Author's Note - I'm putting this at the beginning to let you know that this chapter is NSFW. There is an incident of graphic violence, and a separate incident with explicit sexual content. You've been warned. Also, this chapter is told in a fashion like the others, but from Max's perspective. I'm letting you in her head some, heh.
Sick Like Me
Max woke up with a start, squinting at the pressure in her head. What the fuck is going on?, Max thought as she grabbed her phone from the bedside table near her and pulled out her phone to check the time. Rolling her eyes into her head, Max let herself fall back into bed with a slight "Oof" and tried to go back to sleep. The pressure, the nagging sensation, remained as Max dragged herself out of bed and into the bathroom. Looking at her toothbrush, Max lazily brushed her teeth while leaning against the wall. Spitting out the toothpaste, Max cringed a little at the dark red spittle that accompanied the white foam of the toothpaste that had been in her mouth. Ugh, don't eat before bed, Max. Idiot.
Having splashed her face with water, Max began to wake up as she went back to the bedroom area and snatched her phone up. Using her speed, Max near-instantly moved to the kitchen and opened the fridge. Pulling out the metal water bottle from the fridge, Max sloshed the contents around before draining the remaining blood from the container. Wiping her mouth off with the back of her hand, Max licked the few drops off her hand and refilled the bottle with one of the jugs in her freezer. Replacing both containers back in the fridge, Max walked casually over to her small stereo and started to play some Sparklehorse as she flipped through her phone. Dog, Chloe, you're like a crazy texting machine. Are you a Cylon? I mean, I sleep during the day, but do you sleep at all? Putting the phone in the pocket of a pair of blue jeans, Max winced as the pressure in her head increased and Max found herself looking through someone else's eyes.
"What the-," Max thought as she saw the lighthouse, the edges of her vision telling her that she was still in her apartment but her line of sight saying otherwise. Max watched three girls leaning against the old shed on the hilltop and the view changed as a familiar hand came into frame with a lit cigarette. Chloe? Wowsers, I'm looking through Chloe's eyes? "I better go see what this is about."
Grabbing a random pair of jeans and a shirt off the rack of clothes in her bedroom, Max took one more long gulp from her bottle before exiting her apartment. Locking the door, Max made sure everything in her pockets was secure and proceeded to sprint in the direction of the lighthouse. Careful to avoid the main streets where people were most of the time, Max stopped every couple blocks to check for pedestrians and oncoming traffic. Every stop only made Max's weariness and sleepiness increase, having not gotten enough sleep the past few days. I'm so goddamn tired, Max thought as she leaned against the wall of a random building on the outskirts of Arcadia Bay, Focus, Max. The hill is just a short distance away. You've got this.
Trying to pick up speed, Max barely felt her feet touch the ground as she made her way to the bottom of the hill. Slowing herself down to a light run as she began to hear noises from the hilltop, Max felt the thundering of a familiar heartbeat coming from nearby. What the fuck are you doing, Chloe? Who else is up here? I can hear three, no, four people. Ugh, you're all so loud. Seeing Chloe standing in the small clearing of the hilltop, Max felt herself slow down until she was right behind Chloe. The small breeze from her rapid movement catching up with her, Max watched Chloe flinch slightly as the other girl turned her head to look at her in shock.
"Max, what are you doing here?" Max heard Chloe say, but by that point Max's thoughts were blending into her instincts and sleep deprivation.
"What the shit is this fuck?" Max heard herself say, but her attention was more focused on the three girls standing next to the shed on the other side of the small clearing. Picking up on their accelerated heartbeats and cruel expressions, Max tilted her head slightly to the side as the smell of alcohol and human sweat began to drift into her nose. Trying to fight the urge to sprint over and rip them to shreds, Max felt her legs methodically move forward. One step after another, Max felt herself begin to lose control, the idea of blood, any blood, beginning to make her so thirsty. Max heard Chloe say something, but ignored the other girl's words. The second time Max heard Chloe, Max heard something about "home" and the pleading tone in Chloe's voice. Stopping, Max looked over at Chloe and saw the fear-stricken expression on her friend's face. Her mind beginning to clear, Max grumbled a low "Fuck, fuck, fuck" and made her way over to Chloe.
