For the first time, my thoughts went to what lay ahead of me. In D.C., I’d come to understand the workings of the strange world in which I lived. Don’t get me wrong, there were always surprises. Outbreaks of the undead or new forms of bloodthirsty creatures wandered into my path, but they knew I knew my way around, and that’s what made me strong. Heading out to the other coast meant a whole new set of rules. God knew what the fuck lurked out there.

I’ve always attracted the darker side of life. Ghouls, ghosts, zombies, werewolves, mummies, vampires, and all sorts of nasty, unnatural creatures. I have two rules that I live by. The first is that I don’t go after them if they don’t come after me. Number two is to break the first rule if someone’s got enough cash to make it worthwhile.

And this thing with Sam? That had me worried. What kind of kid could conjure up that kind of power? We’re talking about something Aleister Crowley tried to do and failed. Splitting a human body into two different times was no easy feat. I’d seen it done before, but none of the victims had ever survived. Sam probably knew that too. The old bastard must’ve been scared shitless.

I thought about Sam as we boarded. There was the distinct possibility that I would never find his body and reunite it with his head. Who knew what the kid had planned, or what would happen to Sam’s head if the body was hurt or destroyed?

The whole thing freaked me out, and I knew why. It was purely selfish.

Sam was me. He was an older version of myself, a glimpse into my future. Was this how I’d wind up? Slowly being whittled down to a scar-covered nub until I was eventually outmaneuvered by some psychotic freak? Fuck. I wanted to think I was more than that. I wanted to believe that I’d eventually move away from this monster hunting crap and do something else. But I’d thought about it for years—shit, my whole life—and it never happened. Every time I attempted to turn my back on the strange, it came looking for me.

As the plane took off smoothly, I watched my lifelong home fade below me through the small, circular window until it disappeared behind the clouds. Just like that, I was gone. I settled into my seat and stared out the window steadily for the next few hours. Mostly I saw clouds, but occasionally we dropped altitude enough for me to get a glimpse of the ground below.