And just like that, it was over. The storm had completely flattened the small town of Arcadia Bay, throwing fragments of houses, shops, and schools in every direction. Boats now rested on the beaches, and cars were settling in at the bottom of the ocean. The tornado had hit the boardwalk first; Max had held Chloe's hand tightly as they had watched it swallow up the beaches. They couldn't help but turn away once it reached the shops and residential areas, but they heard every sound as it ripped and tore through people's homes and lives. This lasted maybe five or six minutes, and then just like that, it was over. The tornado had faded and died once it hit the hills behind the town, and then everything was silent on the cliff-head under the lighthouse. Chloe couldn't bear to look at the remains of the town, her home, but Max's eyes seemed to be transfixed and unmoving. The shorter girl was still grasping Chloe's hand tightly, as though hanging on for dear life, so they stood quietly for a moment.
Chloe looked up and saw that the sky was still a deathly green-black colour swirling menacingly above them. She considered the possibility of a second storm (come to finish what the first had started) and started to pull Max away from the cliff edge. She half led, half dragged her friend down the beaten path from the lighthouse to the car which, thankfully, hadn't been swept away by the winds. It was only when they reached the weatherworn orange truck that Max was forced to let go of Chloe's hand. Her right hand on the wheel, Chloe put the keys in the ignition and the engine jolted to life.
"Alright seatbelts on" she said to Max in the passenger seat. "We gotta get out of here, fast."
But Max didn't move, her glazed eyes seemed to stare right through the thick tangle of trees that grew around them.
"Buckle up, Max. Come on, let's go." She said. A little sterner this time. When Max continued to stay frozen in place, Chloe leaned over and pulled the girl's seatbelt across her chest for her. As she did, she noticed Max's hands trembling with anxiety in her lap. Chloe reached between the seats and pulled a patched blanket from the back of the truck. Max didn't stop shivering once the blanket was wrapped around her, but at least she could dry herself off now. Chloe carefully backed the truck down the path toward the main road. Driving through the streets of Arcadia Bay was usually a simple task; in order to get to the interstate, Chloe would typically have to drive past the Two Whales, through some residential blocks, and past her own house. But now the streets were piled so high with debris that the layout of the town was completely foreign and Chloe was afraid she'd get lost. Cars, boats, and telegraph poles seemed to block every road. And the bodies. Bodies of dead residents littered the streets like fallen shrapnel. Chloe was careful not to look at any of them for fear of seeing a familiar face. Finally, the road leading out of town was visible and Chloe had found a route.
"We're almost out of here, Max" she said. And then "Oh shit" as she saw that a body was sprawled over the asphalt between them and the open road. Chloe took a deep breath as she approached. There was no other way around. Her stomach lurched as the truck bumped over the corpse. She tried to ignore the sounds that it made. She looked over at Max who didn't seem to have moved at all since she had been strapped in. Her almost unblinking eyes were staring out the window, but she didn't seem to be looking at anything that passed by. Chloe decided that she'd better keep her eyes on the road ahead.
"Thank you for visiting Shithole Bay" she muttered as they passed a sign that encouraged them to 'Come back soon!' "Okay, we're out of here. We finally did it, Max! We're leaving." Chloe wasn't sure she liked the circumstances under which they were departing Arcadia Bay, but nevertheless, it was a source of some satisfaction to finally have left it all behind her. Max's motionless state didn't change, but her eyes became alert as several emergency service vehicles screamed past them heading toward the town. They didn't stop to question the two girls driving away unharmed from a town that had been reduced to rubble not fifteen minutes ago by the biggest tornado Oregon had ever seen. All three vehicles sped right by. Even they knew they were too late.
Once they were on the interstate, Chloe was able to put her foot down. Going faster made her feel more at ease. She rolled down her window, but the roaring and chilly bite of the air made her shut it again. Max still hadn't moved. Chloe tried getting her talking or at least responding while they drove.
"Have you ever seen so little traffic on the interstate? It's like something out of a zombie apocalypse movie."
"It's a good thing I stocked up on gas yesterday. I don't think I've seen a single gas station yet."
"You alright, Max? We're gonna go through Portland! Remember? Like we always wanted to do. Me, you, and…"
Nothing but silence followed. Chloe turned on the radio at one point, but all she could find was news of the tornado and severe weather warnings telling Oregon residents to stay inside. She didn't leave the radio on. As they passed the Portland exit, Chloe spoke again, this time with a more serious tone.
"Listen, Max. We're gonna just blow past Portland okay? I uh… we're going to you parents' house. Alright? If they've heard any news about the storm, they'll be worried sick. Hopefully we'll get to Seattle before they do something stupid like go looking for you." The other girl didn't move. "Max? I know you're listening. It's gonna be alright, bud." Max blinked. "It's going to be alright." Chloe said, though more to herself than Max this time.