Max let Chloe lead her down the trail and into Chloe's truck, the sleepiness returning as the bloodlust faded. She knew that she was in a foul mood, but it wasn't the first time someone had made the mistake of waking her up after only just falling asleep. Max felt the truck stop and looked out the window as the daylight hit her eyes. Hissing slightly, Max felt Chloe shield her face as she was helped out of the truck. Half-carried up the stairs, Max felt herself suddenly on Chloe's back as the other girl made her way across the apartment to the bed. Max felt delirious as Chloe undressed her, her mind wandering off in a thousand different directions. Max could have sworn that she heard Chloe say something, but couldn't make anything out as she began to fall asleep.
Max felt a hand slowly pull her closer into the party, her first party in Seattle. Sure, she had been living in the city for a couple years already, but her shyness never seemed to go away. Taking a chance, Max went with some friends to an outdoor rave that was being held in a nearby parking lot. Not recognizing the face of the person pulling her along, Max is momentarily alarmed before the alcohol someone had slipped in her drink makes her woozy. The building next door is dark as she feels someone watching her within the shadows...
Max's eyes snap open when she wakes up. Stretching, Max sits up and puts a hand on the back of her head, feeling a slight pain. Her stomach growls as she tries to remember what she dreamed about, Max leaped out of the bed and walked casually over to the fridge. I feel so hungry. I slept, Dog, I slept nearly the entire day. Why am I so hungry? Max closed her eyes as she drained the full bottle, feeling a cool trickle down her lips and onto her chin. Max caught the slight dribble with a finger and licked it clean, then tossed the empty bottle in the sink. I need to wash that more regularly, the crap at the bottom gets so old. Ew.
Max moved over to the couch and paused, noticing that the stereo was on, playing Sparklehorse's "Piano Fire" on repeat. Switching the music off with the remote, Max tried to process the events from her falling asleep to waking up. Chloe came, we...mmm, we kissed. A lot, Max thought as a shy grin formed across her face, I got sleepy and went to bed. I know she stuck around because she left a damn plate on one of my tables. Well, that and I can smell the fries and burger.
"Ugh, everything's such a freaking blur," Max thought, pinching the bridge of her nose between two of her fingers, "Maybe there's something on my phone."
Max sped over to the bedside table and returned to the living room area in a few seconds, phone in hand, and chuckled at the idea of Chloe seeing just how much Max used her speed. I'd hear, like, fifty versions of 'Hella'. Oh, Chloe. You're still a big dork. Turning on the phone, Max watched as the notification light went off on her phone and swiped the menu open. There were two messages, one from Chloe and another from a private number. Chloe's "We need to talk" made Max frown a little, but Max became perfectly still when the private number's message came up.
Private: I found ur number. I will find u.
Max held the phone for a moment with an increasingly shaky hand. Gritting her teeth, Max felt a surge of anger and crushed the phone with a single squeeze. She tried to calm herself down, looking at the shattered phone, but only grew more upset when a memory of Seattle popped into her head. Letting out a growl, Max grabbed the edge of the metal coffee table and flung the it against the brick wall, a loud clang ringing through the room as photo albums and photography magazines scattered across the floor. Max paced around the apartment for a while, first slowly, then using her speed without even realizing it. What the fuck? Nobody should have my number, not unless I gave it to them. Goddamnit, goddamnit, goddamnit! Instinctively, Max stopped and took in a deep breath. True, she didn't need to breathe, but the memory of the calming sensation in doing so stuck with her. Feeling the tension in her body begin to ebb, Max exhaled the air only to suck it back in a few more times and repeat.
Max calmly walked over to the rack of clothes set up against one of the walls in her bedroom area and swiped through the selection. Feeling mischievous and in need of some fun, she selected a combat-styled knee-length skirt with cargo pockets along with a black blouse with the sleeves ending just over the shoulders. Grabbing a pair of boots from under the rack, Max dressed and combed her hair down. I wonder if I should put some makeup on? Max thought as she began to walk toward the bathroom only to pause mid-stride, Nah, Chloe's already seen how I really look. Besides, I'm showing too much skin. I don't need to show up looking like a living paint-by-numbers. Shrugging and grinning to herself, Max left her apartment and locked the door behind her. Stopping at the bottom of the steps, Max looked thoughtfully at her Vespa scooter and decided to drive over to Chloe's, see if she's home.
