Whispers of it float in the air, reaching around every corner, flying to fill wide open spaces, and drifting into every crevice. It seeps into every mind, sinking into the subconscious. It constantly weighs on everyone’s thoughts. Not always the thought of priority, but always there, always in the shadows.

There was never a time when it did not exist. The dark side of the dawn of time. No one as been spared. It will wait patiently, and it will take the soul captive. Avoiding it is impossible; the most that can be done is delaying the inevitable. The eternities will be saturated, drowned in its presence.

It influenced the greatest in the world, and never overlooked the least. It brought heroes and leaders down to their knees. It inspired villains on how to control, on how to instill fear. It laughs as nightmares shake people into a frightened wakefulness. It lurks beneath the blanket of loneliness. It is the origin of the stories of strange shapes in the mist that can set one’s teeth on edge.

Terror flinches at its presence, for it is the stuff of legends. AS a tsunami it crashes into a person, and confidence and thoughts of comfort are plucked away as easily as the wave takes the trees. It is hot and sticky. It clings tightly, choking, devouring. Clutching hope, hearing its resolve snap like brittle bones…

Or… or it may come in a silent moment. Tickling fears awake, aggravating dark memories back to the surface. Not extinguishing your light, but rather breathing in the darkness. Slowly finding the strongest points, and pulling them down. Moment by moment, it enjoys the slow chase. Knowing that resistance is futile. The prey will tire until it willingly offers itself.

It is everywhere, anywhere, nowhere. It steals away those last thoughts. It lies in wait. When it comes you won’t even know the name…