Life is Strange

32. TACTICS

CAMERA prints polaroids of me and Warren. I blinked after the flash of light and looked around, taking in my surroundings.

Warren's Rule. I can rewind to the End of the World party with the photo and I feel even more confident in my time travel skills.

"We don't have time for this shit. Come on, Max!"

I turned to the blue haired punk girl, my best friend.

"Chloe!"

I jumped to hug her.

Chloe is back!

I don't even care that this is the actual end of the world... It felt so good to be able to hold her again after everything we've been through. I thought about all the timelines I'd crossed for her, and how much she'd always meant to me... Our lives had always been intertwined.

"Jeez, bro... what's wrong with you?" she asked confused.

"I'm glad we're here together," I answered a little sobbing. Without realizing it, I shed tears.

"I think you guys need to talk. Don't worry... Everything is fine," Warren said.

Chloe completely ignored him. "I'm glad you're with me too, Max. What happened, Max? We have to find Nathan now."

Chloe walked away from me.

I turned to Warren to get one last look.

"Sorry, Warren..." I muttered. The man was gone.

I went after Chloe.

"He will pay for what he did to Rachel... Come on, Max!" Chloe exclaimed.

"Chloe, wait! Listen!"

"I can walk and listen, okay?"

It's always difficult to face Chloe even though I'm the only one who can know her future. But one thing Chloe values most is honesty, so I'm going to tell her everything, from when she was paralyzed, to the Dark Room, to San Francisco.

I grabbed Chloe's arm.

"Just stop and listen for once!"

She stopped and turned to me in annoyance. "Okay, Max. I'm listening."

"Chloe, you can't join that party. You'll... you'll die if you do."

"You used your powers, right? And you messed up time, and I died," she said nonchalantly.

"It's not like that..." I was weak and almost lost my confidence.

"You should have my back. So there's no way that punk bitch Nathan Prescott can take me down."

A flash of courage returned to me upon hearing that name. "You're right, he wouldn't. Mark Jefferson was the one who killed you...and the others."

Chloe frowned in confusion. "Jefferson, art teacher? That's bullshit! Nathan is the damn serial killer! We saw the proof! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to that party to make sure he doesn't hurt anyone again. Are you coming?"

I paused for a moment and looked down closing my eyes. My heart is cut with bitterness. "Nathan is dead... and you are in danger, Chloe."

"That bastard is dead? How did you know?" She screeched.

"Because... I was there."

"Please tell me what exactly happened? Please?"

"Chloe...Jefferson drugged and kidnapped me. I was tied up in his bunker. You don't know what I went through to come back here...but I couldn't let you die. You brought me back here, and I can't lose you again. I won't do it!"

I found myself stumbling over my every word. My breath was laced with sobs. God, I've really lost my defense.

"Oh... Max. I... I'm sorry... I was the one who dragged you into all this trouble... No one, especially you, should have to go through that..." Chloe turned soft and put her arm around my shoulder seeing me flooded tears. "Now we have to stop Jefferson... with one bullet."

"No!" I snapped loudly. "Not this way! Chloe, I... I can't keep fixing everything, if all I want to do is break it, over and over again. I know how it goes and... I'm afraid I'm messing up this whole alternate reality."

"Wait... alternate reality? What do you mean, Max? What are you doing?"

I swallowed my saliva. This is getting more and more painful to tell.

"I messed up, Chloe. I wanted to fix things, but it turned out everything was wrong," I said annoyed to myself.

"Max, what are you talking about?" She was getting confused.

"I could go back in time... to the last day William was alive. I stopped him from leaving, but... But you ended up in a car accident."

Chloe held her breath. "You... met my father again?"

My whole body immediately got goosebumps. I nodded weakly. "You... you were completely paralyzed. And you were in pain. You were slowly dying, and you... you asked me to... end your life."

She was locked in silence and her eyes looked at me confused and... pained. She definitely missed her father and couldn't believe what would end up happening if everything changed to another reality.

"But Chloe, there's no way I can do that... I have to go back to this timeline... to meet you again. I have to..."

"Oh my God, Max... That must be... That must be really bad for you... I'm sorry I have to ask you that," she interrupted.

"It was worse for you. But I didn't know what would happen, and... as usual, I messed things up, and... I never wanted to hurt you, ever. You have to trust me."

"Of course. Do you think I know how to handle that situation? Nobody would... What's important is that we can be together again."

I nodded. "You're right. That's why you have to come with me so we can stay together... and stay alive."

"I hear, Max... but do you think we should let Jefferson get away with torture and murder?" she asked.

"Of course not! If we tell David, he'll believe us and he can actually stop it... right?"

Chloe gasped. In all his bones she didn't want to accept the words that had just come out of my mouth. "I don't understand... Why do you trust him, after you really scolded him a few days ago? He's not even in our house anymore."

"Chloe, David saved me from Jefferson... If he hadn't tracked down the Dark Room... I would be dead by now."

Chloe sighed heavily. "Max... I don't know... I should have been the one to save you, but... I'm so grateful David was there."

She didn't want to believe that David was so heroic, but she knew I wouldn't lie. And I know Chloe feels bad about what Jefferson did to me.

"So what's your plan?" she asked.

"We told him everything, including that Victoria was in danger."

"Okay. You've been through so much... I believe in you, Max. After all, I'm still your loyal friend," she said.

"Yeah, right. So, listen... In a few minutes, I won't know any of this happened... nothing. We really should stay in your room and do nothing. Then we explain everything to David, and finally we let him do his thing. You have to tell me exactly what I did and said earlier. Just explain that I traveled through time using that photo," I explained.

"Do you believe me?"

"I will always trust you, Chloe."

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