Life is Strange: Wait for It Chapter 4, a life is strange fanfic

Chapter 4

I drive aimlessly until the sun begins to set. I turn down every side street I can find, searching for any sign of Jefferson's car. By the time darkness begins to settle, I have absolutely no clue where I am. A quiet "ding" echoes over the hum of the engine and I glance down to see the gas light on. Better go back to that gas station I saw a few miles back, I think to myself as I pull a U-turn on this quiet back road and head to find gas.

I pull into the barely lit gas station and park the truck. I pull my debit card from my back pocket and pay before popping the gas cap off and inserting the pump's nozzle. I hear the soft hiss of the gas filling the tank and click the trigger in place and lean against the truck. "This is hopeless," I mutter to myself. "They could be God knows where by now. They could have hopped on a plane and are flying half way across the globe by now. There is no way I'll find them." I feel my throat tighten as tears prick the back of my eyes. I glance toward the inside of the truck at the glove box where I keep my gun. I feel about as hopeless as the day I found Avi…what on earth am I going to do now? The pump clicks and I stand up straight. "Oregon," I say to myself. "Would he have gone home?" But I'm still dealing with nightmares from our last trip…but if there's a shot that I can find her, it's worth a try. With a bit more pep in my step, I reach for the nozzle to put it away. As soon as my hand wraps around it, I freeze.

I back up against the wall with my hands up. "Where'd you get that? What are you doing? Come on, put that thing down!" I say with my voice shaking.

Nathan puts his hand on the wall and slaps it, leveling the gun with my stomach. "Don't ever tell me what to do! I'm so sick of people trying to control me!" he growls.

"You are going to get in hella more trouble for this than drugs," I say shakily, my eyes darting between him and the gun almost touching my stomach now. I can feel the color draining from my face.

"Nobody would ever even miss your punk ass, would they?" Nathan growls. I feel my heart drop. He's going to kill me, I think, my heart racing even faster.

Before I can say or do anything else, the fire alarm goes off and I feel my body almost go numb. Nathan's stance relaxes some as he looks around. "No way!" he says as he drops his gun.

I don't miss a beat. I knee him in the crotch and shove him. "Don't ever touch me again, freak!" I scream as I open the door and walking out of the bathroom; making a beeline outside the school building before anyone sees me.

I almost jerk back to reality, slinging the nozzle out of the gas tank. I look around to gain my bearings before returning the nozzle and putting the gas cap back on. This is the second time I have had a vision of that day, I think to myself as I hop back into the truck. And it's the third version of the same event that I've seen. Why do I keep coming back to that? And why does it feel so real? I shake my head, trying in vain to clear my thoughts as I start the truck. I type "Arcadia Bay" into my phone's GPS and start making my journey home.

Wait for it

I'm the one thing in life I can control

My thoughts continue to race as I drive down the dark highways. I try playing some music but it does nothing to distract me. Eventually, I turn it off, preferring to not add to the stimuli my mind is already producing for me. "I wish you were here, Av," I whisper to the empty cabin of the truck. "You'd be able to help me clear my head. Just like Max and Rachel were…" My words trail off as a twinge of pain shoots through my chest. I wish any of you were here, I think to myself, looking down for a moment to collect myself. When I look back up, a doe trots into the road. I slam on my breaks as my truck screeches, sliding towards the doe. I squeeze my eyes tight as I brace for impact.

I angrily slam my truck door. "I can't believe what just happened," I mutter to myself, not realizing I was still shaking from what happened moments before. I take several deep breaths before I start the truck and shift it in gear. I start to race out of the parking lot, noticing just in time a guy shove a girl to the pavement. I slam on my breaks, letting out a sigh of relief when I don't hear a thud. The girl's head appears over the hood of the truck and it doesn't take me but a moment to recognize those blue eyes and freckles. "MAX?!" I call out.

"Chloe?!" Max returns, equally surprised.

"No way! You again?" Nathan growls as he starts to step toward my truck. I notice some decent claw marks in his cheek. Did Max do that? I ask myself. Before Nathan can take another step, another guy tackles Nathan and takes him to the ground.

"Warren!" Max yells.

"Go, go! I got this!" Warren yells as Nathan pins him and starts to punch him.

I reach over and throw the passenger door open. "Get in Max!" I yell, waving her in. Max glances back down at Warren before jumping into the truck.

"Get your punk asses out of there now!" Nathan yells, kicking the door closed behind Max. "Don't even try to run! Nobody messes with me! Nobody!" Nathan kicks the truck door again and swings his fists at us as I floor it, tires squealing as we race out of the parking lot.

