Chapter 11
Alana
Despite feeling awkward about that kiss yesterday, I was having a really good time with Mike. He was charismatic and knew how to hold a conversation, which was rarer than it should have been. I didn’t hang around people very often but when I did, I could talk and be likable. He actually made it pretty easy and I didn’t feel like I was faking it, which was a relief after that dreadful date with Preston.
The creep who sent me some unnerving texts could fuck right off. I should probably just block him.
“Did you always want to be a teacher?” I asked before I took a drink of my wine.
“Yes and no. It was always an option. Plan B, if you will.”
“Oh, this sounds like a story.”
He laughed and shrugged nonchalantly. “I’ve always wanted to write, but I needed a fallback. Starving author didn’t appeal to me, so I got my degree and teaching certificate.”
“Do you have a finished manuscript?”
“Yeah, I have a couple, actually. I’ve sent them to various publishers, but it’s a hard world to get into.”
“You could always self publish,” I pointed out.
“That’s a whole different beast. On my own, I don’t really have the time to do what it would take. You either need money to delegate all of the essential tasks or you have to somehow become an artist, a marketer, a social media name, an editor, and whatever else. I thought about it before, but my daughter takes up a lot of my time.”
“Mm. Single dad life.”
He grunted his agreement and started eating his food again. As I brought a bite to my mouth, I looked toward the window. The fork fell from my hand, making a sharp noise when it hit the plate.
“Alana?”
I blinked a few times, but it didn’t do any good. This wasn’t my imagination. Across the street, standing under a tree in the park, were two neon blue Xs and a stitched mouth. It was dark in that area, so I couldn’t see anything else except for those three glowing pieces of his mask. And, as expected, he simply stared at me.
How did he know where I was? Suddenly, his texts became that much more sinister. I brushed them off before, unsure what he was going on about. I hadn’t stolen anything from him. Clearly, he was just insane and rambling.
But no. It was about the date. Orphans… That had to be a threat toward Mike. Was this guy crazy enough to actually kill him? And how the hell did he know anything about him? Either he knew him or he’d overheard our conversation at the party. Or he somehow had a way to learn everything about someone in a matter of minutes.
Maybe I should assume that he knew everything.
Fuck, I shouldn’t have come on this date. The bastard wrote ‘Nyx’ on my driver’s side window, but I hadn’t even taken that seriously. He was taunting me, obviously. Watching me and writing on my car might be the least of my concerns.
“Alana.”
I looked at Mike’s worried expression. My mind conjured an image of him with a bloody hole in the middle of his forehead. All because of me.
“Are you okay?” he asked, reaching over to take my hand. I pulled it back quickly and dropped it into my lap. It was hard to ignore the flash of hurt in his eyes.
“I’m actually not feeling great.”
“Oh. Alright. Do you need to leave?”
“Yeah, I think I do.” I grabbed my coat and threw it over my forearm quickly. “I’m really sorry, Mike. I swear this isn’t me blowing you off or anything.”
“That’s encouraging,” he said with a light laugh. He got to his feet and pulled me into a hug, which just ignited more panic.
When my gaze traveled over his shoulder, I saw those X eyes. This time, they were tilted as if his head was cocked. He took a couple of steps forward, which allowed me to see his dark hoodie. I couldn’t even see his real face, but his entire demeanor was predatory.
“Thank you for understanding,” I blurted before I rushed out the door. The entire way to the car, I kept glancing over at the spot I’d last seen him, but he was gone. I sort of wished I was actually going crazy so that none of this was real. I’d take some appointments with a psychiatrist over whatever the hell was happening here.
I didn’t unlock the door until I was right in front of it. Once I got in, I hit the button to lock it, then dropped my forehead to the steering wheel and took a few deep breaths. My ribs hurt when I breathed, which couldn’t be a good sign.
Why didn’t they sell Xanax over the counter? Oh yeah, addiction. I was willing to risk it if it meant I didn’t stress myself into a heart attack.
“Don’t be a weak bitch,” I muttered.
Raising my head, I started the car. My headlights turned on and I looked out the windshield. A scream tore from my throat before I covered my mouth with my hands.
Ten feet ahead of me, in an empty parking space, he was crouching in the glow of my lights. The neon was less noticeable in the brightness, but I could see the rest of him clearly. I hadn’t been this close to him until now and I wished I hadn’t learned that he was the size of a linebacker. I had no chance of outrunning him or fighting him off.
His head cocked again, another taunt. I drew in a shaky breath and kept my eyes on him as I shifted into reverse. With a very brief glance in my rearview camera, I backed up faster than was safe, then turned the wheel and raced out of the parking lot. When I looked in the mirror, I saw those glowing Xs fading with the distance.
I was going to die. That was the only way I could see this thing turning out. I had a huge, masked stalker who knew where I lived, what I drove and apparently, where I went. He knew about Jayce and Mike. Somehow, he’d programmed his number into my phone. Those were all portents of my impending departure from this world.
