Not Just Another Number

Saving Max

"Uh, no."

"I know a good lawyer."

"I don't have the keys."

Max turns on me. Her glare sends a shiver down my spine. I meet her gaze for only a couple of seconds before caving. I sigh as I dig my keys out of my pocket, rounding the car to the driver's side. I unlock the car as Steve speaks. "Henderson, that super walkie of yours better reach Pennhurst." I open the car door, motioning for everyone to get in, but a sudden sound stops me.

A clock chimes in the distance, making my blood run cold. I look over at Max and find her staring out into nothing. It's getting closer. We need to hurry. Please let the others find out something that can help. "Max?" I ask her quietly. She looks back at me. Her mask slips and I can see just how scared she really is. But as quickly as it fell, it returns. Her face hardens and she climbs into the car, slamming the door shut. I sigh and follow suit, shutting the door and turning on the engine.

I pull out of the neighborhood and begin the drive to the trailer park. It's a quiet drive, minus the music playing from the car radio. Quickly, we reach the trailer park and I pull up to her trailer. Steve turns in his seat to look back at Max. "This better be fast, Mayfield."

"Twenty seconds." Max tells him as she climbs out and slams the door closed behind her. I watch as she walks around her trailer, heading inside. Steve sighs and is about to turn back around, when he does a double take and looks at Dustin. "That thing's got batteries in it, right?" I look at him through the rearview mirror, waiting for his answer. Dustin sighs and shakes his head. "I'm not even answering that question." I raise an eyebrow, just to make sure and he scowls back at me. "Yes, it has batteries."

"Yeah, I got it." Steve nods. I shrug, not looking away from Dustin. "Just checking. Don't want a repeat of last summer." Dusting groans and rolls his eyes. "You forget extra batteries one time and now that's all you're known for." I shake my head at his complaining, looking back at Max's trailer. A small headaches forms at the back of my head, but I hold back any kind of anxiety. Max is fine, she can handle herself. If she doesn't come out in the next 20 seconds, I'll go in.

As if I summoned her, Max walks up to the car from behind her trailer, looking paler than she did when she entered. We get out of the car, watching her. "Hey, that was longer than 20 seconds." Steve points out. Max brushes past him, making a beeline for the car door. "Hey, whoa, whoa. You all right?" He asks.

"I'm fine. Just drive." She says, looking at me with her last sentence. I put my hand out to stop her, trying to calm her down. "Hey, did something happen in there? It's okay to just take a moment." She rolls her eyes at me. "I don't need you to always watch me. Can we please just go?" She ends her sentence with a huff. She sounds like she just ran a mile. I pull my hand away and nod, opening up my own door. "Yeah, we can go." I climb in as everyone else does the same. As soon as everyone's in the car, I start it and pull out of the trailer park. I pull onto a back road, driving past a blur of trees. I drum my fingers along the steering wheel, tapping at the small grooves I burnt into it a couple of years ago. Everything's gonna be okay. It has to be.

After a couple of minutes of tense silence, Max shifts in the seat behind me. "Turn here." I look over to the road she wants me to drive down. I can see tombstones lining the grass ahead of us. "Here?" Dustin asks. I look back at them from the rearview mirror and watch as Max nods solemnly. I sigh to myself as I pull up to the entrance of the cemetery. I stop the car near a small hill, putting it in park. Max climbs out, slamming the door behind her. Lucas follows after her, calling out her name. I unbuckle myself and try to open the door, but a hand stops me.

I look over at Steve who looks nervous. "He's got this, don't worry." He says, nodding over at Lucas, who managed to stop Max so they could talk. Slowly, I nod, settling in my seat. I don't bother to buckle up. After a bit of talking, Max walks up the hill, leaving Lucas alone. Lucas, begrudgingly walks back to the car, climbing back in to the back to sit next to Dustin. We wait silently, giving Max the time she needs to speak to Billy's grave. But that time seems to drag on for a while. I start to bounce my knee anxiously as I watch her, growing worried. With a heavy sigh, I open my door as I open the glove compartment. I reach in and grab a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. "I need a smoke." I mutter to Steve as I step out of the car.