Perfect with You

Chapter 46 - Hunter Becomes Prey

Okay... Ethan thinks Max will go through a photo that was taken around a year ago, shoot me... and his daughter will be saved.

Chloe nodded rhythmically to herself as she used these few seconds in silence to quickly go over the situation.

We need to keep him convinced that that is actually the plan... I will call Ethan, say that Max has passed out or something to buy us some time, then get him to go to another room so Max can sneak out of the house, to the car, get the gun in the compartment. She'll then come back up- she won't faint, she won't faint- and then we'll... improvise some lines or whatever, until Max... until she kinda shoots herself. Avoid Ethan seeing Max, or catching on to what we're trying to do. Which is finding out if he actually can reverse time... All this time... the only reason he always had the edge was because he could reverse time if something didn't go his way. We could too, but he was always one step ahead of us. If he really can't reverse time, and he won't shoot Max because she is the only one who can save his daughter and Arcadia Bay, then we can easily beat him. So... Call Ethan, pretend Max is still in the room, get Ethan to leave the living room, wait for Max to return with the gun, then pretend to-

Suddenly, Chloe was forced out of her own thoughts when the door creaked in front of her and then closed quietly. Max had already begun, left the room, and was out of sight, so now it was up to Chloe to move the plan along.
She looked up at Ted after dialing the number on the phone, keeping him in check while telling him to pay attention if he wanted to know what was going on.
As Chloe went to hold the phone against her ear, it almost slipped from her hand. She was unable to properly feel the phone, her nerves having become enervated and she was afraid to close her eyes.

"Are you... are you ready?" The voice of Ethan on the line sounded bewildered and Chloe could only wonder what had been going through his mind as she and Max were talking.

"Yes, but listen, Ethan..." Chloe held her hand to her chest, trying to see if she could feel her heart beating and became paranoid when she couldn't.
"You're not on speakerphone, you're only talking to me. I've put Max in my bed so she can rest for just a minute" She began pounding lightly on the left side of her chest, mimicking a heartbeat.

"We need to get this over with. She needs to sleep for at least four hours to regain any sort of energy and we don't have that kind of time" He spoke quickly, not wanting to consider anything anymore in fear of getting doubts.

"I'll wake her up, but can I make one last request before... before I fucking cease to exist?" It sounded odd in her mouth, but she found no better way to put it. Slowly, she moved her hand up her chest and to her throat, pinching a thin piece of skin.
"I just want to talk to my grandfather one last time. Just... tell him how much I appreciate and love him" As she spoke, she added an uncomfortable amount of pressure on her throat with her fingers to alter her voice in an attempt to sound demoralized rather than nervous.
And it seemed to work, as there was no instant denial, but actually, a pause that almost immediately told Chloe she had managed to convince him.

"Sure" Ethan eventually responded calmly.
"Twenty seconds," he allowed before a low rustling noise was heard, while Chloe figured that if it was anybody but her grandfather, Ethan wouldn't have permitted it. It must have been because he had lost his own grandfather in the storm, probably wishing he had gotten the chance to say goodbye himself.

"Max?" A dry, elderly voice suddenly passed through the phone, so hauntingly familiar that it shrunk the heart in her chest.

"No, it's- eh, ha, it's me, Grandpa" She swallowed, wanting to smile but couldn't as a weight behind her eyes began pushing down, locking her face into a sorrowful scowl.

"Oh, Chloe, Chloe. Are you okay? What is going on?" His dry and rapid breaths scared Chloe, never having heard her own grandfather in such a severe state of worry and fear and never should he have to, for he had already paid his dues.