We stepped out of the Dark Room and headed to the barn above it. Max swung open the doors, and raindrops splashed against my face.
"Finally, freedom!" Max exclaimed. I told her, "I'm going to sit in the car, Max. You handle what you need to." She nodded, and I climbed into the driver's seat, hoping I could manage to drive despite my lingering headache.
Max was on the phone for a bit, and I guessed it was Warren. When she finished, she joined me in the car. I asked, "Did you find out where he is?" She answered, "Yeah, he's at the Two Whales with Joyce," then added, "Are you sure you can drive? Your head is still bleeding." Apparently, she had taken a photo with Warren at the Vortex party.
"I'll be fine, Max. Let's head to the diner," I said as I buckled my seatbelt. Max followed my lead. I started the car and drove away from the barn, merging onto the main road toward town. The tornado was behind us, the same one we had seen in our visions. It was really happening, and we had to hurry.
Max leaned in closer to the radio to catch the news. It was mostly just noise, but we could hear some of the message. "I told you! I, Truss Limpbow, have been warning everyone about the sin and entitlement that made God strike us down! I'm stuck in this fucking radio station! Someone get me out of here now! Now, goddammit! What do I even pay taxes for?""
Max's phone vibrated, and she set it down between us so we could listen to the message. It was recorded yesterday at 9 PM, right around the time Max and I were taken, and when Chloe got shot.
"Max, Aiden... it's Nathan," his voice came through the tiny speaker. My heart dropped as I heard him. We stared at the phone for a moment, realizing Nathan sounded like he was in tears.
'I just wanted to say… I'm so sorry. I didn't want to hurt Kate, or Rachel… or-or… I didn't want to hurt anybody. Everybody… used me!" Nathan sobbed on the other side. It was a mix of fear and despair. "Mr. Jefferson is coming for me now… All this shit will be over soon. Watch out, you guys… He wants to hurt you two next. I'm sorry,"
Max and I exchanged glances, our hearts aching at how sincere that sounded. He really did try to give us a heads-up about Jefferson… Wow…
Max and I held hands tightly, feeling a mix of guilt for what I had done to him. But now, his fate was beyond our control. As we reached the town, all we could see was wreckage scattered across the streets, with people wandering near our car. The residents of Arcadia Bay were frantically searching for their loved ones in this terrible storm.
Max and I exited the car and entered the raging storm. Max circled the vehicle and grabbed my hand to keep us together in the chaos. We had never experienced nature's fury like this before, but now we were right in the middle of a tornado.
Arcadia Bay was being torn apart, and a heavy guilt settled on us. We could have helped so many people. Lives were being lost… and it felt like it was our fault. We pushed through the destruction, gripping each other's hands as tightly as possible.
We found someone in trouble, like a truck driver who had his leg stuck under some rubble. Max and I helped him get free. After that, we pushed our way through the mess and located the diner. The front entrance was blocked by Frank's RV, a fishing boat, and a bunch of other stuff, so we had to enter through the back door to get in.
"...evacuate. Again, this is not a test. This is not a test. An E6 tornado warning has been issued for Arcadia Bay and the surrounding area. The Emergency Broadcast System is now in effect..." someone on the radio said, but we didn't pay much attention to it.
As we walked in, Warren and Aunt Joyce spotted us and quickly came over. "Aiden! Max!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around us in a warm hug. We hugged her back tightly, feeling her relief. "Oh my god, I'm so happy to see you both. Are you alright?" she asked, concern in her voice.
"Yeah, we're fine, Aunt Joyce. How are you and Warren holding up?" I replied, feeling a wave of relief that everyone was okay. "Two Whales is barely holding on. I'm not sure we'll survive this tornado. It's so sad about Officer Berry and everyone else," Aunt Joyce said, glancing around anxiously.
I felt a sharp pain in my head again and instinctively grabbed it, catching Aunt Joyce's attention. "Are you alright, sweetie? Oh no, you're bleeding," she exclaimed, tilting my head to see it better. I couldn't tell her the truth about what happened.
"I bumped my head on something... it was because of the storm outside," I explained, which made sense given all the mess out there. "Come here so I can fix that up," she said, leading me to one of the stools. It seemed Jefferson had hit me hard enough to cause a cut on my head.
I believe I might have a concussion, but I'm not completely sure. That could explain why I've been feeling so dizzy. A friend helped clean the blood from my head and wrapped it up with a bandage. After that, Max and I went back to the booth where we had convinced Chloe that we could turn back time. It's hard to believe that all of this happened less than three days ago.
Max sat inside the booth while I took a seat outside. We needed a moment to collect our thoughts and relax before doing anything else. Suddenly, I felt a gentle weight on my leg and looked down to see Pompidou resting his head there, which made me smile.
"Hey there, buddy," I said while stroking his head, making him whine a little as he pushed his head into my hand. I recalled the first time I met him when he was just a tiny puppy, pulling at my pants. He's still a great dog, and I'm really happy that Frank still has him.
My other hand rested on the table when Max took it, her fingers intertwined with mine. I mirrored her gesture, looking at her and noticing the worry in her eyes. I loved her deeply, more than words could say, and that love sometimes felt overwhelming.
It's surprising to think about how much has changed since Chloe and I found Max again. I still can't believe I didn't realize we were in the same class. It's funny how life shifts like that.
I really hope Warren has that photo. We need to save Chloe; I can't bear to lose her like I lost Jodie and Uncle William. I can't lose Max either. My head throbbed again, causing me to wince, and Pompidou whimpered, sensing my discomfort.
"Aiden? Are you alright?" Max asked, her blue eyes filled with worry as I glanced at her. "I'm okay... just a bit of a headache and feeling stressed," I answered, rubbing my temples. I shut my eyes and leaned my head on my hand, while Pompidou rested his head on my leg.
Max pressed a gentle kiss on my cheek, making me turn to her. "Max?" I murmured. "Everything will be fine. We're going to save Chloe, alright?" she reassured me, her hand on my warm face making my heart race.
"Yeah, I know... I can't lose you guys," I said, tears welling up. "You will never lose us," she whispered softly. "Never," I echoed, and we shared another kiss.
We realized it was time to get the photo from Warren. Since Max was the only one in the picture, it seemed like I wouldn't be able to go back in time with her.
I grabbed Max by the hand, hoping that we would go into the picture together. We focused on the photo, making it pulsate. Then, the two of us went into the photo. Needless to say, my head was pounding while were doing so.