A Call to Warn All.

1.

It's almost the end of the year and Finn was yet to find his footing. He had run out of water and the little food he'd packed in his backpack. Summer was truly a wrong season to travel on foot. The sun was right above him and the sky a cocktail blue. Finn felt as if he'd run a marathon while wearing ankle weights. He'd been wandering for months in different paths until last week when he stumbled upon an old man walking toward him who looked sturdy even though he used a staff.

With a parched throat Finn asked him, "Do you need any help, sir?" He had thought that perhaps the old man was lost and needed directions and since he knew where he came from, he could help the man.

"No, Sunny. I can tell you are lost." The old man stated with a subtle smile once he stopped right in front of him. His spade shaped beard covered most of his upper lips and his worn out hat slightly covered his jaded eyes. "Uhh...I uhhh. Yes, I am lost." Finn admitted in shame with his head bowed. The old man steadied himself on his staff as his crooked fingers tightly grasped the staff, took in a deep breath, and exhaled through his hairy nostrils. He glanced up and quickly studied his features. Finn noticed his long, curly, river-silver hair that settled on his shoulders and the time ravaged skin of his face.

"Once you've reached the end of this road, turn left. Warn the others. Get them out of Babylon. Time is running out!" With that said, the man walked past him. Finn turned to look at him in bewilderment not fully understanding what the man said. He noticed that the man wore a cloak. A very clean cloak at that.

Suddenly, the wind blew with a powerful passion making Finn hold on to a cypress tree that happened to be next to him. It whistled and whooshed, whipping dry leaves and soil around him. He worried for the old man. The wind escalated, and Finn shielded his eyes from the flying dirt with his arms then it was calm again. He slowly dropped his arms from his eyes and looked at the land. It was as if there was no breath of wind for the past few seconds if not a minute. Shaking his head, Finn started his walk on the path he was following, then glanced back. The old man was nowhere to be seen. "What did he mean by 'warn the others? Warn them against what exactly?" He kept on walking till he reached the end of the path. There was a tarmac road in front of him.

...turn left...

The man's words rung in his ears.

...turn left. Warn the others...

Finn turned left. He followed the sunken road till he reached a town where he now stays in.

"Hey Finn, Mrs.Kinfod needs you to repair her kitchen pipes. She said her kitchen is full water and she's tired of mopping the floor over and over again."

"I heard you the first time, Lily." Finn calmly said.

"I'm heading there right now with my tools."

It's been almost a year since his encounter with the old man. He'd found out what the man meant by what he said to him and soon, he planned to start his mission to warn others of what's coming.