I Miss The Misery, from the single by Halestorm
"Please! Max, please, put her down!" Max heard Chloe yell imploringly as she clutched at the hair of what Chloe told her was Rachel Amber. Scrutinizing the Feral's face, Max thought was Rachel Amber before lowering the creature to the ground. Still holding onto the hair, Max pulled back her other arm and slammed her fist hard enough into Rachel's skull that there was a wet crunch before the Feral crumpled to the ground.
"Max! What the fuck?!" Chloe said as she moved instinctively towards Rachel only to be freeze as Max shot an arm out to block her.
"This…this was Rachel, Chloe," Max said, her rage at Kate's condition and Chloe's nearly being attacked mingling with her despair at seeing the look of sadness on Chloe's face, "Whatever it is now, it is not the girl you knew."
"But its Rachel-"
"No, it isn't," Max said, her tone serious as she turned to Chloe, "This is a beast, a thing that nearly killed and turned Kate. Kate is in a hospital bed because of this, suffering some type of weird withdrawal from drinking its blood, and you want to fucking coddle it?"
"If she's a thing, then what does that make you?" Chloe blurted, covering her mouth as she realized what she had said.
Max froze, the words hitting her like iron as she visibly flinched. Am I just a replacement to you, Chloe, a replacement for whatever this was? Max looked down at the unconscious form and back up at Chloe. She wanted to smack Chloe, wanted to plead with her that she was right here and tell her that she loved her. Unfortunately, that is not what came out.
"Go to hell, Chloe, if that is what you actually think," Max uttered, her vision returning to normal as the grief at what Chloe had said impacted over and over.
"Max…ugh, that is not what I fucking meant. Goddamnit!" Chloe said, kicking at some loose rocks while putting a hand to her head, "I just meant…she's here, Max. Rachel is right there."
"So am I," Max quietly said before grabbing the Feral Rachel and hosting her over a shoulder. Max headed toward the first floor only to be intercepted by Chloe, the other girl now blocking her way.
"What are you going to do?" Chloe asked, her voice matching the look of worry on her face.
"Don't worry, Chloe. I'm not going to kill your girlfriend," Max spat back, "I'm just a thing, after all. What the fuck do I know?"
Max didn't give Chloe a chance to respond as she climbed back in the window, muttering as she laid the creature on the floor. Max needed something that would hold Rachel, bind her so that she couldn't do any more damage while Max thought this situation over. I shouldn't have to think it over. I should end…this…before it hurts anyone else. Goddamn you, Chloe. Growling, Max hoisted the creature up and leaned it against a support beam that ran from the ceiling to the floor.
Rummaging around, Max hissed as she grabbed some iron pieces of rebar that she found lying about the deserted half of the building. Thinking back to the junkyard, and to the lighthouse, Max shuddered a moment before sitting Rachel up against the beam. With a small amount of exertion and a larger amount of pain, Max gripped on the iron as she twisted it around Rachel and the beam, binding the feral. Ripping off a sleeve of her shirt, Max cautiously opened Rachel's mouth and stuffed the fabric inside so that it wouldn't make any noise. Taking a step back, Max looked at her work to ensure that the creature was as secure as she could possibly make it at the moment before stepping to the broken window. Collecting smaller boards that were scattered around, Max laid them outside the window before climbing out. Seeing Chloe watch her, Max said nothing as she vaulted up the steps and quickly went into the apartment.
Returning a moment later with a hammer and nails, Max began to re-secure the window, slamming each nail in with an angry thwack until you could no longer see inside. Clutching onto the hammer, Max let out a small scream as she slammed the hammer down on the brick wall in frustration. The head snapping off, it stuck in the brick as Max tossed the handle aside. Max heard Chloe start to approach her and visibly stiffened, halting the other girl's steps.
"Max, I-" Chloe started to say only to stop mid-sentence as Max turned to face her.
"You take back what you said, Chloe Price. Right now." Max's voice was hollowed out, the pain of the day's events draining her of nearly all the energy she had left.
"You know I do. I was…I'm fucking losing my mind, Max. You're a vampire, Rachel's a…what did you call them, whatever she is?"
"A Feral," Max said, looking out of the corner of her eye at the boarded-up window, "A vampire that feeds on not only animals and humans, but also other vampires."
"Is that what makes them sick?" Chloe asked, grimacing as she got a shrug from Max in reply.
"I dunno. Maybe. All I know is that the best way to stop them is to kill them," Max said, her tone neutral.
"…Are you going to kill Rachel?" Chloe asked, her tone quiet.
"It would already be dead if I were, Chloe. Don't worry. I won't kill your girlfriend," Max said with a huff, pushing herself off of the wall to start to head back up the steps, "Never mind that she nearly killed Kate, right?"
"Fucking stop. Just…just stop, Max. Yes, Rachel meant…means a lot to me. But she wasn't my fucking girlfriend. I'm not her groupie, okay? Of course I'm upset that Kate-" Chloe started to implore.
"You're 'upset'?"
"You know what I mean. Look, I don't know what to do. Or what I'm saying, because everything I am saying is evidently wrong. What are you afraid of?" Chloe asked, looking intensely at Max's face.
"…Was I just a replacement? For her?" Max asked, turning around to look Chloe in the eye, "I saw the look on your face, heard your voice and your heartbeat. What was she to you, Chloe, and tell me the truth?"
"…Can we not have it out in the alley? Can we at least go inside and yell at each other?" Chloe asked, looking around. Max rolled her eyes in reply before walking back to the steps, Chloe close behind.
"One – you are not a replacement, and I'm kinda pissed that you would think I'm like that," Chloe said, pacing back and forth in the living room as Max watched from the couch, "I love you, Max. I wish you would just believe me on that."
"I…I do. You don't have a monopoly on insecurity and abandonment issues," Max replied, choosing her words carefully, "But she was more than just a friend, and I want to know if what's downstairs changes us." Max watched Chloe with rapt attention as her blue-haired beloved took a seat across from her on the couch, sitting so that she was facing Max.
"She was my best friend, Max, after you left. I was alone, two of the most important people to me gone, and my Mom was only home half the time. She was depressed enough as it is, but I was wrecking hard. I just sat and stewed in my own bullshit for a while. Then, I met Rachel. She pulled me out of my drama and I latched on hella tight. She was my angel, Max, but she's not you," Chloe said, not looking Max in the eye.
"That doesn't answer my question, Chloe," Max said, worried.
"My love for you isn't changing, nerd," Chloe said with a faint smile, putting a hand to Max's cheek for a moment, "You need to get over yourself. I promised you forever and I meant it, okay? Is 'Uber-confident Max' just a front or something?"
"…Sometimes," Max conceded, shrugging as she looked away in embarrassment.
Neither girl spoke for a few minutes, an awkwardness filling the apartment as they both tried to evaluate the events of the day with how they were feeling. Max couldn't reconcile what Chloe said with how Chloe reacted to Rachel, though, remembering pointedly at how Chloe had aimed the shotgun at her. She really is afraid of me, but she didn't even bat an eye at Rachel Amber. Crap. Maybe…maybe coming back to Arcadia Bay was a mistake. Max hung her head with eyes closed as she felt regret begin to seep in, second-guessing the life she had started to make here with Chloe.
"What are you thinking?" Max heard Chloe ask, her voice conveying the worry they both felt.
"Truthfully? I'm scared that coming here was a bad idea," Max said, wearily opening her eyes to look at the girl sitting across from her.
"To the apartment?"
"To Arcadia Bay."
Chloe took in a small, sharp breath and just looked away in thought for a moment. Pulling a cigarette out of a pack tucked away in her jacket, Chloe moved to light it before looking at it again and tossing it in disgust. Stuffing her hands in her jacket pockets, Chloe got up and sauntered over to Max, bumping their foreheads together as she next to the young vampire.
