Ouroboros

by TomorrowHeart

When Chloe convinces Max to make things right, something strange happens, resulting in a new beginning and a chance at a life together. With everything seemingly "fixed," the two are ready to live normal lives. Lots of fluffy "Adventures of Max and Chloe with friends" with a bit of "dealing with things" thrown in. [Artwork credit to MaiQueti! Links to her art in my profile!]

74. The Killing Kind

A/N #1: So, just a heads up - I would suggest maybe holding off on this chapter if you're not in a good headspace. It's not an easy one to swallow.

---

It just...hurt.

Things could only puncture, lash, and break so many times before pain was reduced to single sensation. Just a homogeneous, full-body ache that hung and swayed from someone's soul. Really, if it weren't for the floor, there'd be nothing stopping it from dragging a person down into the fires of hell.

"Kate..." Max whimpered. "Please, give her back. Please..." She bent forward, touching her forehead to the floor, and cried. "I'm begging you..."

"M-Max," Chloe wrapped her arms around her and roughly pulled her to her feet, "come on, we...we have to go." She coughed, stifling her own despair. "Babe, come on..."

"Jesus Christ," a voice said from behind them. Chloe wheeled Max around to find Stella covering her mouth in shock while the rest of the girls peered into the room. All of them regarded Max with a mixture of pity and fear. There were flashes of anger, as well. "Max," Stella said, "are you...okay?"

She didn't answer. She simply looked at the faces gawking at her as Chloe steered her through the crowd. She counted them. One, two, three, four... She studied them, then counted again. A somber note hummed in her throat.

She dug her heels into the ground and spun away from Chloe. Without a word, she scooped the fire extinguisher off the floor, taking a moment to bare her teeth in frustration at her tears. Chloe reached for her, but whiffed when Max evaded by rolling her shoulder. She marched a few feet away, turned to Victoria's door, and nibbled her lip in anxiousness. She raised the fire extinguisher above her head, then brought it down, smashing Victoria's doorknob clean off. She flung the door open, heaved a rotten chuckle, and began to cry harder.

"Yeah, of course," she muttered, throwing the fire extinguisher away from her, "of course..."

Why? What happened? Where are you?

"Max," Chloe said quietly, taking hold of both of the girl's shoulders. The tremor in her voice indicated that she was well aware of Max's new discovery. "Let's go back to..." she stopped and looked at the rest of the girls, then at both broken doors. None of them said anything. They only stared back in horror. "Uh, look, we'll...address this a little later, okay?" Without waiting for so much as an inhale in response, she was back in the room with Max, slamming the door shut behind them.

"They're both gone," Max whispered, shambling over to the bed in a ghostly manner. She sat down, pulled her knees to her chest, and took several deep breaths. "They're gone. They're just gone. Gone. Gone..." Suddenly, she looked up at Chloe with panic in her eyes. "Wait. You're...you're...?"

"It's me," Chloe assured, holding a hand over her heart, "it's me me. I promise."

"Is this...a different timeline? Or is it just fucked up? Like what happened with Jefferson? What the fuck is going..." Max's eyes trailed to the corner of her room, where Alice's cage sat atop her cabinet. A necklace was woven between the bars, trailing down until it ended at a dangling crucifix. Max buried her face between her knees and wailed. "Fuck! Fuck, fuck! We have to fix this..."

"But...how?" Chloe asked, looking over Alice's cage. She shook her head and sat beside Max, taking her into her arms. "How can we fix it? If it is like Jefferson, then doesn't that mean you'd have to do...you know, that thing again? You had to like, kill him to get it to change back..." She grimaced and rolled a prickly thought around in her head. "Um, do we have to track down a new Kate or Victoria and...uh...?"

"No! No way!" Max clawed at her eyes. "I can't do that to them. I don't even know what really happens! I don't know if the Jefferson we know is still in prison or if something happened to him when I confronted the other one." She leaned forward and clapped a hand to her mouth, catching a sob before it could escape. "I don't...um, I don't think we'd be able to find Kate, anyway..."

Kate...Kate... Kate.

"Oh..." Chloe's eyes glazed over. She sniffled, then broke into tears. "Oh my god. Oh fuck. I didn't realize... I just didn't think..." She frantically swept the tears away and cleared her throat, trying to assert herself as the 'strong' one. But it was all just too terrible. It was impossible to be a sturdy support when she was just as hamstrung as the person she carried. "But then...where's Victoria?"

"I don't know," Max said, "I don't know..." She couldn't help but wonder if it was her fault. Or, at least, a more specific 'her fault' than the overall decay of time and space. Would it still have happened if she didn't tell Victoria about her powers? Is that what caused it? "Dammit, she was just here. She was just here!"

"What do we do?" Chloe asked. She laid her head on Max's shoulder and winced. "God, I can't... Kate can't be gone. She just can't be."

"We have to figure this out," Max replied. "We need..." her eyes strayed to the misshapen drone on the floor, "Warren! He might be able to help. I think he can tell when things aren't right now. He might have some ideas or, or something..."

"Really?" Chloe perked up a little bit, then dragged her hand across her nose, "and I guess even if he didn't notice anything change, he'd at least be able to fill us in on what happened..." She frowned and cursed to herself. "I don't want to keep fucking his head up. I'm scared."

"I know," Max said, getting to her feet and loosely shaking her hands at her side to disperse some nerves, "but we have to do what we need to. If it comes to that, he'll understand." She turned to Chloe and brushed another tear from the girl's cheek, then wiped her own. "Come on. We need to do this now. Fast. I can't... I can't just sit around here and sulk. I can't do it."

That's not who I am. I'm fucking fixing this.

"I'm with you," Chloe responded, standing up and taking her in a hug. She kissed Max sweetly on the nose, forcing her quivering lip to be still. "Let's go get War-War and shut this shit down. Now." Max nodded resolutely and, hand in hand, they went back out into the hall.

As soon as they emerged from Max's room, several pairs of eyes snapped to them. It hadn't been nearly enough time since Max's outburst for the mood to reset, and so everyone remained on edge. She put her head down, hoping they'd be allowed to reach the end of the hallway without any confrontation. But she knew it was an outlandish hope to have.

"Max," Dana said, stepping in front of her. "Listen, I'm not..." she lowered her voice to a whisper as she glanced at some of the other girls who were sporting more hostile expressions, "I'm not freaked out or...mad or anything. I know it's been really hard on you. On both of you." She nodded at Chloe in a sympathetic manner. "Do you guys want to come talk in my room? You know I'm good at listening. We can... I've been doing some research since the last time, I might have new ways to help."

Dana, I'm so sorry, but now's not the time.

"Dana, please," Max replied, forcing herself to be as composed as she could be, "I appreciate it. So much. Really. But we have to..."

She smothered a gasp exactly as Chloe's nails dug into her arm. All of the colors that comprised Dana Ward, the colors that made her who she was, bled out around her, swirling like paint in water. Then, they snapped back to her, rearranging their sequence into a completely different Dana.

"I know," she said understandingly, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose, "I know you probably don't want to talk right now. I get it. But I'm..." she groaned and anxiously ran her fingers through her dark, unnaturally red hair. "I'm just here if you guys need me, alright? I know it doesn't always help, but I can listen. I swear I can do that much."

"Uh, y-yeah. Thanks, Dana," Chloe said, looking the girl up and down. There was no trace of any sort of cheerleader aesthetic. Instead, she now looked exactly like the kind of person one would expect to be dating Trevor. "We really do appreciate it. Thanks. Thank you." Chloe was already pushing Max forward, ignoring Dana's disappointment. Max muttered 'fuck' under her breath.

"This is bad," she whispered over her shoulder, "this is...worse than usual..." She mocked herself internally for stating something so obvious, but she didn't know what else to think, let alone say.

"I know, just keep going," Chloe insisted.

Max immediately disobeyed, slowing to a stop as they passed Dana's room. They watched as Dana, the one they were much more familiar with, danced on her bed to music blaring from her laptop. She turned to them, beamed, and waved. Max reciprocated the wave, though it lacked all of the enthusiasm Dana's had, and then Chloe ushered her forward.

As they entered the stairwell, Max bent over and swore once again. The walls were now a mild, sky blue instead of plain white and even the metal of the stairs was hammered into a different kind of shape. She gripped Chloe's hand tightly and they ascended the steps, stopping halfway through when the railing bent and became taller, forcing them readjust. When they finally came to the boy's dormitory, they were relieved to find it seemingly untouched.

"Oh thank god," Max said, hurrying down the hall to Warren's room. "Warren?" she called as she knocked on the door. She huffed when there was no immediate answer and banged much harder. "Warren, wake up! Something happened!" With a growl, she beat her open palm on the door several times. "Dude, please! We need you!"

"Max..." Chloe said, her voice so feeble it threatened to snap in half. Max turned to her slowly, eyes wide as if she were daring Chloe to give her bad news. The girl bit her lip as another tear raced down her cheek.

"What?" Max asked, the uneasiness in her stomach worsening. She had to wonder if the pit of dread had a bottom to break against, or if it simply continued on forever.

"Uh, there's no..." Chloe pointed at the wall beside Warren's door, "there's no, uh, whiteboard thing? There's no...no jokes. Warren wrote jokes. He was..." She cringed and turned away from the door, crossing her arms to shield herself from grief. "He was really funny," she mumbled, so quietly Max could barely hear her.

