Into The Vale of Shadows // Max Mayfield

xvi. nothing we haven't seen before

chapter sixteen
nothing we haven't seen before

     RAVEN TRIED HARD to cover most of her skin as she can, comfortably seated in the passenger seat as she tried to change her bloodied white shirt into a new one she had pulled out from those clothes that hung to dry in the sun, guessing that it belongs to Jonathan. Everyone within the vehicle looked anywhere but her direction, Lucas buried his nose into the map, Dustin pouring all his attention to a passed out Steve, Mike watched the trees from the window, while Max kept her gaze straight and firm to the road, all giving her her privacy, giving her decency. She had no time to change for they were in a hurry, thus having her here.

     "Nancy?" She successfully changed into the newly washed shirt, the old one being used to clean all the left dried blood that still stuck to her skin, covering her left nostril, cheek, and the corner of her lips.

     "No, don't touch it." Raven looked back at them, Steve now stirring into consciousness, looking around as though absorbing his surroundings. "Hey buddy — shhh . . . it's okay. You put up a good fight. He kicked your ass, but you put up a good fight, okay? You're okay."

     "Are you sure you're reading the map right?" Raven pulled the map away from the boy's nose, peeking through to look at it herself.

     "Yes." Lucas pried the map away from her touch, eyes tracing the line on it. "So — okay, you're gonna keep straight for half a mile . . . then make a left on Mount Sinai."

     "What . . . what's going on?" Steve asked, tone sounding like a drunken man, slowly taking in what's around him. Raven looked over Lucas' shoulder, blue orbs landing on Steve's horror struck face. "Oh, my god!"

    "Steve, relax, she's driven before."

     "Yeah, in a parking lot."

     "That counts."

     "Not helping, Wheels, you're just making him panic more." Mike furrowed his brows at the name addressed on him, shaking his head as he rolled her eyes around.

     "Oh, my god!"

     "They were gonna leave you behind. I promised that you'd be cool, okay?" Dustin cooed, massaging Steve's tensed shoulder, hoping that it'll help him loosen up a bit.

     Max stepped harder onto the gas, speed accelerating as she did. Raven gripped onto her seat, knowing that they're probably going past speed limit, chances of crashing's higher than the chances of them living the rest of their lives.

     "Oh, my god! No! Woah, whoa, whoa! Stop the car! Slow down!" Steve panicked, earning a small grin on Raven's still bloodied face.

     "I told you he'd freak out!" The car went faster and Raven's grip grew tighter, grin falling as she was pushed further into her seat.

     "Stop the car!"

     "Maybe . . . maybe you should slow down a little bit," Raven nervously chuckled, side eyed by the redhead, "We would want to get there alive, you know?"

     "Stop the car!"

     "Everybody shut up!" Max slammed her hands on the steering wheel, Raven's eyes widening at the small second of her letting go. "I'm trying to focus!"