"Max, what the fuck are you wearing?" Chloe asked, sitting on the grass of her childhood home, looking the brunette over.
"What, you don't like the dress? Shit, you're not even supposed to see it yet!" She was wearing a beautiful white gown, a small crown of white flowers in her lightly curled hair, holding a cigarette in one hand and a glass of champagne in the other, a thin silver bracelet with a blue butterfly was strapped to her left wrist.
"Oh my god, Chloe, don't tell me you forgot!" Max said as her eyes widened.
"Wait, what do you mean?" Chloe panicked. Max shook her head, she looked pissed.
"Chloe, today is our fucking wedding day! How drunk did you get last night? Fucking unbelievable. What the fuck is with the overalls? Wait, are you wearing anything under that?" Max momentarily let a curious smile cross her face as her head fell to one side, but she soon shook it away and resumed expressing her soft rage.
"Go get dressed!" Max yelled before putting out her smoke and walking back inside. Chloe noticed she was wearing nothing but blue workman overalls, her beanie and her bullet necklace.
"Oh, what the fuck?" She sighed, shocked and mildly disappointed with herself. Suddenly, Victoria walked past, wearing a red dress.
"Hey, Guard Dog, your maid of honour is wasted, fucking sort her out," She started flatly.
"Where the fuck is your suit? Fuck, Max is probably crying. Did you see her dress? Chloe, wake up!" Victoria backhanded her over the side of her head and pointed over to the fence. Chloe winced, the pain was more than she'd expected.
"Chloe! Wooo! Party time! Come hang out with me," a familiar voice called from the top of the fence post.
"Rachel, what the fuck? You're dead!" Chloe croaked at her intoxicated maid of honour, who was barefoot, and wearing a strapless, bright blue dress.
"Alright, I'll stop drinking, for now. No need to get shitty with me," She smirked as she rolled her eyes.
"Suppose we should get you into your sick duds before Max calls the wedding off completely!" Rachel laughed as she gracefully jumped off the fence.
"Damn it, Chloe, how could you be so irresponsible! The ceremony starts in ten minutes and you haven't written your vows yet? You've had the date set for eight months!" Joyce scalded Chloe as she tried to adjust her tie.
"Fuck, mom, I will figure it out when I'm standing there, in front of her. I'll just look her in the eye and say what's on my mind," Chloe responded as Joyce walked over to help her with the tie.
"Shit, that'll be a laugh, 'Max, I can't wait to tear that dress off you, bend you over the gift table and bang your brains out', classic Chloe!" Rachel laughed as she opened a bottle of champagne.
"Rachel! That's my wife you're talking about!" Chloe snapped at her.
"She ain't gonna be your wife if we can't find your shoes! And you're not wearing that beanie! Chloe, wake up!" Joyce added as she finally finished fixing Chloe's tie and tearing the beanie off her head with a sharp tap to the side of her head. More pain. As Joyce walked out of Chloe's room, the two girls searched frantically for Chloe's boots.
"Dude, have you even told her that you're in love with her yet?" Rachel asked, mid-search. Chloe shook her head.
"Max knows how I feel about her," She answered as she found her boots under her bed.
"Chloe! You have to tell her today! You're getting married to her. She said it, what, five years ago? Seriously, how long are you gonna keep her waiting?" Rachel snapped as Chloe put on her shoes.
"Girls," Joyce called out as she re-entered Chloe's room and saw her fully dressed for the occasion. Her eyes started to well up with tears.
"Oh, Chloe. Look at you," She sighed. Chloe was wearing black pants with suspenders over a white collared shirt; her sleeves were rolled three quarters of the way, with a black button-up vest over the top and a thin white tie. She'd shined up a pair of black army boots to finish the look.
"Honey, your father would be so proud of you today," Joyce continued as she started fixing up Chloe's hat hair quickly.
"You think so?" Chloe asked, flashing a meek smile, imagining her dad being proud of her.
"I know so. William always adored Max! He'd often mention that you and her were soul mates. I'm sure he'll be standing there with you today," Joyce lowered her voice as she wiped a tear from her eye, took a step back and realised there was nothing more to do for Chloe's hair.
"And for God's sake, tell that poor girl that you love her!" Joyce growled as she motioned for the two girls to leave the room and head downstairs towards the backyard.
Chloe watched, standing next to David, as Rachel and Victoria walked towards them up the aisle. White plastic chairs had been laid out through the backyard for their family and close friends.
"You scrub up alright, soldier," David leaned forward to whisper in Chloe's ear.
"I'm proud of you, don't fuck it up!" he added, Chloe smirked and nodded. Rachel took her place next to Chloe, Victoria stood opposite, leaving room for Max. Chloe felt like she'd waited forever for Max to start walking, she could feel tears build up in her eyes when she heard the soft music begin. Max walked slowly, smiling up at Chloe, holding a colourful bouquet of wild flowers with her father, Ryan, holding her by the arm.
"Hi," was all Chloe could manage to stutter, as Ryan handed his daughter over.
