Life is the Apocalypse.

*Split Apart*

"Oh, shit!" I barely had time to scream the profanity as all sixteen leapt.

There was chaos everywhere. We all began running in different directions. Nobody knew where where the other group was, so we were basically splitting and isolating ourselves from each other.

I stopped about a mile away from the camp, bending over and placing my hands on my knees. I was panting rather heavily, so I struggled to calm down.

The next thing I noticed was that I was alone. No Max, no Kate, no Victoria or Nathan.

Had they got away alright?

"Chloe!?" I heard the shout, but was unsure who it was callings for me.

My ears rung. I clutched my head and kneeled onto my knees, wincing at the immeasurable amount of pain my head was giving me. And then I found out why.

I was having a panic attack. This was just the first step.

I began breathing heavily, and my eyes widened in fear.

"Chloe, I hear your heavy breathing! I'm coming to help you, just hold on!" The soft yell had to be Kate's, and when she said she would help me, it just confirmed by suspicions.

I swatted sweat-bees away from me, proceeding to whipe large drops of sweat off my forehead.

I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. Kate was there, of at least another human was. A groaner or a cutter would have gripped me a lot harder... And less easily.

"Kate," I barely could muster a wheeze, let alone a yell. "Help me!"

I felt her arms tuck my face into her neck, and as she patted my back soothingly, I began to calm down a little.

I was still heavily breathing, still gasping for more air, when I heard her say,

"Everything is going to be alright, Chloe. Calm down. We'll find Max."

Which made me freak out more.

"Max is missing!?" I almost yelled.

"You didn't notice?" She whispered softly, still trying to calm me down.

"I want her back." I snarled.

"We're going to go and-" she began.

"No, I want her back now!" I was raising my voice. I went from a panic attack to a rage-driven state of mind.

"Chloe, the groaners!" She hissed, somehow, her voice still kind and gentle.

"No! Fuck the groaners! I just got my friend back, and now she's gone again!" I had a couple tears fall of my cheeks, and then realized I was crying.

Not in anger.

Not in happiness.

No, I was crying in fear.

Fear of losing my best friend. Fear of never getting to even see her again. Fear of, when I did see her, she's be a walking corpse.

And it was too much.

I gripped my temples and let tears stream from their ducts.

"Chloe, can you hear me!?" It was Victoria's voice. I had thought it was Max for a second, but the snappy attitude couldn't ever be hers.

"We're over here!" Kate called softly, just loud enough for Victoria to hear.

The blonde lumbered into view, alone, just like we had been before reuniting.

"I'm assuming everyone got away okay," she said. "I think Max got away with Warren."

I growled.

"How's your leg doing?" Kate asked, after clearin her throat.

"It's painful, but I think I can walk around on it somewhat. Not for ten hours straight, though. Not yet." She explained. "I can't believe Warren shot me."

"Not to make you any angrier, Victoria, but I don't think Warren meant to do that." Kate almost whispered the words, as if saying it quieter would effect the outcome.

"I know he didn't, Katie. But it hurts, and sometimes, I just want to blame somebody else for what happens to me." The blonde responded, giving a weak smile.

"I've had that happen." Kate admitted.

"And that's why, Victoria, you had snobs as friends, and Kate, that's why you really only had Max as a friend." I said, sighing aft the long string of words left my mouth.

Victoria's smile faded into a frown, and then she said, "I know, Chloe."

"We have to find the others. Especially Max, since she can re-" I cut myself off, and Kate nodded a 'no' in my direction.

"She can what?" Victoria asked, first looking at Kate and then me.

"Reverse time..." Kate let out.

"I know." The blonde said. "I'd been told before the outbreak. It's a rumor. Chloe, she saved you with that picture Warren took."

"I know. But I'm not sure I wanted to be brought back into all of... This." I said, a sad tone to my voice. "I just wanted my childhood friend back. And then... Then this."

"I don't think anybody wanted this, Chloe." Victoria looked at me as she said this.

"I know I didn't," Kate mumbled underneath her breath.

"Neither did I," The blonde stared at a confused Kate. I guess Katie didn't think we'd heard her.

"What I'm saying, is, that it's just... Screwed up. I mean, what're the odds of the Apocalypse happening when WE were alive? Why couldn't it have just waited until we died, and then happen?" I tried to come up with some kind of reasoning.

"Whoa, did Chloe just get theoretical?" Kate let out a soft giggle. "You're smarter than you look, spunky."

"Yeah, I don't know Chloe to be that way. She got expelled from Blackwell the first week she was there," Victoria explained.

"Nobody cares about school anymore, Victoria." I said simply. "Well, I mean, do you? I know I don't."

"I don't, either. And I used to REALLY care about my GPA." Kate said in that same, quiet voice.

"I didn't," I chuckled. "After dad died, though, I didn't really care about much of anything. After that incident... Max had always been the more caring."

After I said it, my face went serious again.

"You and Max... Are very close." Victoria noted.

"Way to bring up the obvious." I said blandly.

"I mean, you two were like, so close... Like family..." She continued.

"Yes. We were." Thinking about Max killed me... So I decided we had to find her.

"We have to find her," I continued, after nobody said anything. "She's a very important member to the group."

"That, I can agree with." Kate said.

Victoria nodded her head. "Before we find any of those male lunatics, we find Max."

I picked up my Javelin, using it to stand from my sitting position on a tree trunk.

We were going to find Max. It was going to be okay.