West

In fact, I didn't recall going to bed at all. I went to Carter's office and then … passed out? Then who put me in my pajamas?

I twisted, a sliver of panic working its way through my system at the idea of missing time. While not out of the ordinary for a long night of drinking, I wasn't certain why I didn't recall stumbling into bed at least.

The dust plume above the crater was still visible. It was impossible to tell directions in the storm. There was no glow on any horizon to indicate a city was close, and the rolling hills of grass was more representative of the fertile Great Plains than the desert southwest.

Was it possible to have been thrown miles and miles away from Tombstone by the meteor without so much as a scratch?

My cell phone vibrated. Adrenaline surged through me at the reminder I had a way to call home or for help. I yanked it out of my pocket.

There was one message.

Don't panic. It was marked from Carter, a contact I hadn't had in my phone earlier. It was possible I put him there when we were drinking, though.

A sense of the surreal was creeping up on me. It made my stomach turn and my insides shake.

I typed a response. WTF happened? How did I end up in a crater?

Tapping send, I went through my phone's contacts to call my aunt and uncle and make sure they were okay.

There was only one contact in my phone. All the other icons - those for internet, my apps, everything - were also gone. There was no content on my phone, aside from Carter's number, listed as undisclosed, and his message.

I examined the device. It had the dings and dents that I recalled, just none of the information. It had no signal and no bars indicating battery power, either, and yet, the phone was on.

My hands were starting to shake, my head spinning. His response was quick.

Doctor Who, remember? Two-ish weeks to change things? I'm in a meeting. Just hang in there and play along. I'll text later.

His message was accompanied by a smiley face.

"You're in a meeting?" I demanded of the phone with a startled laugh. And what the hell did he mean by the reference to one of my favorite television shows? He couldn't possibly be serious about …

"What?" The self-proclaimed lawman asked.

I have a time machine. Carter had said.

What if it was more than a drunken boast?

"Nothing." I pocketed the phone. My baffled thoughts tried to make sense of what had happened. I struggled to recall exactly what Carter told me in the dream.