We Are Broken, from the Paramore album Riot!
Max slid her arms underneath Chloe's jacket to feel her warmth as Chloe held onto her. Still sobbing, Max's mind was bombarded with repetitive images of Kate hanging in mid-air with her arm reached out. Accompanying that event was Max's memory of standing in the woods with the piece of wood, ready to end her own life. Shaking, Max buried her face deep into Chloe's chest as the other girl rubbed her hand up and down Max's back, whispering "Shh, sweetie, shh". Looking up to meet Chloe's eyes, Max felt like completely broken. Watching as Chloe's attention was momentarily diverted from her, Max turned her head to see Principal Wells and a police officer walking towards them.
"Please, I just want to go home. Can we just go, Che?" Max said in a rasping voice, her throat dry from the tears.
"I think they want something, Max. Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere," Chloe said, pulling Max back gently to take her hand as Wells and the police officer made it to them."
"Glad to see you're still here, Ms. Caulfield. I know that you've just been through a significant ordeal, but I need you to come with me. We need to discuss what happened," Wells said, trying to sound apologetic as he saw the level of distress Max was in, "It won't take long. I promise."
"C-Can Chloe come with me?" Max asked, her hand tightening onto Chloe's with enough pressure to make Chloe wince just a little.
"Well, this is a matter for the school and the police…" Wells began to say before being interrupted by Chloe.
"I can sit in the secretary's office, Max. I'll be right outside, okay?" Chloe said, looking down into the other girl's eyes with concern.
Nodding shyly, Max let Chloe lead her towards the school. Feeling increasingly numb, Max nearly stumbled over her own feet a couple times, covering her face with a hand as students stood over by the breezeway with some pulling out their smartphones to take pictures or record video. Feeling despondent, Max leaned into Chloe's shoulder as they slowly walked up the steps. I just want to go leave. Hearing the ambulance drive off, Max thought of how scared Kate was as she had let Kate go with the paramedic. Max halted mid-step as her chest felt like it might seize up. Seeing Chloe look at her with a worried expression, Max put her hand to her still chest and frowned, mixed feelings rising about the pros and cons of no longer having a beating heart. Heartbreak without the working heart part of the equation. A repetition of love and loss, or near-loss. Kate's tragic near-fall made Max think of what Chloe might have gone through over the past five years and Max felt herself begin to shake again.
"Come on, Max. Just one step at a time, and I swear I'll take you home the second they don't need you here anymore," Chloe said in a soothing voice, "We'll go back to your apartment and get hella trashed. Might even get you to smoke a joint."
Seeing the weak smile that played across Max's lips, Chloe winked as she led Max through the door Wells was holding open for them. Thankful for the silence of the empty hallway, Max kept her head downcast as she hesitantly relinquished her hold on Chloe's hand and was lead into the principal's office. Hearing the door close behind her, Max looked up with a tired expression as she surveyed the small area.
Mark Jefferson, David Madsen, and Nathan Prescott were already present, the teacher and security guard standing on opposite ends of the desk in what looked like the tail end of a heated discussion. Prescott, seated in one of two chairs facing the principal's desk, was oblivious to everyone as he typed something into his phone. Seeing Wells gesture to her the empty chair next to Prescott, Max slowly walked over and sat down with her face cradled in her hands.
"Now, I know that today has been a trying experience for everyone here. I just want to say how proud I am that Blackwell rallied together to save the life of one of its brightest students. That said, there are somethings that need to be addressed," Wells said before looking over at Madsen, "Mr. Madsen, as head of Blackwell's security it is your responsibly to ensure the safety and well-being of its students. The door to the rooftop should have been locked, and I would encourage you to better attend to your duties in the future."
Seeing Madsen grit his teeth as she looked through her splayed fingers, Max watched Wells turn his attention to the oblivious Nathan Prescott.
"Mr. Prescott, I have seen this video that is evidently the source of Ms. Marsh's depression, and I notice that it takes place at a Vortex Club party. Given that you are a member, and that the event in question was orchestrated by you, I will be personally looking into the events of that night to find out what really happened to Kate," Wells said, getting a smirk from Nathan in reply, "Now, Ms. Caulfield, while I do understand that you are dealing with the trauma of what recently transpired I do have to ask why you were up there on the roof?"