"But the drone..." Max responded, shaking her head, "we still have it. It's in my room." Clenching her jaw, she turned back to the door and jerked the knob left and right. "No. He's in there. I know he is," she spat the words angrily, "he's sleeping. He's just fucking sleeping." She glanced at Chloe beside her, who was still huddled in on herself and staring at the floor. "He was so tired. He's sleeping, Chloe."

"He's not here," Chloe said, her tone lacking all emotion.

Max was about to reiterate her certainty that Warren was indeed safe and sound just beyond the door, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She'd gotten too skilled at spotting the zipper on denial's disguises. It had become so tempting to ignore them, but she simply couldn't anymore. She stared at the door for a moment, then released an aggressive sputter from her throat.

"What the fuck!" She slammed both fists into the door, then slid down until she was on her knees before it. He shoulders heaved as she cried. "What happened?" she whined. "Where did he go?"

Not you too. Why? Why is this happening?!

"I don't know," Chloe said, now pacing back and forth. "This doesn't make sense. It doesn't make any fucking sense!" She cocked an eyebrow as she looked at the room opposite Warren's. "Nathan's not here either? Hm..." She clasped Max by the forearm and pulled the girl to her feet, then headed back to the entrance of the dorm. They came to a stop at the large poster of the floor plan where, under the mess of graffiti, it displayed which students were assigned to which rooms

"Warren..." Max reached out and touched the unlabeled space that used to be his room. "Why would he be missing?" Rather than respond, Chloe turned around and marched over to Trevor's room.

"Trevor! You in there?" she shouted as she banged on the door.

It took a moment, but the door did eventually open, unleashing a wall of smoke out into the hallway. Trevor poked his head through the cloud, looked Chloe up and down, and grinned sleepily.

"Chlooooe, yo..." he looked over her shoulder at Max and nodded, "and Maximus Prime! What's good, ladies?"

As far as either Max or Chloe could tell, the Trevor standing before them was just about as Trevor as any one person could be.

"Hey dude," Chloe said, showing the smallest bit of relief. "Uh, hey, where's Warren? Warren Graham?"

"Huh?" Trevor cocked his head in confusion. He squinted and examined Chloe's face. "Yo, are you cool? You look upset."

"Just...tell me, please," she pressed.

"I mean, I don't know where. I think it's like..." he thought it over, "it's somewhere down south? Near Eagle Point?"

"What?" Chloe glanced at Max, then shook her head in annoyance. "What's near Eagle Point?"

"The, uh...juvie center," he answered, holding his hands out in defense. "I think? I'm pretty sure?"

Wait, what the fuck? Why would he be there...?

"What do you mean juvie?" Max asked very slowly.

"Uh...yeah," Trevor was now clearly lost, but doing his best to keep up, "you know, from what happened with...uh, shit, with...um..." He furrowed his brow, then smirked. "Damn, sorry... I might've smoked too much. This shit is bomb as hell."

God dammit, come on, Trevor!

"Please, try to remember?" Max begged. "If you could just-" She felt Chloe's hand on her stomach, and looked to see the girl shaking her head in disapproval.

Why are you stopping me?

"Thanks Trev," she said, clapping him on the shoulder, "you go ahead and get back to your fun."

"Yeah, ah...alright, cool," he nodded. "Just the usual wake and bake, you know. Did you guys want to chill? I have plenty to go around." When Chloe waved her hand dismissively, he grinned again. "Aight, just hit me up if you do." He clicked his tongue against his teeth and pointed at them, then retreated back into his room.

"Chloe, what the fuck was that?" Max grabbed her by the sleeve. "Why did you just let him go?"

"Because if we kept asking him questions, he was going to fucking break his head," Chloe argued, gesturing to his door. "We can't just...do that, unless we want to lose more friends!" Max narrowed her eyes and backed away.

Excuse me?

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked. "You think this is my fault?"

"I didn't say that, Max," Chloe replied, grinding her teeth, "I did not say that. Don't fucking do that." She rubbed at her temples and sighed. "It's not your fault, we just don't have any idea what's going on and we need to be careful." She snatched Max by the wrist. "Look, come here..." She dragged her back over to the floor plan and nodded at it. "See, I was right. Nathan's missing, too." Max looked it over, then shrugged with irritation.

"So what? He was gone before all this shit went crazy," she grumbled, "that doesn't have to mean anything."

"It doesn't have to, but it might," Chloe said. She took a moment once again to compose herself, then moved from Max's wrist to her hand, locking their fingers together. "We can ask another person... A different person about Nathan. Just to get their initial take. Okay? So we can piece things together."

"I... Yeah, okay," Max responded. Chloe began to turn away, but Max tugged on her. "Hey, I'm sorry, okay? I really am. I know you didn't mean it that way. I'm just...I'm trying so fucking hard, you know?"

I can't get all sensitive and touchy now. That's not going to help anyone.

"It's alright, babe," Chloe assured, bending forward to kiss Max on the forehead. "You're stressed and scared and tired. So am I. We just have to keep our shit together long enough to figure this out."

There was the sound of a door opening and shutting further down the hall, followed by heavy footsteps coming closer to them. Zach rounded the corner and stopped in his tracks, looking them up and down in surprise. Chloe tapped the back of her hand on Max's arm, insisting she speak up.

Okay, guess we can ask him.

"Zach," Max said, taking a step toward him, "um, hey."

"Uh, what's up, Max?" he replied, taking a look around him as if making sure he was in the right dorm, despite having just left his own room.

"Oh, nothing much..." she clapped her hands together and made a poor attempt at acting natural, "so, hey, can you tell me where Nathan is?"

"Wha? Nathan?" There was something about the particular tone of his bewilderment that implied Nathan's whereabouts were indeed different from the unaltered timeline. He just sounded more glum than would be expected. "Are you like...joking or?"

"We're not," Chloe said, snaking her arm around Max's waist, "just...wanna know where the dude's at. That's all."

"Oh..." He scratched his head, then puffed out his bottom lip. "Wait, really? Like...I mean, you both know that Nathan's-"

Before he could utter another word, a gust of something that was very much not wind struck him from the side, scattering him into dust. The same unnatural breeze came from the opposite direction, cleaning up the particles left behind. Max's arms fell limply at her sides.

"Jesus Christ..." she mumbled.

What the fuck... Zach...?

A door opened down the hall, and Zach rounded the corner, stopping in his tracks when... Well.

"...Nathan?" Max couldn't even phrase the question properly.

"Oh, uh...what?" Zach asked. There were no remarkable differences to his physical appearance, but his outfit was different. As if he'd simply gone back and changed clothes. "What about Nathan?"

"Where's he at?" Chloe's voice was strained, like she wasn't sure how much more she should be asking.

"Where's he..." Zach raised an eyebrow, "are you like...joking or?"

"Sure," Max responded, flopping her hands out in frustration. "Yeah, we're joking."

"I was gonna say," Zach chuckled, but then he shook his head, "I don't know if that's like... I mean, I don't really care, you know? Dude was an asshole. But it's probably not cool to go around joking about it. Especially for you two."

"Especially for us?" Chloe asked, exchanging a look with Max.

"Well, yeah, since you-"

This time, there wasn't even a miraculous visual display to be in awe of. He simply vanished. He was there, and then he wasn't.

A door opened down the hall, and Zach rounded the corner. This time, he didn't stop. There was no one there to surprise him. There was only the stairwell door slowly coming to a close.

---

"Where are we going?" Chloe asked, hurrying behind Max. She looked over her shoulder, back up the steps, and frowned. "What was going on with him?"

"Really liked walking down the hallway, I guess," Max responded dryly. "And we're going to see the one person who might...MIGHT be able to help us out right now."

"Sam?" Chloe guessed, receiving an affirmative nod in return. "I was thinking about that. He might have some clue..." Max came to a stop and turned back around to Chloe. She was smiling, but it was the sort of smile that had to claw its way through broken glass just to reach her face. Like it'd been desperately searching for a reason to appear. "...what?"

"Did you just call him Sam?" she asked.

"Yeah...yeah, I did," Chloe chuckled, scrunching her nose, "I don't know why."

"I wonder if he'd like that," Max mused.

As they passed the entrance to the girl's dorm, the door shot open and Courtney stepped out into the stairwell. Max recoiled away from her, afraid to say or do anything.

"There you guys are!" she said excitedly. "I've been looking everywhere! So listen, I've been thinking-"

As her foot met the floor, it plunged right through it, as if it were mud in a swamp. Her other foot came down and sank through as well, and then she was completely submerged. Gone. It couldn't have taken more than two seconds. Chloe cautiously took a step forward and tapped the surface with her foot. It was solid.

"What in the fuck..." she said, dumbfounded. She screamed and jumped back when the doors burst open again. This time, they detached from their hinges and blew past her, disintegrating as they soared through the air. Only a blank, brick wall was left behind. She checked to make sure Max was okay, then placed her palm against it and cringed. "What...is going on...?"

Too stunned and afraid to answer, Max simply hooked her arm with Chloe's and pulled the girl away. They traveled down the next flight of steps. And then the next. And the next... And...the next. Chloe stopped and looked up, grumbling when there was only one floor above them. Refusing to give up, Max led her down another eighteen flights of steps, finally reaching the door leading outside. She thrust it open, and a gasp was shared between them.

