A/N: Another new update for Episode Three of Life is Abominable is ready! And this time, the journey continues for REAL this time. I know last update they didn't really continue with the whole walking part of their trip, but I promise you that today we can officially continue the quest to the Himalayas. So, let's recap what happened last update and start today's! Enjoy!
Previously on Life is Abominable...
While resting under the stars, Max and Chloe reveal their feelings for one another and decide from that moment on that they will be each other's girlfriends. Max also reveals to the rest of the group that Everest is indeed a child, which explains why Peng and him get along so well. Jin on the other hand, only continues to dismiss the existence of the supernatural as well as people with powers like Max, leading Chloe and Yi to call him out on how shallow he is. The next morning, Max and Yi share a duet to Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" with Yi playing instrumentals while Max sings the lyrics with Everest and unknowingly the others as their audience. Their journey to get Everest back home to the Himalayas continues as the five friends escort the Yeti over the Yellow Mountains...
The Yellow Mountains. 8:15 AM
Peng and Everest ran ahead of everybody else, laughing and playing tag while Max, Chloe, Yi, and Jin followed closely behind. As Max walked, she took in the beautiful scenery from the sides of the cliffs. She had always dreamed of seeing beautiful places like the one she was at right now, to walk through the images normally seen in travel guides and documentaries on the Discovery Channel. She felt the sudden urge to start taking photos of all the majestic views before her.
"Now, on the map, that village is only a centimeter away. Shouldn't be that far" Jin said, ruining Max's train of thought while she was out staring over the horizon. Max was irked at how Jin was still behaving the way he was yesterday and how her words as well as Yi's from last night didn't change or affect him in any way.
"Jin, that's a priority for you. But it's not for the rest of us. Everest getting home safely without that sadist Zara catching is more important than however it is you get home" said Chloe.
"Yeah, but like you said before: That's YOUR priority, not mine. The sooner I get to that village, the sooner Peng and I can get on a boat back to Shanghai and I don't have to worry about anymore loners, time-rewinding hipsters, blue-haired punks and Yetis" Jin retorted. Yi just rolled her eyes at Jin's statement before piping in herself.
"It must just be on the other side of the..." Yi said before pausing in mid-sentence and stopping where she stood. Max, Chloe, and Jin stopped where they stood to face what Yi was staring at. It was the Yellow Mountains, and a single stone pathway was all that guided them to the other side and safely to the Yangtze River.
"The Yellow Mountains!" Yi finished. Max took her Polaroid out of her bag and positioned herself to get the perfect framing to capture the beautiful landscape that stood before her.
"One photo... for posterity" said Max before she pressed the button and took the photo. Once the photo printed and she shook it to make the developing go faster, she placed them back in her bag and began walking ahead of the others.
"This really is beautiful, wish Arcadia Bay had beautiful sights like this. Then it would have been worth living in" Chloe said as she followed Max closely behind her.
"Wait, wait! We're not going over that!" Jin said, causing the others to stop and look up with deadpan glares at him.
"This is the route we agreed on while we were still on the boat. We can't turn back now, we don't know if Burnish and his cronies are still chasing us" Max told him.
"Besides, I'm pretty sure commercial airline regulations don't allow Yetis on any form of aircraft whatsoever" Chloe added.
"She's got a point Jin. Besides, pilots and flight attendants would have sold us out to those guys the minute we passed through the metal detectors" Yi said. Jin just rolled his eyes and groaned at the responses his words had gotten him.
"Come on, Everest! I'll race you!" Peng said cheerfully as he ran ahead. Everest looked to Max with a smile on his face, wondering if he could run after Peng. Max just chuckled and nodded with a smile on her face before she responded to the look on his face.
