"What do you fear Johnny?"

Where did this nagging question come from?

"I only fear, fear itself."

Ha! There's a good answer!

"Johnny, this isn't a movie. That answer is only good if your insecurities make you unable to go about doing things. That's not your fear. Your fear has to be more directed towards a particular thing, towards a form, or a feeling. Now, what is your fear?"

Damn, I thought that would work, ummm?

"I'm afraid of spiders."

There we go, that one's really good!

"Johnny, your life goal was once to be like an insect. And people fear spiders because they bite. You're not afraid of something small hurting you. You're lying again. Now, tell me, what is your fear?"

Damn, damn, damn! Think of another one!

"The dark!"

Ha!

"Johnny, people are afraid of the dark because of what's in it. And you're not afraid of any murderer, or monster. So . . . What. Do. You. Fear."

I just can't win with this guy, damn it! I'm going to hang him from my walls with hot nails through his fucking mouth!

"I Don't know what I fucking fear you bastard!"

"Well, Johnny I might be able to help with that. The reaction to fear takes many forms. Rejection, mental hallucinations, but the second most common is anger. And what Johnny do you hate the most?"

Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!

"People."

"Right Johnny! Your fear is people! But there has to be a reason. The fear of spiders is really the fear of dead. They can't detect the spiders so they can't protect themselves. They truly fear that they can't control their lives. And the fear of the dark is the same, what they can't see they can't fight. But you simply fear people, and what do people do? They reject things, they hurt things. You fear people because it's only people who can hurt you, hurt you mentally, not physically."

"Shut UPPPPPPPPPP!"

Nny flung himself toward the indefinable person in front of him and wrapped his hands around the person's throat.

"This was a good session Johnny. We'll go over this again."

Then Nny's dream dissipated and he snapped his eyes open. He was collapsed on the floor of his basement and he grumbled as he got up. He trudged up stairs fingering a knife, wishing dearly that he could go and kill another parasite on this planet.

But that would only prove a point to the faceless councilor next time he dreamed.