Max sat up in the chair, wiping at her eyes while softly coughing. Not having fed recently, Max felt a hunger pang as she leaned forward. Taking in and releasing a deep breath, Max focused her attention on Principal Wells.
"I…I just wanted to help, Principal Wells. Mr. Jefferson told me what was going on and I saw all the people standing in the dormitory courtyard. I couldn't just stand by and do nothing, so I snuck around to the back of the building and made my way inside through an open window," Max quietly said. And by that I mean I broke in to save a poor girl's life. Just leave me alone, geez! "I just did what needed to be done."
"Don't be modest," Mr. Jefferson said, putting a hand on Max's shoulder, then withdrawing it quickly as Max flinched in response to the touch, "Your actions were those of a real hero today, Max."
"Yeah, a real 'hero'," Madsen uttered under his breath, turning away as he saw Max look at him from the corner of her eye.
"Did Ms. Marsh say anything to you up there, any reasoning behind her actions?" Wells asked, leaning forward onto his desk as his attention focused on the distressed girl sitting across from him.
"She was just really, really, distressed by the video that you were talking about earlier…and how she was being treated by people in school," Max said with a sullen look, "Nobody deserves to be harassed like that. Look, can I go? I really would like to go home."
Exchanging a look with the police officer standing in the corner behind him, Wells looked back at Max and nodded. Telling her that she would have to come back tomorrow to make an official statement, Wells gently escorted Max to the door and closed it behind her. Max had barely taken two steps before she was wrapped up in Chloe's arms. The taller girl swayed side-to-side as she tightly held onto Max, and Max could feel the wetness on her forehead of Chloe's tear-streaked cheeks. Oh, Che, don't cry. That's my thing. I'm here, and you're here. Please, just let one of us be sad. Okay? Pulling back a little, Max lifted a hand to Chloe's cheek and stood on her tip-toes as she kissed Chloe tenderly.
"Wow, you really missed me," Max said with a weak grin after pulling back from the kiss, "Home?"
"Come on, nerd. Let Dr. Price take care of her patient," Chloe said as she took Max's hand and led her out into the hallway.
Both girls looking through the windows of the double doors, they looked at each other apprehensively as a crowd began to gather in the main courtyard. Pulling the bloodstained beanie from her back pocket, Chloe pulled it onto Max's head and wrapped the smaller girl up in her jacket. Intertwining their fingers together, Max and Chloe walked out of the main entrance to Blackwell Academy and began to hurry across the courtyard toward the parking lot, ignoring people as they tried to get the two escaping girls' attention.
The drive back to Max's apartment felt much longer than it actually was, the silence palpable as Chloe wound through Arcadia Bay. Max could feel Chloe looking over at her every now and then, but Max could only stare out the passenger side window. Leaving her scooter behind at Blackwell, Chloe had told Max that they would go back later to pick it up before taking off out of the Blackwell parking lot. Feeling a hand gently touch her thigh, Max looked down and then over while Chloe looked straight ahead as she drove.
Taking the offered hand, Max held onto it gently as she looked back out the passenger window. Thinking of Kate, herself, and the imaginings of what Chloe might have gone through while she was away, Max sighed weakly as the distress from the afternoon's events continued to play with her mind. Can I be like the rain? A single moment, splashing onto the ground only to be brought back up to the sky through the air? Something clean, something that refreshes. I've saved two lives since coming back, but will I ever feel refreshed?
"Almost there, Max. Just a couple more blocks," Chloe said as she squeezed Max's small hand, "I think we should definitely get some shots going, and I need to bake some. Hella fucking day, Max, hella fucking day."
"I think I might leave the booze and pot to you, Chloe. I just want to…I don't know what I want to do," Max said in an uncertain tone as they reached the parking lot, "Whatever it is, just don't go. Okay?"
"Relax, dude. I'm not going anywhere," Chloe said as she climbed out of the truck. Running around to the passenger side, Chloe opened the door for Max and held the smaller girl's hand as they walked across the street and up the steps to Max's apartment.