The courtyard was busy. Much busier than Max had ever seen it. But it was all wrong. She could only pick out four unique faces: Evan, Alyssa, Logan, and Taylor. There were six of each of them, all acting independently of one another. One Taylor, sitting under a tree, waved to Max with a big smile. Another one on the opposite side of the courtyard did the same just a moment later. A third climbed up the steps, gave them a dirty look, then entered the dormitory.

"This is so fucked up," Chloe said, verbally processing the sight before her. "This is...this is so, so bad."

"I know," Max replied quietly. A clanging noise rang out from beside them, and she turned to see movement near the maintenance shed. "Samuel... Come on." They hurried to the shed, ignoring one of the Evans when he called out for them. As they got closer, a squirrel darted between the crack in the door and scurried through Chloe's legs. "Fuckers," Max said bitterly, then pushed the door open all the way. "Samuel?"

The found him sitting on the ground, back against the wall and knees tucked tightly to his chest. He was twitching anxiously, rocking back and forth in distress. It broke Max's heart.

He looks so scared.

"Max? Chloe Price?" he asked as they came into the room. He jostled his head around, as if trying to shake something out of it. "Something is wrong."

"We...we know, Samuel," Max said gently. "What can you see? Anything?"

"There's nothing wrong," he buried his face in his hands, "but something's wrong..."

He can't see. He just knows.

"Are the, uh, squirrels telling you something's wrong?" Chloe asked. He looked back up at her with wide eyes.

"They're restless," he responded, "Samuel can hardly understand. They are so worried. Sinking."

"Sinking?" Max knelt in front of him, hesitated, then placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "What do you mean by sinking?"

"Too heavy," he explained, removing his glasses and pressing his palm against one of his brows, "it's too heavy. Something's pulling it down. It's..." He shook his head roughly, then beat against the spot where his hand had been resting. "Stop! Stop! I can't understand you!"

A very quiet chittering could be heard in the space between his words, and Max glanced up at one of the shelves. A squirrel was there, gazing down at Samuel as its whiskers fidgeted every which way. She caught Chloe's attention, then flicked her eyes in the direction of the squirrel. Taking the cue, Chloe took a swipe at it, causing it to hop down and dash out the door.

"It's okay, just breathe," Max said, demonstrating with a few deep breaths of her own, "it's okay."

"Samuel, please," Chloe lowered herself to be beside Max, "try to be a little more clear. What's too heavy?"

"Life," he replied, his tone awestruck. "Everything. Too heavy. You..." he looked back and forth between the girls, "you can see what's wrong?"

"Yeah," Max nodded, "we can. We can see it."

"How...bad is it?" he asked, wiping at his eyes. Max had seen him upset several times in the past, but she'd never seen him cry. He reminded her of a wounded puppy. "They're so worried. So worried."

Those fucking things. Look what they did to you.

"It's...bad," Max answered honestly. "Please, if the squirrels have said anything you think is important, you have to tell us. We're trying to make it better." She couldn't help but feel a flare of anger. Knowing everything she knew now about the animals, and knowing how much pain the squirrels had caused Samuel, she was furious that she was still relying on them for help. "Just anything at all."

"It's hard for Samuel to pick one voice out," he said, "they all speak at once. There is...weight and attraction and going away." He aimed his gaze at Chloe and shook his head apologetically. "Samuel cleaned up your blood. So much of it."

"I'm, uh, sorry," Chloe offered, standing back up straight and stepping away from him. She folded her arms around herself protectively. "I'm...sorry."

"Did they mention Chloe?" Max asked. She looked at her, hoping her eyes could properly convey 'I'm here, it's okay,' then she turned back to Samuel. "Did they mention me? Or Sean Prescott?" She shrugged, letting her impatience eke through. "Anything about Pan Estates? Anything?"

"You..." His eyes strayed to Max's hand and glossed over. She felt a tingle run through her palm, like it was simply reminding her it was still attached. "Samuel...I was always told...God created the world in seven days..." A wave of fear crashed through his pupils, bringing him back to the present. "But you? So many in just five?"

"It...it wasn't on purpose," Max said defensively. "I didn't mean to. I just – fuck!" The door to the shed slammed shut, startling both her and Chloe. She pressed a hand against her chest, feeling her heart as it bounced off of her sternum. Chloe took a deep breath, then reached for the doorknob.

"What happened?" Samuel asked, his tone thick with worry, "why did you scream?"

"What?" Max pointed over her shoulder at the door. "Because the door just..." She stopped and bundled her lips to the side. "Has the door been closed this entire time?"

"Yes," he responded shakily. He seemed to be aware that his answer wasn't supposedto be the correct one. Chloe removed her grip on the handle and her shoulders sagged.

"Cool," she mumbled to herself.

"Okay..." Max sighed. "Samuel, can you..." she trailed off once again and looked him over. He was too afraid and far too scattered. Even on his best days, talking to him was already enough of a challenge, but now it was the equivalent of banging her head against a brick wall. He really might be giving her vital information, but there was just no way she'd ever be able to tell. So, instead, she decided to act on the only other plan she could think of. "Chloe," she said, turning to the girl, "come on. We're going to go. I have an idea."

If you can even call it that.

"You're leaving?" Samuel asked. The cadence of the question made it so Max couldn't tell whether he was relieved or upset.

"Yeah," she said, "we're going to try and fix it, okay? Just...sit tight, alright?" She stood up and joined Chloe by the door, then looked back at him. "And...don't talk to the squirrels anymore. They're not your friends."

I thought they were... Sorry, Samuel.

"Bye Samuel," Chloe added quietly. Without waiting for a response, they opened the door and left.

The campus was empty now, though not quite back to normal. A large tree was rooted in the center of it, with a pretty, ankle high brick wall circling the trunk. The pathways curved around it, giving the impression that the entire courtyard was designed around its inclusion. There was one less bench than usual, but a new picnic table made up for its absence.

Max scanned the area, then closed her eyes, waiting for the nagging feeling in her gut to be justified. Behind her, the shed's door closed again. She bent forward and dragged her fingers down her face in a crazed manner.

Fuck!

"Don't," she warned, side-eying Chloe. "I don't...want to know..."

I really hope you're still in there, Samuel. Please.

"I wasn't going to," Chloe replied sadly. She took Max's hand and gave it a soft tug. "What's the plan?"

"We're going to Sean's," Max said, turning to fully face Chloe. The girl furrowed her brow.

"Sean's? But we don't even know if he's back in town yet," she said. She shook her head, not understanding. "And why would we go there?"

"Where else would we go?" Max asked. "He's the only lead we have...at all. Plus, it doesn't really matter if he's back yet." She gestured around her. "He's either there, or he isn't. Doesn't matter if he's supposed to be."

"Right. Good point," Chloe responded dryly. "I guess things are fucked up enough. If we're lucky, we'll run into two or three of him." She took a deep breath, then buried her face in the crook of Max's neck. "I'm so tired..."

"I know, baby." Max tilted her face to the side and kissed Chloe's ear. "I know. We just have to do this first, okay?"

"Yeah..." Chloe pecked Max on the lips, then nodded. "Okay. Let's get going."

Whether it was from sneaking, or simply a strong desire to avoid interacting with anyone, Max and Chloe had more than their fair share of stressful walks across the main campus. But the journey had never felt longer or more treacherous than it did now. They tried to ignore their surroundings, but it was impossible.

Students swarmed across the campus, splitting into copies or flickering in and out as they moved. Trees were sucked back into the grass, only to sprout somewhere else. The path moved beneath their feet, causing Chloe to lose her balance more than once. The statue at the center of the fountain morphed through an array of different people and animals. At one point, the entire Blackwell building disappeared, only to blink back in a second later.

Justin greeted them hello, then dissolved into nothing.

Stella trotted down the sidewalk, passing right through a clone of herself.

Juliet went on her tiptoes to give Zach a kiss, and they both fell through the earth.

A school bus appeared out of thin air, several feet above the street, then dropped to the ground and bounced on its tires. Its door opened, releasing a new stream of students into the chaos.

Clinging to each other for dear life, they finally arrived at Chloe's truck. The girl studied it for a moment, making sure it was the same one she knew, and then got in. Max hopped in the other side, then swallowed a knot of unease as she watched half of the parking lot get stomped into untouched, green grass.

Chloe threw the truck into gear, and they sped away.

---

"What if he's not there?" Chloe asked. She glanced in the rearview again just to make sure there was still a road behind them. "Then what do we do?"

"I don't know," Max admitted, "I'm doing the best with what I have. There's not...a lot I can think of..." She breathed out a heavy, stale breath and shook her head. All of her friends were either missing or being pulled back and forth across multiple realities. There was also a looming fear that neither of them dared to speak out loud, though she was sure Chloe shared her concern...

What if...it's too late?

"Look," Chloe said irritatedly, nodding at something ahead of them. Max leaned forward and watched as the lettering on a street sign was erased, then replaced with a different name. "Gossamer Avenue? Huh, I like that one better." She bared her teeth as the truck swerved, avoiding a pothole that hadn't been there a moment ago. "It's like a fucking Mario Kart course."

