Beware, Beware, the Ides of March

1979...   23:57 – 02:05

There abouts midnight.  Lightning streaked through the sky something fierce.  The odd thing was I don't recall any thunder.  Just flash after flash of eerie blue light.  I was working at St. Francis Hospital in those days and on this particular night I was scheduled to arrive there at 2 am.  On the way out, I noticed the calendar.  It was March 15th.  The Ides of March.  Out the door, into the dark.  The strange lights still flashed, illuminating the scenery, but there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.  What on earth is going on?  I looked for bolts of lighting, or even a UFO, I could not find a source for the light.  Other than the creepy celestial camera flashes, the night was calm. 

Work was only a few blocks away so I normally walk.  This day was no exception.  I didn't see a single person out, on the way.  This was not entirely unexpected on account of the time, but there wasn't even a passing car.  Hell, Al, the local drunk, wasn't even sleeping it off on the affectionately known "Al's Bench".  Even with the complete absence of human life, I still had the strange feeling that I wasn't alone.  It was like being stalked by invisible paparazzi whose presence was betrayed by the flash from their enormous cameras.  Speaking of flashing, the inexplicable lightning seemed to intensify.  It was about here, halfway to work, that I saw the shadows move.  

I heard a groan.  Guttural, deep, earth vibrating.  I felt the noise in my feet!  I looked towards what I thought was the origin.  Nothing, just a small mound of dirt like an above ground grave.  It was when I looked back that I came face to face with black.  The night closed in, completely encasing my head.  I could feel the darkness filling my ears, pressing the flesh of my eyes.  My mouth filled with dank, tasteless darkness.  I gasped for air, desperately trying to free myself from this sackcloth entity.  And just like that it fell towards my feet, giggling as it made its way down.  “Hello Marduke”.  It said, hanging on the ke sound at the end of Marduke.  Still giggling, it melted into the ground.  After that the flashing stopped.  What on EARTH?  I was befuddled.  I did a lot of psychedelics in the 60’s, perhaps this was a flashback.  Before I had a chance to reflect further, the flashing resumed. 

I was almost to the hospital when I saw the origin of the flashing.  The light seemed to be emanating from a lone storm cloud directly above the hospital.  The cloud morphed unnervingly forming tongue like appendages that licked the hospital leaving black saliva slicks on the masonry.  It began to rain.  Black drops fell from the cloud covering everything in a crude oil like substance.  The covering only lasted moments before disappearing.  My white nursing clothing, blackened in one moment, returned to its bleachy white brilliance the next.  As acid flashbacks go, this one was intense.  I thought about going home and sleeping it off but before I could turn around Dr. Min Jing burst through the emergency room doors.  “We need some help in here!”  He must’ve seen me through the window.  

At this point I am really scared.  I am hallucinating and now I have been spotted by Doc. Min Jing is going to put me to work, I hope I don’t kill anyone.  Ok, ok, pull it together.  I thought to myself before Min Jing made it over to me.  “We have a major issue inside.”  He said with eyes drenched in fear.  What is wrong, I asked.  “The Apocalypse.”  He responded.  What?  “Have you not seen the cloud?”  Surprised I asked, what cloud?  “That one!”  He yelled pointing up just as one of those tongues came down and slicked his face with the disappearing black goo.  He went to wipe it off but it was gone before his handkerchief made it.  “Get in here!”  I followed, terrified.  I was hoping this was a flashback.  I was wrong.