His head tilted further, prompting me to keep moving without a word.
Gulping down air, I turned on my heels and continued walking. This time, I didn’t hear him, but he was still behind me, following me. He let me hear his footsteps on purpose the other time, and I wished he had continued to let me. That way, I would feel at ease knowing it was a human behind me and not some vengeful ghost walking the face of the earth.
Did my coming back to this town trigger his memory? Did he see me for the first time in six years here and decide to tormentmy life? Or he’d been watching me for a long time and I just didn’t notice?Did he even die?
Every curve I took, he followed. He was there, keeping his distance. He was creepy. He’d always been creepy. People in high school believed he wasn’t normal. He wasn’t. Normal people wouldn’t do this.
I shut out all of my thoughts as I neared my house, the bulb light at the front door flickering lifelessly, as if begging me to get rid of it already. I would. I needed to find time for it.
I climbed up the wooden steps, the front porch creaking like it might give out anytime soon. My house was small, but since it’d been ages it got maintained or renovated, every wood was on the verge of falling apart, interior and exterior.
I unlocked my door with my key, but before I stepped inside, I glanced over my shoulder and saw him there. His feet were slightly wide apart, his hands stuffed in his hoodie pockets. He was standing very far away, but directly across from me.
I took a shaky breath and stepped inside, locking the door behind me with trembling fingers. Without wasting a second, I hurried to my room, dropped to the floor and crawled to the window. My chest tightened as I peeked out, expecting to see him still lurking. But...nothing. He was gone. A wave of relief crashed over me, and I exhaled shakily.
My blood began to flow normally again, and the frantic pounding in my chest finally eased. I had been so sure he would grab me off the street, slit my throat right there. But no. He just watched. Followed. And then vanished.
Creep.
I moved away from my window and stood up to fall on my bed, but another shock gripped my body on seeing what was lying there.
“Holy shit!” I jumped back, my back pressed against the window, eyes never wavering from the locket placed deliberatelyon my bed. It’d been on my dresser, I never touched it. How did...how did it end up on my bed?
It was open, and inside was a picture of me six years ago in high school. The gemstone had been removed. How did he come into my house? My door was locked. The locket had an emerald in it, but now...a picture of me? In high school? What...what was he up to? What the fuck was wrong with this guy?
How...how did he get in?
7
THEON
I told myself I wouldn’t do it sixteen times.
Yes, I counted.
Old habits die hard,I guessed. But I was still irritated with myself. I shouldn’t have followed her home, or let her know that I did for that matter. The stupid urge was just so irresistible today. For seven weeks that she’d been here, this was the first time I followed her, the first time I wasn’t able to tame that demon screeching in me.
That demon that seemed to be obsessed with her even after all these years.
Fuck, admitting that made me want to flay myself to death.
Six years ago, everyday, I stalked her from school. Didn’t matter where she was, I’d find her, wait for her and walk behind her silently. There was just something about her that pulled my focus, attention, body, everything about her in general—
Stop.
I fisted my hands, clenched my teeth and refocused, letting all thoughts of her evaporate from my mind. But it was impossible when my world was centred around her. My life had been about her ever since I saw her. After I escaped death narrowly, she was the first person I thought about, even if it was how to end her life. I was angry, and all that anger had been directed towards her. Her. Her. Her.Her.All these years, it was her. Every plan was for her. Every thought was about her, every dream and nightmare was of her.
She’d taken over my system so badly, it was impossible to flush her out of it. And fuck, I hated it. I wished I could hate her. I did, I hated her.
Who the fuck was I kidding?
I stripped myself down and walked into the bathroom, taking a moment to stare at myself in the mirror. I let my gaze fall on the only scar on my chest, trailing the gash with my eyes on the mirror. It started from my right breast and stopped above my belly button, then veered left to create a line across my taut stomach. It was a gift from my mom that would stay with me forever, but I didn’t like seeing it so I drew my first tattoo over it when I was sixteen. And my body had been a wall of art ever since.
I stepped out of the bathroom minutes later, still dripping wet, grabbing a towel as I headed over to the desk. I flicked on the monitor, the camera feed from Ainsley’s house flashing up on the screen as a smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth. Her house was dark. Just as I’d planned. They must’ve finally cut off her electricity, the same as the water. I’d paid them to.
I knew she went to her neighbour’s house for a shower in the morning. All part of the plan.
The living room appeared empty at first, shrouded in darkness, but thanks to the night vision installed on my cameras—similar to those goggles that lit up the dark in a sickly green glow—I could see everything.
