On our way to the parking lot of the Academy, I had such a high that every regular member of the Vortex Club would envy, without the help of any substance. The self-confidence my new abilities gave me and the priceless Chloe's company were enough to feel I can deal with any challenge.

"Hi, baby, I'm back." Said Chloe talking to her vehicle. "Okay, Max, you are the GPS. Show me the way."

Chloe's truck was pickup type, with body uncovered. Typical dilapidated old vehicle that a teenager who can't afford anything better would have, but it had its charm. It was large, spacious, and Chloe customized the inside with some graffiti and trimmings that gave it its touch. I sat on the right of my punk friend, who started the truck and we prepared to leave the academy at full speed.

"You know the barn at the outskirts a couple of miles away from the gas station? There's where Kate and Nathan are" I stated.

"As the supergirl wishes!" Chloe seemed to be as excited as I was.

As soon as we left the academy area, and drove a few yards down the empty streets of Arcadia Bay, Chloe asked me:

"Now speak, heroine. How did you figure out Nathan is in that barn?"

"Nothing special. Didn't you see how stoned Hayden was? He finally blabbed and confessed."

"I see. It's true the Bigfoots players are better known for partying rather than scoring goals, but... if it that was so easy, then why did you went back in time? I could do that too, without the help of any powers.

Chloe is no fool…

"Because… It wasn't really that easy. It took me about twenty minutes to get the information, and there's no time to waste. We need to find Kate and Nathan in no time."

Good reflexes, Max.

"Uh, well, I agree with that" Chloe remained thoughtful. "But there's another thing I don't get… Why did you said before you are no saint? If you've been partying hard those days without me I'll took my revenge, Max Caulfield…

"No, Chloe. I'm still the same nice girl you knew." If we skip the last two hours of my life, that was completely true. "The only thing is…"

"Yes…?"

"Nothing... before we met at the party, some zoned guy flattered me in a rude way and I used my powers to kick him and rewind. That's all."

Yes, I know I'm lying. But, if I look further, I don't really know where's the frontier between lying and protecting my privacy. I believe no one, not even Chloe, should know about the twisted decisions I sometimes make before rewinding. I still hadn't got the time to think in depth about this, but, if one thing is clear, is that I'm not psycho murderer, nor filthy slut. I acquire those personalities just because… I don't feel they are real. It's like, let's say, playing videogames: your little sandbox where you can unleash your lower instincts. You can kill, smack, rob… with no consequences in your real life. So that's it: now I have the privilege of being able to do whatever I want, the way I want, and no one would never know. For I decide to keep my actions from other temporal planes locked inside me, and holding the key to myself. I think that's the best thing I can do for now.

"So that's it." As an answer to my inventions, Chloe looked at me sideways. "It must be cool to have your powers, Max. If I had them, I would do so many things... I'd probably go back a few years, before everything screwed up.

"I'm not that powerful. As far as I know, I can go back just a few minutes each time."

"Well, it's something. At least, I could kick my step-douche's ass. Or run away when creditors approach to me…

"Step… what? Did Joyce remarry?" Suddenly, a bleak feeling surrounded me. There were so many things I didn't know about Chloe's current life and I felt like a complete stranger. And lying to her, instead of reinforcing ties, didn't help. "You have to tell me everything, Chloe. You know you have my full support."

"You'll know, in time," Chloe said with her half smile. Don't know if it was just my imagination, but I could tell that her voice tone had some bitterness. "But we must focus for now. Look, we just got to the barn."

You could barely see anything on the town outskirts at night, but our barn showed up, lit by the dim light the weak street lamps could provide. Chloe turned off down the narrow dirt road that led to our destination. After a few seconds of rattling while crossing the uneven terrain, we stopped in front of the huge wooden barn's door. Another vehicle was parked nearby, which was a pretty clear indicator that someone was already there.

"I'm heading to the door to see if I can open it somehow." I said decisively. "Leave that to me, so I can rewind in case something happens. You better stay in the truck... and don't even think of leaving the lights turned on!"

"Slow down, smartass, I may not have powers like you, but that doesn't mean I'm an asshole!" Chloe removed her vehicle's ignition key and turned off the lights with severe face. "It's ok, go for it. I'll watch from my position."

I got off the truck and moved forward to the barn's entrance, groping in the dark, and feeling the dry grass under my sneakers. Being honest, having powers didn't stop me from being pretty much screwed up right now. Thinking about what the hell could Nathan and Kate be doing in that kind of place in the middle of nowhere was real creepy. The autumn breeze messed with my hair while I tried to find a way to open the door, only helped by the touching of my fingers. There was nothing at all: no vents, no knob, no such a thing. Surely it would be closed from the inside. I searched desperately around the place in case I saw any alternative way in, but it was obvious that whoever was there, made sure no one could enter. Shit, man. My rewind power is useless here. Where can I submit a complaint?

