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Max was dreaming.
She was back in the maze. The walls stretching up higher this time and covered in polaroids.
Max can feel her heart thumping in fear as she walks along, gazing at the walls.
The photos showed every single moment she had shared with Chloe. Their childhood playing pirates, the playground they used to visit, Max meeting Chloe again after those five long years…it was all there.
Up ahead she could see beams of light and she felt sick, expecting the cold dark voice of Mr Jefferson up ahead.
No. She couldn’t be back here, she couldn’t. It was over. The Tornado-
“Max?”
That voice.
That wasn’t Jefferson.
It was Chloe.
“Max?” The voice continues. “Oh Max, come out here. Pretty please? I need to see you.”
Max crept along the wall, heart pounding.
“Come out and face me!” Chloe snaps, sweeping the torchlight beam.
Max tries to hide but she gets caught in the light.
Raising her hand to rewind, she was stopped by Chloe’s voice.
“That won’t work, Max. Your powers are gone. You have to face me.”
Max turned to Chloe, her heart jumping at the anger on her face.
“You did this, Max. You killed everyone. For me. I didn’t ask you to do that.” Chloe says, her eyes hard and full of disgust.
“Chloe..I did it for you..for us…I didn’t want you to die.” Max answers, a sob in her throat.
“I had to die, Max! Don’t you see? This destruction was because you kept me alive. It was a mistake.” Chloe replies.
“Not to me, Chloe. Never to me. Saving you was not a mistake.” Max replies, tears falling down her face.
“It was a mistake.” Chloe reiterates as a dark red stain blossoms on her shirt. “Joyce, David, Warren, Frank, Dana-”
“Chloe…stop.” Max gets out, backing away as the walls seem to close in on her.
“MAX! MAX! WAKE UP. WAKE UP PLEASE!”
“CHLOE!” Max sits bolt upright on the bed, panting hard. Chloe sits besides her, her face pale and frightened.
“Max?” Chloe asks hesitantly, reaching out to touch her shoulder.
Max scoots away from her touch, breathing hard.
Chloe looks shocked and moves her hand away. “Max?” Her voice is softer this time, gentle. Nothing like what it was in the dream.
Max breaks down crying, loud angry sobs and Chloe doesn’t even hesitate to pull her into her arms.
Max cries against her chest, hands in her shirt.
Chloe makes a soothing noise, tears in her eyes as she holds the sobbing girl close to her.
After half hour or so, Max’s cries die down and Chloe shifts around so they’re lying close together on the bed.
“Are you going to tell me what happened?” Chloe asks gently, her blue eyes concerned.
Max shakes her head. “I’m scared.”
“Max, I’m here for you. I’m not leaving you. Please tell me.” Chloe says, taking her hand.
Max nods, tears streaming down her face as she recalls her nightmare.
Chloe’s face changes as Max explains what happened. First shock, then horror and then anger.
Chloe squeezes Max’s hand and gazes into her eyes strongly. “I do not blame you.”
“You should.” Max sniffs. “Everyone is gone because of me. You must hate me. I need you to hate me.”
“Max, I could never hate you.” Chloe says softly and sincerely.
“I chose you over everyone I love.” Max says tearfully. “You should hate me.”
Chloe pauses, looking at the duvet. “You’re right. I should hate you.”
Max’s lip wobbles and she ducks her head.
“But that fucking storm was not your fault. You didn’t ask for your powers and you didn’t know what they would do. You saved my life over and over again, that HAD to count for something. The tornado was probably going to come anyway, maybe fate decided I needed to be saved.”
Max shakes her head but Chloe gently tips her chin up.
“I don’t blame you. I’ve never blamed you. It hurts me to see you like this and to know I caused it.” Chloe looks at her honestly.
“Not your fault either.” Max sniffs.
“Then stop blaming yourself, Max. The tornado happened. We need to learn how to move on. To forgive ourselves.” Chloe lightly touches her forehead against Max’s, “we need to keep going. For everyone.”
Max nods numbly and Chloe gives her the gentlest kiss, a barest brush of lips. “I love you, Max.”
“I love you too.” Max nods, smiling weakly.
Chloe gives her a small smile and kisses her softly. “Get some rest, we move on in the morning.”
Max nods and rests her head on Chloe’s chest, closing her eyes.
Chloe holds her close, gently humming a song and rubbing Max’s back.
Once Max is fast asleep. Chloe decides to check her phone, which had lost it’s battery during the storm.
Luckily the motel had a charging port and a spare cable.
As she waited for the phone to turn on, Chloe thought about Max and wondered if they’d ever let go of the ghosts of the past.
Her phone comes to life and begins to flood itself with text messages.
Quickly she glances through them, her eyes widening when she sees what messages she has.
Joyce, David, Frank…each message showed one thing.
They were alive.