13. Ana
13
ANA
I couldn’t open my eyes. The throbbing in my head was so severe that I didn't even attempt to open them, to be honest. I knew all that was waiting for me if I did was pain.
I laid still on top of unfamiliar sheets. I knew I wasn't in my room, and I knew I wasn't in a hospital. Hospitals didn’t have silk sheets, and they didn’t smell like him .
After a long, long while, the pain subsided to a low buzzing sensation in my head. I slowly opened my eyes. Memories from last night hit me and I sat up way too quickly. I should call the police. No, I can't. I don't trust them. Why was that man chasing me? He was probably just trying to rob me or something, but why would he chase me? Come with me or I’ll kill your friend Sounded more like a kidnapping than a robbery. And then who was the other man? He killed the guy in the ski mask. Oh god . I thought back to details about the man. He was unusually handsome for a killer. Dark brown hair. I think. His deep-set eyes were a bone chilling ocean blue, and he had tattoos everywhere.
There had been one tattoo in particular on his neck that looked oddly familiar. My head was pounding, so I decided to pause my thoughts to examine the room I was in. I was almost a hundred percent certain it was his room. My stalker. The bed was massive. You could probably fit five people in it. The color scheme of the room was very dark, with dark walls, dark mahogany furniture. There was a door to the right of the bed.
I got up slowly and walked to it. My guess was right, it was a bathroom. A huge one. The massive tub stood elegantly against the far wall. The equally massive shower had multiple shower heads. The sleek black marble tiles, reflecting the soft ambient light.
I cautiously walked up to the mirror and winced at the scrapes and bruises on my body. There was one on my elbow, my shoulder and my knee. I felt around my head, but there were no injuries safe for the small cut on my forehead. I wasn’t even going to examine why I was dressed in nothing but a t-shirt and panties or why the t-shirt was mine. I looked around the bathroom again and gasped when I saw a toothbrush that looked a lot like mine. I opened the cabinets. My stuff was in here mixed with his. I walked out of the bathroom and that's when I saw the duffel bag. That was mine too. How did my stuff get here? I was going to find out, but first I showered and changed.
I promptly ignored the bottle of my favorite shampoo in the shower. I wasn't going to freak out. Yes, don’t freak out Ana . I quickly packed up all my belongings. I grabbed my phone off the nightstand. Dead. I stuffed it in my pocket and quietly opened the bedroom door. I didn't have time to admire the beautiful luxury condo. I needed to get out of there. I froze when I saw a figure laying on the couch. A set of keys attached to his belt loop. I knew it wasn’t my mystery stalker. This person had blonde hair. I moved closer and gasped. Reece? What in the world was Reece doing at my stalker's house? My head was spinning. I walked to what I assumed was the front door only to be met by silver elevator doors once I pushed open the brown wooden doors hiding them. Crap . It was one of those that needed a keycard. I looked back at the couch and nearly groaned when I saw the keycard attached to a large set of keys attached to Reece’s belt loop.
I tiptoed back to it and began to unravel the keycard from the rest of the keys while praying to every god in the universe, I’d even pray to the devil if he could help me. Success. I almost stopped to pat myself on the back. Maybe I’d make a good spy. I successfully unhooked the keycard from the jumble of keys without waking him. I moved back to the elevator and swiped the card along the panel. There was a low ding, and it swung open. I didn’t even turn to see if the ding had woken Reece up, I flung myself into the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor.
I got home without incident. Well, except for the strange looks I got from the doorman and a few residents of the luxury building. I didn't blame them. I hadn't thought about taking the time to look for shoes, so I probably looked like a crazy person. Thankfully, the building was at the heart of town, so I was able to flag down a taxi and get home.
I sighed a breath of relief; I didn't have a concussion, thankfully. Someone else had already cleaned my scraps and cut. I had a hard time explaining to both Julia and the campus nurse what happened to me. I got attacked by a mugger and fell is all I said. I don’t know why I wasn't telling them everything. Actually, it was so they wouldn't tell the police. I had a feeling that this was bigger than the police. I mean, I had barely even seen my attacker's face. Plus, he was already dead. I swallowed hard at that. It was noon now and I sat in bed contemplating everything that happened last night. How did my life suddenly get so complicated and dangerous? First a stalker, then I was attacked and almost kidnapped. My phone buzzed on my nightstand, and I sat up and picked it up.