"Max!" I cry out as I come back to reality. The doe is still standing in front of my truck, calmly sniffing the grill. "That was Max…the same Max I saw…saw…" I shake my head. That never happened…I never saw her before she…died. But it feels like a memory…like it's from another lifetime. I feel another pang in my chest as a tear that I didn't realize even formed trickles down my face. "I miss you Max," I mutter as I watch the doe calmly walk off the road. I watch the doe for a few moments, the moonlight reflecting off her fur before she finally flicks her tail and disappears into the woods. I feel my phone buzz in my pocket. How do I have signal out in the middle of nowhere? I pull my phone out and answer, not even paying attention to the name, "Hello?"

"Hey, Chlo', it's Alyson," the voice answers.

"Hey, Al," I answer as step out of the truck and lean up against it, "what's up?"

"I saw a news article today," she says, her voice strained. She pauses and chokes out, "Is it true? Did Avi get kidnapped?" Tears immediately prick the back of my eyes. I swallow hard, trying to keep a sob at bay. "You there?" Alyson says with a desperate tone.

"Yeah," I say with a shaky sigh, "yeah…she did. Do you remember me telling you about Mark Jefferson?"

"That's who it was?" Alyson asks. "The article said something about an old photography professor from Oregon but I was hoping that was a coincidence."

"I wish it was," I say, my voice still shaky. "He has her. I'm driving to Oregon to see if I can find any sign of them…but they could be anywhere."

"Oregon may be a good place to start," Aly says. "Especially if he has connections with the rest of the Prescott family. They might be able to keep him under wraps. Do you know why he wanted her?"

"He knew she could shapeshift," I answer. "Apparently Nathan told him sometime after he got out of the asylum. God, I hate this." I slide down the side of the truck and onto the ground, tears trickling down my face.

"Chlo'? You there?" Alyson asks concerned.

"Yeah, I just am terrified that she's already gone," I sob. "He's been involved in the deaths of Max and Rachel and I keep having these visions-"

"Visions? Of what?"

"Of me and Max…except they are of Max when she was older, like the same age she was when she died. The last time I saw her before she died was when I was 14. These things didn't happen. I've seen two different versions of what happened when Nathan shot her…one of the fire alarm going off and me escaping and one of me getting shot and Avi even saw that one." I pause to take a breath before asking, "What are yours and Tyler's visions like?"

"Nothing like that," Alyson says. "All of ours are at least a version of something at least one of us experienced. Even if the versions are a little different." She pauses before saying, "When my nightmares were bad, I personally have had visions of people saying things to me that they never had. Maybe this is something like that?"

"Maybe? These just feel so real." I put my hand on my forehead. "I just don't know what to do."

"You sound exhausted," Alyson says. "It's late here so I know it has to be even later where you are. Why don't you try getting some sleep in your truck at least to clear your head a little? I don't think you should be driving like this anyway."

"Maybe you're right," I say with a defeated sigh.

"I'm always right," Alyson says with a small chuckle. I feel the corners of my mouth turn upward slightly as she says, "Keep me posted please? If there is anything I can do to help, please call me."

"I will."

"I love you, cuz."

"Love you too, Al." I hang up the phone as I hop back in the truck. I find a spot to pull off, shifting the truck in park and locking it. I grab the gun from the glove box, setting it gently on the floorboard and rest my hand on it as I lay down. I barely remember tucking my other arm under my head before I drift to sleep.

A couple days go by without any visions but my brain is still trying to process the ones I've already had. The sun starts to set as I cross over the Texas border. Clearly the GPS wants me to try a new way this time, I think to myself as I pass the coast line. "I might as well stop," I say muttering to myself. "I can barely keep my eyes open." I park the truck at a beach and go sit on some of the rocks overlooking the water. I watch the vibrant colors of the sunset dance across the waves as the sun continues to lower. "Rachel would have loved this," I think to myself. "So would Max…and Avi. Avi still would, right?" I glance up at the sky, "She's still alive, right?" I curl into myself and hug my knees tight to my chest. "I can't do this alone…she has to be okay. I can't have lost all three of them." A cold breeze cuts through the humid night and I shiver; a small gasp escaping from my lips.

"I won't always be there to save you," Max says as we sit on the bench by the lighthouse. I feel the warm glow of the sunset on my face as I shake my head.

