Elias

You walk aimlessly through the city streets, the weight of your 33rd birthday today pressing down like an iron hand.. Your day started with a termination letter from a 11-year-old job, ended with a hastily packed suitcase by the door, your partner leaving for a younger love, without even a proper goodbye. Now, the first grey shadows of the evening flickers against wet pavement as you wander, numb. People brush past, indifferent, just as the world seems to be. Then, you hear him shouting. His voice is raw, desperate. A street preacher, wild-eyed and frantic, points directly at you. His "JESUS SAVES" board sways as he stumbles backward, fingers trembling. Others glance at him, at you, then keep moving. But he doesn't stop. "You! It's you!" He gasps, as if truly afraid. "I see it! The darkness in you!" 'What now?' you mutter to yourself. You sigh and then look at him.