"Don't give up on us, Max. You really think that we are a mistake?" Chloe whispered to Max, both girls' eyes closed as they enjoyed the momentary connection.
"You? No, never. I just…you weren't scared of it, what's downstairs. Not like I saw you were of me. Were you pointing your shotgun at me? I can't help but think that maybe I shouldn't have come here, that I should've taken you away from here the second I laid eyes on you," Max asked, pulling Chloe in tighter by tugging on the waistband of the taller girl's jeans.
"More of shock than of not being scared, Max. I'm pretty sure the scare will come shortly, dude. Feeling jittery as it is from having watched you in action but I'm fucking terrified for Rachel. She looks so…so inhuman."
"That's because it's not Rachel anymore, Chlo. At least, I honest-to-Dog hope not," Max said as she pulled her head back to look into Chloe's eyes.
"You hope that Rachel still isn't in there? I knew you get hella jealous, but damn. That's fucking cold," Chloe said, putting a hand to Max's cheek.
"Not that, dork, and you get pretty 'hella jealous' yourself," Max retorted, snickering as she saw the feigned expression of shock on Chloe's face, "I mean that if Rachel is still in there somewhere…if she is, then what about the other Ferals from before? Was a part of who they were locked somewhere inside of them? I don't think I can handle that concept, Chloe."
"Shit. I didn't even think of that. I'm an asshole," Chloe said as she looked down, gesturing with a jerk of her head at the floor beneath them, "So…what are you going to do?"
"I honestly don't know," Max said, rubbing her temples as she took a moment to gather her thoughts, "I bound her up as well as I could with what I have. Her skin is covered enough that the iron shouldn't do any damage, and I gagged her-"
"You gagged her? You're going hardcore with this, Max," Chloe said, surprised at how nonchalantly Max had described restraining and gagging someone, "What the fuck happened to you, to the shy, cliché geek that I remember?"
"She died, Chloe," Max said with a sad smile, her eyes opening to look at Chloe forlornly, "She died, and came back to a world she didn't asked to be a part of. The only thing holding me together right now, keeping me intact, is you."
Chloe's face was one of heartbreak as she took Max in her arms and hugged her close. Chloe felt Max begin to gently shake as the small girl she was holding cried. My life has gone even further to shit since I got here, Che. I've made friends, sure, but I wish that I had just grabbed you and continued running. I'm so exhausted. Max sighed as she felt Chloe's steady heartbeat against her body. Max wanted to be right next to that beating heart, wanted to press the very core of Chloe's life against her face and let it warm her with its radiance. Pulling herself up by clutching onto Chloe's tank-top, Max nuzzled her beloved's neck and started to suck gently at the skin. Careful not to break the skin, Max kept her fangs retracted as she nibbled at Chloe's neck.
"Now? You want to have sex now?" Chloe asked incredulously between short gasps of breath.
"I don't want to have sex, Chloe," Max said between kisses, running her tongue from Chloe's neck to her jawline and ear, "I want you to make love to me. I want to be with you, I can't fucking stand the separation we keep finding between us. I want to feel you around me completely."
"Holy shit," Chloe said in surprise, "You're serious."
"And you're killing my fucking buzz, Price," Max retorted, biting at Chloe's ear hard enough that Max grinned when she heard Chloe moan slightly in return, "Come to bed. I need you, Chloe. I need to be with someone who loves me no matter what, someone who I love just as much as she loves me."
Max peeked over Chloe's jawline as she nibbled away, watching the play of emotions on Chloe's face. I think I may have fucked up, overstepped. But I have to have you now, Chloe, so that part of me still feels alive. I need to feel your love, I need to feel like something in my life is real. Feeling Chloe begin to stir, Max slowly pulled back as the other girl stood up and walked over to the kitchen. Curious, Max stood up in return and watched as Chloe took a clean glass from the dish rack. Filling the glass with water, Chloe tipped the glass and emptied it in mere moments before setting it back down.
"Max," Chloe said as she turned around, "We don't have to make love for our feelings to come across. We're both seriously fucked up right now, and I don't think that sex in the middle of whatever all this shit going down is the best of ideas. How about you come over here, nerd."
Max pouted for a moment before slowly making her way over to Chloe, feeling the blue-haired girl wrap her up with lean arms. Feeling the warmth from Chloe's body return to her, Max nestled up against Chloe's chest as she placed her ear directly over Chloe's heart. Sighing as she heard the soothing rhythm, Max spoke up.
"Are we…are we cursed?" Max asked, her voice cracking as she finished the question, "Can we ever just have a moment with you and me, where there isn't anything going on but us being together?"
"Hey," Chloe said as she kissed Max on the top of her head, "When all this is done and gone, we'll go somewhere nice. Just you and me, I swear. Don't be so fucking sad all the time, you fucking emo vampire cliché. I don't want to date a stereotype."
"So, what you're saying," Max said, tip-toeing to give Chloe a kiss, "is that we're dating?"
"I'm saying that for all the bat-shit craziness you brought with you, Max, I can't see myself without you. I don't want to, either. We're hitting rough waters, but it isn't anything when we work together."
Max and Chloe held on to each other, stumbling as they walked in sync towards the bedroom. Undressing, they slipped under the covers and curled up together, Max giving Chloe an Eskimo kiss before turning around to face away from Chloe.
"Max…?" Chloe asked, curious as to why Max would not lie down facing her.
"Tonight I think I need you to be the big spoon," Max said faintly, "I'm not really tired, but I think I just need you to hold me as you fall asleep."
Max felt Chloe snuggle up next to her, arms wrapping around her waist as Max leaned her head slightly back so that she could feel Chloe's breath on her neck. Letting out a contented noise, Max closed her eyes and let the slowing beat of Chloe's heart take her mind away from tonight, away from Arcadia Bay and all of her troubles.
Max was running as fast her feet would allow. Taking small sprints through the darkened alleyways of Dublin, Max's desperation showed on her face as she tried to escape her pursuer. Crap crap crap! Max thought as she chided herself, I shouldn't have stayed here this long! I should've took off as soon as I was rested. Max had stayed in Dublin for a month, squatting in abandoned homes and alleyways as she was forced to live off of people's pets and the few stray animals she had found out at night. She thought herself foolish in that she could find a place to relax, to unwind and take some photos. Clutching her camera bag as her backpack slightly bounced on her back, Max pushed forward.
Hearing a noise from behind her, Max saw her pursuer joined by a second, a third, shadow as they slowly began to gain ground. Cursing, Max thought Fuck it and started to sprint in as she crossed the streets as well. Pushing her body to the limit, Max took a sharp turn into an alleyway and careened into a fence, shattering the wood boards as her body came tumbling through. Scrambling up, Max hurriedly grabbed at the few possessions she had before seeing that one of the people after her had stopped a few feet away.
"Just leave me alone!" Max pleaded, "You won't even tell me what I did! Person after person, and I'm always running! Just…just let me go!"
The person who caught up with her didn't say anything. Max couldn't make out his face, hair and clothing obscuring all but his glowing violet eyes. Dropping her things gently to the side, Max clenched her fists as she crouched.
"Please. Please, don't make me fight," Max pleaded one final time.
The pursuer, a male judging by his size, came sprinting at Max, knocking her against the brick wall of a building behind her with a crack. Max cried out in pain as she felt something in her side snap, leaning to that side as she favored the injury. Taking a punch to the stomach, Max heaved as she was dragged by her hair. A punch to the face, and another to the stomach, and Max was barely conscious. Her strength fading, Max grasped at the coat of her pursuer as he looked down at her. Feeling his hands hesitate for a moment, Max focused what strength and consciousness she had left and began a desperate counterattack.
