A/N: Hey everybody, hope everyone's ready for a new update for "Life is Abominable", because I got one for ya'll right here! And this chapter is where the first episode ends! Yeah, I'm actually naming chapters as parts of certain episodes. As to how many episodes this story will have, I'm hoping to aim for five like the first and second "Life is Strange" games, and not like "Before the Storm" which only had three or four episodes. But enough with that, let's start the chapter! Enjoy!
Previously on Life is Abominable...
Max had tracked down the heavily guarded compound belonging to Burnish Industries, and discovered that the red haired British woman from her visions is working there. She had also discovered that inside the metal storage crate that was dropped off into the back of the compound was the same creature from her visions, and it was scared for it's life as it was brought inside the building in chains. Chloe had also made a new friend in the form of a nine year old boy named Peng, who dreams of being a basketball superstar. Upon seeing a distressed Max return from the Burnish compound, she could tell what she saw was anything but good. Now, a discussion will take place between the two to decide the best course of action...
Shanghai, China. 11:59 AM
Peng had ran up the stairs leading to his floor in the apartment complex with Max and Chloe following closely behind him. The two had caught up to him and saw the boy standing right in front of his front door.
"Is this it?" asked Max.
"Yup. This is home. I think it's awesome you guys are staying here too" Peng told them.
"Yeah, I had a lot of fun, Peng. You're a talented player" Chloe complimented. The conversation was interrupted when they saw the door open and to Max's surprise, Jin exited the apartment to talk to Peng.
"Peng, come on. Auntie's already made lunch" Jin said before he noticed Max and Chloe standing right next to him. Jin yelped slightly and backed up a bit before regaining his composure and cleared his throat. He then narrowed his eyes and placed his hands in his pants pockets before speaking.
"Oh, it's you" said Jin cooly.
"Yeah. And like I said before, I'm not interested" Max said in reply. Peng then got a confused look on his face
"Wait, you know my cousin?" Peng asked Max.
"Cousin? The guy who tried hitting on me while I tried asking for directions is your cousin?" Max asked in bewilderment.
"Yeah, he recently moved in because he needs somewhere to stay while attending college" Peng explained.
"Medical scholarship. And, I think I'd look good in white" Jin said while taking out his smartphone and licking his hand to slick his hair back before taking a selfie, and puckering his lips together for the "Duck-Face" look before snapping the photo. After he slipped his phone back into his pocket, he noticed Chloe standing right next to her with her arms crossed while she stared at Jin.
"And who might you be?" asked Jin, acting like a suave ladies man once again like he did before with Max.
"Someone who's also not interested" Chloe answered before she felt Jin place his arm around her shoulder and give her a flirtatious look, which only made Chloe's eyes roll to the side and scoff.
"Oh come on. It's just one date, that's all I ask. And I'll have you know I'm pretty popular with the ladies around here" Jin bragged, placing his arm around her shoulder once again, while Chloe let out a loud groan. Max and Peng looked down at the stairway to see Yi coming up the stairs and stopping to check out what was going on.
"Max? What's going on here?" she asked.
"Jin here's hitting on Chloe" Max answered while turning back to what was going on, and not bothering to take her eyes off Chloe and Jin.
"Sorry buddy, but I'm still not interested in whatever you have to offer" Chloe said before smacking his arm away and walking back over to Max. Jin could not believe this, he was usually so popular with the ladies but he just got rejected by TWO attractive girls today. Peng couldn't help but emit a giggle from in between his teeth at his own cousin's horrible luck today.
"What's wrong, Jin? Losing your magic touch?" Peng asked, teasing his older cousin.
"Zip it, Peng. There's no way this is happening to me" Jin replied as his jaw was now slightly agape and eyes slightly widened. Max also noticed his arms were extended out in front of him that made him look like the "Why U No" meme. Yi then tapped Max on the shoulder which caught her attention.
"Mind if I borrow your camera?" Yi asked.
"Uh, sure. But what for?" Max asked as she handed over her Polaroid over to the teenage girl.
"Because this momentous occasion deserves to be photographed. Here's to the day the popular ladies man and aspiring medical student, Jin was rejected by two lovely ladies in one day" Yi said before pressing the button as she stared into the camera and snapped the picture. As the photo came out of the camera, Max, Chloe, Peng, and Yi were all laughing hysterically while Jin stood there with the same look and pose that was caught on camera while they laughed. Their laughter echoed throughout the hallways as well, catching the attention of Yi's mother.
"What is going on out here?" asked Yi's mother.
"Jin got rejected by Max and Chloe after flirting with them" Peng said while still laughing. Chloe then took the photo out and shook it like Max usually would before handing it to Yi's mom. The photo wasn't fully developed yet, but the shaking made it develop a bit faster enough so that a tiny hint of a picture could be made out. Once Yi's mom saw what it was of, she began to laugh along with the others at Jin's bad luck as well as the face and pose he was still making.
