Page 61 of When Darkness Calls

I wanted to tell Liz or my brother about my extreme admirer, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I even planned to tell Liz tonight…but I don’t know anymore. As much as I know I should, and trust me, I know how these things go, every horror movie tells you exactly how this plays out, but I wasn’t scared. I wasn’t afraid of him. I liked it. I wanted his eyes on me, day after day. It was riveting. Enthralling to know I had bewitched this man. His mind was ensnared by my existence. And deep down, is that not what we all wish for? To be so cherished that we alter the life of someone. To become the breath they breathe, the beat of their heart, the thoughts in their mind. Is love not just an acceptable form of obsession?

My phone screen lit up a split second before the shrill ring cut off the soft music filling my room.

Liz Bear calling…

“What’s up?” I put it on speaker phone. Static sounding before Lizzie’s voice begins.

“Hey, I’m not going to be able to make it to your house tonight.” I deflated. I was disappointed, but mostly I was relieved.

Playing with the pens in the cup on the corner of my desk, I reply, “It’s alright. I understand.” I stand and pace around my room.

“Jack asked me to stay with her after my shift. Bobby’s wanting the walk-in cleared out for the new inventory. Apparently, there was a mix up and he ordered too much shit, so we gotta make room before it comes in the morning. I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you. I know you wanted to talk about something important. Rain check?”

I stretch tall, my arms rising high above my head. My tank top rolled over the swell of my stomach settling in the sharp dip of my waist. My flannel pants, rolled at the waist band, slid up the same curve. No matter what I wear, everything ends up cropped or high waisted.

I grumble, shrugging everything back in place, only for it to fall back the way it was seconds later.

“Yeah, Liz. Rain check. At least now I can get Cay to grab snacks for tomorrow night on his way home.”

“Okay, babe. Sounds great! I should be all good for tomorrow. Get me some Oreos! And root beer!”

I grimaced, “Root beer? Ew, since when?”

“Since like fifteen minutes ago when I had seen a case in the back room that looks like it was from ‘82 and remembered it’s fucking bomb,” she giggles on the line. The sound is harsh compared to the usual full-bodied joy from the bad connection.

“Ugh, okay. Whatever. That’s nasty but whatever you want. I’ll see you later. Love youuu.”

An over exaggerated smooch blared through the speaker.

“Love you too Deeds. Sweet dreams.”

The line clicks and the music resumes. Homework could wait, I guess. Not like I was getting much done anyhow. Not while being watched like prey. Finding myself as a mouse and not a cat in this constant chase. A small part of me hoped I would be caught in his claws. Would I regret it? Probably. Who knows? He may just want to kill me. Slowly? Tortured? Or would it be frenzied? Like how all those true crime podcasts talk about passion murders. Maybe he likes the game just as much as the kill. I wonder if I cause the same feelings in him as he does in me. This back-and-forth turmoil of morality and fantasy.

Feeling his stare stirs something inside me that I’ve been missing. It falls along the fine line between excitement and anxiety. Pleasure and pain. I like him watching. I want him to watch. A constant protector hidden beneath the mask of a predator. Despite the statistics, I know he won’t hurt me. He’s had many opportunities to do so, given the amount of time Cade is away from home. Nights just like this, where I’m alone in this foreboding house, perched by the window in full light, knowing that someone is just on the other side of the glass. But he never makes a move. If anything, he stands sentry. A guardian of my person and home.

A year ago, he came for me. Unprompted. A knight cloaked in shadows. Weeks ago, he came for me again. No harm would come to me under his watch. A smile tugs at the corner of my lips.

I sit at my desk and begin the process of putting away all my school stuff. Throwing scrap paper into the trash can by my balcony door, movement catches my eye. Just beyond the tree line, a shape out of place. Tall, lithe. Stepping into the moonlight, he’s there. His mask glowing as the rest of his body blends into the night. I can’t see his eyes, but I know mine connects with his. The heat beneath my skin flares to blazing heights. I had wondered if he would show himself tonight. It had been days since I saw him last, not just felt him.

It’s not cold, it’s the complete opposite.

My face is flushed, a fiery tingle across my cheeks, down to the tops of my breasts. My breath growing shallow with the heaviness of the air. A shiver races through me, my nipples growing taut, obvious behind the tank top I’m wearing.

God, please tell me he can’t see that.

I cross my arms, trying to hide my body’s reaction, but if anything, it just pushes my tits together, making them look like they’ll spill over my arms. He tilts his head, angling his mask to the side.

Yeah, it’s obvious he saw that. He looks…amused.

Jesus. Look away, Dani. Look away.

But I can’t. He’s…intimidating. I would say menacing if his presence wasn’t so comforting. He could be anyone, though.

That’s what makes it so fucking hot.

My face is definitely bright fucking red now.

He moves to the tree in the side yard. Back to the trunk, he leans, arms crossed in front of his chest, rings glinting, his mask a luminescent manifestation of my darkest fantasies.