Those who remain; One mans vision by Author: Jimmy York (black male authors .TXT) 📖

Those who remain; one mans vision

I awoke this morning like any other day. I would roll to the side and lazily stroll to my closet, pick out something reasonable to wear to work, and retire to the bathroom to finish
my morning deeds, which I repeat each morning. However, this morning was different.

I arose out of bed to the sounds of thunder rumbling outside my bedroom windows. Flashes of light were dancing through my curtains making erratic patterns on the walls. The trees were fighting the ground as their roots pulled and tugged in a relentless effort to free themselves of their seeded prison.

The meteorologist on TV last night predicted this strange weather behavior. However, this was something else I would have to endeavor today, I decided to prepare for my busy day.

After fumbling around in the dark a bit I finally found the ball-studded string attached to my ceiling fan. After multiple tugs, I realized the power was out.

"Great, I thought, no coffee as I anticipated the bitter, yet warm taste of coffee I longed so much for.” I'll just get a cup from the store ."

This is December 21 "year unknown and although my clocks do not work, I can estimate the time. The sun always rise s around 6:50 am to 7:00 am but because it’s storming outside, it seems much darker
.
I remembered I had candles stashed in the cupboard beside the TV. So, after stumbling over Bibles and books on religion I had been reading, I finally found the candles I desired.

After striking the candles, I began to get dressed and in the process, I tried desperately to unravel my new pack of cigarettes. The power outage left me in a frustrated state, so
I needed a smoke. A few hits off my cigarette and then it’s time to get my suitcase and begin my day.


Now I will tell you a little about myself, My Name is John, I am a sales representative and I’m very good at what I do, I sell all types of items to many different kinds of church's.
Although you might not believe it, Bibles are the number one seller. I have read the Bible and I have even memorized verses so I can quote the scriptures word for word. We are living in perilous times, The signs of the times are everywhere, pestilence, diseases, food shortages ,famine and the number of earthquakes are growing every day.

Even though I’m a none believer, this Knowledge of scriptures really helps me make a sell.

I even attend church services on my route from time to time, and it’s really good for business. Today is going to be a good day, I can actually feel it.

The storm this morning will bring groups of people together, like always does. Whether it is an earthquake, flood, storm or any other major disaster, which all are becoming more common these days. One thing is for sure, people will gather and I will be there to comfort them with multiple sales of Bibles.

Enough about Bibles, if there is any money to be made, I’ll have to get on my way. There are people who need me.

So frantically, I shuffle to find where I had placed my car keys. Using the flicker off the candle I search for a gleam or shimmer as to reveal where my keys are located. The sliver of light deemed the task of finding my keys difficult, after finding them, I go to the door, and I continue on. I put my suitcase full of Bibles in the trunk; I get in my car and turn
the key to start my engine. It always starts after only a few seconds of turning over, and today proved that it needed a little more effort. So I keep trying to start the engine, and after patting the gas and uttering a few curse words, the car would not start.

I ask myself as I get out of my car and open the trunk to retrieve my suitcase, raincoat and umbrella.
"Why can't I have nice things?” Looks like I will have to walk.


So I began to put on the raincoat, and after doing so, I extend the shaft on the umbrella, grabbed my luggage. I start in the direction I needed to go.

The rain is beating down like needles and it is making it hard to see, not to mention the force of the winds are even making it difficult to walk, But I must move on, I've got a busy day.

As I am walking, I notice that there are no cars mobilized on the road. I shrugged it off thinking that the weather might have discouraged people to begin their morning commutes. Nonetheless, it was eerie to see the streets so abandoned.

I started to smell something burning. Something drove me to go
farther to see what fueled the foul stench that filled my
nostrils.

Curiosity drove my legs farther on and, after seeing a gratuitous amount of littered paper and empty clothes, I see buildings on fire, dead bodies, and one car wreck in particular . There was a man entangled in his seatbelt on the passenger side of the car. There was no driver. The airbag deployed on both
sides, and only a bundle of loosely strung clothes existed in the driver's seat.