"Just be careful," Max said, patting Chloe's leg. She looked through the window and stared as every car in the passing parking lot was hammered into completely different makes and models by an unseen force. "It's...bizarre that we're the only ones who can see this. I don't understand how that's possible."

"Definitely makes you feel a little crazy," Chloe agreed. She pumped the brakes, then shot forward as the traffic light changed from green, to red, then back to green in the space of a single second. Again, she checked the rearview. "Two cars behind us... Think there was only one a few seconds ago."

"Do you think this is happening everywhere?" Max asked, repositioning herself to find what little comfort she could. "We only know what we see in Arcadia Bay. It's just...scary to think it's happening on an even bigger scale."

"Maybe," Chloe replied, though the way she said it sounded a lot more like 'yes.' "I mean, I guess I hope so? I want Warren and Victoria and..." she cleared her throat, "I just want them all to be out there somewhere. They can't be gone. They can't." She spread her fingers out, giving them relief after clutching the steering wheel so hard. "I hope Mom and David are okay..."

"Me too," Max murmured to herself. It was an exercise in treading water. Thinking about it too much would only lead to drowning. Kate, Warren, and Victoria were all missing in their own ways. If she couldn't get them back... If even more of the people she cared about began to disappear... "Why now?" She ran a hand through her hair. "We were getting so close..."

A jarringly pleasant chime sounded off from under Max's leg. She scooted over and looked down, finding Chloe's phone lit up with a new message.

"Can you check that?" Chloe asked with a grimace. "I have to focus on...not fucking crashing." Her head lulled forward and she puckered her lips. "I really hope it's just some normal bullshit. Pete asking me to work or something."

Obeying, Max grabbed the phone and tapped the home button, lighting it up once again. A chill ran through her bones.

Oh...no...

"Who is it?" Chloe didn't take her eyes of the road, but did put enough movement in her hip to nudge Max. She stepped harder on the gas, propelling them through a yellow light. When Max didn't respond, she glanced at her. "Max, what does it say? Who is it?"

Max blinked, reading over the text again. She must have read it a dozen times. As much as she'd felt nauseous over the past few days, this was the first time she actually felt the heat of bile travel up through her. She swallowed it back down, and tried to hide that she was crying. She wanted to hide all of it.

Cruel...

"Dude," Chloe said, annoyance bold in her voice, "who is it?"

"Your dad," she whispered.

She lurched forward as the truck screeched to a halt, the seat belt digging into her flesh. Chloe's phone flew from her hands and smacked into the windshield, then slid to the front of the dashboard. Max coughed out the dent in her throat, then turned to Chloe. The girl was motionless, staring back at her with enormous eyes.

"What did you just say?" Chloe asked. Her chest began to rise and fall in a rapid pace. "What...did you just say to me?"

"It's William," Max replied, her voice crumbling halfway through his name. Chloe shot forward and snatched the phone from the dashboard, then held it in her lap. Her hands were trembling. She mouthed something to herself before pressing the button to illuminate the screen. Max leaned over and read it once again.

Dad ヽ(^◇^*)/: Let me know if Max is coming for dinner tonight! First grill of the year :-)

"What?" Chloe squeaked. "This can't...be from him..." She tapped her thumbs against the phone in a frantic rhythm. "My dad's dead. This isn't from him. It's..."

"Chloe, I...I don't know what to say." Max brushed away a tear on her cheek. Chloe's arm jerked back and forth, and suddenly the truck was moving again. Only, it was going in reverse. A car honked as it swerved around them. "Chloe?"

"I have to," she said quietly. She spun the steering wheel hard, whipping them around in a half-circle, and then they were going back the way they came.

Oh no. But...Sean and... This is not a good idea.

"I know, Max," Chloe said, reading her thoughts, "I know, okay? But I have to." Max was surprised to see that Chloe wasn't crying along with her. More than anything, she almost seemed angry. Or at least, determined enough that it was hard to tell the difference.

How can I deny her this? I...can't. She deserves to see him. Even if it hurts.

"Alright," she responded meekly, then sniffled. In any other context, Chloe having a chance to reunite with William would be nothing short of a very literal miracle. But it was hard for Max to see it that way. To her, it was just the noose tightening around the world. A death rattle passing through the lips of the universe. She watched Chloe intently. "Are you okay?"

"No," Chloe replied, "but I'm used to it." The truck slowed down some, and she spared a glance at Max. "If I died in that bathroom, do you think this would still be happening?" Max recoiled at the question and narrowed her eyes into virulent slits.

Didn't we just talk about this?

"Does it matter?" she asked with an accusatory tone.

"Yeah," Chloe chuckled joylessly, "a little bit..."

"I thought you weren't giving up on me." Max didn't speak the words so much as stab them into Chloe's heart.

"I'm not giving up on you, or me, or anything," she said, "I'm only wondering." Her foot fell harder on the pedal, boosting the truck back over the speed limit. "There's just...I mean, there's a lot of baggage now with this, I don't know, prophecy bullshit." She smirked, but it once again lacked any sense of happiness. "I could be like, the antichrist or something. You could be finger-fucking the antichrist."

"Then fine, whatever," Max responded, "I'm perfectly content with that..." She watched as a red light passed over head. "What does that make me, then? I'm the one who changed it. I'm the one that fucking..." she snorted. "Chloe, I know I sound like a broken record at this point, but seriously, I'd-" she stumbled over a word as they maneuvered around a car, "I'd run laps in hell if it summoned you to our earthly realm." She wriggled her fingers in a sarcastic, theatrical manner, then scoffed. "If you're the antichrist, then...I'm worse."

The actual devil, maybe.

"Power couple," Chloe said holding out her fist beside her. Max gave her a sharp look, then bumped it with her own. "Why not, right? The girls that destroyed the world."

"The girls that fixed it," Max corrected icily. She looked out the window as they rocketed by a stop sign, and couldn't even muster the energy to ask Chloe to slow down. They still hadn't been allowed a single moment of sleep, and she could feel how heavy her body was becoming.

Several jerky turns and traffic violations later, they finally arrived at Chloe's house. The truck came to another abrupt stop as a Chloe let out a forlorn gasp. Neither of them said anything. They just stared at the car in the driveway. The last time anyone had seen it, it was nothing but a mangled pile of rust and forgotten blood.

It's...really him. William...

"Fuck," Chloe growled under her breath, gripping the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles turned white. "I didn't believe it. I didn't really think he'd be here." She gulped for breath, then heaved forward, thudding her head against the wheel. "God dammit. God dammit. What do I do with this? What am I supposed to do?" Max had thought it was strange how Chloe had shown such little emotion on the drive, but she could now see it had simply been building, waiting to crescendo. "Dad... This isn't fair..." An elongated, high pitched whine crawled from her throat.

"Chloe," Max laid her hand on her thigh, "I'm here, okay? Whatever you decide, whatever you want to do, I've got your back."

"I just need a minute," Chloe said, trying to collect herself. "I just need to think. I need to fucking...understand this. He's, I mean, my dad's in there. He's in my house." She closed her eyes tight and shook her head as tears streaked down her cheeks. "Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck! I need to..." Her eyes went wide as they shot over Max's shoulder. "...what? No..."

Max turned around and clapped both hands over her mouth. William's car was shimmering, flexing and bending as if it were underwater. Static buzzed along the outline of it, pulsing in a slow, terrible pattern. It was disappearing. Max heard the driver's side door fling open, and then she saw Chloe blurring by the front of the truck.

Shit! This isn't good!

"Chloe, wait!" Max shouted. She struggled with her seatbelt for a moment, then hurried after her. "Wait!"

"Dad!?" Chloe screamed as she burst through the front door. "Dad, are you here!?"

"Chloe!" Max called again. Approaching the house, she could see Chloe's silhouette rushing back and forth in the hallway. She leaned forward, trying to run faster...

As she crossed the threshold into Chloe's home, something speared into her from the side, lifting her off her feet. Stars of pain skittered through her ribs, then her back as she crashed against the wall. Then she was struggling to breathe, clawing at whatever was crushing her throat. It took a moment to clear the dizziness from her vision, and when she did, she was staring into her own eyes.

"Hey there, Max," Nightmare Max said through clenched teeth. She put her weight forward, digging her forearm harder into Max's windpipe. Max flailed, swiping out at her, but she ducked to the side. "How about we have a little chat?"

She took a step back and pulled her arm off of Max, allowing the girl to gasp and take in breath. Then she threw her hand around her and clutched her by the nape of her neck. With her other hand, she reached beside her and slammed the door of Chloe's house shut, then just as quickly yanked it back open. The Price's front yard was gone, replaced by a dark, nightmarish forest. She tore Max from the wall, then forced her through the door.

"Let go of me!" Max shouted, finally breaking free and finding her voice. She lunged for the door, but Nightmare Max grabbed a fistful of her hair and jerked her backwards. She yelped and fell to the ground, then watched in horror as the door faded away. "No!" Max reached out for it futilely, and the other Max ripped her head back once again, eliciting another screech.

"The downside to long hair," she said, flitting the back of her hand through the shorter style Max used to sport. With a snicker, she released her hold on Max.

"Why now!?" Max pushed herself to her feet and tensed her hands out at her doppelganger. "Now is not a good time!"