Revving up the engine of the small vehicle, Max pulled on an old metal-capped helmetwith leather ear flaps and placed the attached goggles on her eyes with her free hand. Pushing off, Max leisurely drove through the streets of Arcadia Bay, taking in the local sights with a sense of contentment. I never thought I'd come back here, especially after Seattle. Yeah, I missed Chloe like crazy, but I wonder what it would've been like if...if it had never happened. Heh, maybe I'd come back to attend Blackwell. Pfff, yeah right. Max felt peaceful as she continued the drive, taking the time to drive nearly all the way through every street in the direction of Chloe's house. She could be herself here, she didn't have to hide. Still, Max felt a pang of worry over how much Chloe had learned over the past day or so. She had really wanted to ease her old friend into all this new information, but the situation had demanded that Max act.
Max felt her upper lip curl in one corner as her fangs peeked out for a moment before she willingly retracted them, thinking of the drug dealer as she parked her Vespa on the sidewalk in front of Chloe's house. Unstrapping the helmet and stowing it in the storage compartment under the seat, Max walked up the small path to the front door and rang the doorbell. Max smacked her forehead as she realized that she had no clue what time it was, only that it was night. Fortunately, it wasn't late as Joyce opened the door and broke into a wide grin at the sight of such a familiar face.
"Well, Max Caulfield. Look at you, grown up and everything. Lord, Max, you're so pale! You feeling unwell?" Joyce asked as she ushered Max inside, closing the door behind the small girl," Chloe is upstairs if you're looking for her. Just follow the sound of that noise she calls music."
"I can't say hello to you first?" Max asked with a wry smile as she let Joyce hug her, returning the embrace with as much gentleness as she could. If I really hugged her, I'd probably break some ribs. Still, it's nice to get a hug, I missed Joyce. "The house looks so much like I remember it," Max said as she let Joyce lead her around the downstairs part of the house. Examining everything with a focused eye, Max could practically see multiples of herself and Chloe as they ran around the house in various stages of their childhoods. The wine stain, oh my Dog. Joyce got so mad, heh. Ew, what the fuck is that, a hunting photo? Dude, I could bag something like that with one hand, Max thought with a low snicker, then looked up as she noticed Joyce watching her.
"Something funny, Max?" Joyce asked, curious.
"Oh, just thinking about all the things Chloe and I did here," Max said with a shrug, deciding to keep her thoughts to herself, "You said she's upstairs?"
Max smiled at Joyce one more time before turning around in the direction of the staircase. Hoping that she hadn't given herself away, Max looked around the railing to make sure nobody saw her and took all the stairs in a single jump, then pressed her ear to Chloe's door. Ooh, she's singing! Max thought as she smiled, I want to make her jump but I also want to hear her go on.
"Mom! Mom, who was at the door?" Max heard Chloe yell from inside her room. Not giving Chloe the chance to hear a reply, Max swung the door open and placed her hands on her hips in a superhero pose.
"I was! SuperMax!" Max said as she partly stifled a giggle when she saw Chloe jump from the sudden movement at her door. Max ducked as Chloe chucked a pillow from her bed in the direction of Max's face and laughed as Chloe brushed cigarette ash off of her tank-top, "Oh, you should see your face!"
"You fucking brat! Ugh, I wish you would stop that!" Chloe said, trying to sound offended. Max closed the door and sauntered up to Chloe, sitting on the girl's lap. Max felt the bed creak slightly and grinned as Chloe's cheeks flushed momentarily only to feel dismay as Chloe wriggled Max off of her.
"Hey. Hey, what's wrong?" Max asked, placing a hand on Chloe's shoulder as the other girl turned to face away from Max. Max flinched as she saw the look on Chloe's face.
"Are you fucking serious? Do you not remember what you did at the lighthouse?" Chloe asked in an incredulous tone, "Dude, you nearly ate half the Vortex Club. I hate those snotty little shits, but I don't need to see you gorging yourself on 'Creme d'Bitch'."
"What?" Max asked, now standing in front of the bed as Chloe turned back around to face Max, "I-I...don't remember doing that."