"I think we broke him" Peng said, his laughter dying down a bit.
"You better take him inside, Peng. He's gonna snap out of it eventually" Chloe said while still laughing. Peng then took Jin by his wrist and guided him back inside their apartment. Peng waved Chloe goodbye, and Chloe waved back with a smile before shutting the door.
"Alright guys, let's go inside before you disrupt everybody else who lives here" Yi's mother said while trying to control her laughter. The three girls followed her back inside Yi's apartment while Yi and Max were still laughing. When they got inside, Yi handed Max her Polaroid camera back and Yi's mom went over to Nai Nai to show her the photo that was just taken of Jin. By this time, the picture had been fully developed and the image was fully visible. Max, Chloe, and Yi then watched Nai Nai laughing with a high pitched laugh as she looked at the photo.
"He looks so ridiculous!" Nai Nai howled in laughter. After a while, Nai Nai set the photo down on the kitchen counter and went back to cooking. Yi picked the photo back up and turned to Max.
"Would it be alright if I keep this?" asked Yi.
"Yes, totally. You took the photo, you should get to keep it" Max said smiling. To show her gratitude, she pulled Max in for a hug, which she returned. It felt good making friends for Max, she was a bit of a loner at Blackwell with the exception of Kate Marsh and Warren Graham. But when she discovered her powers and reunited with Chloe, she began making more friends with other students around campus until the storm destroyed Arcadia Bay and wiped out a large fifteen percent of the town's population.
"Thanks, Max" Yi said with great sincerity in her voice.
"You're welcome, Yi. I'm really glad you like it" Max said before she broke the hug apart and began feeling dizzy. She groaned at the feeling and clutched the sides of her head before she fell to her knees on the apartment floor. Yi, Chloe, Nai Nai, and Yi's mother gathered around in concern.
"Max? What's going on?" Yi asked, clearly worried for what was happening. Chloe knew what this meant, Max was having another vision, and this was how she had visions of the tornado that destroyed Arcadia Bay. Max groaned in pain as she shook her head to try and snap out of it.
(Inside Max's Head)
Instead of being on the bridge, Max found herself inside the Burnish Industries research compound. And she also looked down to see her hands were big, gray, and her arms were surrounded by fluffy white fur, and bound together by metal shackles. Max realized what she was looking at was from the creature's point of view. She was surrounded by the armed henchmen she saw earlier, and they were still holding their electric spears up at it. Dr. Zara was staring directly at the creature as this all was happening.
"We gave you the chance to cooperate. Now we have to do this the hard way!" one of the guards shouted before electrocuting the poor creature right in the belly. What was freaking Max out even more, was she could actually feel the pain that was being inflicted onto the captive beast. She could feel the electrical surges impact the belly, as well as hear the terrified and pain-filled screams it produced.
"Don't hurt it, you twit! Mr. Burnish wants it unharmed. Discipline it if you must but don't leave any long lasting damage on it's body!" Zara scolded before taking out a pistol. Max watched as Zara pointed the gun at the creature/her and fired a tranquilizer dart into it's neck before the world around them started to get blurry. Eventually, it got dizzy and sleepy before collapsing and falling to the ground. The minute the beast fell asleep, the vision ended.
(Back in the Apartment)
Max opened her eyes gasping loudly as she fell backwards onto the pristine white tile floor of the apartment. She looked up to see the worried looks of Chloe, Yi, her mother, and Nai Nai right above her while she was rapidly breathing.
"Max, what's wrong?" asked Yi, worried for her friend.
"I don't know" Max said, clearly in distress. Chloe then helped her back up to her feet with her worried look still on her face. The minute Max got back up onto her feet, she hissed in pain while clutching her side. Chloe lifted Max's shirt to reveal some pink skin where the electric spear zapped the creature in the belly in her vision. This freaked Max out even more, and Chloe grew even more concerned.
"Oh my gosh! Max, what happened?" asked Yi's mother in concern.
"Looks like a really nasty sunburn" Chloe said as she took a closer look.
"I'll go get the medical supplies" Nai Nai said before walking over to the storage closet right next to Yi's room. Chloe and Yi's mom helped Max over to the green couch so she could rest.
"This day couldn't get any stranger" Chloe said to herself, not loud enough for Yi, her mother, or Nai Nai to hear it.
"Alright, set her down gently. Rest her feet on the coffee table to help her get more comfortable" Yi's mother advised gently. Yi cleared the table of the coasters, newspapers, and magazines that were scattered all over it's surface before Max laid her converse-covered feet on top of it. Nai Nai came back with a white plastic box and opened it up to take out some rubbing alcohol and an antibacterial wet-nap.