"Well, hey you," Max replied, grinning widely, passing the bouquet to Victoria.
"The rings, please?" The celebrant held out his hand to Chloe, who looked at Rachel; she shrugged and shook her head. Chloe felt a sinking pit in her gut. David stepped forward and cleared his throat.
"Like I was gonna let either of you two idiots look after these," he said as he held the rings forward to the celebrant. Their guests chuckled, Chloe felt herself blush.
"Well, we all know why we're here; to celebrate the union of these two soul mates. I've been asked to keep this quick. Max, please state your vows to Chloe," The celebrant spoke clearly, Max shuffled her feet.
"Chloe," Max smiled as she wiped away a tear,
"I promise to stay by your side, for the rest of our lives, through whatever gets thrown towards us. And, even though you drive me entirely crazy half of the time, I promise to support your ridiculous endeavours, unless they're dangerous, which, if I know you, most of them will be," Max paused and smirked at Chloe as the crowd laughed. Chloe just shrugged and nodded at the audience in agreement.
"Well, you know I love you; we wouldn't be here today if I didn't. We've been through so much together, and I know that I can get through anything with you by my side. I can't wait to start this new journey with you," She nodded at the celebrant as she started to blush.
"Chloe, your vows, please," Chloe nodded and smirked.
"I'll keep this short and sweet, like my beautiful bride," She winked at Max as they listened to their family and friends chuckle, Max smiled and shook her head, letting out a short laugh.
"God, isn't she beautiful," Chloe sighed out loud, some guests vocalized their adoration,
"Max, I'll always be with you, forever," Chloe watched as Max mouthed the last word along with her.
"These wedding rings are symbols of eternity; the circle has no beginning, no end. It is infinite, just like the love we are here to celebrate today. Max, Chloe, please place these rings on the fourth finger of each other's left hand," Chloe and Max both reached out at the same time and managed to put the rings on each other without any problems.
"Max, from this day forward, do you take Chloe to be your lawfully wedded wife? Will you love her, comfort her, honour and keep her, through sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her, as long as you both shall live?" The celebrant asked Max, she was trying to hide her smile.
"I do," she stated, the grin crept over Max's face.
"Chloe, from this day forward, do you take Max to be your lawfully wedded wife? Will you love her, comfort her, honour and keep her, through sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her, as long as you both shall live?" The celebrant was focused on Chloe. Max looked up at her expectantly. Chloe looked around at those gathered around. Her mother was nodding at her and making small hand movements, seeming to urge her to speak. She looked back at Max.
"Chloe? Hello?" Max looked worried as she waved a hand in front of her face. Behind her, Victoria had rested her head in one hand and shook her head softly. Rachel nudged her with her elbow.
"Dude, it's just two fricken' words, then its party time! Yo, hurry up!" She whispered hurriedly. Max looked furious. Chloe's head was pounding. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.
"Chloe, wake up!" Max whispered in a harsh, worried tone.
"Chloe, wake up!" Max's distorted voice brought Chloe out of her dream and back to reality. She had a splitting headache. The ground beneath her was hard and cold, she adjusted her vision to the bright lighting around her.
"Max, what the fuck?" Chloe managed to croak out; she noticed her hands were bound together in front of her with duct tape, as well as her ankles.
'Oh fuck! No, no, no, no, no! I shot Jefferson, right? What the fuck?' she tried to remember her previous altercation with Jefferson as she took in her surroundings.
"Oh, Chloe, you're alive!" Max cried out in relief, she was lying in front of Chloe, facing her, still bound by the tape at her wrists and ankles.
"Chloe, Jefferson hit you over the head with his camera as you tried to shoot him, don't you remember?" Max explained. Chloe's head was spinning; she felt a thick, warm liquid trickle over her forehead.
"Shit, you're bleeding!" Max yelped.
"Max, where is he? I thought I shot him," Chloe whimpered, as she winced at the pain.
"I don't know, he left, he said he'd be back," Max frowned as her lips trembled.
"Chloe, the other day, in the car, I took the bullets out of your gun – I'm sorry – it made me nervous! God, I was so stupid!" Max started to cry.
"Fuck, Max…" Chloe started with disappointment, but stopped herself,
'We definitely don't need another fight right now. We have to get out of this, arguing about it won't make the situation any better. Fuck my head fucking kills!' Chloe calmed herself down and readied herself to change her tone.
"I can't believe I didn't check it before I ran in here. Please don't cry! I need you, we have to work together to get out of this," Chloe kept her voice to a low whisper, she watched as Max nodded and sniffed.
"Can you use your rewind?" Chloe asked, Max shook her head.
"He drugged me; I tried, but it didn't work," She muttered. Chloe frowned as she struggled to worm her way closer to Max.
"Chloe, what are you doing?" Max whispered as Chloe grabbed at her wrists.
"I'm gonna take the tape off you; then you can free me. Then, we're gonna get the fuck out of this shit hole. Are you with me, Max?" Chloe started ripping at the tape from Max's wrists until she was free.