Max made a grumpy sound as Chloe opened the door, remembering that Chloe didn't have a key to lock up behind her. Maybe I should give her the spare the doorknob came with, Max thought, She is staying here, for now. Plus, she's going to be over here plenty. Both girls sliding their footwear off, Max and Chloe walked into the apartment and went in different directions. With Chloe plopping herself in the living room chair, Max went to the kitchen and put the now-empty sports bottle and flask next to the fridge. Pulling out her pack of gum from a hip pocket in her jeans, Max chewed quietly as the spicy cinnamon flavor warmed the inside of her mouth. Taking a seat on the coffee table so that she was sitting in front of Chloe, Max watched as she lit up a joint.
"Sure, Che, you can smoke your pot in here. Stoner," Max said with an effort at sounding more cheerful than she felt.
"Well, when you put it like that," Chloe said between toking, blowing smoke rings up towards the ceiling as she leaned back, "You know, this is medicinal."
"For what?" Max asked, snorting incredulously.
"My-life-sucks-itis. Not as rare as one might think, but very few documented cases," Chloe countered, a small grin on her face stretching into a genuine smile as Max moved to take a seat on Chloe's lap.
Throwing her legs over one of the chair's arms, Max leaned into Chloe and laid her head down on the other girl's shoulder as Chloe smoked. Max nuzzled Chloe's neck for a moment as the other girl wrapped her back up in the blazer, reclining on the taller girl with her eyes closed in exhaustion. The two girls sat there for a while, just sitting and giving comfort to each other as the day's events weighed on them. Pancakes, Max thought, We should totally make pancakes again. But we'd have to go to the store. Boo, pancakes, boo on your requirement to move me out of my comfy Chlo…
"You asleep, Max?" Chloe asked quietly as she finished her joint, looking down at the peaceful girl sitting in her lap.
"No," Max replied simply, wrapping her arms across Chloe's shoulders, "You want me to be?"
"Fuck no, I'd be stuck in this chair for hours. Besides, your morning breath is probably fucking awful."
"Just for that, Chloe Price, you get to sleep on the floor," Max said, opening an up to look up at Chloe, "And no pancakes for you tomorrow. I was going to make pancakes, but now I'm not gonna."
"…This morning did have an incredibly bright spot, didn't it?" Chloe asked softly, sounding like she was far away in thought.
"Mmm-hmm," Max replied, nuzzling her face against Chloe's neck, "I liked making breakfast with you. I wouldn't mind if it became a more common occurrence."
"Stop trying to get in my pants, ladykiller," Chloe said, biting her lip at the choice of words, "Oh, fuck. I didn't mean it like-"
"Hush, Che. I know how you meant it, my fragile little flower," Max said, her voice becoming teasing as she traced Chloe's collarbone slowly with a finger, kissing Chloe's neck.
"Ugh. You know, that will eventually get old," Chloe said, rolling her eyes as she grinned from Max's little kisses.
"You hope it does," Max replied, tilting Chloe's chin down to meet the other girl's lips.
Lifting herself out of Chloe's arms, Max walked lightly over to the kitchen. Open the cabinet under the sink, and another by the fridge, Max returned to the living room with two bottles of Goldschlager and glasses. Setting the items from the kitchen on the coffee table, Max sat on the floor cross-legged and patted a spot on the floor with her hand. Chloe grinned mischievously as she slid out of the chair and crawled over to where Max was sitting. Taking a seat next to Max, Chloe eyed the shot glass and the regular-sized glass.
"Uh…" Chloe said, looking at Max with a quizzical expression.
"That is pretty much the ratio if you want me to get as drunk as you," Max said, beginning to pour the drinks.
"Bullshit."
"No bullshit here. Unless you want to switch glasses, see how you hold my idea of liquor," Max said, a wry smirk beginning to appear on her face.
"I thought you didn't want to get drunk, though," Chloe said as she eyed the shot glass in her hand.
"I decided to live a little, 'Hella fucking day' after all," Max said, raising her glass to toast.
Chloe took her shot in a single gulp and looked at Max in amazement as she downed an entire glass of the spicy liquor almost as fast. Slamming the shot glass on the table, Chloe wiggled her butt against the floor in giddy anticipation of seeing Max drunk. Pouring another round, Max didn't wait for Chloe to pick up her glass, downing her glass in two gulps. Exhaling deeply from the heat in her mouth, Max winced at how spicy the Goldschlager was. Seeing Chloe's eyes begin to tear up, Max snorted as she poured one more round.