"That fucking barn is closed as hell." I told Chloe with a sigh when I got back to the truck.

"There's no need to use that language on me, Mahatma Max. I saw that coming. But don't worry: while you were out there, I had an idea…"

Chloe started the engine. She looked at me and put on a twisted smile. Oh, man…

"Don't you think you are the only one with powers, Max!"

"You're not planning to break down the door with your truck, are you?"

Chloe touched her nose.

"Trust me, tighten your belt and prepare yourself!"

"Chloe, I warn you: if you kill me, I won't be able to rewind your stupid stunts!"

"There will be no need to rewind, Max. Here we go!"

With the face of a disturbed maniac, Chloe stepped on the gas pedal. I clenched my nails tightly to the seat as soon as I noticed the first boost and the inertia that pressed my body against the seat's back rest. As I felt we were getting faster and faster, I thought maybe that was a good moment to start believing in the man upstairs. We should be moving at about forty miles an hour when Chloe's truck struck the barn, shattering the door. I screamed. Finally Chloe hit the brakes, and if it weren't for the safety belt, I would went through the windshield for sure. When we stopped at last, I saw that we did it: we are inside. I touched my neck, which was sore after the collision, but fortunately there appeared to be no serious injury. I hope I didn't have to rewind and repeat this moment at any cost. And if I had no choice but to do it, I'd first slap Chloe in advance.

"Man, that was hella cool! Are you ok, Max? Chloe gasped, with her heart beating at miles a minute. "We did it!"

"I think next time I'm taking the bus…"

"C'mon, don't give that face. How would you have entered then?" said my blue haired friend as we got out of the truck.

"Hush!"

I planted my forefinger in Chloe's mouth immediately after hearing noises coming from below. Hayden was right: there was a hidden basement. An opened metallic gate rose from the barn's wooden floor. There were a few lamps illuminating the inside, which, except for the secret gate, had nothing particular in comparison to any other barn, with its typical pulleys and piles of straw.

"Who the fuck is there!?"

That was Nathan voice! He was hurrying up from the basement. In addition to his voice, I heard footsteps coming toward us. Without leaving us a second to analyze the situation, Nathan was already upstairs, just a few feet away from us. He looked as preppy as any of his Vortex Club pals, with a white shirt and a red jacket. Well-groomed hair, like always, and of course, with his eternal lunatic angry face. He carried a gun. Wait… That maniac has a fucking gun in his hands! Are we going to die? Don't do anything stupid, Max. My powers, as far as I know, don't include my resurrection. In fact, they couldn't even prevent me from wetting myself. I felt so helpless and exposed.

"You! You are that punk asshole that tried to blackmail me and kicked me in my room!" shouted Nathan out of his mind, aiming Chloe with shaking hand. "You're dead, bitch!"

"Where did you get that?" Chloe's voice sounded nervous. "C'mon, put that thing down…"

"Don't ever tell me what to do! I'm sick of people trying to control me!"

After Nathan's ragged screams, he pulled the trigger several times. I watched as the bullets hit Chloe, knocking her down and making her bleed violently. No.

No fucking way. I didn't let the overwhelming scene advanced any further. I knew that if I stay there watching for another few seconds, I could never erase my memories of Chloe bleeding to death. Thankfully, I had enough reflexes to rewind before she even touched the floor. You're going to die, motherfucking psycho. Nobody touches Chloe.

I rewound even more than I thought. Nathan went back to the basement. Chloe drove backwards off the barn sitting in her truck, and the shattered door reassembled. I remained inside all alone. I wasn't even planning to do that, but I realized it was much better that way: Chloe could stay safe outside and I could open the door from the inside without any fuss.

I needed to check as soon as possible that my friend was really alive, so, quickly but carefully trying not to make too much noise, I unlocked the door, which was now very easy to open. As I did so, I took advantage of the fact that no one was there inside the barn with me for sharpening my ears in case I discovered any more clues, but there was complete silence. Could the basement be soundproof? Why bother so much?

Once the entrance was open and I was out, I saw Chloe there, sitting in the driver's seat of her old truck, alive and kicking.

"Chloe!" I ran and gave her a big hug.

"Wow!" Chloe hugged me back with confused face. "There, there… what's eating you, Max?

