~ONE~
The
conference goers were brimming with anticipation as they poured into the
auditorium. It was an event that attracted all kinds. So Kao grabbed a program
and dove into the sea of growing people. He smiled and shook hands like any
other attendee waiting for the conference to officially begin.
Kao
was still focused on finding his prey, as he made his way to the platform
adorned with a podium and a row of tables and chairs beneath a large projector
screen where his quest pulled him to the backstage area. There nervous
assistants made last minute preparations and event organizers fluttered around
with papers in hand against the ticking clock.
Speakers
and “personal encounter experts” organized speaking points while gauging the
rumbles of the growing crowd. All of which worked together to create the right
balance of organized chaos Kao needed to gather intel.
“Dr.
Freeman,” a woman’s voice called.
“Please,
call me Allisa.”
The
exchange drew Kao’s attention. He settled into the shadows of a small corner
occupied only by a bookcase with his program as a prop to in his attempt to
appear to be another nervous speaker preparing his lines.
“Allisa,”
Sara corrected. “The session should be starting soon. Everyone is buzzing about
you joining the panel discussion today.”
“Hopefully
I won’t disappoint.” Allisa offered a smile before continuing. “I have so much
I want to share.”
“I’m
sure you’ll do fine. Just pay attention to the monitors near the stairs leading
to the stage so you can hear your queue during the introduction,” Sara
instructed.
Allisa
nodded. Her shoulders relaxed, and her heart rate slowly calmed as her fleeting
moment of composure escaped with Sara’s departure.
Kao
watched Allisa mouth the words on her note cards. Though he was a few feet away, her anxiety
churned away, working as her undoing washed over him like a pure adrenalin
shot. A small stream of stage fright rapidly developed into an overwhelming,
fast-rushing waterfall of fear.
Kao
fed on her distress, which strengthened him and increased his certainty of
conquering her. This is gonna be too easy.
Allisa’s
trembling hands almost jugged her note cards. Shutting her eyes, she took a
series of deep breaths, and closed thoughts and emotions that were clearly
working against her.
“I
invited fear in, and I can command it to leave!” she uttered to compose
herself.
It
was a simple reminder that had never failed her, and in this instance, it
caused Kao’s indulgence in her unrest to be short lived.
So
focused on taming her unruly nerves, Allisa hadn’t even noticed the rumble of
the sound monitors.
“…Dr. Frederick Weiss,
Parapsychologist.”
CLUNK- CLUNK-CLUNK.
She
opened her eyes just as another panel member trudged up the stairs and onto the
stage. Apparently, her personal pep talk had come just in time.
“…And last, but not
least, please join me in welcoming Religious Studies expert, Demonologist, and
author of ‘Calling on Your Inner Archangel’- Dr. Allisa Freeman, to today’s
panel discussion.”
Allisa
took one last calming breath before climbing the stairs towards the barrage of
applause calling to her.
Kao
emerged from the comfort of darkness that had rendered him invisible. Like any
good hunter stalking his prey in its natural habitat, his eyes locked on Allisa
even as she settled into her place. Although still not evenly matched, the
margin of her weakness steadily declined.
The task,
previously considered menial, now so much more. Was he being set up to succeed
or to fail? Whatever the answer, he had clearly underestimated his opponent…all
of them.