"You were here today, Max," I say softly. "You saved me! I'm still tripping on that. Seeing you after all these years feels like-"

"Destiny?" Max cuts in. I feel a pang in my chest as I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees. I hang my head and feel Max's hand on my back for a moment before I stand to my feet and walk closer to the cliff's edge.

I look out over the water for a few moments. I hear Max's footsteps as she comes to stand next to me. "If this is destiny, I hope we can find Rachel," I say to her. "I miss her, Max." Silence fills the air between us again and I feel her eyes on me. I feel anger rise as I growl, "This shit-pit has taken away everyone I have ever loved. I'd like to drop a bomb on Arcadia Bay and turn it to fucking glass." I hear Max's footsteps back away as I turn to see her leaned forward, hands cupping her forehead. "Max?" I call out but she doesn't move. "Max?!" I call her name a bit more frantically but she still holds her position. I step to her side, putting a hand on her shoulder as she whips around and drops to the ground, grabbing my arms and bringing me to my knees in front of her.

"Chloe…you're here," she breathes. I put a hand on her shoulder as I worriedly study her frantic expression. "I'm back. Oh my Lord. This is real…it's real. Oh man, this sucks…"

"Max, what's going on?" I ask in a freaked out tone. "You totally blacked out."

"I didn't blackout," Max says pulling away a bit. "I had another vision. The town is going to get wiped out by a tornado."

"Oregon gets about five tornadoes every twenty years," I say, trying to calm my voice in an attempt to calm her down. "You just zoned."

"No, no, I saw it!" Max yells, grabbing my wrist. "I could actually feel the electricity in the air."

I put my hand back on her shoulder, "Come on, take a breath, okay?"

"Chloe, I'm not crazy," Max says in a serious tone. "But there's something else I have to tell you…something…hardcore." She grabs my wrist again.

"Talk to me, Max," I say, worry filling my tone again.

"I had this same vision earlier in class," Max says, keeping her serious tone. "When I came out of it, I discovered I could reverse time. Like I said…not crazy."

"But high…right?" I ask, not sure how to wrap my brain around what Max just said.

"Listen to me," Max says, almost sounding aggravated, "how do you think I saved you in the bathroom?"

"By reversing time?" I say in an unbelieving tone, putting a hand back on her shoulder. "Yeah, sure."

"I saw you get shot, Chloe," Max says, pain filling her voice. "Saw you actually…die." I shake my head, an unsettling feeling rising in my chest. "I was able to go back and hit the fire alarm."

I take a breath, "Okay, I see you're a geek now with a great imagination, but this isn't anime or a video game. People don't have those powers, Max."

"I don't know what I have," Max says tensing under my hand, "but I have it…and I'm scared shitless."

"You need to get high," I say with an almost chuckle. "It's been a hella insane fucking day." Max shakes her head before I notice small particles float past her face. She notices them too and looks up. I look around at the particles and say, "What the hell is this?"

"Snowflakes?" Max says hardly certain.

I stand up, holding my hands out to catch the flakes, "It's like eighty degrees…how?!"

"Climate change," Max says as she goes to stand up. "Or a storm is coming."

"Max," I say turning to her, my voice serious, "start from the beginning. Tell me everything."

I feel a hand on my shoulder and I am pulled back into reality. I look up to see an officer standing over me. "Is that your truck over there?" he asks, gesturing to the left of the rocks where I parked the truck. He has a gruff appearance, but I can hear some kindness in his voice. I nod, shivering a bit, unsure if it's from the breeze or the vision I just had. "I don't mind you sitting out here," the officer continues, "but the high tide is starting to come in and I'm worried your truck is right in its path."

"Okay, I'll move it," I say, my voice trembling as I continue to shiver. "Thank you."

"Just doing my job, miss," the officer says. I finally go to stand up, the dampness from the rocks seeping through my jeans causing me to shiver more. "Do you need anything?" the officer asks.

I shake my head, "Just trying to make my way back home. Thank you though."

He nods, "Well holler if you need anything. Safe travels now." I nod and wave as he watches me walk to my truck. I hop in and start it, pulling away to find another place to park for the night as the last of the light gives way to the darkness.

"I can't shake that vision," I say to myself, still shivering despite the heater blasting in the truck. "It felt so real…and where did all that come from? Max being able to rewind time?" I pull off to a secluded spot next to some woods and park the truck. I step out and look up at the starry sky. "Is this you, Max?" I ask at the sky. "And if so…what does it mean?" I sit as if waiting for a reply, hearing nothing but the crickets and owls off in the distance. I shake my head, opening the truck door and climbing in to lay down. What am I thinking anyway? I think to myself. Avi, I need you back soon. I think I may be losing my mind.