"Yeah, well you did. You looked like, well, like you were the walking dead. You fucking stalked them, Max, like you were a damn tiger or something," Chloe said, sighing as the irritation began to fade.
"I'm sorry, Chlo. Seriously, I don't remember doing that. I must've been sleep-walking or something. I've barely gotten any sleep for the past few days, so if I wake up after falling asleep I'm liable to be really out of it," Max said apologetically, kneeling in front of the seated Chloe. Max took the other girls hands and held them with her own as she looked up at Chloe with a worried expression.
"Just...how much control do you really have over all of this, Max?" Chloe asked, her tone worrisome, "Is it always like this?"
"'Like this'?" Max asked, become a little frustrated, "Oh, you mean like a vampire. I didn't ask for this, Chloe. I'm doing the best I can. I promised you, remember?"
"Dammit, I know you did. Max, I know. It's just so hella nerve-wracking. I'm on edge half the time we're together, unable to tell if your jokes are jokes when you say shit like you're gonna eat me. I check myself for bite marks every-"
"I told you I wouldn't eat you, Chloe," Max said with an edge to her voice that startled Chloe. Biting her lip, Max calmed herself down and closed her eyes for a moment before opening them, "I promised you. Please, can't you just trust me?"
"I don't know if I can really trust anybody, Max. I've been through so much," Chloe said, slipping her hands out of Max's.
"Don't do this to me, Chloe Price. I came back to Arcadia Bay for you," Max said, surprised at herself for giving something like that away. Max had an equally hard time letting people in over the past few years.
"...I thought you came here for work," Chloe said, eyeing Max with a suspicious look.
"Work means funds, which means a place to stay. But in the end, it's just a job. You're why I came back," Max said, placing a hand on Chloe's cheek, wiping away the wetness from under Chloe's eyes.
"Then why didn't you just say that, Max?" Chloe asked, holding the hand caressing her cheek.
"What, and risk my feelings when I worried you might not like me anymore?"
"Max, I...I did hate you, for a while," Chloe said, clutching onto the hand as Max's face grew sad, "But I also never stopped loving you. You left, but you were always here. Every day was a reminder that I tried to push away. Sometimes it worked, and sometimes it was like being in a mausoleum of a girl I no longer am. But you were always here." Chloe placed the cool hand on her chest, and Max felt a rush as she sensed Chloe's heartbeat echo through her body.
Max lunged at Chloe and straddled the her as they fell onto the bed. Feeling Chloe's heart pounding underneath her, Max leaned in to kiss her when she froze. Chloe opened her eyes, mouth still waiting for the connection, and grimaced.
"What?" Chloe asked as Max looked back at the bedroom door. Chloe felt Max pull her up from the bed and let the smaller girl pull her out into the hall.
"My place. Now," Max said, panting. Chloe's eyebrows arched in surprise at the look of lust on Max's face.
Max could barely restrain herself. She had never felt this way before, like a furnace was suddenly crackling in every corner of her cold body. It was like flames running through her system, her human life sparked back into existence in short pulses that matched the sound of Chloe's heart. Pulling her friend down the stairs, Max told Joyce that she was taking Chloe out and the two left before Joyce could even reply.
Max motioned to her scooter when she saw Chloe slowly walking towards her truck. Giving Max a quizzical look, Chloe shrugged and joined her friend on the seat.
"Hold on to me," Max said as she revved up the Vespa's engine.
"...Forever," Chloe whispered, forgetting that Max could still hear it clearly as if she'd said the word aloud.
Max grinned as the Vespa took off. Not bothering to stop at the lights or the signs, Max drove straight through Arcadia Bay as she took the quickest route to her apartment with Chloe sitting behind. Max chuckled as she felt Chloe's hands tighten around her with every intersection they crossed without checking, and was just thankful no cars were nearby. Don't need a collision right now, thank you very much, Max thought as she turned onto the street her apartment was on, Need something else right now. Pulling up next to her building, Max dropped the Vespa's kickstand and switched off the engine. Looking over her shoulder to see Chloe's face inches from her, the sensation of heat returned to her tenfold and she scooped up Chloe in her arms and jumped the whole flight of steps to the door of her apartment.
"Wow. You're impatient," Chloe said with a grin as Max let her down while moving to unlock the door.
