Dear John,

Blurry. Hues, slowly coalescing into focus. Blink. The early morning light casts a strange pall on the bedroom. Blink. Surrounded by the stench of decay and shadow. Blink. The room begins to resume its standard composure as the new day breaks.
A quick shower, trying to shake the feeling of dread from the night before. Odd how the mind works. Could have sworn I saw the man in black Great. Jumping at fog in the mirror. Blasted heebie jeebies, just stop thinking about it. There is no one else in the room. No monster hiding in the dark. Now finish getting ready for work.A quick and easy breakfast. Two eggs, a little cheese, glass of juice. Funny, eggs don’t smell quite right, almost like that smell from the… blink. The feeling ebbs, no use wasting time standing around.

A car, following too close; driving erratically. Odd that the other drivers don’t seem to notice. Big city, though. Stranger things have happened. Exit 109 coming up, a gentle turn to the right. Followed by the same car. Quarter mile down the road, a left. Still tailed. A quick right down a side road, followed by another rapid swerve right. Still there. Floor it. Look back. Nothing’s there. The rest of the commute passes uneventfully.

Pull into the parking complex, elevator arriving promptly, right on cue. A man in black, reaching out, grabbing, dragging inwards, down, down. Turning to run, “John! What’s the matter? You look like you just saw a ghost.” “What? Oh. Nothing, Steven. I, I guess I just need to wake up.” “No worries, man, no worries. Oh hey, before I forget, big news coming down the grapevine, the boss wants to see. Word is you may be up for a promotion. ”
Greeted by his secretary. “You look tired, you need to wake up John, this could be a big day for you.” “I know, I’m sorry. Rough night, I dreamed about… I … I actually can’t remember, Kept me up though.” Happens to the best of us. He’ll see you now.”
Blink.
Darkness. All encompassing. An empty Void. The musk of things best left unknown and forgotten. Something moves in the distance. But no, that isn’t right, it is a feeling, a constricting of the chest. It knows. “John, are you listening? You need to wake up, I was saying that we have seen a 7.8 rise in stocks, and we think it is mostly due to your targeted market promotion. The Board wants to meet the man who is rebuilding the company. Play those cards right, and I may be calling you “sir”.” “Oh, sorry. That’s wonderful news, really. Thanks.”
Back to work. Attempting to forget the oddities of the day’s events. “I think I need to get the doctor to adjust my dosage”, absently muttered. “Excuse me sir, what?” “Oh, just thing out loud, sorry.” “No problem at all sir, you need to wake up. I’ll be on my way.”
Need a break, a few hours away from the office. Decide to step out for lunch, just something quick, stop by the McDonald’s half a block away. “I’ll take a berry shake and a quarter pounder” “You need to wake up, John.” “What? What the hell did you just say?” “I, I’m sorry sir, it’s just standard policy, I just asked if you wanted to make it a combo meal. We… we were told to ask everyone that.” “Sorry. I’m, I guess I’m a little on edge. Yeah, go ahead and do that. And keep the change.”Grab the food and find a seat, away from the ever prying eyes. That wasn’t good. Took the medicine this morning? Think, Think. Shit, not sure. Pop one now. Just to be safe.
“Hello, It’ s John, I’m going to take the next few hours off, I’ll be back in the office at, say three-ish.” *Click* Need some fresh air. Get away from, it. Not far to the Commons, a good place to just breath and relax. Find the nearest subway, jump on the green line. As it pulls away, you notice him. The man in black. He smiles from the platform.
Blink.
The Void awaits. It’s still there. In the black, it’s invisible. But it makes noise. A low rumbling, so large it causes trembles. Or perhaps that’s just the dread and terror that is causing the shakes. An ant can comprehend the boot that crushes it better than one could make sense of this. The beast of the Void. And it is drawing ever closer.
“Are you drunk? On drugs? Wake the hell up, John, this is the end of the line!”
“Huh? Oh, yeah sure, this is my stop. My apologize for inconveniencing you.
Wait a second, sorry. I just have to ask, how do you know my name?”
“You sure you’re ok, buddy? It’s on your name-tag. Do you need me to get you help?”
“No, no. I’m fine.”
“Just having a, having a daydream, sorry again”
A quick jaunt to the local park. Getting lost in the hustle and bustle of a big city, it’s easy to forget the oddities of the days events. Lost in the crowd, it’s easy to become just another face with somewhere to be. But fatigue begins to take its toll. Tired, drained by the day’s events, the sun and crowd become oppressive. Grab a seat and rest.
Blink.
Just for a moment.
Blink.

It was out there. Inches, feet, yards away at most. The inky darkness was like a shroud around it. A warm mist billows forth, the perfume of Hell.  It had arrived, at last, to its prey. The end destination. There would no escape. No heart pounding chase. Like a hare before the hound. Waiting, in terror. Waiting to die.
Blink.

A cooling breeze ,the sweet hint of lillies on the wind. It’s gentleness harsh contrast to the horror that had come before. Peace. Serenity for a shattered mind. Quiet. Much too quiet. A busy park should have someone, anyone, around.
And then, like blood soaking through a white cloth, he appeared.
The damnable Man in Black.

Running. No, fleeing. Panic and dread. But then, the green-way gives way to the street. Back to the city. There the car sits; it’s safety beckoning. A moment of discontent. A feeling of wrongness. It passes quickly. There is a drug store two blocks away. Need, something, to make this nightmare end. The drive calms the nerves. The hackles slowly descend.Tune in the radio, forget the horror. “”…reen line will remained closed for the rest of the week due to maintenance” *click* “The FDA has linked this drug with neurosis the man in black. Wake up, John. *Click* I am awake I am awake iamwakeiamawake

The welcoming doors open. Time for an end for time an end. Muffled voices ignored in pursuit of the goal. Just have to make it to the pharmacy. Salvation in a bottle. Clarity encapsulated. The muffled buzz grows louder. Louder. Louder. Piercing through the fog. A grandmotherly woman muttering nearby. A clerk stocking shelves providing accompaniment. A toddler speaking in babble. Chanting. “Wake up John, Wake up.” Building in fervor. Shattering the veil. A scream of Anguish. And for one blessed moment, silence. A look of confusion flows from face to face. It is quickly, much to quickly, replaced by… nothing. Blankness. A lack of humanity. Like birds of prey they begin to descend.
Blink.
This time it is different. Still surrounded by nothingness, but somehow, less dark. The chanting returns, sing-song in cadence. Urging, pleading for the dream to end. “But how?” And, for once, it answers, “You’ll know.”
Blink.

Back home. Darkness begins to shroud the city. For the first time in an eternity, quiet. A softly blowing breeze. It’s there. Behind you, like you knew it would be.
Blink. The precipice edges closer as the beast draws ever nearer. Blink The courtons brush past. Blink. A wolfish grin splits its maw, this will not be quick, nor gentle. Blink. Footfalls on the  balcony. Blink .Desalsion. Despair. The end. No, the End. The abyss is the only refuge left. Blink. The pavement rushes to offer a tender embrace.

Blink.

Blink.

Blink.

The Man in Black awaits.