Pulling her attacker in close by tugging on the coat, Max rammed her forehead against his face. Breaking his nose, Max kneed him in the stomach, and felt a satisfying crunch as his side became wounded as well. Wincing from the pain of her injuries and exertion, Max teetered before feeling a rush of wind as her attacker's hand failed to collide with her face. Swinging her own arm back, Max threw her entire body into the punch and toppled them both as she landed on him.
Only able to see out of a single eye, Max glared at her pursuer with a cold hatred, clamping her hands around his throat. The attacker finally broke his silence with a small grimace as he spoke, trying to pull Max's hands away.
"I don't…need to breathe, idiot…" Max's pursuer spat, clutching at the single hand holding him down. He didn't get a chance to speak any further.
Taking the opportunity with him distracted on the hand keeping him pinned to the ground, Max's other hand slammed down hard as it connected with his throat. Pushing her fingers through skin and flesh, Max gritted her teeth as she pulled her clenched hand back with her attacker's wind pipe wrenching out. Feeling the body pinned under her spasm from the onslaught of pain, Max held the gory length of flesh for a moment before she dropped it on her attacker's chest and slid off of him. Panting, Max bent over as she threw up a brackish substance and began to sob. Max didn't notice the other two pursuers arrive until she heard one of them speak.
"Sweet Jesus," a female voice said, making Max weakly turn her head. Heh, twins. Of course they're twins. I've…walked into a goddamn horror movie…
Max passed out, her vision darkening as a man put reached down to grab her.
"Max! Max, calm down! You're here, you're safe!" Max heard a voice call out as she began to wake up. Temporarily disoriented, Max feebly thrashed about for a moment before her surroundings became familiar to her. A familiar scent attracting her attention, Max turned around to see a wide-eyed Chloe lying right next to her, arms encircling Max's waist.
"Jesus fuck, Max. Even your nightmares are hardcore," Chloe said as she kissed Max's forehead, "You started crying and shaking and I got hella scared, nerd. Are you alright?"
Max blinked her eyes a few times, wrestling with her grogginess, before speaking up.
"Nightmare," Max said, her voice dripping with fatigue, "A memory from a while back. Bad juju."
"Want to talk about it?" Chloe asked, moving to let go of Max. When Max, clamped her hand around Chloe to keep herself locked in Chloe's arms, the taller girl chuckled. "That bad, huh?"
"Worse," Max said, "Being chased through Dublin. That night felt like it wouldn't end, and not in a good way, either."
"Dublin. What's it like there? I mean, when you're not being chased by people who want to box you up and toss you into the ocean," Chloe asked as she leaned over so that her chin was resting on the top of Max's head.
"I…I like the nightlife, the pubs and the streets at night. Sure, there's always someone out and about, but there are real moments of tranquility too. Plus, the accents! The accents are so cool!"
"Take me there?" Chloe asked, grinning.
"Che, I will take you anywhere you want to go. That's a promise," Max said with a small grin as she stretched and climbed out of bed, her stomach growling, "Ugh, what time is it?"
"Hella early for me. It's like 9 in the morning. It's late for you, though, isn't it?" Chloe asked as she laid flat on her back in bed.
"I don't even know anymore. I feel better when I sleep during the day, but so long as I'm fueled up while it's daytime I hardly even notice. So long as I don't overwork myself," Max said, bending down to kiss Chloe before heading over to the kitchen.
Max opened the freezer and pulled out one of her jugs. With a smirk, Max popped the cap off so that it shot from where she was standing to the trash can a few feet away and took in a large gulp of her cocktail. Closing her eyes as she fed, Max sighed as mouthful after mouthful flooded her system, knocking away what haziness she still had from her slumber. Tilting the jug almost straight up, Max caught the last few drops as she pulled her mouth away and promptly tossed the empty container in the sink. Seize the day, Max Caulfield.
"What's on Vampire Max's agenda?" Chloe asked as she came up from behind to wrap her arms around Max. Putting a hand on Chloe's cheek, Max turned her head and leaned up into Chloe's lips for a second before the other girl recoiled, "Ugh, dude. Gross. You just ate."
"Hasn't always stopped you," Max said with a shrug as she leaned her head back into the nape of Chloe's neck, "I have to be at Blackwell around noon. Principal Wells left me a voicemail, said he wanted to see me. Also, I thought I would see if Mr. Jefferson would look over some shots I've been eyeing from the last series of seascapes I did."
"Ah. So, uh, about last night…," Chloe asked, pulling away from Max before going to the fridge herself to get a carton of milk for her breakfast, "Um, look. I'm sorry I wasn't in the mood. Everything lately is hella nuts and I just didn't think-"
"Che, it's alright. You were right. I mean, yeah, I'm bummed at the lack of naked Chloe goodness but we have more important things to work out," Max said, reaching into the sink to pull a clean bowl out for Chloe, "The cereal's in that cabinet."
Following Max's hand, Chloe opened one of the top cabinets and pulled out a box of cereal. Nearly filling the bowl to the brim with cereal and milk, Chloe began to munch away at her breakfast while leaning against the counter as Max continued.
"The big question right now is…well, that," Max said, pointing down at the floor, "What do you expect to do with that?"
"Rachel," Chloe said between bites.
"That was Rachel. You want to get your hopes up? Fine. But I see the thing that nearly killed Kate and tried to attack you. I'm being protective, so your gripe is weak sauce," Max said putting a hand on her hip.
"Fine. But I can't just…please don't kill her, Max. I don't know how I'm holding my shit together now, let alone if my girlfriend were to kill one of my former best friends. Or vice-versa," Chloe replied as she sat down the half-full bowl, looking up to see Max gazing at her. "What?"
"Nothing. I just can't remember you actually calling me your girlfriend out loud before," Max said, surprised.
"Dude, we've been together long enough. Also, we live together. I'm pretty sure we're in girlfriend territory. I just don't always feel the need to label it."
"You're such a tease, my 'fragile little flower'," Max said with a wink as she made her way to the bathroom, hearing an "Ugh" emanate from Chloe back in the kitchen.
Max brushed her teeth a couple of times to ensure that her breath was minty fresh and now smelling like the inside of an operating room, then hopped in the shower. Finishing up, Max wrapped herself in a towel and was heading for the bedroom when she felt a sharp yank coming from behind. Gasping, Max felt the towel get pulled off of her body as Chloe laughed behind her.
"Chloe!" Max exclaimed, instinctively covering herself with her hands, "Chloe Elizabeth Price, you fucking jerk!"
"Oh, you should see your face!" Chloe said, nearly folding in half from laughter, "Fuck, you look so weird sometimes when you can't blush. Oh man, I needed that."
"Gee," Max said as she quickly snatched the towel from Chloe's hand before tossing it in the blue-haired jerk's face, "I'm glad that I amuse you so much."
Max quickly dressed, blue jeans and a red, short-sleeve blouse with her boots, glaring at Chloe out of the corner of her eye as the other girl leaned against the bathroom doorway. Huffing a couple times as she would glance over, Max rolled her eyes at the dopey grin forming on Chloe's face.
"Such a goddamn dork," Max said with a grin before suddenly growing very quiet. Seeing the look on her girlfriend's face, Chloe walked over and put a hand on Max's shoulder only for Max to flinch away.
"Chloe, you need to be prepared for the likelihood that…," Max stammered, not able to meet Chloe's gaze.
"Likelihood of…no, Max, do not say it," Chloe said, her voice and face becoming stern.
"Chloe. I don't know what I'm doing. I've spent most of my time as a vampire running away from vampires. I know enough for myself to get by, not how to housebreak a goddamn Feral. If it can even be housebroken…," Max said, trying to make Chloe understand.
