Hit Rewind

Marsh

He touched her!

He touched her, and the look in his eyes left no doubt that he was going to hurt my king.  Then she punched him while I stood there like a stone.

And something has now clicked in my mind.  I never want to be the man standing before me.  I don't want to be the person who would threaten and hurt teenagers to get what he wanted.

Yet there stands the proof that I will become exactly that.

Caitlin screams, and I see a look of agony cross Michael's face at the sound.

How we've all been used.  How I've been used!

"Give Michael the money and get Caitlin out of here like you promised," I say, voice somehow sounding stronger than I imagined it.  "I want Leslie to go with them."

"And if I refuse?  What are you going to do then, Will?" He asks, crossing his arms and smirking despite his slightly swelling jaw.

I pull out a bundle of papers and a very familiar device.  "If you refuse, I will smash the original remote and burn the formula for Hit Rewind."

Both Leslies stare at me with wide eyes.

"Can he do that?" The older one questions, gears churning behind her eyes.  "Can he destroy Hit Rewind?"

"Yes," I reply before the other can even open his mouth, "I can.  Seeing as I am the younger Will, anything I do will inevitably affect what happens to him."

The hardened older version of me stares back at me. "You don't want to do this, Will. Remember, I can see all the consequences that your actions will reap."

I grab a lighter from my pocket and flick it so that the flame glows ominously. "Last chance. Sign a check over to Michael for the exact amount that this is going to cost them and let the three of them go."

He refuses to move, and I hold the lighter closer to the papers until the edges start to smolder. I only meant it to be a threat, but the flames seem to leap onto the documents. Panicking, I throw the papers to an abandoned corner and watch in horror as the remote flies through the air too.

The sound of it shattering against the concrete floor is amplified through the building, and everyone goes silent except for Caitlin's slight panting.

"Well, that wasn't supposed to happen," I say, staring at the ashes and shattered plastic.

I lift my eyes to see Will glaring at me. Something has snapped in his eyes, and a chill runs through me at the sight of his cold lifeless stare.

"You will regret that," he tells me, and his hand inches towards the pocket in his suit where something bulges.

Swallowing hard, I realize how the others felt when I brought them to this ramshackle warehouse. Fear, the very thing I'm feeling when future me pulls out a pistol from his pocket.

I see the next thirty seconds in snapshots.

1. Leslie, my Leslie, starts to understand what is about to happen and plots what she is going to do. However, it doesn't do her any good.

2. Caitlin crumbles backwards, and Michael catches her, his face frozen in a mask of horror. Around their feet, the ground is turning wet.

3. Older Leslie is rushing towards older Will from behind, trying to jerk his arm up before the gun goes off.

4. He pulls the trigger, and the bullet slams into my abdomen, throwing me backwards as well. The surprisingly loud shot is followed by younger Leslie screaming my name.

Then everything goes black.

Progress with 8253

Note: You fool! You have ruined us! You have killed our future! Maybe it won't matter if you die now, if I cease to exist.

However, I take great pride in my marksmanship. You will see why, Will. I promise.