"I blame you," Max said, fumbling with the keys and sticking out her tongue at Chloe, "I'm going to fucking eat you, Chloe Price."
"Ooh-la-la," Chloe said as she leaned down to whisper in Max's ear, "I might just let you, but not in the way you're thinking."
Max nearly twisted the doorknob off in response. If she had needed air to breathe, Max figured she would have gulped. Opening the door as quickly as safety would allow, Max gently pulled Chloe inside and closed the door behind them. Letting Chloe take off her boots, Max methodically unlaced her own footwear and kicked them off. Chloe gave Max a startled look as the boots flew all the way down the hall, smacking against the brick wall opposite them.
"Feeling frisky, eh?" Chloe said as she pulled her beanie off and dropped it next to her boots, sidling up to Max and bending down to kiss her.
"I want, Che," Max said as grabbed a handful of Chloe's hair and pulled her down the rest of the way, pressing her lips against Chloe's hard. Chloe let out a slight moan as Max twisted the hair slightly and forced her tongue into Chloe's mouth. The two girls swirled their tongues against together as their mouths broke apart only to reconnect. Max pulled her tongue back and watched as Chloe bit her lower lip in pleasure, eyes still closed, both girls panting as the heat roiled over them. Max pulled Chloe by the waist of her pants over to the living room, Chloe's eyes looking deeply into Max's. The taller girl arched an eyebrow in question as Max let her go and moved over to the stereo. Flipping through a CD wallet, Max pulled out a disc and slipped it into the machine. Turning up the music, Max saw Chloe's eager expression as the she watched Max begin to strip.
"What," Chloe asked, hurriedly pulling at her own clothes, "What song is this? It's kinda edgy for you, isn't it?"
"You don't know everything about me, Chloe, and it's "Lollipop" by Framing Hanley," Max said, walking over to Chloe and ripping her pants clean off.
Chloe made a slight shrieking noise, then covered her mouth as a mischievous giggle made its way out of her. Chloe's face looked incredibly flush to Max as they stood facing each other in the nude. Max had seen Chloe naked before as a kid, but this Chloe was like one of the girls she had photographed. Lean in body, with the slight sign of a six-pack, Chloe was strong. Max watched as she saw the very start of sweat began to appear on the taller girl's skin, inhaling the scent of lust and wetness coming from her partner's body. Backing Chloe against the kitchen counter with a predatory grin, Max cupped the other girl's chin as Chloe's eyes seemed fearful.
"I'll only do it if you ask, Che," Max cooed at Chloe, her voice becoming low and husky.
"Hey, I'm not exactly foreign to this," Chloe said, her voice shaking slightly as she tried to sound aloof to the situation.
"Oh, tell me stories, 'Woman of the World'," Max said as she pressed the bare skin of her breasts against Chloe's, pulling the girl's head down into a kiss that was lasted until Chloe had to gasp for breath.
"Some of us have to breathe, Maxaroni," Chloe said with a chuckle, running over to the living room. Playfully, Chloe stood behind the seat that was close to the wall where Max did her photoshoots, blowing Max a kiss as bait.
Max walked towards the living room, sliding each piece of furniture in her path out of the way. Max felt her muscles tense as she watched Chloe look at her with an excited expression. Taking a single leap forward, Max grabbed Chloe by the waist with one arm and leaped again to the wall. Bracing Chloe against the wall, Max began to lick from Chloe's navel all the way up to her neck, stopping between Chloe's breasts to pinch the other girl's nipples. Feeling and hearing Chloe moan, Max felt her breast grabbed in kind as Chloe opened her eyes and fixated on Max's face. The two girls just stared into each others' eyes as their hands explored the new territory opened up to them. Nuzzling her face into Chloe's neck, Max began to lightly bite at Chloe, careful not to break the skin. Feeling one of Chloe's hands begin to make its way to her inner thigh, Max felt herself push up against Chloe harder and begin to move up the wall. Chloe let out an excited moan as she realized that Max was lifting her into the corner of the ceiling they had been standing under.
"I..unhh...I thought you couldn't...oh, fuck...I thought you couldn't stand on the ceiling and shit," Chloe said, gasping between breaths as Max started kissing along her jawline and nibbling on her ear, "Fuck, Max, fuck."