"Do not say it, Max. Just don't-"
"If I can't bring Rachel out of whatever is down there I will have no choice but to-"
"Max…"
"…I'll have no choice but to kill her."
The apartment was silent as Max and Chloe looked at one another in pain, albeit for different reasons. Chloe didn't want to think about her long-lost love killing the girl who had saved her while the other was away. Max didn't want to think about the consequences of killing someone so important to Chloe. Both girls glanced at each other from the corners of their eyes, unable to look at each other face-to-face. The silence quickly becoming awkward, Max was the first to move. Walking around Chloe, Max went to the kitchen and pulled out a stack of Styrofoam cups and a stack of lids. Pulling a single cup and lid, Max went to the fridge and poured some of her cocktail into the cup, closing the lid around it tightly before poking a straw through the lid. Looking back at Chloe with a tired smile, Max made to head outside.
"Where are you going?" Chloe asked after Max, causing the young vampire to stop and look back at Chloe.
"I'm going to try and feed it, Chloe. Because I can't trust it to be near you," Max said plainly.
"But you said-"
"I'm doing this for you. I don't agree with it, and I don't like it. It's dangerous, Chloe, and it nearly killed Kate. It could've killed you, but I'm going to go feed it because if I have to end up killing it at least you will know that I fucking tried," Max said, her voice relaying how emotionally drained she was starting to feel. Seeing Chloe put her hand to her mouth with teary eyes, Max slumped her shoulders and headed outside.
Max heard a low hiss from the first floor as she pried a corner piece of the boards she had used to nail the window shut off and slipped inside. The only light coming from the small space through which she had entered, Max's eyes adjusted instantly and the room was suddenly visible with a luminescent glow. Inching over to where she saw the creature weakly thrashing about, Max paused a couple feet away from it with the cup in her hand.
"Rachel," Max said softly, looking for a response. Not seeing any acknowledgement, Max squatted down and extended the cup in the Feral's direction, "Rachel. Hey, Rachel."
Swishing the contents of the cup around, Max watched as the creature suddenly stiffened and sniffed the air, its head jerking around to look at the cup with two hungry, yellow eyes as it bared its fangs. Jaws snapping, the creature vainly attempted to lunge at the cup of blood only to let out a slight moan as a piece of bare skin would brush up against the iron rebar pinning it down. Inching closer, Max pried the lid off and waved the cup around a little more, seeing if the Feral would behave. Max was disappointed, the Feral continuing to snap its jaws as it struggled to get at the blood a foot away from its face.
"Crap," Max said, leaning on one knee before cracking the creature across the head with a swift punch. Watching the creature reel from the sudden blow, Max grabbed it by the face and pushed at its jaws. Forcing the creature to open its mouth with a squeeze, Max lifted the cup over its head and poured the blood directly in its mouth with a disgusted sigh. Stopping before the cup was completely drained, Max pulled the cup out of the reach of its mouth and down the rest of it herself, "This is bullshit."
Standing up, Max brushed the dirt off of her jeans and headed towards the window, trying not to look irritated as she saw Chloe peeking out of the small open space Max needed to climb through to get out.
"Worst Peeping Tom. Ever," Max called after Chloe, the other girl trying to hide. Max grinned in satisfaction as she heard a "Shit!" come from the other side of the boards before slipping out of the makeshift crawlspace. Wedging the board back in place, Max heard the tail end of a slight hiss from inside before turning her attention to the incredibly awkward-looking Chloe. "Why did you feel the need to watch that?"
"Just curious, I guess. Kinda couldn't believe that you were willing to feed her," Chloe said, moving to wrap her arms around Max's shoulders as she leaned in for a kiss, "Hella love you for the effort, though."
"Yeah, and it worked out so well. I called out 'Rachel' and got hisses and snarls in return. I'd have better luck feeding a dog," Max said, shaking her head at Chloe's optimism, "This is really not going to end well, Chloe. I need you to be prepared for that."
"…I don't know if I can be prepared for something like that, Max. If you have to…with Rachel, I don't know if I can be with you," Chloe said quietly, the sadness in her tone making Max feel bad.
"Is that…are you threatening me? Are you giving me an ultimatum?" Max asked, pulling Chloe around to face her as the other girl moved away.
"I'm not threatening you, Max. I'm just saying…with everything that is happened, I have been able to push through it because I have you. If you were kill Rachel, I don't know what I would do," Chloe said, yanking her arm out of Max's grip.
Max walked behind Chloe as the two girls went up the stairs into the apartment, Max only pausing to collect her things before taking off without telling Chloe she was leaving. I need some time to think, some space. I don't need to breathe but I feel as though I'm hyperventilating, like when I was a kid. Climbing onto her Vespa, Max started the scooter up and drove away from the building, away from Chloe and whatever used to be Rachel. She had no real destination – she just wanted to be somewhere else.
Max drove through the streets of Arcadia Bay, wandering around town as she thought of everything that had happened since she had come back to her old hometown. Pulling into the small lot by Two Whales, Max almost went inside, searching for some possible sage wisdom from Joyce, before deciding to leave her out of what was between her and Chloe. What I could explain, anyway. Max thought about driving to the lighthouse, but the memory of being carried out in chains was still prevalent in her mind enough to make Max start to become more anxious. That feeling will always probably be there one way or another.
Deciding to head over to Blackwell early, Max parked her scooter in the visitor's lot as she looked around. Not quite the end of the period. No students in the courtyard, which is nice. Peaceful for a change. Taking her camera bag out of the small storage area under the seat, Max secured her helmet and began to head up the steps toward the main building when she saw Nathan Prescott standing near the gym, handing something over to another student as he collected what appeared to be money in return. He's not just crazy. He's also a drug dealer. Great school you have here, Principal Wells, what with one of your most prominent students shilling out meds. On campus. During the day. Ugh. Nathan turned around and spotted the approaching Max, pausing in his departure towards the main building long enough to give her a shit look and the middle finger. Fuck you, too. Asshole. Feeling her phone vibrate from inside the pocket of her leather jacket, Max pulled it out and began to scroll through Chloe's incoming texts.
Chloe: where'd u go?
Chloe: u mad at me?
Chloe: ily plz don't b mad
Max: I'm not mad, just tired
Max: of everything
Max: I wanna just run away
Chloe: Vegas?
Max: Nah, too noisy and loud
Max: Big Sur
Max: Cali
Chloe: Nice can I come?
Max: course who else am I gonna marry
Chloe: wtf I want this shit in writing
Max: At Blackwell. Come c me?
Chloe: no thanx call me when ur done
Sliding the phone back in her pocket, Max turned the corner only to nearly walk right into Nathan.
"Well, if it isn't the freak-ass feminazi," Nathan said, "Did you enjoy the show back there?"
"Take a step back, Nathan Prescott," Max said, clenching her fists as her tone grew hostile, "Just leave me the fuck alone. I don't have time for your bullshit or you."
"Wait, you're trying to tell me what to do?" Nathan asked, almost sounding like he was in shock as his upper lip curled into a sneer, "Bitch you don't know who you're messing with. My family owns this school and half the town. I could have you and your white-trash girlfriend booted the fuck outta here so fast you wouldn't realize it until you were out in the cold."
Rolling her eyes, Max shouldered Nathan out of her way and continued walking toward the courtyard, hearing Prescott yell after her for a moment before going off in whatever direction he was headed. Stepping inside the main building, Max saw David heading away from her and quickly rushed into the main office, asking the secretary to let Principal Wells know she was here. Waiting in the office, Max was flipping through photography articles on her phone when a text message popped up on her phone.
Private: This is Antony
Private: You will meet me at the diner from before in 1 hour.
