Chapter 28 Stalking
Stalking
Unknown
He thought you didn’t see him, couldn’t see him, for everything that he was.
But you knew when to let your guard down.
Most of what you’d built around yourself was a facade—an illusion for others to drink up.
And if he fell for it as well, all the better for you.
You savored the attention, relished in the idea that he didn’t know all your plans.
You had parked in the usual spot down the street from his house, content to lie in wait. The night was like any other, the leaves littering the sidewalk as the temperature dropped. The colors bled into rusty hues bathing the whole town in warm tangerines and vivid reds.
It reminded you of something else…
Movement caught the corner of your eye, the buildings you were watching suddenly coming alive with activity.
There you are, you little rat.
Swathed in shadow, you waited. This was another piece of the overall puzzle, and you’d be damned if it didn’t fall into place just as you’d designed it. The man you’d been following was oblivious, unable to feel the telltale prickle on the back of his neck.
You loved when they made it easy for you. While your emotions were usually tucked neatly away, seeing his face incited an indescribable rage.
Later, you’d let it all out later.
Now, it was time to engage in a delicate dance.
Outwardly, you were normal. Another face blending in with the thousands roaming the city, but did anyone else see through the illusion? Even if someone did, it’d be too late, your gun silencing them.
Besides, you enjoyed the feeling of naivety that came with this persona, this mask.
Slipping from your car, you trailed after the man with your footsteps in time with his to avoid the echoing crunch beneath your boots. Subtly, you scanned the shadows making sure you were the only one with devious intentions. In the underbelly of the city, one could never be too cautious.
But nothing.
Adrenaline fluttered in your pulse, your body ready for whatever fight was about to come.
No, not adrenaline, excitement, a whisper said, brushing against your brain. It taunted a dangerous locked away portion of your head, coaxing it to come out and play. Tonight, that side would emerge, and everything you’d yearned for would be attainable under the cover of night.
The man you were following would discover this soon enough; he’d see what you were really made of. All sharp edges.
You weren’t scared of the dark; you were the only thing mad and fearless enough to thrive in the night.
Time for him to discover that too.
“Hey,” you stumbled out the shadows and the man startled slightly until he realized who you were, “I think I’m a little lost.” He smiled at your slurred words and lilted laughter, his own barriers falling away.
Such a shame…