TIMESCAPE

Prologue

 The night was dark. That was all Professor Everton Lima could think as he stood on his back porch and looked out over the shining surface of Lake Champlain. The wind blew past, rustling the leaves. Somehow the sound of the wind made him feel even more isolated. Even more alone. The night was dark.

Everton shivered, pulling his sweater tighter around himself. It was late, but he couldn't sleep. He often came out here when he had trouble sleeping. The sound of the water and the fresh air made him feel safe and free, relaxed. But not tonight. Something felt wrong. He couldn't say what it was. It was a feeling...something was coming. He could feel it in the wind.

Professor Lima turned and slipped back through the sliding glass door and into his lakeside home. He moved quietly, his wife was asleep upstairs. Everton closed and locked the door, then passed through his dark home and into his library. This was the other place he often retreated to. The room wasn't large, but it was cozy. A few armchairs and the books. Shelf after shelf, every inch of wall covered with books. Some new, some old, some very old. This room also served as his study. A desk sat on the far end of the room, it was covered with papers and books left open.

Everton felt a chill run down his spine. Papers rustled across the room. He frowned. The window was open behind the desk. He couldn't remember leaving it open. Everton crossed the room and looked out into the dark night once again. The night was dark, he thought. A gust of wind tore through the night and seemed to wrap itself around him with its tight claws. The wind didn't come alone, it brought with it a message...something was coming. He pulled the window shut.

Turning to his desk, Everton's eyes fell on one of the open books, a history book about ancient Mesopotamia. It was a book he was using to teach one his classes at Champlain University. He was a professor there, he'd moved to Vermont nearly 20 years ago from New York City to teach anthropology. But lately he hadn't been focusing much on his classes, he'd been working on something else.

A few months ago he'd been called to Washington D.C. and offered a position on a top secret government project. He was to discuss it with no one, not even his wife. For months he had been working with another professor they had chosen, Joseph Campbell. The project had been completed for about 3 weeks now. Everton was just getting used to normal life again. But deep down he knew, that his life would never be "normal" again. If everything was normal he'd be able to sleep. If everything was normal he wouldn't have a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach that something bad was going to happen...

Everton's eyes fell to an open drawer underneath the desk. Strange...he never left drawers open. Either his wife had been in here and had left it open, or he was losing his mind. First the window, and now this. But there was another option. And that option terrified him even more.

Maybe someone else had been in here.

Everton's heart began beating faster. He lifted his head, an action that required far more effort than usual. His eyes looked around the dark room. The light from the window illuminated about half the room, but left the far half of it dark. Anything could be hiding in that darkness, waiting for him. And that's when Everton knew. They had finally come for him. The government had offered him protection, but he had stubbornly denied. He'd thought he was safe here. No one knew he was even involved.

But apparently someone had. Someone had found out, and someone had come here, to his home. Everton tried to reason his way out of this conclusion. This was crazy, there was no one hiding in the shadows. But his body told him otherwise. Everton tried to calm his pounding heart. He continued to stare into the shadows and said resolutely "You can come out now."

Everton was proud of himself. He managed to keep his voice calm despite his quivering body. He could feel the sweat on his skin, his clammy hands. Every second felt stretched, like time was taking longer than it should. He was almost convinced there was nothing there, but then he heard a voice...

"You're in trouble, Professor." The voice, deep and scarred, seemed to come out of nothing, out of the darkness. A ghost. A phantom of the night. A voice out of a nightmare.

Footsteps. Slow, heavy. The man was walking toward him. A moment later, a dark boot pushed its way out of the shadows, followed by a figure. The man was dressed all in black, his face hidden by a dark hood. Here in the dark, the figure could barely be made out.

Everton curled his fingers into a fist. So it was real. They had come for him. He had to be strong, for the sake of the project and those involved, his friends. Goosebumps prickled their way down his arms and the back of his neck. "Please don't hurt my wife." This time he was much less successful at hiding the fear in his voice.

The figure stood still, completely motionless. A statue. Everton could tell the man was watching him even if he couldn't see the eyes. "I'm not here for her."

"Are you going to kill me?" Everton felt light headed. He held onto the desk to steady himself.

"Not tonight," the phantom growled. And although he couldn't see it, Everton knew the man was smiling. "Tonight you're coming with me."