The heat and smoke were suddenly gone. Theo felt a cool breeze dance against his skin and ruffle his hair. His head spun as if he’d stood too quickly. Opening his eyes he swayed slightly and looked around not recognizing his surroundings. The burning barn and the farmhouse were nowhere in sight. The air smelled clean with the cold bite of fall. He could hear the rustle of huge trees in the night breeze, although he could barely make them out in the darkness.
He was no longer on the ground, trapped in a burning barn. In fact, he was no longer on his family’s land at all. His body was wracked by a coughing fit, leaning forward he wheezed and tried to drag the clean air into his lungs. A sharp pain jolted through his arm as he tried to move it and when he looked, it was to find his sleeve saturated with blood. Gripping his forearm tightly to try and stem the flow he grimaced, swaying again.
“That looks nasty, you should probably get that looked at as soon as possible.” A calm, male voice spoke from the darkness.
Theo startled as a figure suddenly appeared in the pale moonlight. The man standing before him was tall and broad-shouldered. His dark hair seemed to curl slightly at the ends, his skin pale, and his eyes watched Theo patiently as if waiting for him to adjust to his new surroundings.
“Who are you?” Theo croaked, his voice foreign to his ears. He cleared his throat and tried again, but he still sounded rough and scratchy from the smoke. “Who are you?”
The man smiled in amusement. “A friend.”
“How did I get here?” Theo demanded. “Where am I?”
“A better question would be, when are you?”
“I don’t understand.” Theo shook his head to try and clear his thoughts.
“Theodore Beckett.”
“How do you know my name?” Theo asked suspiciously as he swayed unsteadily.
“I know more than you can possibly imagine, Theo,” he replied. “But now’s not the time. I can only tell you that you’re no longer in Salem, and the year is no longer 1695.”
“I don’t…” Theo shook his head to clear the strange buzzing in his ears. “I don’t understand.”
“Theo,” the man explained, “you’re in a town called Mercy, about fifty miles from Salem, and it is now the 21st century.”
“No, that’s not possible.” He shook his head again. “It’s not possible. I died… I died in the fire… this is Hell. I’m in Hell.”
The stranger chuckled. “You’re not in Hell, my friend, far from it. I hate to just throw you in the deep here, but I’m sure you’ll adjust.”
“What am I doing here?” Theo swayed again. “I don’t understand what is happening.”
“Back that way.” The man indicated over his shoulder. “Through the woods you’ll find a house by a lake, and in it lives a woman you might just recognize.”
“Who?” Theo replied suspiciously. “Who is she?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise.” He grinned, and it made him look almost boyish. “But whether she likes it or not, she needs you. She’s now your responsibility.”
“I don’t think so,” Theo replied darkly. “I’m not a wet nurse. I don’t intend to be responsible for anyone.”
“Not your choice,” Came the matter-of-fact response. “I know what you’ve done, Theo, and I know what you want.”
“And what’s that?” Theo scowled.
“Redemption,” he replied. “Trust me, she’s your ticket to peace and forgiveness, but first you need to protect her.”
“From what?” Theo frowned as his head began to spin.
“You’ll find out soon enough. Oh, and by the way,” the amused voice rumbled, “watch out for the car.”
“What is a car?” Theo croaked, but the man had disappeared.
Hearing a strange noise, Theo turned. His head spun wildly and threw his hands up to protect his eyes from the sudden glare of two bright lights before his legs gave way and crumpled beneath him.
“Please don’t be dead,” a female voice whispered desperately into the night air. “Please don’t be dead.”
She placed her fingertips gently at his throat and felt his pulse kick strongly. He groaned and turned toward her, his unfocused eyes fluttering as she cupped his face.
