Free The End Came With a Kiss by John Michael Hileman Page B

to what is real. As I stumble away, I hear a low guttural growl—the kind my wife makes when she’s frustrated with me. It seems to be coming from everywhere. That isn't how it’s supposed to work. I want to leave this snapshot. I want to move through time to somewhere safer, but my terror has consumed my focus. All I can think about is escape.
    My eyes dart right and scan the room. There’s a man standing in his cubicle smacking his face with his hand. Smack! Smack! Over and over. Harder and harder. His eyes come up and look past me, searching for what everyone is staring at. They snap to me.
    I have to get out, I have to get to the lab! A crashing sound fuels my fear as I break into a run. I need to get back to the time stream, back to where I'm supposed to be! Another crash. Another bang. The room is filling with growls and screams. They feed off each other's fear like wild apes in a cage, howling and gnashing their teeth. All eyes are on me now. Some are already climbing over their cubicle walls. If their wave of panic activates the loopers in front of me, I'll be swallowed up in the mob.
    What will happen then? Will I wake? Or will the shock send me into cardiac arrest? I resolve to wake before they can bludgeon me or dig my eyes out.
    I snap my head forward. There’s a woman near the lab door staring at me. Teeth bared. I keep my eyes trained on her and push my legs harder. There will be only one chance before the rest are on me. She braces herself to spring, veins popping out on her neck, eyes bulging in their sockets, the beautiful face distorted by uncontrollable rage. The gap is closing. Her knees are bending. This is it!
    I go into a slide—but the friction from the carpet puts me into a roll. Instead of sliding completely under her, she almost lands on top of me! Her hands slap down on my shoulders, but I tear free and roll into a crawl. Her fingers are scratching on the heels of my shoes, now the backs of my thighs. She’ll be on top of me soon! I scramble frantically, the lab door is almost within reach. I kick back. My shoe glances off her forehead and her head springs back. It’s no use! Her grip is immense. And more are descending on me! It’s over. I have to wake up! Wake up! WAKE UP!
    Air rushes into my lungs as my mouth and eyes strain to full size.
    Where am I?!
    The room is dim. Is this the lab? Why are the lights out? Have I shifted through time or am I awake? I scan the room frantically. Where’s Lau? My whole body aches. My head feels like it’s on fire. I try to call for him, but my voice is husky and weak. "Lau!" I suck in another breath. "LAU!" I see a white light reflecting off the wall. A flashlight? Where’s it coming from?
    "We’re here, Mr. Carter."
    "Why are the lights out? Where’s Ashlyn?"
    "I’m here," she says from somewhere above my head.
    I try to get up but my head feels like a sack of rice. Lau appears above me, oppressing me with his headlamp.
    "Turn that thing off! You’re killing me, Lau!"
    He slides it to the right side of his head, lifts my shirt and puts a cold stethoscope on my chest. "Breathe in," he says, with noticeable concern.
    "Okay, Doc, you’re freaking me out."
    "Breath in!"
    I draw in a breath and let it out.
    "Again!"
    I draw in another and let it out. "Seriously, Lau, you need to start talking to me." I feel a pinch on the inner pocket of my right elbow. I shake my arm and a plastic tube wiggles. "Is that an IV? Did something go wrong while I was under?"
    "A lot of things went wrong while you were under."
    "You’ve been sleeping a while," says Ashlyn, appearing on the right of Lau.
    "Did I sleep into the night?" I ask, looking around the dim room. "Why are the lights out?"
    "We lost the generator a couple of days ago," Lau says, pulling my shirt back down.
    "A couple of what?"
    "Days," says Ashlyn, clearly displaying her irritation.
    "I tried to explain to your young friend where the generator is and how to fuel it, but she says she can’t get to