"Yes, you can go play. Just stay close so I can see you, okay?" Max said out loud. Everest gasped happily before running off to catch up to Peng. Max swore she could have heard Everest say "Thanks, Mama! I love you!" in her thoughts before he ran off to play. Max was taken aback at what he had just said, it was the first time she heard besides her own parents say they loved her. But for some reason, she found herself blushing as well as on the brink of tears when she heard Everest say that he loved her using his telepathic link to her.
"Max? You okay?" Yi asked.
"Oh, uh... yeah. I'm alright. Let's keep moving" Max said before she began following Everest and Peng at a normal pace. Yi looked back to face Chloe and Jin before shrugging, letting them know she had no idea why Max was looking so emotional just a moment ago before she followed her friend. The others followed suit and began their hike over the mountains
One Hour and Thirty Minutes Later
The hike wasn't even halfway completed, and everybody was still pushing through. Their legs felt as heavy as cinder-blocks as they continued to walk along the stone pathway with stone rails guarding the edges so nobody would fall in. Everest and Peng on the other hand, still had more than enough energy to keep on going, nor did they feel any aching feet or joint pains from walking so long.
"Geez, my feet feel like they've been walking on concrete without any shoes on" Yi said.
"I'm feeling you there, Yi. This is actually one of the reasons why I've never really been big into camping or hiking. I mean, it LOOKS fun. You see pictures of people having fun while out camping with their friends or their families, but that's how they trick you into thinking it's fun. In reality, it's the biggest pain you'll ever feel in your life" Chloe told her.
"Lemme guess, no internet or cell reception?" asked Jin.
"No, idiot. I'm talking about the agonizingly painful hikes that take so long to end until your feet bleed, poisonous plants, bugs, and reptiles almost everywhere you go, the threat of being mauled and eaten by wild animals, especially almost freezing to death while you sleep when all you've got it just a sleeping bag that barely does anything to keep you warm" Chloe explained. Yi just nodded in reply with a look of interest on her face.
"Okay, pretty solid points. But do you know any PROS to camping instead of the cons?" asked Yi.
"Ehh, honestly I don't really know" Chloe replied. Max then stopped walking and turned to face the other two girls.
"Would you consider what we did last night camping? I mean, we didn't have a fire or tents or anything like that but... we spent the entire night in the middle of a Chinese jungle looking up at the stars. It was actually pretty beautiful, not usually the type of thing you'd see in a huge city, but only in remote locations like where we slept last night have beautiful skies that show off the entire galaxy can you see something like that" Max explained. Yi and Chloe looked at each other and nodded in agreement to what Max had just said.
"Okay, so that's one pro. Any others?" asked Yi. Max stayed silent for a bit before letting out an embarrassed chuckle.
"Yeah, I've got nothing else except for that. Chloe might actually have won this argument" said Max, surrendering that Chloe had more solid points about camping than she did.
"Honestly, Step-tool would have brought up more pros. He mostly used camping trips to go hunting, but he hasn't really been hunting in a real long time. I think he might have given up after the storm actually" said Chloe. They all continued to walk until they finally caught up with Everest and Peng, who were still racing one another along the stone pathway.
"Hey, you guys! Wait right there!" Jin called out. The two didn't listen and kept on running ahead of everyone else.
"They're not going to listen you, obviously. You've pretty much given them a reason not to, killjoy" Chloe said.
"Well, I mean... can't Max use her telepathic bond or whatever it is she has with that thing to make him listen!?" Jin asked in an argumentative tone of voice.
"I would, but you forgot to say "Please". So, nope" the brunette said while still keeping her eyes focused on what was in front of her and continued to follow the younger boy and her temporary son. She then stopped when she saw how beautiful the view was, and let out a smile as she took her Polaroid out again and took another photo once she found the perfect angle to take the photo from. After the photo was taken, she shook it and placed it in her bag with the others along with her camera. She then looked to see Peng and Everest playing with some dandelions growing on the side of the cliff. Peng then picked one out of the ground and held it up to Everest.
