PART 3
Max and Liz were walking around the fairgrounds together. They told themselves they were looking for Isabel, but they both knew they were enjoying each other's company.
"Ooh, look, The Ferris wheel. I remember when I was little, my dad used to take me to a little park near our house. There was a miniature Ferris wheel that I always used to ride. Ever since then, the Ferris wheel has been my favorite," Liz told Max, happily.
" Well, do you wanna go on?" Max asked.
"Oh, I..." Liz began.
"No, really. Let's go on," Max said.
"Well, fine. I mean, if you really want to," Liz agreed.
"I do," Max answered. The two of them forgot their search for Isabel and walked towards the brightly lit Ferris wheel. As they stood on line they got to talk, more than they had in a long time. It felt good. Finally it was their turn. Before Liz could pull her tickets out from her back pocket, Max paid for her too.
"You didn't have to do that," Liz told him.
"Sure I did. It was the friendly thing to do," Max said.
"Whatever," Liz laughed. They climbed into the Ferris wheel and waited for the next people to get in. Soon they were at the top. Liz looked out around her. It was beautiful. She could see all the people at the fair. She could look at all the people on the roller coasters; watch all the couples that were holding hands. She could even see the Crashdown. She wondered if Maria and Brody were still inside. They probably were. Those two could talk for almost as long as Liz and Maria themselves. As Max and Liz's compartment came down again, Liz focused on Max.
"Isn't it beautiful up there? You feel like you are the center of the universe, looking down on all the people…its such a strange feeling," Liz said.
"I know what you mean," Max replied. Finally the ride started and Liz took Max's hand. He looked at her quizzically, but all she did was smile. Just when the ride started to go really fast, the ground shook. All the lights went out and the ride twisted out of control. Max pulled Liz into his arms, protecting her. Their cart sped off the track and was hanging by a single thick wire.
"Oh my God, Max. What's happening?" Liz whimpered, holding onto him as tightly as she could.
"Shh, it's okay. It'll be okay," Max whispered into her ear. Soon the earthquake stopped, and all seemed quiet again. Then, all of a sudden there was a great tremor and the cart behind theirs careened off the track. "Liz get down!" Max shouted. He let go of her and she got to the bottom of the cart. She pulled at his arm motioning him to get down too, but it was too late. The other cart swung into theirs, hitting Max directly in the back of the head.
"No! Max!" Liz screamed, "No, please! Max…" Liz was sobbing. She pulled him down into the bottom of their cart and looked at the back of his head. It was a deep wound, and it was bleeding badly. She took him into her arms and began to stroke his head. Her tears flowed off her face and onto Max's shirt.
"Please be okay," She whispered.
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Michael was walking through the fairgrounds looking for any sign of Maria or Liz. So far he hadn't seen either one of them. He felt perfectly fine, there were no side effects from when he had been drunk, no headache or hangover symptoms, he didn't even have any recollection of being drunk at all. Michael continued through the crowds. All of a sudden the ground gave a terrible shake.
*Oh shit,* Michael thought, *I'm at a fair in the middle of an earthquake. My pregnant girlfriend could be anywhere, and all my friends could be in mortal danger. This is turning out to be a really great night!* Michael ran to the nearest restaurant and stood in the doorway until the earthquake was over. He vaguely remembered something about follow up tremors, but he didn't give it a second thought. He ran towards the place where he had last seen Maria, the Ferris wheel. People all around him were screaming, and it was pitch black outside. The fairgrounds where chaotic, but Michael was determined to find Maria. He shouted her name as loudly as he could.
"Maria! Maria where are you?" Michael yelled, uselessly. Up in the Ferris wheel, Liz thought she heard someone calling Maria's name.
* That's Michael! I bet he's looking for Maria!* Liz thought. She stood up very carefully. The cart shook, but it was stable.
"Michael! Michael, up here!" Liz yelled.
"Liz?" Michael questioned. He looked up.
