Life is Strange

Explosive Honeymoon

Chapter 1

"Max, just fucking tell me quick!" Chloe snapped as a flustered Max poured desperately over the map in her hands. She loved her wife, but the one thing she absolutely detested was being put on map duty. Spread out like it was, the diagram of sprawling roads- even out in the sticks as they were on their late honeymoon road trip- was like trying to navigate Spaghetti Junction on LSD.

"I can't because I don't fucking know!" Max shot back as her eyes raked over the names trying to find the road they wanted. Just then, she looked up and spotted a sign in the mirror. "Oh, I think that was it!" Chloe drew in a breath as deep as she could before letting it out in an agonisingly long and slow way that fogged up the windshield as Max let out a sigh of her own.

"Can you rewind?" Chloe asked her. "Just back up to before that turning and tell me to take it?"

"You know I'm really trying to get in the habit of not doing that, Chloe." Max rolled her eyes. "I want to enjoy my time on this Earth with you organically, not made easier by exploiting it with my rewind. I want us to be able to go through things like this because it helps us grow as people. The rewind is only for major emergencies."

"Cute." Chloe scoffed. "Now make with the rewind!" At that, Max just shot her a death glare. "Oh, you think I'm kidding?"

"No, I'm glaring because I know you're not." Max told her as she turned back to the map. "Hey, take this next one! It looks like the two roads join up. We'll end up in the same place just from a different angle." Chloe nodded and swung the truck around the next turning. They both knew this would be a point of discussion later and Max just hoped it would be peaceful. The last thing she wanted was an argument now of all times. It was bad enough that they were at odds over something as trivial as road directions, but she really didn't want a shouting match in a hotel and yet more noise grievances. She hadn't minded so much before. The high they'd both got had been worth it and they'd only stayed for one night in each place anyway. But to have an argument after almost two years of marriage while on the road trip they'd been saving for so agonisingly- For her that just didn't bare thinking about.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before a town came into view. But as they neared it, the prospect of them getting there became slimmer and slimmer while instantly seeming infinitely more inviting than it already did as a worrying noise started up from under the hood. Max looked with worry over at Chloe who grit her teeth and cranked the busted radio up higher. All it did was made the static louder and in a weird way it only seemed to blend with the engine noise. Several of the warning lights that still worked had also lit up the dash and Max wondered how many of the busted ones would have also joined the party had they been able to. That was when they felt it. The truck instantly seemed to feel weightless under them as the engine vibration stopped and Chloe's entire posture visibly changed.

"I've lost forward drive! Brakes are out too!" She wrenched the wheel to the right and just managed to drift it into the hedge at the side of the road. They sat there for a good few seconds just staring dumbly at the hood as smoke billowed from under it. There was no way to avoid confronting it: there was way too much smoke to just be an overheating issue. "Out!" Chloe screamed as she tore her seatbelt off and threw the door open. She waited for Max to do the same before taking off at a run to put as much distance between them and the truck as possible. They didn't know what was coming but if it decided to explode then they were better safe than sorry. They made it about two-hundred meters away before risking a glance back. There was no explosion but there were definitely flames. The orange glow was visible from their position and they decided that they hadn't quite run far enough yet. The gas tank was nearly full and if all that went up the two-hundred meters would be basically nothing.

They'd made it to about six-hundred metres when the explosion happened. They'd run a decent distance towards the town entrance and the parking lot at a service station just outside of it. Now they found themselves wishing it had just made that last little bit as they looked back over at the burning husk that had once been Chloe's truck. Chloe stopped dead in her tracks, her strength and willpower seeming to visibly leave her as she sunk to her knees and drew in a shaky breath while tears began to stream down her face. Max rested her hand on the taller bluenette's shoulder as she knelt down with her.

"So... Do you think there's enough left to get it to the service station?" she asked rhetorically, unsure what else to say. Chloe didn't even look up.

"Max, could you not- on my grief- say anything else right now?" Her words were harsh and it felt like an icy dagger being stabbed into her chest. But it made sense. To Chloe, that truck had probably felt like a major lifeline after everything that had happened and her only lifeline after Rachel went missing. She and that old rust heap had been joined closer at the hip than she was with Max herself. And that was pretty damn close on most nights. So Max didn't. She just kept silent until Chloe was able to tear her eyes away from the truck and stand up. She turned away and walked with Max as they decided to head to the service station. It was their closest and best bet to get hooked up with some form of transport or at least learn where they could get a bed for the night. A night that was approaching rapidly. And their cases had been in the back of the pickup truck. They were literally in deep with no cover now. Max hated to do it, but she was going to have to call her mother to wire them some money to do an urgent resupply run.

