shadows begin to swirl

They had consumed him. It had felt like they were tearing him from within the flesh. The burning sensation had been horrendous. He didn’t admit it to them, and they were too dumb to understand, but he replayed those moments in his head from time to time. He had often wondered why he had been chosen. He also knew. But at the same time, there were thousands of others like him. He had travelled the world. Seen them. Manipulated them. So why had been chosen from among the lowest of humanity? They had consumed him. It had burnt him up from inside. His flesh had felt like it was being seared, and in that pain cane another feeling. A smug satisfaction. Yes, he was burning. But so were all these others. There was something else, a growing darkness, a dread. There was definitely something else. A darkness, a dread, a power. Others on this planet, they suffered. And that brought him great joy. It hadn’t before. He’d always wanted to protect them from the evil ones- but. He felt that maybe he hadn’t. He had revelled in being on top of the food chain. Even as he had risen to the top. He had fought a growing dread. But that dread had been dissipated. He had enjoyed the misery of others. He had fed on it. Consumed it. He felt hungry. The shadows swirled around him. He looked at his hands. There was a streetlight in front of him, but his hands were now covered in darkness. A rorschach blob of darkness. Swirling, twirling. Waves. As he watched, he turned them around and looked at the back of his hands, and then his palms, as he watched, darkness spread to his wrists. Onwards and upwards. The thought of fear had gripped him followed by the thought of release. He was tired. He was glad. The darkness swirled around him. The streetlight sputtered and went out. It was not unusual. Everything here was government made, and when you skim off the top, and the middle, and most of the bottom, yes, you can build yourself a house in some foreign first world country, and still have some money in your Swiss account. But that meant there was very little for actual public service. And that also meant that over time, people get used to your inefficiencies and to your thievery. The light sputtered and went out ominously. No one suspected a thing. The car was still. The shadows hissed all around it. People could not see them, but anyone around the area felt a chill. Something was wrong. They hurried along. Inside the car, Azazil whimpered. Then he stopped. He was feeling strong. Instead of delusional, he was feeling like he was changing, becoming better. He began to embrace his fears. Yes, so what if he liked to see people under him? Yes, so what if he liked to see people suffer? It was a dog eat dog world. He was the alpha dog.