Opening doorways

"This won't end well." I said as I entered the crowded junky swap meet with my girlfriend Kate and best friend Kevin, although most people called him Kay.

"C'mon brother the meet's only started!" Kay nudged me on the shoulder to try and get my spirit back. "Oh hot damn!" He suddenly said, spying a white Stetson on a table and rooting around his pockets for his wallet.

"And so ends the tale of Kevin "Kay" Donovan." Kate chuckled walking forward. "Hey Matt I'll catch up with you later, I need replacement glasses after that stunt James pulled."

"Huh, Captain James T. Carter, boldly breaking what no man has ever broken before, in more ways than one." Kay said upon catching up with us.

"Kay Katie, see ya' call me if you're lost." I said, while Kate strutted off to find eye glasses.

We wandered around for the better part of an hour, me buying a long-as-hell k-bar, along with a sheath to go with it, a surprisingly inexpensive colt .45 revolver with a free of charge angel draw shoulder holster that the owner insisted I keep despite only being fifteen with no gun license,and a hard-top ruddy colored Stetson to go with Kay's flawless alabaster one.

"So bro, where haven't we been?" Kay asked me after a while.

"Hmm..." I said, scanning my almost empty wallet. "I honestly think we've bee-"

"Eh fellas, come look at these beauties no?" A man with a thick, almost unintelligible Yugoslavian drawl abruptly cut me off.

"This looks interesting..." Kay slowly stated when entering the vendor's tent.

"How would you boys like a rare vintage timepiece huh?" The foreigner said, sweeping his hand over the large display case of wrist-watches, wall clocks, novelty watches, even a wrist watch with Mikey Mouse as a Nazi officer! I mean, who openly owns that? But one specific one brought my attention, and through my peripheral vision, I caught Kay looking at a very similar watch.

I unwillingly opened my mouth and said words that I was sure weren't mine. "One sterling silver pocket watch, with a chain please sir." I said, then bringing a hand over my mouth in surprise.

"The Brass and ebony one sir, matching chain." Kevin stated curtly in a voice that sounded not at all like his own. He too clapped a hand over his mouth when finished speaking.

"Certainly gentlemen." He drawled, flashing a smile creepier than that of death himself.

"B-bu-but I'm not sure I can afford the thing! I-I mean if this piece didn't cost hundreds..." I quickly claimed, wanting to get out of this mess as quickly as possible.

"Ditto!" Kay stupidly added, violently nodding his head.

"Oh but you don't seem to understand boys, you don't pay with money..."

"What..." Kevin and I said in sync, picking up our respective watches and hitting the opening mechanism, if only to see the inside of the time piece, as a bright red light began to envelope the world around us.

"...You pay with your life." The mans voice faded out as I suddenly lost consciousness.