I’m here.
My purpose is raise the messiah. I am the Rapture. This is my first task. I’ve been waiting for this my entire existence. Just one task…I can do this. The others, especially Michael, had told me what to do. It was a simple task that I will complete easily.
But for now I’m just here. Watching.
I don’t remember leaving somewhere. I don’t remember arriving here. I don’t know my name. What I look like? Do I have family? No. I don’t know much at all. What I do know is it’s quiet…And dark.
There are two other people here. A waitress and a cook. Tempest and glutton. Waitress and cook…A neon sign outside the window flashes GAS STATION DINER over and over again. I am in a diner.
I look down. Hands…Opposable thumbs…Human. I’m in a human body. What am I feeling? My head feels…Grey. I’m bored. Maybe I should tap my feet. Is that what humans do? What rhythm is acceptable for feet tapping? You know what? Forget that. No tapping. Too risky.
Okay…Right. I’m bored. Feet tapping is out of the question. He’s coming. I look out the window.
A red car pulls up next to the unleaded fuel. I don’t know what type of car it is, what make, what year etc. I really don’t know that much about cars. I just know it’s red, has four wheels and is in need of fuel.
A young man gets out of the driver’s seat. He looks tired. Under the fluorescent light his skin is pale and his hair dull. The man is wearing a green sweater and faded trousers. He looks like the kind of guy that a mother would love for her daughter to bring home for dinner. He’s probably a student at an expensive university. I judge by his ruffled hair and tired eyes that he’s not liking his pricey education. It was probably his parent’s decision. The guy doesn’t look happy, he hasn’t in a while…I don’t know this for sure. His eyes just look sad. He’s the one.
I run my hands around my coffee. Michael said it’s bitter and unpleasant. Agh, I’m not good at this. When do I drink it? It’s still really hot. Is there a specific time after purchasing a coffee that is designated for drinking? I give up. I place the coffee aside for later…
The obese man behind the counter of the gas station has been staring at the back of my head since I sat down. It must be some weird thing that they do. He didn’t say much when I came in. He asked why I wasn’t wearing any shoes in the simplest English he could manage. He didn’t really listen to my reply. Not a man of many words. Perhaps that was a protocol of being a gas station diner cook. He has raped the waitress. These voices in my head are getting ridiculous.
I heard the obese man hack back saliva and spit it into a dish cloth. He then proceeded to wipe the bench top with the same cloth. Humans liked to spread their bodily fluids on everything. I made a mental note to get out of this body as soon as possible.
My feet were tingling. Does this mean I’m cold? I subtly glance down at my feet. They’re not blue. Good.
I look back up and out the window. The young man is now walking towards the diner that I’m in. His wallet is in his hand. He’s fumbling with it nervously. Every third step or so he looks over his shoulder. He’s running from something.
He walks through the automatic doors and there is a quiet ding as he walks past the sensor. He looks at me and I look away quickly. Was that awkward? Probably. Why can’t I just act normal? Because you have no idea what normal is, that’s why. Am I really talking to myself? Gee…I don’t know how to be human. Watch him.
I can hear quiet conversation behind me between the young man and the obese man. The young man’s voice is much more pleasant than the obese man’s. The young man sounds kind, gentle and tired.
There is a rattle of the cash register opening and closing. I stare intently at my coffee that I still haven’t drank from. Slowly I raise it to my mouth. The brim of the cup sits on my lips. A thought comes to me; how do I drink? Never mind. I put the coffee down again. Why did I buy it?
I look over at the young man again. He is standing at the magazine pretending to look at magazines. Every now and then he glances at me and meets my gaze with shocked eyes. As quickly as he looks at me he looks away again.
He knows. Release him. Shut up Michael, I can do this.
The young man has bandages on either of his hands across his palms. That’s the sign, he knows who you are. I swear to Him if you don’t butt out Michael I will clip your wings.
I stared at him in wonder. He knew? How? Had I been too obvious? Were my wings showing? I didn’t think that they could on Earth. Not in a human form.
Whatever, I don’t have time for this. I closed my eyes and felt the righteous power burn inside me. I opened my eyes again…The lights in the room had turned off. I could hear the obese man and the waitress spluttering and suffocating on their own internal juices. All across the world right now all the sinners were dying. They weren’t the only two. I could feel their fear fill the room like a bad smell.
“It will be over soon,” I said quietly. The young man, the messiah, was gone. He was safe. As for the rest…Well too bad.