Wait for it

I'm not falling behind or running late

I manage to make it almost all the way through California without having another vision. It's as if whomever or whatever is causing me to have these visions knows my brain needs a break to process them, I think to myself as I near the Oregon border. My mind begins to wonder again, "Could it really be Max causing these visions?" I ask myself. "But that's ridiculous…surely there isn't such a thing as someone influencing a loved one this much beyond the grave. Maybe Avi was just my only source of sanity and now that she's gone, I'm losing my mind. Lord knows I'm talking to myself more." I give a soft chuckle before wincing at the pang in my chest. She's not gone gone…she's just missing. I just have to find her and everything will be okay.

I drive another couple of hours, the sun giving way to night as I take some back roads in hopes of finding a place to pull off for the night. I come up on a railroad crossing, slowing down to drive over it as to not destroy my truck. As I start drive over it, I see the headlamps of an approaching train light up the crossing as the train's whistle blows. The crossing light flash and the gates start coming down. And naturally, my caution of driving slow over the tracks on this back country road has caused one of my tires to stick in the tracks.

"Railroad tracks always make me feel better…I have no idea why," I say as I lay across a set of tracks with Max laying opposite me.

"Kerouac knew," Max says, slowly rocking her knees back and forth. "It's the romance of travel and movement. The sound of the train whistle at night."

"Look at the beat poet here," I say gently shoving Max's leg.

Max sits up. "I'd rather be a good photographer," she says as she stands up and starts to walk away.

"You are. You just have to stop being afraid," I say as I watch Max walk up a hill next to the train tracks and pull out her camera. I start to stand up but my boot doesn't budge. I wiggle it around, but no use. "Umm…Max?" I call out with no response. I hear Max cry out and I look up to see her clutching her forehead. She's having another vision, I think to myself. I try to free myself again, but my boot still won't move. I sit up more and yell louder, "Max?! Help! I-I'm stuck!" I breathe a sigh of relief as I hear Max's footsteps approach the tracks.

"Hold on, Chloe!" she says as she stands in front of me. She grabs my hands and tries to pull me up, but even me shoving my leg around more doesn't free my boot. Max kneels down and tries to help, grabbing my ankle and moving it with no success. Max jerks her head to the side at the sound of something in the distance and my body goes cold. The train whistle!

I frantically start pulling at my leg, kicking the track and trying to shove myself away. "Get me out of here, Max!" I cry out, feeling fear grip me in a vice. Max runs off as I yell, "Come on, Max! Hurry!" Nothing seems to free my boot no matter what I try and the train whistle continues to grow louder. I can feel the train rumbling the tracks now and my heart starts racing in my chest. Please don't let this be how I die, I think to myself as I feel my throat tighten. "Please get me out of here!" I scream again, looking around and seeing no sign of Max. "Max!" I scream again with no answer. This is not the time to leave me again, Max! I think to myself as I feel the train rumble even closer. "The train's coming! Max, please!" I cry out again. I hear some movement above me and pray that it's Max figuring something out. "I don't want to die here, PLEASE!" I scream as I see the train round the corner. I can only watch in horror as the train approaches, barely hearing the spark a few feet away. Suddenly, I feel something shift on the tracks and my boot come loose. I immediately jump up and off the tracks mere seconds before the train races across the spot I just sat. I feel myself shake as the train passes by and I see Max on the other side of the tracks.

"You okay?" she asks as I walk to her and wrap her in a tight hug.

"You saved me again," I breathe. "Crazy. Now we're totally bonded for life."

"Frick!" I yell, flooring it and freeing my tire and clearing the tracks as the gate grazes the top of my truck. I pull off to the side of the road breathing heavily. I chuckle, realizing the word I used before freeing myself from a potentially life-threatening situation. These church people are dampening my sailor's mouth, I think to myself. I let out a sigh, watching the train pass as I think back on the vision. Maybe I just am missing Max because Avi's not here…am I just making up these scenarios I wish happened? I shake my head as I decide to park my truck and rest for the night here. It still doesn't explain the first vision I had with Avi before any of this happened. I try to put the thoughts out of my head as I lay down on the seat. Tomorrow I'll be home and hopefully I can find some answers.