"Okay, my darling, we're going to make it better. Lift your shirt up for me so I can get a good look at it, please?" Nai Nai calmly requested. Max lifted her black tee-shirt slightly to reveal the burn on her stomach to the elderly woman once again.
"Looks fresh, but we should be able to take care of it quickly. You may feel a slight sting, but it'll pass in a few seconds" said Nai Nai as she poured some of the alcohol on the small wet-nap and applied it onto the burn. This made Max hiss in pain, and some tears to emerge from her eyes and trickled down her face down to her jaw.
"It'll go away soon, honey. I promise" Yi's mother said in a comforting manner. Nai Nai continued to dab the wound with the small rag until she felt enough had been applied. The elderly woman had threw the wet-nap in the trash and placed the rubbing alcohol back in the box before taking into her hand a roll of gauze.
"Can you sit up for me, please?" Nai Nai asked. Max nodded before sitting upwards and still holding up her shirt to allow Nai Nai to wrap the gauze around her midsection.
"Thanks you. That feels a lot better" Max said as Nai Nai was finishing up. After making sure the bandages would stay secure with a metal pin, Yi's mother helped Max stand up.
"How did you get that thing anyways?" Yi asked, curious to know. Max couldn't tell them about the visions, or her powers, so she knew she would have to lie to them.
"I burnt myself on the stove while making dinner before our trip. I applied some burn ointment before we boarded the flight, but I guess it's worn off now" Max falsely explained. She grew relieved as she saw that the three other women besides Chloe bought her lie. Chloe knew this had something to do with Max's visions, but she would have to talk with her about it alone without them within listening range of their conversation.
"And what happened with that headache you had earlier? You were screaming like a maniac just a few moments ago" Yi asked. This time, Chloe stepped in to answer the question.
"She was having a flashback. She has PTSD" said Chloe. Max was grateful Chloe stepped in, and decided to just play along with her story.
"What happened?" Yi's mother asked.
"You remember back in 2013 that giant hurricane that destroyed Arcadia Bay, Oregon?" Chloe asked.
"Oh, I remember that now. It was so long ago" said Nai Nai. It had only been two years since it happened, but it left such a devastating impression on the world's nations. The storm had made national news all across the globe, and sympathies were given to the citizens of the town by many. There was even a relief fund set up by one of Max's old classmates Dana to help the surviving townspeople who were lucky enough to make it through the deadly tornado.
"It was so sad what happened. Are you saying you two were there when it happened?" Yi's mother asked.
"Yeah. We were out of the storm's path though by the lighthouse and watched the thing rip the town to complete shreds" Max piped in. Nai Nai and Yi's mother now had looks of sympathy and concern on their faces.
"Oh honey. I'm so sorry about that. I can only imagine watching something as horrible as that happening to you and your town" Yi's mother said while gently tracing her fingers down Max's brown hair.
"You don't get over something like that so easily. I know that much. Just know, Max, that we are here for you and Chloe" Nai Nai said, taking her hand into hers. Yi only watched and remained quiet as all this happened. After a short while, Yi's mother went back to work, and Yi went back to doing her temp jobs, while Nai Nai left to go to the store to pick up some ingredients for dinner. Now that they were alone, Chloe took Max by the hand and lead her down to the guest bedroom they were given. Chloe allowed Max to enter first before she shut the door behind them and locked it.
"Okay, I know that burn and that psychotic episode in the middle of the living room had something to do with those visions you've been having recently. You may as well tell me what really happened" Chloe said.
"Have I really become that predictable?" Max asked. Chloe looked at her with a smirk and replying with only one word.
"Maybe" with a sly tone of voice and her hands placed on her hips. Max then took a deep breath and took out the photos she had taken while he was exploring the compound. First she showed Chloe the photo of the sign that was right outside.
"Burnish Industries? Must be one of those corporations owned by some old rich dude" said Chloe while she looked at the picture.
"I was told by one of Jin's friends that it was owned by a man named Burnish who was a famous explorer in his youth. For some reason nobody hears from him that much anymore" Max explained.
"That's something to look into for sure. What else happened?" Chloe asked, which prompted Max to hand her the next photo she took of Dr. Zara.
"I managed to get a picture of that British lady from my last vision. I also heard one of the guards call her "Dr. Zara", so now I know who she is" Max told her. Chloe now had a look of absolute scorn on her face as she stared down onto the photo.
"No way. HER!? She's working for whoever this Burnish dude is!?" Chloe said in outrage. Max was now surprised that Chloe knew something about what was going on.
"You know her?" asked Max.
"Yeah, starting with the fact she's not British AT ALL! Her name's Emily Zara and she was born in Portland before moving to Arcadia Bay to study at Blackwell on a zoology scholarship. And on top of it all, she was a psycho stalker with a massive obsession with Rachel" Chloe explained. Now Max was horrified, horrified that now Rachel Amber, Chloe's girlfriend and saving angel, had something to do with these visions.