"I ..." I stepped away from Chloe and looked at her with glassy eyes. "I almost saw you dying!"

I wanted to avoid it, but I couldn't: I ended up sobbing on her shoulder. I suppose no matter how hard I try, I've seen too much shit tonight, more than an eighteen-year-old girl should see, and I needed a break.

"Shit, Max. Start from the beginning."

I described everything that had just happened to Chloe: her idea of tearing down the barn's door with the truck, the encounter with Nathan, the gunshots... everything.

"Max, I..." Chloe sounded touched. "I'm so sorry you had to see all that shit because of my crazy ideas... I have no words..."

"It's okay" I dried my eyes. I was a little calmer now. "That was good teamwork: if you hadn't come up with that, I wouldn't have been able to open you from the inside in silence."

"You know what…? You're right! We are a hella cool team! And now, let's go surprise that bastard who tried to kill me, now that we can catch him off guard." Chloe's eyes seemed to spark. "Can you please hand me that thing inside the glove box?"

"Sure…"

I opened the glove compartment, just as Chloe told me. Wowsers... there was a gun inside, much like the one Nathan had. Man, are you cereal?

"Chloe…!? Where did you get that?"

"I took it from my step-ass. You aren't giving me one of your lectures after seeing me pierced by that son of a bitch, are you, Max? This is called self-defense. Or rather, common sense.

Many thoughts crossed my head. To begin with, why does Chloe's stepfather have a gun? And even more disturbing, what goes in Chloe's head to take it from him? But I must admit that this time, she's right. I don't want anyone to carry weapons, but we are facing an armed and dangerous maniac, so…

"Go for it, Chloe" I nodded with determined gesture.

"I'll go ahead. You stay in the rear, Max. I need you alive so you can rewind if shit happens."

Chloe advanced in front of me while holding firmly the unlocked gun with both hands. Give me a break, man. Yesterday I was in photography class, drooling with Mr. Jefferson's presence, and look at me now, at night like a CIA secret agent on a mission. You better focus, Max. Let's finish this as soon as possible, go home and rest. If it were not for my adrenaline overdose, I would had fall asleep quite a while ago. The barn was completely silent when we entered. Chloe's eyes went straight to the open basement gate.

"That's where that bastard comes from, right, Max?"

"Uh… yeah."

"Nathan!" Suddenly, Chloe began to scream like a maniac as she made some noises by slamming the door with her hand. What the fuck is she thinking about? "Come over here if you got the balls!"

She led the whole operation, without asking my opinion. She hid behind a pile of straw and dragged me from the sleeve of my hoody to make me stand by her. His answer came promptly: just a few seconds later, we heard a door opening from below and Nathan came running up the stairs reacting to Chloe's provocations:

"Who dares entering here!? Show me your fucking face!" He was holding his weapon, just like the last time.

Chloe took advantage of the moment when Nathan turned his back on us looking around confused, to get out of our cover and aim at him.

"Drop your weapon!"

Judging by the firmness and decision of Chloe, it gave the feeling that she did that before. But looking closely, I discovered her arm was trembling. Nathan, surprised, put his arms up and turned slowly facing Chloe, but he kept the gun in his hand.

"You are…"

"I said drop the weapon, you son of a bitch!" Chloe looked a little scary. Maybe Nathan's madness aura got stuck in her. "You were about to shoot me in cold blood, you psycho!"

"Just do it. You don't have what it takes, you punk bitch. You had the chance to prove yourself the day we were in my room, but it was clear that you're nothing but a piece of shit.

"Shut the fuck up! I'm saying you drop your weapon!"

I wondered what really happened the day this two met. Although now isn't a good moment to ask for details, that is clear.

"Whatever you say, scumbag."

Nathan slowly lowered his hand, but his twisted smile betrayed him. After a few seconds in which he pretended to be docile, he made a swift movement with his arms, and he aimed directly at Chloe.

"No!"

I covered my ears. Chloe, frightened, emptied the gun's full clip into him and a hollow sound announced Nathan's body hitting the floor. During the next few seconds there was a dead silence except for Chloe's anxious breathing. A sharp smell of gunpowder surrounded the atmosphere.

Even if it's the second corpse I saw today, I think I'll never get used to this. And seeing that bullet holes in the head doesn't help. I shuddered when I saw brains scattered on the floor of which until a moment ago, belonged to my classmate. And now what? Have we done well?

"Chloe… what… what have we done…?"

This situation has nothing to do with Logan's previous retribution. Now rewinding wouldn't help: Nathan would still be in the basement blocking our way, and we could never break the loop.

