Chapter 6
Emerson
“Who the hell are you and what are you doing?” I snap at the man standing on the ladder at the corner of my house.
“I’m here to install your cameras,” he answers.
“I didn’t order any cameras! Get the fuck down,” I yell at him this time. He seems to be pissed at the world as he climbs down the ladder and grabs a piece of paper, passing it to me.
“See right there? This is your address, right?”
“Yeah, but I didn’t order this.”
“Well, it was paid in full, and now I’m here,” he tells me.
“I don’t give a shit. I don’t want them!”
“They’re paid for, lady. Just let me do my job,” he almost begs as I look over the paper.
“It doesn’t say who paid for it.”
“It wasn’t made available to us. You’ll have to call the company,” he replies, trying to climb back up the ladder. I reach for his tool belt and pull on it until he steps back down.
“You can’t just put these up without my permission.”
“Listen, lady. If we didn’t have permission from someone here, we wouldn’t be here.”
“I’m the only one who lives here!”
“Call the company. That’s all I can tell you.” I let out a frustrated sigh and head back inside with the paper in hand and grab my phone. This is unbelievable. Who the hell would have paid for the cameras? And why?
I dial the number and listen as it rings until I finally get someone to answer, and all they give me is the same bullshit answers as the man outside. Someone paid and agreed to have them placed. Even after I try multiple times to get them to understand I did not agree to this, they still won’t listen.
I slam the phone down on the table when someone knocks on the door. I shove out of my chair and stomp over, whipping the door open before I see the poor mailman. He passes me a package and an envelope before smiling and leaving.
I close the door and walk back to the table, setting the box down. I grab the envelope and tear it open to find a letter. Unfolding the paper, I read it out loud.
“Leave the cameras alone. Someone has been watching you.” What the fuck? Who the fuck? How does this person know? Have they been watching me, too? A shiver runs up my spine at the thought.
I sit and debate my options. I could leave them and have some weirdo watching my house, or I could call the police. What would the police really do, though? Everything the man outside told me shows that I or someone else, has given permission for this.
I drop my head into my hands and think. Who the hell would do that? Why would they need cameras? Is it Brandon? But why would he do this?
Instead of thinking about too much I text him and ask him to come over. It only takes six tries before he agrees and says he’s on the way.
While I wait, I grab the knife off the counter and cut the box open. I ordered a few things, and I’m wondering if that’s what this is.
Once the box is open, I pull out the contents and quickly drop them onto the table.
“What the fuck?” I mumble as I pick up the tiny shirt that has a … is that a bullseye on the back? I hold it up and turn it around, looking at the front. My name is across the chest, and that is definitely a bullseye on the back.
Someone knocking startles me and I drop the shirt onto the table before rushing to the door. When I pull it open, I grab Brandon and drag him inside before slamming the door and locking it. He looks around and then at me like I’m crazy.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Listen, something weird is happening. The card, the credit card, the shirt, the cameras.” Brandon puts his hands up as I completely lose my shit.
“Okay. Okay, just calm down. What’s going on? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says.
I run my hand through my hair as we walk over and take a seat on the couch.
“Okay. So, I’ve been getting these cards in the mail. They don’t say anything but a number counting back from thirty. I don’t know what the hell they are or what they mean.”
“Cards with numbers? Maybe someone is playing a prank?”
“I don’t know. Then you know my cards and accounts were frozen? I got a credit card in the mail with a note stating they are looking into it and to use this card while they do,” I explain, watching the way his brows furrow together because it makes no fucking sense.
“That … yeah, that is weird. What else?”
“Cameras. Someone had cameras put up outside, and they sent me a note saying to leave them alone because someone has been watching me.”
“You have the letter?” I nod and stand, grabbing it off the table before passing it to him. He looks at it and flips it in his hands, shaking his head.
“This is crazy,” he mumbles under his breath.
“And then this? What the hell does this mean?” I ask as I lift the shirt and show him the front and back.
“Is that a bullseye?”
“Yeah. See what I’m saying here, Brandon? Something is wrong.”
“Did you call the police?”
“No. I didn’t want to sound crazy because all of this is literally crazy,” I tell him.
“Let’s do that then. Let’s get them out here to look at this stuff.”
“You think it’ll help?”
“I think it’s worth a shot. They have to be able to do something or look into it. This is all really strange, Emerson.”
“I know, and I hate to bother you with it, but I didn’t have anyone else to call,” I tell him.
“It’s fine. Let’s call the police and see what they say.” I nod my head and sit on the edge of the couch until the cops show up. They make a report, but because there’s no real threat or any return address on anything, there isn’t much they can do. They said I could take the cameras down myself and discard them, but it seems like someone is just messing with me.
I’ve been pacing the room since they left. Brandon walks over and wraps his arm around my shoulder.
“Hey, it’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”
“We don’t even know who’s doing it! I don’t even feel safe in my house, Brandon. What if they’re crazy?” Tears begin to roll down my cheeks as he spins me and pulls me into his arms. I wrap my arms around him and let him hold onto me while I cry. Brandon and I don’t always see eye to eye on things, but he is mostly a good man.
“I can stay for a few days. I’ll take off work and stay here to keep an eye on things,” he offers softly.
“Really?”
“Yeah. I can tell this is really bothering you. We’ll figure it out,” he says, keeping me close. I nod my head and let him hold me a little longer until I get myself under control. When I pull away, he brushes the tears from my cheeks and smiles at me.
“It’s going to be okay, Emerson.”
“It’s just so weird and crazy. Who would do this? What are they getting out of it?”
“I really don’t know. It doesn’t make sense to me either.”
“This is stupid. You shouldn’t have to stay out of work over this. I’m sorry, Brandon.”
“Stop. We might not be together anymore, but I’m not going to shut you out when this shit is happening to you.”
“Thank you. I really do appreciate this.”
“Let’s just order something for dinner and try to relax. I’m sure it’s some idiot trying to spook you.”
“You think so?”
“I’m sure it is. You don’t bring strangers back here, so it wouldn’t be one of those guys you hook up with,” he adds. He’s right. I don’t bring men to my house. Never have and never will.
“It all just feels so wrong. Cameras?” I question.
“Yeah, I’ll take those down tomorrow. For now, let’s get something to eat and watch a movie.”
“I can’t thank you enough for this, Brandon. I really didn’t know who else to call.”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” Brandon goes on to call us in an order while I go to my room and get changed. I pull on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt before making my way back into the living room and dropping onto the couch. I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands. I don’t know what the hell is going on anymore.
“Food is coming. What do you want to watch?” he asks dropping down next to me.
“Nothing scary,” I respond, getting a small laugh in return.
“Comedy it is,” he says as he grabs the controller and starts flipping through the channels. He finally finds something when there’s a knock on the door. I jolt, but Brandon stands and makes his way over, pulling the door open. I hear him talking to the guy on the other side of the door and know it’s the food.
He locks up and comes back with a bag and sets it down on the coffee table before pulling it all out for us. He hands me my food, and I sit back, eating and laughing at the movie he turned on for us.
After I finish eating, I sit back and snuggle under a blanket before finally falling asleep with my head on his shoulder.