Private: Do not be late, Max. We have something to discuss
Max stared at the screen for a moment, wondering at what Antony could want to talk to her about. Max thought that she was going to be left alone after what happened that night with the Ferals. Ferals…oh, shit. Does he know about Rachel Amber? Max was so focused on her own thoughts that she didn't notice Principal Wells calling her in until he said her name for the fourth time.
"Um, Ms. Caulfield? Max?" Wells asked, his curiosity beginning to be outweighed by irritation. Max snapped out of her train of thought and abruptly got up, her camera bag falling off her lap and onto the floor. The metal bottle inside rolled out and began to head for the secretary's desk before Max stopped it hastily with her foot, terrified of someone asking questions about it. 'What's in this bottle, Ms. Caulfield?' Oh, you know, blood. The stuff of life. Well, your life. For my life. Want some? Hastily shoving everything that had fallen out back into her bag, Max quickly followed Principal Wells into his office and looked on in curiosity as she saw that Mr. Jefferson was also present.
"Hi, Mr. Jefferson. Uh, what are you doing here?" Max asked as she took the seat she was offered, her brow furrowed at Jefferson's pained expression.
"Principal Wells asked me to sit in on this meeting," Mr. Jefferson said as he scratched at the back of his head. Is he nervous? What is this? Am I in trouble?
"Max, I am glad you decided to come in early, with classes already underway. Look, I don't want to beat around this so I will just cut straight to it. We have to suspend your activities here at Blackwell for the time being," Wells said as he took his seat at the desk.
"Wait, what?" Max asked, "Is there something wrong with my performance? I thought I was doing okay. Mr. Jefferson, you never told me that-"
"Your performance has nothing to do with this, Max," Mr. Jefferson said, looking over at Wells, "This concerns an allegation made by some students."
"Max, are you selling drugs on campus?" Wells asked bluntly, drawing out a stupefied look from Max in return.
"What the hell…? I'm being accused of being a drug dealer?" Nathan Prescott. That's why you had a shit-eating grin. Ugh, asshole! "I don't even use over-the-counter drugs, let alone sell illegal ones. Who made these 'allegations'? Can you tell me that?" I can probably name two.
"Pending an inquiry, Blackwell would like to retain the anonymity requested by the students making the allegation, Ms. Caulfield. If it is proven that these accusations are false, I don't see why you couldn't return to Blackwell at your earliest convenience. However, if it is true, I will have to alert the authorities and your relationship with this institution will be terminated as soon as possible. I asked Mr. Jefferson here because I expected that you would want your personal items from his classroom returned to you. Mark?"
"Max," Jefferson said, turning around and grabbing a small cardboard box before handing it to Max, "For the record, I don't believe you could possibly be involved in anything like what you are being accused of. When this is proved to be false, I will personally welcome you back."
Max was stunned. Someone on this campus hated her enough to get her kicked out, when all she did was work in a single class only a couple times per week? What the hell is wrong with this school? I am so glad I was never a Blackwell student, it'd probably be a nightmare to come here every day. This sucks! Standing up, Max clutched at the box as she began to walk toward the office door. Stopping mid-stride, Max turned her head and looked at Principal Wells, who had his chin rested on steepled fingers.
"Don't bother contact me, either way. You're accusing me of something I didn't do, and I bet whoever told you I sold drugs has no actual proof. It's bullshit, I'm insulted, and I quit," Max said, turning back to the door and promptly exiting the office before either Wells or Jefferson could reply. Walking towards the double doors, Max saw David come in from the other side of them and moved to the side. She wasn't quick enough to escape his attention, however, and felt his glare as he watched her slide by him toward the door.
"I knew you were trouble, second I laid eyes on you. Maybe you'll get the hell out of here, and leave my family alone," David said, his hostility obvious in both posture and voice.
"Whatever," Max said, not in the mood to deal with anybody at this point. Backpedaling out the doors, Max turned and quickly descended the steps as she headed back to her Vespa. Two days of crap. Thanks, world. When Max got to her scooter, she quickly rummaged through the box to see if there was anything of note that she might need. Copies of portfolios she had the originals of, a few memory cards with slideshows she had prepared, a photo Jefferson had taken of herself with the class. Stuffing the memory cards and the class picture into her camera bag, Max dumped the box and its remaining contents into the garbage before zipping out of Blackwell, giving the school the finger as she drove out the parking lot.
Max's mood was darkening as she headed towards Two Whales. She couldn't remember the last time she had a good day, a day where she didn't feel like shit for the majority of her waking hours. Cussing under her breath, Max's thoughts of leaving Arcadia Bay became more prominent as she increased the throttle and shot through town, electing to take alleyways and side roads so as to avoid any heavy traffic as noon approached. First Rachel, then Blackwell, and now a visit from your friendly neighborhood kidnapper and torturer. Yay. Max's brakes squealed as she stopped the scooter in the diner's parking lot suddenly enough that the rear end lifted a couple inches of the ground. Looping the strap of her helmet over one of the handlebars, Max slid off her Vespa and sullenly made her way inside.
Antony was waiting at the booth they had been sitting at the last time he had come here to see her. Not noticing Joyce as she waved, Max briskly moved over to the booth and dumped her back in the bench as she took the seat, getting a raised eyebrow from Antony at her ill-tempered disposition. Shrugging, Antony signaled for the waitress and Joyce came walking over, looking at Max with concern for a moment before shifting her attention to the gentleman in the sports jacket.
"Coffee for me, please, and some milk," Antony said, looking over at Max, "I believe that will be all today."
"Max, honey, are you alright? You look-" Joyce said, slightly unnerved. She had never seen Max in such a foul mood.
"I'm sorry, Joyce. Not really in a talkative mood, today," Max blurted out before looking up to see Joyce's compassionate expression, "Uh, sorry. Really. Can I have…a coffee, I guess?"
Nodding silently, Joyce headed off as the two customers stared at each other for a moment. Antony let Max sulk for a moment, waiting as Joyce brought them their drinks, before speaking up.
"So. I hear that you have a problem," Antony said, getting a questioning look from Max, "Stephen messaged me. Said you sounded somewhat frantic."
"I thought you would all be long gone by now," Max said, her tone cold as she sipped at the coffee once before setting it aside, "Everything's fine."
"Yes, because you look completely calm."
"Concern from the person who," Max sputtered before lowering her voice to a whisper, not wanting to draw any more attention, "who tortured me, who kidnapped me? You'll forgive me if I think you can fuck off, so please do. Fuck off."
"Ripper, this will not do," Antony said, his coffee cup shaking ever so slightly as she reigned in his ire, "I came her out of concern. I told you, you are square with us after your assistance outside of this little hamlet. You wanted peace, you have it. I am here to make sure you can keep it."
"…The Feral," Max uttered, wiping a hand across her face as the exhaustion from the past two days caught up with her, "You're here about the Feral."
"Do you know where it is?"
"No." Liar.
"…Are you sure?"
"Yes." Liar, liar. Set my own damn house on fire.
"If you cannot take care of this issue, we will send somebody who can," Antony said, his calm tone giving way to a warning, "And it won't be me who comes to you. Your human, the girl you are seeing, she knows what you are?"
"Stop right there," Max uttered, glancing around to ensure no one was listening, "Stop. You do not threaten her. I will feed you your goddamn tongue."
Max watched Antony's body tense at the open threat and the two of them stared each other down, neither person budging until Antony got up from the booth and dropped some money on the table for the drinks.
"I know you will hate me for a long time, Ripper, but a month is a blink in the eye for our kind. Your feelings towards this girl run deep, that is obvious. Which is more important to you, a grudge towards me and your own kind or someone whom you obviously cherish?" Antony asked before walking out of the diner. Max sat in silence for a moment, pulling her now-cold coffee to her and downing the bitter drink in a single gulp. She was about to get out of the booth herself when Joyce slid into the seat that had been occupied by Antony.