"I didn't...mmm, I didn't say that I couldn't climb, Chloe," Max replied between mouthfuls of Chloe's bare skin. Max tried to calm down but felt her eyes change as the colors in the room exploded into a kaleidoscopic spectrum not visible to the human eye. Hearing Chloe whimper, Max looked up from where she left off along Chloe's collarbone and saw a slight fear crawl across Chloe's face. Max felt her fangs pop back in with with a slight snap and saw Chloe's eyes look at Max in wonder.
"What?" Max asked softly, brushing Chloe's hair away with her nose, "What's wrong?"
"You...you're so fucking cool," Chloe gasped as she began to leave Max little hickies along her neck, "That didn't sound stupid, did it?"
"Mmm, no...not at...unnh," Max moaned as she felt Chloe slide a finger into her. The tightness made it painful at first, but Max felt a wave of pleasure surge through her and shuddered in the ecstasy. Instinctively taking in a deep breath, Max nuzzled Chloe's neck until the other girl lifted her head and gave Chloe a single, hard kiss, "No, Che, not up here. Hang on a second, yeah?"
Removing her feet from the walls she braced herself and Chloe against, Max landed with a gentle thump, catching Chloe as the other girl fell. Carrying Chloe in her arms like a bride, Max kissed Chloe softly on the lips over and over as she walked them towards the bed. Reaching the queen-size bed, Max kissed Chloe one last time before gently tossing the other girl onto the unmade bed. Throwing the sheets off, Chloe patted the area of her stomach just below her belly button. Max jumped like she was going to cannonball and landed softly on Chloe, straddling the naked girl under her own naked body.
"How's this?" Max asked as she slid herself down to where she could feel her pussy rub slightly against Chloe's. Both girls shivered as they made contact with each other, Max's head pulled back as her eyes glowed even brighter. Max felt her fangs pop out again and covered her mouth in alarm, seeing the smirk on Chloe's face.
"Does that happen when you get horny, too?" Chloe asked as she began to grind herself against Max, "Or are you hungry?"
"I...oh, oh God, I don't know. Maybe b-both?" Max gasped as Chloe slid a hand between them and slid two fingers into the wetness forming between them. Max felt her hips grind against Chloe as she continued to straddle the taller girl, Chloe's face one of pure satisfaction.
"Max Caulfield, nnnhh, are you a virgin?" Chloe asked, gasping between words.
"Shut up and fuck me," Max said, bending down so that she was face-to-face with Chloe.
Max felt Chloe continue to slide her fingers in and out of Max, both girls shuddering from the pleasure, and Max responded with her own fingers. Arching her back, Max felt the slickness as she began to rub at Chloe's clit. Hearing Chloe stifle a scream, Max pinched the piece of flesh for a second before plunging two of her own fingers into the girl lying beneath her. The two went at it for what felt like hours to both of them, alternating positions, licking their lips between kisses and licks on each others' bodies.
Max felt her insides writhe as her fangs popped out a third time. Unlike the other moments where she had been able to retract, her fangs refused to acknowledge her mental command and stayed out. Fuck, Che will freak, Max thought as she clamped her mouth shut only to nearly scream as Chloe's tongue made its way down to her clitoris. Having moved onto her back, Chloe was lying on top of Max with her own pussy inches from Max's face, lapping at the wet between Max's legs with slow strokes of her tongue. Max felt Chloe stop and saw the other girl lift her up so that she could look at Max, her head upside-down.
"You okay?" Chloe asked, then paused as she saw Max's worried face, "What's wrong?"
"I-I can't pull them back in. I...I think we should stop," Max said with a regretful hesitation.
Feeling Chloe's sigh against the inside of her thigh, Max watched as Chloe climbed off and laid herself next to Max. Gingerly kissing Max softly on the cheek with several small kisses, Chloe wrapped a leg around Max's waist as she laid the smaller girl's head by her neck.
"Well, that was...fuck, Max. That was incredible," Chloe said with a deep exhale, then giggled, "Sorry about the premature fangulation, though."
"Oh, stop. I feel like crap enough as it is," Max said, playfully poking Chloe's bare hip with a finger, "But yeah, it was good."
"Good?"
"Hella good," Max said, turning her head to kiss Chloe on the lips, "Better?"
