Unrealistic Reality

Chapter 37: Unrealistic Reality

The building is full of smoke and I can't see, but the thought of my friend being in there is something that keeps me going. It wasn't the smartest move to set a fire before letting everyone escape. But there had to be one person to set the fire and that was Max.

I looked around, trying to find a point I could see, and suddenly, there was a small light and I walked towards it.

When I was closer, I saw it is the shirt Max wore before he walked into the building. I smiled a bit and ran towards him.

"Max!" I yelled, but I shouldn't have, because the smoke came into my mouth and it was not a pleasant taste. He turned his head around and looked at me with wide eyes.

"Come on, we need to get out of here! I came back to look for you." I said to him. I would've expected a smile or a thank you, but I didn't get it. His eyes were sad, and I noticed his stomach was much bigger than it normally was.

"Max... what's up with your stomach?" He looked at me with guilt in his eyes and the bad feeling immediately filled my stomach.

"Chloe..." Max whispered. "I never planned on coming back outside." My eyes widened at his words and I took a step forward.

"Max, what did you plan to do? Just die here? I can't let that happen." The fire was getting bigger, and time was running out. I shook my head at Max and stood right in front of him.

He looked at me and tears were burning in his eyes. He was going to cry. What was he thinking?

"I would never just let myself die without doing something. The fire is spreading too slow, and if I really want Criminal Minds to be destroyed, we need something bigger. Something like a bomb." He pointed at his stomach and smiled a little.

"I attached a bomb to myself, so that I will die with it." I looked at him, unable to speak. Why did he want to die?

"I can't let you die here! I just can't leave you." Max shook his head and put his hands on my shoulders.

"Chloe, it is my choice. I need to destroy the place that made my life miserable. That's the only way I can be happy." He always talked about he wanted to be happy, and I guess this is his outcome.

"I won't leave you alone. If you die, I die." I was stubborn as hell, but he needed to know I was here for him.
Anger spread over his face and he looked at me. "No, you are going to leave! I am not letting you die!" he yelled in my face. There was no way I was going to let him alone, even when he yelled at me like this.

"But-"

"No but's. You are leaving, now! Chloe, you have so many people who care about you, you shouldn't throw away your life like this. Go, and leave me here. It is my decision, my life. I am happy like this." The bomb was ticking and I could hear the seconds.
It must be horrible for Max to live this seconds, knowing he will die.

I looked up at him and pulled him in a hug. He hugged me tight for the last time as a tear escaped my eye.

"Promise me you will kill that bastard of a killer Chloe. Promise me." I looked at him and smiled through my tears.

"I promise Max." Smoke was invading my nostrils and I began to cough. Max pushed be away from him and said,
"Go Chloe, and remember, I will always love you. You are the best friend I've ever had." I looked back at him and saw him smiling at me with a tear strained face. He made a heart with his hands and pointed at me.
I pretended to grab it and blew him a kiss. Tears were streaming down my face, and because of the smoke and tears, I couldn't see anything.

A voice inside of me led me the way while I kept looking at Max. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do. It was so hard to leave him there, waiting for his death. When I felt the wall, I finally turned around, away from Max. He was happy dying like this, and I couldn't destroy his happiness.
I couldn't find the door or anything else, so I walked aimlessly through the building, hoping I found something recognizable.

If I didn't get out, I would die and Max didn't want that.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder as the person led me the way to the door. I blindly walked after him, not really knowing where I was. I saw the light of the door and smiled. A kiss landed on my cheek and a whisper filled my ears.

"Don't miss me too much." I smiled and walked out of the door, without looking back.

I just made it out of Criminal Minds before the building exploded, killing all the people inside, including Max. I turned around and looked at the mess that once was a building. Fire was everywhere, and I thought about how Max would've felt, spending his last minutes with me.

I couldn't imagine him being gone. He was like a brother to me, and now, he is gone. It felt like I had lost an important piece of me, something I never could return. There weren't many pieces left in my heart that I could use.

I fell on the ground and cried. I couldn't believe he is gone. He talked to me just minutes ago, and it went so fast. He is never coming back, and the thought of him being gone hit me like a train.

Even though we didn't start off the right foot, I learned to care and love him deeply. I was not the same without him. I wish I could bring him back, just as I wish I could bring mom and dad back. But gone is gone, and there is nothing I could do about it.

It really was painful.

I felt someone pull me up and my face hit a hard chest. I looked up, right in Charlie's eyes. "He died happily Chloe. This was better than letting him live his life the way it was now." His eyes were sad, and I knew the reason why.

"You knew his plan, didn't you?" I whispered softly. I could feel him nod and he smiled a little.

"We weren't the best friends, but I could always rely on him when I needed someone. Even though I knew him for only a short time, I can say he was an amazing person." Charlie said as he pulled me closer.

"Yeah, he was." A voice chimed in. I turned around and came face to face with Nate.

"You know" he started. "He did this for you. You said you needed someone to start the fire, and none of us wanted to do it, so he offered to do it. He wanted to help you get your revenge, because he loved you. He felt like you were his sister, the person he could trust anything to. He wanted to help you, and help himself at the same time. He wanted to tell you, but he didn't want to hurt you." Nate's eyes turned sad as he looked at me.

"He made me promise I took good care of you when he was gone, so that's my only mission right now. I want to make Max his last wish come true." Nate took a step closer and pulled me in a hug.

"I don't need you to take care of me, I want you to be my friend." I whispered in his ear. I looked at Charlie over his shoulder, but he wasn't looking at me. He looked at something on his phone and smiled a bit. I wondered what made him so happy at a point like this.

Nate let go of me and smiled a bit. "I'll always be your friend. I promised Max, and I am not breaking that promise. You are stuck with me Chloe." I smiled up to him and grabbed his hand.

"I wouldn't want it any other way."
I lost one brother, but I am lucky I still have three more.

I hope I can keep them forever.

But hope is a useless thing when you are in such a mess.