Session 101: The Harbinger

I glanced at my watch. Three o'clock. Hope this one doesn't take the full hour, I thought. I opened my door and invited the man to take a seat in my office. He was dressed oddly and acting very suspicious. He hadn't told me his name yet, so I figured I would just ask him first. "What is your name, sir?"

"We must go! They are coming! The darkness. I know."

"Who is coming? Are you in trouble, sir? Are the police after you?" I realized about three questions in that I had already asked him too much at once, but I was so intrigued by this character. I wanted to get some answers as soon as possible. 

The man returned a haunting stare that sent shivers down my spine. His response was even more chilling. “We are all in trouble. The darkness is coming. Are you prepared?”

"I'm not sure what you are talking about."

"The time is now," he said while rocking back and forth. "I know.  It is coming for us all.”

I skipped over the first question that came to my mind and just moved on to the second. “Are you on any sort of medication?”

“I seek the truth," was all the man said.  

"Aren't we all," I muttered under my breath.

The man gazed out my office window. "The darkness is coming. It hides the truth. I know."

I leaned forward, intrigued by this man's fixation on the coming darkness. “What actually is the darkness?”

The man suddenly stopped rocking back and forth. He whipped his head back in my direction and locked his eyes on mine. “The darkness is everywhere. It could be anyone. I know all about their plans, but no one will listen to me.  I’ve been watching.  I know.”

"What do you mean? Can you be more specific?"

"Many will not be ready.  Many will be deceived. I know. We must prepare." 

"Prepare for what?" I asked.  

"I’ve been watching," he replied. "I know all about it. The time has come. Consider yourself warned. The darkness is coming for you too.  You need to be ready.”

I was willing to work with this guy and figure out what he was talking about, but he wasn't making it easy. He hadn't really answered any of my questions. I was beginning to feel like this wasn't going to get anywhere.

The man stared out the window again. "It is surely coming. Many will tremble with fear.  A strong and dark force that no man has ever seen. A great deception. I know. I know it is coming."

I just shook my head and tried to come up with another question that maybe he would answer. His constant rambling about a coming darkness was beginning to get on my nerves. I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Okay, I can get through this session.

When I opened my eyes, the blood drained from my face. I was completely stunned, unsure of what in the world had just happened. There was nobody in my office. No strange man who was rambling about anything. There was nobody here for the three o'clock session.

Jonathan P. Jehle
Author of The Allegiance Series