Max and Chloe managed to make it two more rounds before Chloe started to look incredibly tipsy, Max wobbling as she made her way to the kitchen to store the near-empty bottle of Goldschlager that was left. Being extra careful with her strength, Max gently placed the glasses in the sink individually and yelped in surprise as Chloe came up from behind and wrapped her arms around Max's waist. Max forgot how much being drunk dumbed down her senses.
"You flowery jerk," Max said with a pout, "Scaring poor, defenseless me."
"Pfff, yeah. You're defenseless. Tell that to all the people whose asses you have kicked for the past three years," Chloe said with a smirk, kissing the back of Max's neck as she slid her hands into Max's jeans.
"…You sure about that, having sex with a drunk vampire? I wouldn't exactly describe you as someone with safety being their primary concern, Che, but now you're just being ridiculous," Max said as she playfully tried to wiggle out of Chloe's grip only to moan as Chloe's hands squeezed at her hips.
"You sure you want me to stop?" Chloe said between kisses, now craning her neck to kiss under Max's jawline.
"Mmmf…I'm…I'm undecided."
"We'll go slowly, Max. There's no rush," Chloe whispered in Max's ear, grinning as her friend responded with a shiver.
Chloe took Max by the hand and led her to the bedroom. Sitting Max on the edge of the bed, Chloe playfully began to strip in front of her. Max watched with a drunken lust as Chloe methodically removed every article of clothing until only the necklace and her bracelets remained. Max felt her hands reach out to touch Chloe only for them to be gently swatted down as Chloe straddled Max. Max lifted her arms up when Chloe began to tug on Max's shirt, letting the blue-haired girl pull the shirt up.
Stopping the movement just as only Max's mouth was visible under the partially-removed shirt, Chloe laid Max down on the bed and began to kiss the restrained girl on the lips. Slowly and gently at first, Chloe increased the intensity of the kiss as she began to explore Max's cinnamon-flavored mouth with her tongue. Feeling Max's tongue slide into her own mouth, Chloe caught it with her lips and sucked on Max's tongue for a moment, eliciting another shiver. Grabbing the remained of the shirt, Chloe pulled the article of clothing off while sitting up. Max looked up at Chloe and marveled at not how much she wanted Chloe, but how beautiful Chloe was. She's like a statue, lean and fair and strong. If I weren't stronger than her, she'd dominate me at her whim. I'm tempted to let her do so anyway, honest-to-Dog.
Max watched as Chloe climbed off of her and slowly unbuttoned Max's jeans, sliding them off in almost a single pull. She gasped as Chloe grabbed her panties and ripped them off with a sharp tug before reassuming her seated position on Max's lower abdomen. Grabbing the covers from the unmade bed, Chloe scooted further into the bed, dragging Max along underneath her. Max rested her head on a pillow with a moan as Chloe began to rub herself against Max, and giggled as Chloe grinned and pulled the black comforter over both of them.
Max woke up in the middle of the night, her head pounding from the alcohol and sitting up to quickly. Looking around in a daze, Max heard the quiet breathing of Chloe lying fast asleep next to her. Grinning at Chloe, Max looked down suddenly with a small chuckle as her stomach growled. Quietly slipping out of bed, Max nearly fell over from the balance issues related to how much she had drank. Ugh, I think…did I drink one of those bottles by myself? Shit, I'm so fucking out of it. What time is it? The last thing I remember…mmmm…yeah, the last thing I remember I could let be the last thing I remember every night. Fuck, Chloe, and also fuck Chloe.
Stumbling over towards the kitchen, Max opened the fridge, squinting as the appliance's internal light blinded her and illuminated a section of the darkened apartment. Max looked around, puzzled, as she couldn't remember when the lights had been shut off. Shrugging, Max pulled at a jug that she had placed in the fridge and poured herself a glass of her animal cocktail. I think it's good that all that human blood is gone. It messes with my head too much, like I become a completely different person, Max thought as she nursed her meal. That shit is hella dangerous. Heh, I said hella. I must be drunk.
Max closed the fridge before tilting the glass up to drain its contents, too numb from the alcohol earlier in the night to notice a gloved hand reaching out from behind. Max's eyes opened wide as the large hand secured her jaw, clamping her mouth shut so that only muffled screams could escape from Max. No louder than a whisper, Max screamed and kicked as the person holding onto her lifted her body in the air to avoid making any noise. Max thrashed in the grip of a powerful set of arms before feeling a pressure begin to form on the side of her neck. No…what's….please, please don't, Max thought before the figure holding her snapped her neck, Max's body going limp.
