• After school, I quickly make my way home. To worried about my troubles to remember that Snow and I still need to present our project. I decide to walk even though I’m in a hurry.
    “Think John, think.” I begin to go over everything my doppelgänger has said to me ever since we first spoke. I will die, and become a time traveler. If I tell anyone, I will never see Snow again. Most importantly, he said something about “spoilers”, which means there is only so much information he can give me without altering the timeline.
    I’m still pondering the “spoilers” line when I turn the corner to my house, and notice someone sitting on the front steps. My doppelgänger instantly jumps to mind, but that is quickly tossed aside, as I see this newcomer is clad from head to toe in modern military armor including goggles, and a mask that completely hide his face.
    My first instinct is to run and call for help, but then I realize that there are quite a few people who walk by my house while I’m gone. If they didn’t have reason to call and tell me, then that means he is harmless. I hope. I slowly make my way across the street, making sure that I can bolt at the first sign of a threat. I can’t tell exactly how, but at that moment, even though I couldn’t see his eyes, I felt him watching me.
    With every ounce of my caution, I made my way to the first of the three front steps. Then without any kind of provocation, the strange man stands and promptly salutes. I cautiously return this gesture.
    I notice that the man is about six foot two, not including the step he was standing on. I also notice that he has several weapons strapped to his body. I see a hand gun, two combat knives, and a sniper rifle on his back.
    He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a pencil and note pad. I watch as he scribbles something. After about two minutes he hands me the pad, it reads:

    Hello. My name is Hastam Ventus. I am a friend. I have come to assist you in certain matters. I will try my best to avoid extreme measures, but John assures me that it will not come to that.

    I look up after reading this twice. Hastam is Latin for spear. I look around, making sure no one is watching. “Hastam,” I take a moment to think over my words, “Are you a time traveler as well?” He seems to stare at me for a moment before taking his pad back and writing another message.

    Where I am from, we do not have this word. I am Andron Spatiator. A corridor walker in your native tongue. I was sent to assist you in certain-

    Before I can finish, Hastam tackles me down. Just in time for a small black bird to fly by and crash into my front door. Hastam is on his feet, with a combat knife in one hand, and his hand gun in the other. For a moment my vision becomes hazy, and I swear his gun turned into an old Colt revolver. I shake my head, and when I look back, everything is normal. Except for the bird.
    Right where the bird hit my door was beginning to age and rot at a phenomenal rate. I counted down from ten, and by the time I reached five, almost half the door was dust. The bird was hovering just inside the doorway, watching us, waiting.
    “Dammit, dammit, dammit.” I hear these words spoken by Hastam, who I had assumed was mute. He went on to say, “Why did you have to show up now of all times?”
    “You know what that thing is?” I ask quietly. Right after I say this, Hastam quickly turns to me and asks, “You can hear me?” He made a mistake. The bird shot at him faster than I could blink. I did the only thing I could think of in that small moment. I pushed Hastam down, putting me in direct line with the bird. I feel its beak pierce my chest. It felt almost like burning and freezing at the same time. I stagger back a few steps, and then the pain sets in. I open my mouth to scream, but at that moment everything goes black.