"Everest, look. Make a wish" Peng encouraged while holding it up close to the young Yeti's face. Everest then took a bite and swallowed the dandelion whole. Max laughed at how naive Everest was as well as the very moment he ate what was meant to make a wish on. Seeing that reminded Max of a YouTube video she saw where a dog did the exact same thing. Peng just shook his head in annoyance and spoke back to Everest.
"No, no. They're not for eating. They're for wishing" the nine-year-old said before he picked another one from the ground. Chloe, Yi, and Jin had just caught up and saw what Peng was about to do.
"What's going on here?" Chloe asked.
"Peng's showing Everest how to make a wish on a dandelion" the brunette replied.
"I wish I was a basketball superstar" Peng said before he blew on the small plant and made the tiny white fuzzies fly all the way up into the air and get caught in the gentle breezes that flowed across the mountains. Peng then began calling out into the mountains, his voice echoing off the mountain walls.
"Starting in the championship game, the mighty Peng!" he shouted. Chloe smiled and then joined in.
"But what's this! Longtime championship title holder Chloe Price makes her way to the court! Joining the mighty Peng on the court!" exclaimed the blue-haired girl. Peng smiled at how Chloe was taking part in his make-believe game and then continued.
"They make their way to the court. Take every last member of the opposing team down" Chloe said.
"And then, Peng makes the basket! That was one amazing dunk!" Peng cheered.
"And he's won the championship! What a way to end the season, folks!" Chloe concluded before the two of them laughed out loud before they heard a loud whirring noise. Everyone looked to the edge of the cliff and saw a black done with a grill on the front that glowed blue with LED lights underneath the grill vents.
"Wait a minute... is that... a drone?" Max asked in confusion as she stared at it. Peng yelped at the drone's sudden appearance and fell back into Everest's arms, which allowed the young boy a soft landing. The drone began making a beeping noise and the blue LED lights in the vents began to turn red instead of blue. Four more drones emerged from below and surrounded the six of them.
"Dammit! They found us!" Chloe said.
"Million bucks says these things belong to Burnish" Max said as she clenched her fist, getting ready to pause time or do a focused rewind on these drones to ensure a safe escape.
"You feeling okay to use your powers or do you still feel woozy from yesterday?" Yi asked. Max nodded in reply before she spoke.
"I'm fine. I should be okay to use them on these things" Max said as she stood her ground. Chloe then took something out of one of the inner pockets of her leather jacket to reveal the gun she stole from one of the armed guards when she and Max broke into the Burnish compound to rescue Everest.
"You're not doing this alone, Max. I got your back" she said as she loaded the gun and pointed it at one of the drones. The weapon was a silver-painted Glock 19 gen 5 and her eyes were locked on the enemy.
"I just hope you remember our little shooting date back at the junkyard" said Max in worry.
"Hella yeah, I do. I'll blast every last one of these clankers out of the damn sky" Chloe replied as she didn't take her eyes off the drone, trigger finger itching to shoot one of them down.
"Wish we had a way to get out of here though. Those things have us surrounded" Yi said. Max knew she was right, even if she could get them out of this situation using her powers, and if Chloe could shoot one of them down easily without wasting any bullets, Burnish would still keep following them. Everest then saw Yi had a dandelion in her hand that she picked out of the ground earlier and then got an idea. Everest began humming and the blue aura began to surround his body once again. The aura also spread to the dandelion, and the small plant began to grow in size until it was as tall as a pine tree.
"What is that!?" Jin asked in surprise. When Max saw it began to float through the wind, allowing the breeze to guide it, she knew what it was.
"I'll tell you what it is, our ticket out of here. Hop on, guys!" Max said as she jumped onto the stalk of the large dandelion, Chloe jumped onto it next and then Yi jumped on despite Jin's warnings not to. Everest then grabbed Peng and then began chasing after the dandelion.
"No, Peng! Get down from there right now! Hey, Peng!" Jin called out after them as he ran. Everest then jumped off the stone guard rails and grabbed onto the stalk.