Chloe, still with the gun in her hand, fell on her knees.

"I... I had to, Max. Tell me, what could I do? Did I even have another hella choice!?" Chloe's voice cracked.

"No... I don't know, Chloe... We can still rewind and get away from here... forget all about this..."

"Seriously, could you blow all this off even knowing Kate's down there with that armed psychopath? Not me, Max. But if you think you can keep your conscience clean… do it. After you rewind I can live happily ignoring everything what's going on, but you can't. It's up to you."

Chloe was so fucking right. I can't act as if I haven't seen anything: I would never forgive myself.

"But... we don't need to be heroines, Chloe... We can call the police, leave it in their hands ..."

"Max, for fuck's sake, snap out of it! You know perfectly in this fucking town, the police are the Prescott family personal guard..."

"Sorry for refusing believing I'm an accessory to murder, Chloe!" I raised my voice. We both were insanely nervous. "This action will have fucking consequences... There must be some else we could do..."

"There isn't, Max. But don't worry: It's me the criminal. Whatever... Arcadia cops already picked on me when they caught me smoking grass... What else could happen for adding a little felony to the list...? I'll have to get used to being a murderer for the rest of my life...

That's too much even for Chloe's strong spirit. Still on her knees, I could see tears running through her cheeks. I refuse. I refuse to let Chloe go through all this because of my damn fault. It's time to take responsibility and become a true adult, Max Caulfield. Let's fix all this shit right now.

"Chloe, give me the gun." I held out the palm of my hand.

"For what, Max? What do you intend to do now?"

"You just give it to me. I promise I won't do anything stupid."

Chloe seemed rather reluctant, but I finally took the gun away from her hands and she didn't put up any resistance. There's no time to waste.

I closed my eyes and rewound with all my might.

Now I was at exactly the same point as the last time I rewound: with Chloe outside sitting in her truck waiting for me to investigate the door and I, once again alone inside the locked barn, but this time I had a gun on my hands.

"Nathan! Come over here now, wherever you are!" I was way far from sounding as furious or threatening as Chloe. In fact, I was about to burst into tears at one moment or another. But the only thing that matters now is that I had to make some noise and let Nathan appear again. The show must go on.

Now it's the third time I see Nathan coming out of the basement screaming in fury, so I knew perfectly what moves he will make. I stood at a point behind him where I knew I could catch him off guard when he go upstairs. Once he was up, without giving him any time to react, I put the barrel of the gun in the back of his neck, closed my eyes and pulled the trigger. It was a single clean shot that made Nathan fall lifeless to the floor. I don't want you to go through this, Chloe. Not now, not never.

I didn't have much time to deal with Nathan's body, but, for now, I'll settle for Chloe don't seeing this mess. After a few minutes of huge physical effort, and cursing the weight of that bastard, I managed to hide the body behind a pile of straw located in a corner. As for the bloodstains that remained on the floor, I merely blended the straw from the surroundings with my foot and concealed it hoping that anyone would notice. Congratulations, Max. You are an expert in committing perfect crimes. No, seriously. You suck.

I couldn't spend much more time on this. I opened the door the way I already knew and hurried back towards Chloe, who surely would be worried about me for taking so long. I begged that the barn walls would have camouflaged the sound of the gunshot, at least partially.

"Max! Are you ok? I lost you and I couldn't figure out if you were fine out there…"

"I'm fine, Chloe. I managed to get into the barn, hurry up!"

"Awesome! Hey, didn't you hear something like a… gunshot moments ago?"

"Oh, that sound! Nay, that was because I dropped a large shovel that was leaning on the door. I fidgeted a bit because I thought someone would hear me, but no harm done." Honest Max strikes back.

"Great! Let's get Kate. I'll go ahead, you stay in the rear in case shit happens and you have to rewind."

That's it, Chloe, you go ahead. When she took some distance from me, I seized the opportunity to put the gun back to the glove box without her watching me. I hope I never need you again, my little friend. I'm also glad that in this temporal plane, Chloe has decided not to use you.

For every despicable action I commit, I feel a slice of my soul darkens. But I don't care if I can protect Chloe with it. She may never know my deeds, but this is the price I must pay for my departure, for my five years of absence. This is my redemption, Chloe. Can you feel it?

I was exhausted, but we are closer to the finish line. From the point of view of a clock, it passed barely thirty minutes since we left Blackwell. But for me it has been a lot more time, and I'm not saying it in a relative sense. It seemed that we finally could get into the basement and find out what happened to Kate once and for all.