"Max, you want to tell me what is bothering you?" Joyce asked, concern lining her face. Max didn't know if it was the sweetness in Joyce's voice, or the events of the past two days welling up, but she felt something inside her give.
"I quit my job at Blackwell when they suspended me because I've been accused of selling drugs on the campus. I've got…things going on with Chloe that could actually break us apart, and it just feels like almost every single move I have made since coming back her has been a misstep. I'm just…just done, Joyce. Like, I don't think I can take any more crap," Max vented out at Joyce, feeling like a small weight had been lifted. I wish I could talk to Chloe like I can to Joyce. Then again, Chloe is hardly impartial when it comes to me and what goes on in our lives.
"Hun, you've always had a good head on your shoulders. When you left with your family, I knew that you would go and do great things. I was sad for Chloe, she missed you so much and it broke her heart to watch you go. But I also knew that it broke yours. Now, you've come back an adult. Sure, you took off for a few years, but you made a name for yourself outside of here and chose to come back for Chloe. If this place isn't working out for you, Max, you don't have to stay. And if you love Chloe like I know you do, you'll find some way to make things work," Joyce said as she leaned over and put a reassuring hand on Max's shoulder.
"How did you get so wise, Joyce?" Max said, struggling to not break into a grin and failing, her mood lightening somewhat.
"Years of hard work and lots of coffees served, sweetheart. Now, go do what you have to do. It is ultimately your life, Max, so go live it."
Max nodded as she pondered Joyce's words. What needs to be done and what Chloe wants done are really two separate things. I knew what I would have to do the second I saw what Rachel had become, but I let Chloe's pain hold me back. Urgh, I'm so confused! Max slid out of the booth with her heart sunk and made her way outside just in time to watch Chloe pull into the parking lot. Max thought about making a break for it on her scooter but Joyce's words held her feet down firmly as Chloe climbed out of her truck and strutted towards her.
"Saw your scooter and came back around," Chloe said as she wrapped an arm around Max's shoulders, "What's say you and I see if Joyce will fix us a late breakfast?"
"…," Max held onto her arm with her other hand as she tried to think of something to say, feeling very awkward about the intensity of the discussion they needed to have and their current location.
"Max, what's wrong? Hey, seriously, you okay? You look hella depressed," Chloe asked, grinning as she affectionately let go of Max only to playfully punch her in the shoulder.
"I got suspended from Blackwell, Chloe, so I just quit altogether," Max said, her voice even as she began to piece together what and how she would say to her girlfriend.
"You for real? Holy shit, what'd you do? Did you bite David? Because, y'know, I can't make out with you anymore. Or anything else. Gross."
"How can you be so cheerful? I mean…how?" Max asked, her voice strained from the mixed emotions bubbling up to the surface, "With everything that is going on right now, and everything that has happened, how can you stay so positive?"
Chloe paused at that question, realizing that Max wasn't just teasing her this time. Max's serious expression was replicated on Chloe's face as the taller girl became thoughtful.
"I dunno, Max. There's you, of course. You've fucking been my rock, for the most part. As for other ways I cope, I…I just try not to think about some of it, the bits that bother me. Look," Chloe said, looking around the parking lot, "Do you really want to have a serious discussion? Because I don't think that this is the place for one."
Max responded by walking over to Chloe's truck and lightly knocking on the passenger side door. Taking Max's cue, Chloe walked over and climbed inside the driver's seat, leaning over to unlock the other door so that Max could climb in. Turning the ignition over, Chloe started to pull out of the parking lot when she looked over at Max.
"What about your scooter?" Chloe asked.
"I'll come by later for it," Max replied, "Where we going?"
"Uh, if we're going to have a 'real talk' then I would like to find somewhere I can at least blaze. That cool?" Chloe asked, raising her eyebrows in expectation.
"That's fine. Good to know you're taking our serious talk seriously," Max said with a faint snicker.
"Hey, I take all our talks seriously. I just need to bake as preparation for the ultra-super-mega talks." With that, Chloe resumed her pulling out of the parking lot and drove down the street as the two of them became lost in thought.
Initially deciding on the lighthouse, Chloe had changed her mind when she saw Max tense up as they approached the parking lot at the bottom of the hill. Quickly pulling back onto the road, Chloe opted to head for the junkyard instead and watched as Max's body seemed to relax somewhat. Max didn't say anything the entire drive, staring out the windshield with a pensive expression on her face. I don't know what I'm going to say, Max thought as she wracked her brain over the bombardment of things they needed to talk about. Rachel, Arcadia Bay, there's just so much. We're both walking on eggshells but Chloe's trying to avoid everything altogether. I don't think this is going to end well.
The junkyard was quiet save for the passing train as Max and Chloe climbed out of the truck. Taking Chloe's proffered hand, Max used her free hand to take a quick photo of a contemplative Chloe as she led them both to the small building that was Chloe's hideaway. Waving Max in with a flourish, Chloe called her "Madame" and smacked Max on the butt before entering herself. Rummaging through the pile of random stuff on the makeshift table, Chloe found a single joint and pouted at the lack of pot aside from the small blunt in her hand. Shoulders slumping, Chloe pulled out her lighter and began to weakly puff at the lone doobie while Max wiggled herself into a comfortable position on the bench next to the one Chloe was sitting on. Max shook her head politely when Chloe patted at the empty space beside her, taking a drink from her sports bottle when her stomach growled. Fastening the cap, Max let the taste sink in for a few seconds before taking in some air and exhaling it hard.
"We need to talk about what's in the floor beneath us," Max said in a rush, not wanting to give Chloe a moment to object or change the subject, "I know what I have to do, and I'm terrified you will hate me for it and never want to see me again. I'm scared something will happen to you, either from Rachel getting loose or someone other than me coming for it."
"You called her Rachel," Chloe said slowly, stubbing out the joint as she leaned forward on her knees, "Max…I really don't-"
"Please, Che, don't avoid this. I can't, okay? You can be as carefree as you like, but the responsibility for what is going on right now falls on me. There's no one else suited for this, and no one else can do this," Max said, her voice lowering as her strength began to fail her before the look of sadness in Chloe's eyes. Please, Dog, do not take her away from me. She's all I have right now.
Chloe closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers, then stood up and paced a little in silence. Looking over at Max's solemn face and pain-ridden eyes, Chloe's expression softened somewhat as what Max was saying weighed on her.
"Goddamnit, you've been going at it alone on all this, haven't you? I mean, I'm there for you right? But I'm not with you on all of this," Chloe said, tearing her beanie off her head and throwing it aside in frustration as she rubbed at her temples, "Fuck. I thought…I think that it's my, like, defense mechanism or something. I've been fucked with so many times that I just push all the bad shit away. This is real, isn't it? Rachel is…is really gone…"
Max stood up and walked over to Chloe as the taller girl shook from choking back tears, helping her back to the bench and sitting beside her. Max leaned Chloe's head onto her shoulder as they both just sat there without speaking a word, the only noise being Chloe's short intakes of breath as she fought off the urge to cry.
"I think I'll fall apart," Chloe murmured, her voice cracking from the despair she felt, "I don't think I will be able to manage all of this, Max. If she goes, I might follow along with her. I've shut out so much – David's abuse, the anger and pain that I pushed away with the drugs, you leaving, my dad dying, Rachel fucking bailing – I won't be able to manage it all."
"You don't have to do it all at once. I'll be there, Chloe," Max said, trying to reassure herself as much as she was Chloe, "But you also have to be there for me. I need more than smirks, kisses, and sarcasm. I need you to have my back like I have yours. I've…I've got some weighty shit going on, and I need my Che."