Max was running along the coast of France in an anxious frenzy, terrified of whoever it was pursuing her. Not having fed for days, Max's pace had begun to slow down considerably and Max felt that whoever was coming after her was toying with her at this point.
"Come on!" Max yelled as she looked behind her, "You scared of a little girl? Come on!"
Max's feet picked up in speed when she heard a barking laugh from the trees a small distance down from where she had been running. Coming up to a cliff, Max realized with a fright that she had let herself be cornered. The only way is down, Max thought as she peered over the edge and out into the water below. Is this the Channel? Could I swim it? Max took a few steps back and, reaching a point of desperation, began to run for the cliff's edge when a large hand caught her by the throat from behind. Hanging in mid-air, Max felt the hand squeeze tightly enough for Max to go limp without knocking her unconscious.
"Hello, child," a booming, masculine voice said. A…a British accent…? Max thought dimly as she began to fade in and out of consciousness. Feeling herself lowered a bit, Max woke up with a start as a large fist connected with her face. Coughing up blood, Max winced from the pain spreading from the fist's point of impact, "My name is Antony, and I'm here to deliver your sentence."
Max felt herself slipping out of consciousness again. No, dammit! No! Do something! Max thought as she fought to keep her eyes open. Popping out her fangs, Max bit down on Antony's hand as hard as she could, feeling his hand reflexively open up as she connected her teeth with bone. Max was on her feet in half a second, dragging her feet as she made a run for the edge again. Hearing Antony curse behind her, Max felt herself tumble off the edge and land with a loud splash into the water below.
"Escape," Max gurgled as she floated underwater, her body feeling limp from exhaustion. Watching her watery vision begin to fade, Max felt her head smack a large rock and everything went black.
Max came to with a scream as pain was the first thing that registered to her, pain of her neck knitting back together and pain from something being lanced into her shoulder. Max screamed again as she opened her eyes wide to see an iron rod jutting out of her shoulder, only for another to be slammed through her other shoulder. Max was pinned against something, and didn't know where she was. It's dark. It's dark and I'm going to die and OH GOD CHLOE.
Max writhed as she painfully tried to lift her body up, inching up the metal rods that were making her skin burn. Fatigued from the attempt, Max flopped back onto the surface she was laying on for a moment before trying again. Max screamed again as she saw another iron rod appear out of the shadows, a gloved hand wielding it as it was slammed into a knee. Followed by her other knee being pierced through, Max began to whimper as the person walking out of the shadows jogged her memory.
"Hello, child. Or should I say…Max," Antony said with a sad smile on his face, "It took some time to find you, but I here I am and here you are."
Max gritted her teeth as Antony cupped her chin with a four-fingered hand. Feeling the pressure he exerted as her jaw began to pop, Max let out a cry of terror as he released his hand from her.
"Did you know that, despite your grave offense of killing your own kind, we do not execute offenders unless there is no chance of rehabilitation? We're better than the human's justice system, ha! No, we lock the worst of us away for a time, and bring them back out when they are more easily…malleable," Antony said in a matter-of-fact tone as he paced the table Max realized she was pinned onto.
"What…w-what about…" Max stuttered, what strength she had being diverted to shunting away as much of the pain as she could.
"Your lover? The human has committed no offense, and while I would like to eat her, I am under instruction to procure you specifically. You may have a single point of relief in knowing that she is unharmed. In fact, she's probably sleeping still. The night is incredibly young."
Max allowed herself a painful sigh as she imagined Chloe fast asleep in her bed. Chloe, the girl who she wanted to spend her life with, wanted to explore the world with her like they had imagined as children. The girl she had loved since she was 13 years old and kissing for the first time. Max felt hot tears begin to streak down her face as Chloe's sleeping visage sprang to mind and Max choked back the sobs.
"You don't have to be modest in front of me. I, too, have loved. And lost. Such it is, with us. While most of our kind would find the idea of a human mate appalling, I can at least agree with you in how they invoke such feeling in us. Go on, Max, go on and cry. It may be one of the last things you do for some time, so bottling it up will not do you any favors."