"Ok, now me," Max nodded as she removed the tape from her own ankles before freeing Chloe's wrists. Chloe stretched out her wrists as Max moved onto the tape around her ankles. Chloe slowly tried to push herself up from the ground, her head throbbing. Max stood up slowly and helped her to her feet.
"Fuck, Max, he clocked me pretty hard," Chloe softly patted at the side of her head, seething at the pain, she looked at the blood on her hand when she brought it into her sight. Max looked worried.
"I'll be fine as soon as we get the fuck out of here," Chloe panted as she tried to reassure her, but was still trying to adjust to her blurred vision. Chloe felt Max's hand wrap around hers and the two of them slowly walked towards the door of the Dark Room.
"Fuck, Max, my keys, they're not in my pocket!" Chloe realised as she patted her pants carefully. Chloe slowly leaned up against a wall as Max let go of her to try to find their belongings. She was breathing heavy and could hardly move.
"Found them!" Max whispered, clutching the keys.
'Shit, I'm so fucked. I hope he doesn't come back, I don't know how I'll be able to protect Max like this,' Chloe worried as she felt blood trickle down her ear.
"Max, my gun," Max nodded and continued to search the room.
"Chloe, it's not here, but Jefferson left his! Can you use this?" Max grabbed the semi-automatic pistol and held it up to Chloe, who could barely see Max, let alone the gun. She heard footsteps.
"Chloe Price!" Jefferson's voice resonated through the Dark Room. Max hid the gun behind her back as she crouched to the ground and whimpered quietly, Chloe turned her head slowly to see Jefferson standing in front of her.
"I guess I didn't hit you quite hard enough, you're actually awake!" He exclaimed, Chloe balled up her fists.
'Fuck, I can see three of him, how am I gonna fight him? And Max is having a fucking meltdown, fuck! We have to make it out of here!' Chloe blinked through the pain in her head, dizzying nausea started to set in.
"Chloe, I actually got some pretty decent shots of you; the blood dripping down your head in black and white is particularly mesmerising," He was walking slowly to the desk, he put down a plastic bag, pulling out a length of thick rope. Chloe tried her best to focus her vision.
"Then, I got this wonderful idea of suspending you from your legs and hanging you from the ceiling upside down. Chloe, I think you've just become my new muse," he licked his lips as he ran the rope through his hands, as he glanced between Chloe and the rope, measuring up how much to use.
"You sick fuck! I'll tear you apart!" Chloe hissed at him as she steadied herself against the wall she'd been leaning on.
"Oh, sweetheart, look at you; you can barely stand! And meek little Max over there, she's no threat to me. This room; this is the last place you'll ever see. You should probably make the most of your time together, don't worry, I'll take plenty of photos," he laughed as he searched the desk, picking up a needle and sticking it into a vile.
'Oh, fuck, no!' Chloe took a few steps back, still holding the wall; any movement she made caused more excruciating pain in her head. Jefferson started walking towards her slowly. She wasn't sure if she was hearing her heart pounding in fear or if the sounds were coming from the throbbing pain in her head. Chloe heard metal sliding along the concrete beneath her and felt something tap against her shoe. She glanced down to see Jefferson's gun. He was getting closer, holding the needle in his gloved hands. Chloe slid down the wall to her knees as she fought through the pain and picked up the gun swiftly, pulled back and released the slide, and held it up towards Jefferson.
'Fuck, I can't see properly! Which one do I shoot? Oh, fuck, I think I'm gonna be sick!' Chloe shut her eyes and pulled the trigger. The recoil knocked her weakened body to the ground with a thud. She was met with a ringing in her ears, making her head alarmingly worse.
'Please tell me I shot him!' Her mind screamed. She opened her eyes and saw Jefferson writhing on the ground, clutching at his chest. She saw Max running over to him with a tripod. She brought it up over her head with both hands and brought it down quickly onto his face. It looked like she was screaming, but Chloe only heard the ringing. He stopped moving. Blood slowly spilled out of the hole in his chest as Max dropped the tripod to her side. She started to walk over to Chloe, and dropped to her knees in front of her.
"Chloe, are you alright?" Max's voice was distorted. The ringing noise was slowly subsiding. Chloe pushed herself up slowly, her head still pounding. Max pushed herself under Chloe's arm to hold her upright and they slowly walked out of the Dark Room together.
"Max," Chloe groaned as they got closer to the car.
'I'm in love with you,' she thought as she groggily handed Max the keys to her truck.
"You'll have to drive, I can't see," Max let Chloe into the passenger side of the cabin and positioned herself in the driver's seat. Max started up the car, Chloe held her head in her hands.
"Chloe, you saved us both," Max muttered as she drove the car away from the Prescott barn.
"Thank me later, Hippie," Chloe managed to smirk through the pain.
"This is probably a doctor thing, right?" Chloe laughed as she pulled her hand away from the head wound and looked at the blood again. Max nodded.
"Don't worry Chloe, I'll get you to a hospital, I'll take care of you, I promise," Max spoke with determination as she drove on into the darkness.