The service station was quiet when they went in, impeccably well maintained for one that was so far out of the way. As soon as they walked in, they were struck by how well-lit the place was and how squeaky clean the floors were. The linoleum was brought to a literal mirror polish and there didn't seem to be a speck of dust about the place. As they walked in, an attendant spotted them and waved almost too eagerly in greeting. She was a visibly bright and bubbly woman with golden hair who- like them- seemed barely out of her teenage years and with a name tag that said 'Angie' on it.

"Welcome! Come on in!" They stepped in and made their way over to the counter unable to hide their nervousness. They were both shaken by what had happened so suddenly and the loss of absolutely everything they'd brought with them. There was no point even trying to hide it. "Oh, there's no need to be nervous. We don't bite! How can we help?"

"Uh, my truck kind of exploded." Chloe admitted sheepishly. "Like, 'boom' kind of exploded. About a click away, give or take. Burned out husk at the side of the road. Can't really miss it." Chloe's tone was about as flat and burned out as her truck was now, but the effect her words had was nothing short of electric. She instantly flew into action and grabbed a phone from behind the desk, dialling an emergency number.

"Hey, Eddie? I need a recovery vehicle sent out to Parson's Road and a ride into town for two young ladies ASAP! We got an exploded truck on the road so you might need the fire brigade with you, too!" She put the phone down and turned back to them, her expression softening to worry. "What about you two? Are you okay?"

"Physically." Max nodded. "We saw it was on fire and just fucking ran. I think Chloe's a bit shaken, though. She loved that truck." Sure enough, a glance at Chloe told her she was right. The blue-haired woman had a stoic expression on her face but was barely holding it in. They were both shaking and Chloe was visibly paler than she should be.

"Well it'll do you no good standing there feeling sorry for yourselves. Go grab something by way of refreshments. One drink and one snack each on the house. Anything else and you're paying for it. We don't do that for everyone but you girls deserve a treat after such an emergency. Make yourselves comfy. Your lift should be here within an hour."

"Thank you so much!" Max said, tears threatening to spring to her eyes. To receive such help at that moment meant more to her than she could express. She only hoped her own parents could be as accommodating. Vanessa had made it crystal clear that now that she was a married woman in her own place the payments were stopping so that she could learn to make a living for herself and become self-sufficient. That said, she probably would make an exception because of how serious the situation was. Max decided to put it out of her mind for now and focus on it later. Chloe was her first priority.

"Oh, think nothing of it!" Angie waved her off dismissively. "Actually, you've arrived on a special day. It's the Fall Festival tonight. A massive party going on until three in the morning. And there's a special event open to anyone where you whisper a wish into the old well in the middle of the town. On this night alone, it's sure to come true." Max instantly fought to suppress the thrill that rushed through her in that instant. The festival sounded just like something she and Chloe had always fantasised about as kids. She'd never dreamed that there was actually something like that in a little town out in the sticks like this one.

"Sounds like a good way to get a new truck." Chloe shrugged despondently.

"Sounds like a good way to ensure we spend the rest of our lives together." Max countered. At Max's words, Chloe seemed to snap back to reality a bit and realise all over again exactly where she was and who she was with. She turned to Max, her expression softening as her tears threatened to spill over.

"We don't need a wish for that. So long as we have each other it's guaranteed." On instinct, Max wrapped her arms around Chloe and gathered her close. It was such a relief to see that she was recovering from her mini state of shock and Max resolved that she would appear interested and alert while Chloe was dragging her around used car lots to pick out another pickup truck. That was a promise and after she'd reunited with Chloe back in Arcadia Bay, she'd sworn to herself that she would never break a promise to that girl again. With her heart and resolve set, she took Chloe by the arm and led her towards the food section.

Author's Note: Okay, so this is my first multi-chapter story in a while. I wanted to upload this sooner but life got in the way. Fortunately things are mostly back to normal now. Hope you all enjoy it. Things certainly escalated quickly this chapter and the good news for you lovers of spectacle is that it's only going to get better from here. Thanks to everyone who's been supporting me so far. Your support is what keeps me writing.