Faint Whispers

category:Black Lotus
Have you ever been walking down the street, talking with a friend or loved one, or even sitting in the church pew and seen somebody simply stop and stare blankly into space? My whole life I’ve overlooked this minor detail and accepted it as every other person does as nothing. However, if you were in my shoes right now, you would wish you were still oblivious to the little glitch. You want to know why you would want to know nothing? It’s because I know… I know everything. I wish I didn’t, but I do. I wasn’t given a choice. It was forced on top of me without my consent, and it’s about to send me into insanity. I stumbled upon it by sheer unluckiness. But now… now I’m here. I like to call it “The Void” because it feels so empty. You don’t have to worry about any of this, you lucky bastard. I’m the only one in this lifetime who can do anything about it. I swear… if I’m all alone in this… What am I saying? Of course I’m alone. Damn him… It’s all because of him. Ugh… I should really give you the background details. I’ll just start from the beginning like every other story.
* * *
The sun is showing brightly through the wispy clouds. The warm, breezy day is nothing short of perfect. School is out for summer, and children of all ages can be seen all around. The shopping mall is bustling with thousands of people going in and out. Gazing out towards the beach, tourists can be seen in the ocean waters with surf boards, fighting the waves, or lying under the comfortable sun. Over near the school, a tackle football game is just beginning. The ball is lobbed, and a long, lanky kid dives to catch the football for a touchdown.
A newlywed couple walks hand-in-hand down the strip of department stores in the freshly renovated shopping mall. The constant drone of other shoppers surrounding the couple is soothing, and eventually the couple head home with a large colorful box after nearly two hours of shopping. On the way out of the automatic doors, the wife stops and stares blankly. After a moment, she looks over at her husband and smiles, “The baby is simply going to love her new crib.”
The boy always loves to come to the beach and beat up waves. One wave, two waves, three waves… the boy of only 8 years punches through each wave that bellows on top of him. Twenty waves, twenty-one waves, twenty-two waves… This must be a new record! The boy is having so much fun. His friend already gave up on the waves and was building a sand castle with his red pail and shovel. The boy’s friend looks blankly towards the boy beating up waves. After a moment, the boy’s friend begins walking out to beat up more waves. The boy wasn’t about to give up; not with the record so close! Thirty waves… There was no way he was leaving without that record.
The score is 21 – 28. The 4 on 4 football game is a close match where nearly every possession change results in a touchdown. The game is just a fun match with the local kids, but to them it’s bragging rights. After a diving touchdown catch, the score is now at an even 28 – 28. Blue! Forty-Two! Hike! The team all goes out for a pass. One of the kids on the opposing team stops and stares blankly. After a second, he runs to cover the receiver. The ball is dumped to a close teammate who begins running for a score. He’s tackled from behind, and, just for fun, both teams jump in a dog pile.
***
"Drexler! Where the hell have you been all day?" the Chief of Police, Graham, yells, "I've been looking all over for you!"
"Sir! Sorry, sir. I came as soon as I heard you needed me. We've gotten more reports today than usual." After calming a bit, Graham replies, "That's exactly what I needed to talk to you about. Besides a few minor reports, a few really stood out to me as strange. You know Greg's son, Ray? He broke his leg today. That may not seem strange, but the stories I heard about how it happened are something to consider. He was playing football with quite a few of his friends when they all jumped into a dog pile. The other kids had to pull Jeremy off when he kept stomping on Ray's leg like there was no tomorrow! By the time the kids could restrain Jeremy, Ray's leg was broken horribly in four spots. He may never use his leg again as long as he lives." Officer Drexler turns furrows his eyebrows and gently shakes his head. "That's not all." Graham continues, "There are two more reports that trouble me. A boy nearly drowned today. Witnesses say they saw a boy and his friend punching at waves when, out of nowhere, one of the boys put the other in a choke hold and held him underwater for several minutes while screaming something about records. The drowning boy was pulled up and rushed to the hospital where the doctors say he has permanent brain damage and will be a vegetable for the rest of his life." Drexler lowers his glance and says a quick “Hail, Mary.” "Drexler, I want you to brace yourself for this next report; I nearly threw up my lunch." Drexler slowly nods. Graham continues with the third and last report, "A woman was taken into custody. Her husband has no clue why she did it. He said they were just at the mall together today and even bought a new mobile to hang over the baby's crib. Next, he said that they walked through the front door of their house, he spoke with the babysitter and paid her the decided price, and his wife quickly strode to the baby's room. What happened next is horrible... The husband heard a thump and then a rip... like a ligament. He thought it came from the baby's room, so he quickly ran to check on the baby. Blood was all over his wife who had the baby in her hands, wringing the poor thing’s neck." At this point, Drexler's eyes began to tear up and a quick gasp escaped his throat.
***
That's all you need to know for what I'm about to tell you. I'm about to explain the little glitches you seem to never notice or care about. He was there. He who I was put in this universe to contain was there. Thanks to you, though, it's damn impossible. He is what you see, what you think, what you are. Without you, he would cease his very existence. You see, He is all that is evil. He lives to see darkness envelope the universe. Every time more evil is created, he gets stronger... and stronger... and stronger. Thanks to you, that is. You may call me crazy, but I know. I have lived through it up until now, and I am doing everything I can to save the universe. Ha… Me saving the universe... what a joke… No matter if you like it or not, that's how it is. I'm the only one who can do anything. How does this fit in with the horrible events that unfolded on the perfect summer day? Like I said, He was there. I want you to imagine when the people stopped and stared blankly for that small split second... Do you see it…? There! He's right there, whispering into the ears of his accomplices! Of course you can't see him. You're the reason why he's even in existence. He is merely evil thoughts. I say merely, but he's way more than that. He exists simply because of evil thoughts. In essence, He is a thought. It's strange but true. Eventually, He could take form and be more than just a thought. That's His plan. Too bad I'm here. What makes me so special?
You wouldn't understand...