"Michael!" Liz screamed, waving enthusiastically.
"Are you okay? Is Maria with you?" Michael shouted up at her.
"I'm fine, but Max is hurt! He's unconscious, and he's bleeding really bad!" Liz told Michael.
"Okay! I'm gonna try and get you down!" Michael called. Luckily most of the people that had been on the Ferris wheel had gotten out somehow, or were in no condition to notice anything out of the ordinary. All of the fair-goers were also gone, the place was deserted. Michael assumed they were too scared to stay. He ran over to the power box that controlled the Ferris wheel. He used his powers to start it again, carefully watching Liz's cart to make sure it didn't fall. Once he had gotten it about ten feet from the ground, he slowed it down and it stopped at about five feet. Michael ran over to Liz and helped her get Max out of the cart. Then Michael helped Liz out of the cart as well.
"Liz, do you know where Maria is?" Michael asked.
"Last I saw her she was on her way to the Crashdown with Brody," Liz replied.
"Thanks. Oh, do you think you can get him to the hospital? The jeep is over there, here's the keys." Michael said, finding the keys in Max's back pocket. He tossed them to Liz and began to run towards town.
"Yeah, thanks to you too!" Liz called after him, exasperated. Once Michael was gone, Liz had no choice but to drag Max to the jeep. When she finally got him in the car she made sure he was still okay and climbed into the front seat. Liz started the car and sped towards the hospital, breaking more speeding laws than she cared to think about.
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Maria walked into the UFO Center. No one was there. She decided to wait for the attendant to come back, and she looked at the t-shirts while she did so. After a while she got sick of waiting and decided to come back later. She still needed to ask Brody a few things. She walked towards the exit, but stopped when she felt the ground move. The sudden earthquake caught her off guard and she fell to the ground. Maria tried to get back up again, but she had broken her ankle in the fall, and she couldn't stand. Maria pulled herself towards the stairs with her arms, but a tremor quickly followed the earthquake and one of the ceiling beams came crashing down, right on top of her.
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Max and Liz were walking around the fairgrounds together. They told themselves they were looking for Isabel, but they both knew they were enjoying each other's company.
"Ooh, look, The Ferris wheel. I remember when I was little, my dad used to take me to a little park near our house. There was a miniature Ferris wheel that I always used to ride. Ever since then, the Ferris wheel has been my favorite," Liz told Max, happily.
" Well, do you wanna go on?" Max asked.
"Oh, I..." Liz began.
"No, really. Let's go on," Max said.
"Well, fine. I mean, if you really want to," Liz agreed.
"I do," Max answered. The two of them forgot their search for Isabel and walked towards the brightly lit Ferris wheel. As they stood on line they got to talk, more than they had in a long time. It felt good. Finally it was their turn. Before Liz could pull her tickets out from her back pocket, Max paid for her too.
"You didn't have to do that," Liz told him.
"Sure I did. It was the friendly thing to do," Max said.
"Whatever," Liz laughed. They climbed into the Ferris wheel and waited for the next people to get in. Soon they were at the top. Liz looked out around her. It was beautiful. She could see all the people at the fair. She could look at all the people on the roller coasters; watch all the couples that were holding hands. She could even see the Crashdown. She wondered if Maria and Brody were still inside. They probably were. Those two could talk for almost as long as Liz and Maria themselves. As Max and Liz's compartment came down again, Liz focused on Max.
"Isn't it beautiful up there? You feel like you are the center of the universe, looking down on all the people…its such a strange feeling," Liz said.
"I know what you mean," Max replied. Finally the ride started and Liz took Max's hand. He looked at her quizzically, but all she did was smile. Just when the ride started to go really fast, the ground shook. All the lights went out and the ride twisted out of control. Max pulled Liz into his arms, protecting her. Their cart sped off the track and was hanging by a single thick wire.
"Oh my God, Max. What's happening?" Liz whimpered, holding onto him as tightly as she could.