My body began to tremor in shock to what my eyes uncovered. There was no question as to whether or not it was a car wreck.. The man was mangled, his face completely unrecognizable. No doubt lingered in my mind as to whether or not this man alive. My question resided, how did the car wreck happen in the first place? The airbag deployed on both sides, and only a bundle of loosely strung clothes existed in the driver's seat.

Completely baffled and disoriented at what I had seen, I rushed to the corner and ran inside the nearest convenient store. The lights were off, and no one was inside as if I was accustomed too.

"What's going on?" I ask myself worried. "Will someone call the police? There's been an accident!"I screamed.

No one responded. Just silence along with the howling winds. I rush back

outside. I think to myself, this is not at all what I had planned, where are all
the people. I continued to walk. I could hear a distant faint cry’s.

"Is anyone out there?” I desperately yell, trying to find some sort of reason as to what is going on.
"Can anyone hear me?” I dropped my luggage and run towards the direction of the crying.

I see an old man; he was sitting on the edge of the road in the rain crying and clinching yet to another bundle of clothing. It had been raining sporadically for some time now, and he was drenched from the rain. He held the bundle of clothing firmly, holding them close to his face. He was trembling, cold and all alone.

I go to him and try to shield some of the rain off him, and I ask, "Can I help you?”

He looked at me with fearful eyes, as his tears mingled with the rain that flowed down his face, He held up the clothing in his trembling hands and said;

"This is all I have left of my wife, she's just gone.”

He began to tell me of how his wife was such a good Christian woman, and how she had attended services every time the doors was open, how she constantly prayed for him to go to her place of worship, and to be saved. But he said his life was just too busy, and he didn't have time.

Again, holding the clothing nearer to him, he looked back at the ground and began to cry;

“He’s come, He's actually come!" The man replied after wiping his nose on his sleeve.

"Who's come?" I insist, trying not to sound too threatening.

"He's come, Jesus Christ has returned." before collapsing onto the sidewalk.


I tried to waken him, but to no avail. The discarded bottle of sleeping pills beside his feet proposed suicide. I dragged his unresponsive body back off the curb and mindlessly wandered onward to find resolve in this hectic situation.

After it seemed half an hour of walking, I finally come up to a group of people shuffling impatiently around what seemed to be an earthquake ridden back lot. I walk blindly towards it, and in the confusion, I try seeking for answers.

"Can anyone tell me what's going on?” I yell into the crowd.

"Can someone please tell me?” no one replied.

People were crying holding clothes of their love ones, they were wandering and confused. I even saw one woman holding her child’s clothing crying and
screaming why lord, why! She had placed a pistol to her brow, and in that instance she had taken her life.

However the crowd of people were undisturbed , they seemed to be almost in a trance. Everyone was involved with themselves it seemed. As frustrated as I was, I walked to the center of the crowd to see what caused the gathering.

The earth was trembling and a gash in the ground had opened up with what looked like steam hissing out of it. After a moment, the ground began to shake violently. Everyone backed up except one man. He seemed to be mesmerized in the moment.

I could not understand why he would not to move. Yet the ground continued to tremble, growing in strength every second. A feeling of dread filled my entire body as the gash opened up.

Smoke and fire was spewing from its mouth, then as the smoke was clearing, I noticed a pit and I saw a ghastly figure ascending out it .Still standing there, unwillingly paralyzed, I could only watch. His appearance showed something not of this world.


His skin complexion was unnatural; the shape of his head was demonic. His fingernails were long and black, which protruded out of his bony fingers.

He began to walk towards the man, but slowly. It was as if he had all the time in the world.

Finally arriving in front of him, he spoke "You, come. “


Hypnotized by his word the man obeyed. He walked towards him and the ghastly figure extended his arm signaling him to stop. Then he placed his grimy hand on His chest. He clinched the man skin and twisted his hand sideways;

“Stop” The young man screamed in agony. “What are you doing to
me?”

He laughed for a moment, and then with a