"Welcome to air dandelion ladies and gentlemen. Get ready for a bumpy ride!" Chloe said. Jin kept on chasing after them, running up the stairs while Burnish's drones kept on following them. Chloe then held her gun at the drones once again and tried to get a clean shot, but the moving of the dandelion made it hard to fire the bullet.
"I can't fire unless we're flying straight" Chloe said to the others while still having her gun pointed out at the drones.
"Jin! Just jump!" Max called out.
"Jump!" Yi and Peng said in unison.
"No, get down from there! Give me your hand!" Jin said. Just as he grabbed Peng's hand, he was stopped by the stone guard rails. Max, Yi, Everest, Chloe, and Peng gasped at this.
"Meet me at that village by the river!" Jin called out.
"We'll be there! Just stay safe, alright!?" Max shouted back to Jin as they were flying further and further away from where Jin was. Everyone then stared out to see they were flying over the Yellow Mountains, the sun shining brightly above the veil of clouds that masked the ground below them. Max couldn't believe what she was seeing, she wanted to take a Polaroid of where they were right now, but was too stunned with fascination as her eyes were fixed on the beautiful sight before them. They almost crashed into a mountain, but Everest pushed them out of the way before they got a chance to hit it.
"Uh oh" said Peng as he looked behind him. Everybody else turned and saw four of the five drones from earlier were gaining on them.
"Don't these damn things ever just take a hint!?" Chloe asked.
"Apparently not" Max said as she held out her right hand and turned it to the left, freezing the first drone in time. Chloe then pointed her gun at the frozen drone and pulled the trigger. The drone exploded in mid-air and the parts began falling down to the ground.
"Nice shot, Captain Bluebeard!" said Max.
"Thanks, Long-Max Silver. Mind freezing another one?" Chloe asked before she pointed the gun at the drones again. Max held up her hand again, but one of the drones flew right past her, and two of the drone's propeller-blades left two cuts on the back of Max's hand. Max screamed in pain before she looked at the back of her hand to see the two cuts were deep enough to draw blood. Everest saw this and gasped, his mama was in pain and seriously hurt.
"Max!" Chloe shouted in worry for her injured girlfriend. She then got really mad and fired three bullets at the drones. One of them only grazed the first, but the other two destroyed the second drone.
"Guys, that drone that injured Max is coming back around!" Yi said, pointing out in front of them. The drone flew through the top of the dandelion, but all it did was destroy it and send many white fuzzies flying from the top and crashing into the other drone, making it crash and fall down below.
"Yeah! Take that drones!" Peng said, talking smack to their fallen enemies. Yi chuckled before looking back down to see Max still bleeding at the hand from when the drone struck her.
"You okay, Max?" asked Yi in concern.
"I'll be okay, just a little scratch" Max said before hissing in pain. Everest looked worried for his surrogate mother and her injured hand. Chloe saw how worried the Yeti looked and began to whisper some words of comfort to him.
"Hey, don't worry about your mama, okay? She's a tough girl, trust me, I know. She'll be okay" said the blue-haired girl.
"Really, Auntie Chloe?" a voice said in Chloe's head. She gasped when she heard that voice in her head. She didn't know why or how, but now Everest had deemed her worthy of a telepathic link much like the one she had with Max. Instead of exclaiming Everest had just spoken to her in her thoughts, she just smiled and did a finger gesture over her heart, tracing an X over it.
"Cross my heart, big buy" Chloe said in her mind so Everest could hear it.
"Wait, where are we going?" Yi asked out loud, catching Everest and Chloe's attention. Max had no idea where the flow of the wind was taking them, but she did know when they landed they would need to re-plan their route to the Himalayas on the map. Everyone just shouted and yelled in excitement as they kept on flying through the sky to their unknown landing space.