My knowledge of stalkers was pretty limited. That’s what happened when you’d been fortunate enough not to be in this situation before. One thing I did know was that things escalated. It was only going to get worse, which meant I was in real danger from this person.
Women died at the hands of men far too often and not enough was done to prevent it. Regardless of that depressing fact, I headed straight for the police station. As soon as I pulled in, my phone buzzed. My heart began racing automatically. I had a feeling that any time it went off from this point forward, I was going to panic.
Erebus: I don’t recommend that.
My fingers tapped on the phone as I went through my options. It was stupid as hell to reply.
Alana: Who are you?
Erebus: I thought you were a clever fox.
Alana: What does that even mean?
Erebus: It’s your move, Alana.
Alana: What will you do if I don’t listen to you?
Erebus: Telling you would ruin the fun.
Tears pricked my eyes. I felt trapped in this decision. Going to the police was something I needed to do. His threats were a double-edged sword. They made it even more necessary but also made me afraid of what would happen if I didn’t comply. I wasn’t dumb enough to trust that the police could protect me or the others from him. It was a better chance than I had against him myself, though.
I stepped out of the car and headed straight for the entrance. At least in this place, he couldn’t try to hurt me. There were dozens of people with guns in here. When I left, though, it was a different story.
*****
I woke up feeling just as groggy as I had the past few days. This time, it wasn’t because of alcohol. I might have slept better if I got drunk, actually. Instead, I saw blue Xs every time I closed my eyes. I couldn’t relax all night and found myself looking out each of the windows at intervals, but he hadn’t been there.
It should’ve made me feel better. It absolutely did not.
Yesterday, I went against his wishes. His absence felt more like the calm before the storm.
Then again, this was just a man. He held power over me for a moment, but maybe he was too afraid to actually get caught. His confidence in his ability to fuck with me had to be shaken now that I’d involved the police.
Right?
At the very least, he’d need to be more careful. No hanging from rooftops or blocking my car. The police said there wasn’t a whole lot they could do based on what I’d told them, but they were going to try sending a squad car by my apartment complex every so often. The man told me they’re only a phone call away. That wasn’t very encouraging. By the time they arrived, I could be dead on the floor with a knife in my back.
I shuddered at the thought as I ground my coffee beans. Once it was brewing, I turned and thrust my hands over my head to stretch. A glimpse of something from the living room caught my eye and made my stomach start to churn again.
On the coffee table, there was a bouquet flowers. They were arranged elegantly in a black, glass vase, and they were in seemingly every shade of the rainbow. It was fancy as hell.
There was a little card standing on the table beside it. I picked it up and flipped it open to find a Hershey’s kiss taped to the paper. Blood red ink swept across the card in the same handwriting I’d found on my car.
The proper way to end a date.
I can’t wait to show you what happens on our second.
Erebus
Um, no. No thanks.
Picking up the vase, I headed to the front door. After staring out the peephole for a minute, I opened it and set the vase on the ground. The next time I left, I’d take it to the dumpster, along with his stupid fucking kiss.
I’d barely made it back to the kitchen when there was a knock. My blood felt like it ran cold at the sound. A moment later, the lock turned. I grabbed a knife from a drawer and crouched beside the island, raising up just enough to see over it.
“Alana,” Jayce called as he stepped inside.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I breathed.
He came into the kitchen and cocked his head. “What’s going on?”
“I thought… Nevermind.”
When I straightened, he gently took the knife from me. “Why are there flowers outside?”
“They’re not welcome here.”
“Care to expand on that?”
“Not really.”
He hummed as he grabbed two mugs from the cabinet and poured us each some coffee. I took one gratefully and returned to the living room. Spiders skittered down my spine just from being in here. Now that I’d gotten rid of the flowers, everything was beginning to hit me at once.
The stalker had been in my apartment. He’d left the vase and god knows what else he did. What were the chances that he watched me sleep? Probably pretty damn high. The thought made me nauseous.
How did he get in? Jayce said it was ridiculous to think the guy could hack into security cameras, but he’d found a way around the lock on my door. I didn’t know how hard that really was, but your run-of-the-mill human wouldn’t know how to do it. I’d been completely at his mercy. I hadn’t even slept much last night and the fact that he’d been in here at a time when I wasn’t wandering around freaked me out more. It was as if he knew where I was, even when I was inside.
“Ah, midterms,” Jayce droned, tapping his finger on the stack. “I always hated them more than finals. Need any help grading?”
“That would be a lifesaver if you mean that.”
“Of course I do. Jayce to the rescue.”
With a laugh, I picked up the stack. Weren’t there two before? An unfinished and a finished one. As I thumbed through them, I was shocked to find that they were all graded.
Um…
Had my stalker graded my tests for me when he broke into my house?
“Let’s get to it,” Jayce suggested, rubbing his hands together excitedly.
“Actually, I forgot that I finished these last night.”
“Oh. In that case, we can go stuff ourselves full of sushi. That new place finally opened up in Percival Square. I’m telling you right now, I’m gonna embarrass you with how much I’ll eat today.”