The Time Breaker

PROLOGUE “Time and tide wait for no man.” Geoffrey Chaucer December, Ithaca Standing in the corner of the room, he waited. Discomfort was not something he was unfamiliar with, but even so, the hours of maintaining the illusion of invisibility were beginning to take their toll. The mental strain was intense, especially when he also needed to mask the sound of his movements each time he shifted his stance ever so slightly. But it was vital he endured. Only the weak gave in to fatigue and he was not weak. At times, powerless to change his fate… but never weak. This day could very well be one of the most important of his life. Because it was the day he would discover if his suspicions were right. If they were and he had anticipated correctly how the next few hours would play out, the ultimate triumph was finally within his reach. So he continued to wait. At the other end of the room, sitting at the cluttered desk in front of the mildewed window, was David Delcourt. He watched his prey, but this time felt no joy in the killing he would soon carry out. In fact, he had every intention of making it quick. Not because he didn’t have the stomach to do what needed to be done, but because he admired this particular man. It was simply unfortunate David didn’t know when to give up and as a result was too close to uncovering a secret that wasn’t his to share. Which meant he had to die. But not quite yet. The time to regain his birth right was so close he could taste the richness of it on his tongue and a sense of urgency slithered down his spine. Even he, with all his power, couldn’t stop the march of time… he needed to act, to finish what he’d started so many months before. Yet he needed to see her first. And so he stood, the sleeves of his thin shirt rolled back over his forearms despite the chill in the room. The winter cold seeped through the miniscule gaps in the old building, rendering the pathetic single bar heater obsolete, but he didn’t feel it. Anticipation and exhilaration raced through his blood, keeping him warmer than thick clothing ever could. His thumb stroked over the steel barrel of the revolver in his hand. Looking down, he suppressed the urge to sniff disdainfully. It wasn’t his weapon of choice; he preferred the close proximity of the dagger, preferred invading the space of his victim. But he couldn’t allow any similarities to the Montana couple; there mustn’t be any dots to connect… not yet, not when there were still things he had to do. His excitement grew… because any second now… And then she was there, standing right in front of him. She looked a mess, but that didn’t matter to him. All that mattered was that he had been right – she was the one, the key to unlocking what rightfully belonged to him. Her face was streaked with tears, but hope and determination filled her eyes. He almost felt sorry for her. Because he’d already anticipated what she’d do – she couldn’t see it, but there was an impenetrable wall around her preventing her from being seen or heard, preventing her from stopping what he needed to do. She spoke, mystification crossing her face when David didn’t respond. Walking across the room towards him, she kept talking. He couldn’t hear what she said but he imagined it was some kind of warning. David kept on working, his attention never wavering. Reaching out in irritation to close his laptop, her hand passed right through the screen. He smiled to himself. The barrier was holding. It was like she wasn’t there at all – he was the only one who could see her. And no matter what she did or said, David would never know she was standing right beside him. Horror contorted her face as she realised something wasn’t right and the hope she’d felt on entering the room faded. But she didn’t give up. Frantically, she did everything she could think of, racing around the room like a desperate woman, trying to create some noise. And then another version of her appeared in the room and there were two of them doing everything in their power to attract David’s attention, neither of them aware of the other. None of it worked. But he watched in fascination, enjoying the spectacle as yet another one of her appeared, until finally there were four versions of her uselessly circling the room. Boredom kicked in and he graciously decided it was time to put her out of her misery. Lifting his arm, he aimed at David’s unsuspecting head and squeezed the trigger. The bullet sailed smoothly through the air but as it hit its target perfectly, David’s body jerked in response to the impact and he released a small grunt of shock before falling like a rag doll to the floor… and just for a second, he felt a pang of loss for such a brilliant man. It only lasted a moment. He’d learned a long time ago not to get emotionally attached to anyone or anything. Life was easier that way. Wrenching his gaze away, he turned his head to watch her instead. As her shattered eyes flew to David’s lifeless body, her mouth formed in to a grief-stricken oval. She cried out and fresh tears coursed down her cheeks, soaking the collar of her jumper. Leaning forward, so close he could almost touch her, he breathed in and relished her pain. Not because he particularly enjoyed seeing her grieve but because he had caused that depth of emotion in her. It made him feel powerful. She closed her eyes against the vision of David’s limp body on the floor, the fresh blood seeping from the perfectly round hole in his forehead. Fumbling at her neck, she pulled out the pendant with a trembling hand and a hum of satisfaction raced through his body. This was what he’d been searching for, needing. A smile spread across his face – the time was nigh. Between one blink and the next, she disappeared and it was just him and the dead body in the room. Pleasure filled him – she had been unable to prevent the inevitable; unable to stop him from following the course he had set. And then he too left, because they would meet again very soon… and at that time, she would finally see his face.