Yellow Mountains, Ground Level
Jin had just been captured by the one drone who had stayed behind while the others went off to chase Max, Chloe and everybody else. Now, he was facing Mr. Burnish and Dr. Emily Zara. Jin was beyond furious, he remembered everything Chloe had told her about Zara, and how she stalked Rachel and attempted to break into Chloe's house.
"I hope you're not hurt. Let me introduce myself" said Dr. Zara in a kind and gentle tone of voice while Jin backed away slowly from her.
"I know who you are. Doctor Emily Zara, zoologist, Blackwell Academy drop-out, stalker, and sadist!" Jin said while the redheaded woman continued to come closer to him. Zara looked offended and scoffed at Jin's comments.
"These accusations! You best learn some respect young man" she scolded.
"Last I checked, you're the bad guys. And bad guys don't get any respect, especially Rachel Amber's number one psycho fan-girl" Jin retorted. Zara's eyes went wide in surprise when Jin said that name. She began to feel her blood boiling at the mention of Rachel Amber, the only girl she felt affection for and felt threatened by Chloe Price. But she couldn't drop the act in front of Burnish, she just took a deep breath and continued to play calm.
"Bad? Listen, you've got this all wrong. That wild beast is unpredictable, even dangerous. We were trying to rescue your friends when the Yeti kidnapped her" Zara said, trying to make up an alibi to make Jin believe her. But the young man wasn't buying into her lies one bit.
"Cut the crap lady, Chloe told me everything about you! You're not British, you're from Portland!" Jin exclaimed. Now, she felt like she needed to teach him a lesson. Dr. Zara then cleared her voice and turned to Mr. Burnish.
"Mr. Burnish? How about you and everybody else set up camp for the night while I have a talk with our guest?" she suggested.
"Very well, I'll leave him to you. Come on everybody!" Mr. Burnish said as he signaled all his guards and trucks to follow him while Zara stayed behind. Once they were alone, Zara took off her glasses and tucked them into the pocket of her brown trench-coat. Jin then felt a fist collide with his right cheek, forcing him to the ground before he felt a few kicks to his stomach and a knee to his chest.
"Who told you?" Zara whispered in an American voice instead of the faux-British voice she had been using.
"Chloe Price. You're just jealous that (cough) Rachel chose her over you!" Jin said while gasping and coughing for air. Zara then grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and then gave Jin an elbow to his eye, creating a bruise around it.
"I was more deserving of Rachel Amber than that blue-haired punk ever was! I was outraged when I got put on academic probation at Blackwell Academy all because of my affections for her. You have no right to say her name you little brat!" said Zara before head-butting Jin in the face and forcing him back to the ground.
"Max and Chloe are gonna get him home. When they get back, you're gonna be sorry" Jin said before he spit some blood onto the dirt. Zara then kicked him in the jaw, which sent him onto his back before Zara pulled out her Samsung phone and showed Jin the drone footage of Max using her powers to stop the drone in time, as well as the footage from Shanghai during their escape from the city.
"Now, you're going to tell me everything I want to know. Including where they're going, and more importantly... how did the other girl did those things" Zara hissed threateningly through her teeth at Jin, who gulped in fear before he remembered everything Max and Chloe had told him.
"No. Do whatever you want, but I'm not saying anything! Not about where they're going, not even about Max's powers" said Jin before he noticed the leading member of Burnish's security squad came up behind Zara.
"Take him to my trailer for interrogation. He says he's refusing to tell us what we want to know" she said. The man only nodded before grabbing Jin by both his arms and carried him off to a large black truck that contained a miniature trailer. Zara followed behind them, giving a sadistic smile as she entered the trailer with them and shut the door behind her, locking it after she did so.
A/N: Whew! What an update am I right? The journey finally continued, and Jin got himself captured by Rachel Amber's former stalker, Dr. Zara who appears to have taken interest in Max's powers. But what does she want that information for? It certainly can't be good right? More will come in the next update. Please review, thanks!