they started towards the square again as she tried to remember where the map was.

"Hella desperate." Chloe nodded eagerly. Max looped a comforting arm around her in the hopes it might stop Chloe getting eager enough to attract unwanted attention in the process of finding the car they'd be driving out of the town. It had a limited effect since Chloe was way too hyper to properly focus on anything other than getting behind a wheel and trying to bust out of this crazy nightmare they'd found themselves in.

The main square was empty when they got there, but the shadows were getting braver. Even though the lights were still on, it was dim enough that they seemed able to quickly pass through, just like they'd done earlier. They didn't have to speak to know that the decision to not outstay their welcome was pretty much unanimous. They darted out into the open and found the map on the stand near the fountain. They had to stand off to the side this time because the light was so dim. They knew they'd have to hurry. Any more of this and they'd never be able to see what they were doing. Luckily the icon for the parking lot was clearly visible and the town was pretty simply laid out. They knew exactly where to go from just a basic look.

"Come on!" Chloe hissed, unable to hide the hyperactive excited tone in her voice as she grabbed Max by the hand and dragged her in the direction they needed to go. At that moment, she also forgot to keep her voice down. "God I can't wait to get out of here! We'll help out the guy in the well if we can but if not we just boost a ride and fuck off! That's an absolute priority one-" Chloe was cut off abruptly as her hand was torn from Max's. There was a flash of blue in the brunette's eyeline accompanied by a horrid empty thud as Chloe's head hit the floor and went bouncing as her body hit the floor. The figure that had attacked them then lunged at Max, the sickle in his hand gleaming brightly in the overhead lights. The last thing Max saw was his empty eyes devoid of all humanity as she raised her hand on reflex. Instantly he did the classic running moonwalk back to where he'd come from as Chloe's head bounced back in the direction it had rolled before jumping up and reattaching to her neck as her body rose up like a puppet on a string. Max cut her rewind as the taller girl retraced her last few steps, picking her moment perfectly.

"Chloe, get down!" Chloe ducked in time as the sickle blade took her beanie clean off. Rage burning through her, she tackled him before twisting the sickle out of his hand and clubbing him with the butt of it. As he hit the deck like a sack of dog food, Chloe threw the weapon as hard as she could in a random direction. She grabbed Max's hand again and pulled her down one of the side alleys so that they could catch their breath.

"Holy fuck!" Chloe panted. "God, that was unreal! That fucker could've hella killed me!" Max didn't say anything. She couldn't bring herself to say anything. She couldn't find the words. "Max?" Chloe's expression softened as a note of fear crept into her tone. "It didn't kill me, did it?" Max just nodded mutely. The two of them stared dumbly at each other for a few seconds before Max doubled over and threw up. Chloe reached over and quickly held Max's hair back. In the back of her mind, Max resolved she was going to get it cut as soon as she could. Eventually she was able to straighten up and look at Chloe again, burying her head in the taller girl's shoulder and resting a hand against her chest. The feel of her heartbeat through her clothes reassured her that she was actually still there and she clung to that like the last port in a storm in that moment.

"Chloe..." Max gasped hoarsely as the taller girl held her close. Chloe just rested her head on the top of Max's and gently ran her hands through the shorter girl's hair until she relaxed a bit and started to regain her composure.

"You can talk it through with me later, Max." Chloe said firmly. "We can focus on it when we know we're safe, okay?" Max nodded, gripping Chloe's hand firmly to reassure herself that she was actually there and alive. Together, they turned back to what they were doing. The parking lot wasn't far and the plan still stood: get whatever car those keys opened and get the hell out. And if they could help out on the way then so be it.

Author's Note: This chapter is a bit shorter than usual but it was a necessary stepping stone into the final act of this story. I've been a bit busy lately so I'll be taking the next couple of days off to work on projects and get back to the progress level I should be at. I'll be updating again soon. In the meantime, please feel free to leave a review. Your support is what inspires me to keep writing.