Stalked

"So let me get this straight. This has been going on for weeks and you've only decided to call now?"

"Y-yeah, but I thought maybe you could find some footprints or fingerprints or something like that?"

"Well, since you threw the evidence away and this happened yesterday, all I can do is write a report. Anything else happens, you let us know right away and we'll come deal with it. Only call for an emergency though, ok?" he asked condescendingly like I was three years old.

I nodded tersely and slammed the door as soon as he turned to go to his car.

"Jeez, Mia," Sierra said under her breath.

"Jeez nothing. He's useless. I'm sorry, they're useless. They can't help at all. That's why I didn't call them in the first place. Tex always tells me to steer clear of cops and now I know why," I spit out bitterly.

"Oh yeah, like anything Tex says is of substance. Get real, Mia. If something happens again you are calling or I swear to God I will never talk to you again," she threatened.

"Whatever, I'll call if he shows up again but by the time they get here he'll probably be long gone in the woods somewhere."

"If you end up dead, I will stalk that fucker myself and put him out of his misery. This is all so sick, I'm so sorry, Mia." She gave me a hug and asked for that glass of wine.

We spent most of the day drinking and chatting. By the time she left it was getting dark out and I needed a hot bath. I watched her peel out of my driveway and disappear down the long dirt road. I went and poured another glass of wine, but the bottle only had a few drops left in it and I sighed dramatically. "Damn!" I yelled to no one.

I turned and headed for the stairs, stripping off my shirt drunkenly on the way, taking off the rest of my clothes on the stairs and filling the tub with boiling hot bubbly water. A glass of wine would have been perfect with this bath, but sharing is caring so I couldn't be mad. I stayed in the bath until my fingers were little prunes and dressed in boy shorts and a long t-shirt Tex had given me to sleep in.

Making my way downstairs, I stopped in my tracks when I heard a door close, the back door in the kitchen. I froze, not even breathing and tiptoed backward up the stairs, keeping my eyes forward in case someone appeared on the stairs. I reached the hallway and sprinted down to my bedroom, throwing open the door and locking it behind me. I rummaged through my closet, looking for the baseball bat Tex had stored in there. Once I found it, I took a few deep breaths to steady myself and opened my door.

It was like a movie, I jumped around the corner yelling, "Hiyah!" and swinging my bat at thin air. I looked down the hall and saw nothing, so I made my way down the stairs, readying my bat to swing again. Once in the living room, I crept through it until I was at the threshold to the kitchen. I peeked around the wall, trying to see if someone was standing there before making my move. No one was there, but there was a bottle of wine on the counter, three more honeysuckles and another piece of sealed parchment paper. I walked over and broke the seal to the paper and straightened it out, expecting there to be nothing again. But I was wrong.

Mia,

Anything for you, babygirl.

Love,

X

I was in shock, I read the letter at least twenty times before finally crumpling it up and throwing it in the trash along with the flowers. Then I thought better of it and took the note out and smoothed it out. I would save it so I could show it to Sierra the next day.

I dug through a drawer, locating a bottle opener. I popped the cork out of the bottle and went to dump it down the drain, but halfway through I stopped and srhugged my shoulders, taking a few swigs before dumping the rest and recycling the bottle.

I grabbed my phone and headed upstairs to go to bed. As I was walking through the living room and shutting off lights, I stopped in my tracks when I saw a shape throug the bay window. A large man looming in the night. I gasped, putting a hand over my mouth like he heard it. He just stood there menacingly, not moving an inch.

I opened my phone, looking back and forth between the phone and window to keep an eye on him while I called 911. The operator answered after two rings and I told her my address and the situation.

"Is he still outside your window?" the operator asked.

"Yes, he's still here. Please hurry," I rasped, my throat suddenly bone dry.

"An officer is fifteen minutes from you, sit tight mam."

I ended the call before she could say anything more. Useless. My phone chimed and I opened it to another text from my stalker.

Unknown: Next time you try that, I'm going to stop you.

I was scared but nonetheless furious. I typed back a reply, my fingers flying over the screen.

Me: I fucking dare you, fucker. Leave me alone.

I looked up at the window and the man was gone, thankfully, but yet another text chimed.

Unknown: Be careful daring me, you might get just what you wish. Goodnight, babygirl.

That motherfucker really had some balls. Threatening me and stalking me in general. What a creep. But tomorrow, I would have evidence if he showed up again. I woul dbe able to show the evidence to the police and hope they could find him. Then they could throw him in jail where he belongs.