Wait for it

I'm not standing still

I'm lying in wait

I wake up to a feeling of dread. My stomach churns as I begin to finish the drive to Oregon. I check my phone as I fill up for gas and I see nothing but countless rewordings of "a week later and no sign of ex-photographer felon and kidnapped teacher". It's already been a week? I think to myself. And almost every article is suggesting the same thing: the police are looking for remains. My breath hitches in my throat at the idea.

I drive past the tiny "Welcome to Arcadia Bay" sign around mid-afternoon. With such a tiny town, it doesn't take me very long to scope the town. I drive down every road I can find, scowering the area for any sign of Jefferson but nothing is even remotely out of the ordinary. Avi, where are you? I think to myself, dread rising in my chest again.

I decide to drive by the junkyard; my former safe haven. I haven't been here since Avi shifted for the first time, I think to myself. I park the truck and step out, walking through the abandoned clutter. The sun begins to set as I approach my hideout. A splash of blue catches my eye and I look over to see a single blue flower still rooted in the ground. "That's the flower I planted for Rachel," I mutter to myself. "It's still there." I give a small smile as I step closer.

Max finally climbs into the truck and barely slams the truck door before I floor it. I race back towards the road and head for the junkyard. I don't bother to slow down as I fly into the junkyard, slamming on breaks yards past the gate and throwing the truck in park. I don't even bother to shut the door as I leap out and run toward a specific spot.

"Chloe, slow down!" I hear Max call. "Wait for me!"

"I know exactly where I'm going!" I call back to her, my heart pounding in my chest. I run up to a clear patch of grass and come to a halt. "Look, this is it, this is it," I breathe. I hesitate, stepping forward and pausing before finally dropping to my knees and digging my fingers into the dirt. "Are you going to help me, Max?!" I yell as I shove dirt out of the way. She finally kneels down across from the hole I've made and starts to clear the dirt.

After a few moments of digging, Max freezes. "Chloe, stop. Look," she says with her voice strained. I look down and see a piece of blue fabric…the same color as the shirt Rachel was wearing the night she disappeared. The shirt in the pictures he took.

I lean forward. "Please, no," I plead. Max leans forward to dig a little more.

"Ugh!" Max calls out as she turns away. "That smell."

"Rachel?!" I cry out as I lean over the hole. "Oh Rachel, no, NO! Please not her!" I turn to run away before crumpling to my knees and vomiting onto the grass. I double over and clutch my stomach as I sob, the agony I feel so intense I don't know how to stand it. My chest is so tight from sobbing and vomiting that I can't even take a breath in.

I feel Max's hands on my shoulders as she gently whispers, "Chloe…"

I finally take a breath in as I let a cry out, finally turning to sit and clutch my knees screaming, "Rachel, why?!"

"I'm sorry, Chloe," Max cries as she turns to wrap her arms around my shoulders. "I'm so sorry."

"I loved her so much," I cry, putting a hand to my forehead. "How can she be dead?! What kind of world does this?! Who does this?!" My cries grow louder as I sob into my knees, the pain too unbearable to move. Max refuses to leave, resting her head on my shoulder as I shake more and more with sobs.

I fall to my knees, doubling over and gritting my teeth. It's several moments before I realize I'm not breathing and finally gasp, crying out as I exhale. "I didn't even find her!" I scream, still reeling from the agony I felt in that vision. "And Max wasn't there! She was dead when they found her…they're both dead!" I rip at the grass under me as I look up at the darkening sky; storm clouds blocking the colors of the sunset. "Is this Your way of telling me she's dead?" I cry out. "Is Avi gone? Have You taken away everyone I have ever loved?" I punch the dirt with all the strength and rage I can muster. "Avi says You know everything, that You work everything out for our good. But what has this entire week been a reminder of? I've only had visions of what I could have had; should have had! That every good thing 'You' give me gets snatched away. That I lose EVERYTHING!" I scream the last word at the sky, standing up and snarling. "She says You have a plan for me? Well fuck that, FUCK THAT! That plan didn't count on me losing you, did it Avi?" I glance over at the truck before turning and snarling at the sky one more time, "I guess it's time to write myself out of 'Your plan'."

I stomp over to the truck and sling the truck door open. I start it and race out of the junkyard. Hot, angry tears slide down my face but I ignore them as I drive aimlessly. My mind races far too much to come up with a train of thought but the ever-present sense of dread lingers. As the night finally sets in, I find myself pulling up to the lighthouse.

Death doesn't discriminate

Between the sinners and the saints

It takes and it takes and it takes

So why keep living anyway

We rise and we fall and we break

And we make our mistakes

And if there is a reason I'm still alive

When everyone who loves me has died

I'm not going to wait for it