"Rachel had a stalker?" asked Max.
"Yeah. She had a little love shrine in her locker, collages of her face on her dorm wall, she even knew where she lived. After the principal found out, she was put on academic probation. Not to mention Rachel's family filed a restraining order against her after she attempted to break into their house three separate times" said the blue haired girl while not taking her eyes off the photograph she held tightly in her hand.
"How long ago this?" Max asked her friend.
"Several months before she disappeared. She also knew Rachel and I were dating, and she resented anyone Rachel was around more than she was around her" Chloe answered. It was official, Max officially didn't like this woman.
"Did she ever, you know?" Max asked.
"Just once, but she didn't get far. Since David was already head of security of Blackwell while all this was going down, he was pretty in the know about her. He scared her off with a shotgun discharge into the air when she attempted to break down the front door, it managed to scare her off enough to make sure she never came back. I even remember seeing her file on his desk back home one time, I only managed to get a clear look at one document in the folder, her mental health records. There was some pretty disturbing stuff in there too" Chloe told her. This piqued Max's interest too, as well as her levels of concern too. The last thing they needed was a mentally unstable nutcase working for a rich explorer on their case.
"Was she just as crazy as Nathan Prescott? Or was she worse than him?" asked Max.
"They said she suffered from delusions of grandeur, and obsessive compulsive disorder, sadistic personality disorder too. Some of the other stuff I couldn't really remember, but I did see she had to take some hella strong medications for all of them. Eventually, she transferred to another school shortly after her probation ended. She's three times worse than Nathan Prescott, Max. She's hella more dangerous than he was" Chloe concluded. And last but not least, Max took out the last photo and handed it to her friend. Chloe's eyes widened in shock when she saw the creature on photograph, held in chains being hurt and looking scared for it's life.
"Holy crap-snacks! Max, is that the thing you keep seeing in your visions?" Chloe asked in astonishment.
"Yeah. I don't really know what it is though. But I do know it's what's causing my visions" Max said in reply.
"Wait, I don't understand. How is this thing causing you to have these weird visions. Did it cause the one you had earlier?" Chloe asked to confirm what Max had said.
"Yes. In the vision I was watching the poor thing being tortured from it's own point of view. When one of those armed thugs shocked it in the stomach with an electric staff, I actually felt it's pain. It's calling out for help, Chloe. This poor creature needs our help, and if we don't do anything, it's suffering is going to get worse with every passing minute" Max said in an attempt to persuade Chloe to help her.
"Max, this... whatever this thing is, you two share some sort of telepathic link. And it chose you to be on the receiving end of it's calls for help" Chloe said.
"Chose me? That doesn't make any sense. Even if it actually DID choose me, why me? what makes me so special?" asked Max in confusion.
"I don't know, but I do know that it sees something in you, Max. And we need to help this thing out, regardless of the consequences we may be facing if we get caught" Chloe said. This made Max happy knowing that she was now on board with launching a rescue mission to break the beast out of the Burnish compound. She launched herself forward to hug Chloe with a wide smile on her face. The hug threw Chloe off guard slightly, but she returned it and smiled as well.
"We'll leave as soon as Yi and everyone else is asleep. But where are we going to hide it once we break it out?" Chloe asked.
"The roof. That little blanket fortress shrine thing that Yi built, we can keep him hidden there until we figure out what to do next" Max answered.
"Sounds perfect. But there's something else we need to figure out" said Chloe. Max just stayed silent and nodded, allowing Chloe to express whatever concern she had about the plan.
"What are we going to do if we actually get caught?" Chloe asked. Max then looked down at her right hand and clenched it tightly into a fist.
"I know I promised I'd never do it again after what happened to Arcadia Bay two years ago... but I think it's time I start using my power again" Max said. Chloe then got excited and her face lit up like a little girl meeting Santa Claus in person for the first time ever.
"Aw hella yes! Super-Max is back in business!" Chloe cheered. Max blushed and cheered at her statement before turning her head to the window which gave off a clear view of the Burnish Industries compound she was at earlier and placed her hand against the glass surface.
"Don't worry. We're coming to save you soon. I promise" Max whispered to herself while closing her eyes and smiling slightly.
-This Action Will Have Consequences-
End of Episode One: Foresight
A/N: Episode One is now officially over! Next update we'll delve right into Episode Two: Breakout! And shortly after that, the events of the movie will come into play and things will get even more interesting from there. So, Max is now going to start using her powers again, and she's going to use them to save the poor creature that's being held captive by Rachel Amber's old stalker that's working for some wealthy explorer. And Jin got rejected by both Max AND Chloe, and Yi got a photo of his reaction too (I laughed so hard writing that). Please review, thanks!