"Your Che?"
"Mine."
Chloe slipped her fingers into Max's and lifted their connected hands so that they were hovering at eye level with both girls. Chloe softly kissed at Max's knuckles and squeezed the other girl's hand, Max repeating the gesture in an unspoken oath. Both girls uncertain, both shaken and hurt, they leaned against one another and let the hours pass by as they held each other in a moment of quiet comfort.
Night had fallen before the girls left their hideout from the rest of the world, more somber but also a little more united. Chloe realized that she was shouldering too much on Max, and Max realized that Chloe needed real help with unburdening herself of years of pain and loss. They didn't need to say anything to each other as they walked away from the junkyard, hand in hand; they simply got in the truck and drove away, their destination clear as their apartment building loomed on the forefront of both their minds. Squeezing Chloe's hand, Max looked over at her and gave her a single kiss, gentle and loving, returned by Chloe with a kiss of equal tenderness. They were resolute, determined to not let anything come between them anymore.
The quiet drive was mirrored by the silence of Arcadia Bay at night. Avoiding the busier areas of town, Max and Chloe drove through the town at a determined pace. Not too hurried in need of arriving at their destination, the ride was more methodical, the speed deliberate in a balance of urgency and hesitation. Arriving at the apartment, Chloe pulled into the alleyway and around the back instead of the parking lot across the street. The engine running idle, Max and Chloe sat in the truck for a moment as they both summoned their courage for what needed to be done.
The first to open her door, Max came around and opened the driver's door. Switching off the engine, Chloe took Max's hand and climbed out of the cab, quietly closing the door behind her. Taking a moment, Chloe moved in to Max and gave her girlfriend a gentle hug. Swaying a bit, the two of them found solace in each other's arms as their minds met in synchronicity at what needed to be done. Walking toward the boarded-up window, Max let go of Chloe's hand as she sniffed at the air. Something's wrong.
"Something's wrong. Chlo, go get your shotgun," Max cautioned, alternating her attention between Chloe and the window. Returning after a few moments, Chloe walked up as she was loading shell after shell into the pump-action weapon. Chambering the first shell with a pump, Chloe nodded at Max. Max crouched as she approached the window, her fangs popped open defensively, and carefully pulled back the piece she had been using as a makeshift hatch. Noticing that it was resting against the other boards and not wedged in like she had secured it, Max sniffed the air and caught a familiar scent. Nathan Prescott?
"Does Nathan Prescott know where we live?" Max asked, looking over to Chloe in confusion.
"Uh, not that I know of. I mean, someone tried to break in while you were…gone that month. It was dark and I chased whoever it was out. Maybe it was Nathan…?" Chloe said with an apologetic shrug.
"Don't worry about that. I smell him, Chloe. He was here, but who knows what he was here for," Max said, cautioning Chloe to stay close behind her as she slipped inside, "Turn on the flashlight that's attached to that thing."
Max saw a small shaft of light make a circle on the floor of the large space under their apartment as the flashlight attached to Chloe's shotgun came on with a click. Max's eyes scanned the space quickly and froze as she looked at the support beam where Rachel had been pinned down. Oh…oh, shit. Oh shit oh shit oh shit!
There was blood, Max could smell it before she saw the stain, next to where the rebar had been pried off. Kicking at the iron with her booted foot as Chloe quickly came up behind her, Max put a finger to the sticky pool of drying blood and lifted it to her nose. Her stomach growling at the proximity of the drying human blood, Max pushed her wanting to feed aside as she sniffed at the air around the beam and examined the floor around it.
"There's sneaker tracks, two sets leading in and two out, but there's also a set of footprints leading in the opposite direction, along with a few drops of blood next to them," Max said, trailing the bloody footprints to a broken window on the opposite side of the building, "The blood is Rachel's. One of the shoeprints belongs to Nathan, in all likelihood, but the other is smaller. A girl's, maybe?"
"Bitchtoria. That's my guess, anyway," Chloe said, her voice like steel, "Stupid fucks."
"They left the way they came in, but there's no tire tracks so they walked or took the bus. Maybe a car parked down the street, I dunno," Max said, thinking back to the alleyway, "But the prints are really fresh. We can follow either Nathan and Victoria's…or Rachel's…"
"Um, what do you think we should do?" Chloe asked, her voice tense.
"Ugh, probably the two idiots. Rachel's like a rabid dog, yeah, but if Nathan and Victoria start to talk about someone being held prisoner in the floor beneath our apartment, we're both fucked," Max said, putting the palm of her right hand to her face, "Shit. Rachel gets a pass. For now. Don't look too relieved, Chloe."
"Sorry," Chloe grimaced, "I know that we'll have to come back to her, but I can't help it if part of me is glad."
Max walked over to Chloe and gave her a small kiss on the cheek, patting her shoulder as she signaled for them to head back out the way they came in.
"I know, but you need to prepare yourself. Seriously, Chloe, the phrase 'shit is about to get real' is applicable."
"So is 'looks like we've got a badass over here', Max. I mean, look at you, all serious and fangy."
"Two badasses. You're the one with a boomstick."
"Hail to the Queen, baby!"
Back in the alleyway, Max sent a group text to Dana and Juliet. Figuring that they were together, Max didn't want to take any chances.
Max: Hey
Max: Chloe and I think that Nathan broke into our apt. u seen Vic?
Dana: OMG
Juliet: WTF is she with him?
Max: we think so
Dana: wow umm they said something about the lighthouse out in the hall
Juliet: yea I remember that. Nathan looked all excited 4 some reason
Dana: what a creep
Juliet: I kno, rite?
Max: Thanx
Dana: did u rly quit? Vic was talking in class about getting u to leave Blackwell
Max: someone spread rumors I was selling drugs on campus
Dana: fuck. u still gonna be around?
Max: we'll see
Max: may need to move to a non-extradition country
Juliet: lol let us kno if ur rly leaving. Or staying. Either way.
Max: k need 2 go ttyl
"Ready to go, Max The Vampire-slaying Vampire?" Chloe asked with a grin as she started up the truck. Running up to the passenger side, Max hopped in and quickly closed the door.
"The lighthouse. That's where Dana and Juliet heard Nathan and Bitchtoria talking about heading off to," Max said as she buckled in her seat belt."
"Alright. Silent running. No tunes," Chloe said as she started the truck, driving off through the other end of the small back lot behind the apartment building, "I should just park here from now on. Not like anybody's gonna care."
Max and Chloe could hear excited voices coming from the hilltop, the dim glow of a fire cutting through the trees as Nathan and Victoria's voices carried over to Max's sensitive hearing.
"What the fuck was that? I mean, there was a girl pinned to a fucking pillar in the floor? And what was with her face, it looked like it was rotting off or something?" Victoria asked, sounding to Max like she was a little drunk. Max motioned for Chloe to stop as they approached the end of the trail. Moving behind a tree, Max and Chloe watched the two other people on the hilltop as their discussion continued.
"Vic, that was Rachel Amber," Nathan blurted out as he took the flask from his mouth, "She's been missing for months or some shit, fucking bitch. Who knew her dyke friend and that freaky photographer were keeping her like some kinda pet? Did you see the dry blood on her chin? She had been drinking blood, like a fucking vampire or something!"
Max elbowed Chloe as the other girl quietly giggled, mouthing Quiet! to Chloe as she listened further.
"The one time I forget my phone and it's for shit like that. Fucking what's-her-name…Caulfield, that's it…fucking Max Caulfield with her published work and her kissing Mark's ass. Anybody can win Everyday Heroes," Victoria spat out, grabbing the flask from Nathan before tilting it back to take a mouthful of whatever was inside.
