The clanging in the back seat was getting to be more than He could bear. A constant rattling sound, each shake seeming to grate on His nerves. “Shut up back there, now is not the time. Stay nice and quiet in your cage.” His harsh words were met with a wimper, and momentary obedience. It was late in the evening. He rubbed his eyes, knowing that He still had plenty to do before He laid His head down to sleep.

As He was musing, water began to pour in through the open windows of the vehicle. “Damn, Damn, Damn,” He said, hastily pressing the necessary buttons to stop the deluge. He took a deep breath, and tried to control Himself. He could feel It smirking at Him through the bars. He shook His head, knowing that the Beast wanted him to lose control, to raise His voice in anger. He wasn’t going to give It the satisfaction It sought.

He brought both hands to the wheel as the vehicle entered a sharp curve. When the vehicle was a bit more than halfway into the curve, He let out a gasp and slammed on the brakes. There was a man, on his knees, with his back turned, in the middle of the road. He got out, and walked over to the man. Drawing closer, He realized the man was sobbing. “I tried, I tried to keep it under control. It was such a nice thing. It only bit occasionally, I swear.” He reached to put a hand on the man’s shoulder, but he sprang backward and He let out a gasp. Where the man’s eyeballs had been were empty, bloody holes. The man began to cackle, “Keep your demons under control, or you’ll look like me.” The man again sank to his knees and resumed his sobbing.

Turning back towards His car, He got in and sat down. He turned the key, trying to control His shaking. Gently pressing the pedal, He pulled around the man. As He was pulling around, the man stood back up, and came right to the window. “Don’t you forget, son. Control, Control, Control. ‘Cause if you lose that, then you ain’t got nothing. It’ll bury you alive before you can blink.” The man’s deranged screams echoed in His head.

Thunder clapped. The rain grew heavier. Again, It began to raise a clamor in the backseat. He wanted to raise His voice. He wanted to scream and curse. But, He knew that it would do no good. Anger was exactly what It wanted. So, He held His tongue. Besides, He was almost there.