Survive [Mad Max: Fury Road]

Chapter Thirty [Finale]

"One day, you will see just how strong I am."

-Omega

We walked out through the massive crowd of people. The cheering was an endless chatter in our ears, one that seemed to be a bright echo of the raging machinery that we had been hearing so much in the last few days. It was odd to hear such a sound, such cheerful unison. The only teamwork, the only togetherness I'd ever seen before was that of slaughter. The cheer and whooping of War Boys was what my mind would think of when I thought of teamwork, not good people coming together for a good cause. There was only one thing. This world was not made for those who were good. It was only a matter of time before things went rotten again.

The rot seeped into all of our bones, got underneath our skin and corrupted us to no end. There would come a time when I too was rotten. Either the insanity got you, or the bad did. We made it out of the crowd alive, though I was sure that some items had been taken from me in my dizziness. We had killed Immortan Joe, they had taken the Citadel back, they had freed so many; it was all the stuff of my dreams and it had all come true. But the stuff of my nightmares came true as well, and there were far more nightmares than dreams. I had hope that Furiosa would be able to remain strong and hold that which she had fought nearly to death to obtain.

"What do people do out here without a car?" I asked Max when the chatter was far enough away; we were just walking further and further into the Wasteland.

"Find a car." He replied, eyeing my from a side glance.

"Find a car, guzzoline, weapons, food, try not to get killed..." My voice trailed off as I realized how hard it was to start over again. I never looked behind me though, to the current safety of the Citadel. It could no longer be a place I would call home, even if it never was to begin with.

"I've got weapons." Max said, and then mumbled something too low for me to hear.

"What was that?" I asked, thinking I heard him, but not believing the words I had thought I'd heard.

"We've... We've got each other."

I had nothing to say to that, only a small smile managed to creep up onto my lips. Lips that had been burned in the hot sun, and lips that had been chapped to the point of peeling. Lips that had spoken words I lived up to, and lies that would haunt me for the remainder of my life, however long that would be. Lips that had kissed Max's such a long time ago, and oh how they longed to do it again. All the evidence was pointing to Max opening up to me, and I had come such a long way since we first met. I knew this time if I tried to make an advance, he would no longer see me as some doe-eyed youth who was desperately hoping to survive.

Not anymore.

I was no longer that Omega.

I was the Omega that survived five years along, fighting off strays, surviving the storms and the heat, the feral people. I was the Omega that survived three years lying to the face of the leader of a vicious clan of Canyon Riders, creating a dimensional relationship with Vlad, gaining the relative trust of those around us, and then letting them die at my hand and Furiosa's. I knew it would happen and I let it, because no matter who I laid with, my heart belonged to those who earned it. Vlad never earned it. Capable had earned it, Toast the Knowing had earned it, The Dag had earned it, Cheedo the Fragile had earned it, the entire Vuvalini earned it, Furiosa earned it. And Max earned it.

But had I earned his?

I thought so.

"Why?" I finally responded; the sun was disappearing and we had not gotten very far from the Citadel. I could still see its ominous peak staring at me, as if it could see me all the way down here, reminding me that I would be back, it would tear me apart as it always desired to. No. Immortan Joe was gone, his goons were dead, his alliances were dead and all their followers as well. None of them knew who I was, anyone who did, was dead. I was a new person, I could start this new life, put everything behind me but never truly forget.