"In case you haven't noticed, Max," Nightmare Max said, "there's not a whole lot of 'good' time left to go around."

"But she needs me!" Max took a threatening step toward her. "Let me go right fucking now, I swear to god!"

"Swear to who, now?" Nightmare Max asked with a raised eyebrow. She sidestepped as Max swung at her. "Man, check you out. You've gotten rather feisty, haven't you?" Max reeled back to strike again, then let her arms fall to her side.

"Please," she begged, "just let me help her. You can have me after, I promise! Just let me-"

"Shut the fuck up before I rip your tongue out of your mouth," Nightmare Max snarled. "Giving me a fucking headache. Just...shut up. Okay? Good?"

It was hard to tell in the darkness of the woods, but there was something...wrong with the other Max's eyes. They weren't blue. They were a color Max had never seen before. One she didn't even know existed. Perhaps some animals could see it, but it was foreign to the human color spectrum. There was an otherworldly beauty to it, but if it were to be given a name, it would simply be called 'hatred.'

"What's wrong with you?" Max asked, a tremble bouncing in her voice. She placed a hand against her ribs, still throbbing with pain. The other Max had never physically hurt her before. Until now, she didn't even know that was possible. "What's...going on?"

"Now that, Maxine, is a fantastic question," she responded, sliding into a playful demeanor. Still...there was something off about it. It wasn't the same as usual. With a wide grin, she held her arms out and spun in place. "So! Isn't this somethin'?"

"Isn't what something?" Max looked around her at the crooked, black trees. Barren of leaves, they resembled skeletal hands longingly reaching for something they'd never hold. There was no grass beneath her feet, only cracked, Stygian soil. Or, at least she thought it was soil. It could just as easily have been compacted ash. She turned back to the other Max and shook her head. "What's happening? Did Chloe and I fall into another timeline, or..."

"That," Nightmare Max interrupted, wagging a finger at Max, "that's the something I'm talking about! You can't tell if this is an alternate reality, a distortion of your own, or just one of your little...what do you call them? Nightmares?" She chuckled and smacked a palm to her face. "You can't tell. Fuck, I can barely tell. It's all too mixed up now, like some kind of reality kaleidoscope." She thought for a moment, then smiled. "Or a collide-o-scope, if you will."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Max asked. "Are you saying it's too late?" She could feel the burn of tears behind her eyes and twitched her nose, pushing them down for the time being. "That can't be right. We can't be out of time yet!"

"Not yet, but I'd say you're pretty fucking close. Unless, of course," she gestured to Max's hand, "you wanted to give it that final push? Take the ol' universe out back and show a little mercy?" She laughed when Max cradled her hand against her chest defensively, then tilted her head back and worked her jaw around. Her eyes fluttered in pleasure as she did so, and something about the way she did it made Max feel sick. "Yep, it's only a matter of time..." She gave Max a knowing look. "I guess it's always been a matter of time, hasn't it?"

"No, no... But Chloe..." Max turned to where the door used to be and slumped her shoulders. "I need to help her. I have to."

"Oh come on," Nightmare Max said, "she'll be fine. When have you ever known Chloe to get herself into a bad situation?" The distant shrieking of a train trying to come to a stop echoed through the trees. She stuck her tongue through her teeth as her lips curled up in devious enjoyment. "Sorry, no Chloe right now. Just some one on one time with yours truly."

"Fuck," Max hissed, resigning herself to the her status as prisoner. "Fine. Then where are my friends?" She swept a hand through her hair and regarded the other Max with desperation. "I can fix this. I really can. I just need to know where my friends are. I need them back. I need them safe." She said it as if she were listing demands in a hostage situation. "Please. I need to know where they are."

"Oh!" Nightmare Max clapped excitedly. "I actually can answer that! It's quite the show..." Suddenly, the area in front of Max brightened, simulating the effects of stage lighting shining down. "Come on, let's get you all comfy-cozy." She reached for Max, but the girl stumbled away from her.

"Don't touch me!" she shouted. The other Max shot her an unimpressed look, then sighed and held her hands up.

"Alright, fine," she said. Then her head lulled to the side and she gave Max a small, condescending smile.

The ground shifted beneath Max's feet, and she toppled backwards into a chair. A feeling of dread gnawed at her brain and she immediately tried to stand back up. Of all the things that could rouse the sleeping trauma within her, the cushion of a chair was the last thing she'd expect. But she'd never forget the way it molded to her, or the way the wood frame felt on her forearms.

"No! No!" she screamed as duct tape coiled around her wrists and ankles, pulling her back down into the chair. She thrashed, trying to get back on her feet, but the tape only grew tighter. "Let me go!"

"Oh, yeah, sure. That's always worked before," the other Max snarked, "I'm pretty much known for my compassion." She rolled her eyes, then tapped her index finger to her chin, giving a long 'hmm' as she pondered. "Alright, let's see... Who first, who first..." She turned her gaze on Max, the corner of her eyes crinkling with a smile. "Well, we can start with the obvious one...?" Shielding her eyes, she stared up into the empty sky. "Any second..."

"No, I get it, okay? Don't do thi-" Max began to say.

"We ask that the audience remain silent for the duration of the program," Nightmare Max muttered hollowly, still looking into the sky. A cartoonish slide whistle sound effect came from above, growing louder as it got closer.

"Don't! Don't, please. I understand, alright?" Max pleaded.

A shadow plummeted through the trees, then crashed in front of Max with a sickening crunch. She screamed and turned away, but an invisible hand squeezed her jaw and jerked her face back to the figure. It was mangled, its limbs twisted and bent in all the wrong directions. Its eyes were open, but unfocused. Forever frozen in time. Forever staring at the last moment of life.

"Nostalgic, isn't it?" Nightmare Max asked. "Remember that? That first time I stopped by just to give you that little heads up? Splat... Splat..."

"Stop..." Max mumbled. She tried to break free again, but her hands wouldn't respond. The tape had cut off her circulation and her fingers were already turning blue. She looked at Kate and took a deep, steadying breath. "That's not...that's not how it would happen..."

"What's that?" The other Max cocked her head curiously. "What do you mean?"

"She wouldn't look like that," she replied, a burst of anger in her voice. "She wouldn't look so...broken. If she did jump, it wouldn't look like this. I know Kate," she glared at Nightmare Max, "I know her. She'd still look perfect. She's too good for this. This is just...disrespectful. It's a lie."

"You're kidding," Nightmare Max said, amusement playing on her lips. "Now you're picking a fight with physics? Really?"

"I know her," Max repeated, putting all of her weight into her words. She knew if she tried to look away again, she'd just be forced back to Kate's body. So instead, she stared at it and let it brand her memory. She allowed it to become fertilizer for her rage.

"I see what you're doing," Nightmare Max whispered, drawing Max's attention back to her. "Collecting every last shred of torment and locking it away. Saving it for when you might need it most. Turning your little heart into your very own Pandora's Box..." She glanced to the side and a thoughtful expression came to her face, then she shrugged, disregarding whatever she'd been thinking. "Shall we continue?"

"Sure," Max responded, her voice lacking any emotion.

Stepping from the shadows, Victoria wandered out into the open. She seemed confused, then when she saw Kate, she clutched her stomach and dry heaved. "Oh my god," she cried, "oh my god... Did I do this...?"

She went rigid, then was set into a different position, as if she were nothing more than a doll. Her outfit had also changed during the adjustment. Kate's body didn't move, but her skin had yellowed considerably and her eyes were sunken. Max took it to mean that time had passed.

"She was fucking crazy," Victoria laughed, speaking to someone who wasn't there. "I mean, I knew she had issues, but wow! What a psycho bitch!" Her lips stopped moving, and a haunting echo of her voice filled the air. "I'm so sorry... God, I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to!"

"You know," Nightmare Max said, interrupting the reenactment, "it's really telling how none of you can just fucking say what you're thinking. Always with the lies. Always with the...pretending."

"We're human," Max bit back, "it's what we do. And we're more honest with each other than most."

She faltered as she thought of telling Victoria about her powers. Clearly they were honest with each other. It was ridiculous to call that into question. But...maybe they were too honest?

"Hm," was all the other Max offered back.

Victoria changed wardrobe again, and now had dark circles under her eyes. She hadn't been sleeping. At Max's feet, bits of Kate's skull could be seen through her rotting flesh. There was an unnerving wriggling over her body as the food chain set to work.

"Yeah, I, uh, I just think it'd be better if I went somewhere else," Victoria said quietly, the admission causing her great pain. "I don't think I can stay here, Principal Wells."

"She transferred," Max deduced with a frown. "She...ran away. She couldn't bear it."

"Good," Nightmare Max replied darkly.

Victoria shifted again, and this time her hair was a bit longer. It wasn't a stylistic choice. She simply lacked the motivation to keep up with it. She still had circles around her eyes, but now they had the permanency of tattoos sewn into her skin. It'd been months, but they'd never gone away. She held a palm out flat, then tilted her other hand over top of it. Then she brought her hand to her mouth and swallowed. Though there were no 'props' to speak of, Max could recognize she was taking pills.

"Y-yeah, Mom, be there in a second," she called out to no one. Once again, her internal monologue billowed around her. "These aren't helping. Why aren't they helping? I still see her. I still hear her and... God, I just want to sleep... I just need sleep..."