"Better."
Max and Chloe laid there in bed for a while, Max feeling the other girl's heartbeat slowly begin to calm down. Stupid fangs, stupid fucking fangs!, Max thought as she rolled her eyes. Huffing out of frustration at herself, Max pulled herself out of the now-sleeping Chloe's grip and covered the bare girl with the blankets that had been abandoned to the floor. Kissing her sleeping Che on the cheek, Max walked back to the living room and re-situated the furniture as quietly as she could, then shut off the stereo. Grabbing the small piles of clothing, Max dumped them on the couch before walking back to the bedroom and slipping on a pair of shorts and an old t-shirt with dancing chicks. Rubbing her face, Max felt her stomach growl and she walked over to the kitchen.
Max was just about to open the fridge when she felt a presence outside. Hearing the doorknob rattle a couple times, Max leaped to one of the blacked-out windows and slid it open in silence, flipping out of the open space and perching on the window sill for a second before leaping up the short distance between the wall and the rooftop. Max landed on the roof in a sprinter's ready stance and looked up. A shadowy figure stood on the other side of the roof.
"I told you I would find you, Maxine," the low, masculine voice said, "How long did you think you could hide?"
"Fuck off," Max hissed, baring her teeth, "I won't go back."
"This is not your home, these...things are not your family," the person opposite her said with an even tone, "If I can find you, they all can. You can only run so long, Maxi-"
"Max. I fucking told you before, Henri, it's Max. Never Maxine," Max said with a low growl, feeling both her upper and lower set of fangs pop.
"...You don't want to do this," Henri said, taking off the jacket he was wearing, his arms covered in tribal tattoos as he popped his neck, "Just come home."
I am home, Max thought as she lunged across the roof. Max narrowly missed falling off the edge of the roof as Henri leaped up and over, landing halfway across the roof. Spinning in mid-air, Max balanced herself against the roof's edge on the ball of her foot and sprinted at Henri before he could turn. Catching him with her fist, Max felt a couple of Henri's ribs break from the force of her impact. Hearing a growl of anger and pain, Max met the sound with a menacing hiss of her own and pushed harder on the point of impact, feeling other bones crack beneath the pressure. Max pulled back as she began to feel her wrist buckle from the force and felt her head nearly spin as Henri turned and kicked her on the side of her head. Tumbling down the roof, Max grabbed at the corrugated metal and felt the metal scratch under her the strength of her fingers. Leaping up, half-dizzy, Max grabbed Henri's face with an open hand as he connected with a fist to her stomach. Wincing as she felt a couple of her own bones break, Max screamed in rage as she felt Henri's skull crack from the pressure of her grip.
Henri's knees buckled and blood spurted out of his mouth, splashing Max across the chest of her shirt. Pulling her hand back, Max curled it into a fist and punched the man in the face first once, then three times. Reeling, Henri rolled his one good eye up at Max and looked at the small girl now towering over him.
"They will find you. They will fucking find you, you little-" Henri started. They were his last words.
Completely silent, Max grabbed his neck and ripped his head clean off with a single pull. Blood splashed Max across the face and she shoved both her hands into Henri's chest and pulled. Grimacing from the strain, Max felt Henri's body tear in half as she grabbed onto his heart and pulled it from the remains, gore and blood stretching into a jagged line on the metal rooftop. Watching the heart beat a single time before blackening, Max watched in silence as the remains began to look like something akin to paper mache and blew into the wind.
Numbly, Max climbed down the wall and back into her apartment, thankful that the building was sturdy enough that Chloe hadn't woken up. She would probably never fucking see me again, Max thought as she quietly shut the window and locked it, I'll have to clean the blood up. Walking over towards the bathroom, Max peeked in the darkened apartment at Chloe lying asleep on the bed. Sighing, Max walked into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. Stepping into the cast-iron tum, Max started the shower and stood there for a second as the scalding water splashed across her face. Unable to feel the water, Max's knees buckled and she sat in the tub with her legs folded against her chest, still wearing her shorts and blood-stained shirt. Tucking her head down so that her head was facing down, Max began to shake as choked sobs began to escape from her lips, her blood running from her face as she cried.
PS - the title of this chapter is from a single by the metal band In This Moment