The Calm Before The Storm

Yet To Come

*Don't play song until the 2nd paragraph.

~Chloe~

-December 5th-

Two months... that's how long we've been in Arcadia bay. I know, I promised that we'd only stay in town for a few weeks, but when Joyce begged us to stay for thanksgiving, Max was the one who insisted we stayed, so we did... and we're still here. Speaking of Max, I haven't seen her around all day, which is kinda odd considering I'm always the first one awake. To be completely honest, Max has been acting kinda weird ever since she had that 'flashback'. I sometimes catch her talking to herself as if her subconscious was another person in itself. What I also find odd is that Blue, My parent's dog, has taken a liking to Max. I mean, she follows her around everywhere, and I mean everywhere. I remember waking up one night to find Blue squeezed between us, her head resting on Max's chest. I tried to get her to move but she just growled at me softly and went back to sleep. "Fine, go ahead, play favorites, just don't expect any more belly rubs from me" I had said. Anyways I know Max saw something, but whenever I try and confront her about it, she says nothing is wrong. I sigh and hop off my bed and leave my room, which is where I've been hiding out most of the morning. The moment I open the door, Blue is sitting right there waiting for me. I give her an annoyed look and push past her. She follows me, pawing at my pant leg, whining softly. 'Oh, so now you like me?' I think to myself, "Make up your damn mind" I say when I walk down the stairs. "Hey, Mom," I say as I pour myself a cup of coffee as she makes breakfast. "Have you seen Max? She isn't answering any of my texts". "Sorry, sweetie, I haven't. Why, is something wrong?". I shake my head, "No... it's just, I worry about her being alone. The tornado really shook her up, ya know?". Joyce finishes cooking and turns to me with a big smile, "You know, Max told me about you two". I spit out my coffee, shocked, "What? S-she did?". Mom nods and sits me at the table, "Well, I was the one who asked her if she was the one who you were dating... I had a feeling it was her". I look away, sorta embarrassed, "And... you're cool with us being a couple and all?". "Of course I am, I just wish you would have said something sooner, I wouldn't want you to stop being yourselves around us," Mom says. "Believe me, I wanted to tell you... but... *sigh* when we told Vanessa about... 'us'... it didn't go over so well with her. I honestly didn't know how you'd react" I say, looking away again. "How did Max handle it?". "Okay, I guess...Ryan is still talking to us....for now". Mom's grip tightens around mine, "I want you to know that we support you two no matter what, okay?". I smile back and nod, "So... uh... W-what did David say about all this?". "I never actually told him, he just came up to me one day and said: 'You know what, Joyce. I think Max and Chloe are in love. Best Friends don't look at each other the way these to do'". I can feel myself blush, "God, is it really that obvious?". Mom nods again.

I try calling Max again a few hours later but still no reply. I start pacing around the house anxiously, which makes Blue nervous. "Come on, Max. Answer your damn phone" I mutter to myself, annoyed that all my calls are going straight to voicemail. "Relax, Chloe. I'm sure she's fine. She probably just went out for some fresh air or to take some pictures" Mom says even though she's just as worried about her as I am. We wait, it's starting to get dark and snow begins to fall in thick sheets. I'm panicking. I grab Max's bag and start digging around inside, trying to find clues as to where she might be. 'Nothing...Fuck'. By now, Joyce is calling around, trying to find out if anyone's seen Max, which of course, no one has. "Chloe... should... should we call the police?" she asks. That's probably a good idea but I know the pigs around here aren't gonna do shit, especially for me, so I decline. "No, no yet. There are a few places I can check". I get my coat and keys and run for the door, Blue following close behind. I'm too focused on Max right now to care whether or not the dog comes with me, I just want to find my girlfriend. It's snowing even harder now, typical for an Oregon winter thank god. It's below freezing and Max doesn't have her winter coat on... I know because I saw it hanging on the coat rack before I left. I give her phone one last call but still nothing: 'Hey, Max here! I can't get to the phone right now 'cause I'm hella busy. I'll try and get back to you as soon as I can, bye!'. "God dammit, Max. Where the fuck are you". Blue and I jump into the truck and speed around the neighborhood, checking all our old secret hideouts... But she's at none of them. I drive down to Blackwell and see if Kate has seen or heard from her. But she hasn't seen Max for weeks. I check the memorial, the junkyard, the train tracks... hell, I even go as far as Checking the 'Dark Room' or what's left of it. I'm glad to see it's been completely destroyed, gutted out, graffiti covering the sheer walls. I run around the surrounding woods for an hour, screaming her name but nothing...I fall to my knees and cry. When I finally return back to my truck, I realize that I have one more place I can check, which honestly, should have been the first place I looked. If Max isn't there... I-I don't want to think about that. I am going to find her, I have to. I pull up to the cliffside leading up to the lighthouse and before I even have my door all the way open, Blue darts out and bolts up the hill. I follow her, leaving the heaters inside the truck at full blast. As I reach the top of the hill, I see that the door to the lighthouse is slightly ajar and Blue is running in and out, barking like crazy. I push the heavy door open and once I'm inside, I see Max. She's huddled up underneath the stairs, half buried in a pile of snow, and a thin ratty old blanket covers her head and shoulders. "Max!" I cry, running up to her, she jumps a bit. "C-Chloe? What.... Where... what are you doing here?" she mutters through chattering teeth. "I sure as hell didn't come for the view" I reply as blue and I begin digging her out of the tightly packed snow. I look up and see clouds. Since it was almost destroyed in the tornado, this place offers little to no protection. "Why are you out here, Max?" I ask once we finally get her out and I start hugging her. She's shaking, she's shaking real bad... so bad she can barely speak. "I... d-don't...k-know. I s-saw s-something...i-in.. my vision," She says, suddenly beginning to shake violently, "I-I t-thought I saw you die... b-but I-I t-think it was me... it was m-me". My heart sinks when she says this because with the condition she's in... that might become a reality. I take my coat off and force her to wear it, then I bend down and scoop her up, getting a feeling she might not be able to walk on her own. God, it feels like I'm fourteen again when Max pulled this exact same stunt when her parents broke the news that the were moving to Seattle. "It's okay, Max. I'm gonna take you home, you're safe" I say as I slowly but surely make my way back down the cliff, Blue whining helplessly behind me. I whistle and she comes to my side. Max has curled up tightly against me, she's burning up. SHIIIIIIT! The last thing I need is for her to catch pneumonia. Once I get her into the truck, she starts muttering utter nonsense, blood dripping from her nose. Blue scrambles in the back seat as I rev the engine and peel out onto the road, driving as fast as humanly possible. I call Joyce and tell her to get ready...

THE WORST. IS YET. TO COME