Episode 5: Polarized
The room was empty. Empty but bright. Very bright. Expensive camera equipment littered the room. Bright lights shined down onto her.
Max Caulfield.
She slowly gained her consciousness. Recovering from the last dose Mark gave her. Still waking up, Max let out several groans.
Chloe...? Daniel...?
She examined the room.
What... Where...
And reconized it as...
The Dark Room...
Max tried moving her arms and legs but they where strapped to the chair she was sitting in. She looked around and leaned forward. "Is anybody out there? Please, help!" The only response she got was her own voice echoing back to her.
Max pulled against the straps. But she wasn't going anywhere. "Help! Somebody help me!" She was terrified as to what would happen to her in the next few minutes. Max tried again to free herself from the straps. But to no avail.
These straps hurt...
Max's eyes widen when she spotted pictures on the trolley next to her.
Oh shit... that's me! He took that shot last night.
For some reason, the strap wrapped around Max's right leg wasn't as tight as the others were. She pulled her leg and it ripped free. "Finally! I'm free! Almost..." Max reached her leg out and brought the trolley toward her. She looked at the horrific black and white picture of herself on the ground.
I hate looking at myself like that. You'll pay for this, Jefferson.
Max leaned forward and looked at the picture of her.
I promised I would never go back in time like this again... But this is the only way...
Max stared intensely at the picture. Seeing it come to life. In a few seconds, Max would appear on the floor. With Mark taking pictures of her...
************
"This angle highlights your purity, see?" Mark said, aiming the lens toward the helpless eighteen year old girl. He snapped a shot of Max and stood up. "The slightly unconscious model is often the most open and honest." He said.
"No vanity or posing, just... pure expression."
He moved Max's foot slightly. "Oh Christ... Look at that perfect face." He raised the camera to his eye and took another picture. Max slightly moved. "Hold that stare there!" Mark ordered.
"Stay still!" He harshly shouted.
He crouched and aimed the camera closely to Max's face. He took another one, but Max jerked again. He stood up. Frustrated with the girl.
"Oh, Max! You fucked up my shot!" He said loudly.
He looked down at his camera. "But please don't worry, we have all the time in the world. For now." Mark looked at Max. "I knew you were special the second I saw your first "selfie"." He took more pictures of Max. "Yes, I still hate that word." He walked over to Max's frontal view and crouched down. "But I love the purity of your own image." He said, taking two more pictures.
"Not like Rachel, who was always looking in the wrong places. Poor Rachel. Wait..."
He looked at Max. He grinned and said, "Let me try this angle." He stepped over Max's leg and aimed the camera down at her. He took a picture and reached down. Harshly grabbing her shoulder. "Don't move!" He demanded. Max moaned lightly. Mark leaned over her and snapped two more pictures. He stepped off of her and crouched down in front of Max.
"Oh, much... better. Thanks, Max. If only Nathan could see this setup. He tried so hard, but you can't just throw a few subjects around and expect a cohesive style or theme." Mark stood up. "But he had an eye for shadows." He said as he examined his pictures. "And an eye for a whole lot more, as his elite family will find out... along with Arcadia Bay."
Mark walked around Max and crouched behind her. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. "Nice... Good..." He smirked to himself as he took disturbing pictures of her. "Oh, those eyes..." He walked around her again.
"It's just too bad you're so goddamn nosy, Max! But this room is under 24/7 surveillance, so all I had to do was text you from Nathan's phone, and you fell right into my hands."
He checked the pictures and aimed his camera at Max again. "You really should have focused on schoolwork, not "private detecting" with your little friends." Max slightly opened her eyes. "Chloe... Daniel..." She muttered weakly. "Chloe... and Daniel, right." Mark said. "Yeah, I'm sorry that I killed—that Nathan killed them in self-defence. But Chloe had a troubled history like most Arcadia Bay drop-outs. And Daniel... he was nothing but a low life skater fag... as everyone calls those guys."
Mark looked at his camera. "Nobody will be surprised, or care." He looked at Max. "Though I promise... people will care when you die tonight, Max. I wasn't lying when I said you have a gift."
He kneeled down. "Okay. Now this looks good." He lied down on his stomach. "Maybe a few more close-ups..." He had an evil smile as he took pictures of Max. Who was moving more than Mark would have liked.
"Max, please do not move so much. I need you posed and framed my way!" He said and stood up. Max whimpered. "Maybe a new dose will calm you down..." Mark said. Max shook her head. "No, no... no..." Max said faintly. Mark wheeled the trolley toward Max. He took out a needle and filled it with the drugs he gives all his "subjects."
"Now don't move, or this will... hurt... much."
As he walked over to Max, she kicked the trolley away. Causing the drugs to spill all over. Mark clenched his fists. Anger filled inside him. "Stupid bitch!!!" He shouted. "You just don't listen, do you? In fact, you never did hear much in my class... If you had, you might have seen all this coming." Mark crouched down. "Goddamn, you are a fighter, though." He said. "I've had my eye on you, and I've noticed that you've been more... fearless this week than maybe your whole life." Max glared at him. "Remember my number one rule." Mark told her.
"Always... take... the shot."
Max struggled against his grip. But he pierced her neck with the needle and injected her with the drugs. Max soon passed out again.