Max knew what she'd find, but she still looked down. Kate was nothing more than a skeleton. She took three quick breaths through her nose, attempting to calm herself.

"Seems a bit cheap," the other Max said thoughtfully, looking over Victoria with disdain. "A little PTSD is a small price to pay for happily assisting in a girl's suicide, no?"

"That's not fair," Max responded, "you know there's more to it than that."

"Oh? Is there?" Nightmare Max took a few steps toward her. "What more is there, Max? You feeling protective because you can relate?" Her eyes skittered around, like she couldn't find the right words to do her disgust justice. "Isn't that fucking funny? People lose loved ones every day and some never recover. Yet, here you two are! Gleefully helping your girlfriends kill themselves only to be rewarded with fucking rainbows and confetti!" Her foot came down hard on Kate's remains, splintering them into fragments, and she leaned forward into Max's face. "Isn't that a fucking riot!?"

"You're purposely ignoring details," Max argued back, pulling her back off the chair so she could spit the words into the other Max's face. "You're just manipulating the truth to prove a point that doesn't exist!"

Although...it really wasn't very fair, was it?

"And what about their little relationship?" Nightmare Max asked, plowing through Max's retort. "What kind of sick fuck would play matchmaker with those two? You're disgusting for encouraging that."

Well, it was something Max had recently felt guilty about... But no, it was okay.

"Yeah, you know what? You're right," Max said. "Really shitty of me to spin something negative into a positive." The sarcasm in her voice was acidic enough to earn a truly scornful glare from the other Max.

Slowly, Nightmare Max backed away and turned to Victoria. She ran her tongue across her top row of teeth, then sneered at the girl. Victoria stumbled forward, then was jerked face first into the dirt with a meteoric impact. Crumpled and crooked, she looked no different than Kate just a few moments before.

"Fuck!" Max recoiled, clamping her eyes shut. Something sharp dug into her eyelids, peeling them back open. In the short space of time they were closed, both Kate and Victoria had been disposed of.

"Next," Nightmare Max commanded, pushing the words through grinding teeth. On cue, Warren and Nathan emerged from opposite sides of the forest. They met in the center and faced each other, awaiting further direction.

"What's this?" Max asked. She tried again to free herself from her bindings, but there wasn't so much as a twitch in her fingers.

"You wanted to know where Warren is..." the other Max said, gesturing at the boy. Nathan's body went slack, as if he'd had life breathed into him. Warren followed suit and immediately pushed hard against Nathan's chest.

"Max, I got this," he said, his hands bundled into fists. The Max he was speaking to was of course nowhere to be seen.

"Get the fuck out of my face!" Nathan warned.

With only the smallest gap of hesitation, Warren brought his head forward and smashed it against Nathan's. He wobbled around dizzily as Nathan fell to the ground.

"You are so fucked dead," Nathan shouted, reaching for something at his waistline. He brought back an empty hand, but Max knew there was meant to be a gun in it.

However, instead of kicking the gun out of Nathan's grasp like Max remembered, Warren fell on him and tried to wrestle it away. The brief struggle ended when a piercing gunshot rang out.

"Oh fuck," Max swore, shaking her head. She watched as Nathan's hand fell to the ground lifelessly. It explained everything, from Warren's disappearance to Trevor and Zach's comments.

"I-I...I didn't mean to!" Warren scooted away from the boy's body, panic streaking through his eyes. He looked over his shoulder, where Max and Chloe were supposed to be. "Guys, I swear, I didn't mean to! Shit! Shit! I didn't mean t-"

"You get the picture," Nightmare Max said, banishing the actors. She smirked and rolled her eyes. "I've never held a gun before," she mocked in a whiny impression of Warren.

"That was an accident..." Max replied, staring out onto the 'stage.'

"You keep using that word..." Nightmare Max regarded her curiously. "Accident. Everything's an accident to you. Do you actually think saying that makes it all okay?"

"No, that's not what I said," Max said, frustration cutting up her voice. "Don't put words in my mouth."

"I could literally do that, if I wanted," the other Max shot back. "Like comic book text bubbles... Do you want to give it a go?" She cackled as Max's nostril flared. "Alright, fine, fine. An accident..." she shrugged. "Tell that to Sean. I'm mostly surprised Warren's still breathing. Killing the precious heir to the Prescott dynasty? Yikes."

"Prescott..." Max said, the name tasting like rot in her mouth. She sat forward. "Wait! Wait, you have to tell me what you know!"

"Ahh, there we go," Nightmare Max chuckled. "That's right, Detective Max snooped around and found some juicy info."

"What we found at Pan Estates..." Max shook her head, "I still don't understand it. You have to tell me." The tape holding her to the chair suddenly vanished, and she glanced at her reflection suspiciously. The other Max only rolled her hand, as if insisting 'go on.' She rubbed at her wrists tenderly, working the blood flow back through them. "Please. You need to help me figure it out."

"Pan Estates..." Nightmare Max mused. She puckered her lips, then snickered. "You know, there's something so fucking...wonderfully ironic about that name." She reached above her and pulled down on a low hanging branch, looking over it analytically. "That idiot thought he was being so clever. So smart and brave. And yet...he was telegraphing his own demise." She turned to Max, her eyebrows raised. "Did you know the word 'panic' is derived from the god, Pan? Isn't that poetic?"

"What...is that thing?" Max asked, suddenly feeling the need to search the surrounding trees.

"Hm? You mean that presence you keep feeling?" Nightmare Max crossed her arms. "Well, I'm sorry to say, if you're expecting to run into a hoofed flautist, you're going to be very disappointed." She laughed, bending over and clutching her stomach. "Christ, could you imagine? A little goat man causing all your problems? That'd be...well, ridiculous."

"But is it the same thing from Benjamin Prescott's dream?" Max tapped one foot against the ground, then the other, checking to see if she could feel them again. Deciding they'd recovered from the duct tape, she got back to her feet. "The same thing he saw 150 years ago? Is that...Arcadia Bay?"

"Sure is..." the other Max said, seemingly annoyed at her own answer, "but maybe putting it in those terms is a little...off. The 150 years thing, yanno? It's a little muddy." Her features became much more severe, and she stared hard into Max's eyes, giving the girl goosebumps. "You do see that I was right about all your animals and flowers and...fucking water and dirt? It's their fault. All of it."

"But...I don't know how," Max responded. "I still don't know where I fit into all of this. Where we fit into all of this!"

"Yeah," Nightmare Max nodded, then expelled a sound of disgust, "that's the problem. We don't."

"Why?" Max looked over her hand with a furrowed brow. "Why can I...do what I do?"

"Because you're a problem," the other Max replied. "Just a wrench to jam in the gears of a well-oiled machine. You're just..." She stopped speaking and glanced up at the trees, a violent growl sputtering in her throat. Following her gaze, Max saw a blue jay perched in one of the branches. Despite the darkness, it was strikingly easy to see. It was practically glowing. "No," Nightmare Max snarled, holding out her hand. She tightened her fist, and the blue jay constricted on itself before bursting into a cloud of red mist and feathers.

"Oh god," Max said, watching as the feathers fluttered to the dirt. She absentmindedly took a few steps back. "They...wanted Chloe to die."

"Even a broken clock's right twice a day," Nightmare Max mumbled, searching the other branches. Without looking at her, she lazily waved in Max's direction. "Even you, the most broken clock of all."

"Why won't you help me?" Max asked. "If you just explained to me... If you only told me what's going on, we could fix it. Together."

"Oh please," the other Max gave her a sardonic look, "what makes you think I want to help you?"

"You warned me," Max pointed out, "after we came back from the other timeline. You made it a point to warn me!"

"Sure," Nightmare Max said, "I warned you because I wanted you to know. I wanted to rub your nose in it like a fucking dog. Because as much as I hate Arcadia, and as much as I hate Chloe, and the Prescotts..." She leveled a finger at Max. "I hate you most of all."

"But...why?" Max swept her hair out of her face and flailed her hand. "I don't get it! All you do is talk in riddles! One second you're a fucking jester, and the next you're a psycho! I don't understand you!"

"I'm cool with that," the other Max said with a shrug, "I don't really feel the need to be understood."

"You're so angry about everything being so fucked up, but then you don't want to stop it," Max argued. "Which is it? Do you want it fixed or not?"

"Not," Nightmare Max said, her teeth clacking as she bit down on the word. "No, I'm all about the fucking apocalypse. The end times. Going out with a bang..." She pointed two fingers at Max, then jerked them, simulating a gun. "I can't wait to be done with this. I've..." she softened and shook her head, "I've had enough. I just want to rest."

"You can't possibly tell me with a straight face that you'd ra-" Max was interrupted by the sound of twigs snapping from the forest. Nightmare Max whipped in its direction and bared her teeth angrily.

"Leave us alone!" she roared. She stomped on the ground, causing slivers of shadows to detach from the air and swirl around her. "Isn't there fucking anywhere we can get some goddamn privacy!?" Another snap, this time closer. Nightmare Max let out a guttural noise of frustration, then rushed over to the treeline. Placing her palm on one of the trees, she loomed around it, searching. "Where are yoooou?" The question was quickly followed by an 'aha!' and she struck at something in the darkness. In a single, inhuman motion, she pulled it out and spiked it on the ground behind her, eliciting a high-pitched yelp.

