He was here just now. I didn’t see him, but I don’t need to have eyes on him to know this was him.
As soon as my last message is sent, a reply pops up.
Locke:
You’re not alone.
One of us is outside.
My spine snaps straight as I study the street beyond the sidewalk of my apartment complex. I don’t see anyone.
Eris:
Which one?
Locke:
Does it matter?
You’re safe. He’s gone.
Right now, that’s all that matters to us.
My fingers hover as I look toward my front door. The hall beyond should be silent at this time of night. Too still. Holding its breath and waiting for the next move.
I could open it. Leave. Meet Daniel at his apartment and kill him as quietly as possible.
Or…
I could let one of them in. Let whoever is out there step into this darkness with me.
For a moment, the idea curls warm and reckless around my ribs.
Eris:
Should I let you in?
The question has too many meanings. It’s rhetorical and hypothetical and too straightforward to be anything other than honest.
Locke:
Do you want to?
The reply is equal and opposite, a sharp juxtaposition to the hammering heart in my chest.
Do I want to?
I stare at the door. At the camera in the corner of my living room. At the shadows that feel less empty than they should.
Eris:
I do, but I sleep better when I know I’m being watched.
The answer is in our chat before I can take my eyes off the screen.
Locke:
Then sleep, Eris.