I clicked my phone off and checked the locks, then headed to bed. I locked my bedroom door as well, just for extra measure. I fell asleep surprisingly fast, dreaming of a handsome man standing outside my window, jacking himself off while watching me. And just the same as the night before, something woke me. This time it was morning and there were three honeysuckles next to my pillow. I smelled them before I saw them, their sweet fragrance dancing into my awareness.

I sat up on my elbow, looking around my room and finding nothing else out of the ordinary. I decided to get up early and get dressed, so I could wait for the security company. I made some coffee and waited at the kitchen island, reading an article about stalkers. It was an ominous article, full of darkness and death. It depressed and scared me, so when the doorbell rang, I almost jumped out of my skin.

I walked briskly to the door and let in the security guys, letting them get right to work. I briefly filled them in where I wanted certain cameras and whatnot and off they went. I sat back at the island and tried to get some writing done. I was several pages in, maybe a couple of hours later, when the security guys came into the kitchen announcing themselves.

"That fast?" I widened my eyes in shock.

"We're just about finished, but wanted to show you a few things we found. We don't want to alarm you," one of the men stated, shifting uncomfortably on his feet.

"What did you find?" I furrowed my brows.

"A few cameras."

"What? Where?" I asked incredulous. My heart was startingt to hammer in my chest.

"Your bedroom," he said simply. He looked to his buddy, who looked just as uncomfortable.

"Oh my gosh, what the fuck?" I sat down hard on the stool, almost toppling over. "I need a glass of wine." I walked over to my liquor cabinet and grabbed scotch when I remembered I was out of wine.

"We're sorry about that mam, we did remove them for you and replaced them with ours."

That did make me feel better, but I was so shaken they found them in the first place. That meant my stalker was watching much more closely than I could have even imagined. I tossed back a few shots while the guys explained the security system to me. They helped me set up an alarm code and also helped me download an app to tap into each camera in and out of the house.

By the time they left, I was feeling pretty buzzed. I called Sierra and filled her in and she said she would come over after work. Until then, I tried to get some more writing done to no avail. I drank a bit more, getting bored while waiting for Sierra to come over. Eventually, several shots later, Sierra texted that she was on the way and I went to unlock the door for her. A few minutes later she came in looking worried and slightly sullen.

"What happened?"

"This," I said, sliding the three cameras across the counter to her.

She picked up one of the small cameras, twirling it in her hand.

"This is high tech shit, girl." She looked up at me looking more worried than when she walked in.

I put my hands over my face and sighed. "What am I going to do, Sierra? He was fucking watching me for God knows how long!" I cried.

She walked over to me and put her hands on my shoulders. "Let's hope he comes back tonight so we can catch him on the new cameras. Then we take our evidence to the police and bam." She clapped her hands together, making it look that easy. "I'm staying with you tonight."

"No, you can't. Tex will be home tonight, I think. Either that or the morning and I don't want him seeing you here, he'll get suspicious."

"I'm so sick of that bastard, Mia. You need to get away from him somehow. Just think about it, ok? I'm here to help when you're ready. But let's take one thing at a time and figure out this fucker stalking you first."

I nodded, chewing on my lower lip, practically tearing it off. Sierra went to her bag and pulled out two bottles of red wine, grinning. My eyes lit up and I got us both a wine glass and filled them to the brim. Despite my high tolerance, I was starting to be in danger of becoming an alcoholic if I didn't chill out a bit.

We decided to put on our coats and drink our wine on the porch swing. It was brisk outside, but manageable. The sun was just starting to set and it was so beautiful it took my breath away. Once the sun was well hidden behind the tall trees, we headed back inside for a refill. We drank another glass, chatting about work and whatnot. We both tried to ignore the problem at hand, but you could feel the tension in the air with the darker it got outside and the drunker I got.

"I gotta get home, girl," Sierra yawned loudly, stretching her arms over her head.

"Yeah I should get to bed soon after some reading," I replied, suddenly feeling all the alcohol I consumed throughout the day.

I walked her to the door and locked it after her. I took a shower, after dressing in a green and black laced trimmed nightgown. I headed downstairs, grabbing my romance novel and sitting in my usual recliner in front of the bay window, feeling a little wobbly. It didn't take long for a shape to appear in the window and a text sent to my phone.

Unknown: Asshole will be home soon, should I get rid of him sooner rather than later?

Me: Go fuck yourself. Stop texting me, leave me alone. I'm calling the police now. Got ya!

Unknown: You sure about that? Check your cameras...

I shakily opened the app to my cameras and when I clicked on the bottom right image which showed the area in front of the bay window, there was nothing there. There was no man standing in front of the window. But when I looked up, he was surely there. I gawked at him through the window.

Unknown: Got ya! ;)