"Shh, it's okay. It'll be okay," Max whispered into her ear. Soon the earthquake stopped, and all seemed quiet again. Then, all of a sudden there was a great tremor and the cart behind theirs careened off the track. "Liz get down!" Max shouted. He let go of her and she got to the bottom of the cart. She pulled at his arm motioning him to get down too, but it was too late. The other cart swung into theirs, hitting Max directly in the back of the head.
"No! Max!" Liz screamed, "No, please! Max…" Liz was sobbing. She pulled him down into the bottom of their cart and looked at the back of his head. It was a deep wound, and it was bleeding badly. She took him into her arms and began to stroke his head. Her tears flowed off her face and onto Max's shirt.
"Please be okay," She whispered.
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Michael was walking through the fairgrounds looking for any sign of Maria or Liz. So far he hadn't seen either one of them. He felt perfectly fine, there were no side effects from when he had been drunk, no headache or hangover symptoms, he didn't even have any recollection of being drunk at all. Michael continued through the crowds. All of a sudden the ground gave a terrible shake.
*Oh shit,* Michael thought, *I'm at a fair in the middle of an earthquake. My pregnant girlfriend could be anywhere, and all my friends could be in mortal danger. This is turning out to be a really great night!* Michael ran to the nearest restaurant and stood in the doorway until the earthquake was over. He vaguely remembered something about follow up tremors, but he didn't give it a second thought. He ran towards the place where he had last seen Maria, the Ferris wheel. People all around him were screaming, and it was pitch black outside. The fairgrounds where chaotic, but Michael was determined to find Maria. He shouted her name as loudly as he could.
"Maria! Maria where are you?" Michael yelled, uselessly. Up in the Ferris wheel, Liz thought she heard someone calling Maria's name.
* That's Michael! I bet he's looking for Maria!* Liz thought. She stood up very carefully. The cart shook, but it was stable.
"Michael! Michael, up here!" Liz yelled.
"Liz?" Michael questioned. He looked up.
"Michael!" Liz screamed, waving enthusiastically.
"Are you okay? Is Maria with you?" Michael shouted up at her.
"I'm fine, but Max is hurt! He's unconscious, and he's bleeding really bad!" Liz told Michael.
"Okay! I'm gonna try and get you down!" Michael called. Luckily most of the people that had been on the Ferris wheel had gotten out somehow, or were in no condition to notice anything out of the ordinary. All of the fair-goers were also gone, the place was deserted. Michael assumed they were too scared to stay. He ran over to the power box that controlled the Ferris wheel. He used his powers to start it again, carefully watching Liz's cart to make sure it didn't fall. Once he had gotten it about ten feet from the ground, he slowed it down and it stopped at about five feet. Michael ran over to Liz and helped her get Max out of the cart. Then Michael helped Liz out of the cart as well.
"Liz, do you know where Maria is?" Michael asked.
"Last I saw her she was on her way to the Crashdown with Brody," Liz replied.
"Thanks. Oh, do you think you can get him to the hospital? The jeep is over there, here's the keys." Michael said, finding the keys in Max's back pocket. He tossed them to Liz and began to run towards town.
"Yeah, thanks to you too!" Liz called after him, exasperated. Once Michael was gone, Liz had no choice but to drag Max to the jeep. When she finally got him in the car she made sure he was still okay and climbed into the front seat. Liz started the car and sped towards the hospital, breaking more speeding laws than she cared to think about.
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Maria walked into the UFO Center. No one was there. She decided to wait for the attendant to come back, and she looked at the t-shirts while she did so. After a while she got sick of waiting and decided to come back later. She still needed to ask Brody a few things. She walked towards the exit, but stopped when she felt the ground move. The sudden earthquake caught her off guard and she fell to the ground. Maria tried to get back up again, but she had broken her ankle in the fall, and she couldn't stand. Maria pulled herself towards the stairs with her arms, but a tremor quickly followed the earthquake and one of the ceiling beams came crashing down, right on top of her.
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