Page 97 of A Thousand Second Chances

Percy

My heart’s pounding asI follow Chris down Lake Shore Drive away from town. My thoughts feel numb and hard to grasp, my movements too sluggish, as if I’m moving in slow motion.

This is crazy, right?We’re just being paranoid. We’ve been trapped in this time loop for too long, and now we’re starting to twist things in our heads to justify whatever we want. I’ve known Owen most of my life and pretty much all of his. There’s no way he’d ever do anything so drastic, no matter how angry and hurt he is.

Except, I can’t know that for sure, can I? Owen’s changed since the last time I saw him—that’s been plain from the beginning. As much as I don’twantChris’ suspicion to be true, I can’t rule it out as a possibility. Nor can I deny how all the various pieces fit together to form a terrifying picture.

My stomach twists itself in a thousand knots. God, that would mean I’ve been utterly oblivious forweeks. Going about my dailyroutine, testing out hypotheses, and enjoying myself with Chris, all while every single Saturday night has ended with Owen—

“He’s not here!”

Chris’ frantic shout jerks me out of my reflections. I’d hardly registered weaving my way up the trail, guided by Chris. Now, I see we’ve reached Sunset Rock in record time. Darkness casts the narrow outcropping in shadow. I squint and scan the area—sure enough, no sign of Owen.

Fear claws up my throat, and I squeeze Chris’ hand, grateful for the connection. “You don’t think…”

Chris squeezes back. “No. If anything’s going to happen, we’ve still got almost twenty minutes. It’s been consistent until now—no reason to think anything’s changed this time.”

“But what if ithas? What if in this cycle, we did something without even realizing it? What if we went somewhere or had a conversation we didn’t before, and that changed Owen’s plans?”

My voice is growing frantic, almost hysterical, but I can’t help it. I’m barely holding myself together, and once again, I’m grateful for Chris’ solid presence beside me. If he’s as much of an emotional mess inside, he’s hiding it better than I am.

Chris’ lips thin to a grim line. “I don’t mean to be harsh, Percy, but if we’re right, the fact that this time loophasn’tended is already proof we’re not too late.”

He’s right, and I cling desperately to that thought as we scour every inch of the area for anything we’d missed. That’s when I spot it—a small backpack wedged into the corner. “Chris!”

The bag is mostly empty—some pens and scraps of paper, a battered notebook with mostly illegible scribbles. “Definitely Owen’s,” I say, recognizing the chicken scratch. “If he brought his bag out here, he must be close.” Chris nods, holding up his cellphone’s flashlight as I unzip the front pocket and pull out a small black case. “What…?” I open it and stop, my blood running cold.

Chris peers over my shoulder and swallows. “Is that what I think it is?”

My fingers tremble as I return the empty case to its pocket. “Carol keeps a pistol at the Royal Lilac for self-defense,” I say faintly, my voice coming to me as if from far away. “She took us to a shooting range on the mainland once. Owen and I both hated it, but she said we should learn the basics of gun safety. Just in case.”

“Perce…” Chris’ fingers find mine, his thumb stroking along the back of my hand. “Maybe we should go back. We can try again in the next iteration—confront Owen before he ever makes it out here. We don’t have to do this.”

My stomach twists as I stumble to my feet. “Yes. We do.”

“It could be dangerous. We have no idea how he’ll react.”

“I know.”

I start toward the stairs leading down, and Chris snags my hand, jerking me to a halt. “Dammit, Percy, will you stop andthinkfor a moment!”

“There’s notimeto think!” I snap, yanking my hand out of his grip. “We’ve only got a few minutes left before this iteration ends.”

“So what?” Chris moves to block me, narrowing his eyes when I try to slip past. “What does it matter if we save him this loop or the next? We have an infinite number of chances to get this right. Why risk our lives over nothing?”

“Because it’snotnothing!He’snot nothing!” My body shudders, my breath coming in too-quick pants that leave me faintly dizzy. “He accused me of not caring about him, of abandoning him, and if I walk away now, I’ll be proving him right! I won’t leave him when he needs me most.”I won’t make the same mistake I did with you.

“But the time loop—”

“Fuckthe time loop!” I snarl. “We don’t have the faintest fucking clue how it works. For all we know, this’ll be the cycle it ends for good. Or maybe now that we’ve figured out what’s happening, this is our last chance to get things right.” Chris opens his mouth to keep arguing, but I cut him off. “I’m not going to stand around and debate this, Chris. Owen needs me, and I intend to do everything I can to be there. Either help me save him or get the hell out of my way.”

Chris stares at me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, his face breaks into a fierce grin. “You know, you’re hot when you get all forceful like that.” Despite the tension running through me, I blush, and he chuckles. “All right, fuck it, I’m in. Let’s save that prick.” His grin fades as he glances around the dark outcropping. “Assuming we can find him.”

“If he left his bag here, he’s gotta be nearby,” I repeat, hurrying down the cracked stairs. “Come on!”

We retrace the path back to the road, moving slower this time as we scan the surrounding area. It’s hard to see anything in the faint moonlight, so at Chris’ suggestion, we switch to the flashlights on our phones. It’s the kind of thing that should have occurred to me instantly, but my thoughts still feel frazzled, like I’m not firing on all cylinders.

Obviously,I think as I duck to peer around a tree, an icy gust of wind slicing past.Otherwise, you wouldn’t be trying to confront an armed, possibly suicidal teenager.