"Jesus...Christ," Max gasped, staring down at the fox. It looked back up at her with one shivering eye, its legs twitching. "What is wrong with you?"

"Really?" Nightmare Max glided back to the center of the clearing and glared at Max. "Don't you remember? These things wanted to kill Chloe. Now you're going to show empathy?" She laughed in disbelief and gestured to the fox. "You can't be serious. I saw what you did to Jefferson. He was an innocent man. And you..." she took in a deep breath through her nose, as if smelling something tantalizing, "you beat him to a bloody pulp. Tortured him until reality itself couldn't even recognize him. You killed him. God, it was so fucking validating! You're just as bad as I am!"

It stung. Like dragging a match down a strip of exposed nerves.

"That's not true," Max asserted, "I'm nothing like you."

"Keep telling yourself that," the other Max chided. "Yeah, just keep on deluding yourself. With all the things you've done? Allowed? There's so many possibilities!" Without breaking eye contact, she thrust her foot to the ground and twisted, sending another cry streaking through the claustrophobic night. Max stared back at her, struggling to swallow as her mouth went dry. "Its neck was broken..." she said with a mock pout, "had to be done."

Max finally understood what felt so different about her doppelganger. She was...less erratic than usual. The entire time, there was something strained and violent about her mannerisms. As if she'd had the worst part of her on a leash and was holding it back. Her taunts, her prodding, all of her insults... They were more precise. Almost surgical. Instead of mere shock or grief, they prompted deeper thought and uncertainty. Whittling away at what was left of Max's mind.

And unfortunately, the only reason Max could finally pinpoint the difference was because she could sense the other Max's grip on the leash loosening. And the thrashing, rabid dog at the end of the chain was being aimed right at her.

"I...want to leave..." Max said, her voice weak with fear.

She'd swear she could actually hear the sound of the chain link snapping.

"Oh, come now!" Nightmare Max cackled. "Why the rush!?" Before Max could move or speak, the other Max was beside her. She grabbed Max by the jaw, digging her nails into the girl's skin. "You know, there's a literary term called 'murder your darlings,' and if you ask me, dipshit up there," she pointed to the sky with her thumb, "has a mass grave worth of darlings that could really use the axe."

"Stop it! Let me go!" Max screamed. Nightmare Max scoffed in her face and yanked her closer. "Stop! Stop!"

"How about some more theater?" she asked, stepping to the side to allow Max clear view of the stage. The lights burnt brighter until the sound of bulbs bursting rang out. "Come on! It'll be fun! You'll love it!"

The entire forest erupted in flames with a deafening 'fwoosh.' It was so quick, so easy, that the whole world might as well have been doused in gasoline.

"Please!" Max fought against her, sobbing hopelessly. Nightmare Max jostled her head around roughly, humming a gleeful 'uh uh!' in response.

"Here's what you let happen to Kate in another timeline!" she laughed. Kate, engulfed in flames, jogged out to the center of the clearing. She dropped to the ground and her eyes clouded over. "Overdose! Whoops! Looks like even Jefferson can fuck up sometimes!"

The heat of the fire rolled over Max, choking the air from her lungs.

Next, David, similarly burning, appeared from the forest and came to a stop over Kate's body.

"My family... I have nothing..." he whimpered, then brought his empty hands under his jaw. His head snapped backward as a bang melded with the crackle of fire, and he fell on top of Kate.

"That one's your fault too," Nightmare Max taunted, driving and twisting the words into Max's ear. "Isn't this amazing? Even the smallest things... You have no idea what you create, what you destroy. Playing god sure is fucking fun when you don't have to give a shit, isn't it?"

Max could only cough and gag from the smoke.

Joyce arrived next. She didn't even say anything. She just looked surprised, clutched her chest, and fell on David.

"Broken heart syndrome," Nightmare Max said, her knife-like voice lilting into a melodic slash. "Just kidding. It was a heart attack. I wonder if 'your' Joyce should look into that? When's the last time she had her cholesterol checked?" She shook her hips playfully, bathing in the chaos. "Let's see here... Oh!"

Warren cruised from the fire, levitating in the air. He was in a sitting position, one hand outstretched as it clasped an invisible steering wheel. He was suddenly flung sideways, spinning through the air several times before landing on his neck. The crack seemed to come from inside Max's head.

"Stomp, stomp, stomp," the other Max cheered, hiking her knees up as she spoke. "Everywhere you look, there's a butterfly under foot." Max heaved forward, trying to escape, then whimpered when the heel of Nightmare Max's palm thumped off the back of her head. "Oh, I'm sorry, did you want me to stop? Is it too much? Too gratuitous? Am I going overboard?" She howled in laughter. "I bet they think so, too! I can see the comments now! When will it end? It's just misery porn!" She twisted Max around and smacked their foreheads together, her eyes leeching down into the pit of Max's heart. "Roll credits. Enough's enough. Beg. Cry! Give up on the story!" She rolled her eyes. "I don't give a shit! Why should I care what anyone else wants?! There are no happy endings here! I'm the one in control!"

Daniel trotted out, followed by Logan. Both, of course, ablaze. There was a heated

"Ha!" Nightmare Max giddily rolled onto the balls of her feet. "Heated! So fucking clever!"

exchange of words and then Logan pushed Daniel to the ground. On the way down, his head seemed to catch on something, and a crack identical to Warren's shook the turf.

"An accident?" Nightmare Max asked. "Another one of your little accidents?" She gestured grandly to Logan. "Not his fault. Just an accident!"

"Oh god, what the fuck?" Logan backed away from the body, waving his arms in disbelief. "Fuck! Dude, get up! That's not funny!" He spun in place, his clothing rewriting itself into a different outfit. Thunder rang out, and he was flattened by the sound of shredded metal. Max's stomach sprung into her throat at the grotesque sight.

"Oh, but it is such a shame you never got to see what the storm was like," the other Max whipped. Another blast of thunder tilted the earth. "Like a fucking sniper, methodically picking them off one by one!"

Juliet, Zach, Hayden, and Courtney were dragged into the center. Like dominoes, they broke and snapped at different joints and collapsed.

Another version of Victoria appeared. She screamed as she looked above her, covering her eyes. Then an unseen force buried her.

Stella arrived, then left her feet as something tossed her through the air. Her cry of 'help' was cut short.

Warren, Joyce, and Frank screamed in agony as their skin bubbled and blackened in the explosion.

Finally, with all her might, Max swung out beside her and caught her reflection on the cheek, stripping slivers of skin from her face. Nightmare Max turned to her, eyes wide with shock.

"Wow!" she screamed, a manic grin splitting her face in half, "so fucking fierce!" She snatched Max's wrist, then dug her thumb hard into the girl's bandaged palm. It hurt far worse than made sense for such a wound. Max's vision dimmed and her knees buckled from the pain. "God, it's just so good to see the real you. Really, I've waited so fucking long!" She wiped the blood from her cheek, then smeared it across Max's face. "There you go! Proof! A trophy for all the pain and misery you've caused me!"

"Let me go!" Max bellowed, fishing the command through the smoke clogging her insides.

Kate wandered out of the woods. She was dragging her feet, lost in some sort of stupor.

"Kate!" Max called out, her words butchered by a series of coughs. She knew there'd be no response, but she couldn't remain quiet. "Stop!"

"It's just a...really long nap..." she said, then poured something into her hand. Just like Victoria did earlier, she tossed the contents into her mouth, then sniffled. "I'm sorry Mom...sorry Dad..."

And they just...kept coming. Everyone Max knew. They came before her and died at her feet. One after the other, their hearts ceased beating. The stench of death filled the air.

An icy, almost refreshing static swirled through Max's palm and she tore herself from Nightmare Max's grasp. She thrust her hand toward her, screaming as fury boiled her blood. But...she pulled back at the last moment, stricken still by the excited look on the other Max's face.

"And what do you think you're doing?" she asked in a revoltingly playful tone, her eyes focused on Max's hand. She feigned shock, pressing her hand to her heart. "Were you about to break your rule? Did I make you lose your cool?" She reached out and flicked one of Max's fingers. "Go ahead. Do it. I'm not going to stop you."

Seething, Max balled her hand into a fist and lurched forward, making solid contact with Nightmare Max's chin. Her head twisted with the impact, but she remained firmly in place.

In an instant, the fire was gone. So too were all of the corpses. All that remained was smoke streaming from the trees.

"I thought this was what you wanted..." the other Max said, her head still on an angle. "You said you'd burn down Arcadia Bay for her. Isn't that right?" She flashed a bloodstained smile, and darted her eyes to the side. Max turned and watched as Chloe walked out of the singed forest. "Personally," she lowered Max's arm and loosened her jaw, "I find this to be even more reprehensible..." Opposite Chloe, William appeared. "Death is one thing. It's an end. A severing of the cord. But life?"

"Chloe, sweetie, why are you crying?" William asked. He let out an 'oof!' as she rushed into his arms. "What's wrong?" He rubbed his hand along her back soothingly.

"I'm just...so happy to see you," Chloe replied, nuzzling into him. "I've missed you so much."