Max cried. Max cried for the night in Seattle, for the homeless man who was killed before her eyes so that she could feed for the first time. Max cried for the seemingly endless nights of being on the run with little to no sleep, taking what small pleasures she had in her photography as she wished that Chloe were with her. Max thought about the night three years ago at the junkyard, and how much Chloe meant to her. Max thought of their lovemaking, which is what it was to her. Not sex, not fucking. Love. Max had made love to the woman she loved and couldn't help but flash a weak smile as she thought of Chloe's smiling face afterwards as she had snuggled up next to Max before they went to sleep in each other's arms.
"I do not know how long they will keep you locked away, Max," Antony said, sounding impassive as he reached under the table for a briefcase, "I only know that I am to leave you locked away here, in your town. I think the idea is…to lock you away within reach of the ones you cherish. We can be cruel, even if there is a certain flair to it."
Max dry-heaved from the pain as Antony pulled out each of the iron rods, one at a time, and curled up into a ball as she had a moment to breathe without the sensation of metal running through her. Her momentary piece was shattered, however, when Antony pulled out the contents of the briefcase with his gloved hands. Two wrought-iron chains hung from his hands as he loomed over Max. Max fought him, vainly, and screamed when Antony broke one of her arms to get her to lie still. Antony flipped her around a few times as he spun the chains around her chest and ankles, pinning her while the chains burned the exposed skin. Max began to cry again and this time Antony said nothing, just letting her cry. Picking Max up by the chains binding her, Antony carried her out of the darkened room to what lay beyond.
Oh God, we were in the lighthouse, Max thought as she writhed in agony. Every movement made the chains slide across her exposed skin, either leaving a new burn or making a previous one worse. Max looked around frantically and tried to open her mouth. Antony swiftly clamped her mouth shut again with his free hand and squeezed until Max grew silent. Max watched as her vision spun and she landed with a dull thud in a tough-looking, wooden box. Looking up, Max watched the night sky and marveled at how clear it now was in comparison to when she was at Blackwell earlier. Max looked in horror as Antony put on a set of iron knuckles and reared his fist back.
"Goodbye, Maxine Caulfield. Maybe I will see you again, maybe not. I hope your dreams, at least, are peaceful.
Chloe was Max's last thought before she was knocked out by a massive fist connecting with the side of her skull.
Max was lying her head in Chloe's lap, the two of them relaxing on the bench overlooking Arcadia Bay from the lighthouse hilltop. Closing her eyes in contentment, Max turned away from the view and nuzzled her nose against Chloe's abdomen and felt Chloe flinch away as her ticklishness got the better of her.
"Forgot your ticklish," Max said with a giggle.
"Liar, you didn't forget shit," Chloe replied, chuckling, "Hey, Max, can I ask you something? Don't get mad, okay? I just need to know, need to hear it from you."
Max tried to sit up but found herself pinned down. Struggling against an unseen weight, Max fell still as Chloe continued with what she was saying.
"Why did you lie? Why did you tell me forever only to leave me again? Why can't I find you?" Max heard Chloe ask with a choked sob.
Max felt something wet splash into her ear. Looking up, Max saw tears cascading down Chloe's cheeks. Max wanted to wipe them away, but something was preventing her from moving. Max just stared up at the tears increased in volume from Chloe's eyes, beginning to grow anxious as storm clouds began to form overhead. With a loud crack, rain began to pour down and mix together with Chloe's tears. Feeling like she was dying, Max looked up at Chloe with a pained expression as her friend looked down at her mutely. Max's heart broke as Chloe looked at her with a sad smile.
"Where are you?" Chloe asked, before the tears from her eyes turned into a flood, swallowing up Max in a blackness.
Max writhed in pain as her eyes opened. Looking around for only a moment, eliciting a small scream that ended with bubbles escaping from her open lips, Max realized that she was underwater. Thrashing inside the box that held her, Max felt the sting as the iron felt white-hot against her skin in the frigid water. If this is the w-w-water from my dream, where did that c-cracking noise come from? Max thought as she tried to lift herself up only to realize her vampiric strength was gone. Max strained as she bumped her forehead against the lid and drew back as she heard something knocking around outside her prison.
