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its knees. Its large head held
two oversize black eyes, and its mouth was full of jagged brown
teeth.
    Another creature stepped out with such ease
and then another. Together they picked up the body, and Carver
didn’t stick around to watch the rest. He flipped his car around
and sped out of the dead zone. Feeling a bit of relief as his tires
squealed onto the highway, he clicked on his radio and lit a
smoke.

Chapter
Eight
Just in Time
    Dr. Whittier pulled down his dark blue
rolled-up sleeves. The breeze blew at his back, almost pushing him
toward his destiny. He buttoned the clasps around both wrists,
adjusted the strap of his shoulder bag and crossed a mostly empty
parking lot to a familiar building. He checked his watch. It was
7:05 a.m.
    It always astonished him that the military
never put guards around the property, but, looking back, he
realized there was no need. Nothing bad had ever happened during
his time here, and no one ever tried to trespass. Besides, he knew
that guards would have just drawn attention to the place. The
military had, however, given him a panic button, positioned under
the smooth black surface of his go-to rolling table. Thankfully he
had never needed to push it.
    He had always thought that the building had
an odd feel to it; that feeling was always with him, especially
when he was alone. The doctor was actually quite relieved the day
the military introduced him to his young apprentice, Jonathan.
After that, Gary didn’t mind the eerie feeling of the place; he had
someone to share it with. Memories rushed his mind.
    Upon pulling open the large glass entrance
door, he couldn’t help but smile. The lobby still had that
nostalgic scent of buffing wax and copier paper. It was odd though,
in all his time here, he never once saw a maintenance employee.
Once a military team with fully automatic weapons and heavy Kevlar
burst through the doors and raided the building room by room. They
never fully explained themselves, and the doctor just assumed it
was some sort of drill.
    His shined black shoes clicked on the floor
with each step. Making his way to the elevator, he unhooked the
flap that held his bag closed. Once inside, he pushed the 5 button,
and, as the doors closed and the lift rose, he pulled from the
large pouch a small frail box tied together with a thin string. The
doors opened, and Gary stepped out, crossed to Room 302 and peeked
in the window. His heart was pounding. He saw himself in the lab,
standing with Jon, talking about specifically this, time traveling
to this date. Gary looked once again at his watch: 7:07 a.m.; it
was time. He pulled open the door, reached in and plopped the box
on the floor, then quickly retreated to the elevator.
    Gary felt a constant rush of adrenaline
while waiting for the elevator doors to close. He kept expecting
his other self to poke in his head, and it would all be over. But
he took comfort in the fact that his younger self would most likely
be more intrigued by the box and its contents, rather than who left
it.
    He exited the complex and crossed the
parking lot. The doctor had stashed his hovercraft in the trees,
just off an empty field, where the rest of his crew waited for him.
He hated having to bring them along, but the time device required
more power than the touch of one man’s hands. If he hurried, they
could leave without anyone ever knowing they were here. If not, and
they were spotted, it could alter historic events and change the
course of time. The only thing he wanted to change was his past
self’s knowledge of the device. By leaving himself a hint, maybe he
could figure it out sooner, and all that time wouldn’t be wasted.
Maybe the note would allow his younger self to think differently
and change the way he travelled through time. It was for the
better, or so he assumed. But unfortunately for Dr. Gary Whittier,
he had no knowledge of the event to happen next.

Chapter
Nine
What Are the Odds?
    Dr. Gary Whittier stepped into the