"All of those Chloes out there with a father that miraculously rises from the dead?" Nightmare Max shook her head. "That's...so fucked. Stitching and sewing choices together like you're some kind of galactic Frankenstein. The repercussions that causes..."

"It worked...?" Max whispered to herself.

Somewhere, in some other reality, her plan to save William was a success and no harm had come to Chloe in the process. She wanted to be happy for that particular Chloe, but all she found was heartbreak. Maybe...envy? It was crushing to know that things could work if only she'd been better. Smarter. More careful. She knew there must be a universe out there where everyone she knew was happy and healthy. William, Rachel, Kate... All there. All smiling.

She'd been better in that universe. That version of her had succeeded where she failed. For as blessed as she'd consider herself, the cold truth of the matter was that there was always something even better. A greener lawn. There was a satisfactory grunt beside her, and she realized Nightmare Max had let go of her.

"But I haven't gone anywhere," William laughed. He kissed Chloe on the forehead.

"I just...god, I've fucking missed you," Chloe repeated.

"Woah, language!" William gave a warm belly laugh, then moved Chloe away from him by the shoulders. He looked deep into her eyes. "Everything okay? You know you can talk to me. I'm always here for you."

"It's great," Chloe responded, chuckling as she wiped some tears away. "You look great. You're great. You're the best. I love you so much." She spoke quickly, unloading the words she'd been saving for years.

"She's so happy..." Max said quietly. Another pinprick of envy bit at her mind. Barely noticeable, it was careful and cunning, slipping in like a thief in the night.

"Okay, now I know something's fishy," William snirked. He crossed his arms. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, I'm just...happy I got to see you again," Chloe said. She backed away from him and buried her face in her hands, unleashing a heartrending sob.

"Chloe?" William frowned and reached for her. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Chloe beamed at him, clasping his hand and holding it to her cheek. She bounced, shifting from foot to foot. Her eyes closed as she savored his touch. "Nothing's wrong. It's perfect. Really, it is. I just have to, uh, I need to..." She sighed and bent forward as she cried again. Max furrowed her brow. What she assumed to be tears of happiness were looking much less happy with every moment that passed. "I'm sorry, Dad. I'm so sorry. But I have to, okay? I love you so much, but I have to."

"What's...going on?" Max asked, turning to her broken reflection. "What's she talking about?"

Nightmare Max didn't respond. She only nodded ahead, a smug look on her face.

"I...love you too, kiddo," William replied, his eyebrows raised in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"I just really want to make it as easy as possible," Chloe assured, once again hugging him. "I just want it to be easy. Fast, okay? But I, um, I don't know what Max did. I wasn't there for it, so..."

Max's heart fell still, petrifying in her chest. Terrified, she grabbed the other Max by the arm.

"Wh-what is this? What...what are you showing me?" she stammered.

"The thing about theater," Nightmare Max said apathetically, not looking away from Chloe, "is that you need to keep the audience on their toes. There's nothing quite like a chorus of shock and awe. Everyone loves a good reveal..." Her eyes angled up in thought. "I suppose that's true for any story, really. Especially this one."

As she finished speaking, the forest around them began to ripple and bend. A bright white line split down through the center, and the darkness parted, peeling back like a stage curtain. The rest of the woods detached from an invisible ceiling, dropping to the ground like sheets of background scenery. All of it, every last trace of desolate forest, disappeared. Max gasped, sucking in a gulp of toxic air.

They were standing in Chloe's backyard, looking in through the sliding glass door.

"No...no, no, no..." Max shook her head. "What is this? Tell me what this is right now."

"Dad, I love you," Chloe said once again. "I love you so much. So fucking much. God, you're the best. You really are. I think about you all the time. Every single day." She planted a foot behind her, like she might back away again, then hugged him even tighter. And her whisper was the only noise in the world. "You...were killed in a car accident six years ago."

William went rigid in her arms, an inhuman mewling battering its way between his teeth. Chloe sobbed, keeping a tight hold on him.

"Oh my god, oh my god," Max began to hyperventilate, "no! No! Please!" She tugged on Nightmare Max's arm again and the copy turned to her, striking her with a mask of pure malice. It was the single most malicious thing Max had ever seen. She'd...give anything to be standing next to Jefferson instead. "Please..."

"Dad," Chloe cried as William convulsed in her embrace. His spine snapped, angling his upper body into a sharp point. Chloe shrieked and stumbled back, clutching at her hair. "Oh god, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Chloe..." William's voice bubbled from his throat, running down the sides of his face like sludge. "Chloe..." Mostly animalistic, it sounded just enough like him to really hurt. "Chluuugh..."

"Fuck!" Chloe took a step toward him and hesitantly took his hand. She screamed when it detached at the wrist, and she dropped it in a panic, allowing it to splash on the floor. "Oh no! I didn't know! I didn't know it'd be like this! I'm sorry!"

The bone in his left leg disappeared, leaving nothing but a rubbery husk of skin. Unable to keep his balance, he toppled onto the carpet and gasped for breath. Chloe covered her eyes and cried harder, unwilling to run away and leave him alone.

"You need to stop this," Max begged, "please. You can't do this to her. You can't. Please."

"Well, you could always...rewind," Nightmare Max responded. She spoke with several voices, all layered over one another with slight lag. "You could save her from this." She nodded at Max's hand. "Pull it back. Rewrite the script. Save her."

"But I...I..." Max looked over her hand. It was so, so tempting.

William shuddered, blood pouring from his face onto the floor. He flickered once. Twice. And then...

"Chlaaghh..."

He was gone.

Chloe wailed, shaking as she held herself. She cried with the heartbreak of every last Chloe who had lost their father. She'd had countless memories thrust into her head, and now she was shouldering the despair of millions.

"Let me go..." Max sobbed, "I need to be with her. This can't be real. This is just...you being a monster like always. Right? It's just you playing tricks. This is too awful. Let me go. Now! Please!"

"Yeah?" Nightmare Max crossed her arms and smiled at her. "If you think that's bad, you're really going to hate this next part..."

"What do you me-" Max's eyes went wide.

The sound of blood pumping thrashed through her head as all of life slowed to a glacial pace. She could only watch, confused and terrified as Nightmare Max eased her hand around the handle to Chloe's backdoor. She hadn't even noticed that the other Max had once again grabbed a handful of cloth near her shoulder, clutching it in a vice. She couldn't tell if she was breathing. She almost wished she wasn't.

A deep, sanity shaking horror writhed around in her skull.

Nightmare Max tore the door open.

"Hey, Chloe!" she called, "I've got your girl here!" With a depraved giggle, she threw Max through the open door, sending her sprawling at Chloe's feet. "Thought I'd be a good sport and drop her off for ya!"

"Wh-what...?" Chloe stared at Nightmare Max wide-eyed. It was so stunning that it brought Chloe's tears to an immediate stop. "What is...?" She looked down at Max and attempted to say more, but only clicks sparked in her throat.

"No, no, no..." Max got to her knees and flailed her hands at the other Max. "This can't be... How is this possible!?"

"I told you," Nightmare Max crowed, "it's all too mixed up! The lines are blurring... Not much longer now..." Chloe's living room began to fizzle, and she looked around her proudly. "Looks like you patched it up for now, Chloe. Great job! Don't be too broken up about it, by the way. That wasn't your dad, remember?" She waited for Chloe to respond, then nodded. "Ah, right, you're not used to this. Max usually provides a decent back and forth." The room started spinning around them, blurring until there were no discernible details. "You want your friends back? Sure, have 'em! But...a word of advice?" She held her arms out at the whirling room. "Savor them. Spend time with them. Make sure they know you love them, because..." she tapped her wrist where a watch would be, "tick, tock. Tick. Tock..."

And she laughed, and laughed... Unhinged, relentless, and so very pleased.

A blinding flash swallowed them whole, and then they were back in Max's room. The door was closing, and the mumble of Victoria's voice grew quieter as it got further away. They'd been reset back to the beginning of the day, just the same as when Max returned from the storm timeline.

They said nothing, only staring out where Nightmare Max had just been. A tickle brushed near Max's sinuses, and the taste of iron dripped into her throat. Chloe sniffled, pulling the blood from her nose into her mouth. They bled, the same way they did everything else...

Together.

---

A/N #2: So, my initial idea was to be cute and act like Nightmare!Max sort of hijacked this author's note, but after talking to my beta reader and some...other Pricefield related developments not related to my story, I've instead decided to gently remind everyone that there are 100 chapters in Ouro and that there is plenty of runway left for things to be 'okay.' In fact, it'll take less than ten chapters.

Now! All that being said – yes, this chapter is very much meant to take you right up to the line of what is and isn't 'too much' and then gleefully shove you over it. Every time I got to a place where I cringed and made myself uncomfortable, I took a breath and dug deeper.

I will say, I'm rather fond of how N!M turned out here, though. She's always been part Bugs Bunny, part homicidal maniac, and finally stripping the cartoonish part away after all this time creates something genuinely terrifying. I wanted her to feel threatening and...I think she does.

As always, there's a million things I could say about the chapter, but I don't know where to begin. This is definitely the Crescendo of Cruelty (that's a good band name.) I hope you enjoyed it! Or...I don't know, maybe I hope you didn't. I'm not sure what would be more appropriate.

Anyway, I'll be back soon with the next chapter! Thank you so much for reading. xoxox