Max lurched as she felt something grab the box and begin to pull both it and her up. Squirming even harder, Max let the pain from the iron rubbing against her skin fuel her recovering consciousness and grew silent as the muffled sounds of being submerged changed into the sounds of water draining out of her confinement. Looking around desperately as thought the box fall apart at any moment, Max heard a mechanical whine as the box went from being lifted to being pulled to her right. A crane? A fishing trawler! Max let her body go stiff as an idea formed in her waking mind, and closed her eyes when the box landed with a thud on what she assumed was a ship's deck.
"Let's see what we have here, eh?" Max heard a voice say before feeling a tugging sensation as someone began prying at the lid of the box, "Damn thing is on there good."
Hearing a grunt of exertion, Max nearly opened her eyes back up as the lid finally gave way and was pried off. Hearing a clatter as the lid was set next to the box, Max heard an intake of breath that nearly startled her.
"Jesus Christ!" the voice said, a man's, as she felt probing fingers lightly touch her body and the chains, "What the blue fuck did you get yourself into, little missy? Oh, oh Jesus. I…I should leave this for cops, but I can't leave you like that. You look like a bloody torture victim."
Max heard footsteps as the man lumbered off. Tempted to sit up and try to squirm her way out of the box, Fuck you, chains! I'm moving!, Max froze still once more as she heard familiar footsteps return and a thrill of surprise as she felt one of the chains snapped in half. He brought bolt cutters! You are my new savior, whoever the hell you are! Max's felt anticipation with each snapping sensation until she felt the chains pulled off on her body to lay alongside her on the bottom of the floor. Max heard the fisherman sigh before taking off and knew this was her chance. Weakly lifting herself up, Max slid out of the box and tipped it with her over the side of the boat, taking whatever evidence she could down with her as she heard the fisherman cry out before she was once again surrounded by water.
Max didn't know how long she had floated, didn't know where she was. She only knew that she was free and that she had to find Chloe. Her need for Chloe was as powerful as her growing hunger, and Max found she had enough clarity to distinguish the two as she limply began to swim to what she thought was a coastline. Max swam and floated, swam and sunk, watching as night turned into day and back into night. Her clothing beginning to feel ragged, the hollow of Max's stomach was like a pit as she felt herself seize up periodically. Max almost missed the flash of a strobe light as she wearily lifted her head out of the water while floating. It was night, and looming from a short distance was the lighthouse of Arcadia Bay. Greedily, Max began to push her arms up and out as she feebly swam, wanting only to feel ground beneath her feet for the time being.
The beach was deserted, Arcadia Bay being fairly quiet this late at night. No one was around to notice as Max began to walk up the beach from beneath the gentle surf. A crown of hair became a ghostly visage, soon followed by rest of her as she slowly made her way up the beach. Max weakly bent down and grabbed a handful of sand, sifting it through her ghost-white hands. Flexing her toes in the dry sand, Max cracked her neck and popped her aching shoulders and knees. Without blood, her injuries had healed at an achingly slow rate, and Max had no clue how long she had been gone. Max was starving, her fangs popping out after every time she drew them back in.
"Fuck it," Max said, lumbering along the shoreline. She didn't care she was only wearing a tattered t-shirt and shorts. She didn't care that her fangs were just out and was too tired and hungry to draw them back in. Max's head snapped up as she heard small footfalls and the sound of a dog barking. Turning about, Max saw what she assumed was a stray dog running towards her with its tongue sticking out of the side of its mouth. Max knelt down and let the animal finish running up to her. Slowly petting its head as she watched the tail wag, Max let her petting hand rest on the dog's neck. Sorry, pooch. I hope you had a full life, and also that you're not sick or anything.
Rearing her head back, Max plunged her fangs into the neck of the animal and clutched at it when it squirmed for an instant. An instant was all it took for Max, sucking at the blood gushing out so fast that the dog's front legs collapsed and Max bent over the prone animal as she greedily fed. Wiping her chin with the back of her hand, Max looked down more clear-headed as she frowned at the poor beast. I hope it didn't have an owner or anything. Grabbing the carcass by its hind legs, Max dragged it into the water and threw it as hard as she could, watching it splash a ways away. The rest of her senses returning, Max looked down and shivered as she pulled at the ruined t-shirt. Saturated with water and stained with blood from the collar down to her chest, Max let out a faint "Ew" before she began to walk up the beach.
