Ethan can't sleep. He's wide awake, staring at the ceiling. He was given two weeks to kill Emma and now those two weeks were up as of tomorrow, but that needle still sits in that jar because he just can't do it.
The last two weeks were different. Things changed: Emma was nicer to Ethan, Emma became more of a human to him than a monster, she didn't argue with him or snap out remarks - she talked to him now, he'd even given her a nickname: "Em."
Ethan's heart is pounding when he rolls out of bed. He knows what he needs to do. He grabs his cell phone. "Grayson? Hey."
"Ethan?" Grayson groggily says on the other line.
"I know what happened a couple weeks ago really makes you not wanna come back here, but I need your help," Ethan says.
"What is it?" Grayson questions, more alert.
"You're gonna be mad," Ethan swallowed.
"You're my best friend. I'll understand anything." Grayson promised.
"I'm gonna run away with Emma."
"I'm sorry...Could you repeat that?" Grayson asked him, wide eyed.
Ethan took a deep breath, "Grayson...It's not what you think. I tried to hate her, Grayson, and I did in the beginning and I don't know how, but things are different. Things changed. We changed and now...I just...Grayson, I can't kill her." he paused. "I think I'm in love with her."
"You've got to be joking," Grayson said.
"Maybe not in love...but I think I'm getting there..." Ethan sighed, "Grayson, please, you need to help me," he pleaded. Ethan swallowed hard, running his fingers through his hair. "John's coming tomorrow night and if he comes while Emma's still here, he's going to fire me and get somebody else to do it. That can't happen."
Grayson thought long and hard. Ethan kept pleading until finally Grayson took a deep breath. "I need a moment." he said. Ethan gulped. He heard hushed voices and knew Grayson was telling Olivia. Then he heard, "Olivia and I are on our way." The line went dead. Ethan took a deep breath and hung up his phone.
He looked around the room and grabbed a bag. He started packing his things. He scrambled around his room until his bag was zipped up. He got dressed and then he walked out of his room and dropped the bag by the door. He raced around the house, collecting anything else he'd need.
He then crouched down to Emma, slipping the key into the lock. He snapped off the hand cuff. Emma felt the movement and slowly opened her eyes. "Ethan," she murmured, waking up.
"Em, get up. We're going." he said.
Emma's eyes opened a little bit wider as she sat up, "What?"
"We're leaving." he repeated.
"I don't understand-"
"We're running away, Emma." Ethan looked her in the eyes. "I know there's good in you, Emma. I don't care what you say. I'm not killing you and I'm not waiting around for someone else to do it. We're leaving. Grayson and Olivia are going to help us, okay?"
"Ethan, we can't-"
"Emma, I'm not killing you," he said. Emma stared at him.
"They'll catch us," she said.
"Maybe not," Ethan replied, "Look, Emma. To keep you away from them, I'm going to do whatever it takes." Emma stared at him before there was a knock on the door. Ethan looked at the door before glancing back to Emma and then getting up to answer it.
He allowed Olivia and Grayson inside. "This is insane, Ethan. We could all get in trouble." Grayson said. Ethan nodded.
"I know," he took a deep breath. Grayson knew he was serious. He glanced back at Emma who was sitting on the couch, watching them. He still wasn't sure about Ethan running away with her. After all, she'd killed 28 people and probably far more than that in the entirety of two years with her abilities.