Unknown: You're going to pay for sneaking off little red.
I hadn't responded to him since last evening. Somehow, I knew everything was connected to him I just didn't know how.
I bit my lip. I was about to respond when there was a knock on my door. Julia pushed the door open and walked in holding the bag containing our costumes for tonight.
“Hey, you doing okay?” She asked gently.
I nodded. “Yeah”
She sat on my bed. “I’m really sorry I wasn't there to help you,”
“It's okay, I’m glad you didn't get hurt,” I told her.
She sighed. “I’m going to the party tonight, but I don't want you home alone.” She paused. “I know! Why don’t you come? I mean, you have your costume already. That way I can keep an eye on you, and you can let off some steam and try to forget the incident,” she said, the flicker of pleading and excitement in her eyes too much to resist.
I stared at her for a moment and then sighed. “Sure, sounds good.”
She squealed and then pushed my shoulders down for me to get on my back. She tucked me in. “Now, you rest as much as you can. We are going to have so much fun tonight”.
I smiled as she left the room.
My phone buzzed again in that instant.
Unknown: Do not go to that party Ana.
How did he—Was there some kind of listening device on my phone?
I was about to tell him off but decided against it. I was just going to ignore him.
A few hours of fitful sleep later. Julia was back in my room, and we were talking and getting ready for the party. We did our hair and makeup and I felt at ease at the sense of normalcy. I felt myself relax and even get a little excited. I hadn't been to a haunted house or a Halloween party in years, and this one seemed like it was going to be fun. It was going to be in a massive cabin in the woods. Julia helped me curl my hair as she told me about her latest sexcapade with Mason. They had a thing for public hidden sex. This time they did it on a Ferris wheel at the fair. Another event that happened during the red haze was a fair. It was fun, but I hadn't gone since I was a kid.
I looked at myself in the mirror and then adjusted my cleavage in the corset bodysuit then I bent one of my bunny ears to face downward. Turning around, I looked at the skirt. It had a round, fluffy bunny tail on it. I chuckled nervously. It was really short. My ass cheeks were practically hanging out. At least I was wearing tights.
Just as I slipped my boots on, Julia’s bunny ears popped around the corner before her head did and her smiling face appeared. Then she frowned as her eyes landed on my feet. I couldn’t do heels. I would fall on my face if I tried. She sighed but didn't say anything about my choice of footwear. Julia opted out of the skirt and stuck the bunny tail to her lower back on her bodysuit, and her heels made her look even sexier.
“You look hot,” she said excitedly.
My face heated. “So do you”
She chuckled. “Alright, Masons waiting outside.”
We got to the house it was only about a twenty-five-minute drive. We pulled up to the huge cabin. It didn’t even need Halloween decorations. It already gave off an eerie, haunted vibe, with the cracked wood and sharp angles. The moon shone down on it, casting long shadows. As I stepped out of the car, the eerie sounds of creaking doors and distant whispers filled the air. There was a signed reminding people that you had to pass through the haunted house before reaching the party in the woods behind it.
I took a deep breath, steeling myself. The adrenaline pumping through me sent shivers down my spine and a tingle through my core. With each step, the creaking doors echoed through the silence, as if welcoming me into their dark, mysterious depths.
As we moved deeper into the house, my heart raced, a mixture of fear and excitement pulsating through my veins. The path through the haunted house twisted and turned, leading us deeper. Every corner held a new surprise, a chilling reminder of the spirits that supposedly resided within. A large object suddenly fell through the roof, making me scream and grab Julia so hard it would probably leave bruises. She didn't seem to notice though, since she was screaming her head off too. Then the lights flickered, and we saw what it was, a fake mummy, wrapped in dirty gauze. We looked at each other and giggled until a gnarled hand appeared behind Julia and grabbed her shoulder.
“Ana, help me” She screamed.
I held on to her and pulled, but the hand dragged her away into the darkness. My heart racing, I scanned the surroundings, my breath sawing in and out of my lungs, desperately searching for any signs of other people. I was alone. Oh god . I kept going, jumping and screaming at every turn.
Finally, as I emerged from the other side, the sounds of the haunted house faded into the background. The whispers dissipated, replaced by the cheerful laughter and music emanating from the party in the woods. The tension in my body began to ease, replaced by a sense of relief and anticipation of the festivities that awaited. I spotted Julia making out with Mason by a tree and smiled.
So much for keeping an eye on me.