Narrowly avoiding what little people she saw as she stumbled through Arcadia Bay, Max pulled on the parka she had stolen from a sporting goods store as she walked barefoot towards her building. Seeing Chloe's truck parked in the lot across the street, Max only then thought about how long she may have been gone. Stopping in mid-stride, Max's lip began to quiver as it felt to her like all her strength just disappeared. What if she's actually gone? What if she hates me, doesn't want to see me? What if it's been months, years? Oh God, oh fuck! This sucks!
Clambering up the steps, Max reached the door and banged on the wall next to it. Sighing, Max redirected her shaking arm and pounded again, this time on the door. Pounding again, Max saw a dim glow appear from underneath the door as she thought she heard footsteps approaching.
"Goddamnit, dude, I told you I would have the rent by the end of next month! I know that I'm not the original rentor, but it's kinda hard to advertise a tattoo business when you're operating out of your home without a fucking license. Cut me some hella slack!" Max heard as the door unlocked with a click and swung open.
The pale light shrouded Max in shadow so it took a moment for the blue-haired girl's eyes to adjust. Max watched as Chloe began to fumble back a step as she took in the bloody clothes, the scars along Max's body, the look of death on Max's face. Max fell to her knees on the landing in front of the apartment's doorway as Chloe looked at her with her mouth agape. Taking a second, Max weakly tilted her head up to speak only to begin sobbing.
Max felt slender hands grab her by the shoulders as she continued to cry on the landing. Her eyes squeezed shut, Max couldn't bear to look at Chloe, afraid of the look on her face. Max sat there, crying in obvious pain, and heard a choked voice speak up next to her.
"Oh my God, Max! Where the fuck have you been?!" Chloe cried out as she slapped at the sulking girl, "What the goddamn, motherfucking hell?! You fucking disappear-"
Chloe stopped in mid-swing as she saw Max finally look up at her, and Max heard Chloe's heart flutter as she saw the look in Max's eyes.
"I saw you and I was lost and I was locked away, but you looked after me and held me in your lap as the tears turned to floods and oceans and I managed to escape," Max managed to choke out before beginning to cry again. Shaking almost uncontrollably, Max felt the hard grip on her shoulder turn into a caress on her back.
"I'm so sorry, Che. I'm so sorry," Max cried as Chloe pulled Max into an embrace, "I couldn't get away, and then I got out by pure fucking luck and everything hurts everywhere," Max sobbed, "I'm hungry and lonely and all I could think about was you."
Max sniffled as the sobs began to recede, laying her head against Chloe's shoulder. Worried that Chloe was angry with her, or that she no longer wanted her, Max tilted her head up to find Chloe's lips meeting her own in a passionate kiss. Expecting Chloe to gag on her bloody breath, Max felt a surge of relief and warmth as Chloe kept on kissing her for a minute or so. Her lips felt like fire to Max, burning and warming her entire being as she felt Chloe's heartbeat through their connection. Breaking off the kiss, Chloe pulled Max back gingerly and looked at her with a tear-stained face.
"You've been gone for a month, Max! Where were you?" Chloe asked, looking at Max in surprise as the smaller, sickly girl laughed hoarsely.
"Oh God, I thought…I thought it had been months or something," Max croaked, "I thought I'd been buried out there for months."
"No, dude. You've been missing for a month. Joyce and I canvassed the town with fucking missing person posters, looking for you. Blackwell even pitched in, put out a missing person report on their website. Max, what the fuck happened?" Chloe asked, her tone calming down somewhat as began to take the wasted state of Max's appearance more fully.
"I…I'm in trouble, Chloe. I'm in real, honest-to-Dog trouble," Max said.
Author's Note - Yep. Time jump. I chose this ending out of three fully-written ones because a) I didn't want this story to get stale and b) I want to explore issues that are prevalent in today's culture like the game does. I did so with "Rebel Girl", so this seemed appropriate. Chloe feels abandoned again, even more so after becoming intimate and vulnerable with Max, with Max being even more messed up now as she is traumatized further.
Chapter 10 is going to partially resolve some things, as well as present how Chloe and Max struggle with each other and themselves after a month-long separation from the whirlwind romance of Chapter 1 up to Max's difference. Also, as some of you have affectionately referred to her, "Psycho/Uber Max" will be making a return in 10. The circumstances bringing that side of Max will be...interesting, to say the least.
Read, review, and continue to have as great a day as you possibly can! See you all in Chapter 10!