Time's Echo: A CHRONOS Files Novella Read Online Free PDF Page A

and tell him about the interview, maybe grab Kate a ginger
ale. But it'll keep until tomorrow, I guess. Kate will be waiting for the news.
And even though she seemed pretty confident, I'm looking forward to letting her
know I didn't blow it.
    I take my usual shortcut through the alley to shave off a
few extra minutes. About twenty feet in, I feel a sharp tug at the back of my
collar. My fists are up as I wrench free and turn back toward the street. Three
guys, two of them with at least twenty pounds on me.
    There's barely six feet between the buildings, so there's
not much room to maneuver. I focus on the two bigger opponents, saving the
short guy for last.
    That's a mistake, it turns out. He's the one holding the
club.
    My last thought as I hit the cobblestones is that I really
should've stopped to get Kate that ginger ale.
     
    ∞
    "Hey, mister. You, okay?"
The voice is high pitched, like those awful singers at Norumbega .
It hurts my head.
    When I open my eyes, a small, grimy boot is nudging my
chest. I start to pull myself up and then a sharp burst of pain makes me
reconsider, so I just shift my eyes toward the source of the noise. The girl
staring down at me is in her teens. A boy a few years younger, most likely her
brother, stands behind her.
    " Yer bleedin '. You know that?" Her voice is like an
ice-pick to my brain.
    "I didn't." I move myself slowly into a
half-sitting position, and lean back against the wall of the building behind
me. "But it doesn't surprise me."
    " Ain ' a lot
of blood. I cut my leg last summer and there was way more than that.
Mama said I might even need stitches, but Papa said it was too much money to
call in a doctor, so she'd have to stitch it up herself, and she didn't wanna do that. Papa said—"
    I hold up my hand to cut her off. "What time is
it?" I'm hesitant to ask, since it means she'll speak again and my head
really can't take it, but maybe the boy will answer this time.
    No such luck. "After eight-thirty. We got off work at eight. That was a while ago, so maybe nine, I don' know. You
think it's nine yet, Jer ?" she asks the kid, but
he just shrugs. "Well, I'd say maybe closer to nine. Could
be after, even. Anyhow, you okay? 'Cause we gotta get home."
    Yes, please. Go! Even though I don't say it out loud,
my expression must've gotten the point across, because they both give me an odd
look and head back toward the street.
    I lift my fingers to the side of my head and they come away
sticky, but not dripping. The girl was right. It's not a lot of blood. There
is, however, one hell of a lump beneath the cut.
    The bag with my gear is gone, along with my jacket. I glance
down and see that they've taken my dress shirt, as well, leaving me in just an
undershirt and pants. My pockets are flipped inside out, so they scored maybe
five dollars total, counting the buck that Easley handed me when I left Norumbega .
    No shoes. No belt. No watch-chain that was clipped to the
belt and therefore, no CHRONOS key. I'm guessing it will turn up in a pawn shop
within the week, unless they just toss it. I can't bear thinking about that
right now, as it'll mean adding one more missing key to Kate's list.
    Dragging myself to my feet, I brace against the wall,
fighting down a wave of dizziness. It's most of a mile
to my place, but Jess's house is maybe two blocks in the other direction. Looks
like Kate will get that ginger ale after all. Or more likely, she's already had
it. I'm at least an hour late, judging from the estimate of my shrill angel of
mercy, and Jess's store is the first place Kate would look.
    I pass the darkened windows of John Jessup Fine Tobaccos
and Sundries a few minutes later and work my way up the staircase to Jess
and Amelia's apartment. When I reach the top, I'm still a bit disoriented, so I
pause for a moment before knocking.
    They're early risers, so they could easily be asleep
already. During the months that I lived in the storeroom downstairs, I learned
that breakfast was likely to be