"Sorry to hear about that. I know you wanted to win," Nathan said, trying to sound apologetic.
"Kate Marsh. He gave it to Kate-fucking-Marsh. 'Little Miss Abstinence'. Ugh!"
At that, Max tugged at Chloe's sleeve and the two of them walked out into the open space next to the lighthouse. Not noticed at first, Max looked up at the looming structure and shuddered before hearing a shout coming from the boy sitting next to the small fire.
"Fuck!" Nathan shouted, the first to notice them, "Freaky feminazis!" Victoria looked where Nathan was gawking and narrowed her eyes venomously.
"What do you two want? Here to beg that we don't spill to the world how you were holding someone captive under your fucking apartment?" Victoria asked with a sneering flourish as she rose to her feet, "You should be fucking begging right now, blue-haired punk-ass and goth-looking hipster bitch. I bet it was you who got Mark to choose Kate Marsh over me!"
Max and Chloe listened to Nathan and Victoria yell at them for a minute or so before they saw what Nathan was pulling out from behind his jacket. Max, Chloe, and even Victoria froze at the sight of Nathan's shaky hand wielding a revolver.
"You think you can dodge a bullet or whatever you did again, bitch?" Nathan shouted at Max, his tone increasing in hostility, "You think that you can trash my room, destroy my shit, and get away with it?! My family owns half this town, and the school! I could shoot you both and no one would even miss your stupid asses, would they?"
"Nathan, what are you doing?" Victoria asked, her eyes wide as she tried to calm Nathan down, flinching as he swung his hand over to aim the handgun at her.
"So what, you're with them now? Stupid feminazis, always where you least expect them! Get the fuck back!" Nathan shouted as Max took a step forward.
"Knew I shouldn't have left the shotgun in the truck," Chloe muttered as Max froze in place, Nathan's gun leveled in their direction.
"Hush, Chloe," Max whispered before speaking to Nathan, "You don't want to do this, Nathan. You need to drop the gun and take a step back."
"Don't tell me what to do! You're just like everyone else, trying to fucking control me!" Nathan screamed, his face turning red as he started to really lose it, "You, my fucking doctor, my goddamn parents! I'm so sick of people trying to control me!"
"Put the gun away, you psycho!" Chloe shouted, getting unnerved at the gun still be leveled in her and Max's direction.
Max saw Nathan's trigger finger start to twitch, and her instincts kicked in. When the revolver discharged the first time, she ran into it to prevent the round from hitting Chloe. A pain lanced through her left arm and she shouted "Down!" as Nathan's gun went off a second time, this time in Victoria's direction. Leaping, Max shot out and dropped Victoria to the ground just as the second bullet scrapped across her back. Max felt a nasty scar run across the middle of her back as her fangs popped out, a terrified Victoria looking at her in horror and awe as the two tumbled to the ground. Looking up, Max saw Nathan squeeze the trigger a third and fourth time.
Click. Click.
There were no rounds left in the gun.
Nathan's life now belonged to Max.
Crossing the distance between them in less than a heartbeat, Max grabbed Nathan by the chin and lifted him up as she walked toward the cliff's edge, hissing at him almost the entire time with her mouth open and fangs hatefully bared. Max half-heard both Victoria and Chloe shouting at her, but their voices sounded like they were speaking underwater. Underwater. Pain. Loss. Chained. Antony. Pain. Hate. Max hoisted Nathan up a few inches more and dangled him off the edge of the cliff, his legs kicking wildly as he looked at Max and then at the rocks and waves down below in terror.
"I'm…ghhh…I'm sorry. Please," Nathan said, tears streaming from his eyes as he fought in Max's steely grip to breathe, "Please don't…"
"I've never killed a human before," Max said in a low growl, almost like a purr, "I've got to admit…I'm curious. What kind of sound do you make? A thunk, a splat? Does the water wash away your remains easy, or does it stain the rocks like you stain the fucking world with your goddamn presence? What do you think, Nathan Asscott?"
Max shook him a little, watching cry with a menacing satisfaction. Hearing the other two people on the hilltop close the distance between them, Max sighed and tossed Nathan behind her, hearing him land with a thud as he hit the ground. Turning around, Max looked over at Chloe with a smirk.
"He shot me. Little fucker shot me. Again," Max said with a chortle, "Ugh. 'Fuck my life', right?"
"Max, what the hell was that-" Chloe started only to be equally shocked as Victoria nearly ran her over as she crossed the distance between her and Max.
"Ohmygod, are you okay? You fucking saved me. I mean…holy shit," Victoria said as she looked at Max in shock, the purple eyes locking onto the blonde girl as she quivered in a state of shock and fear, "What the fuck are you? What is all this? I don't understa-"
"Sleep," Max said, whispering into Victoria's ear with a commanding tone. Max winced in pain from the bullet wounds as Victoria slumped to the ground. Signaling for Chloe to stay back, Max limped over to a crying Nathan and picked him up off the ground with a grunt, "You listen to me, Nathan Prescott. If you tell anyone about any of this, I'll fucking kill you. You won't see it coming, you won't hear it coming. I'll come to you from out of nowhere and I will make you wish I had dropped you off that cliff."
Max smacked Nathan across the face when he looked down at Victoria, Nathan wincing from the surprisingly hard impact from such a small hand.
"She can't help you, Nathan. She's asleep. When she wakes up, she'll think this entire evening was some fucked up dream. Look at me. I tried playing nice with you, just fucking with you like you fucked with me. I wanted to be left alone, I wanted to be left in peace. I don't like hurting others, but when I am hurt or people I care about could get hurt…well, you've experienced a taste of how far I'm willing to go. Do you understand me?"
Nathan nodded his head emphatically, raising his hands in surrender as his lower lip quivered. Max bared her fangs at him one last time, licking the tip of each one as a warning to Nathan of what would come if he said anything about tonight, and release her hold on him. Nathan began to backpedal down towards the path leading down the hill before Max spoke again.
"Nathan? Give Chloe the gun. Now."
Nathan handed the empty revolver to Chloe with a shaking hand before running down the hill, sobbing as he went. Slipping the revolver into the back of her pants, Chloe walked up to Max slowly as the cool-eyed vampire popped her neck while retracting her fangs only to wince from the bullet wounds she sustained.
"Hey," Chloe said, looking at Max with an expression of awe.
"Hey," Max said, returning Chloe's stare.
"So…this is you, too," Chloe said, giving this angry, protective Max a once-over, "I mean, I saw you last night but damn, this was hella amazeballs. You're like a one-woman army or something."
"Right now, Chlo, I'm a vampire with a bullet in her arm and a gash across her back. Ugh, it hurts," Max said, looking at Victoria for a second before bringing her eyes back to Chloe's with a small grin, "But yeah, I guess this is me, too."
"We should go home and get those cleaned up or something," Chloe said, taking Max's uninjured arm and looping it across her shoulders, "Let me help."
Nodding weakly as they left Victoria behind to sleep next to the bench, the two girls made their way towards the path before Max spoke.
"Okay."
Author's Note:
So. Chapter 12.
I told you shit was going down. And it did. And it still will.
Life is pretty damn strange, eh?
I want to give some shoutouts before I sign off on this chapter to people who really hit me in the feels with their messages and reviews on both this site's PM board, the reviews for this story, and my Tumblr.
To: ninja1662, Candle in the Night, LIFEISSTRANGER, Malgrain, capitalist banter, ChloePrice, lestibur, game, Reilovernat1213, DivinePotato, surfergirlmia, jamesk19, and HugoCogs.
You all and your reviews and kind messages only encourage me more to keep publishing these chapters. Someone asked me how I could put out so much on a daily basis, and I told them because of I want to hear what you have to say.
Read, review, and I'll see you in 13!
Stay hella!